A horrible thing happened this week to a fellow American. There is never an instance in which assassination is acceptable.

Though not the most empathetic or accepting of diversity, Charlie Kirk, nonetheless, deserved as much as any other American citizen to live a full life and see his children grow into adults. He won’t and that should sadden all of us.

Media coverage everywhere has been dismal - a reflection of the fear of Trump that has moved networks that aren’t CNN to both-siderize and avoid HIS WRATH by omission while amplifying the false accusations of angry Republicans that the blame for Kirk’s assassination lies squarely on the “radical left.” This is the talking point you heard from Trump as soon as news broke two days ago, and it is being hammered over and over by all Republican talking heads on all news cycles.

While most journalists mention off and on that the assassin’s motive and political alignment are unknown, few are those who even bother to correct whichever Republican talking head is on duty when the words “radical left is to blame” are uttered. The fact that Chinese and Russian social media bots are still as active as ever on social media platforms gets too few mentions whenever a talking head makes the point that social media is full of anti-Kirk hate.

So, I was truly shocked when I saw this video included in a new online post by my local paper, the Los Angeles Times, which is owned by Trump-aligned billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong:

Why the shock? The Los Angeles Times moved hard to the right at the direction of its owner late last year, as have the Washington Post and others, the latest being CBS under its new owner, David Ellison. So this kind of article appearing in the LA Times is not something I expected.

I’ve yet to see this kind of talk on my TV. So far, most of what I see is a generalized acquiescence to the whitewashing that is coming from MAGA circles.

Terrorism by leftists, actual ones, isn’t a thing. What has been a thing are groups that have been much farther to the right of MAGA and Turning Point USA. Nick Fuentes was embraced by Trump in 2022… They even had lunch at Mar A Lago. Remember?

The news media is a real problem now.

Don’t let anyone misdirect you. Don’t let your friends get misdirected. Please share this.

Thank you.

PS: Even British The Economist newspaper is casting doubt on blaming “the radical left, in:

Is “radical-left” violence really on the rise in America?

The killing of Charlie Kirk is part of a grim pattern of political violence. This is what the data show

ON SEPTEMBER 10th Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist, was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah. Although a suspect is in custody, the motive of the killer is still unknown. President Donald Trump, who has himself been the target of gunmen, pinned the blame on rhetoric from the “radical left”. Assessing political violence in America is inherently subjective: analysts must determine which forms of violence count as political and assign ideological labels to attackers or victims. But the studies and datasets available—largely compiled by researchers whom sceptical conservatives would probably dismiss as biased—suggest that the killing of Mr Kirk is not representative of broader trends.

(This article is pay-walled…)

Note: I am still on medical leave. Thank you for reading me.

I can’t tell you how many times a day I see a headline that both conveys an established fact and doubt about that fact, all in one sentence. An allegation is an unsubstantiated statement. The same is true of purported, claimed, and other words we use when we write about something that is not proven.

More often than not, I suspect out of fear of litigation, media outlets inject an “allegation” here and a “purported” there, in order to escape real or (mostly) imagined legal liability.

In the case of KTLA’s article, they not only published portions of a video that was provided to them by a viewer, but they mention having received an additional one, as well, with footage of what the delivery driver left on the porch.

Over the last ten years, we’ve had many discussions about truth in reporting, alternative histories, alternative facts, as they relate to legal cases as well as reporting in the media. With something this trivial and straightforward, do we really need to inject caveats where none are needed?

Had this story been about a cat or dog visiting this homeowner’s porch would the words “purported” or “alleged” have appeared in this story?

I mean, really…

This reminds me of an American Scientific article I read recently:

Language Differences Control Your Brain’s Sentence-Prediction Habits

The brain’s response to information depends on language’s grammatical structure

Media organizations are rife with problems that have to do with bias, ownership and various other influences. This kind of thing, though emblematic, should not be one of them.

Before you go…

Please support my work by subscribing for $5 a month or by making a one-time donation to my recovery slush fund on PayPal?

I publish a daily post of the day’s news, updated all throughout the day (and night), seven days a week. I publish it free to all because it is more important to me to keep us all informed, but it does take me from 04:00 through the evening to curate the news. I also publish a couple of weekly opinion pieces on issues that catch my attention each week.

Thank you.

Note: I am currently on medical leave and will be back in about a week. Thank you.

Anderson Cooper ran a segment on the firing of the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, last night.

Unfortunately, CNN hasn’t seen fit to post the entire segment, including Cooper’s introduction in which he listed all the words from all of the books the armed services are being made to purge from their libraries, or the part of his interview with Sherrilyn Ifill in which she talks about Dr. Haden and the fact that she was fired via an email that addresses her by her first name and contains just two lines of text, composed in a distinctively disrespectful manner, designed to insult the recipient.

Cooper, quite rightly, began his segment with the most consequential words uttered in a congressional hearing in recent memory. Mark Milley appeared at a hearing on June 23, 2021:

Looking back at the first days of the second Trump term, it appears that Trump turned Mark Milley’s answer to Matt Gaetz into a comprehensive to-do list and methodically set about to excise every last component of every single issue Milley touched upon, with the express intent to turn America’s enlightenment clock all the way back. It is quite clear that among Trump’s many resentments are the breadth and depth of Mark Milley’s intellect, knowledge, and culture. He embodies all of those things Trump has always lacked. Trump, as a member of New York’s high society, was derided and shunned by his peers for his boorishness.

The cultural and educational destruction of this second Trump administration is at least on the order of magnitude of Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution, erasing all of the things Trump either couldn’t or wouldn’t absorb through learning. Take his often-times odd usage of language as compared to Mark Milley’s, for example. Self-expression is a skill honed by years of learning, reading and care. These are the things that a boorish Trump never had any affinity or use for or harbored a deep resentment toward. Most importantly, they are all of the things that have instilled in Trump shame, inadequacy, and great resentment over a lifetime. During the lead up to the 2016 election, Trump was overt in his courtship of the uneducated.

Milley is the superior to Trump’s inferior and all of Trump’s current and past associates constitute the mirror image of that inferiority. They are his cabal of retributionists.

We are not only ruled by a highly boorish and insecure pack of individuals, but also by the most resentful ever.

Addendum: The New York Post’s YouTube video on the firing of Dr. Carla Hayden

Before you go…

Please support my work by subscribing for $5 a month or by making a one-time small donation on PayPal.

I publish a daily post of the day’s news, updated all throughout the day (and night), seven days a week. I publish it free to all because it is more important to me to keep us all informed, but it does take me from 04:00 through the evening to curate the news. I also publish a couple of weekly opinion pieces on issues that catch my attention each week.

Thank you.

Note: I am currently on medical leave and will be back in about a week. Thank you.

In the interest of closure, this is a follow-up to yesterday’s post about Joe Biden and his purported senility.

I am including all of the segments from Joe Biden’s appearance on ABC’s The View today, a day after his half-hour long interview with the BBC. If anything, today, Biden was more animated — invigorated, even. Again, judge for yourselves.

I challenge anyone to come up with anything that might point to senility in either today or yesterday’s appearances. The man is neither in a mental fog nor does he exhibit any sign of having lost his mental acuity. His command of facts, policy issues, political science and history remain as they’ve always been - whether one agrees with them or not.

One should not mistake generalized antipathy toward Biden by a great many Democrats, all at once, as proof that Biden is senile. In other words, a whole lotta Democrats knifing Biden in the back, saying Biden is senile does not, in fact, make Biden senile. It just makes them a pack of wolves jumping on their prey.

A senile person cannot do back-to-back appearances like these without faltering repeatedly during most of them. No senile person recovers from senility after hundred-day break. That isn’t how mental decline works. You’re either with it or you aren’t, which is a wholly different beast than having a bad day or series of bad days - which we all do…

I write this as someone who never viewed Biden as a first choice candidate for president, but someone who is concerned about accuracy in media reporting and the behavior of particular journalists in the advance of their careers and self-enrichment over the truth.

Before you go…

I publish a daily post of the day’s news, updated all throughout the day (and night), seven days a week. I publish it free to all because it is more important to me to keep us all informed, but it does take me from 04:00 through the evening to curate the news. I also publish a couple of weekly opinion pieces on issues that catch my attention each week.

Please support my work by subscribing for $5 a month or by making a one-time donation on PayPal.

Thank you.

Note: I am currently on medical leave and will be back in about a week. Thank you.

Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios have a new book titled “Original Sin.” It’s about the mental decline of Joe Biden and the purported conspiracy of his top aides to keep it from all of us.

The story of how Joe Biden was pushed out does, indeed, include sin, but it likely won’t be of the kind some would like you to believe.

Rather than read the book, watch this and ask yourselves how Biden seems any different, today, than he has seemed in the last ten or so years, adjusting for the passage of time, his speech patterns going back to his aneurysm surgery, and the taxing nature of the office.

For contrast, here are before and after photos of Barack Obama in 2008 and in 2014.

The French have an expression about getting old… prendre un coup de vieux. Literally translated, it is “taking a hit of old age.”

What got me to push out this post? Seeing the BBC notification of this new Biden interview on my phone got me pissed off all over again.

How badly did the Democratic political class miscalculate when they decided to ditch Biden? We have more than three and a half years to ponder the answer.

Postscript:

Brad DeLong published this post.

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality

Donald Trump Is too Old to Be President, Yet Every Day, Live on Camera, We Get the Daily Farce of Pretending This Is in Some Way Normal

We have pretended our way into a constitutional crisis. When your president can't explain the Declaration of Independence, you don’t have a presidency. & the silence of the Republican elite is compli…

Read more

a year ago · 201 likes · 11 comments · Brad DeLong

I disagree. What’s wrong with Trump has nothing to do with age and everything to do with disposition. In fact, I dare say that what has kept him alert is his mean, rapacious and vengeful disposition. Everything else that is wrong with the man has to do with the deepest of moral turpitude and the most abiding and well-rounded ignorance. It’s rare to see someone in his class turn out to be so ignorant about the world and all it has offered over the centuries.

On a personal note: I am still on sick leave. My surgery was delayed until next week. I will be back and posting the week after that.

Your support is deeply appreciated.

Dear Readers,

I will not be publishing my news posts for a few days starting now, ahead of major surgery next week. I’ve been in a lot of pain and it has been very difficult to sit.

Assuming all goes well, I hope to resume posting before the weekend.

Thank you for your continued readership,

Your subscriptions to this news blog are very much appreciated.

One-time gifts can be made here:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/blog42

Rima Regas

Blog#42

Yesterday's post

Caturday

Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

Trump’s fixation on a tariff battle win against China could cost him the trade war

Beijing is going on an international charm campaign to coax other countries hit hard by “Liberation Day” tariffs to take on the U.S.

President Donald Trump bet that his 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports would bring Chinese leader Xi Jinping running to cut a deal on trade.

Instead, China responded by hitting back with tariffs of their own, ignoring Trump’s calls to open talks, and launching an international charm campaign to coax other countries to take on the U.S.

It’s a diplomatic fumble rooted in a fundamental miscalculation by Trump, who thought his tactics with Mexico and Canada would work with Beijing.

“They got the China piece of it very wrong and misunderstood what it would mean to really back China into a such a corner with such extreme levels of tariffs,” said Emily Kilcrease, former deputy assistant U.S. trade representative during the end of Trump’s first term and the beginning of former President Joe Biden’s term.

The administration gambled that U.S. tariffs against China would swiftly result in an updated version of the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal that Trump sealed with Xi in 2020. That agreement included China’s commitment to massive purchases of U.S. goods and services that Beijing failed to honor. But China’s willingness to defy the tariffs and its decision to capitalize on the international anger at Trump’s trade policies has proven effective — at least so far.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump talks tariffs. The EU talks free trade with the rest of the world.

With the United States throwing up the highest trade barriers in a century, Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission is on a mission to do trade deals with everyone else.

BRUSSELS — Donald Trump is turning his back on free trade and, with it, the €1.6 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. That's motivating the European Union to do trade deals with just about everyone else.

The United States accounts for 13 percent of world trade. The EU, the world’s largest single market spanning 27 nations and 450 million people, accounts for around 16 percent — and is looking to extend its lead.

“Countries are lining up to work with us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told POLITICO.

Since her second Commission was confirmed in December, von der Leyen has wrapped up talks on a long-awaited accord with the Latin American Mercosur bloc; called to strike a free-trade agreement with India this year; and launched or relaunched talks with the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and others.

Here’s a rundown of the deals that Brussels wants to get done:

Continue reading at Politico Europe

California surpasses Japan as world's 4th largest economy

California's economy has surpassed Japan's, state Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, as he warned of potential impacts in the Golden State from President Trump's sweeping tariffs.

The big picture: "CA just became the 4th largest economy in the WORLD," Newsom said on X Thursday, after his office announced data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

By the numbers: California's gross domestic product (GDP) reached $4.1 trillion last year, compared with Japan's $4.02 trillion, according to the data.

• Only the U.S., China and Germany have bigger economies, according to the data.

What they're saying: "California isn't just keeping pace with the world — we're setting the pace," Newsom said in a statement released by his office.

• "Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation," he said.

• "And, while we celebrate this success, we recognize that our progress is threatened by the reckless tariff policies of the current federal administration. California's economy powers the nation, and it must be protected."

Continue reading at Axios

Amazon sellers are hiking prices on hundreds of goods as tariffs bite

American consumers are starting to feel the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports, especially online.

Since the second week in April, sellers on Amazon have raised their prices on nearly 1,000 products, according to data from SmartScout, a price analysis software tool. The average price hike — nearly 30%, according to the company's analysis.

Costs rose on a wide range of items, from tech accessories such as phone chargers to women's clothing, SmartScout founder and CEO Scott Needham told CBS MoneyWatch. Anker, a top-selling brand on Amazon that sells mobile charging devices, has increased prices on roughly 25% of its products on the site, for example.

"It's one of first concerted efforts I've seen where nothing explains the price hikes other than tariffs," Needham said.

Tariffs are paid by importers, and they typically pass on much or even all of those additional costs to consumers. Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy told CNBC earlier this month that he expected U.S. tariffs to boost prices on a host of consumer goods.

Continue reading at CBS News

DOGE slashes disability and aging services

The Trump administration has drawn a bright line around Medicare and Social Security, promising Americans that the two programs will remain untouched.

But a budget proposal obtained by POLITICO shows a different kind of rollback underway — one that could impact the lives of millions of older Americans and people with disabilities.

The Trump administration is poised to eliminate dozens of federal programs, including protective services for vulnerable seniors, chronic disease self-management education, resource centers for people who have been paralyzed or lost a limb and one that tries to help older people prevent falls. Even a more modest federal initiative aimed at making polling places more accessible would be eliminated under the proposal.

All of these programs facing the knife fall under the Administration for Community Living, a component of the Department of Health and Human Services that aims to help older adults and people with disabilities remain in their homes and communities. The whole department is being zeroed out, according to the budget proposal.

Those services are often invisible in the national debate, but they are critical to maintaining independence and quality of life for some of the country’s most vulnerable residents, said ALISON BARKOFF, former acting administrator of ACL, which funds more than 2,500 programs nationwide.

“The combination of dismantling ACL and eliminating programs along the lines of what’s proposed would decimate the system that keeps older adults and people with disabilities in their homes and out of far more expensive institutions,” said Barkoff, who served in the Biden administration.

Some programs will survive, but not in their current form. Remaining ACL responsibilities will be scattered across other parts of HHS, including the Administration for Children and Families, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to an HHS announcement.

This week, DOGE staffers met with another agency: the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that develops and maintains accessibility standards under federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act. AMY NIEVES, a spokesperson for the Access Board, confirmed the meeting and said that additional contacts with DOGE are expected.

Spokespeople for HHS and DOGE did not respond to requests for comment.

Continue reading at Politico West Wing Playbook newsletter

USDA pulls rule to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Thursday it is withdrawing a Biden-era proposed rule that would limit salmonella levels in raw poultry.

The rule would have required corporations to test contamination levels in chicken and poultry infected with strains tied to the meat-borne disease. If poultry plants reported significant bacteria detected, the stock would risk being pulled from store shelves and be subject to a recall under the proposed rule.

USDA officials said they pulled the rule due to concerns submitted during the public comment period.

“While FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] continues to support the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products, the Agency believes that the comments have raised several important issues that warrant further consideration,” the agency wrote in its notification on the Federal Register.

Continue reading at The Hill

Today's news

Democratic News Corner

Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff says Trump’s ‘chaos and uncertainty’ hurts the economy

The 38-year-old Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in a 2021 runoff that helped flip control of the Senate to Democrats for four years. He’s the only Democrat seeking reelection in 2026 who represents a state that Trump carried in 2024, making him a top target for Republicans seeking to defend their current Senate majority.

The Republican field is currently frozen, awaiting a decision from two-term Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on whether he will seek to unseat Ossoff. The Democrat declined to discuss how he would run against Kemp or any other Republican, saying only, “I am more than prepared for any challenger.”

He spoke in an interview with The Associated Press at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia, following a meeting with students interested in appointments to military academies. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:

What’s the biggest problem facing Georgia today and what can you do about it as a senator?

OSSOFF: “Look, at this very moment as we conduct this interview, and of course, this can change by the hour depending upon the president’s whim, businesses are unable to invest with an understanding of what the rules of international trade will be from one hour or week or month to the next. Households are unable to plan their annual budgets because there’s so much chaos and uncertainty in the implementation of federal economic policy. This administration needs to clearly define its economic objectives, and it needs to competently implement its plan, whatever that plan may be. The fact that the White House does not even know what its policy is, and is with such unpredictability and chaos, lurching from one policy to the other, is putting the state’s economy at serious economic risk.”

Continue reading at the AP

Former Florida Democrat on why he left the party: ‘No direction’

Florida Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo further elaborated during a recent interview on why he formally left the Democratic Party this week, arguing the party lacks “direction” and has no “purpose” on how to deliver results for constituents.

Pizzo said Friday on NewsNation’s show “The Hill” that his criticism is directed both at the Democratic Party and the state party, but “I think mostly on myself for spending so many years raising so many millions of dollars and donating the same to try to artificially resuscitate, you know, a group or a clutch of people that really have no direction and have no and have no purpose on how to solve things with sound policy.”

Pizzo became the third state lawmaker to exit the Democratic Party in recent months. Speaking on the floor of the state Senate in Tallahassee, Pizzo said on Thursday that “for today, I FedExed my voter registration form to change my party affiliation to no party affiliation.”

“The Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” he added. “But there are good people that can resuscitate it, but they don’t want it to be me.”

Continue reading at The Hill

National Security

Trump brushes off Hegseth criticism: ‘I don’t view Signal as important’

President Trump on Friday denounced critics who have raised concern over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal, a discrete messaging app, to disseminate sensitive military information.

Asked whether his confidence has changed in Hegseth after a second chat controversy thrust him back into the spotlight earlier this week, Trump brushed off the sentiment. Instead, he cast blame once again on the media.

“I don’t view Signal as important,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, en route to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral. “I think that’s fake news. So, I don’t view it as important.”

His remarks come days after The New York Times reported that the Defense chief in mid-March disclosed sensitive information about military attack plans in a Signal chain with his wife, brother and personal lawyer. Hegseth has argued the messages contained and “informal” and ‘”unclassified” info.

Continue reading at The Hill

Economics

Retail wipeout: Trump tariffs stoke fears of shortages and price hikes

American retailers are growing worried that President Trump's trade war and increased volatility will lead to empty shelves, higher prices and store closures as Chinese imports screech to a halt.

Why it matters: Many retailers stocked up on inventory in the first months of 2025, realizing that a storm was coming — but their inventories are poised to dwindle quickly.

• The National Retail Federation expects U.S. imports to plunge by at least 20% in the second half of 2025 if increased tariffs remain in place.

• "Shortages are a real possibility," Coresight Research analyst John Harmon tells Axios.

The big picture: Trump's trade war has sent the nation's retailers into scramble mode.

• The CEOs of three of the nation's biggest retailers — Walmart, Target and Home Depot — privately warned Trump in a meeting Monday that his trade policy could trigger massive product shortages and price spikes.

• The largest companies are reportedly pressuring suppliers to absorb extra costs. "We have decades of experience" with buyers, plus longstanding supplier relationships, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told reporters earlier this month.

Continue reading at Axios

Key commodity exports plunge as Trump's trade war bites

Chart: U.S. soybean exports to China

Sales to China of key commodities, like soybeans and pork, are plunging as the trade war begins to impact the domestic economy.

Why it matters: U.S. farmers export more than $176 billion in agricultural products annually — almost 10% of which is just soybean and pork shipments to China.

• Losing even a fraction of those exports for the long term could be economically devastating.

By the numbers: In the week of April 11-17, net soybean sales were down 50% week over week and down 25% versus the four-week average, per data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service released Thursday.

• Net pork sales were down 72% week on week and 82% versus the four-week average, the USDA said.

What they're saying: "This is directly related to the tariff situation. There's no doubt about it, there's not some other magic behind-the-scenes thing going on," Rob Dongoski, global lead for food and agribusiness at consultancy Kearney, tells Axios.

Continue reading at Axios

"Baby tax": Trump tariffs send baby gear prices soaring

New parents looking to purchase a stroller may want to get a jump start, as the price of baby gear is climbing thanks to President Trump's tariffs, CEOs warn.

The big picture: The president has become a powerful ally in the push for women to have more children but his roller-coaster tariffs have made it more expensive for parents to buy the baby products they need, industry leaders say.

Zoom in: Prices on baby essentials, like car seats and strollers, started increasing last week and are up, on average, by about 30%, said Elizabeth Mahon, founder of D.C.-based children's store Three Littles.

• "Prices are through the roof right now," she said, adding that they're expected to continue going up in coming weeks.

Case in point: The price of an UPPAbaby stroller, which Mahon said is of one of the most popular strollers in the country, is going to jump from $899 to $1,200 in early May, she said.

• Strollers and car seats from Nuna, another popular brand, already went up $100 and $50, respectively.

Continue reading at Axios

Apple May Shift to Making US iPhones in India. It Won’t Be Easy

Manufacturers in India would need to double production to meet US iPhone demand—and the shift still wouldn’t solve Apple’s China problem.

According to the Financial Times, which cites sources “familiar with the matter,” Apple plans to assemble in India all iPhones intended for the US by the end of 2026. The majority of Apple’s iPhones are currently made in China, but Chinese-made products have become a toxic asset for US import.

The US government has imposed a 145 percent tariff on goods from China. While smartphones are included in a 90-day reprieve, announced in early April, President Trump has indicated this exclusion is indeed a temporary one. Ready to pay $2,949 for a base storage iPhone 17 Pro Max?

Apple’s supposed shifting of its manufacturing to India is an insurance policy against such chaos in the future, but it did not begin here. In December 2024, we wrote about Apple’s growing reliance on India for manufacturing as a bulwark against growing US-China tensions.

Indian production of iPhones commenced in 2017, starting with the lower-cost iPhone SE. The country began producing flagship-model launch iPhones in 2023.

Despite being the better part of a decade into Indian iPhone manufacturing, this latest alleged shift in strategy still represents a very costly turbocharging of its efforts—and likely at least a doubling of output from Apple’s Indian production plants. WIRED approached Apple for comment, but had not received a response at time of publishing.

How Many Indian iPhones?

“Our estimates say that Apple produced around 40 to 43 million [iPhones] in India last year,” says Navkendar Singh, associate vice president at IDC India. “About 12 or 13 million were consumed in the India market entirely, and the rest were exported out.”

More than 60 million iPhones are sold in the US each year, where the series commands a 57 percent smartphone market share, according to some estimates. "So about 80 to 85 million [iPhones] they will need to produce in India,” says Singh, should Apple want to satisfy US demand at current levels while also serving local Indian market demand.

This expansion does not solely rely on Apple’s investments. As in all of Apple’s major production efforts, any Indian expansion will involve partners, primarily Tata Electronics, Foxconn, and Pegatron.

Continue reading at Wired

Health and Science News

Scientists May Have Figured Out Why Young People Are Getting Colorectal Cancer More Often

New research has found a link between a toxin produced by certain E. coli bacteria and early onset colorectal cancer.

A common bacteria in our gut might be stirring up more trouble than we knew. A study out this week has found evidence that a mutagenic toxin produced by some strains of Escherichia coli can trigger early onset colorectal cancer.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego led the research, published Wednesday in Nature. They found a link between exposure to the toxin, called colibactin, and colorectal cancers more likely to happen in young adults. The findings could help explain why the rate of early onset colorectal cancer has mysteriously risen in recent years, though more research is needed to confirm a causative connection, the researchers say.

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer, with roughly 150,000 Americans diagnosed with it every year. It’s also the second most leading cause of death by cancer, killing around 50,000 Americans annually.

As with many types of cancer, the incidence and death rate of colorectal cancer has been steadily declining over time. However, this decline isn’t equally distributed, since the incidence of colorectal cancer has been increasing in young and middle-aged adults. According to the American Cancer Society, rates of colorectal cancer among people younger than 50 have increased by 2.4% per year between 2012 and 2021.

Continue reading at Gizmodo

RFK Jr. isn’t staying in his lane. Trump is thrilled.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expanded his authority well beyond the bounds of a traditional health secretary.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is fast becoming the most prominent face of the Trump administration’s domestic agenda, taking on a portfolio well beyond the role of a traditional Health secretary. And the White House is thrilled.

Senior aides believe Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” loyalists helped deliver the popular vote for President Donald Trump last November — and that keeping them in the GOP tent will be crucial to ensuring the party holds onto power come the midterms, according to four Trump aides and advisers granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking.

That’s why they’re more than happy to let the presidential candidate-turned-top health official exert influence over an expanding array of key policy priorities across the government, even if it ruffles a few feathers among officials in other agencies who feel Kennedy is encroaching on their turf.

“Midterm success, in a large way, depends on MAHA success,” said one Trump adviser who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “This is about President Trump, and this is about the House and the Senate.”

Kennedy, who has his own base of superfans and polled as high as 15 percent before dropping out of the 2024 race and allying with Trump, has already sought major changes to programs run by the Agriculture Department. He’s headlined new initiatives typically driven by the Environmental Protection Agency, and has described his job as encompassing “anything I need to do to make America healthy again.”

The extraordinary leeway has empowered Kennedy to reshape a Cabinet role traditionally reserved for low-key managers and health policy wonks, further elevating his political profile and turning the former Democrat into a linchpin for Trump’s domestic ambitions.

Continue reading at Politico

HHS layoffs undercut Trump’s pledge to be ‘fertilization president’

President Trump has championed access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and even dubbed himself the “fertilization president” early in his second term.

But Department of Government Efficiency-induced layoffs at the Department and Health and Human Services (HHS) have decimated maternal health and reproductive medicine programs, including teams that report on fertility outcomes of IVF clinics, as well as those that track maternal health and mortality data.

Public health experts and reproductive health advocates say the cuts will have lasting consequences and make it more dangerous to be pregnant in the United States. They questioned how Trump’s promises to expand IVF, as well as the White House’s reported interest in boosting a lagging domestic birthrate, can be reconciled with the gutting of crucial tools that could help achieve those goals.

The HHS suddenly laid off 10,000 people at the start of this month, a sweeping move that included about three-quarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) reproductive health division, former CDC employees told The Hill.

Former fertility-focused agency employees who lost their jobs April 1 said they thought it was a mistake.

“Trump said he was the fertility president. How does cutting this program support the administration’s position?” one former CDC employee said.

“We fully expected that the team would be brought back once there was awareness that it had been eliminated. But as time has gone on, apparently there’s no intention of bringing anyone back,” said another.

Continue reading at The Hill

Measles: What are the first symptoms to look for?

Measles, one of the most contagious viruses in the world, is often recognized by the rash it gives patients who are infected. However, those spots and bumps usually don’t appear for more than a week after someone has been exposed.

Other symptoms are better early indicators of a potential measles case, health experts say.

Even the earliest symptoms could take days to appear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Measles is airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs.

Between 7 to 14 days after an exposure, measles is most likely to start with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes as the virus moves from the respiratory tract into the rest of the body.

Two or three days after the first symptoms kick in, people infected with measles may start to notice small, white spots inside the mouth. These spots are called Koplik spots, named after the doctor who first described them.

Continue reading at The Hill

Polling- Surveys

The New Partisan Divide Is Old Gen Z vs. Young Gen Z

Gen Z politics is transforming before our eyes.

Rachel Janfaza is a journalist covering youth political culture and the founder of The Up and Up, a newsletter focused on Gen Z’s political zeitgeist. She also freelances, with bylines in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue, Elle and Cosmo.

New data out of Yale’s Youth Poll broke the internet last week when it revealed a partisan split within Gen Z. Given a generic Democrat vs. Republican ballot for 2026, respondents ages 18-21 supported Republicans by nearly 12 points, while those ages 22-29 backed Democrats by about 6 points.

It was a stunning gap that undermined the longstanding notion of younger voters always trending more liberal. On the contrary, today’s youngest eligible voters are more conservative than their older counterparts: According to the poll, they are less likely to support transgender athletes participating in sports, less likely to support sending aid to Ukraine and more likely to approve of President Donald Trump. Fifty-one percent of younger Gen Zers view him favorably, compared to 46 percent of older Gen Z.

That split might seem surprising, but it’s only the latest example of an emerging dynamic I’ve noticed developing over the last few years: It’s increasingly clear that there are actually two different Gen Z’s, each with a particular political worldview.

Since just after the 2022 midterm elections, I’ve held listening sessions — open-forums for discussion — with teens and young adults across the country to find out how young people think and feel about politics. I’ve traveled to high school and college campuses, community centers and even homes. And as I’ve written before, these conversations with young people illuminated the distinctions between Gen Z 1.0 and Gen Z 2.0.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump is getting negative marks on immigration, polls show

New polling ahead of Trump’s 100-day mark shows Americans disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies.

President Donald Trump is losing ground with voters on one of the key focuses of his second administration, as his approval rating on immigration took a slight hit in multiple polls this week.

As Trump continues to ramp up his sweeping immigration agenda — touting deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members and crackdowns on sanctuary cities across the country — several polls put him underwater on immigration, an issue that took center stage during his 2024 campaign.

A new Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll released Friday put Trump at 53 percent disapproval among Americans on immigration, with 46 percent approving. A different poll from the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs also released Friday reported the exact same numbers — 53 percent disapproval among adults and 46 percent approval.

It’s a downward — if slight — trend for both surveys. An earlier Post-Ipsos poll in February put Trump at a 50 percent approval rate on immigration, with 48 percent disapproving, and AP/NORC polling from late March also had a close split, with 49 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval.

Trump is also underwater on immigration in the latest New York Times/Siena College poll from Friday, which reported a 51 percent disapproval among voters of his handling of immigration compared to 47 percent approval. Fox News polled Trump’s closest numbers this week, with 47 percent approval among voters on immigration — a record high in Trump’s immigration approval in Fox surveys — but still in the negative with a 48 percent disapproval rating.

A majority approved of his border security policies in the Fox News poll, but he had a net negative approval rating on his deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Continue reading at Politico

About 4-in-10 Americans say Trump is a ‘terrible’ president amid sinking approval: Survey

A new poll shows that about 4 in 10 Americans say President Trump has been a “terrible” leader in his second term.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also found that about 2 in 10 think he has done an average job in his presidency and 3 in 10 says he’s been a great or good president.

The poll also found that 24 percent of adults believe Trump is focused on the right priorities.

Forty-four percent say Trump’s focused on the wrong priorities in the AP-NORC poll, 21 per percent said an even mix and 10 percent don’t know

The low numbers reflects polls across the country that have measured a dip in the 47th president’s favorability and approval ratings.

Opinions vastly differed for respondents based on party affiliation.

Continue reading at The Hill

Falling vaccine rates could mean millions of measles cases: Study

• Researchers modeled changes in vaccination rates

• A decrease in current rates could lead to millions of cases

• Measles was previously considered eradicated in the US

A new study warns that the U.S. could see millions of new measles cases over the next 25 years if vaccination rates continue to fall.

The research, published in science journal JAMA, used modeling to forecast the number of measles cases in several scenarios, including vaccination rates holding steady, rising or falling.

Measles was officially eliminated in the U.S. decades ago thanks to the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

But as more people have refused to vaccinate their children despite decades of evidence showing the MMR is effective and safe, measles has been making a comeback, with a current outbreak already accounting for hundreds of cases.

If vaccination rates hold steady at today’s level, researchers predict 851,300 cases of measles over the next 25 years.

But if vaccination rates drop just 10 percent, there could be 11.1 million measles cases in that same time frame. If vaccination rates drop by 50 percent, there could be 51.2 million cases of measles over the next 25 percent, the study notes.

Assuming that vaccination rates fell at the same level for all childhood vaccines, measles isn’t the only dangerous, previously eliminated disease that could make a comeback.

Continue reading at The Hill

The Courts / Legal

Senate awaits Trump judges

Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are ready to start cranking out a new class of conservative judges — but they're waiting on the White House to send them some nominees.

Why it matters: Compared to President Biden four years ago — and Trump in 2017 — Republicans will be slower to start on judicial confirmations. As his whirlwind second term approaches its 100-day mark, Trump has yet to nominate a single federal judge.

• Trump is expected to start making judicial picks in the coming days or weeks, according to sources familiar with his plans.

