Top Items:
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Week Republicans Finally Panicked About Trump — Here's a thought experiment: try listening to the speech that Donald Trump gave, earlier this week, at the United Nations General Assembly as if you'd never heard Trump before—or, at least, not for a long while.
Discussion:
Politico
RELATED:
Politico:
‘We are hemorrhaging’: Cracks emerge in GOP's Florida firewall — President Donald Trump is not making it easy for Republicans in Florida to keep their firewall. — The same forces undercutting the GOP in other states — including Trump's war in Iran and ensuing high gas prices …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Michael Whatley, the Republican Senate Candidate in North Carolina, Sticks By Trump — Republicans in Senate battlegrounds have started to break with the president. Not Michael Whatley of North Carolina, even as his race seems at risk. — If any Republican Senate nominee is sticking …
John Yoon / New York Times:
Trump to Appear at Events in Oklahoma and Alabama — The president announced plans to rally in deep-red states as his party makes a push for close races in battleground states. — President Trump is planning to rally in heavily Republican states over the next week as his party works …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Politico and Bloomberg
David Dayen / American Prospect:
Republicans Had 690 Days to Oppose Trump
Discussion:
Politico, The American Conservative, The Hill and HuffPost
Politico:
Republicans say they want to address data centers. Democrats smell a campaign-season rat. … Senate Democrats will soon have to decide whether to do one of their most vulnerable Republican colleagues a big political favor just weeks before the midterm elections.
RELATED:
Politico:
Remember the Talarico — With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner — Good Friday morning.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and The Washington Sun
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
3 big questions as GOP nears moment of truth
3 big questions as GOP nears moment of truth
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and HuffPost
Julian Mark / Washington Post:
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticizes Supreme Court's use of emergency docket — In a public appearance, Jackson said the high court's use of the emergency docket was “problematic” and called for more restraint from her colleagues when using it. — SummaryLoading...
Discussion:
USA Today, The Washington Sun, TheGrio and New York Times
RELATED:
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Jackson skewers Supreme Court over emergency docket — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson launched another broadside Thursday, warning that her colleagues' handling of the court's emergency docket risks an “enormously disruptive and potentially corrosive effect” on the federal judiciary.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Courthouse News Service, Reason and Law.com
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump ad airing with government funding despite law against ‘propaganda’ — The agency responsible for the commercial was not immediately clear. — SummaryLoading... A television ad promoting President Donald Trump began airing on cable Wednesday saying it was paid for by the U.S. government …
Discussion:
MS NOW, Daily Kos, New York Times, CNN, The Independent, NBC News, ABC News, Crooks and Liars, HuffPost, Slate, Truthout, Politico and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
New York Times:
A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer — A review of dozens of incidents caught on camera sheds new light on a largely invisible crackdown. — The most effective escalation of President Trump's mass deportation campaign happened quietly.
Sarah Davis / The Hill:
New Jersey governor calls on lieutenant governor to resign over ethics report — New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) gave Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until Friday to resign over a new ethics report that he violated state policy against discrimination in the workplace.
Discussion:
NBC News, Associated Press, TheGrio, NewsMax.com, The Washington Sun, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Washington Post, The Independent, KFTC-TV and Politico
RELATED:
New York Times:
Alaskans Dismayed, but Not Moved, by Peltola's Treatment of Her Staff — Voters interviewed in Anchorage and Fairbanks on Thursday said news that Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee for Senate, had used offensive slurs would not change their vote. — Many Alaskans on Thursday largely brushed off …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, PinkNews, The Guardian, New York Post, Fox News, Townhall, KEYT-TV, Daily Mail, RedState, The Hill and TMZ.com
RELATED:
Anna Edgerton / Bloomberg:
Alaska Senate Race: Mary Peltola, Dan Sullivan Battle Over Cost of Living
Alaska Senate Race: Mary Peltola, Dan Sullivan Battle Over Cost of Living
Discussion:
Townhall, Fox News, Alaska Public Media, NRSC and Newsweek
William Nye / Washington Examiner:
The West thinks Iran is winning the Red Sea. Trump is — The Houthis' advance doesn't mean Iran is winning. It means President Donald Trump is. — This might sound crazy compared to the popular Western narrative. In fact, the escalation exposes a decaying regime.
Discussion:
NewsNation
RELATED:
Annie Ma / Associated Press:
Trump administration moves to limit fixes for systemic racism in schools — For decades, a key principle underpinned civil rights enforcement in American schools: Not all discrimination was intentional. Even if a school policy was written without overt racial bias, it might unfairly hurt …
Discussion:
The Independent
RELATED:
NBC News:
Inside NBC News' polling averages: Democrats enjoy biggest lead yet in the race for Congress — Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a low point for his second term. — Democrats are heading into the final stretch of the 2026 midterms with their largest lead yet …
Discussion:
The Independent, The Moderate Voice and Forbes
Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
Tesla Argues in Court That the N-Word Is Acceptable Under Certain Circumstances — Witnesses also report being deceived by Tesla lawyers. — Whatever special kind of brain worms have established themselves in Elon Musk's noggin appear to be spreading throughout his companies.