• Still, by this point in Trump 1.0, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch had already been confirmed, and the first Trump federal judge was in the pipeline for a May approval, according to Senate records.

What to watch: Grassley has had ongoing conversations with White House officials letting them know he's ready to move when they are, according to sources familiar with the talks.

• White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Axios that "nominating courageous, constitutionalist judges to the federal bench is more critical than ever" and signaled nominations were in the works.

Continue reading at Axios

3 ways Trump's immigration crackdown could hit U.S. citizens

Trump administration officials are suggesting their immigration crackdown could expand to include deporting convicted U.S. citizens and charging anyone — not just immigrants — who criticizes Trump's policies.

Why it matters: Such moves — described by officials in recent days — would show how U.S. citizens could be impacted by the growing number of tactics President Trump is using to, in his view, improve national security.

• They'd also be certain to ignite new legal battles over how far Trump's team can go in fighting illegal immigration and responding to dissenters.

Zoom in: Here are three tactics the administration has teased that legal analysts say would challenge Americans' rights:

1. Sending convicted U.S. citizens to prisons abroad.

• This has been floated as a spinoff of Trump's deal with El Salvador, where a high-security prison is holding about 300 U.S. immigration detainees that the administration says are suspected criminals and gang members.

Continue reading at Axios

Harvard researcher held in Louisiana awaits judge’s decision on deportation to Russia

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Kseniia Petrova never imagined she would face significant immigration issues, but it has been 68 days since she was detained at the Boston airport while traveling with undeclared frog embryo samples.

The Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher associate was in the United States legally. But she finds herself thrust into a detention system that has been in the national spotlight as President Donald Trump pursues his promise of mass deportations.

Petrova, 30, was sent to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana where she continues to await a judge’s decision on whether she will be deported to Russia, where she fears she will be imprisoned or worse.

The Department of Homeland Security accuses Petrova of knowingly breaking the law, while friends and advocates are calling for her release and saying the incident was an infraction that normally would be punishable by a fine.

As Petrova spends days in a crowded dormitory awaiting her fate, her colleagues say their research, including using a one-of-a-kind cancer-detecting microscope, will be delayed or moot without the scientist who they say plays a critical role.

Continue reading at the AP

Authors in Supreme Court LGBTQ books case detail ‘surreal’ fight

Sarah S. Brannen, a children’s author and illustrator, published her first book, about a young girl’s anxiety surrounding her favorite uncle’s wedding, in 2008. She wrote it for her niece, who told Brannen she thought the ending of every story should be wrapped neatly in a bow, with two people in love living happily ever after.

Nearly 20 years later, “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” is at the center of a Supreme Court case that could decide whether parents may opt their children out of elementary school lessons with LGBTQ storybooks.

The justices, who this week heard oral arguments in the case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, appear inclined to side with a group of parents arguing their Maryland school district’s lack of an opt-out option substantially burdens their First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion.

The parents, who fall on a spectrum of religious beliefs, are not challenging their school district’s curriculum or asking for books to be banned. But some LGBTQ and free speech groups have said a ruling siding with the parents could set a troubling precedent and affect more than just LGBTQ-related content.

Continue reading at The Hill

ICE deports the mother of a infant and a 2-year-old who is a US citizen

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have in recent days deported a Cuban-born mother of a 1-year-old girl, separating them indefinitely, and in another case a 2-year-old girl who is a U.S. citizen along with her Honduran-born mother, their lawyers say.

Both cases raise questions about who is being deported, and why, and come amid a battle in federal courts over whether President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has gone too far and too quickly at the expense of fundamental rights.

Lawyers in the two cases described how their clients were arrested at routine check-ins at ICE offices, given virtually no opportunity to speak with lawyers or their family members and then deported within two or three days.

A federal judge in Louisiana raised questions about the deportation of the 2-year-old girl, saying the government had not proven that it had done so properly.

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement that that case and another in New Orleans that involves deporting children who are U.S. citizens are a “shocking – although increasingly common -– abuse of power.”

Continue reading at the AP

Anti-DEI-Whitewashing

Court ruling further complicates Trump’s anti-DEI push

President Trump’s plans to rid the country’s education system of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were thrown further into chaos this week when a judge ruled against the Education Department’s directives.

States, fiercely divided on the issue, were already dealing with a delayed certification deadline and murky enforcement mechanisms before federal Judge Landya McCafferty issued her preliminary injunction on Trump’s anti-DEI measures.

“Thankfully, many schools and districts and colleges and universities have been waiting to see what would happen because they knew and understood that what they were being asked to do was blatantly unlawful and nonsensical,” said Liz King, senior director of education equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

“And so, hopefully this gives the assurance that schools need that they should not be bending to the whims of this administration,” King added.

On Feb. 14, the Department of Education sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to universities, saying they could risk losing federal funding if they do not get rid of DEI efforts.

Weeks later, state education and K-12 district leaders were told they needed to certify their schools had no DEI programs or also risk losing federal funding.

The Education Department also created a “DEI portal” to allow parents and others to report programs or initiatives they feel are in violation of Trump’s executive orders.

Continue reading at The Hill

General News

Pope Francis was laid to rest today. Here is a tribute I thought was quite striking.

In photos: Hundreds of thousands pay respects to Pope Francis at his funeral

Zelenskyy, Trump speak in Rome in first meeting since Oval Office bust-up

‘Good meeting,’ Ukrainian leader said after one-on-one in St. Peter’s Basilica. The White House called it “a very productive discussion.”

VATICAN CITY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday morning in Rome in the two leaders’ first encounter since their disastrous meeting at the White House in February.

Zelenskyy said it was a “good meeting” and that they “discussed a lot one-on-one.” The White House called it “a very productive discussion.”

Trump and Zelenskyy are in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Their meeting took place before the funeral started.

“President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director. “More details about the meeting will follow,” he said.

“Hoping for results on everything we covered,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post after the encounter. “Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Pope Francis’ last act of diplomacy

The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy would have had the late Pope Francis “filled with hope,” the last U.S. ambassador to the Vatican said.

VATICAN CITY — In his death, Pope Francis brought together more than 200,000 mourners, including a cast of world leaders who laid aside their temporal differences to remember him.

Before Francis’ funeral Mass in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very productive discussion” on the sidelines, according to White House communications director Steven Cheung.

Zelenskyy’s office released a striking image for the history books of him and Trump sitting knee-to-knee in St. Peter’s Basilica. It marked the world leaders’ first encounter since their disastrous meeting at the White House in February.

Ukrainian spokesperson Sergii Nykyforov said the meeting lasted about 15 minutes. “The leaders agreed to continue the talks. The teams are working to organize a follow-up meeting,” Nykyforov said.

Trump even sent a post-meeting Truth Social — mostly focused on attacking The New York Times’ Peter Baker for his analysis of a “notably one-sided” peace deal — that tacked on some criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war.”

In life, Francis bore the weight of the war — particularly repatriating the 19,000 Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia, Joe Donnelly, the most recent U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, told POLITICO from Rome, where he had just attended the funeral.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump threatens Putin with new sanctions after meeting with Zelensky

President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky met on Saturday in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral and discussed the effort to end the war with Russia.

Why it matters: This was the first meeting between Trump and Zelensky since their explosive Oval Office shouting match in late February, which led to an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.

• The two leaders met as Trump calls for a high-level summit between Russia and Ukraine "to finish it off" and get a peace deal.

Zoom in: Trump and Zelensky first huddled for a few minutes with French President Macron and British Prime Minister Starmer, then set down for a 15-minute one-on-one meeting inside the St. Peter's Basilica.

• "President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion," White House communications director Steven Cheung said.

What they're saying: Zelensky posted on X that he and Trump had a "good meeting" and stressed the need for a "full and unconditional ceasefire and a reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out."

• "Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results," Zelensky added.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump: Putin ‘tapping me along’ with Russia strikes on Ukrain

President Trump on Saturday said he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin may be stringing him along after the latest deadly strikes on Ukraine, as the U.S. seeks to bring an end to the war in Eastern Europe.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump posted Saturday on Truth Social. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

His post came as the president was traveling back to the U.S. following Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome and after he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders spoke ahead of the funeral, their first face-to-face interaction since the contentious Oval Office meeting earlier this year.

Continue reading at The Hill

Sacraments and side-chats: Pope’s funeral overshadowed by Trump dealmaking

Emotional tributes to the popular Pope Francis came amid a diplomatic scramble to meet with the U.S. president.

VATICAN CITY — World leaders descended on St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to pay their respects to Pope Francis, while also taking advantage of a rare opportunity for spontaneous diplomacy under the shadow of a trade war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The pope’s death earlier this week following a long illness set feverish work in motion ahead of Saturday’s funeral, which was attended by some 250,000 people, according to the Vatican, among them dozens of heads of states, high-level politicians and dignitaries, as well as celebrities, clerics, activists and the average faithful.

The presence of so many world leaders in one place overshadowed the somber tributes to Francis, as St. Peter’s Square became a hotspot of high-stakes diplomacy.

As Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re read a homily to the late pontiff highlighting his humanitarian efforts and humility before his body was transferred to an ancient basilica for burial, journalists perched on the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square were instead training their gaze on the movement of U.S. President Donald Trump, tracking his every chance encounter with allies and adversaries through high-contrast binoculars, as police choppers whirred overhead.

Trump’s announcement earlier this week that he would attend the pope’s funeral had prompted a flurry of behind-the-scenes organizing by leaders hoping to get facetime with the American president at the center of a period of extraoardinary geopolitical turmoil.

U.S. allies, especially in Europe, are keen to meet and woo Trump after he slapped 10 percent tariffs on all U.S. imports in early April, giving trading partners 90 days to negotiate deals — and an incentive to make the most of every minute in the president’s immediate orbit. The diplomatic scramble also comes as Ukraine and Russia reportedly near an agreement over a potential ceasefire, after months of acrimonious back and forth brokered by Trump’s administration.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Trump pays his respects to a pope who publicly and pointedly disagreed with him over the years

ROME (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday paid his respects to Pope Francis, occupying a front-row seat in sunlit St. Peter’s Square as more than 50 heads of state and other dignitaries attended the funeral of the Catholic Church leader who pointedly disagreed with the American on a variety of issues.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seated next to Estonian President Alar Karis and not far from French President Emmanuel Macron for the outdoor service on a cloudless morning.

Diplomacy also was on Trump’s agenda during his eight-hour visit to Italy: Trump had a brief private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inside St. Peter’s Basilica before the service. Photos showed them seated on chairs facing one another in a marbled room and hunched over.

After Trump was shown to his seat for the funeral, he was immediately followed out of the basilica by Zelenskyy, who was met with a burst of applause from the audience. It was their first face-to-face encounter since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting in late February. Trump has been trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded.

Trump stood out at the funeral service in a dark blue suit and a lighter blue tie in a sea of mournful black attire. The first lady, who is Catholic, wore a black dress and veil. Trump considers himself a “nondenominational Christian.” The couple paid respects to the late pope in front of his wooden coffin.

Continue reading at the AP

Canada’s Conservatives court Jewish voters in bid to break Liberal grip on key cities

Jewish voters, particularly in voter-rich areas of Toronto and Montreal, have been disappointed in Liberals’ handling of the Israel-Gaza war

TORONTO — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is making a strategic push to court Jewish Canadian votes, hoping to capitalize on growing dissatisfaction with the Liberal government’s handling of antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas war.

The Conservative Party has done extensive outreach within the Jewish community in an effort to crack Toronto and Montreal in particular — voter-rich areas that typically play a key role in who becomes Canada’s next prime minister.

With the Liberals entrenched in many of these seats, even small shifts in voter allegiance could tip the scales in what’s shaping up to be a high-stakes battle for Canada’s political future. It’s a dynamic that has already led to some political swings in other elections, such as those last year in the U.S. and U.K.

“We’ve always had debates and disagreements about foreign issues in Canada, but those disagreements did not spill into violence on our streets. People left the violence abroad,” Poilievre said on the campaign trail regarding pro-Palestinian protests.

“The Jewish community feels understandably under siege, as these hate marches and antisemitic outbursts have become an unfortunate part of Canadian life, and Liberals have encouraged these divisions.”

Last year, an unknown person or persons fired gunshots at a Jewish elementary school in north Toronto three separate times, attacked synagogues and Jewish community centers, firebombed a Montreal synagogue, and vandalized Jewish businesses.

In a suburb of Montreal, Liberal incumbent Anthony Housefather, a Jewish candidate who has had his own campaign signs vandalized, has had to distance himself from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the war.

Continue reading at Politico

Poll: Canadians despise Trump and distrust US

A new POLITICO/Focaldata poll finds Trump looms over the race, boosting Mark Carney and the Liberals as Canadians turn against the United States.

Three quarters of Canadians dislike President Donald Trump — and Conservatives appear likely to pay a painful price for it in the country’s Monday election, according to a POLITICO/Focaldata poll of Canadian voters.

About two in five voters (39 percent) told Focaldata, a U.K. pollster, that Trump was a top concern in the election, second only to cost of living (60 percent).

Since Trump’s return to the White House — and Justin Trudeau’s exit as Canada’s prime minister — the Conservative Party led by populist Pierre Poilievre has watched a 25-point polling lead disintegrate in front of its eyes. Conservatives now trail in most surveys, including the POLITICO/Focaldata poll.

Canada’s election has transformed into a test of Trump’s political influence beyond the United States. In a backlash against his threats and trade war, about half of Canadians now consider the U.S. as a hostile power, a dramatic turn among moderate and Liberal-leading Canadians.

In a Time magazine interview published Friday, Trump again reiterated his desire to annex Canada: “The only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.”

Focaldata, which surveyed 2,826 respondents online from April 18 to 23, measured Trump’s net favorability at minus 61 among Canadians, “a deeply negative standing” that the pollster suggests could sway the outcome against the Conservatives.

Continue reading at Politico

A massive explosion at an Iranian port linked to missile fuel shipment kills 5, injures over 700

MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A massive explosion and fire rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing five people and injuring more than 700 others.

Mehrdad Hasanzadeh, a provincial disaster management official, gave the updated casualty figure in an interview on state television. The previous toll was four dead and more than 500 others injured.

The blast at the Shahid Rajaei port happened as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

While no one in Iran outright suggested that the explosion came from an attack, even Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”

Continue reading at the AP

U.S. and Iran conclude third round of nuclear talks and agree to meet again next week

The U.S. and Iran concluded on Saturday the third round of nuclear talks and agreed to meet again on May 3, said Omani foreign minister Badr Al-Busaidi, who is mediating between the parties.

Why it matters: The talks in Muscat on Saturday were the first time the parties dived into the technical details of a possible nuclear deal, especially the limitations the U.S. wants to impose on Iran's nuclear program and the sanctions Iran wants the U.S. to lift.

• The fact the parties agreed to meet again is a signal for further progress in the negotiations.

• President Trump said in an interview with Time magazine published on Friday that he thinks "we can make a deal without the attack. I hope we can." Asked if he's open to meeting Iranian leaders he said: "Sure."

Driving the news: The talks on Saturday took place between working-level teams from both sides and between the chief negotiators White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.

Continue reading at Axios

Casey DeSantis in spotlight amid Hope Florida allegations

Florida first lady Casey DeSantis finds herself in the spotlight amid growing controversy surrounding allegations involving an organization linked to her.

The controversy, which stems from a payment made to an organization tied to her signature welfare assistance program, comes amid speculation she could launch a gubernatorial bid to succeed her outgoing husband, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

But the allegations surrounding the Hope Florida Foundation, which is linked to her Hope Florida initiative, pose a threat to her future political ambitions.

“The Hope Florida hearings have to play a role into her decision to run,” said one Florida Republican operative. “It is her signature achievement that’s being attacked and called corrupt. This is a sign of things to come if she decides to enter the race. It has to give her pause.”

Casey DeSantis has long been a popular figure in the Sunshine State and beyond, playing a key role in her husband’s 2024 presidential run. Early polls indicate she could be a formidable primary opponent for gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).

A Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey released in March showed Casey DeSantis with a 53 percent approval rating, slightly higher than that of Donalds, who came in at 48 percent. A separate poll released in March conducted by Republican firm Fabrizio Lee and Associates found that 34 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they preferred Donalds for the role while 30 percent said they preferred the state’s first lady.

Continue reading at The Hill

Here’s what the movie ‘Conclave’ got right – and wrong – about process to elect a pope

“Conclave” the film, a moody 2024 political thriller, introduced many laypeople to the ancient selection process with its arcane rules and grand ceremony, albeit with a silver screen twist packed full of palace intrigue and surprise.

Though it has its critics, the film treats the gravity of a papal election — now in the spotlight after Francis’s Saturday funeral in Rome — with respect and accurately portrays many rituals and contemporary problems facing today’s Catholic Church. But Vatican experts warn the movie doesn’t get everything right.

Here’s a look at what “Conclave” does get right — and wrong — about conclaves.

Scenery and aesthetics

The movie excels at recreating the look and feel of a conclave.

“The film gets a lot right. They tried to reproduce the mise-en-scene of the Vatican accurately,” William Cavanaugh, a Catholic studies professor at DePaul University in Chicago, said in an email. “They show that a lot of the drama is around the preconclave conversations among cardinals.”

It’s not a perfect re-creation, according to the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst with the Religion News Service and a Vatican expert.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trailers:

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, dies at 41

One of the several women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking died on Friday at the age of 41.

Virginia Giuffre was pronounced dead by suicide at her farm in Western Australia, her publicist confirmed to the Associated Press.

“Deeply loving, wise and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” publicist Dini von Mueffling said in a statement to the AP.

“She adored her children and many animals. She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her,” she added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump-aligned club for the ultra rich launches in Washington

The launch of “Executive Branch” comes as Trump world looks to remake Washington.

A new club is coming to Washington — and you probably can’t get in.

Donald Trump Jr., megadonor Omeed Malik and several other investors are launching an invite-only club that costs more than half a million to join with an exclusive post-White House Correspondents’ Dinner gathering, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO and two people with knowledge of the venture, granted anonymity to discuss the private organization.

The “Executive Branch” is the brainchild of Malik and the president’s eldest son, and their partners at conservative fund 1789 Capital. It will be located in Georgetown.

Their goal, the people familiar with the plans say, is to create the highest-end private club that Washington has ever had, and cater to the business and tech moguls who are looking to nurture their relationships with the Trump administration.

The referral requirements and prohibitive pricing is meant to ensure the C-suite crowd can mingle with Trump advisers and cabinet members without the prying eyes of the press and wanna-be insiders. The price tag won’t be a problem for Trump’s cabinet — given it’s by far the wealthiest in history.

The club already has a waitlist.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump: US ships should not have to pay to use Panama, Suez Canals

“American Ships, both Military and Commercial, should be allowed to travel, free of charge, through the Panama and Suez Canals! Those Canals would not exist without the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social.

The president added that he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation!”

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Trump has been saying for months that he wants to take back the Panama Canal from Panama, claiming the trade route is controlled by China. He has not ruled out using military actions to take over the canal and told reporters in January, before being sworn in as president, that the passageway is needed for “economic security.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Bolton calls Trump, Zelensky meeting a ‘significant’ step towards ‘sensible conversation’

“I think the meeting was significant. I think this is a significant step back toward sensible conversation between the two leaders,” Bolton, a frequent Trump critic, said during his Saturday appearance on CNN.

He added that “both the president’s spokesman and Zelensky spokesman said it was productive. So, I think you’ve got to consider it good. It doesn’t necessarily mean much progress, but at least they’ve broken the image of what happened in the Oval Office on February 28th, so that’s a plus,” referring to the late February blowup between the two leaders.

Trump and Zelensky had a brief one-on-one meeting in Rome before taking part in Pope Francis’s funeral. It was their first in-person huddle since the contentious spat in the Oval Office.

“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one-on-one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” Zelensky said after the meeting. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

Trump later Saturday wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be “tapping me along” in light of recent deadly strikes the Kremlin’s military launched on several Ukrainian cities.

Continue reading at The Hill

Zelensky touts ‘good meeting’ with Trump amid peace talks: ‘Hoping for results’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said his brief meeting with President Trump in Vatican City was “good” and “symbolic,” as the U.S. continues to facilitate peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

“Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelensky wrote on social platform X, just hours after the two met ahead of Pope Francis’s funeral. “Hoping for results on everything we covered.”

“Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results,” he added, sharing a photo of the two. “Thank you @POTUS.”

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, without providing more detail, also touted the exchange as “productive.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says Putin may not want to ‘stop the war’ in Ukraine

The post came shortly after Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a post to his social media site, referring to an attack on Kyiv earlier this week, which killed at least eight people.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently,” he added.

In the post, which includes some of Trump’s most public criticism of Putin, the president said that the U.S. would consider additional sanctions on Russia.

His Truth Social comments come one day after he said that Ukraine and Russia are “very close” to a ceasefire deal, calling for the two countries to meet for “very high level talks.”

Trump and Zelenskyy sat down at St. Peter’s Basilica on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral earlier Saturday, in what the Ukrainian leader called a “good meeting.” It’s the first time the two men had met face-to-face since their heated Oval Office exchange in February.

Continue reading at Politico

Zelenskyy, Trump speak in Rome in first meeting since Oval Office bust-up

‘Good meeting,’ Ukrainian leader said after one-on-one in St. Peter’s Basilica. The White House called it “a very productive discussion.”

VATICAN CITY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday morning in Rome in the two leaders’ first encounter since their disastrous meeting at the White House in February.

Zelenskyy said it was a “good meeting” and that they “discussed a lot one-on-one.” The White House called it “a very productive discussion.”

Trump and Zelenskyy are in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. Their meeting took place before the funeral started.

“President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion,” said Steven Cheung, White House communications director. “More details about the meeting will follow,” he said.

“Hoping for results on everything we covered,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post after the encounter. “Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump threatens Putin with new sanctions after meeting with Zelensky

President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky met on Saturday in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral and discussed the effort to end the war with Russia.

Why it matters: This was the first meeting between Trump and Zelensky since their explosive Oval Office shouting match in late February, which led to an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.

• The two leaders met as Trump calls for a high-level summit between Russia and Ukraine "to finish it off" and get a peace deal.

Zoom in: Trump and Zelensky first huddled for a few minutes with French President Macron and British Prime Minister Starmer, then set down for a 15-minute one-on-one meeting inside the St. Peter's Basilica.

• "President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion," White House communications director Steven Cheung said.

What they're saying: Zelensky posted on X that he and Trump had a "good meeting" and stressed the need for a "full and unconditional ceasefire and a reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out."

Continue reading at Axios

A River of Regret Runs Through Trump’s Trade War With Canada

In the small towns along the St. Lawrence River, Trump’s outsized presence could shape a national election outcome.

GANANOQUE, Ontario — The Canadian officer who pulled me over had a question I wasn’t expecting.

I had just turned my rental car out of the Gananoque marina after dinner on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Had I been speeding? Constable Gibson of the Gananoque Police Service had something else on her mind.

“You know there’s a border, right?” she asked. “The reason I pulled you over is because you were getting out of a boat with a backpack.”

The police force of tiny Gananoque (and it seemed like the whole police force because two more cruisers pulled up behind Gibson) was concerned that I was entering Canada illegally — and potentially carrying some illicit goods in my ratty JanSport. (For the record, I had nothing more than a laptop, a notebook, a Mets hat and the latest Sally Rooney novel in there.) I spent the next half hour trying to explain that I was a journalist and that very evening I had been doing research on the rising tensions between the two countries at a dinner party on one of the river’s Canadian islands.

“I’m sure you understand with all the craziness going on that we have to check and make sure,” a second officer named Mike, who was bald with a gray goatee, told me.

I did understand “all the craziness” very well. Since the start of Canada’s federal election a month ago, I’ve been reporting on the two longtime allies who are suddenly at each other’s throats. President Donald Trump has incensed Canadians with his “51st state” rhetoric, enough that a seemingly assured victory for Canada’s Conservative Party has turned into a steady Liberal lead ahead of the vote on Monday. In the Thousand Islands region, where American and Canadian islands along the St. Lawrence River are separated seemingly at random, an aggrieved Canadian nationalism has blossomed and tourism to the United States side from Canada has withered to a trickle, potentially crippling a seasonal industry where profit margins are already tight.

Continue reading at Politico

‘Just never been anything like DOGE’: Inside Elon Musk’s turbulent takeover of government in Trump’s first 100 days

(CNN) — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has been Donald Trump’s battering ram during the president’s first 100 days, slashing the federal government and trying to bend its remnants to Trump’s will.

Driven by a band of 20-something coders and computer experts burrowing into agencies across the government, DOGE has thrown aside norms – and in some cases, federal laws – to forcibly cut spending, cancel federal contracts and building leases, and dismantle entire agencies.

DOGE has forced its way into some of the government’s most sensitive systems, which process trillions of dollars in federal payments and contain personal data for hundreds of millions of Americans, as well as federal workers and immigrants. Along the way, it’s fired more than 100,000 government employees, including highly trained scientists and experts in a host of fields such as public health, foreign aid and diplomacy and disaster management.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has served as the face of DOGE, trumpeting its findings – often riddled with inaccuracies or mischaracterizations. In Trump’s first 100 days, he frequently looked to be the second most powerful person in the government – appearing alongside Trump for joint interviews and being depicted on a February Time Magazine cover behind Trump’s Oval Office desk.

But amid a political backlash, Musk’s clashes with Trump’s Cabinet, and troubles at his electric car company, Musk said on a Tesla earnings call this week that his DOGE work is “mostly done.” While Musk can officially work as a “special government employee” for 130 days, he said that he would pull back starting next month, though he’ll continue to work a day or two each week at DOGE.

Even if Musk fades away, dozens of his lieutenants are now embedded in top positions across federal agencies, a structure that could help the DOGE-budget cutters outlive Musk’s tenure in the government.

Continue reading at CNN.com

The Rewiring of Social Security Admin With AI Has Begun, the Training Video Is Not Promising

Other countries have already automated their social welfare systems—with mixed results.

The Agency Support Companion is supposed to “assist employees with everyday tasks and enhance productivity,” an internal email viewed by the magazine reads. However, the chatbot does not seem to work very well. “Honestly, no one has really been talking about it at all,” a source who works at the agency told Wired.

The app’s launch was reportedly accompanied by a hilariously terrible training video (seen here) that involved a poorly animated, four-fingered woman. The video, which was supposed to explain to staffers how to use the app, neglected to tell them a very critical piece of information: that they should refrain from uploading sensitive personal information to the program. This oversight forced the agency to send out an apologetic email to staffers that highlighted the missing context: “Our apologies for the oversight in our training video,” it read.

“I’m not sure most of my coworkers even watched the training video,” the SSA source told Wired. “I played around with the chatbot a bit, and several of the responses I received from it were incredibly vague and/or inaccurate.” They added: “You could hear my coworkers making fun of the graphics. Nobody I know is [using it]. It’s so clumsy and bad.”

If Musk’s plan is to automate the SSA, there is plenty of evidence (aside from the terrible new app) that suggests it’s a bad idea. Indeed, a similar attempt at automating social services in Brazil shows why over-reliance on algorithms to operate welfare programs may result in worse outcomes for everybody.

Rest of the World reports that an attempt by the Brazilian government to reduce bureaucracy by replacing officials with algorithms hasn’t always produced the best results. Brazil has an app, Meu INSS, that was developed by a state-owned company, Dataprev, and is designed to handle social security claims. The app, which was launched in 2018, uses computer vision and natural language processing to analyze documents submitted to the government by claimants. Unfortunately, the app has a habit of rejecting legitimate claims based on minor errors. Those automated decisions can kick off lengthy legal battles that take many months to resolve.

The outlet documents the experience of one former sugarcane worker, 55-year-old Josélia de Brito, who filed for her retirement benefits through the app but was mistaken for a man by the automated system and had her benefits denied. “I have all the documents proving my health condition, proving everything, and [the benefit] still gets denied. It’s a humiliation,” De Brito told the outlet.

Continue reading at Gizmodo

Economic Analysis

Economist Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Could Trump Really Break America?

It was my privilege yesterday to host Justin Wolfers on my weekly Let’s Do Lunch econ Q&A over at the Contrarian (which is the place to be on Tues at noon ET, btw). The majority of the questions, at least the ones not about Aussie politics, were some variation on the title of this post. Can Trump fire Powell? What happens if creditors just stop lending …

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 6 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Allow me to bring to your attention...

I got so many good recommendations about things to watch, read, and listen to, I decided to keep it going and talk podcasts. The bar is low in that space, which isn’t a bad thing, but time being precious, the bar should be high…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Weekly Wrap: Learning the Right Lessons from the Trade War, UI Claims, and a Necessary (Non-econ!) New Feature

I yield to no one—NO ONE—in my disdain for Trump’s trade war…

Read more

a year ago · 25 likes · 20 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Three Important Data Points: 2 Bad; 1 Good

Housing starts tumbled last month, down 11.4%, well below expectations, led by a 14.2% negative spike in single-family starts…

Read more

a year ago · 16 likes · 3 comments · Jared Bernstein

Economist Dean Baker

Dean Baker

The Cost of Trump Craziness: Turning America into Russia

There has been a lot of attention to the turmoil in financial markets due to Donald Trump’s on again/off again tariffs and his threats to fire Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell. While this turmoil does have real costs, the issues to date have been somewhat exaggerated…

Read more

a year ago · 14 likes · 4 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

How Much Have Elon Musk and the DOGE Boys Cost Us?

Back when Elon Musk was just getting his “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” off the ground he was boasting that he would eliminate $2 trillion in annual spending that was waste. That’s almost one-third of the federal budget. Needless to say, this was not a serious target, but Elon Musk is also someone who claimed that 20 million people over th…

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a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Tariffs

The Trump tariff story keeps getting crazier. It may seem like ancient history now, but it was just over three weeks ago that Donald Trump gave us “Liberation Day,” a set of massive tariffs on imports from almost every country in the world, including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands off the coast of Antarctica…

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a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Chaos May Allow for New Thinking on Patent and Copyrights

Twenty years ago, I was jumping up and down yelling and screaming about the huge housing bubble and warning that its collapse would give us a bad recession. I turned out to be right. That’s not a good story. It would have been better for the country and the world if I had been wrong, but reality is what it is, and we are best off trying to recognize it…

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a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Growth Leaves Trump’s MAGA USA in the Dust

The International Monetary Fund just released its growth projections for 2025, as well as the next five years. It’s not a very good picture for Donald Trump’s economic plans. The I.M.F. projects the U.S. economy will grow just 1.8 percent from 2024 to 2025. It looks even worse for next year, with growth projected to slow further to 1.7 percent…

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a year ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Iron Dome Technology: Elon Musk’s License to Steal Taxpayer Dollars

Donald Trump and Elom Musk are making corruption and graft the main business of the U.S. government. They have fired all the cops who might try to rein them in and attacked any of the judges, politicians, or reporters who object to them stealing everything in sight…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

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Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

DNC gives David Hogg an ultimatum

DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to require DNC officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries.

The Democratic National Committee is going to force David Hogg to decide: Get out of the primary game or lose his DNC post.

During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party’s rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.

The proposal, if passed at the DNC’s August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to decide whether to step away from his DNC vice chair position or wall himself off from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which has pledged to spend $20 million on challenging Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.

It’s an escalation in the fight between Hogg and other DNC leaders and House Democrats, many of whom were enraged by Hogg’s announcement. Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun safety activist after he survived a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said last week that he planned to back candidates who would challenge “ineffective” safe-seat Democrats. But House members and Democratic leaders vented that he was touching off a “circular firing squad” inside the party.

Hogg said in an interview last week that he would “fight to remain in this position,” though he told at least two Democrats that he’s willing to lose his vice chair position through this process.

Continue reading at Politico

Dem group plans $12 million investment in rural areas, with an eye toward 2028

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country.

A Democratic candidate recruitment group is pledging to pour $12 million into rural organizing in an effort to make inroads in red America and to lay groundwork for 2028, the organization shared first with Morning Score.

The investment by Contest Every Race in rural areas marks an expansion of the group’s grants program, which gave $1.2 million to local parties in 2024 but has seen a surge in donor interest in the second Trump administration. The group’s grant program, which has given to local parties in 29 states since 2021, is now expanding nationwide in what it casts as the “largest long-term, volunteer-powered organizing initiative aligned with the Democratic Party.”

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country, a problem compounded by Donald Trump’s appeal to working class voters and Democratic messaging some in the party have argued is out of touch. The program — in which local parties typically receive at least $600 a quarter from Contest Every Race — involves tiny sums of money. But it also provides monthly trainings and free texting services, which can go a long way for small, mostly-volunteer parties in rural areas.

The group has applications for money from 1,200 local parties across all 50 states — nearly three times the number of local parties the group worked with in the run up to 2024. It said it will work in as many as possible, though battleground states will be prioritized.

“Democrats’ recent wins in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin didn’t happen by accident — they’re the result of relentless, year-round local organizing in places national Democrats too often ignore,” said Zoe Stein, Executive Director of Contest Every Race, in a statement.

Continue reading at Politico

DNC chair to David Hogg: No meddling in primaries as a party official

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said Thursday he has instructed David Hogg that he can't serve as a DNC vice chair while also attempting to oust Democratic lawmakers.

Why it matters: It's the strongest statement yet by the top Democratic Party official about an anti-incumbency effort that has infuriated congressional Democrats.

• "Let me be unequivocal, no DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election," Martin said in a press call Thursday.

• Martin said he has "great respect" for Hogg, but "as I've said to him: If you want to challenge incumbents, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC."

State of play: Martin's comments came amid reports he plans to propose expanding the DNC's neutrality policy during a DNC member call later on Thursday.

• The policy currently restricts DNC officials from getting involved in presidential primaries, but Martin wants to apply it to all primary elections.

• "We discussed the importance of officer neutrality last month at our officer retreat, and ... I asked all of our officers to sign and abide by a neutrality pledge, which almost every officer did," Martin said.

The other side: Hogg told Semafor that he will not give up either his DNC role or the leadership of his PAC, Leaders We Deserve.

Continue reading at Axios

DNC chair swipes at David Hogg: ‘You have to make a decision.’

Ken Martin is doubling down on a proposal to require DNC officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries.

In a swipe at David Hogg, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Thursday that party officers “can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time.”

“You have to make a decision,” he told reporters.

Martin’s remarks came as he held fast to a stronger neutrality pledge for party officers, a proposal he’s expected to call for during a DNC member call Thursday afternoon. Hogg ignited a firestorm in the party when he pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries.

The neutrality pledge, if passed by DNC members at their August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to choose between remaining a party vice chair or stepping back from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which announced last week that it would spend $20 million on backing primary challengers to “ineffective” safe-seat Democratic members.

“As I’ve said to [Hogg], if you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters,” Martin said on a media call. “This is not about shielding incumbents or boosting challengers. It’s about voters’ trust in the party.”

Continue reading at Politico

Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.

The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth’s use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defense information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.

Known as a “dirty” internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.

Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there’s a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked.

But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defense Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with military network security.

Continue reading at the AP

Home sales fall to lowest level since the financial crisis

The slump is especially noteworthy because sales typically pick up in March as the spring buying season gets underway.

The housing market had its worst March since the global financial crisis, weighed down by high borrowing costs and falling consumer confidence in the economy.

Home sales fell to their lowest annual level for March since 2009, dashing hopes for a rebound this year. Sales of previously owned homes plunged 5.9 percent from February to an annualized rate of 4 million units, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.

The slump is especially noteworthy because sales typically pick up in March as the spring buying season gets underway. It comes amid dizzying financial market volatility and falling consumer confidence sparked by concerns about the broader economy as President Donald Trump pursues an aggressive tariff agenda against all U.S. trading partners.

“I had anticipated that with more inventory we’d see more transactions, but the data make it clear that mortgage rates and affordability challenges are holding back buyers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

Home sales have been sluggish in recent years thanks to a combination of high prices — home values soared over the course of the pandemic — and elevated mortgage rates.

Continue reading at Politico

Today's news

Democratic News Corner

Dems fear fallout from Arizona crack-up

Democrats are looking for county organizations through which they could funnel fundraising and resources, bypassing the state party.

Arizona Democrats are scrambling to contain the fallout from feuding that has engulfed their state party and top elected officials, fearing the skirmish will hurt them in 2026.

After the state party chair lashed out at Arizona’s Democratic senators this past weekend, local party leaders warned the collapse of key intraparty relationships in the state could damage the party’s prospects in the midterms. And Democrats are now looking for county organizations through which they can funnel fundraising and resources, bypassing the state party, according to four people familiar with the conversations and granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters.

It’s a major setback for Democrats in a state where Republicans were known for years for infighting and dysfunction — but where the left is now reeling. After the party chair, Robert E. Branscomb II, accused Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of lording their financial contributions over him, the senators and statewide elected officials released a letter of their own accusing the chair of making false claims and saying he had “lost their trust.”

Steven Slugocki, a former chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, called the fiasco the “stereotype of Dems in disarray.”

Continue reading at Politico

Trump trade war could reshape 2026 battle for the Senate

Republicans are heavily favored to keep control of the Senate in next year’s midterm elections, but President Trump’s sinking approval rating and Americans’ frustrations over the direction of the economy and inflation could reshape the battleground map in favor or Democrats.

Trump is getting high marks for securing the U.S.-Mexico border, but a new Fox News poll found that only 38 percent of registered voters approve of his handling of the economy and only 33 percent think he’s doing a good job on fighting inflation.

Trump lashed out Thursday against the Fox News poll on Truth Social, urging Rupert Murdoch to “get rid” of his “Trump Hating, Fake Pollster.”

Yet the Fox News poll isn’t the only one showing some trouble for Trump.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday also showed surveyed Americans giving Trump low marks on the economy. The survey found that just 37 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the issue.

Continue reading at The Hill

DNC steps into voting rights fight in Pennsylvania

The party is urging the Supreme Court to reject Republicans’ efforts to limit provisional voting in the state.

The Democratic National Committee is ramping up its fight with the GOP over voting rights, urging the Supreme Court to reject Republicans’ efforts to limit provisional voting in Pennsylvania.

The brief, first shared with POLITICO, argues that the high court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and that doing so would burden the court with requests to take up “any and every state-law election” dispute in the future.

The Republican National Committee is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court that allows voters to use provisional ballots if their mail ballots have been rejected. Republicans argued that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had usurped the state legislature’s power to regulate elections when the justices ruled that such provisional ballots must be counted.

The case originated when a county election board in Pennsylvania did not count a handful of voters’ provisional ballots during the 2024 primary after their mail ballots were tossed out because they lacked so-called secrecy envelopes. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in the voters’ favor 4-3.

The RNC appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to block that decision before the presidential election in November, but the court declined.

Continue reading at Politico

Pritzker endorses Illinois lt. governor in bid for Durbin seat

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is endorsing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in Illinois.

“At this perilous moment in Washington, Juliana’s fighting spirit and dedication to improving lives is exactly the type of representation Illinoisans need, and I’m proud to endorse her for the United States Senate,” Pritzker said in a statement shared through Stratton’s campaign.

Stratton in her own statement said she “couldn’t be prouder to have earned his endorsement” and lauded the Illinois governor as a “true leader for our state who has shown the country what it looks like to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the values we hold dear.”

Stratton is the first major Democrat to enter the race to run for the seat held by Durbin, who announced his plan to retire on Wednesday. Several other Democrats could also jump in, including Reps. Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lauren Underwood.

Continue reading at The Hill

Booker backs Schatz for Durbin’s leadership spot

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he’s backing his colleague Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in his bid to become the next Democratic whip.

The slot will be vacated next year when longtime Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) leaves the legislature to officially retire from politics.

“I know [Schatz] has been talking to and listening to our colleagues for the last couple of days. I think those calls are going well,” Booker told Punchbowl News.

“Brian regularly does excellent work in service of our caucus and from what I am hearing, he has already earned a lot of support for this position,” he continued.

Booker’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Continue reading at The Hill

Krishnamoorthi teases potential run for Durbin Senate seat

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) teased an announcement on a potential run for retiring Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) seat in an interview with CNN on Friday.

“I’ll have an announcement about that on a later date, but today, you know, basically we’re talking about Dick Durbin’s legacy and his service to Illinois, his exemplary work in Illinois,” Krishnamoorthi said, when asked what his plans were regarding the Senate seat.

He added that Durbin will “go down as one of our great senators” and said he was “grateful for his service.”

Pressed on the timing of his announcement and what it might be, Krishnamoorthi he’d have an announcement “shortly,” while adding that he was talking about Durbin’s service now and that “Donald Trump is absolutely hurting working families through his tariffs.”

Continue reading at The Hill

How Adam Schiff is bringing House vibes to the Senate

The first-year Democratic senator is ignoring one colleague’s advice to “dump the House” as the longtime party star comes into his own across the Capitol.

Adam Schiff is bringing House-style confrontation to his new seat in the Senate — and defying the chamber’s more staid, seniority-driven sensibilities along the way.

In the five months since the California Democrat left his two-decade House career for the Senate, he has blasted his leadership’s decision to advance a Republican bill to prevent a government shutdown; led a bicameral mock hearing as the junior-most member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and pledged to block Trump’s controversial nominee to be the District of Columbia’s top federal prosecutor.

First-year senators typically ease into the spotlight, wary of upstaging more senior colleagues. But Schiff — a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee who catapulted to national fame as the leader of President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial — has positioned himself at the center of confirmation fights. He’s even launched his own Substack, where he posts direct-to-camera videos explaining what’s happening in Washington.

Schiff, in an interview, said he might have been content with a more low-key launch had Vice President Kamala Harris won the election in November.

“I did arrive very intent on being seen and not heard, and I think frankly, if it had been a Harris presidency, I would have continued to be seen and not heard,” Schiff, 64, said. “But given that every day is a new crisis, none of us can afford to be seen and not heard.”

Continue reading at Politico

National Security

Nothing to see here, yet.

Economics

Trump’s fixation on a tariff battle win against China could cost him the trade war

Beijing is going on an international charm campaign to coax other countries hit hard by “Liberation Day” tariffs to take on the U.S.

President Donald Trump bet that his 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports would bring Chinese leader Xi Jinping running to cut a deal on trade.

Instead, China responded by hitting back with tariffs of their own, ignoring Trump’s calls to open talks, and launching an international charm campaign to coax other countries to take on the U.S.

It’s a diplomatic fumble rooted in a fundamental miscalculation by Trump, who thought his tactics with Mexico and Canada would work with Beijing.

“They got the China piece of it very wrong and misunderstood what it would mean to really back China into a such a corner with such extreme levels of tariffs,” said Emily Kilcrease, former deputy assistant U.S. trade representative during the end of Trump’s first term and the beginning of former President Joe Biden’s term.

The administration gambled that U.S. tariffs against China would swiftly result in an updated version of the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal that Trump sealed with Xi in 2020. That agreement included China’s commitment to massive purchases of U.S. goods and services that Beijing failed to honor. But China’s willingness to defy the tariffs and its decision to capitalize on the international anger at Trump’s trade policies has proven effective — at least so far.

Continue reading at Politico

‘Won’t have anywhere to hide’: Democrats are eager to pick apart the GOP megabill

Republicans will face a plethora of votes putting them on the record regarding some of the most controversial pieces of their agenda.

Republicans are gearing up to put pen to paper on President Donald Trump’s big domestic policy bill. It could give Democrats a big, beautiful target for their midterm messaging.

Next week, GOP lawmakers will start rolling out portions of the planned megabill, with House committees slated to hold a series of meetings advancing individual portions. Speaker Mike Johnson has set an aggressive Memorial Day deadline to get a final product through the chamber.

Democrats, meanwhile, are mapping out a committee-by-committee fight over the drafting of the megabill. They’re planning to force a plethora of votes, aiming to put vulnerable House Republicans on the record regarding some of the most controversial pieces of the GOP agenda. They’re eyeing likely changes to Medicaid in the Energy and Commerce Committee and food assistance in the Agriculture Committee as particularly ripe avenues for attack, not to mention tax provisions in Ways and Means.

The hope is that the emergence of concrete proposals will finally give the Democratic attacks on the GOP agenda some bite. Already party campaign committees and allied groups have sought to soften the ground by accusing Republicans of targeting Medicaid, but the GOP has parried by insisting no such cuts have been offered. The NRCC succeeded in getting some billboards on that topic taken down last month.

“They won’t have anywhere to hide” once legislation emerges, said Anne Shoup, a senior adviser to Protect Our Care, one of the best-funded groups engaged in the fight against the GOP bill. “We know how important the next couple weeks are in this fight, and we’re so we’re going to be ramping up and really taking it to the Republicans.”

Continue reading at Politico

Trump talks tariffs. The EU talks free trade with the rest of the world.

With the United States throwing up the highest trade barriers in a century, Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission is on a mission to do trade deals with everyone else.

BRUSSELS — Donald Trump is turning his back on free trade and, with it, the €1.6 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. That's motivating the European Union to do trade deals with just about everyone else.

The United States accounts for 13 percent of world trade. The EU, the world’s largest single market spanning 27 nations and 450 million people, accounts for around 16 percent — and is looking to extend its lead.

“Countries are lining up to work with us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told POLITICO.

Since her second Commission was confirmed in December, von der Leyen has wrapped up talks on a long-awaited accord with the Latin American Mercosur bloc; called to strike a free-trade agreement with India this year; and launched or relaunched talks with the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and others.

Here’s a rundown of the deals that Brussels wants to get done:

Continue reading at Politico Europe

The sluggish housing market isn't entirely bad news

Your shares have fallen sharply in value over the past few weeks, as has your bond portfolio.

• But the biggest source of wealth for middle-class U.S. households is real estate — and broadly speaking, that seems to be holding up.

Why it matters: The housing market has been mired in a doldrums for the past 18 months, with very few houses changing hands. That weirdly makes it something of an outperformer among asset classes more broadly.

The big picture: House prices — and therefore the amount of equity that Americans have in their homes — continue to hit new highs pretty much every month.

• "That could be a reason why this trade war hasn't resulted in weaker consumption right now," Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather tells Axios.

• "Homeowners still feel comfortable enough spending money on all these other goods because they hold that equity."

Driving the news: Existing home sales fell 5.9% in March from February, after seasonal adjustments, the National Association of Realtors said on Thursday.

Continue reading at Axios

California surpasses Japan as world's 4th largest economy

California's economy has surpassed Japan's, state Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, as he warned of potential impacts in the Golden State from President Trump's sweeping tariffs.

The big picture: "CA just became the 4th largest economy in the WORLD," Newsom said on X Thursday, after his office announced data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

By the numbers: California's gross domestic product (GDP) reached $4.1 trillion last year, compared with Japan's $4.02 trillion, according to the data.

• Only the U.S., China and Germany have bigger economies, according to the data.

What they're saying: "California isn't just keeping pace with the world — we're setting the pace," Newsom said in a statement released by his office.

• "Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation," he said.

• "And, while we celebrate this success, we recognize that our progress is threatened by the reckless tariff policies of the current federal administration. California's economy powers the nation, and it must be protected."

Continue reading at Axios

Amazon sellers are hiking prices on hundreds of goods as tariffs bite

American consumers are starting to feel the impact of President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports, especially online.

Since the second week in April, sellers on Amazon have raised their prices on nearly 1,000 products, according to data from SmartScout, a price analysis software tool. The average price hike — nearly 30%, according to the company's analysis.

Costs rose on a wide range of items, from tech accessories such as phone chargers to women's clothing, SmartScout founder and CEO Scott Needham told CBS MoneyWatch. Anker, a top-selling brand on Amazon that sells mobile charging devices, has increased prices on roughly 25% of its products on the site, for example.

"It's one of first concerted efforts I've seen where nothing explains the price hikes other than tariffs," Needham said.

Tariffs are paid by importers, and they typically pass on much or even all of those additional costs to consumers. Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy told CNBC earlier this month that he expected U.S. tariffs to boost prices on a host of consumer goods.

Continue reading at CBS News

Health and Science News

The US has nearly 900 measles cases, and 10 states have active outbreaks. Here’s what to know

With one-fifth of states seeing active measles outbreaks, the U.S. is nearing 900 cases, according to figures posted Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s confirmed measles cases count is 884, triple the amount seen in all of 2024. The vast majority — 646 — are in Texas, where an outbreak in the western part of the state that’s approaching the three-month mark.

Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died from measles-related illnesses in the epicenter in West Texas, and an adult in New Mexico who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.

Other states with active outbreaks — defined as three or more cases — include Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Continue reading at the AP

DOGE slashes disability and aging services

The Trump administration has drawn a bright line around Medicare and Social Security, promising Americans that the two programs will remain untouched.

But a budget proposal obtained by POLITICO shows a different kind of rollback underway — one that could impact the lives of millions of older Americans and people with disabilities.

The Trump administration is poised to eliminate dozens of federal programs, including protective services for vulnerable seniors, chronic disease self-management education, resource centers for people who have been paralyzed or lost a limb and one that tries to help older people prevent falls. Even a more modest federal initiative aimed at making polling places more accessible would be eliminated under the proposal.

All of these programs facing the knife fall under the Administration for Community Living, a component of the Department of Health and Human Services that aims to help older adults and people with disabilities remain in their homes and communities. The whole department is being zeroed out, according to the budget proposal.

Those services are often invisible in the national debate, but they are critical to maintaining independence and quality of life for some of the country’s most vulnerable residents, said ALISON BARKOFF, former acting administrator of ACL, which funds more than 2,500 programs nationwide.

“The combination of dismantling ACL and eliminating programs along the lines of what’s proposed would decimate the system that keeps older adults and people with disabilities in their homes and out of far more expensive institutions,” said Barkoff, who served in the Biden administration.

Some programs will survive, but not in their current form. Remaining ACL responsibilities will be scattered across other parts of HHS, including the Administration for Children and Families, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to an HHS announcement.

This week, DOGE staffers met with another agency: the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that develops and maintains accessibility standards under federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act. AMY NIEVES, a spokesperson for the Access Board, confirmed the meeting and said that additional contacts with DOGE are expected.

Spokespeople for HHS and DOGE did not respond to requests for comment.

Continue reading at Politico West Wing Playbook newsletter

Apple juice distributed in 28 states recalled over potential contamination with toxic compound: FDA

More than 170,000 bottles of Martinelli’s apple juice have been recalled over potential contamination with patulin, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Patulin, a naturally occurring toxin classified as a “mycotoxin,” can be produced by different types of molds which grow on apples, among other grains or fruit, and can carry over into apple products, the World Health Organization (WHO) explains. The pasteurization process cannot rid a product of patulin, either, the FDA says.

“For humans, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and vomiting have been reported,” WHO writes of those who experience acute symptoms.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump administration restores funding for major women’s health study

The Trump administration has reversed course and restored financial support for a decades-old study on women’s health.

The National Institutes of Health launched the study, called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), in the early 1990s to learn about women’s health needs since most medical studies had been conducted on men.

WHI researchers were notified earlier this week that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) planned to terminate contracts in September with the initiative’s four regional centers in California, New York, Ohio and North Carolina.

The Trump administration chose to cut the initiative’s funding because the National Institutes of Health “initially exceeded its internal target for contract reductions,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told NPR.

The White House ordered HHS earlier this month to cut 35 percent of its spending on contracts to ensure that the agency’s funding is being used efficiently.

Continue reading at The Hill

USDA pulls rule to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Thursday it is withdrawing a Biden-era proposed rule that would limit salmonella levels in raw poultry.

The rule would have required corporations to test contamination levels in chicken and poultry infected with strains tied to the meat-borne disease. If poultry plants reported significant bacteria detected, the stock would risk being pulled from store shelves and be subject to a recall under the proposed rule.

USDA officials said they pulled the rule due to concerns submitted during the public comment period.

“While FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] continues to support the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products, the Agency believes that the comments have raised several important issues that warrant further consideration,” the agency wrote in its notification on the Federal Register.

Continue reading at The Hill

‘A gut punch’: Trump admin cuts wipe out firefighter health and safety programs

People in and out of government told POLITICO that they fear the cuts will lead to major backsliding on understanding firefighters’ health risks.

A 10-person team of federal health workers was helping Iowa firefighters limit their exposure to fumes from idling vehicles when news broke earlier this month that all but one team member had been fired.

The Cincinnati-based team of scientists traveled to Iowa last August after three fire stations requested their help out of concern that their workers were being exposed to diesel exhaust. They were preparing for a follow-up visit this summer to test the levels of various pollutants in different rooms — including where firefighters eat and sleep — and recommend the best form of ventilation.

“That’s all been put on pause,” said Hannah Echt, a member of the team and a union steward at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. “We haven’t been able to travel since the end of January, and now … there’s no one to do the traveling.”

NIOSH’s congressionally mandated Health Hazard Evaluation program is one of many health and safety services on which firefighters depend that’s been shrunk or eliminated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “reduction in force” — a purge of more than 10,000 employees.

Firefighters are regularly exposed to toxins and chemicals that affect their physical and mental health, problems compounded by stress and irregular sleep. NIOSH research found that firefighters have a 9 percent greater risk of a cancer diagnosis and a 14 percent greater risk of dying from cancer than the general population.

Continue reading at Politico

Polling- Surveys

66 percent describe Trump 2.0 as ‘chaotic,’ 59 percent ‘scary’

A new poll is finding some poor results for President Trump as he nears his 100th day in office next week, with majorities of respondents saying they would describe his time in office so far as “chaotic” and “scary.”

The New York Times/Siena College poll released Friday found 66 percent of registered U.S. voters surveyed described Trump’s time in office so far as “chaotic,” with 32 percent disagreeing with that notion and 3 percent unsure of how to describe Trump’s second term.

Additionally, 59 percent of survey-takers said the president’s decisions have been “scary” upon his return to the Oval Office. Less than half of participants, 40 percent, said they would not use “scary” to detail Trump’s White House reordering.

And 67 percent of women and 52 percent of men said they are frightened by Trump’s new policies, according to Friday’s poll.

However, some voters remained enthusiastic about change.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump receives dismal ratings in NYT poll

President Trump received lagging approval ratings across the board in the latest poll from The New York Times/Siena College, another indicator of the president facing declining public trust almost 100 days into his second term.

The results released Friday show Trump with an approval rating of 42 percent, while 54 percent said they disapprove of his job performance, putting him 12 points underwater in net approval.

Trump’s approval rating in the poll sits at just 29 percent with independents, who indicated they’re showing stiff resistance to many of his policies, siding more with Democrats in opposition than Republicans who still overwhelmingly back his administration.

Meanwhile, fewer than a third of independents said Trump understands the problems of people like them, and more than 60 percent view Trump as exceeding the powers granted to him.

Continue reading at The Hill

71 percent in Maine say Collins doesn’t deserve to be reelected

A statewide poll found that a majority of Maine residents don’t believe Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) deserves to be reelected.

The University of New Hampshire and the American Association of Public Opinion Research reported that 71 percent of survey takers said they don’t think Collins should return to Washington in the next election cycle, while 21 percent of people said she deserves another term and 8 percent are unsure or have no opinion.

Collins has been a fierce critic of President Trump’s new tariffs and has voted against GOP measures in the upper chamber, siding with Democrats in their fight to ensure funds for Medicaid are not reduced.

As a result, more than half of Republicans in her home state, 53 percent, said the lawmaker should not be reelected; 40 percent still have faith in her leadership, and 6 percent don’t know or are neutral.

Continue reading at The Hill

Almost 4 in 10 say neither party fights for people like them: Survey

Almost 4 in 10 Americans said neither party is fighting for people like them, as pessimism for both major parties swells, according to a survey released Friday.

The NBC News Stay Tuned Poll found that 38 percent of U.S. adults said neither Democrats nor Republicans are fighting for people like them.

Nearly a quarter of respondents, 24 percent, said the GOP is fighting for them, while another 23 percent said the same about the Democratic Party. Just 15 percent agreed that both parties are going to bat for their constituents, according to the survey.

Among Americans who call themselves progressives first, as opposed to Democrats first, nearly two-fifths of respondents, 38 percent, think neither political party is working on their behalf.

That’s significantly more than the 23 percent of those who align themselves more with the Make America Great Again movement first, as opposed to the Republican Party, who said neither party is delivering on their behalf — 67 percent of that group said the GOP is fighting for them, the poll found.

Continue reading at The Hill

Consumer sentiment falls to lowest level since postpandemic inflation peak

Consumer sentiment nosedived in April to the lowest level since the peak of the postpandemic inflation surge as President Trump’s trade battles shake the global economy.

Sentiment dropped 8.4 percent from March to April and was down 32.4 percent from a year ago, according to the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers, falling to the lowest point since July 2022.

Current economic conditions dropped a “modest” 6.3 percent, while expectation fell by just more than 10 percent to mark an annual decline of 37.8 percent.

Year-ahead inflation expectations as measured by the survey had increased from a 5 percent annual increase in March to 6.5 percent in April. The Federal Reserve expects inflation to top out at 2.7 percent this year and to subside to 2.2 percent next year. Inflation is currently at a 2.5 percent annual increase, as measured by the Commerce Department.

Continue reading at The Hill

Most Trump voters want Medicare negotiations protected, Medicaid preserved: Survey

The majority of voters in a new poll, including those who voted for President Trump, say it is important for the government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and that they prefer lower drug prices over cutting Medicaid.

According to a poll conducted by Fabrizio Ward and commissioned by Arnold Ventures, 88 percent of voters said it was fairly or very important for the government to negotiate with drug companies. The vast majority said it was important to some degree, with only 4 percent saying it was “not that important.”

Across different voters, 86 percent of Trump voters said it was fairly or very important, 92 percent of former Vice President Harris voters said the same along with 87 percent of swing voters.

Continue reading at The Hill

The Courts / Legal

Elon Musk’s X sues to overturn Minnesota political deepfakes ban

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — X Corp., the social media platform owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk, is challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota ban on using deepfakes to influence elections and harm candidates, saying it violates First Amendment speech protections.

The company’s federal lawsuit filed this week also contends that the 2023 state law is preempted by a 1996 federal statute that shields social media from being held responsible for material posted on their platforms.

“While the law’s reference to banning ‘deep fakes’ might sound benign, in reality it would criminalize innocuous, election-related speech, including humor, and make social-media platforms criminally liable for censoring such speech,” the company said in a statement. “Instead of defending democracy, this law would erode it.”

Minnesota’s law imposes criminal penalties — including jail time — for disseminating a deepfake video, image or audio if a person knows it’s fake, or acts with reckless disregard to its authenticity, either within 90 days before a party nominating convention, or after the start of early voting in a primary or general election.

Continue reading at the AP

Education Department to probe New York for trying to pull school mascot of Native American

The mascot, an illustration of man wearing a feathered headdress, has been used for decades.

The Education Department launched an investigation Friday into the New York Department of Education for threatening to withhold money from a local school district because of its Native American mascot.

The mascot, an illustration of man wearing a feathered headdress, has been used for decades.

“The U.S. Department of Education will not stand by as the state of New York attempts to rewrite history and deny the town of Massapequa the right to celebrate its heritage in its schools,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement on Friday. “While New York chooses to prioritize erasing Native Americans, their rich history, and their deep connection [to the] state, it is requiring schools to divert time and resources away from what really matters: educating our students.”

The school board president applauded McMahon for her efforts.

“Attempts to erase Native American imagery do not advance learning—they distract from our core mission of providing a high-quality education grounded in respect, history, and community values,” said Kerry Wachter, president of the Massapequa Board of Education, in statement on Friday.

Continue reading at Politico

How a Trump administration crackdown on foreign students unraveled

The administration reversed course after dozens of judges ordered it to reinstate legal records for student visa holders, which they say jeopardized their legal status.

It took more than 100 lawsuits and 50 restraining orders from dozens of federal judges. But after 20 days of court losses, the Trump administration capitulated, reversing a decision that threatened the legal status of thousands of foreign students in the United States.

The Trump administration’s abrupt move, announced by a Justice Department lawyer in court Friday, tacitly acknowledged what judges in two dozen states had been saying since early April: Terminating university students’ immigration records from a federal database — a step which appeared to jeopardize their legal authorization to remain in the country — was almost certainly illegal. And it was implemented so ham-handedly that judges felt compelled to intervene.

“It’s just kind of sinking in for all those students that they’re now going to be OK,” said Brian Green, an attorney for more than 50 students affected by the terminations. “This was not decision-making. This was injustice.”

Continue reading at Politico

Inspector General Probes Whether Trump, DOGE Sought Private Taxpayer Information or Sensitive IRS Material

The request, spelled out in an email obtained by ProPublica, comes amid concerns that DOGE has overstepped its bounds in seeking highly restricted private information about taxpayers, public employees or federal agencies.

A Treasury Department inspector general is probing efforts by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to obtain private taxpayer data and other sensitive information, internal communications reviewed by ProPublica show.

The office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has sought a wide swath of information from IRS employees. In particular, the office is seeking any requests for taxpayer data from the president, the Executive Office of the President, DOGE or the president’s Office of Management and Budget.

The request, spelled out in a mid-April email obtained by ProPublica, comes as watchdogs and leading Democrats question whether DOGE has overstepped its bounds in seeking information about taxpayers, public employees or federal agencies that is typically highly restricted.

The review appears to be in its early stages — one document describes staffers as “beginning preplanning” — but the email directs the IRS to turn over specific documents by Thursday, April 24. It’s not clear if that happened.

The inspector general is seeking, for instance, “All requests for taxpayer or other protected information from the President or Executive Office of the President, OMB, or DOGE. Include any information on how the requestor plans to use the information requested, the IRS’s response to the request, and the legal basis for the IRS’s response,” the email says.

The inquiry also asks for information about requests for access to IRS systems from any agency in the executive branch, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and DOGE.

Continue reading at ProPublica

Nineteen states sue Trump over school funding threat

The federal administration has threatened to cut off funding over DEI initiatives.

A coalition of 19 attorneys general sued the Trump administration on Friday to block its plans to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from states that refuse to scrap diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 schools.

The lawsuit, led by California, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York, argues that an ultimatum delivered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month to comply with the Trump administration’s interpretation of federal anti-discrimination law was unconstitutional and unlawful. To be in compliance, states were required to certify that schools were adhering to a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that prohibits the use of race in a range of decisions including admissions, financial aid and other aspects of education.

While federal judges temporarily blocked Trump’s order earlier this week in separate rulings, the attorneys general filed the lawsuit in hopes of winning a decisive ruling that bars the administration from withholding funding over its DEI demands.

“The federal Department of Education is not trying to ‘combat’ discrimination with this latest order,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “Instead it is using our nation’s foundational civil rights law as a pretext to coerce states into abandoning efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through lawful programs and policies.”

Continue reading at Politico

Scoop: DOJ rescinds policy against subpoenaing journalists

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an internal memo obtained by Axios that the Justice Department is rescinding her predecessor Merrick Garland's policy restricting most subpoenas for journalists.

Why it matters: It is a sign that Bondi will continue the first Trump administration's practice of trying to obtain reporters' newsgathering materials in an effort to smoke out leakers.

Continue reading at Axios

FBI arrests Milwaukee-area judge for obstruction in immigration case

The FBI director alleged the judge “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse.”

The FBI arrested a Milwaukee County judge on Friday for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest, a remarkable escalation of the administration’s battle with the judiciary.

“Just NOW, the FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction — after evidence of Judge Dugan obstructing an immigration arrest operation last week,” Patel announced on X on Friday morning before deleting the post. He later reposted an identical version of it.

Dugan was arrested on charges of obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. It was not immediately clear why Patel deleted his initial post.

Dugan is a Milwaukee County circuit court judge, an elected position. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported earlier this week that the FBI was investigating her, and she told the paper via email that “nearly every fact regarding the ‘tips’ in your email is inaccurate.”

Continue reading at Politico

Trump says he’s ‘not defying the Supreme Court’ amid standoff over wrongly deported man

Trump’s pledge to respect the judiciary conflicts with mounting concerns over his administration’s compliance with court orders.

President Donald Trump said he’s not defying a Supreme Court ruling to “facilitate” the return of a man wrongly deported to El Salvador, amid ongoing resistance from his administration to advance the Salvadoran native’s return.

The Trump administration has been digging in its heels over Kilmar Abrego Garcia, making the high-profile case a flash point for its broader immigration crackdown. Despite the Supreme Court ruling that the administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return, the Trump administration has repeatedly dodged efforts to bring him back to the United States after his illegal deportation, with the administration arguing it merely has to allow his entry back into the country should Salvadoran authorities release him.

“I’m not defying the Supreme Court,” Trump said in an interview with TIME Magazine staff posted Friday. “I never defy the Supreme Court. I wouldn’t do that. I’m a big believer in the Supreme Court, and have a lot of respect for the justices.”

Democrats and legal experts have rallied around Abrego Garcia’s case, calling it a bubbling constitutional crisis that challenges due process rights. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) recently traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump says he would ‘love’ to send violent American citizens to foreign prisons

In an interview with Time Magazine, Trump continued his proposal to deport “homegrown criminals,” which El Salvador has welcomed.

President Donald Trump doubled down this week on his proposal to send American citizens to foreign prisons.

“I would love to do that if it were permissible by law,” Trump said in an interview with Time magazine that was conducted on Tuesday and published Friday. “We’re looking into that.”

The comment comes after Trump said earlier this month in a Fox News interview that his administration is looking into the legality of sending “homegrown criminals” — American citizens — to foreign prisons, most notably in El Salvador. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has welcomed the proposal.

“If you ask me whether or not I would do that, I would,” Trump told Time. “People are looking to see if it would be allowed under law.”

Continue reading at Politico

Trump directs DOJ to investigate Democrats' donation platform ActBlue

President Trump on Thursday requested Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate ActBlue and other donation groups in what the White House says is a crackdown on "illegal 'straw donor' and foreign contributions in American elections."

Why it matters: ActBlue is the main online donations platform for Democrats and the fundraising group in a media statement called Trump's action "blatantly unlawful" as it vowed to "immediately pursue all legal avenues to protect and defend" itself.

• Trump has since taking office for a second time in January used his presidential powers to target people and groups he and his administration have deemed political enemies or unfair critics.

Driving the news: The memo directs Bondi "to investigate and take appropriate action concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make 'straw' or 'dummy' contributions and to make foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law," per a White House statement.

Continue reading at Axios

FBI arrests Wisconsin judge for obstruction of ICE agents: Kash Patel

FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday in a since-deleted post that his agency had arrested a Milwaukee judge who allegedly tried to help an undocumented defendant avoid arrest.