CNN:
Intelligence from Chinese groups aiding in Iran's increasingly effective targeting of US sites, sources say — The Middle East Asia China National security — Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz …
Discussion:
Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Scripps News and Wall Street Journal
Mara Hvistendahl / New York Times:
Cambridge Abandons Plans to Fully Investigate Its Hiring of Jason Arday — The professor became a flashpoint in debates over diversity efforts in higher education. — The University of Cambridge has abandoned plans to fully investigate its hiring of Jason Arday, the professor who became …
Discussion:
The Wrap
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
58% say the U.S. is worse off under Trump vs Biden, 24% say it's better — “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” — This old line from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign for president encapsulates a surprising breadth of political science on American elections.
New Republic:
MAGA Radio Host Humiliates Trump by Leaking Truly Brutal GOP Poll Data — Iowa radio host Steve Deace just unleashed an extraordinary social media screed. He confided that GOP pollsters have informed House Republicans that GOP +15 districts are now straight toss-ups, and GOP +10 districts are now “underwater.”
Eileen Sullivan / New York Times:
Unused Tents and Uneaten Food: Watchdog Finds ‘Waste’ in Immigration Crackdown — In a report Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration squandered millions of dollars to expand detention. — The Trump administration wasted millions of dollars in its swift effort …
Discussion:
Axios, CBS News, NewsNation, PJ Media, Associated Press, Straight Arrow, [your]NEWS, The Washington Sun, The Independent and Politico
James LaPorta / CBS News:
U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba — Washington — The U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide the military's Southern Command with police forces, medical personnel and other support units within the next four months, according to an internal Army message reviewed by CBS News.
Discussion:
Daily Mail and New Republic
Gavin Blackburn / Euronews:
Finland and Sweden scramble Quick Reaction Alert jets to intercept Russian aircraft — European countries have been on high alert for any Russian interference, with fears that Moscow could target Kyiv's Western backers as the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine drags on into its fifth year.
New York Times:
Why a U.S. Diesel Export Ban May Not Lower Prices — President Trump has said he is considering restricting overseas sales of the fuel to bring down domestic prices, but experts say the policy will have many unintended effects. — Weeks away from the midterm elections …
Eric Lau / Washington Post:
How every senator voted on the Iran war powers resolution — Opposes 50 — Supports 49 Did not vote 1 — In a 49-50 vote, the Senate failed to block President Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran less than six weeks before the midterm elections.
Discussion:
NBC News, Newsweek, The Washington Sun, CBS News, Fox News, HotAir, RedState, ABC News, Stars & Stripes, NPR, NewsNation, Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Guardian, MS NOW, Wall Street Journal and Politico
Selena Simmons-Duffin / NPR:
$100 million in teen pregnancy prevention funds remain unused. What happened? — Congress passed $101 million in funding for teen pregnancy prevention, and President Trump signed that into law as part of his budget bill. But with less than a week to go in the 2026 fiscal year, about $100 million of that funding remains unspent.
Politico:
‘Shove it with your culture wars’: Hinojosa urges Democrats to focus on economy ahead of November and 2028 — Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa chided her party for having “taken the bait” in the debate over culture war issues, leaving voters unsure of “what else we stood for.”
Discussion:
Reason
Keith Bradsher / New York Times:
For China, a Truce With Trump Buys Valuable Time — Easing tensions with Washington gives Beijing room to tackle economic troubles at home while reducing its vulnerability to American pressure. — For China and its top leader, Xi Jinping, the biggest prize from a summit in Washington …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Phillips P. OBrien / Phillips's Newsletter:
It's Not That Xi Insults Trump Once... It's that the Chinese are actively destroying the US global position while the US president bows and scrapes — OK, I have that piece on Ukrainian concepts of ending the war ready to go. However, what we saw yesterday was so extreme in the history …
Axios:
Debate-shy: Candidates aren't sharing the stage like they used to — Debates in political campaigns used to be a given. Today, candidates increasingly view them as optional — or a political liability to be avoided. … - It's a sign of how campaigns have evolved, and an erosion of norms …
Discussion:
Tampa Bay Times and The Capitolist
Associated Press:
Man who was shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died — James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, [your]NEWS, CBS News, Fox News, KEYT-TV, Washington Examiner, WTOP News, NewsNation and New York Post
Abigail Hauslohner / Financial Times:
Iran offers US new seven-day ceasefire proposal — Foreign minister says plan could see Strait of Hormuz reopen within a week — Tehran has offered Washington a new seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to restart broader talks to find a final resolution to the war …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera, BOE Report and Diplomatic,
New York Times:
Massachusetts Is Investigating Gambling Companies' Use of A.I. — In response to a New York Times report on DraftKings, the state's gaming commission said it would evaluate how each company deployed the technology. — Massachusetts's gambling regulator said on Thursday that it would examine …
Discussion:
Electronic Frontier Foundation, more at Techmeme »
Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
Trump administration urges Supreme Court to revive third-country deportation policy — In an emergency request Thursday, the Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to revive its policy of deporting some migrants to places other than their country of origin, a practice that was struck …
Discussion:
New York Times, SCOTUSblog, ABC News, Politico, Courthouse News Service, JURISTnews, Breitbart, Associated Press, Law Dork, Newsweek, Washington Post, The Guardian and Reuters
Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
CDC vaccine recommendations are at a standstill, and unanswered questions are piling up — The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new flu vaccine that tested well in older adults. But the federal agency responsible for telling doctors and the general public how to use it has made no recommendation on it.