Why it matters: Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, was arrested on charges of obstruction of an immigration arrest operation, Patel's post said.

• Axios is reaching out to the FBI for clarity on the situation.

Driving the news: "We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest."

• Patel added that Flores Ruiz is also in the FBI's custody.

Catch up quick: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this week that the FBI was looking into whether Dugan tried to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest after that person was scheduled to appear in her courtroom last week.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump administration reverses abrupt terminations of foreign students’ U.S. visa registrations

DOJ announced the reversal in federal court after weeks of intense scrutiny by courts and dozens of restraining orders issued by judge.

The Trump administration has restored the student visa registrations of thousands of foreign students studying in the United States who had minor — and often dismissed — legal infractions.

The Justice Department announced the wholesale reversal in federal court Friday after weeks of intense scrutiny by courts and dozens of restraining orders issued by judges who deemed the mass termination of students from a federal database — used by universities and the federal government to track foreign students in the U.S. — as flagrantly illegal.

The terminations caused concern and even panic for thousands of students who feared the possibility they had lost their legal immigration status and could be quickly deported. Many who sued over the move said their schools had also blocked their ability to continue taking classes or conducting research, sometimes just weeks before graduation.

Judges also expressed frustration with the seemingly arbitrary moves and the unwillingness of government lawyers to say whether the students could continue to attend classes or needed to leave the country immediately.

The terminations from the federal database earlier this month sparked more than 100 lawsuits, with judges in more than 50 of the cases — spanning at least 23 states — ordering the administration to temporarily undo the actions. Dozens more judges seemed prepared to follow suit before Friday’s reversal.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump administration had no arrest warrant for Mahmoud Khalil, court filings show

The Trump administration had no arrest warrant for former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil when he was detained, court documents on Thursday showed.

In the documents, the government said the federal officials “had exigent circumstances to conduct the warrantless arrest” against Khalil and that the former lead negotiator for the pro-Palestinian arrest at Columbia was “a flight risk.”

“The agents had reason to believe that the respondent was likely to escape before a warrant could be obtained,” the federal government said in the court filing.

Video footage of the arrest from Khalil’s wife shows him peacefully leaving with the officers, saying, “I’m coming with you.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Anti-DEI-Whitewashing

Nothing to see here, yet.

General News

Campus communities rally around international students threatened by ICE

Faculty and classmates are stepping up to protect the close to 1,400 foreign students who have had their names taken off the international tracking system by the Trump administration, including new safety measures on campus as well as coordinated legal efforts.

Campus communities have created buddy systems for international students, started GoFundMe pages for those arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held seminars so students know their rights and what to do if approached by federal officials.

Americans “are concerned about the attacks on immigrant students and non-citizen students,” said Zainab Chaudry, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Maryland. “And so, there has been a very real desire to want to try to take whatever efforts are possible to protect those students from being targeted.”

Multiple faculty groups, including at Cornell University and the University of Maryland, have initiated GoFundMe campaigns for students who need help paying for legal services after being targeted by ICE.

Continue reading at The Hill

Judge to weigh George Santos’ remorse at fraud sentencing

Former Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) sass and combativeness supercharged his public profile and earned him a devoted following, despite his criminal transgressions. But on Friday, he’ll be forced to defend it as he stares down years in prison.

The former congressman’s social media presence is set to take center stage as he returns to a Long Island courtroom Friday morning to receive his criminal sentence for defrauding his campaign donors and the federal government.

He insists his guilty plea last summer shows he accepts responsibility, so he shouldn’t be given any more jail time than the two-year minimum required by law. Federal prosecutors have sought to far surpass it by questioning Santos’s remorse, pointing to his recent posts attacking them.

“Saying I’m sorry doesn’t require me to sit quietly while these prosecutors try to drop an anvil on my head,” Santos pushed back in a recent letter to the court.

Continue reading at The Hill

What happens to DOGE once Elon Musk leaves?

But with its unofficial leader taking a step back, DOGE sits in a precarious position, as it remains unclear whether the initiative has enough momentum to drive forward with Musk’s ambitious goals on its own.

“Musk is personally driving this,” said Matt Calkins, CEO of software firm Appian, adding, “I believe that he’s gathered people who have a similar attitude, but there’s nothing like having the captain on board the ship.”

Musk is serving in the administration as a “special government employee,” which requires him to leave his role after 130 days. When asked last month whether he would depart at the end of this period, the tech billionaire signaled he planned to wrap up his work.

“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe,” Musk told Fox News host Brett Baier, even though federal deficits have increased since Trump took office.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says he doesn’t ‘believe in loopholes’ to run in 2028

President Trump in a new interview suggested that he won’t be looking into “loopholes” to run again for a third term, an idea he has flirted with in the past.

Trump told Time magazine that he didn’t want to discuss what he meant by his previous comments that “there are methods which you could do it.”

“I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known,” the president said. “But I don’t believe in loopholes. I don’t believe in using loopholes.”

He also did not directly respond when asked if he would run as vice president on the 2028 Republican ticket with J.D. Vance, the current vice president.

“I don’t know anything about, what, look, all I can say is this, I am being inundated with requests,” Trump said in the interview, published Friday. “I’m doing a good job. Great physical exam, and unlike every other president, I took the cognitive test and I aced it 100 percent and I bet you guys couldn’t get 100 percent on that exam.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump: I ‘love the concept’ of millionaire tax hike, but ‘may not be acceptable to the public’

Trump sat down Tuesday for an interview with Time Magazine centered on his first 100 days in office, where he was asked about the idea floated by some Republicans to raise taxes on millionaires to offset the cost of extending tax cuts, as well as adding the new cuts the president proposed while on the campaign trail.

The comments came in the same week that he warned the concept of a higher tax on millionaires would be “disruptive.”

“It doesn’t make that much difference, and yet, I could just see somebody trying to bring that up as a subject, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, he raised taxes.’ Well, I wouldn’t be, really, you know, in the true sense, I wouldn’t. I’d be raising them on wealthy to take care of middle class,” Trump told Time.

“And that’s — I love, that. I actually love the concept, but I don’t want it to be used against me politically, because I’ve seen people lose elections for less, especially with the fake news,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Ukraine says 3 killed in Russian attack after Trump calls for Putin to ‘stop’

Ukraine’s officials say three people were killed by a Russian drone attack early Friday, less than a day after President Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP” the assaults and focus on peace negotiations.

The drone hit an apartment building in the southeastern city of Pavlohrad, killing three people and injuring at least 14, according to the city’s governor Serhii Lysak. The overnight strike damaged infrastructure and injured at least three children ages six, 15 and 17.

Pavlohrad, with a population of just over 100,000, is situated within the Dnipropetrovsk region, some 48 miles east of the city of Dnipro.

The Russian military launched 103 Shahed and other decoy drones in five regions within Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukraine was able to shoot down 41 Russian drones in the east, north and center parts of the country.

Continue reading at The Hill

Tens of thousands file into St. Peter’s Basilica to pay final respects to Pope Francis

The Vatican said more than 90,000 people had bid farewell to the pontiff by Thursday evening at the basilica, which will stay open into the night as long as there are mourners.

VATICAN CITY — So many mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour and a half Thursday morning for cleaning.

The basilica was bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe made a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis, who died Monday at age 88 after a stroke.

The Vatican said more than 90,000 people had paid their respects by Thursday evening, a day and a half after opening. The basilica closed for just a short time Thursday morning, and will stay open Thursday night as long as there are mourners, the Vatican said.

The hours spent on line up the stately via della Conciliazione through St. Peter’s Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica has allowed mourners to find community around the Argentine pontiff’s legacy of inclusion and humble persona.

Continue reading at Politico

How Karoline Leavitt Used a Failed Congressional Campaign to Join Trump’s Inner Circle

Before she was Trump’s press secretary, she was a 23-year-old MAGA diehard staging a longshot congressional campaign.

Inside the British oak-paneled library at Mar-a-Lago, on a humid spring day in 2022, Karoline Leavitt found herself in the middle of the most important meeting of her still nascent political career.

She had come to Palm Beach on a fundraising swing for her longest-of-longshots congressional campaign. With only five months left before the September primary, she was still trailing badly. So she had made a calculated political gamble. She had asked for a meeting with the man who had inspired her to enter politics: Donald Trump. She didn’t expect to get his endorsement. All she needed was to ensure that he didn’t endorse her Republican opponent in the race for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. As Leavitt walked into the library, Trump was already seated at a table, before him a series of printed out polls. As is his custom, Trump did most of the talking.

“These don’t look good,” Trump told her.

“Sir, I know they don’t,” Leavitt responded. “But I’m working very hard every day, and I’m telling you, the energy on the ground is different and it hasn’t translated to the polls.” She would do whatever it took to eke this out, she told him. “I’m just asking,” Leavitt told Trump, “that you let me prove myself and watch.”

Continue reading at Politico Magazine

How Donald Trump Revealed Jeff Bezos’ True Self

Not long ago, Washington dreamed that Jeff Bezos would become the king of the Beltway. Then the rules changed.

It’s hard to remember now, but there was a time when people in Washington were positively giddy about Jeff Bezos’ new mansion on S Street.

In 2016, not long after acquiring The Washington Post, the Amazon founder set his eyes on a 17,000-foot former museum designed by the architect of the Jefferson Memorial. Soon after buying it for $23 million in cash, he set about renovating it to host parties, following in the footsteps of an iconic Post predecessor.

“What he’s going to do is revive the legacy of Kay Graham and her great socializing — bringing smart, interesting people together in a social context,” Jean Case, who with her husband Steve was an old friend of Bezos and his then wife, said at the time.

It was a prediction that a certain stratum of D.C. very much wanted to believe. The idea of a world-transforming industrialist running the political city’s salon flattered establishment Washington’s perennial hunger for social validation: See, we’re not just a bunch of ill-dressed policy wonks!

The validation never arrived. While Bezos entertained a couple of times early on, the place is usually so lifeless that one Kalorama neighbor told me she still remembers the day there were three cars in the driveway. “Almost all the time it’s dark,” said Marie Drissel, another neighbor. “My guess is he’s there four or five nights a year.” She’s only laid eyes on her famous neighbor once in nine years.

Continue reading at Politico

Maddow’s Back! The Resistance Is Rising! So Why Is MSNBC’s Future Uncertain?

What becomes of every liberal’s favorite TV network once it loses its connection to NBC?

Inside 30 Rock — the iconic skyscraper synonymous with a satirical TV sitcom — a select group of prominent Comcast executives are busy drawing up lists. In a process that internally has been likened to the Hunger Games, the top brass, including NBC’s Cesar Conde and Rebecca Blumenstein and MSNBC’s Rebecca Kutler, are dividing anchors, hosts and correspondents into a few buckets as MSNBC prepares to spin off from its mothership, NBC News. There are those NBC News wants and MSNBC doesn’t. The ones MSNBC is keen to nab that NBC is happy to see go. And the lucky few whom both networks would love to keep, granting those journalists the luxury of deciding between the two. Sunday Today Show anchor and Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist is one of the rare exceptions that will be allowed to appear on both channels. But layoffs await a sizable number of those neither network wants.

“It’s a clusterfuck,” a person familiar with the negotiations told me.

This is, by many accounts, a time of soul searching for MSNBC. After the election, the liberal network’s primetime ratings cratered, falling by 57 percent in the key 25-to-54 demo after Election Day. But in recent months, MSNBC’s faithful have tuned back in, and it regularly draws more viewers than its main rival, CNN. Rachel Maddow, the star of the network and its highest-rated host, is, at least for now, back on air five nights a week. And a second Donald Trump presidency seems to have provided a new sense of purpose to a network beloved by the anti-Trump resistance.

Still, the looming split from NBC has stirred deep uncertainty within MSNBC — not just about who stays and who goes, but about what kind of network it wants to be and whether it can survive on its own. Or do they want to hire nonpartisan journalists focused on scoops and beating out their soon-to-be rivals at NBC News? How they square that and resolve those competing interests will define the network’s future.

Continue reading at Politico Magazine

Trump officials pressure world’s top energy agency to drop climate mission

U.S. and European officials are sparring in meetings of the International Energy Agency, which helps guide global investments and policies.

LONDON — Trump administration officials are attempting to block the world’s most important energy research agency from producing data that the U.S. government argues favors renewable power over fossil fuels.

At recent meetings of the International Energy Agency, U.S. officials pushed the body, which publishes influential energy market forecasts, to cease its work promoting the global shift to clean power and net-zero carbon emissions, according to two people briefed on the discussions.

Tommy Joyce, a Trump supporter who is acting assistant secretary of international affairs at the U.S. Energy Department, has pushed for the organization to go “back to basics” during the closed meetings, said one of the people.

Irked European officials pushed back against the U.S. pressure, defending the agency’s efforts on clean power research.

“At the board meetings of the IEA … the U.S. have been really unconstructive,” said a European official not directly involved in the talks but who was briefed on their contents. That included discouraging any project “that is not about fossil fuels.” A second person also briefed on the meetings confirmed the account.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Elon Musk leaves legacy of self-destruction at DOGE

Elon Musk arrived in Washington as the most powerful political outsider ever, brimming with Silicon Valley swagger and bipartisan buy-in for his goal of streamlining the federal government.

• He's leaving with his reputation wounded, relationships severed, companies in crisis, fortune diminished — and little to show for DOGE but chaos and contested savings.

Why it matters: Musk may not have achieved his audacious goal of cutting $2 trillion from America's debt, but the disruption he unleashed inside the federal government — for better or for worse — will reverberate for decades.

Zoom in: Musk has publicly acknowledged the enormous toll that DOGE — which he's characterized as a patriotic, existential project — has taken on his private life.

• He's still beloved by President Trump, but his favorability ratings have plummeted amid scrutiny of DOGE's mass layoffs, sweeping program cuts, and unprecedented access to Americans' personal data.

• For Wisconsin's Supreme Court election this month, Democrats painted Musk — who poured $25 million into the race — as a corrupt, unelected oligarch with his eyes set on dismantling Social Security. The message stuck, and Musk's GOP-backed candidate lost.

By the numbers: Tesla, battered by boycotts, protests and even firebombings, saw its net income plunge 71% in the first quarter — triggering Musk's decision this week to scale back his involvement in DOGE.

Continue reading at Axios

Education Department cuts threaten to deepen local schools' woes

Chart: Share of school districts that have experienced superintendent turnover at least once

The Trump administration wants to empower local schools by dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. The catch: Local school districts nationwide already are struggling with teacher shortages, falling test scores and rising turnover in leadership.

Why it matters: Those measures of instability — along with ongoing debates over what should be taught, and how — are just a few of the problems local systems are facing as the White House signals that less help could be coming.

• It's unclear precisely how the Education Department's demise will affect federal funding to local school systems.

• The department is the primary source of federal money to local schools, but not the only one. Federal funds now make up an average of about 14% of a public school system's budget, with more typically going to lower-income areas.

The big picture: The Trump administration's push against federal mandates in education is based partly on the notion that local school officials best know how to shape their schools.

Continue reading at Axios

A Russian general was killed by a car bomb just outside Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian general was killed by a car bomb on Friday, Russia’s top criminal investigation agency said, in the second such attack on a top Russian military officer in four months.

The Investigative Committee said that Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha, just outside Moscow.

The committee’s spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said the explosive device was rigged with shrapnel. She said that investigators were at the scene.

Russian media ran videos of a vehicle burning in the courtyard of an apartment building.

The committee did not mention possible suspects.

Continue reading at the AP

Donald Trump’s trip to Pope Francis’ funeral puts a sharper focus on their clashes over the years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The day before he died, in his final public address, Pope Francis expressed an Easter Sunday message of unity and an appeal for the marginalized and migrants. “All of us,” he proclaimed, “are children of God!”

In a dramatically different message Sunday, President Donald Trump issued an insult-laced post wishing a happy Easter to his opponents, including “Radical Left Lunatics,” “WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials,” and former President Joe Biden, “our WORST and most Incompetent President.”

Some of the fundamental differences between the U.S. president and the late pope — not only their divergent styles but their positions on migration, the environment and poverty — will come into sharper focus as Trump travels to Rome on Friday for Francis’ funeral, to be held Saturday morning in St. Peter’s Square.

David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University in New York, put it this way: “Obviously, it’s been a fraught relationship.”

Continue reading at the AP

Trump insists China called, and trade deals are weeks away: Time interview

A defiant President Trump insisted in a new interview that the U.S. is less than a month away from potentially hundreds of trade deals, and that even Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him to talk business.

Why it matters: China denies it, other countries aren't saying it either, Trump won't say who the deals are with or share details, and the global economy is cracking as the saga plays out.

Driving the news: Time magazine released a sweeping interview with Trump Friday to review the first 100 days of his second presidency.

• Time's reporters asked Trump if he'd call Xi to talk trade ("Nope.") and if Xi had called him ("Yep.")

• "He's called. And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf," Trump said.

The other side: Chinese officials in recent days have steadfastly denied that any talks were happening, and insisted that the U.S. needed to make the first move by dropping its tariffs.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump blames Ukraine for initiating war, says Crimea ‘will stay with Russia’

President Trump blamed Ukraine for initiating the war with Russia by eying a NATO membership, adding that he thinks Crimea will stay under Moscow’s control as part of a deal to end the war.

In an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, Trump expressed optimism that Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a peace deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

When asked if Ukraine should give up any hope of ever joining NATO, Trump criticized the war-torn country for talking about the security alliance.

“I don’t think they’ll ever be able to join NATO. I think that’s been—from day one, I think that’s been, that’s I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO. If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started,” Trump said.

And, when asked if it would be an acceptable deal to him if Crimea and the four other regions that Moscow has taken from Ukraine would be folded into Russia under a final accommodation, the president said Crimea would stay with Russia.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump: ‘I’m really not trolling’ with talk of Canada as 51st state

President Trump in an interview published Friday was adamant that he was serious about his talk of adding Canada as the 51st state, something Canadian leaders have outright rejected.

The president sat down for an interview with Time Magazine, where a reporter suggested Trump may have been “trolling a little bit” with his repeated comments that Canada should be absorbed into the United States.

“Actually, no, I’m not,” Trump said in the interview, which was conducted Tuesday.

“I think Canada, what you said that, ‘Well, that one, I might be trolling.’ But I’m really not trolling,” Trump added. “Canada is an interesting case.”

The president repeated his frequent claims that the U.S. is losing money to Canada because of trade deficits and that there is no need for America to import Canadian products.

Continue reading at The Hill

Signal chat participants sued for three months of app records

Participants on a Signal group chat discussion about a strike on Houthi targets in Yemen are facing a lawsuit over a request to turn over all conversions they had on the encrypted app over the last three months.

The suit is the first filed since reporting indicating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the same strike in a Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.

The suit asks for the Signal messages from Hegseth as well as other top Trump officials, asking for the totality of messages in their accounts “regardless of sender or recipient.”

“When news first broke about Signalgate, the first question on a lot of national security people’s minds wasn’t, ‘How did this happen?’ We knew how it happened. Our question was, ‘How often did this happen?’” said Kel McClanahan, executive director of the nonprofit National Security Counselors, who brought the suit after filing a similar public information request on behalf of a journalist.

Continue reading at The Hill

Largest federal employees union slashing more than half of staff

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing the federal workforce, is slashing more than half of its staff around the country, pinning the blame on President Trump and his executive actions.

AFGE is expected to lay off more than 200 employees, going from 355 workers down to about 150, the union confirmed to The Hill on Friday. This includes more than 100 workers within the union president’s office, along with dozens in offices across the U.S.

The union’s national representatives, support staff, organizers and others will be affected by cuts.

The layoffs will deal a blow, but the union, which represents 820,000 federal and Washington, D.C., government workers, contended its fight for the rights of federal employees will not slow down.

“From Day 1 this Administration has sought to stamp out the voices of patriotic civil servants, and these attacks on their unions are no different,” the AFGE said in a statement. “The President’s elimination of elective membership dues and the resulting layoffs are a setback, but they are not the end of AFGE — not by a longshot.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Biden to attend Pope Francis funeral

Former President Biden and former first lady Jill Biden are expected to attend Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome on Saturday, a Biden spokesperson told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister station, on Friday.

Biden, who was the country’s second Roman Catholic president after former President Kennedy, met with Francis on numerous occasions after he became the Catholic church’s leader in 2013, including in a private one-on-one visit between the two in 2021, a few months after Biden took office.

“He was unlike any who came before him,” Biden wrote in wrote in a post on the social platform X just hours after the pope died Monday. “Above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope — a light of faith, hope and love.”

Continue reading at The Hill

China considering exempting some US products from tariffs: Reports

China is considering exempting certain imports from the U.S. from the 125 percent tariffs it imposed earlier this month, as retaliatory measures between the world’s two largest economies continue, multiple outlets reported on Friday.

Chinese authorities are weighing whether to lift import taxes from medical equipment and some chemicals, such as ethane, according to Bloomberg News. Additionally, Beijing is also considering striking down tariffs on plane leases.

“There are some companies who have said that if a long-term tariff war continued, their business model would not work in China and we would see them exit,” Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, told The New York Times. “We shared that with the Chinese government because they are of course trying to foster foreign direct investment.”

Hart noted to The Times that lifesaving drugs and some other health care products present concerns for the nation’s supply chains.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says he’s negotiated 200 trade deals — but won’t say with whom

The president was cryptic about the deals he says he’s reached but said he would give more details in a few weeks.

Trump’s comments come just two weeks after he announced a 90-day pause on most of the sweeping global tariffs he imposed earlier this month to allow time for trade negotiations with hundreds of countries slugged by the punishing levies. Only China was exempted from the 90-day pause.

“I’ve made 200 deals,” Trump told Time Magazine in a wide-ranging interview published Friday, “100%.”

Pressed on which countries he had made deals with, Trump refused to say, nor did he clarify the terms of the agreements. He added that he would announce them “over the next three to four weeks,” once the negotiations are “finished.”

“Now, some countries may come back and ask for an adjustment, and I’ll consider that,” he said.

Continue reading at Politico

Note from Rima: the consensus in the media is that there are no deals that anyone will cop to, anywhere on the planet

Trump says Zelensky ‘three weeks late’ on signing mineral deal

President Trump on Friday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is late to sign the minerals agreement with the U.S., nearly two months after an expected deal signing was called off.

“Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late. Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump shared the post while he was traveling to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, which Zelensky is also planning to attend.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says he ‘can’t even imagine’ staff gave stock tips on trade deals

President Trump said Friday he can’t imagine an administration official sharing nonpublic information about his tariff plans with Wall Street as the White House and some GOP lawmakers face accusations of potential insider trading.

Asked on Air Force One if any members of his financial team have been giving tips to Wall Street on trade deals, Trump sought to shoot down insider trading concerns as his team negotiates deals and handles a sweeping tariff agenda.

“I can commit to myself, that’s all I can commit,” Trump said while flying to Rome. “You know, I have thousands of people that work for me, but I can’t imagine anybody doing that. I have very honorable people, that I can say. So I can’t even imagine it. I haven’t even heard that, actually.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Grassley: Putin ‘playing America as a patsy’

Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the most senior Republican in the Senate, on Friday urged President Trump to “put the toughest of sanctions” on Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring Putin is “playing America as a patsy.”

Grassley posted his statement on the social platform X after Russia hit Kyiv with missiles and drones that killed at least 12 people and left 90 people injured.

That strike came a few days after a Russian attack killed three people in southern Ukraine during a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that Putin had declared over the holiday weekend.

“IVE SEEN ENOUGH KILLING OF INNOCENT UKRAINIAN women = children. President Trump pls put the toughest of sanctions on Putin. U ought to c from clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy,” Grassley posted.

Continue reading at The Hill

FDA chief says no current plans to restrict mifepristone access

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary said he has no plans to change current policy to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, despite a steady pressure campaign from abortion opponents.

Speaking at the Semafor World Economy Summit on Thursday, Makary said he would reconsider if there is new data that would suggest a safety issue.

The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000 to terminate pregnancies up to seven weeks. The drug is taken in conjunction with misoprostol in a two-medication regimen that constitutes the majority of abortions in the country.

Scientists and top medical groups contend it has been studied extensively and is proven to be safe. It’s been used by millions of women with minimal side effects.

Continue reading at The Hill

Jeffries asks Justice Roberts to reject ‘cowardly and unpatriotic’ Trump Smithsonian order

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is urging Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to reject an executive order from President Trump that called to restore “truth and sanity” to the Smithsonian Institution.

“It is imperative that you, along with your fellow Regents, continue the storied legacy of the Smithsonian that tells the American story honestly and completely,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to Roberts on Friday. “President Trump’s proclamation, which seeks to whitewash our history, is cowardly and unpatriotic. It must fail.”

Roberts by statute sits on the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents and serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian.

Continue reading at The Hill

Burgum confirms the administration is reviewing national monument boundaries

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed on Friday that the administration is reviewing the boundaries of several national monuments — meaning the administration could eventually move to shrink them.

“When we’re taking a look, we have an executive order from President Trump to review these, to say ‘are they the appropriate size?’” Burgum told Semafor during a Friday event.

“We’ll go through a thorough review,” he said, but added, “this is not a top priority for the administration.”

Continue reading at The Hill

DOJ ends Biden-era policy against subpoenaing journalists

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday she is resuming the practice of attempting to seize reporters' phone records in order to smoke out leakers.

Why it matters: It is a complete reversal of the policy that former President Biden and former Attorney General Merrick Garland put in place restricting subpoenas of reporters' news-gathering materials.

• "This conduct is illegal and wrong, and it must stop," Bondi, referring to recent administration leaks, wrote in an internal memo obtained by Axios.

• "I have concluded that it is necessary to rescind Merrick Garland's policies precluding the Department of Justice from seeking records and compelling testimony from members of the news media in order to identify and punish the source of improper leaks," she wrote.

The big picture: Bondi's announcement comes as her office prepares to investigate at least three suspected leakers referred Wednesday by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard.

Continue reading at Axios

"Deranged" Milwaukee judge's arrest a warning to others, Bondi says

Attorney General Pam Bondi promised on Friday prosecution for judiciary members who cross the Trump administration.

Why it matters: It represents an escalation in the administration's ongoing fight with courts.

Driving the news: Bondi's threat comes on the heels of the FBI's Friday arrest of Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, on charges of obstruction of an immigration arrest operation.

What they're saying: Bondi said on FOX News Channel's America Reports that the Trump administration will target judges who oppose the president's growing immigration crackdown.

Continue reading at Axios

Congress erupts over FBI arrest of Wisconsin judge

Democratic lawmakers reacted with ferocity — and some Republicans with cheers — to the Friday arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an undocumented defendant avoid arrest by ICE agents.

Why it matters: To Democrats, the arrest marks a significant escalation in President Trump's efforts to consolidate power and use federal law enforcement to crush legal obstacles to his agenda.

• "It is remarkable that the Administration would dare to start arresting state court judges," said House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). "It's a whole new descent into government chaos."

• "The Trump administration again is breaking norms in how it's dealing with immigration, the legal system, and normalcy. ... This is stuff I expect from Third World countries," Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) told Axios.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump says he hasn't asked El Salvador's Bukele to return Ábrego García to U.S.

President Trump said in a new interview that he hasn't asked El Salvador president Nayib Bukele to return the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported.

Why it matters: Trump doubled down on his administration's refusal to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring it to facilitate Kilmar Armando Ábrego García's return from a high-security prison for terrorists in El Salvador.

• The administration's refusal to abide by the court orders has raised the prospect of contempt proceedings. Observers have warned of the potential for a constitutional crisis, as well.

Driving the news: Trump's remarks came in a new wide-ranging interview with Time magazine that's out Friday to mark the first 100 days of his second presidency.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump insists China called, and trade deals are weeks away: Time interview

A defiant President Trump insisted in a new interview that the U.S. is less than a month away from potentially hundreds of trade deals, and that even Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him to talk business.

Why it matters: China denies it, other countries aren't saying it either, Trump won't say who the deals are with or share details, and the global economy is cracking as the saga plays out.

Driving the news: Time magazine released a sweeping interview with Trump Friday to review the first 100 days of his second presidency.

• Time's reporters asked Trump if he'd call Xi to talk trade ("Nope.") and if Xi had called him ("Yep.")

Continue reading at Axios

Trump admin considers exempting Christians from its push to deport some Afghan refugees

The push is unlikely to help Muslim Afghans, including those who helped American troops and civilians, who could also face dire consequences if they return to the country.

Trump administration officials have discussed allowing some Afghan refugees to remain in the United States, days after a group of potentially vulnerable migrants from the war-torn country received emails from Customs and Border Protection revoking their humanitarian parole status, according to two administration officials familiar with the conversations.

The policy discussions come as prominent Christian leaders and nonprofit organizations have pressed the White House to protect what they say is a group of hundreds of at-risk Christian Afghan refugees — still a fraction of the thousands potentially facing deportation in the months ahead. The leaders argued they could face persecution if returned to Afghanistan, which has reverted to Taliban control after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021 — agreed to by President Donald Trump in his first term and executed by President Joe Biden.

Allowing even a fraction of those refugees to stay would mark a rare turnabout for an administration that has focused its efforts on removing temporary legal status for refugees from around the world as part of its deportation agenda. The push is unlikely to help Muslim Afghans, including those who helped American troops and civilians, who could also face dire consequences if they return to the country.

Continue reading at Politico

Gavin Newsom rips Trump, RFK. Jr. over suicide hotline cuts

The California Democrat wants LGBTQ+ hotline on school IDs.

SACRAMENTO, California — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he’s supporting a proposed law to print the number for a LGBTQ+ crisis line on the back of every public middle and high school ID card, as Donald Trump’s administration cuts back on the program nationally.

It’s another move, reported here for the first time, from Newsom that puts him in direct opposition with Washington, just one week after California became the first state to sue Trump over tariffs and then moved on another suit challenging the administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts to AmeriCorps.

The Democratic governor’s support is a direct reaction to recent reports that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to cut funding from the nonprofit network that provides LGBTQ+-specific counseling for youth at the national 988 suicide hotline.

“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among LGBTQ youth. Cutting off kids’ access to help is indefensible,” Newsom said in a statement shared exclusively with POLITICO. “While the Trump administration walks away from its responsibility, California will continue to expand access to life-saving resources, because the life of every child — straight, gay, trans — is worth fighting for.”

Continue reading at Politico

‘Highly inappropriate': Musk, a defense contractor, sat in on Air Force nominee’s interview

His inclusion is significant because the SpaceX founder has billions of dollars in national security and defense contracts at stake.

Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump’s interview with Air Force secretary nominee Troy Meink, according to Meink’s own disclosure to Congress — a highly unusual move that raises serious conflict of interest concerns about the space mogul’s role in the selection process.

The previously unreported detail appeared in Meink’s written answers to the Senate Armed Services Committee and was obtained by POLITICO.

The disclosure is significant because Musk has billions of dollars in national security and defense contracts at stake as CEO of SpaceX. This includes Pentagon launch contracts, satellite systems and Trump’s proposed missile defense shield known as Golden Dome.

But his involvement in a personnel decision for a top Air Force post marks a new level of political reach for the billionaire entrepreneur — and a potential breach of ethical norms that discourage contractors from influencing leadership decisions in agencies that oversee their contracts.

Continue reading at Politico

Arrest of judge in immigration dispute mirrors similar 2018 Trump administration case

In 2018, a Massachusetts judge was accused of helping an undocumented migrant sneak out of a courthouse.

FBI Director Kash Patel’s announcement Friday that federal authorities arrested a judge over an immigration dispute marks a stunning development in the Trump administration’s power struggle with the courts — and mirrors a similar case from President Donald Trump’s first term.

In 2018, Massachusetts state District Court Judge Shelley Joseph and a court officer were accused of helping an undocumented migrant sneak out of the Newton District Court in Newton, Mass., before an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer could detain him. The man was arrested on narcotics charges and had been deported from the U.S. twice, prosecutors said at the time.

Joseph was later indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice and pleaded not guilty.

At the time Joseph was charged, then-state Attorney General Maura Healy, now the Democratic governor of Massachusttes, claimed it represented “a radical and politically motivated attack on our state and the independence of our courts.”

Continue reading at Politico

Federal judge blocks Trump order dismantling public-sector unions

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Friday temporarily blocked an executive order that eliminated collective bargaining rights for two-thirds of the federal workforce, finding it "unlawful."

Why it matters: This is a big win for the unions that represent government workers.

• It's the latest of several court setbacks for the White House just this week.

The big picture: The order from late March would effectively dismantle the unions that represent federal employees, who use collective bargaining to negotiate for better benefits and fair treatment.

• These unions have also been at the forefront of the fight against the White House effort to dismantle the federal workforce.

Zoom in: U.S. district judge Paul Friedman, a Clinton appointee, also ruled that the guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directing agencies to stop automatically deducting union fees from worker paychecks was unlawful.

Continue reading at Axios

Judge further delays opening of ICE office on Rikers Island

The ruling comes after the City Council sued the Adams administration to block federal immigration authorities from accessing the island.

NEW YORK — A judge once again pushed back the opening of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Rikers Island — dealing a blow to Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.

The decision Friday from Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Mary Rosado prevents the city from allowing federal immigration authorities on Rikers Island for potentially several more weeks. Rosado has scheduled the next hearing in the case for May 29.

The ruling came as part of a lawsuit filed by the New York City Council, which is seeking to stop the Adams administration from allowing federal immigration agencies into the jail to arrest migrants accused of certain crimes.

In court Friday, the Council argued the move is a “corrupt bargain,” part of a “quid pro quo” deal with the Trump administration, which successfully moved to dismiss criminal bribery charges levied against Adams.

The Adams administration countered that the lawsuit is part of a campaign to damage the mayor’s credibility during an election year. Both the mayor and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams are running for mayor.

Continue reading at Politico

Hegseth orders review of Pentagon’s complaint process

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed a rehaul of the Defense Department (DOD) programs meant for service members and civilian employees to report harassment and discrimination, claiming individuals have “weaponized” such avenues.

Hegseth ordered each military department to review its military Equal Opportunity (EO) and civilian Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs, according to a memo dated Thursday and released Friday.

Titled “Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” the review is meant “to ensure prompt and impartial investigations, fair treatment of all involved, and timely and appropriate resolution of allegations of discrimination,” the memo states.

In a video posted to social media announcing the review, Hegseth said it’s “a good thing” that the DOD has equal opportunity programs for people to report discrimination and harassment. But he insisted that the programs are sometimes “weaponized,” with some individuals using them “in bad faith to retaliate” against superiors or peers.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump shies away from millionaire tax

Trump loves ‘concept,’ but not politics of tax hike

In an interview published Friday, the president said he loves the idea of raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for some of his policy proposals, but acknowledged it may not be “acceptable to the public.”

Trump sat down Tuesday for an interview with Time magazine centered on his first 100 days in office and was asked about the idea floated by some Republicans.

Despite longstanding Republican opposition to tax hikes, some GOP members have proposed raising taxes on millionaires to offset the cost of extending tax cuts, as well as adding the new cuts the president proposed while on the campaign trail.

His comments were made one day before Trump warned the concept of a higher tax on millionaires would be “disruptive.”

“It doesn’t make that much difference, and yet, I could just see somebody trying to bring that up as a subject, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, he raised taxes.’ Well, I wouldn’t be, really, you know, in the true sense, I wouldn’t. I’d be raising them on wealthy to take care of middle class,” Trump told Time.

Continue reading at The Hill

Judge says 2-year-old US citizen appears to have been deported with ‘no meaningful process’

The girl was deported Friday with her mother to Honduras, despite her father’s efforts to keep her in the United States.

A federal judge is raising alarms that the Trump administration deported a two-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras with “no meaningful process,” even as the child’s father was frantically petitioning the courts to keep her in the country.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, said the child — identified in court papers by the initials “V.M.L.” — appeared to have been released in Honduras earlier Friday, along with her Honduran-born mother and sister, who had been detained by immigration officials earlier in the week.

The judge on Friday scheduled a hearing for May 16, which he said was “in the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”

The child, whose redacted U.S. birth certificate was filed in court and showed she was born in New Orleans in 2023, had been with her mother and sister during a regular immigration check-in at the New Orleans office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday. Officials there detained them and queued them up for deportation.

Trump administration officials said in court that the mother told ICE officials that she wished to take V.M.L. with her to Honduras. The filing included a handwritten note in Spanish they claimed was written by the mother and confirmed her intent. But the judge said he had hoped to verify that information.

Continue reading at Politico

Once bubbly, the White House Correspondents’ dinner goes flat

The typically festive affair has turned somber and tentative.

This year’s White House Correspondents’ weekend is shaping up to be a contrast moment ripe for tension and awkwardness.

The press, somber and tentative after President Donald Trump and his administration have pulled access and sued outlets over coverage, has ditched the comedian at Saturday’s annual dinner in what’s been billed as a celebration of independence. Trump, a no-show for each of his previous four years in office, will be in Rome on Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis.

Trump’s supporters have relished what they call the snub of the mainstream media as an opportunity to brandish his populist credentials — a gesture made all the more poignant by his attendance at a funeral for a renowned religious leader.

But Trump’s travels have their own complications. He’ll be memorializing a liberal pontiff who made no secret of his disdain for Trump’s harsh mass deportation agenda. And although he will dodge a press corps he views as hostile, Trump will share quarters for a few hours with a cadre of fellow world leaders reeling from his sweeping tariffs and bristling over his recent comments that “Crimea will stay with Russia.”

Continue reading at Politico

New Pentagon senior staff named after major office exodus

The Pentagon on Friday announced four new senior advisers for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following front office infighting where five officials were pushed out or left.

The new senior advisers include Col. Ricky Buria, a former junior military assistant, Patrick Weaver, a former Defense Department “special assistant,” and Justin Fulcher, a top DOGE official placed at the Pentagon.

Sean Parnell, who had been the Pentagon press secretary, has been promoted to assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs and senior adviser.

“Regular workforce adjustments are a feature of any highly efficient organization,” the Pentagon’s acting press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement announcing the new roles.

“Secretary Hegseth will continue to be proactive with personnel decisions and will work hard to ensure the Department of Defense has the right people in the right positions to execute President Trump’s agenda,” she added.

The statement belies the recent upheaval at the department, where earlier this month top staffers Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick were removed after being accused of leaking information, though the three men deny it.

Continue reading at The Hill

Economic Analysis

Economist Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Could Trump Really Break America?

It was my privilege yesterday to host Justin Wolfers on my weekly Let’s Do Lunch econ Q&A over at the Contrarian (which is the place to be on Tues at noon ET, btw). The majority of the questions, at least the ones not about Aussie politics, were some variation on the title of this post. Can Trump fire Powell? What happens if creditors just stop lending …

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 6 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Allow me to bring to your attention...

I got so many good recommendations about things to watch, read, and listen to, I decided to keep it going and talk podcasts. The bar is low in that space, which isn’t a bad thing, but time being precious, the bar should be high…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Weekly Wrap: Learning the Right Lessons from the Trade War, UI Claims, and a Necessary (Non-econ!) New Feature

I yield to no one—NO ONE—in my disdain for Trump’s trade war…

Read more

a year ago · 25 likes · 20 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Three Important Data Points: 2 Bad; 1 Good

Housing starts tumbled last month, down 11.4%, well below expectations, led by a 14.2% negative spike in single-family starts…

Read more

a year ago · 16 likes · 3 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Data_Note: Trade War Frontrunners Boost March Retail Sales

Retail sales rose a solid 1.4% last month, a big bounce back from last month’s 0.2% and a tick above expectations (1.3%). Some clues in the report suggest consumers may way have been spending freely in March in order to front-run the coming price pressures from tariffs…

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 5 comments · Jared Bernstein

Economist Dean Baker

Dean Baker

How Much Have Elon Musk and the DOGE Boys Cost Us?

Back when Elon Musk was just getting his “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” off the ground he was boasting that he would eliminate $2 trillion in annual spending that was waste. That’s almost one-third of the federal budget. Needless to say, this was not a serious target, but Elon Musk is also someone who claimed that 20 million people over th…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Tariffs

The Trump tariff story keeps getting crazier. It may seem like ancient history now, but it was just over three weeks ago that Donald Trump gave us “Liberation Day,” a set of massive tariffs on imports from almost every country in the world, including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands off the coast of Antarctica…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Chaos May Allow for New Thinking on Patent and Copyrights

Twenty years ago, I was jumping up and down yelling and screaming about the huge housing bubble and warning that its collapse would give us a bad recession. I turned out to be right. That’s not a good story. It would have been better for the country and the world if I had been wrong, but reality is what it is, and we are best off trying to recognize it…

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Growth Leaves Trump’s MAGA USA in the Dust

The International Monetary Fund just released its growth projections for 2025, as well as the next five years. It’s not a very good picture for Donald Trump’s economic plans. The I.M.F. projects the U.S. economy will grow just 1.8 percent from 2024 to 2025. It looks even worse for next year, with growth projected to slow further to 1.7 percent…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Iron Dome Technology: Elon Musk’s License to Steal Taxpayer Dollars

Donald Trump and Elom Musk are making corruption and graft the main business of the U.S. government. They have fired all the cops who might try to rein them in and attacked any of the judges, politicians, or reporters who object to them stealing everything in sight…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump Derails Manufacturing Boom on Day One

Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices on day one of his new term in office. He also promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Neither of those quite panned out. But it looks like he might accomplish something not on his list, he quickly ended the manufacturing boom he inherited from President Biden…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Economy and Silliness on Deflation

It’s hard to be an economic nerd when we have a wannabe dictator working overtime to destroy democracy in America, but it is necessary just to beat back nonsense about the problems China’s economy faces. For the second time in less than a month the New York Times had a major…

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a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Economist Mike Konczal

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

In which we dive into the labor market of 2024 and the question of whether an increase in health care jobs is evidence of or justification for a recession.

“Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's current actions represent the most harmful response possible to any underlying economic slowdown.”

Rortybomb

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's …

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

As global supply chains fray and the economy veers towards recession, the Federal Reserve faces a different spin on a recent problem — one it can’t fully fix.

Rortybomb

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

Summary…

Read more

a year ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

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Yesterday's post

Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

Dick Durbin is retiring from the Senate

The No. 2 Democratic leader won’t seek a sixth term representing Illinois.

CHICAGO — Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat and his party’s top leader on the Judiciary Committee, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek a sixth term in 2026.

“I know in my heart it’s time to pass the torch,” the veteran senator said in a social media post Wednesday.

Durbin, who is 80, confirmed what many Democrats have expected for months — that the veteran senator would step aside after three decades in office.

His departure comes at a perilous moment for the judicial system as the Trump administration repeatedly tests the limits of executive power and challenges the authority of the courts.

Illinois Democrats have already been lining up in anticipation of his announcement, hoping for a chance at the Senate seat. Reps. Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lauren Underwood, as well as Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and state Sen. Robert Peters, have all signaled an interest in the seat.

Durbin’s exit also opens up a top slot in the Senate Democratic leadership for the first time in a decade. Many in the party have eyed Durbin’s retirement as a prime opportunity to elevate a younger voice into the senior ranks.

Continue reading at Politico

Jan Schakowsky planning May 5 retirement announcement

The veteran House Democrat is facing a longshot primary challenge.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky is planning to announce next month she won’t seek reelection after 14 terms in the House and has started informing allies of her retirement decision, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations.

The veteran Illinois Democrat, 80, confirmed in a statement that an announcement is forthcoming, though she did not say what it would entail: “I’m going to announce my plans on May 5th. Stay tuned,” she said. Schakowsky’s annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch is set for that date in Chicago.

A longtime leader of the progressive bloc in Congress, Schakowsky has been on retirement watch for months. She is already facing a longshot primary challenge from influencer Kat Abughazaleh.

But the competition the deep-blue seat that includes part of Chicago and some northern suburbs is likely to be among more established Illinois Democrats. State Sen. Laura Fine and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss are widely expected to enter the race after Schakowsky makes her plans public.

Schakowsky’s decision to retire comes as Democrats face an internal reckoning over age and seniority as seasoned lawmakers face primary challengers who are arguing for generational change. On Wednesday, longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, also 80, announced his own retirement. And David Hogg recently sparked a firestorm in the party by saying he’d put millions towards primary challenges to Democrats in safe seats, though he said he wouldn’t back challenges to Schakowsky or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Continue reading at Politico

U.S. trade is already falling amid dire warnings

Merchandise trade between China and the U.S. is likely to collapse if the current tariffs on both sides remain in place.

• How much of that collapse has already started, however, is unclear.

The big picture: While some transpacific container-shipping routes have been canceled or changed to avoid U.S. ports, many ships are still headed for Long Beach, Oakland, and other U.S. destinations.

• They can still decide not to dock in the U.S. if the tariffs remain in place.

Driving the news: The U.S. and China have effectively put trade embargoes on each other, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly said on Tuesday, echoing a forecast from the World Trade Organization that merchandise trade between the two countries "could decrease by as much as 80%."

• President Trump said late Tuesday he won't play hardball with China and a deal will be made, but when and with what impact remains to be seen.

Where it stands: While activity at U.S. ports is declining, it's still broadly within a normal range.

• There are 22 vessels scheduled to enter the Port of Los Angeles this week, with 18 set to enter next week and just 12 the week after, according to the port's Signal database.

• In terms of the number of containers, the forecast for the week of May 4 comes to 62,568, down from an unusually high level of 120,608 this week.

Continue reading at Axios

China stresses ‘equality, respect’ amid Trump optimism on trade deal

China stressed on Wednesday that “equality, respect” are paramount in discussions with the United States amid President Trump’s stated optimism on reaching a new trade deal between the world’s two largest economies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the escalating trade war between Beijing and Washington will lead to “no winners” and reiterated the East Asian country will not bend the knee to Trump.

“This tariff war is launched by the U.S. We have made it very clear that China does not look for a war, but neither are we afraid of it. We will fight, if fight we must. Our doors are open, if the U.S. wants to talk,” Guo said during a Wednesday press conference.

“If a negotiated solution is truly what the U.S. wants, it should stop threatening and blackmailing China and seek dialogue based on equality, respect and mutual benefit,” he added. “To keep asking for a deal while exerting extreme pressure is not the right way to deal with China and simply will not work.”

Continue reading at The Hill

What to know about RFK Jr.'s autism registry plan

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a disease registry to track Americans with autism.

Why it matters: Advocacy groups and experts have called Kennedy's characterization of autism as a "preventable disease" unfounded and stigmatizing.

• Kennedy earlier backed a frequently debunked myth that vaccines caused an increase in autism diagnoses, and he more recently sought a link to environmental toxins.

The other side: "A lot of autistic people find that the idea of a cure, of making them not autistic anymore, is the same thing as proposing to make them a different person," Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at ASAN, told Axios' April Rubin this month.

The big picture: The National Institutes of Health is collecting private medical records from both federal and commercial databases for the purpose of studying autism NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on Monday.

• "The idea of the platform is that the existing data resources are often fragmented and difficult to obtain," Bhattacharya said in a presentation to the agency's advisers, CBS News reported.

• "The NIH itself will often pay multiple times for the same data resource. Even data resources that are within the federal government are difficult to obtain."

Continue reading at Axios

Tornado victims blocked from federal recovery aid after Trump denied request

(CNN) — Disaster survivors in Arkansas left homeless by recent tornadoes have been blocked from receiving federal recovery aid after President Donald Trump rejected the state’s request to declare a major disaster in March.

The Trump administration denied Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request for individual and public assistance following an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes that also affected neighboring Mississippi and Missouri and left more than 40 people dead.

The denial follows executive orders signed by Trump seeking to shift the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states, as extreme weather becomes increasingly destructive and costly in a warming world. It is unclear how states will fill the financial void, which for decades has been viewed as a federal responsibility given the wide-reaching, multi-state nature of disasters.

Continue reading at CNN.com

Today's news

Democratic News Corner

‘The Democratic Party in Florida is dead’: Top Florida Senate Dem leaves party

Pizzo’s announcement is just the latest blow for Florida’s beleaguered Democratic Party.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — State Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo said Thursday he is leaving the Democratic Party and that Senate Democrats will be asked to elect a new leader, yet another low moment for Florida’s downtrodden minority party.

Pizzo, considered a possible candidate for governor in 2026, said unaffiliated voters helped elect him to office. He added that the state party needed new leadership, but Democratic leaders didn’t want him to be it. The party that his late father volunteered for in the 1960s, he said, “is not the party today.”

“Here’s the issue: The Democratic Party in Florida is dead. But there are good people that can resuscitate it. But they don’t want it to be me,” he said.

Pizzo’s announcement of a switch to no party affiliation is just the latest blow for Florida’s beleaguered Democratic Party. The state currently has 1.2 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and no Democrat holds statewide elected office — a far cry from Florida’s former status as the ultimate swing state.

Two former state House representatives, Hillary Cassel and Susan Valdés, switched their party registration from Democrat to Republican in January.

Continue reading at Politico

DNC unveils new 50-state strategy: "Organize everywhere"

The Democratic National Committee on Thursday rolled out a plan to significantly ramp up its financial contributions to state parties — especially in Republican-controlled states.

Why it matters: It's a redux of the 50-state strategy that many Democrats credit with their decisive victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections.

• Former DNC chair Howard Dean, the architect of the original 50-state strategy, said on a DNC press call: "We have not been anything but a Washington, D.C.-centric party since 2008."

Driving the news: DNC chair Ken Martin, the former chair of Minnesota's Democratic party, told reporters the national party will donate a baseline of $17,500 to each state and territorial party.

Continue reading at Axios

Schatz, Klobuchar, Murray in competition to succeed Durbin

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are viewed by Senate insiders as the three lawmakers competing to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) as Senate Democratic whip, the No. 2-ranking member the Senate Democratic leadership.

Schatz, the chief deputy whip, appears to be a strong frontrunner for the job as he’s already performing some of the whip’s duties in helping to manage the floor, according to Democratic sources.

But the 52-year-old Schatz could face stiff composition from Klobuchar, 64, if she decides to aim to become the next Senate Democratic leader instead of running again for president in 2028.

He could face another formidable opponent in Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), 74, who previously held the No. 3-ranking job in the Senate Democratic caucus.

Continue reading at The Hill

State Democrats roll out endorsements in Virginia

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) rolled out a slate of new target districts in Virginia ahead of November’s House of Delegates elections.

The committee is targeting the 82nd, 22nd, 71st and 41st state House districts. Democratic candidate Jessica Anderson is seeking to unseat Anne Ferrell Tata (R) in the 82nd district, while Democrat Elizabeth Guzman is running against state Rep. Ian Lovejoy (R) in the 22nd state House district. In the 71st state House district, Democrat Jessica Anderson is seeking to unseat state Rep. Amanda Batten (R) in the 71st district, while Democrat Lily Franklin is running against incumbent Chris Obenshain (R).

The Hill was the first outlet to report on the new slate of target districts.

Continue reading at The Hill

David Jolly registers as a Democrat, making moves toward Florida governor bid

Jolly is launching a state political committee called Florida 2026, which he said will be geared at registering voters and tackling key affordability problems.

Democrats may get a second shot at running a party convert for Florida governor in their ongoing effort to claw back the state’s battleground status.

Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who has made a national name for himself as a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, took a step Thursday toward a possible run for governor of Florida in 2026 by launching a state political committee.

Jolly, 52, also switched his no-party affiliation voter registration to Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, which would make him eligible to run statewide under the party’s ticket by next year’s qualification period in June.

The ex-Republican first told POLITICO he was weighing the decision to run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in an interview last month, drawing comparisons to former Rep. Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who lost the gubernatorial race to DeSantis by 19 points in 2022.

Jolly talked about the new committee in a video he’ll be posting to social media, provided first to POLITICO, saying its goal was to “engage Florida’s voters, promote voter registration” and talk about issues like affordability, property insurance costs, “reinvesting in public education” and “fixing our broken voucher system.”

Continue reading at Politico

DNC gives David Hogg an ultimatum

DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to require DNC officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries.

The Democratic National Committee is going to force David Hogg to decide: Get out of the primary game or lose his DNC post.

During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party’s rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.

The proposal, if passed at the DNC’s August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to decide whether to step away from his DNC vice chair position or wall himself off from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which has pledged to spend $20 million on challenging Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.

It’s an escalation in the fight between Hogg and other DNC leaders and House Democrats, many of whom were enraged by Hogg’s announcement. Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun safety activist after he survived a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said last week that he planned to back candidates who would challenge “ineffective” safe-seat Democrats. But House members and Democratic leaders vented that he was touching off a “circular firing squad” inside the party.

Hogg said in an interview last week that he would “fight to remain in this position,” though he told at least two Democrats that he’s willing to lose his vice chair position through this process.

Continue reading at Politico

Dem group plans $12 million investment in rural areas, with an eye toward 2028

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country.

A Democratic candidate recruitment group is pledging to pour $12 million into rural organizing in an effort to make inroads in red America and to lay groundwork for 2028, the organization shared first with Morning Score.

The investment by Contest Every Race in rural areas marks an expansion of the group’s grants program, which gave $1.2 million to local parties in 2024 but has seen a surge in donor interest in the second Trump administration. The group’s grant program, which has given to local parties in 29 states since 2021, is now expanding nationwide in what it casts as the “largest long-term, volunteer-powered organizing initiative aligned with the Democratic Party.”

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country, a problem compounded by Donald Trump’s appeal to working class voters and Democratic messaging some in the party have argued is out of touch. The program — in which local parties typically receive at least $600 a quarter from Contest Every Race — involves tiny sums of money. But it also provides monthly trainings and free texting services, which can go a long way for small, mostly-volunteer parties in rural areas.

The group has applications for money from 1,200 local parties across all 50 states — nearly three times the number of local parties the group worked with in the run up to 2024. It said it will work in as many as possible, though battleground states will be prioritized.

“Democrats’ recent wins in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin didn’t happen by accident — they’re the result of relentless, year-round local organizing in places national Democrats too often ignore,” said Zoe Stein, Executive Director of Contest Every Race, in a statement.

Continue reading at Politico

House Democrat criticizes party’s focus on Abrego Garcia: ‘I don’t know if that’s the right issue’

In an interview Wednesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert,” Cuellar acknowledged the “due process questions” in Abrego Garcia’s case but said there were more pressing issues that constituents want Democrats to focus on.

Cuellar also recognized that some Democrats have been talking more about border security, but he suggested it struck him as inconsistent for Democrats to be then pushing for Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States.

“We’ve been talking about strong border security for so many years, and now, you know, there are Democrats who are talking about the border,” Cuellar said.

“But, with all due respect,” he continued, “when you’re talking about bringing somebody — and I know there were due process questions — that was in Maryland, and now El Salvador. I don’t know if that’s the right issue that Democrats should be focusing on right now.”

Continue reading at The Hill

DNC chair to David Hogg: No meddling in primaries as a party official

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said Thursday he has instructed David Hogg that he can't serve as a DNC vice chair while also attempting to oust Democratic lawmakers.

Why it matters: It's the strongest statement yet by the top Democratic Party official about an anti-incumbency effort that has infuriated congressional Democrats.

• "Let me be unequivocal, no DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election," Martin said in a press call Thursday.

• Martin said he has "great respect" for Hogg, but "as I've said to him: If you want to challenge incumbents, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC."

State of play: Martin's comments came amid reports he plans to propose expanding the DNC's neutrality policy during a DNC member call later on Thursday.

• The policy currently restricts DNC officials from getting involved in presidential primaries, but Martin wants to apply it to all primary elections.

• "We discussed the importance of officer neutrality last month at our officer retreat, and ... I asked all of our officers to sign and abide by a neutrality pledge, which almost every officer did," Martin said.

The other side: Hogg told Semafor that he will not give up either his DNC role or the leadership of his PAC, Leaders We Deserve.

Continue reading at Axios

DNC chair swipes at David Hogg: ‘You have to make a decision.’

Ken Martin is doubling down on a proposal to require DNC officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries.

In a swipe at David Hogg, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Thursday that party officers “can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time.”

“You have to make a decision,” he told reporters.

Martin’s remarks came as he held fast to a stronger neutrality pledge for party officers, a proposal he’s expected to call for during a DNC member call Thursday afternoon. Hogg ignited a firestorm in the party when he pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries.

The neutrality pledge, if passed by DNC members at their August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to choose between remaining a party vice chair or stepping back from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which announced last week that it would spend $20 million on backing primary challengers to “ineffective” safe-seat Democratic members.

“As I’ve said to [Hogg], if you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters,” Martin said on a media call. “This is not about shielding incumbents or boosting challengers. It’s about voters’ trust in the party.”

Continue reading at Politico

Schumer lends Jeffries a hand in bid to oust N.Y. GOPers

Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is battering and bashing New York Republicans in their own backyards to help Hakeem Jeffries become speaker.

Why it matters: Schumer is making peace with his House Democratic counterpart by waging a shared war against Republicans.

• Schumer's two-week New York offensive is another sign the two Democratic leaders are working to patch up a relationship that publicly frayed this year.

• In numerous Republican-held swing districts, Schumer zeroed in on the GOP's budget reconciliation plans, focusing most intensely on proposed cuts to Medicaid.

Driving the news: Schumer visited a hospital in a district represented by Rep. Mike Lawler, a nursing home in Rep. Nick Langworthy's district and a Veterans Affairs field office in a county represented by Rep. Claudia Tenney.

• The tour is part of Democrats' strategy to bring the fight directly to Republicans' doorsteps ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Continue reading at Axios

National Security

Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.

The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth’s use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defense information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.

Known as a “dirty” internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.

Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there’s a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked.

But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defense Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with military network security.

Continue reading at the AP

Economics

Will Trump’s trade war usher in the end of dollar dominance?

A flight from U.S. financial assets prompted by President Trump’s trade war is subsiding as the White House appears increasingly keen to strike a new trade deal with top U.S. trading partner China.

But the damage to the U.S. dollar in its capacity as the world’s major reserve currency may already be done, which could end up boosting the administration’s plan to boost domestic manufacturing production, bolster U.S. industry, and alter global trade flows.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed Wednesday the “strong dollar policy” that puts the U.S. currency at the center of global finance and has been a pillar of U.S. economic policy planning since the 1970s.

But he also said that it was “natural” for the use of the dollar in that capacity to come down over time.

Continue reading at The Hill

Hassett on Trump tariffs: ‘Very optimistic about China’ and ‘especially optimistic’ about ‘everybody else’

National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett said on Wednesday that he was “very optimistic” about the potential for a trade deal with China, echoing President Trump’s tone shift in recent days.

In an interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Brian Kilmeade asked how close the U.S. is “to even starting to talk to China again,” remarking on the more positive tone from the president in the last two days.

“The president will announce when talks happen — if they happen,” Hassett responded, noting that whatever happens with China, “the president will decide, and he’ll announce it to the world first.”

But the White House is optimistic, Hassett said.

“It’s clear that the president and our team are open to talks. The Chinese have signaled that they’re open to talks,” Hassett said. “In addition, the president has mentioned that American government officials and Chinese government officials are talking every day about many things, and often current events come up.”

“But we’re very optimistic about China, and especially optimistic about just about everybody else,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Hassett on whether Trump is worried about empty shelves: ‘Absolutely not’

National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett dismissed the notion that President Trump is worried about empty shelves in supermarkets and households due to the ongoing tariff war and claimed the U.S. is actively engaged in trade negotiations with scores of countries around the world.

“No, absolutely not,” Hassett said Wednesday night in an interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle,” when asked if the president has concerns over empty shelves in homes as a result of his tariff agenda.

“We have got virtually every country on earth negotiating with us right now,” Hassett told guest host Brian Kilmeade. “We have got the Chinese open to talks already. The president has moved the world in a way that is unprecedented and it’s in the direction of the American worker.”

Hassett added that he is “very optimistic” about a potential trade agreement with China — one of the U.S.’s biggest trading partners — claiming that officials on both ends have been in active talks on a variety of topics.

Continue reading at The Hill

China says no tariff negotiations underway, contradicting Trump

China claimed that it is not actively engaged in the negotiating process over tariffs with the U.S., contradicting President Trump, who expressed confidence that he can strike a new trade deal with Beijing.

Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said Thursday that any “claims about the progress of China-U.S. trade negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis.”

“China’s position is consistent, and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,” He told reporters during a press briefing.

Trump acknowledged that the additional 125 percent tariff he slapped on China earlier this month — paired with the existing 20 percent — was “very high” while signaling that he could forge a fresh trade agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now and could be with China, but maybe we’ll make a special — you know, a deal — and we will see what it will be. Right now, it’s at 145 percent, that’s very high,” he said Wednesday.

Continue reading at The Hill

‘Fighting crime blindfolded’: Europe is coming after encryption

Police have long wanted to read encrypted messages. They now have the backing of the EU’s top brass.

Youth gangs have wreaked havoc in Sweden and Denmark for months, with violence ranging from murders to explosions.

For Peter Hummelgaard, Denmark’s justice minister, it's not just guns and bombs that are causing mayhem. It's also the criminals' smartphones.

“We've seen a new trend of crime-as-a-service, where organized criminals use digital platforms to hire children and young people from Sweden to commit serious crimes in Denmark — murders, attempted murders, explosions,” Hummelgaard told POLITICO in an interview last month.

Technology has made it “far easier for criminals to reach a larger audience and also coordinate actions in real time,” the justice minister said, singling out crimes like spreading child pornography, money laundering, illicit drug smuggling — "or, as we've seen examples in Denmark and Sweden, recruitment of minors into a life of crime."

The smartphones and applications used by criminals to recruit, organize and carry out crime sprees are increasingly the target of European law enforcement and politicians alike. So-called end-to-end encrypted technology — a pillar of privacy-friendly and cybersecure digital communication — is seen as a foe by police and investigative authorities.

The technology is now coming under heavy fire across Europe.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Hounded by Wall Street, Trump tempers his populist rhetoric

The president has heard from all corners and appears to be listening. At least a little.

Donald Trump has described his trade war as a bold effort to prioritize Main Street concerns, the fulfilment of a promise to an American working class hurt by decades of globalization.

But Wall Street has his ear.

The president softened his hostile rhetoric toward China and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell this week following Monday’s market sell-off and pressure from some of the nation’s most important business interests.

The Chamber of Commerce has been warning the White House that the new trade levies will hammer small businesses that are less capable of reorienting their supply chains or front-loading their inventories, the Chamber’s executive vice president Neil Bradley said.

The CEOs of some of the nation’s largest retailers — Walmart, Target and Home Depot — also met with Trump at the White House this week, a White House official confirmed. Their concerns about supply chains echoed private pleas from some wealthy donors who have reached out to senior aides and, in some cases, to Trump directly, according to three people clo se to the administration.

Trump’s latest comments indicate that some of these arguments have been heard. And they’re another indication that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Cabinet member with the most credibility on Wall Street, has solidified his central role after helping persuade Trump to dial back his broader tariff regime two weeks ago.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump-honored economist says tariffs causing scariest period in his lifetime

Art Laffer, a conservative economist once praised by President Trump as brilliant and bold, blamed White House trade policy for the "most scary, in-flux" economic moment of his life.

Why it matters: Laffer, widely regarded as the father of supply-side economics, warned that tariffs and trade barriers could wreak havoc on America's economy.

What they're saying: "I don't know how anyone looking at the facts could argue that protectionism doesn't create downturns," Laffer told Axios in an interview on Wednesday, a few blocks from the White House.

• "The more protectionism there is, the greater the downturn. Reducing tariffs and protectionism causes a boom in the economy," he added.

Between the lines: Laffer is optimistic that Trump — who he called "a great negotiator" and the "single best president of his lifetime" — will notch trade deals and reduce tariffs.

• But the former Reagan-era economist is worried about the economic damage in the interim.

• "You will find out with whether I'm right to be scared or right to be hopeful probably in 90 days — there's not a lot of time," Laffer said, referring to the freeze on reciprocal tariffs until early July.

• "Once you screw around with supply chains, production facilities, all of that, it's very hard to reverse that," he said. "What you got here is something that is very time sensitive."

State of play: The White House in recent days has softened its tone on trade as financial markets stumbled — notably with China, which faces a tariff of 145% on U.S.-bound goods, the steepest rate of any trading partner.

• But Trump hinted on Wednesday that the U.S. might bring that rate down, even if China keeps its retaliatory rate on U.S. goods in place.

Continue reading at Axios

The world reckons with a risky dollar

The dollar smile — the longstanding dynamic where the dollar would rally in good times and bad — has been turned upside down.

Why it matters: The U.S. is no longer a safe haven. In fact, it's the country from which risk capital is now fleeing in times of turmoil.

The big picture: Ever since the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009, market strategists have tended to look at various different assets through an "RO/RO" lens.

• Times of bullish greed are viewed as "risk on," which means buying equities and credit. Times of bearish fear are seen as "risk off," which means buying Treasuries and the dollar (which, in practice, generally means buying very short-term Treasury bills).

• This time around, however, "risk off" days have seen sharp declines in Treasuries and the dollar, with those assets rising only on days when the stock market goes up. In other words, the dollar is now acting as a risk asset, rather than playing its normal role of safe haven.

Between the lines: "Abrupt and unilateral policy changes have shaken global confidence in American economic and security leadership, and US assets are paying the price," former U.S. Mint director Philip Diehl tells Axios, adding that fearful investors want to "sell the USA."

• Diehl, who is now president of the U.S. Money Reserve, a precious metals company, sees a "rush to gold for protection."

• That seems to be borne out in the price action for gold, which touched an all-time high just over $3,500 on Monday, up more than 25% this year.

Continue reading at Axios

Democrats call on Social Security Administration to keep field offices open

A large group of Democrats on Wednesday called on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to keep field offices open.

“We write with concern in response to public reporting indicating you plan to close many field offices this year amidst the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s attack on the Social Security Administration (SSA),” the group said in its letter addressed to acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek.

“Field offices provide vital services to Social Security recipients, and beneficiaries need the opportunity to seek assistance from SSA in person. Each day, approximately 170,000 people visit an SSA field office for assistance. Closing any of these field offices will make it harder for individuals to access their benefits,” the group added.

The dozens of Democrats who signed the letter included Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Peter Welch (Vt.) and Reps. Delia Ramirez (Ill.), Jennifer McClellan (Va.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.)

The Associated Press previously reported that, according to data from the General Services Administration, there were 47 SSA offices marked for closure, with 26 marked for expected closure later in 2025.

Continue reading at The Hill

Home sales fall to lowest level since the financial crisis

The slump is especially noteworthy because sales typically pick up in March as the spring buying season gets underway.

The housing market had its worst March since the global financial crisis, weighed down by high borrowing costs and falling consumer confidence in the economy.

Home sales fell to their lowest annual level for March since 2009, dashing hopes for a rebound this year. Sales of previously owned homes plunged 5.9 percent from February to an annualized rate of 4 million units, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.

The slump is especially noteworthy because sales typically pick up in March as the spring buying season gets underway. It comes amid dizzying financial market volatility and falling consumer confidence sparked by concerns about the broader economy as President Donald Trump pursues an aggressive tariff agenda against all U.S. trading partners.

“I had anticipated that with more inventory we’d see more transactions, but the data make it clear that mortgage rates and affordability challenges are holding back buyers,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

Home sales have been sluggish in recent years thanks to a combination of high prices — home values soared over the course of the pandemic — and elevated mortgage rates.

Continue reading at Politico

Major CA Burger Chain Plans Closure Of Up To 200 Locations

Facing financial pressure, California-based Jack in the Box is planning major changes to how it does business.

CALIFORNIA — Jack in the Box plans to close as many as 200 of its locations as part of a plan to approve the company's financial outlook, executives announced this week.

As part of the plan, the company expects to close between 80 and 120 locations by the end of the year. It will then close additional restaurants starting next year, shuttering a total of 150 to 200 locations the company described as "underperforming."

The San Diego-based Jack in the Box has some 2,200 restaurants in 22 states, including 942 locations in California — the most of any state.

The company hasn't yet revealed which locations are set to close as part of the plan.

Jack in the Box also owns Del Taco. As part of the company's overall financial plan, executives said they're "exploring strategic alternatives" for Del Taco, which could involve selling the brand.

In the most recent quarter, same-store sales at Jack in the Box were down 4.4% and down 3.6% at Del Taco, according to the company, which posted an adjusted second-quarter earnings of between $66 and $68 million.

Continue reading at Patch.com

China seeks to leave Trump twisting in the wind

China has left President Trump twisting in the wind on tariffs, declaring it is not engaged in any negotiation with the U.S. as the tariffs take a political and economic toll on Washington.

Trump and the White House insist the U.S. and China are making progress toward a deal, but they’ve provided no concrete proof. Chinese officials have shot down those claims and chastised the Trump administration’s approach.

While markets were up on Thursday, the trade war has done economic damage to the U.S. and political damage to Trump.

The S&P is down 10 percent from when Trump was inaugurated, while fears of a U.S. recession have grown. Fears about the power of the dollar have also been on the rise.

Trump’s approval ratings have fallen since the trade war began.

Continue reading at The Hill

Health and Science News

Key FDA drug data goes missing amid DOGE cuts

Food and Drug Administration databases that physicians and public health experts rely on for key drug safety and manufacturing information have been neglected due to DOGE-directed layoffs, leaving health professionals flying blind on basic questions about certain drugs they're prescribing, current and former FDA officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: Information gaps that have become a hallmark of the workforce reductions and the sweeping reorganization of federal health agencies under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are putting patient safety at risk, according to agency employees.

• "It's really a nightmare," said a current FDA official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. "Things that used to function are no longer functioning."

The big picture: The FDA not only reviews drugs for safety and efficacy but acts as a nerve center churning out information in real time when there are adverse events, quality problems or drug shortages.

• But in several recent instances, current and former officials said, databases didn't get updated promptly or were missing key information because there were no employees to maintain them.

• Such omissions have been unprecedented in recent times and create clear safety and quality issues, experts say.

• The FDA has previously referred all questions to Health and Human Services, which didn't response to requests for comment.

Zoom in: The FDA's drug database, which is updated when new drugs are approved, get labeling changes or are pulled from the market, has a growing amount of missing information, an FDA official who was laid off told Axios.

Continue reading at Axios

Driving with COVID linked to higher crash risk

Driving with a case of COVID raised the odds of having a car crash about as much as being at the legal threshold of DUI or running a red light, according to an analysis of pandemic-era public health and transportation records from seven states.

Why it matters: Even mild COVID infections can cause "brain fog" and other impairment, affecting a person's ability to concentrate, reason and solve problems.

• That's cause for warning people with COVID-19 that they should minimize driving, and even having states screen for long COVID at the time of license renewal, author Baran Erdik, a physician and professor at American Vision University, wrote in PLOS Global Public Health.

What they found: Driving while infected with COVID, as measured by a PCR lab test, brought a 25% increase in crash risk.

• That is comparable to the rates associated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% — or the legal threshold for driving under the influence in many states.

• It's also consistent with odds linked to habitual speeding or running red lights.

• Being vaccinated didn't appear to deliver added protection against crashes. Some earlier studies that have linked vaccine hesitancy with a higher risk of accidents.

Between the lines: The increase in crash risk was driven by recent infections and not connected to long COVID rates.

Continue reading at Axios

Pope Francis, the isolated climate moralist

In the weeks before his death, Francis repeated a decade-old plea for a break from both Trumpian greed and the left’s economic rationalism.

Nearly 10 years ago, Pope Francis released a brutal diagnosis of climate change: It was a profound failure of human morality.

Read today, in the week of his death, the pamphlet feels both more distant and more urgent than ever. Its message of unity and healing with nature is worlds away from today’s discourse of clashing greed, national competition and climate-trashing populism in places like the U.S. and his homeland of Argentina.

Francis’ intent was revolutionary. “There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself,” he wrote in Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You).

But such a clear moral position is rarely heard today from climate leaders and champions — many of whom praised Francis this week as a patron saint of their cause.

The pope’s words arrived at a high point for climate morality. The Paris Agreement, which came six months after the encyclical, emerged from countries partially setting aside national interests in deference to a common good. Several years later, Greta Thunberg’s outrage that future generations would pay for the costs of fossil fuels cut through — for a while.

Now, Donald Trump’s administration is waging an all-out assault on climate work and a more Hobbesian, everyone-for-themselves mentality is taking hold worldwide. Those still waving the climate flag have largely restricted themselves to a rational, self-interested argument: Fighting climate change means economic growth.

Francis, who took his pope name from the nature-loving Saint Francis of Assisi, could barely contain his scorn for what he saw as the smallness of this approach.

He said that a narrow cult of technocracy and progress had come to dominate the landscape of human thought. The negative side effects — including the breakdown of the natural systems that sustain human society — were ignored because people had become blind to their links to the planet and its other lifeforms.

Continue reading at Politico

Polling- Surveys

AAPI communities brace for increased hostility, economic challenges under Trump: Survey

A majority of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults believe racial and economic challenges for their communities will increase under the second Trump Administration, according to a survey released Thursday.

Stop AAPI Hate’s latest report, Dissent and Dread: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Respond to Trump 2.0, found that 62 percent of AAPI adults believe hostility toward immigrants will increase under President Trump, while 53 percent believe anti-AAPI hate crimes will increase.

The concerns follow a rise in anti-AAPI hate online, which surged following Trump’s election in November. Several respondents reported being told they should be deported and to get out of the country, with several referencing the new administration.

In one scenario, a Chinese woman born in America and living in Washington said someone called her a “Chinese peasant,” echoing the words of Vice President Vance.

“She said I shouldn’t be in this country and need to go back to my country. I told her that I was born here and I’m not a peasant and she needs to be more respectful. She kept yelling at me about how I need to be a peasant in my own country,” the woman said.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trouble signs emerge for Trump in DDHQ/The Hill polling average

President Trump has seen his favorability ratings start to take a hit in the first three months of his presidency amid growing criticism of his handling of the economy and various controversies, according to the initial polling averages from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill.

The averages show that Trump is currently underwater after starting his term in January with a net positive approval rating. DDHQ/The Hill’s average had his approval rating above 50 percent for the first days of his presidency. By late April, his average approval rating had fallen under 45 percent.

The averages suggest Trump could fall deeper underwater as he reaches the 100-day mark next week.

“The Democrats should be cautiously optimistic,” said Scott Tranter, the director of data science for DDHQ. “They’re having a very good batting practice, but we haven’t reached the first inning of the game yet.

“The Republicans, they’re not having the greatest start,” he added. “It’s not as bad as the first quarter was, in terms of this favorability, approval rating from the first term. So he’s doing better than the first term. And there’s quite a bit to play out in over the next 18 months.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Voters warn Trump: MAGA, but not like this

In less than 100 days, President Trump has squandered his polling strength on the two issues most fundamental to his re-election: the economy and immigration.

Why it matters: Trump's approval rating is cratering not because voters reject his goals — but because they're increasingly alarmed by his methods. That disconnect threatens to collapse the two most durable pillars of his political brand.

1. On the economy, the single most decisive issue of the 2024 election, Trump's polling has never been worse.

• A Reuters/Ipsos poll out Wednesday found 37% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy — his lowest rating ever, going back to the start of his first presidency.

• A Pew Research Center survey found Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 40%, while confidence in his economic leadership has dropped to 45% — the lowest since tracking began in 2019.

• New Gallup polling out this week showed that a majority of Americans, for the first time since at least 2001, believe their economic situation is worsening.

2. On immigration, Trump is in a relatively stronger position — but cracks are starting to emerge.

• Despite a sealed-off border and a wave of high-profile deportations, Trump is now barely above water on his best issue, according to an average of polls by data journalist G. Elliott Morris.

Continue reading at Axios

Gen Z increasingly listens to peers over doctors for health advice

Share who say they have disregarded a provider's medical advice in favor of other sources

Young adults around the world are increasingly taking health decisions into their own hands, according to new global survey results from communications firm Edelman.

Why it matters: Adults under age 35, many who've come of age since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still rely on their individual providers to help with medical choices. But they're also seeking information on their own more than ever.

• "Younger adults have truly created their own health ecosystem with how they're looking for information, who they trust, what they're doing with health information," said Courtney Gray Haupt, global chief operating officer and U.S. health sector chair at Edelman.

What they found: In all age groups, but especially among adults younger than age 35, peer-driven health care decisions surged between 2024 and 2025.

• 45% of adults age 18 to 34 said they've disregarded their health provider's guidance in favor of information from a friend or family member in the past year — a 13-point increase from the previous year.

• 38% of young adults said they've ignored their provider in favor of advice from social media, a 12-point increase from the year before.

• Edelman surveyed more than 16,000 people across 16 countries in March.

Zoom in: Credentials and institutional credence are becoming less important to health care consumers — especially younger ones.

Continue reading at Axios

Most expect higher prices from Trump tariffs: Survey

Most Americans expect higher prices due to President Trump’s tariff policies, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Research Center.

In the survey, 76 percent of respondents said Trump’s tariff policies are going to raise the price of consumer goods in the U.S. either “a lot” or “somewhat.” Meanwhile, 12 percent said they believe the tariff policies are not going to change the price of consumer goods, while 11 percent said they are going to drop prices “somewhat” or “a lot.”

On Wednesday, Trump looked to cool a trade war with China, calling the tariff rate he put on the country “very high” and suggesting it would be lowered as part of a deal with Beijing.

“We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now and could be with China, but maybe we’ll make a special — you know, a deal — and we will see what it will be. Right now, it’s at 145 percent, that’s very high,” Trump said Wednesday.

Continue reading at The Hill

Corporate leaders don't want to hire or invest

Actual business activity — sales, employment, and so on — is holding up just fine for now. But a profound worry about the future has settled in among America's corporate leaders, making them reluctant to invest or hire.

The big picture: That picture of corporate paralysis comes through in the latest Beige Book, in which Fed officials try to discern what's happening beneath the surface of the U.S. economy by calling up businesspeople and asking them.

• It points to a risk that, even if March and April data suggest economic stability — and it has so far — corporate behavior is shifting in ways creating high odds of a downturn later in the year.

• At turning points in the economy, anecdotal compilations like the Fed's eight-times-a-year Beige Book can be good guides to how things are changing in ways that haven't yet shown up in the data.

State of play: The report's top-line summaries of current conditions sound perfectly fine. "Economic activity was little changed since the previous report," it says. "Employment was little changed to up slightly" in most of the country.

Continue reading at Axios

The Courts / Legal

Judge orders Trump administration to facilitate return of second deported man

A federal judge in Maryland ordered the return of a second man deported by the Trump administration to a Salvadoran prison, saying his removal violated a court settlement she approved in 2019.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, an appointee of President Trump, ordered the return of a Venezuelan man referred to in court documents only as Cristian, while blocking the administration from removing anyone else protected by the settlement.

Gallagher said that 20-year-old Cristian was among those who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor, protected from removal while they were permitted to seek asylum.

“Defendants are hereby ORDERED to facilitate Class Member Cristian’s return to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits,” she wrote in the Wednesday order.

The decision comes after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man and Salvadoran national who had also been protected from deportation to El Salvador.

Continue reading at The Hill

Judge blocks portions of Trump executive order that seeks to overhaul U.S. elections

Washington — A federal judge on Thursday agreed to block portions of President Trump's executive order that seeks to overhaul U.S. elections, including a provision that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly agreed to partially grant a preliminary injunction sought by three different groups of plaintiffs, including voting rights groups and the Democratic Party, finding that they are likely to prevail in their challenge.

The judge blocked the Trump administration from implementing two provisions of the executive order signed by the president last month: the first orders the Election Assistance Commission, a federal independent regulatory commission, to add a "documentary proof of U.S. citizenship" requirement to the standardized national voter registration form; and the second ordered federal voter registration agencies to "assess" citizenship before providing a federal voter registration form to people who receive public assistance.

Continue reading at CBS News

Judge finds Trump’s ‘sanctuary city’ order likely unconstitutional

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that President Trump’s executive order that seeks to crack down on “sanctuary cities” is likely unconstitutional, blocking the administration from enforcing it against 16 cities and counties that sued.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick said Trump’s order mirrors one he issued during his first term, which Orrick at the time had similarly invalidated.

“Here we are again,” wrote Orrick, an appointee of former President Obama who serves in San Francisco.

The judge’s order blocks the administration from enforcing Trump’s order against various jurisdictions in California that are suing: Monterey County and the cities of Emeryville, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz.

It also extends to King County, Wash.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New Haven, Conn.; Portland, Ore.; St. Paul, Minn.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Seattle.

Signed on his first day in office as part of a broader executive order, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure that “sanctuary” jurisdictions “do not receive access to federal funds.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Department of Education policy targeting DEI and other race-related school programs is likely unconstitutional, judge rules

(CNN) — A federal judge significantly curtailed the Trump administration from implementing a policy that threatens to withhold federal funding from schools for engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – programs or if they incorporate race in certain ways in many other aspects of student life.

US District Judge Landya McCafferty said in a scathing opinion that the administration’s policy, laid out by the Department of Education in a letter to educators earlier this year, was “textbook viewpoint discrimination,” likely violating the First Amendment’s Free Speech protections.

She also concluded that the National Education Association, the administration’s opponent in the case, was likely to succeed in its arguments that the policy was unconstitutionally vague and that the agency ran afoul of procedural steps required by law in how it implemented the policy.

Continue reading at CNN.com

Military deportations not covered by order halting DHS removals, admin claims

The Trump administration argued Wednesday that it did not violate a federal judge's restraining order detailing required due process for certain deportations to third-party countries because of a technicality.

Why it matters: Attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it had complied with Judge Brian E. Murphy's order because the Department of Defense (DOD), rather than DHS, carried out the deportations in question.

Catch up quick: Plaintiffs in the case had challenged the Trump admin's practice of deporting people to a country other than their own without giving them notice or a chance to contest their removal.

• Murphy had previously told the Trump admin that people with final removal orders must have an opportunity to argue that deportation to a country other than their own could jeopardize their safety.

• The Trump administration went ahead with several such deportations anyway.

Driving the news: An attorney representing DHS argued in a Wednesday court filing that because the DOD is not a defendant in the case, the deportations it had carried out did not constitute a violation of Murphy's order.

Continue reading at Axios

GOP Rep. Lucas exploring legislation to safeguard Fed’s independence

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said he’s exploring legislation that would ensure the Federal Reserve remains independent of political influence amid the Trump administration’s threat to fire Chair Jerome Powell.

“An independent Fed is a very important institution and that debate I personally believe was settled in 1913,” Lucas said in talks with Semafor during the World Economy Summit.

Lucas, who chairs the House Financial Services Task Force on Monetary Policy, Treasury Market Resilience and Economic Prosperity, said he hopes to win bipartisan support for the task force’s legislative proposals.

“It’s not a government-owned bank. It’s owned by the banks. And, yes, the president nominates with Senate confirmation the governor and the board of directors. But they are independent,” the lawmaker said in an interview with Reuters.

Continue reading at The Hill

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

Reporting Highlights

• Emails Revealed: Court records show emails between Ed Martin and an ally urging online criticism of a judge handling a case he was involved in, which experts say is an ethical violation.

• Legal Payouts: Martin’s actions have led to more than $600,000 in legal settlements or judgments against Martin or his employers, much of that not previously reported.

• Politicized Prosecutions: Martin has reshaped the office to reflect Trump’s priorities, firing or demoting prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and targeting Trump’s critics with legal threats.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

The attacks on Judge John Barberis in the fall of 2016 appeared on his personal Facebook page. They impugned his ethics, criticized a recent ruling and branded him as a “politician” with the “LOWEST rating for a judge in Illinois.”

Barberis, a state court judge in an Illinois county across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, was presiding over a nasty legal battle for control over the Eagle Forum, the vaunted grassroots group founded by Phyllis Schlafly, matriarch of the anti-feminist movement. The case pitted Schlafly’s youngest daughter against three of her sons, almost like a Midwest version of the HBO program “Succession” (without the obscenities).

At the heart of the dispute — and the lead defendant in the case — was Ed Martin, a lawyer by training and a political operative by trade. In Missouri, where he was based, Martin was widely known as an irrepressible gadfly who trafficked in incendiary claims and trailed controversy wherever he went. Today, he’s the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., and one of the most prominent members of the Trump Justice Department.

In early 2015, Schlafly had selected Martin to succeed her as head of the Eagle Forum, a crowning moment in Martin’s career. Yet after just a year in charge, the group’s board fired Martin. Schlafly’s youngest daughter, Anne Schlafly Cori, and a majority of the Eagle Forum board filed a lawsuit to bar Martin from any association with the organization.

After Barberis dealt Martin a major setback in the case in October 2016, the attacks began. The Facebook user who posted them, Priscilla Gray, had worked in several roles for Schlafly but was not a party to the case, and her comments read like those of an aggrieved outsider.

Almost two years later, the truth emerged as Cori’s lawyers gathered evidence for her lawsuit: Behind the posts about the judge was none other than Martin.

ProPublica obtained previously unreported documents filed in the case that show Martin had bought a laptop for Gray and that she subsequently offered to “happily write something to attack this judge.” And when she did, Martin ghostwrote more posts for her to use and coached her on how to make her comments look more “organic.”

Continue reading at ProPublica

DOJ charges alleged high-ranking Tren de Aragua gang member with terrorism charges

The DOJ said the five-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday against Jose Enrique Martinez Florez, also known as “Chuqui.” He is 24 and has been charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as conspiracy and distribution in Columbia with intent for the U.S.

“According to information presented to the court, Flores is a high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota, Colombia and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership,” the DOJ said in its release. “Flores also allegedly caused the delivery of approximately five kilograms or more of cocaine for international distribution, proceeds that were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.”

The charges stem from a larger push from the Trump administration to crack down on the Venezuelan gang, commonly called TdA.

“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump admin must seek return of another man who was improperly deported to El Salvador, judge rules

A Trump-appointed judge ruled that the administration deported a 20-year-old Venezuelan man last month in violation of a legally binding, court-approved settlement agreement.

The Trump administration must seek to return a second man who was improperly deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in violation of a previous court order, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Maryland-based Trump appointee, ruled that the administration deported a 20-year-old Venezuelan man last month in violation of a legally binding, court-approved settlement agreement reached in a lawsuit last year. Under that settlement, the U.S. agreed not to deport migrants who arrived as unaccompanied minors until their asylum claims are fully adjudicated.

The man, identified in court papers only as “Cristian,” arrived in the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor and sought asylum in December 2022. That claim was still pending when he was deported last month.

The newly revealed improper deportation, which was first reported by ABC News, resembles the high-profile case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland before being deported to El Salvador despite a 2019 immigration court order that barred the U.S. government from sending him there.

Continue reading at Politico

Anti-DEI-Whitewashing

Trump admin ‘cautiously encouraged’ by Yale actions on combating antisemitism

The Trump administration said it is “cautiously encouraged” by Yale University’s actions to combat antisemitism on campus amid the administration’s crackdown on Ivy League universities.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, the administration has noticed the university has taken actions against a new “antisemitic encampment” on campus and “outrageous examples of harassment and bigotry” in the city.

“With respect to on-campus events, Yale University appears to have enforced its time, place, and manner policies, cleared the area, de-registered a student organization involved in the incident, and started an investigation into individual discipline for students who crossed the line from speech into unlawful conduct,” the task force said in a statement.

“We are cautiously encouraged by Yale’s actions and will be keeping an eye on the situation and aftermath.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump moves to repeal disparate impact liability, a key civil rights tenet

President Trump has taken steps to nullify a key component to the Civil Rights Act as he works to remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the federal government.

One of the executive orders issued Wednesday, dubbed Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy, would dismantle disparate impact liability — a legal theory codified in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that holds agencies accountable for practices that have an outsized discriminatory effect on protected groups, even when there is no intent to discriminate.

The theory allows a plaintiff to sue without fulfilling the burden of demonstrating intentional bias by pointing to practices that disproportionately affect protected groups. Some of these practices include educational requirements, criminal history policies and even physical fitness.

But conservatives have long argued the disparate impact clause punishes employers, an argument Trump’s latest action echoes.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump: Harvard a ‘threat to democracy’

“Harvard is an Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart,” the president posted.

“The place is a Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE. It is truly horrific! Now, since our filings began, they act like they are all ‘American Apple Pie,’” he added.

The post alludes to the Ivy League school’s ongoing legal battle against the administration. Trump said the school has hired an attorney who also works for the Trump Organization.

Continue reading at The Hill

Pastor calls for ‘full Target boycott’ over DEI rollback

A Georgia pastor is calling for a “full Target boycott” over the company’s decision to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

The Rev. Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Ga., said his goal is to convince the corporation to reinstate policies geared toward advancing racial equity, including supporting career development for Black employees and bolstering the use of Black-owned brands and businesses.

Target was one of the first companies to expand DEI initiatives in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis, where the business is headquartered. The company set an objective to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025, which it fell short of achieving.

“They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant said during a town hall in the church’s sanctuary, according to The Washington Informer.

“Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.”

Continue reading at The Hill

NAACP chief disinvited from Texas event over Trump administration lawsuit

The State Bar of Texas has rescinded an invitation to NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson in light of a lawsuit brought against the Trump administration by the civil rights organization.

Johnson was set to speak at the bar’s annual meeting in San Antonio on Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last of the enslaved learned they were free.

The bar rescinded Johnson’s invitation after it learned about the NAACP’s challenge to an executive order the president issued that month that seeks to dismantle the Department of Education, according to a statement from the group.

Trey Apffel, the state bar’s executive director, said in a statement to The Hill that the lawsuit violates regulations under the judicial branch of state government that limit political speech.

“The State Bar is under the oversight of the Supreme Court of Texas, which has directed that the State Bar must avoid even the appearance of politics in everything it does,” he said, in response to a request for comment.

Continue reading at The Hill

General News

Musk does damage control after Tesla earnings plunge

Elon Musk is in damage control mode at Tesla as the company’s disappointing earnings force the tech billionaire to reevaluate his focus between his businesses and role in the Trump administration.

Faced with a 71-percent plunge in first-quarter earnings, the Tesla CEO tried to assure investors Tuesday he will soon spend less time working on President Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting efforts and focus more on his company.

“Starting probably in [the] next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said at the start of Tesla’s earnings call Tuesday.

Musk’s special government status is set to end May 30, though there have been open questions about how long his White House presence would last. The billionaire made clear Tuesday he is at a crossroads amid ongoing backlash over DOGE.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump crashes the home stretch of Canada’s election

With just days to go, “51st state” talk ensures the president is front and center of the campaign.

Days before Canada votes in a national election, President Donald Trump is talking again about its status as a 51st state — an Oval Office aside almost certain to boost the three-term Liberals in their quest for a fourth mandate.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that Canada would “cease to exist” without the U.S. He also suggested he could further raise the 25 percent tariffs he’s imposed on Canadian autos.

“They took a large percentage of the car making, and I want to bring it back to this country. I really don’t want cars from Canada, so when I put tariffs on Canada — they’re paying 25 percent — but that could go up in terms of cars,” the president told reporters. “I’d rather see them made in Michigan and made in South Carolina and made in other states, Tennessee.”

Trump has been front and center in Canada’s 37-day campaign that overlaps with the opening days of a trade war that could decimate the Canadian economy.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that if he wins on Monday, he’ll have the president on the horn in a hurry.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, the current prime minister, has warned repeatedly that Trump is out to change the world economy. “What he’s trying to do to Canada — he’s trying to break us, so the U.S. can own us,” he’s said repeatedly on the campaign trail.

For most Canadians, the ballot box question is which leader is better to take on Trump.

Continue reading at Politico

Italy harbors doubts about hitting 2 percent NATO target

Rome outwardly says it can easily reach politically unpopular defense spending targets without cutting vital services.

ROME — Italy’s government is privately unsure that its plan to reach NATO’s defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP will pass muster, despite public assurances to the contrary.

The government has said it will be able to reclassify existing civil expenditures to reach that target — but two Italian officials familiar with the budget discussion believe this may not convince the European Commission or NATO.

The uncertainty comes amid ongoing pressure from Washington that NATO members fork over as much as 5 percent of their annual gross domestic product for defense.

Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said earlier this week that Italy would be able to raise its defense expenditure to 2 percent of GDP by the end of 2025 by including the costs of existing defense-adjacent infrastructure, such as the financial police and the coast guard.

That would allow Italy to avoid increasing its defense expenditures in absolute terms, which would risk diverting resources from other politically sensitive services such as the country’s flailing healthcare system.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Britain’s Tories brace for another electoral disaster

Local elections pose a steep test for the Conservative leadership of Kemi Badenoch, despite wide disapproval of the Labour government.

LONDON — The Western world’s most successful political party is steeling itself for a second electoral wipeout in 10 months.

Pollsters are widely predicting Britain’s Conservative Party will lose hundreds of councillors in next week’s local elections as millions of Brits go to the polls.

This would mean that, despite an unpopular Labour government polling at historically low numbers, the Tories are likely to become the biggest loser on May 1 thanks to Britain’s local council electoral cycle.

It comes after the Tories crashed to their worst general election performance in modern history in July as the party, under Rishi Sunak’s stewardship, was booted out of power by Keir Starmer’s Labour after 14 years.

But while the party’s MPs and apparatchiks were in despair in the lead-up to last year’s general election, there appears to be a sense of begrudging acceptance this time around.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has been spending the past week heavily managing expectations, telling the BBC this week that the elections will be “very difficult for the Conservatives.”

Despite this, MPs from all wings of the party say there is no appetite to cause problems for Badenoch or to seriously question her position.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Iran’s exiled ‘crown prince’ calls for mass labor strikes to topple regime

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, tells POLITICO the West must create a “strike fund” to support civil resistance and paralyze the government.

LONDON — Western governments should create a “strike fund” to support a wave of industrial action across Iran that will paralyze the state and hasten the end of the regime, according to the son of the country’s former leader.

Reza Pahlavi, whose father was the last shah of Iran and was ousted in the 1979 revolution, believes Donald Trump’s nuclear talks with Tehran will fail to deliver peace in the region. But he sees a chance for America and Europe to help the country’s grassroots opposition to overthrow its clerical rulers from within.

In recent years, anger at the regime’s repression and economic mismanagement have boiled over in unusually large public protests. Tehran’s standing across the Middle East has also been heavily dented by the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and by Israel’s devastating strikes against Hamas and Hezbollah.

With Iran on the back foot, Pahlavi saw an opportunity for Western powers to intensify support for the regime’s opponents and potential defectors. In an interview with POLITICO, he called for cash to be released to help people engage in peaceful civil resistance, with a series of “organized labor strikes that could paralyze the system and force it to collapse.”

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Jeff Bezos Didn’t Change. DC Did.

Not long ago, Washington dreamed that Jeff Bezos would become the king of the Beltway. Then the rules changed.

Michael Schaffer is a senior editor and columnist at POLITICO Magazine. He has covered national and local politics for over 20 years and spent seven years as editor-in-chief of the Washingtonian. His Capital City column chronicles the inside conversations and big trends shaping Washington politics.

It’s hard to remember now, but there was a time when people in Washington were positively giddy about Jeff Bezos’ new mansion on S Street.

In 2016, not long after acquiring The Washington Post, the Amazon founder set his eyes on a 17,000-foot former museum designed by the architect of the Jefferson Memorial. Soon after buying it for $23 million in cash, he set about renovating it to host parties, following in the footsteps of an iconic Post predecessor.

“What he’s going to do is revive the legacy of Kay Graham and her great socializing — bringing smart, interesting people together in a social context,” Jean Case, who with her husband Steve was an old friend of Bezos and his then wife, said at the time.

It was a prediction that a certain stratum of D.C. very much wanted to believe. The idea of a world-transforming industrialist running the political city’s salon flattered establishment Washington’s perennial hunger for social validation: See, we’re not just a bunch of ill-dressed policy wonks!

The validation never arrived. While Bezos entertained a couple of times early on, the place is usually so lifeless that one Kalorama neighbor told me she still remembers the day there were three cars in the driveway. “Almost all the time it’s dark,” said Marie Drissel, another neighbor. “My guess is he’s there four or five nights a year.” She’s only laid eyes on her famous neighbor once in nine years.

You get the same feeling across the Potomac in Arlington, Va. That’s where Amazon, which Bezos still chairs, was supposed to bring up to 50,000 jobs at a new headquarters that boosters said would herald an epic transformation of the entire region. Virginia’s victory in the high-profile competition for a new headquarters thrilled locals, in large part because it assuaged another perennial Washington insecurity: A bona fide capitalist headquarters would undercut the fear that this is nothing but a government town.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump to Putin: "Vladimir, STOP!"

President Trump issued rare criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia unleashed a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight just hours after Trump had claimed Putin was ready to make peace.

Why it matters: Trump had been focusing his criticism exclusively on the Ukrainians in recent days as he pushed a "final offer" for peace. Trump insists a deal is close, but neither party to the conflict seems to agree.

Driving the news: Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight killing at least eight people and wounding more than 70.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cut short a trip to South Africa to return to Kyiv.

What he's saying: "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!", Trump wrote.

• Trump had fumed at Zelensky a day earlier for rejecting his peace plan, which involves the U.S. recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine

• "Russia is ready to get a deal. We have to get a deal with Zelensky. I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky — it is harder," Trump said yesterday evening in the Oval Office.

• Trump also said he expected to meet Putin shortly after his trip to Saudi Arabia, planned for mid-May.

Continue reading at Axios

China stands firm in trade war: There are no talks, U.S. should move first

The Chinese government made clear Thursday that no talks are happening with the U.S. about de-escalating the trade war, and called on the Trump administration to make the first move.

Why it matters: Someone has to blink.

Driving the news: There are "absolutely no negotiations" happening between the two sides on trade, CNBC quoted a spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry as saying.

• That same spokesperson reportedly called on the U.S. to cancel all "unilateral" measures.

• The comments follow a flurry of news from the U.S. side Wednesday, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledging the trade war was "unsustainable," and President Trump signaling the U.S. might eventually move on tariff rates even without Chinese participation.

The big picture: Commerce is plunging between the world's two largest economies.

• Big retailers warned Trump this week that empty shelves are just a couple of weeks away, while key port operators say inbound shipments are dwindling rapidly.

• Meanwhile, voters have soured on Trump's economic performance, after nearly a decade of consistently giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The intrigue: There are signs of small pockets of daylight.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump ‘not happy’ with Putin for attack on Kyiv amid tense ceasefire negotiations

The president’s criticism is a shift from his usual blaming of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump said he was “not happy” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as his administration presses forward with its campaign to persuade Russia and Ukraine to accept a U.S. ceasefire proposal.

Trump condemned Putin for launching an attack on Kyiv early Thursday, which killed at least eight people, urging the foreign leader to agree to a peace deal to end the three-year conflict in Ukraine that his country started. The Trump administration recently put forward a ceasefire plan that would involve a “freeze” of most territorial lines, Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday, and reports of ceding to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Ukrainian officials have previously dismissed calls to compromise on territorial integrity.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social on Thursday. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Continue reading at Politico

Echoing Big Tech, Newsom warns privacy watchdog on AI

The governor urged regulators to protect California’s “enduring dominance in technological innovation.”

SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom has waded into a bitter fight at California’s privacy agency over proposed automation rules that could have nationwide impacts on everything from hiring to health care.

Newsom, in a rare letter to the California Privacy Protection Agency’s five-member board on Wednesday, obtained by POLITICO, urged regulators not to crush the state’s flourishing artificial intelligence sector under onerous regulations — echoing complaints from tech and business groups.

“As my office has relayed to Agency staff over the last year, enacting these regulations could create significant unintended consequences and impose substantial costs that threaten California’s enduring dominance in technological innovation,” Newsom wrote.

CPPA Executive Director Tom Kemp in a statement to POLITICO on Wednesday said the agency “appreciate[s] Governor Newsom’s letter and his engagement on this important issue.”

Big picture: California is home to many of the world’s largest AI companies, which help fuel the state’s budget through tax revenue, but also some of the nation’s most robust privacy and tech regulations, often putting the industry at odds with state policymakers. The CPPA, created in 2020, is also the only dedicated privacy agency in the country.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump to target ActBlue in presidential memorandum

The action is expected to come Thursday.

In a shot at ActBlue, the left’s major online donation platform, President Donald Trump plans to sign a presidential memorandum on Thursday cracking down on foreign contributions in American elections, according to a person familiar with the policy and granted anonymity to discuss not-yet-public details.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is expected to be involved in the crackdown, the person said, though further details about the mechanism she will use were not immediately available. The order is expected to specifically target ActBlue, which Republicans have long claimed could be exploited by foreign actors.

Democrats had been bracing in recent days for potential action from the White House against the platform, casting it as an unwarranted attack on their fundraising efforts. In an email to Democrats on Wednesday referring to a potential coming action from the White House targeting the platform, ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones wrote, “Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy. There is an ongoing and persistent effort to weaken the confidence of the American people in what’s possible. This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’”

On Thursday, ActBlue told POLITICO, “ActBlue plays a vital role in enabling all Americans to participate in our democracy and the organization strictly abides by all federal and state laws governing its activities. We will always stand steadfast in defending the rights of all Americans to participate in our democracy and ActBlue will continue its mission undeterred and uninterrupted, providing a safe, secure fundraising platform for the millions of grassroots donors who rely on us.”

Continue reading at Politico

US names Michael Anton to lead technical talks with Iran

The Trump administration is staffing up its team as the president signals his strong desire for a deal.

Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, is leading a team of about a dozen, largely career officials from across the government to hash out the details of an agreement that would place significant constraints on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

He is set to lead the first round of expert talks with Iranian officials over the weekend before special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meet again in Rome next week. Anton accompanied Witkoff to the last round of talks in Rome.

“He is the perfect man for the job given his experience and intellect. Most importantly, he will ensure that President Trump’s agenda on this file is followed through,” an administration official said.

Continue reading at Politico

Bolton dismisses Trump claim of ‘no favorites’ in Russia-Ukraine war

“Well, of course he’s got favorites and his favorite is not Russia, his favorite is [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, whom he thinks is his friend,” Bolton said late Wednesday during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source.”

Bolton, a frequent Trump critic, argued that the commander-in-chief has made “major” concessions to Russia, pointing to the president’s previous comments that Ukraine is “unlikely” to get all of their land back and that it is not practical for the Eastern European country to join the NATO military alliance.

Trump, however, did not say whether he wants Ukraine to recognize Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

“Look, I just want to see the war end. I don’t care,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump approval rating underwater in Fox News survey

President Trump’s approval rating is 11 points underwater in the most recent Fox News survey on his administration, the latest sign of his support starting to drop ahead of his second term hitting the 100-day mark next week.

The poll showed Trump with an approval rating of 44 percent, down 5 points from the 49 percent he had in March. Fox noted the latest number is lower than where all of his most recent predecessors were at this point in their presidencies.

Former President George W. Bush had the highest rating among 21st-century presidents with 63 percent approval, followed by former President Obama with 62 percent and former President Biden with 54 percent. Trump also had a rating 1 point higher at this point in his first term than his current one.

Continue reading at The Hill

Rubio denies report lifting sanctions on Russia under consideration

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday denied that the U.S. is considering lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets as part of a deal with Ukraine, rejecting a report published by Politico.

In a statement posted on the social media site X, Rubio said that neither he nor Steve Witkoff, Trump’s point person for talks with Russia, had any conversations about lifting sanctions against Russia.

“This is unequivocally false,” Rubio wrote.

Continue reading at The Hill

Pentagon to resume medical care for transgender troops

The move is another setback for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has made culture war issues a major part of his role.

The Pentagon will resume gender-affirming care for transgender service members, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO, an embarrassing setback to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to restrict their participation.

The memo says the Defense Department is returning to the Biden-era medical policy for transgender service members due to a court order that struck down Hegseth’s restrictions as unconstitutional. The administration is appealing the move, but a federal appeals court in California denied the department’s effort to halt the policy while its challenge is pending.

As a result, the administration is barred from removing transgender service members or restricting their medical care, a priority of President Donald Trump and Hegseth. The administration insisted its restrictions were geared toward people experiencing medical challenges related to “gender dysphoria,” but two federal judges said in March that the policy was a thinly veiled ban on transgender people that violated the Constitution.

The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to ban transgender servicemembers while legal battles continue to play out.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump to meet with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg

President Trump says he plans to meet with Jeffrey Goldberg, the journalist who was mistakenly added to a group chat with several top intelligence and defense officials in his administration where plans for an attack on terrorists in Yemen were discussed.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social site he would meet with Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, who the president said was “responsible for many fictional stories about me, including the made-up HOAX on ‘Suckers and Losers’ and, SignalGate, something he was somewhat more ‘successful’ with.”

Trump said Goldberg plans to bring two top reporters at The Atlantic with him, Michael Scherer and Ashley Parker, whom the president called “not exactly pro-Trump writers, either, to put it mildly!”

Goldberg’s team told White House officials the story they are writing will be titled “The Most Consequential President of this Century,” Trump said.

“I am doing this interview out of curiosity, and as a competition with myself, just to see if it’s possible for The Atlantic to be ‘truthful,'” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump-nominated DC prosecutor apologizes for praising Nazi sympathizer

Ed Martin, tapped to lead the U.S. Attorney’s office for D.C., said in an exclusive interview with the Jewish magazine Forward published Thursday that he is “sorry” about past flattery for Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, a convicted and now-pardoned Jan. 6 rioter whom the Justice Department described as an “avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer.”

At an event last year at Trump’s Bedminster, N.J., golf club, Martin described him as an “extraordinary man” and an “extraordinary leader.”

“I denounce everything about what that guy said, everything about the way he talked and all, as I’ve now seen it,” Martin told Forward. “At the time, I didn’t know it.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says he’s got his “own deadline” for Ukraine talks

The president, meeting with Norwegian leaders, is pressuring Kyiv and Moscow to make peace, but not equally.

Nearing the 100-day mark of his administration, President Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine hard to accept the terms of a peace deal with Russia to end the three-year war by giving major concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Expressing confidence that “we’re going to get it done,” Trump also stressed on Thursday that he has his “own deadline” for reaching a deal, though he did not specify it. “We want it to be fast,” he continued. “We have a deadline. After that, we will have a very much different attitude.”

If anyone can sway Trump on Ukraine’s behalf, it might be former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg — who accompanied Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to the White House on Thursday.

Stoltenberg, who was Norway’s prime minister before he led the NATO alliance for a decade in Brussels, attended Trump’s inauguration in January and is thought to be among Europe’s most effective interlocutors with this administration.

“The president really likes and trusts him,” said one White House official, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the relationship.

Continue reading at Politico

Hegseth set up Signal on Pentagon office computer: Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly directed a desktop computer in his Pentagon office be installed with the messaging app Signal, adding another layer to the controversy around his use of the encrypted messaging app, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

Hegseth earlier this year effectively “cloned” the Signal app on his personal cellphone to his computer as a way to get around blocks on the messaging app in classified areas, and to message people outside the Pentagon, The Washington Post first reported. Personal cell phones and electronics are not allowed in classified areas of the Pentagon.

Three people familiar with the matter told the outlet Hegseth and his aides discussed how they could bypass the lack of cellphone service in the Pentagon and more quickly connect with the White House and other top Trump officials using Signal.

Hegseth has two computers in his office, one for personal use and another that is government-issued, one of the people familiar with the matter told The Post.

Continue reading at The Hill

Controversial Hegseth chief of staff to leave Pentagon

Joe Kasper will continue to support and advise the Pentagon, he said, but as a special government employee.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s controversial chief of staff, who played a central role in a power struggle that gripped the Pentagon, will exit the agency today.

Joe Kasper was originally expected to transition to another role within the Defense Department, but is now planning to go back to government relations and consulting, he said in an interview.

He will continue to support and advise the Pentagon, he said, but as a special government employee. This will limit him to performing temporary jobs for just 130 days a year.

A former longtime chief of staff to indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter, Kasper was a leading figure in the firings of senior adviser Dan Caldwell, Hegseth deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg. The trio were ousted last week in a leak investigation.

Some officials saw the wave of firings as a bid by Kasper to consolidate power.

Continue reading at Politico

Oversight Democrat questions how CDC can provide public records without staffers

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is demanding to know how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to comply with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests when the relevant staff have been put on administrative leave.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off or eliminated HHS staffers in charge of handling FOIA requests at the CDC, Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, according to reporting earlier this month.

The move raised alarm among lawmakers and health care stakeholders as Kennedy had vowed to usher in an era of “radical transparency” at federal health agencies.

“The elimination of staff responsible for facilitating FOIA strongly implies an effort by the Administration to prevent the public from obtaining information about their government that they are entitled to request. I urge you to provide detailed information responsive to the requests included in this letter to bring transparency to the FOIA operations within the CDC,” Connolly wrote in a letter to acting CDC Director Susan Monarez.

Continue reading at The Hill

Arkansas appeals Trump administration denial of federal aid for tornado recovery

Arkansas is appealing the Trump administration’s denial of federal aid for the state’s recovery efforts after a string of deadly and destructive tornado storms.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.) requested help for people who were impacted by the mid-March tornadoes, some of the state’s worst since 1997.

The Trump administration denied Sanders’s request for funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She wrote again to Trump to appeal the denial.

In a letter, signed by both Arkansas senators and its four representatives, the lawmakers asked Trump to reconsider.

“As Governor Sanders noted in her request, these storms caused catastrophic damage across the state, resulting in disastrous amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the deaths of three Arkansans, and injuries to many more,” the lawmakers wrote.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump store is selling ‘Trump 2028’ hats

The Trump Organization rolled out “Trump 2028” hats on its website in support of President Trump’s suggestion that he could seek a third term in office.

Eric Trump, one of the president’s sons, was spotted wearing the new piece of merchandise being sold for $50 online.

The president and members of his team have repeatedly signaled he is considering a third White House bid — which critics have argued violates the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution. Though many Republicans have brushed off the sentiment as a joke.

The amendment reads, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”

Despite the clause, Trump has repeatedly told NBC News and other outlets that he was “not joking” about his push for another stint in office. Democrats have also signaled they believe the president will likely try to carve out a way to be reelected.

Continue reading at The Hill

Buttigieg says ‘white kid only’ adoption list highlights US racism

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently opened up about the adoption process he and his husband went through on their journey to adopt their two children, explaining he was shocked to learn of the racial disparities in the process.

“By the way, anybody who says race is not a thing in this country should experience an adoption process where there are literally different lists,” Buttigieg said during an appearance on the “Flagrant” podcast released Wednesday. “If you say that you want a white kid only versus if you say that doesn’t matter. Like, literally a different list.”

“The list for white kids is longer,” he continued. “Not only that, there was actually a discount, or you didn’t have to pay a deposit on the fetus. This is like, how it works. I couldn’t believe it.”

Though the number of Black children in foster care is at its lowest point in two decades, Black children remain overrepresented in the foster care system.

In 2021, Black chil­dren rep­re­sent­ed 14 percent of the nation’s total child pop­u­la­tion but accounted for 22 percent of all kids in fos­ter care.

Continue reading at The Hill

States could lose infrastructure funding over immigration, DEI: Transportation secretary

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned states Thursday that they will lose federal funding for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects if they continue to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs; impede President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts; or defy other directives from the administration.

“Federal grants come with a clear obligation to adhere to federal laws,” Duffy said in a statement released alongside a letter that he sent to all recipients of Department of Transportation (DOT) funding. “It shouldn’t be controversial — enforce our immigration rules, end anti-American DEI policies and protect free speech.”

“These values reflect the priorities of the American people, and I will take action to ensure compliance,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

China cancels 12,000 metric tons of US pork shipments

China canceled 12,000 metric tons of United States pork shipments amid a high-stakes trade standoff between the superpowers, according to data released Thursday.

China, one of the biggest U.S. trading partners, axed 12,000 metric tons of U.S. pork orders, the data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows.

The move represents the biggest cancellation of pork orders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains and stalled economies around the world, Bloomberg News reported.

China, behind Mexico and Japan, was the U.S.’s third-biggest market for pork in 2024, importing some 475,000 metric tons valued at more than $1.1 billion.

Continue reading at The Hill

Raffensperger asks Trump administration to halt deportation of Afghan Christians

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is asking the Trump administration to halt the deportations of Afghan Christian refugees in the United States.

In a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Raffensperger said he has “deep concern” after the department revoked protections from deportation for Afghans, along with Cameroonians.

“I respectfully urge DHS and the Administration to pause this decision for at least 90 days and to consider granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or similar legal relief to these individuals,” Raffensperger said.

“These refugees, many of whom have already applied for asylum and possess documentation of lawful parole, face a credible threat of imprisonment, torture, or death if returned to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Demonstrators stage ‘die-in’ at HHS to protest cuts to HIV programs

Demonstrators gathered Thursday on the steps of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a “die-in” over proposed funding cuts at the agency that could devastate programs addressing LGBTQ health disparities.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sought to radically reshape HHS and its approach to health care, including through funding cuts to programs geared toward treating and preventing HIV, a virus that in the U.S. disproportionately affects gay and bisexual men. Kennedy previously questioned evidence linking HIV to AIDS, a discovery that won a Nobel Prize in 2008.

On Thursday, more than 100 participants sank slowly to the ground while Matthew Rose, senior public policy advocate for the Human Rights Campaign, which organized the demonstration, read aloud from a list of possible outcomes that funding cuts at HHS would have on the LGBTQ community.

Continue reading at The Hill

Rubio eliminates office that oversees climate talks

The Office of Global Change was notified Thursday that it would be shuttered.

The State Department is eliminating the Office of Global Change, which oversees international climate change negotiations for the United States.

Staff were told about the move verbally Thursday afternoon, according to three people who were granted anonymity to speak about the decision to avoid reprisal. The news thrust the office into chaos and raised questions among staff about when the office would be permanently shuttered.

“This will hamstring international climate cooperation at the worst possible time,” said one official, referring to the upcoming global climate talks called COP30.

It’s “just strategically fucking dumb when it comes to China,” that person added, saying the move would leave a leadership vacuum that China could fill.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the office is being eliminated to comply with President Donald Trump’s directives to cease participation in international agreements.

“Consequently, this office — which supported the efforts of previous Administrations to hobble the United States through participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and other agreements purporting to limit [or] prevent climate change, is unnecessary,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump-appointed National Science Foundation leader resigns

Sethuraman Panchanathan has left the scientific research funding agency amid widespread layoffs and canceled grants.

National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan abruptly resigned Thursday afternoon, more than a year before the end of his term.

“I believe that I have done all I can to advance the mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership,” Panchanathan said in an all-staff memo obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News.

Brian Stone, the director’s chief of staff, will lead the agency on an interim basis.

Panchanathan didn’t fully explain the reason for his exit. But his departure comes amid a governmentwide downsizing effort that has seen the scientific research funding agency lay off staff, cancel grants and sharply restrict travel.

“This is a pivotal moment for our nation in terms of global competitiveness,” he wrote in the staff memo. “A thoughtful approach to efficiencies and investments is incredibly important.”

Continue reading at Politico

The president’s latest pardon: ‘Lady Trump’

Michele Fiore was convicted in October of using $70K she solicited to build a memorial for two fallen police officers on personal expenses.

President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Las Vegas City Council member and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate who was found guilty of fraud last year, the latest example of the president using his pardon power to reward allies.

Michele Fiore — who has occasionally been dubbed “Lady Trump” — was convicted in October of using $70,000 she solicited to build a memorial for two fallen police officers on personal expenses, including political fundraising bills and rent payments. Last week, a judge dismissed her request for a new trial and scheduled her sentencing for May 14.

Trump pardoned Fiore Wednesday, according to court documents filed Thursday by Fiore’s attorneys.

Trump has extensively wielded his pardon power in his second term, using it to spare political allies and those he feels were dealt with unfairly by federal law enforcement.

Continue reading at Politico

Dems brace for Trump’s assault on ActBlue: ‘We’re not going to allow it.’

The president plans to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the major online donation platform.

Democrats on Thursday were bracing for a sustained attack on their fundraising operation by Republicans, as President Donald Trump targets ActBlue.

Trump plans to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the major online donation platform for what the administration cast as “unlawful ‘straw donor’ and foreign contributions to American elections” in a presidential memorandum on Thursday.

“President Trump is taking action to address malign actors and foreign nationals who seek to illegally influence American elections, undermining the integrity of our electoral process,” a fact sheet detailing the memo obtained by POLITICO states. “ActBlue has become notorious for its lax standards that enable unverified and fraudulent donations.”

Continue reading at Politico

Moody’s downgrades DC credit rating

Moody’s Ratings announced this week that it was downgrading Washington, D.C.’s credit rating amid a wave of mass federal workforce cuts and hits to the local economy.

Moody’s said in a new report that it was downgrading the District’s issuer rating from Aaa to Aa1, a blow to the city that will likely make it more expensive for the local government to borrow money and cost taxpayers more.

The downgrade comes from the “mounting negative pressure that cuts to federal spending, workforce and real estate are having on the District’s economy and finances.”

The analysis noted that under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashes to the federal workforce, D.C. is expected to lose 40,000 workers over the next four years. Moody’s said that workforce loss will “erode the stability” that the federal government historically held in the city and over its economy.

D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee said in a statement that the rating change is not a result of the degradation of Washington’s governance.

Continue reading at The Hill

Medicaid quagmire awaits House Republicans

As lawmakers return from a two-week recess, those plans will have to come together quickly.

House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders are eyeing a May 7 markup for their portion of the bill, which calls for $880 billion in cuts to offset the cost of other priorities — cuts many moderates worry could threaten Medicaid coverage their constituents rely on.

Analysts say that number is impossible to meet without making changes to Medicaid.

Twelve House Republicans in competitive districts — more than enough in the House GOP’s razor-thin majority to keep the bill from passing — sent a letter to GOP leaders last week saying they will not support the legislation if it includes cuts to Medicaid benefits.

Republican leaders say they only want to root out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, and to implement work requirements for nondisabled adults.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump Organization fires lawyer over Harvard ties

The Trump Organization fired a legal adviser Thursday because he also represents Harvard University, an adversary of the Trump administration in its ongoing crackdown on elite schools.

The move comes after President Trump railed against Harvard in a social media post Thursday and commented on the connection between Harvard and the attorney, William Burck.

The president urged his sons, who now run the Trump Organization, to fire the attorney immediately.

“Harvard is a threat to Democracy, with a lawyer, who represents me, who should therefore be forced to resign, immediately, or be fired. He’s not that good, anyway, and I hope that my very big and beautiful company, now run by my sons, gets rid of him ASAP!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Shortly after the post, the Trump Organization fired Burck.

Continue reading at The Hill

Europe, US ‘agree’ on Russia threat, NATO chief says

Speaking to reporters after talks with President Trump, NATO chief Mark Rutte said the United States and its European allies “all agree in NATO that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory — to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory.”

He also said the United States remained committed to NATO, despite focusing on conflicts in the Middle East and adversaries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The comments come as Trump officials have suggested Ukraine should expect to cede some land to Russia in exchange for peace, as well as agreeing not to join NATO. Critics of the president’s approach say he’s making concessions even before peace talks begin — and making few demands on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Trump said Russia would be making a concession toward peace if it agrees not to take over Ukraine, as the U.S. president has struggled to negotiate even a limited ceasefire deal between Moscow and Kyiv.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Norway’s prime minister, Trump was asked what concessions Russia has “offered up thus far to get to the point where you’re closer to peace.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Judge blocks Trump order to require proof of citizenship for voting

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The big picture: President Trump signed an executive order last month to make sweeping changes to federal elections, including a proof of citizenship requirement, triggering alarm bells among voting and civil rights organizations.

• The order included federal funding cuts for states that did not comply.

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in a 120-page opinion that adding a proof of citizenship requirement "is contrary to the manifest will of Congress."

• When enacting the National Voter Registration Act, Congress considered and rejected such a proposal, concluding that it was not necessary or consistent with the purpose of the law, the judge wrote.

• "The President has no constitutional power over election regulation that would support this unilateral exercise of authority," the judge said. "The Constitution vests that power in the States and Congress alone."

• Kollar-Kotelly also prohibited the Election Assistance Commission from withholding federal funds from states that did not comply with Trump's order.

Zoom out: The House this month passed a bill requiring voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote.

Continue reading at Axios

How the U.S. government spends money

The discussion around how the U.S. government spends money is clouded by the jargon of budget nerds, like "discretionary" versus "mandatory" spending. But what would it look like if you converted spending data into plain language?

The big picture: That's what centrist think tank Third Way has done, taking the thousands of lines of federal spending data and categorizing them using plain language.

• It shows that most of what the government spends money on boils down to payments directly to Americans (Social Security, most prominently), directly paying medical bills or helping people buy health insurance.

By the numbers: In Third Way's analysis, 31 cents of each dollar the government spends consists of checks to Americans.

• Some 14 cents went to help people buy health insurance or manage their benefits and 12 cents toward medical bill payments.

Continue reading at Axios

Independent journalists prioritize community building for growth

Influential journalists who have positioned themselves as subject matter experts and amassed large followings are ditching traditional outlets to venture out on their own.

Why it matters: These independent journalists are grappling with the same challenges that many communication and brand teams face. That is, how do they differentiate themselves in the market and establish a strong reputation with the audiences that matter most?

State of play: As trust in media declines, independent journalists are pivoting away from writing for passive readerships and toward building a hyper-engaged community — and it's proving to be quite lucrative.

• The Free Press, founded by former New York Times writer Bari Weiss, boasts more than 155,000 paid subscribers and is estimated to generate at least $10 million annually from subscription revenue, per Axios' Sara Fischer.

• Former Bloomberg reporter Eric Newcomer announced that his independent media entity, Newcomer, brought in $2 million in revenue in 2024 and he has recently made his first round of hires.

• Former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter has accumulated more than 70,000 total subscribers since its launch and is estimated to generate $1 million in annual recurring revenue.

Continue reading at Axios

Businesses yank forecasts as tariff uncertainties cloud the future

The unpredictability of the international trade landscape is paralyzing corporate America, leading companies to suspend their outlooks or express deep uncertainty about where their businesses are headed.

Why it matters: President Trump has launched a global trade war fueled by a massive increase in tariffs — particularly on China — but has since sent a slew of mixed messages about the state of affairs.

State of play: The President's "reliably unreliable" tariff policy, as one analyst put it, is making a mockery of corporate America's attempts to guide future revenue and earnings expectations.

• American Airlines Thursday yanked its full-year forecast, citing what executives called significant uncertainty over bookings beyond the summer. Key competitors Delta and Southwest recently did the same.

• PepsiCo Thursday reduced its full-year outlook amid what CFO James Caulfield called "heightened macro and consumer uncertainty." The company's international supply chain is exposed to tariffs in a variety of ways, including raw materials, packaging and finished goods.

• Walmart earlier this month said it was expanding the "range of outcomes" for its quarterly income-growth forecast, saying it wanted to maintain strategic flexibility as tariffs are implemented.

Between the lines: The on-again-off-again nature of Trump's tariffs — and the corresponding effect on costs and consumer spending — is the primary issue.

Continue reading at Axios

House Democrats' headaches are about to get much worse

Progressive groups, emboldened by the Democratic grassroots' extreme dissatisfaction at their party's older establishment, are preparing to go big in their efforts to unseat Democratic lawmakers.

Why it matters: Three months into the new Congress, more than half a dozen House Democrats already are facing primary challengers. That number is about to skyrocket.

• DNC vice chair David Hogg, whose group Leaders We Deserve is spending $20 million to primary incumbents to the chagrin of many House Democrats, told Axios: "Some truly generational leaders will be announcing their campaigns very soon."

• Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats, told Axios the number of House Democrats who ultimately draw serious challengers "could be dozens — it could be a large portion of the caucus."

• "I have talked to folks who have been thinking about jumping into these primary races who haven't come out yet," said Amanda Litman, founder of Run For Something. "There are more coming."

By the numbers: At least seven House Democrats — nearly all north of 70 years old — are staring down primary challenges from younger insurgents.

Continue reading at Axios

How Europe is quietly stealing America’s scientists

BRAIN DRAIN — As the Trump administration slashes billions in funding for research, conducts mass firings of federal employees, and cracks down on institutions of higher education, American pain is turning into European gain.

Across the EU, an effort is underway to capitalize on the U.S. brain drain, hoping to tap into the exodus of intellectual talent from universities and the federal government. European universities are courting top American scientists and researchers en masse with offers of “academic asylum.” The European Research Council has doubled the funding it offers researchers to move to the continent to €2 million ($2.3 million). A bloc of 12 EU nations are working together to fast-track visas, Horizon Europe grants, and relocation stipends in an effort to poach U.S. brainpower in accordance with their own strategic priorities.

In a letter addressed to the EU Commissioner for research and innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, officials from those nations urged coordinated action to attract scholars and researchers “who might suffer from research interference and ill-motivated and brutal funding cuts” and called for integrating the U.S.-trained researchers into Europe’s innovation ecosystem. It’s part of a broader, ongoing strategy designed to boost EU competitiveness with the U.S. and China over the long term and position Europe as a leading center of research and innovation in the 21st century.

Dr. Danielle Beckman, a Brazilian-born neurovirologist currently at UC Davis, is one of the many scientists affected by recent federal funding cuts. She came to the U.S. in 2017 with a dream of developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease using primates. She trained for eight years under one of the country’s top neuroscientists and had planned to stay in the U.S and open her own lab, she told POLITICO Nightly. But those plans unraveled after her five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant fell into “suspended review.” Initially, the grant was set to be reviewed in March, then pushed to April, and now has no date at all.

Continue reading at Politico Playbook newsletter

HHS Cuts Funding for NIH's Largest and Longest Study of Women's Health

— Since the early 1990s, this research has been critical for understanding women's health and aging

With the stroke of a pen, the NIH's largest and longest study of women's health lost its federal funding in another brutal cut by HHS -- and experts are worried about what losing this vital ongoing study will mean for the field of women's health research.

Women's Health Initiative (WHI) investigators were alertedopens in a new tab or window on April 21 that HHS would terminate the contracts for WHI Regional Centers in September 2025; the WHI Clinical Coordinating Center will continue operations through January 2026, but funding after then is not secured.

WHI wrote that its "investigators, collaborators, and participants remain committed to protecting the integrity of this research, ensuring continued progress in understanding the health and aging of postmenopausal women."

JoAnn E. Manson, MD, MPH, DrPH, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and one of the long-time WHI principal investigators, said that research from WHI has influenced clinical practice in countless ways over the past 3 decades.

"The research has included more than 5,000 investigators around the country and has helped to train the next generation of researchers in women's health and healthy aging," Manson said.

"So it's it's really heartbreaking to hear that the funding is going to be slashed, and it's a devastating loss to women's health and really the health of all older adults in the population, because many of these findings apply even more widely to prevention of chronic disease and promoting healthy aging in the overall population."

Manson noted that many of the health outcomes analyzed by WHI have been understudied "not only in women, but also in the general population of older adults," so losing additional scientific discovery on these fronts will impact all people as they age.

"There will be a major, major impact on clinical medicine and public health," Manson warned.

Continue reading at MedPageToday

Reproductive health group, ACLU sue Trump administration over Title X funding

One of the country’s largest reproductive health advocacy groups is suing the Trump administration for withholding millions of dollars in federal family planning grants earlier this year.

The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday, claiming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “unlawfully withheld” $65.8 million in Title X funds to 16 family planning groups.

Title X is the nation’s only federally funded family planning program providing birth control and reproductive health care to low-income Americans.

More than a dozen family planning organizations, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, received letters in late March stating the Trump administration planned to “temporarily withhold” their allotted Title X grant funding.

Continue reading at The Hill

Russian foreign minister says his country is ‘ready to reach a deal’ on Ukraine

A Russian attack on Kyiv early Thursday killed at least 12 people and injured over 70.

Russia says it’s still open to an agreement to end its war in Ukraine after launching a deadly bombardment of Kyiv that earned rare criticism from President Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a TV interview that he agreed with Trump’s recent assertion that a deal can be reached if the parties of the conflict are willing.

“The president of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction,” Lavrov said in a portion of an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” released Thursday. “The statement by the president mentions a deal and we are ready to reach a deal.”

Lavrov said in the interview, which is scheduled to be shown in full on Sunday, that there are still issues that must be resolved, though he gave no details. “There are still some specific points, elements of this which need to be fine-tuned,” he said

Continue reading at Politico

Russia: Some elements of peace deal with Ukraine need fine-tuning

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in a new interview that the United States proposal for a peace deal with Ukraine is “moving in the right direction,” but there are still details that “need to be fine-tuned.”

In a Thursday preview of an interview set to air on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, moderator Margaret Brennan asked the Russian diplomat about President Trump’s suggestion this week that they are “very close to a deal” and that they “should now, finally, GET IT DONE.”

“Well, the President of the United States believes — and I think rightly so — that we are moving in the right direction,” Lavrov told Brennan, when asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees with Trump’s comments.

“The statement by the president mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points — elements — of this deal which need to be fine-tuned,” he continued. “And we are busy with this exact process.”

Lavrov said Trump “did not spell out the elements of the deal, so it is not appropriate for me to do this.”

Continue reading at The Hill

I don’t normally share opinion pieces. This one, though, is quite the piece… Worth reading.

MAGA vs. Pope Francis

The venomous reactions to the pope’s passing are no surprise, but it’s ironic that MAGA is marching in lockstep with the Vatican’s cloistered and rigidly doctrinaire insiders.

During U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s brief meeting with the mortally ailing Pope Francis last week, he said he’d been praying for the pontiff’s recovery. But that wasn’t the case for U.S. lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene and other MAGA luminaries, who had no compunction celebrating the news of the pope’s passing.

“Evil is being defeated by the hand of God,” Greene wrote on X on Easter Monday (of all days). “Good work, JD,” trolled conservative commentator Ann Coulter, mockingly implying that Vance, who was the last foreign leader to see the pope alive, had somehow helped usher Francis out of this world.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Pentagon leadership vacuum overwhelms Hegseth’s office: ‘It’s a free-for-all’

The departure of the Defense secretary’s top advisers has left the first-time government official without senior staff who understand Washington.

The circle of top advisers in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s orbit has shrunk in recent days to little more than his wife, lawyer, and two lower-level officials — leaving the Pentagon’s lead office without longtime expertise or clear direction.

Hegseth’s decision to fire three senior aides last week and reassign his chief of staff has blown a hole in his leadership team, severing essential lines of communication across the department and leading to fears about dangerous slip-ups such as weapons program delays.

The wholesale turnover just 100 days into Hegseth’s tenure has been remarkable for its speed. And it has left the first-time government official without trusted staff who understand Washington — just as he faces fallout from a series of scandals that have led to rampant speculation inside the building about how long he’ll keep his job.

“It’s a free-for-all,” said one person familiar with the office dynamics, who was granted anonymity to talk candidly about the situation.

Memos and actions that would have been routine in the past are getting delayed, the person said. Hegseth’s office is “up to its eyes” in what it can handle, with a parade of people flowing through the Pentagon chief’s third floor suite and no control over who is coming and going.

Hegseth’s closest advisers — beyond his wife Jennifer, a former Fox New producer, and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who he has commissioned as a Navy commander — are his old platoon sergeant from an Iraq deployment, Eric Geressy, and his former junior military adviser, Col. Ricky Buria. Hegseth’s brother Phil, a Department of Homeland Security liaison to the Defense Department, sits in an office nearby.

“Everyone has been jockeying for position,” said a second person familiar with the office dynamics, who was granted anonymity like others to discuss a sensitive issue.

Continue reading at Politico

CA's Economy Is Now Larger Than All But These 3 Countries

New data shows the Golden State's nominal GDP reached $4.1 trillion, surpassing Japan's $4.02 trillion.

CALIFORNIA — California now has the fourth largest economy in the world.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced Thursday that the Golden State has overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy, according to newly released data from the International Monetary Fund and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The data shows California's nominal GDP reached $4.1 trillion, surpassing Japan's $4.02 trillion. That places the state behind only the U.S. at $29.18 trillion, China at $18.74 trillion, and Germany at $4.65 trillion in global economic rankings.

"California isn't just keeping pace with the world — we're setting the pace," Newsom said in a statement. "Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation."

California's economy is growing at a faster rate than the world's top three economies, according to data. The state's GDP grew at a rate of 6% in 2024, outpacing the country's 5.3% rate, China's 2.6% rate and Germany's 2.9% rate.

Continue reading at Patch.com

Economic Analysis

Economist Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Could Trump Really Break America?

It was my privilege yesterday to host Justin Wolfers on my weekly Let’s Do Lunch econ Q&A over at the Contrarian (which is the place to be on Tues at noon ET, btw). The majority of the questions, at least the ones not about Aussie politics, were some variation on the title of this post. Can Trump fire Powell? What happens if creditors just stop lending …

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 6 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Allow me to bring to your attention...

I got so many good recommendations about things to watch, read, and listen to, I decided to keep it going and talk podcasts. The bar is low in that space, which isn’t a bad thing, but time being precious, the bar should be high…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Weekly Wrap: Learning the Right Lessons from the Trade War, UI Claims, and a Necessary (Non-econ!) New Feature

I yield to no one—NO ONE—in my disdain for Trump’s trade war…

Read more

a year ago · 25 likes · 20 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Three Important Data Points: 2 Bad; 1 Good

Housing starts tumbled last month, down 11.4%, well below expectations, led by a 14.2% negative spike in single-family starts…

Read more

a year ago · 16 likes · 3 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Data_Note: Trade War Frontrunners Boost March Retail Sales

Retail sales rose a solid 1.4% last month, a big bounce back from last month’s 0.2% and a tick above expectations (1.3%). Some clues in the report suggest consumers may way have been spending freely in March in order to front-run the coming price pressures from tariffs…

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 5 comments · Jared Bernstein

Economist Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Tariffs

The Trump tariff story keeps getting crazier. It may seem like ancient history now, but it was just over three weeks ago that Donald Trump gave us “Liberation Day,” a set of massive tariffs on imports from almost every country in the world, including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands off the coast of Antarctica…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Chaos May Allow for New Thinking on Patent and Copyrights

Twenty years ago, I was jumping up and down yelling and screaming about the huge housing bubble and warning that its collapse would give us a bad recession. I turned out to be right. That’s not a good story. It would have been better for the country and the world if I had been wrong, but reality is what it is, and we are best off trying to recognize it…

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Growth Leaves Trump’s MAGA USA in the Dust

The International Monetary Fund just released its growth projections for 2025, as well as the next five years. It’s not a very good picture for Donald Trump’s economic plans. The I.M.F. projects the U.S. economy will grow just 1.8 percent from 2024 to 2025. It looks even worse for next year, with growth projected to slow further to 1.7 percent…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Iron Dome Technology: Elon Musk’s License to Steal Taxpayer Dollars

Donald Trump and Elom Musk are making corruption and graft the main business of the U.S. government. They have fired all the cops who might try to rein them in and attacked any of the judges, politicians, or reporters who object to them stealing everything in sight…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump Derails Manufacturing Boom on Day One

Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices on day one of his new term in office. He also promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Neither of those quite panned out. But it looks like he might accomplish something not on his list, he quickly ended the manufacturing boom he inherited from President Biden…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Economy and Silliness on Deflation

It’s hard to be an economic nerd when we have a wannabe dictator working overtime to destroy democracy in America, but it is necessary just to beat back nonsense about the problems China’s economy faces. For the second time in less than a month the New York Times had a major…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Economist Mike Konczal

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

In which we dive into the labor market of 2024 and the question of whether an increase in health care jobs is evidence of or justification for a recession.

“Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's current actions represent the most harmful response possible to any underlying economic slowdown.”

Rortybomb

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's …

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

As global supply chains fray and the economy veers towards recession, the Federal Reserve faces a different spin on a recent problem — one it can’t fully fix.

Rortybomb

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

Summary…

Read more

a year ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

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Yesterday's post

Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

Dick Durbin is retiring from the Senate

The No. 2 Democratic leader won’t seek a sixth term representing Illinois.

CHICAGO — Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat and his party’s top leader on the Judiciary Committee, announced Wednesday that he won’t seek a sixth term in 2026.

“I know in my heart it’s time to pass the torch,” the veteran senator said in a social media post Wednesday.

Durbin, who is 80, confirmed what many Democrats have expected for months — that the veteran senator would step aside after three decades in office.

His departure comes at a perilous moment for the judicial system as the Trump administration repeatedly tests the limits of executive power and challenges the authority of the courts.

Illinois Democrats have already been lining up in anticipation of his announcement, hoping for a chance at the Senate seat. Reps. Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lauren Underwood, as well as Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and state Sen. Robert Peters, have all signaled an interest in the seat.

Durbin’s exit also opens up a top slot in the Senate Democratic leadership for the first time in a decade. Many in the party have eyed Durbin’s retirement as a prime opportunity to elevate a younger voice into the senior ranks.

Continue reading at Politico

Jan Schakowsky planning May 5 retirement announcement

The veteran House Democrat is facing a longshot primary challenge.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky is planning to announce next month she won’t seek reelection after 14 terms in the House and has started informing allies of her retirement decision, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations.

The veteran Illinois Democrat, 80, confirmed in a statement that an announcement is forthcoming, though she did not say what it would entail: “I’m going to announce my plans on May 5th. Stay tuned,” she said. Schakowsky’s annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch is set for that date in Chicago.

A longtime leader of the progressive bloc in Congress, Schakowsky has been on retirement watch for months. She is already facing a longshot primary challenge from influencer Kat Abughazaleh.

But the competition the deep-blue seat that includes part of Chicago and some northern suburbs is likely to be among more established Illinois Democrats. State Sen. Laura Fine and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss are widely expected to enter the race after Schakowsky makes her plans public.

Schakowsky’s decision to retire comes as Democrats face an internal reckoning over age and seniority as seasoned lawmakers face primary challengers who are arguing for generational change. On Wednesday, longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, also 80, announced his own retirement. And David Hogg recently sparked a firestorm in the party by saying he’d put millions towards primary challenges to Democrats in safe seats, though he said he wouldn’t back challenges to Schakowsky or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Continue reading at Politico

U.S. trade is already falling amid dire warnings

Merchandise trade between China and the U.S. is likely to collapse if the current tariffs on both sides remain in place.

• How much of that collapse has already started, however, is unclear.

The big picture: While some transpacific container-shipping routes have been canceled or changed to avoid U.S. ports, many ships are still headed for Long Beach, Oakland, and other U.S. destinations.

• They can still decide not to dock in the U.S. if the tariffs remain in place.

Driving the news: The U.S. and China have effectively put trade embargoes on each other, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly said on Tuesday, echoing a forecast from the World Trade Organization that merchandise trade between the two countries "could decrease by as much as 80%."

• President Trump said late Tuesday he won't play hardball with China and a deal will be made, but when and with what impact remains to be seen.

Where it stands: While activity at U.S. ports is declining, it's still broadly within a normal range.

• There are 22 vessels scheduled to enter the Port of Los Angeles this week, with 18 set to enter next week and just 12 the week after, according to the port's Signal database.

• In terms of the number of containers, the forecast for the week of May 4 comes to 62,568, down from an unusually high level of 120,608 this week.

Continue reading at Axios

China stresses ‘equality, respect’ amid Trump optimism on trade deal

China stressed on Wednesday that “equality, respect” are paramount in discussions with the United States amid President Trump’s stated optimism on reaching a new trade deal between the world’s two largest economies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the escalating trade war between Beijing and Washington will lead to “no winners” and reiterated the East Asian country will not bend the knee to Trump.

“This tariff war is launched by the U.S. We have made it very clear that China does not look for a war, but neither are we afraid of it. We will fight, if fight we must. Our doors are open, if the U.S. wants to talk,” Guo said during a Wednesday press conference.

“If a negotiated solution is truly what the U.S. wants, it should stop threatening and blackmailing China and seek dialogue based on equality, respect and mutual benefit,” he added. “To keep asking for a deal while exerting extreme pressure is not the right way to deal with China and simply will not work.”

Continue reading at The Hill

What to know about RFK Jr.'s autism registry plan

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a disease registry to track Americans with autism.

Why it matters: Advocacy groups and experts have called Kennedy's characterization of autism as a "preventable disease" unfounded and stigmatizing.

• Kennedy earlier backed a frequently debunked myth that vaccines caused an increase in autism diagnoses, and he more recently sought a link to environmental toxins.

The other side: "A lot of autistic people find that the idea of a cure, of making them not autistic anymore, is the same thing as proposing to make them a different person," Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at ASAN, told Axios' April Rubin this month.

The big picture: The National Institutes of Health is collecting private medical records from both federal and commercial databases for the purpose of studying autism NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on Monday.

• "The idea of the platform is that the existing data resources are often fragmented and difficult to obtain," Bhattacharya said in a presentation to the agency's advisers, CBS News reported.

• "The NIH itself will often pay multiple times for the same data resource. Even data resources that are within the federal government are difficult to obtain."

Continue reading at Axios

Tornado victims blocked from federal recovery aid after Trump denied request

(CNN) — Disaster survivors in Arkansas left homeless by recent tornadoes have been blocked from receiving federal recovery aid after President Donald Trump rejected the state’s request to declare a major disaster in March.

The Trump administration denied Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request for individual and public assistance following an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes that also affected neighboring Mississippi and Missouri and left more than 40 people dead.

The denial follows executive orders signed by Trump seeking to shift the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states, as extreme weather becomes increasingly destructive and costly in a warming world. It is unclear how states will fill the financial void, which for decades has been viewed as a federal responsibility given the wide-reaching, multi-state nature of disasters.

Continue reading at CNN.com

Today's news

Democratic News Corner

Schatz, Klobuchar, Murray in competition to succeed Durbin

Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are viewed by Senate insiders as the three lawmakers competing to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) as Senate Democratic whip, the No. 2-ranking member the Senate Democratic leadership.

Schatz, the chief deputy whip, appears to be a strong frontrunner for the job as he’s already performing some of the whip’s duties in helping to manage the floor, according to Democratic sources.

But the 52-year-old Schatz could face stiff composition from Klobuchar, 64, if she decides to aim to become the next Senate Democratic leader instead of running again for president in 2028.

He could face another formidable opponent in Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), 74, who previously held the No. 3-ranking job in the Senate Democratic caucus.

Continue reading at The Hill

State Democrats roll out endorsements in Virginia

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) rolled out a slate of new target districts in Virginia ahead of November’s House of Delegates elections.

The committee is targeting the 82nd, 22nd, 71st and 41st state House districts. Democratic candidate Jessica Anderson is seeking to unseat Anne Ferrell Tata (R) in the 82nd district, while Democrat Elizabeth Guzman is running against state Rep. Ian Lovejoy (R) in the 22nd state House district. In the 71st state House district, Democrat Jessica Anderson is seeking to unseat state Rep. Amanda Batten (R) in the 71st district, while Democrat Lily Franklin is running against incumbent Chris Obenshain (R).

The Hill was the first outlet to report on the new slate of target districts.

Continue reading at The Hill

David Jolly registers as a Democrat, making moves toward Florida governor bid

Jolly is launching a state political committee called Florida 2026, which he said will be geared at registering voters and tackling key affordability problems.

Democrats may get a second shot at running a party convert for Florida governor in their ongoing effort to claw back the state’s battleground status.

Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who has made a national name for himself as a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, took a step Thursday toward a possible run for governor of Florida in 2026 by launching a state political committee.

Jolly, 52, also switched his no-party affiliation voter registration to Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, which would make him eligible to run statewide under the party’s ticket by next year’s qualification period in June.

The ex-Republican first told POLITICO he was weighing the decision to run to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis in an interview last month, drawing comparisons to former Rep. Charlie Crist, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who lost the gubernatorial race to DeSantis by 19 points in 2022.

Jolly talked about the new committee in a video he’ll be posting to social media, provided first to POLITICO, saying its goal was to “engage Florida’s voters, promote voter registration” and talk about issues like affordability, property insurance costs, “reinvesting in public education” and “fixing our broken voucher system.”

Continue reading at Politico

DNC gives David Hogg an ultimatum

DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to require DNC officers to stay neutral in all Democratic primaries.

The Democratic National Committee is going to force David Hogg to decide: Get out of the primary game or lose his DNC post.

During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party’s rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.

The proposal, if passed at the DNC’s August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to decide whether to step away from his DNC vice chair position or wall himself off from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which has pledged to spend $20 million on challenging Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.

It’s an escalation in the fight between Hogg and other DNC leaders and House Democrats, many of whom were enraged by Hogg’s announcement. Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun safety activist after he survived a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said last week that he planned to back candidates who would challenge “ineffective” safe-seat Democrats. But House members and Democratic leaders vented that he was touching off a “circular firing squad” inside the party.

Hogg said in an interview last week that he would “fight to remain in this position,” though he told at least two Democrats that he’s willing to lose his vice chair position through this process.

Continue reading at Politico

Dem group plans $12 million investment in rural areas, with an eye toward 2028

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country.

A Democratic candidate recruitment group is pledging to pour $12 million into rural organizing in an effort to make inroads in red America and to lay groundwork for 2028, the organization shared first with Morning Score.

The investment by Contest Every Race in rural areas marks an expansion of the group’s grants program, which gave $1.2 million to local parties in 2024 but has seen a surge in donor interest in the second Trump administration. The group’s grant program, which has given to local parties in 29 states since 2021, is now expanding nationwide in what it casts as the “largest long-term, volunteer-powered organizing initiative aligned with the Democratic Party.”

The investment comes as Democrats for years have struggled in rural swaths of the country, a problem compounded by Donald Trump’s appeal to working class voters and Democratic messaging some in the party have argued is out of touch. The program — in which local parties typically receive at least $600 a quarter from Contest Every Race — involves tiny sums of money. But it also provides monthly trainings and free texting services, which can go a long way for small, mostly-volunteer parties in rural areas.

The group has applications for money from 1,200 local parties across all 50 states — nearly three times the number of local parties the group worked with in the run up to 2024. It said it will work in as many as possible, though battleground states will be prioritized.

“Democrats’ recent wins in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin didn’t happen by accident — they’re the result of relentless, year-round local organizing in places national Democrats too often ignore,” said Zoe Stein, Executive Director of Contest Every Race, in a statement.

Continue reading at Politico

House Democrat criticizes party’s focus on Abrego Garcia: ‘I don’t know if that’s the right issue’

In an interview Wednesday on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert,” Cuellar acknowledged the “due process questions” in Abrego Garcia’s case but said there were more pressing issues that constituents want Democrats to focus on.

Cuellar also recognized that some Democrats have been talking more about border security, but he suggested it struck him as inconsistent for Democrats to be then pushing for Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States.

“We’ve been talking about strong border security for so many years, and now, you know, there are Democrats who are talking about the border,” Cuellar said.

“But, with all due respect,” he continued, “when you’re talking about bringing somebody — and I know there were due process questions — that was in Maryland, and now El Salvador. I don’t know if that’s the right issue that Democrats should be focusing on right now.”

Continue reading at The Hill

National Security

Nothing to see here, yet…

Economics

Will Trump’s trade war usher in the end of dollar dominance?

A flight from U.S. financial assets prompted by President Trump’s trade war is subsiding as the White House appears increasingly keen to strike a new trade deal with top U.S. trading partner China.

But the damage to the U.S. dollar in its capacity as the world’s major reserve currency may already be done, which could end up boosting the administration’s plan to boost domestic manufacturing production, bolster U.S. industry, and alter global trade flows.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed Wednesday the “strong dollar policy” that puts the U.S. currency at the center of global finance and has been a pillar of U.S. economic policy planning since the 1970s.

But he also said that it was “natural” for the use of the dollar in that capacity to come down over time.

Continue reading at The Hill

Hassett on Trump tariffs: ‘Very optimistic about China’ and ‘especially optimistic’ about ‘everybody else’

National Economic Council (NEC) Director Kevin Hassett said on Wednesday that he was “very optimistic” about the potential for a trade deal with China, echoing President Trump’s tone shift in recent days.

In an interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Brian Kilmeade asked how close the U.S. is “to even starting to talk to China again,” remarking on the more positive tone from the president in the last two days.

“The president will announce when talks happen — if they happen,” Hassett responded, noting that whatever happens with China, “the president will decide, and he’ll announce it to the world first.”

But the White House is optimistic, Hassett said.

“It’s clear that the president and our team are open to talks. The Chinese have signaled that they’re open to talks,” Hassett said. “In addition, the president has mentioned that American government officials and Chinese government officials are talking every day about many things, and often current events come up.”

“But we’re very optimistic about China, and especially optimistic about just about everybody else,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

China says no tariff negotiations underway, contradicting Trump

China claimed that it is not actively engaged in the negotiating process over tariffs with the U.S., contradicting President Trump, who expressed confidence that he can strike a new trade deal with Beijing.

Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong said Thursday that any “claims about the progress of China-U.S. trade negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis.”

“China’s position is consistent, and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,” He told reporters during a press briefing.

Trump acknowledged that the additional 125 percent tariff he slapped on China earlier this month — paired with the existing 20 percent — was “very high” while signaling that he could forge a fresh trade agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now and could be with China, but maybe we’ll make a special — you know, a deal — and we will see what it will be. Right now, it’s at 145 percent, that’s very high,” he said Wednesday.

Continue reading at The Hill

‘Fighting crime blindfolded’: Europe is coming after encryption

Police have long wanted to read encrypted messages. They now have the backing of the EU’s top brass.

Youth gangs have wreaked havoc in Sweden and Denmark for months, with violence ranging from murders to explosions.

For Peter Hummelgaard, Denmark’s justice minister, it's not just guns and bombs that are causing mayhem. It's also the criminals' smartphones.

“We've seen a new trend of crime-as-a-service, where organized criminals use digital platforms to hire children and young people from Sweden to commit serious crimes in Denmark — murders, attempted murders, explosions,” Hummelgaard told POLITICO in an interview last month.

Technology has made it “far easier for criminals to reach a larger audience and also coordinate actions in real time,” the justice minister said, singling out crimes like spreading child pornography, money laundering, illicit drug smuggling — "or, as we've seen examples in Denmark and Sweden, recruitment of minors into a life of crime."

The smartphones and applications used by criminals to recruit, organize and carry out crime sprees are increasingly the target of European law enforcement and politicians alike. So-called end-to-end encrypted technology — a pillar of privacy-friendly and cybersecure digital communication — is seen as a foe by police and investigative authorities.

The technology is now coming under heavy fire across Europe.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Hounded by Wall Street, Trump tempers his populist rhetoric

The president has heard from all corners and appears to be listening. At least a little.

Donald Trump has described his trade war as a bold effort to prioritize Main Street concerns, the fulfilment of a promise to an American working class hurt by decades of globalization.

But Wall Street has his ear.

The president softened his hostile rhetoric toward China and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell this week following Monday’s market sell-off and pressure from some of the nation’s most important business interests.

The Chamber of Commerce has been warning the White House that the new trade levies will hammer small businesses that are less capable of reorienting their supply chains or front-loading their inventories, the Chamber’s executive vice president Neil Bradley said.

The CEOs of some of the nation’s largest retailers — Walmart, Target and Home Depot — also met with Trump at the White House this week, a White House official confirmed. Their concerns about supply chains echoed private pleas from some wealthy donors who have reached out to senior aides and, in some cases, to Trump directly, according to three people clo se to the administration.

Trump’s latest comments indicate that some of these arguments have been heard. And they’re another indication that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Cabinet member with the most credibility on Wall Street, has solidified his central role after helping persuade Trump to dial back his broader tariff regime two weeks ago.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump-honored economist says tariffs causing scariest period in his lifetime

Art Laffer, a conservative economist once praised by President Trump as brilliant and bold, blamed White House trade policy for the "most scary, in-flux" economic moment of his life.

Why it matters: Laffer, widely regarded as the father of supply-side economics, warned that tariffs and trade barriers could wreak havoc on America's economy.

What they're saying: "I don't know how anyone looking at the facts could argue that protectionism doesn't create downturns," Laffer told Axios in an interview on Wednesday, a few blocks from the White House.

• "The more protectionism there is, the greater the downturn. Reducing tariffs and protectionism causes a boom in the economy," he added.

Between the lines: Laffer is optimistic that Trump — who he called "a great negotiator" and the "single best president of his lifetime" — will notch trade deals and reduce tariffs.

• But the former Reagan-era economist is worried about the economic damage in the interim.

• "You will find out with whether I'm right to be scared or right to be hopeful probably in 90 days — there's not a lot of time," Laffer said, referring to the freeze on reciprocal tariffs until early July.

• "Once you screw around with supply chains, production facilities, all of that, it's very hard to reverse that," he said. "What you got here is something that is very time sensitive."

State of play: The White House in recent days has softened its tone on trade as financial markets stumbled — notably with China, which faces a tariff of 145% on U.S.-bound goods, the steepest rate of any trading partner.

• But Trump hinted on Wednesday that the U.S. might bring that rate down, even if China keeps its retaliatory rate on U.S. goods in place.

Continue reading at Axios

The world reckons with a risky dollar

The dollar smile — the longstanding dynamic where the dollar would rally in good times and bad — has been turned upside down.

Why it matters: The U.S. is no longer a safe haven. In fact, it's the country from which risk capital is now fleeing in times of turmoil.

The big picture: Ever since the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009, market strategists have tended to look at various different assets through an "RO/RO" lens.

• Times of bullish greed are viewed as "risk on," which means buying equities and credit. Times of bearish fear are seen as "risk off," which means buying Treasuries and the dollar (which, in practice, generally means buying very short-term Treasury bills).

• This time around, however, "risk off" days have seen sharp declines in Treasuries and the dollar, with those assets rising only on days when the stock market goes up. In other words, the dollar is now acting as a risk asset, rather than playing its normal role of safe haven.

Between the lines: "Abrupt and unilateral policy changes have shaken global confidence in American economic and security leadership, and US assets are paying the price," former U.S. Mint director Philip Diehl tells Axios, adding that fearful investors want to "sell the USA."

• Diehl, who is now president of the U.S. Money Reserve, a precious metals company, sees a "rush to gold for protection."

• That seems to be borne out in the price action for gold, which touched an all-time high just over $3,500 on Monday, up more than 25% this year.

Continue reading at Axios

Health and Science News

Key FDA drug data goes missing amid DOGE cuts

Food and Drug Administration databases that physicians and public health experts rely on for key drug safety and manufacturing information have been neglected due to DOGE-directed layoffs, leaving health professionals flying blind on basic questions about certain drugs they're prescribing, current and former FDA officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: Information gaps that have become a hallmark of the workforce reductions and the sweeping reorganization of federal health agencies under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are putting patient safety at risk, according to agency employees.

• "It's really a nightmare," said a current FDA official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. "Things that used to function are no longer functioning."

The big picture: The FDA not only reviews drugs for safety and efficacy but acts as a nerve center churning out information in real time when there are adverse events, quality problems or drug shortages.

• But in several recent instances, current and former officials said, databases didn't get updated promptly or were missing key information because there were no employees to maintain them.

• Such omissions have been unprecedented in recent times and create clear safety and quality issues, experts say.

• The FDA has previously referred all questions to Health and Human Services, which didn't response to requests for comment.

Zoom in: The FDA's drug database, which is updated when new drugs are approved, get labeling changes or are pulled from the market, has a growing amount of missing information, an FDA official who was laid off told Axios.

Continue reading at Axios

Driving with COVID linked to higher crash risk

Driving with a case of COVID raised the odds of having a car crash about as much as being at the legal threshold of DUI or running a red light, according to an analysis of pandemic-era public health and transportation records from seven states.

Why it matters: Even mild COVID infections can cause "brain fog" and other impairment, affecting a person's ability to concentrate, reason and solve problems.

• That's cause for warning people with COVID-19 that they should minimize driving, and even having states screen for long COVID at the time of license renewal, author Baran Erdik, a physician and professor at American Vision University, wrote in PLOS Global Public Health.

What they found: Driving while infected with COVID, as measured by a PCR lab test, brought a 25% increase in crash risk.

• That is comparable to the rates associated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% — or the legal threshold for driving under the influence in many states.

• It's also consistent with odds linked to habitual speeding or running red lights.

• Being vaccinated didn't appear to deliver added protection against crashes. Some earlier studies that have linked vaccine hesitancy with a higher risk of accidents.

Between the lines: The increase in crash risk was driven by recent infections and not connected to long COVID rates.

Continue reading at Axios

Pope Francis, the isolated climate moralist

In the weeks before his death, Francis repeated a decade-old plea for a break from both Trumpian greed and the left’s economic rationalism.

Nearly 10 years ago, Pope Francis released a brutal diagnosis of climate change: It was a profound failure of human morality.

Read today, in the week of his death, the pamphlet feels both more distant and more urgent than ever. Its message of unity and healing with nature is worlds away from today’s discourse of clashing greed, national competition and climate-trashing populism in places like the U.S. and his homeland of Argentina.

Francis’ intent was revolutionary. “There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself,” he wrote in Laudato Si’ (Praise Be to You).

But such a clear moral position is rarely heard today from climate leaders and champions — many of whom praised Francis this week as a patron saint of their cause.

The pope’s words arrived at a high point for climate morality. The Paris Agreement, which came six months after the encyclical, emerged from countries partially setting aside national interests in deference to a common good. Several years later, Greta Thunberg’s outrage that future generations would pay for the costs of fossil fuels cut through — for a while.

Now, Donald Trump’s administration is waging an all-out assault on climate work and a more Hobbesian, everyone-for-themselves mentality is taking hold worldwide. Those still waving the climate flag have largely restricted themselves to a rational, self-interested argument: Fighting climate change means economic growth.

Francis, who took his pope name from the nature-loving Saint Francis of Assisi, could barely contain his scorn for what he saw as the smallness of this approach.

He said that a narrow cult of technocracy and progress had come to dominate the landscape of human thought. The negative side effects — including the breakdown of the natural systems that sustain human society — were ignored because people had become blind to their links to the planet and its other lifeforms.

Continue reading at Politico

Polling- Surveys

Trouble signs emerge for Trump in DDHQ/The Hill polling average

President Trump has seen his favorability ratings start to take a hit in the first three months of his presidency amid growing criticism of his handling of the economy and various controversies, according to the initial polling averages from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill.

The averages show that Trump is currently underwater after starting his term in January with a net positive approval rating. DDHQ/The Hill’s average had his approval rating above 50 percent for the first days of his presidency. By late April, his average approval rating had fallen under 45 percent.

The averages suggest Trump could fall deeper underwater as he reaches the 100-day mark next week.

“The Democrats should be cautiously optimistic,” said Scott Tranter, the director of data science for DDHQ. “They’re having a very good batting practice, but we haven’t reached the first inning of the game yet.

“The Republicans, they’re not having the greatest start,” he added. “It’s not as bad as the first quarter was, in terms of this favorability, approval rating from the first term. So he’s doing better than the first term. And there’s quite a bit to play out in over the next 18 months.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Voters warn Trump: MAGA, but not like this

In less than 100 days, President Trump has squandered his polling strength on the two issues most fundamental to his re-election: the economy and immigration.

Why it matters: Trump's approval rating is cratering not because voters reject his goals — but because they're increasingly alarmed by his methods. That disconnect threatens to collapse the two most durable pillars of his political brand.

1. On the economy, the single most decisive issue of the 2024 election, Trump's polling has never been worse.

• A Reuters/Ipsos poll out Wednesday found 37% of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy — his lowest rating ever, going back to the start of his first presidency.

• A Pew Research Center survey found Trump's overall approval rating has fallen to 40%, while confidence in his economic leadership has dropped to 45% — the lowest since tracking began in 2019.

• New Gallup polling out this week showed that a majority of Americans, for the first time since at least 2001, believe their economic situation is worsening.

2. On immigration, Trump is in a relatively stronger position — but cracks are starting to emerge.

• Despite a sealed-off border and a wave of high-profile deportations, Trump is now barely above water on his best issue, according to an average of polls by data journalist G. Elliott Morris.

Continue reading at Axios

Gen Z increasingly listens to peers over doctors for health advice

Share who say they have disregarded a provider's medical advice in favor of other sources

Young adults around the world are increasingly taking health decisions into their own hands, according to new global survey results from communications firm Edelman.

Why it matters: Adults under age 35, many who've come of age since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still rely on their individual providers to help with medical choices. But they're also seeking information on their own more than ever.

• "Younger adults have truly created their own health ecosystem with how they're looking for information, who they trust, what they're doing with health information," said Courtney Gray Haupt, global chief operating officer and U.S. health sector chair at Edelman.

What they found: In all age groups, but especially among adults younger than age 35, peer-driven health care decisions surged between 2024 and 2025.

• 45% of adults age 18 to 34 said they've disregarded their health provider's guidance in favor of information from a friend or family member in the past year — a 13-point increase from the previous year.

• 38% of young adults said they've ignored their provider in favor of advice from social media, a 12-point increase from the year before.

• Edelman surveyed more than 16,000 people across 16 countries in March.

Zoom in: Credentials and institutional credence are becoming less important to health care consumers — especially younger ones.

Continue reading at Axios

The Courts / Legal

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

Reporting Highlights

• Emails Revealed: Court records show emails between Ed Martin and an ally urging online criticism of a judge handling a case he was involved in, which experts say is an ethical violation.

• Legal Payouts: Martin’s actions have led to more than $600,000 in legal settlements or judgments against Martin or his employers, much of that not previously reported.

• Politicized Prosecutions: Martin has reshaped the office to reflect Trump’s priorities, firing or demoting prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and targeting Trump’s critics with legal threats.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

The attacks on Judge John Barberis in the fall of 2016 appeared on his personal Facebook page. They impugned his ethics, criticized a recent ruling and branded him as a “politician” with the “LOWEST rating for a judge in Illinois.”

Barberis, a state court judge in an Illinois county across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, was presiding over a nasty legal battle for control over the Eagle Forum, the vaunted grassroots group founded by Phyllis Schlafly, matriarch of the anti-feminist movement. The case pitted Schlafly’s youngest daughter against three of her sons, almost like a Midwest version of the HBO program “Succession” (without the obscenities).

At the heart of the dispute — and the lead defendant in the case — was Ed Martin, a lawyer by training and a political operative by trade. In Missouri, where he was based, Martin was widely known as an irrepressible gadfly who trafficked in incendiary claims and trailed controversy wherever he went. Today, he’s the interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., and one of the most prominent members of the Trump Justice Department.

In early 2015, Schlafly had selected Martin to succeed her as head of the Eagle Forum, a crowning moment in Martin’s career. Yet after just a year in charge, the group’s board fired Martin. Schlafly’s youngest daughter, Anne Schlafly Cori, and a majority of the Eagle Forum board filed a lawsuit to bar Martin from any association with the organization.

After Barberis dealt Martin a major setback in the case in October 2016, the attacks began. The Facebook user who posted them, Priscilla Gray, had worked in several roles for Schlafly but was not a party to the case, and her comments read like those of an aggrieved outsider.

Almost two years later, the truth emerged as Cori’s lawyers gathered evidence for her lawsuit: Behind the posts about the judge was none other than Martin.

ProPublica obtained previously unreported documents filed in the case that show Martin had bought a laptop for Gray and that she subsequently offered to “happily write something to attack this judge.” And when she did, Martin ghostwrote more posts for her to use and coached her on how to make her comments look more “organic.”

Continue reading at ProPublica

DOJ charges alleged high-ranking Tren de Aragua gang member with terrorism charges

The DOJ said the five-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday against Jose Enrique Martinez Florez, also known as “Chuqui.” He is 24 and has been charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as conspiracy and distribution in Columbia with intent for the U.S.

“According to information presented to the court, Flores is a high-ranking TdA leader in Bogota, Colombia and is part of the inner circle of senior TdA leadership,” the DOJ said in its release. “Flores also allegedly caused the delivery of approximately five kilograms or more of cocaine for international distribution, proceeds that were used to further TdA’s criminal goals.”

The charges stem from a larger push from the Trump administration to crack down on the Venezuelan gang, commonly called TdA.

“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Anti-DEI-Whitewashing

Nothing to see here, yet.

General News

Musk does damage control after Tesla earnings plunge

Elon Musk is in damage control mode at Tesla as the company’s disappointing earnings force the tech billionaire to reevaluate his focus between his businesses and role in the Trump administration.

Faced with a 71-percent plunge in first-quarter earnings, the Tesla CEO tried to assure investors Tuesday he will soon spend less time working on President Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting efforts and focus more on his company.

“Starting probably in [the] next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said at the start of Tesla’s earnings call Tuesday.

Musk’s special government status is set to end May 30, though there have been open questions about how long his White House presence would last. The billionaire made clear Tuesday he is at a crossroads amid ongoing backlash over DOGE.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump crashes the home stretch of Canada’s election

With just days to go, “51st state” talk ensures the president is front and center of the campaign.

Days before Canada votes in a national election, President Donald Trump is talking again about its status as a 51st state — an Oval Office aside almost certain to boost the three-term Liberals in their quest for a fourth mandate.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that Canada would “cease to exist” without the U.S. He also suggested he could further raise the 25 percent tariffs he’s imposed on Canadian autos.

“They took a large percentage of the car making, and I want to bring it back to this country. I really don’t want cars from Canada, so when I put tariffs on Canada — they’re paying 25 percent — but that could go up in terms of cars,” the president told reporters. “I’d rather see them made in Michigan and made in South Carolina and made in other states, Tennessee.”

Trump has been front and center in Canada’s 37-day campaign that overlaps with the opening days of a trade war that could decimate the Canadian economy.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said that if he wins on Monday, he’ll have the president on the horn in a hurry.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, the current prime minister, has warned repeatedly that Trump is out to change the world economy. “What he’s trying to do to Canada — he’s trying to break us, so the U.S. can own us,” he’s said repeatedly on the campaign trail.

For most Canadians, the ballot box question is which leader is better to take on Trump.

Continue reading at Politico

Italy harbors doubts about hitting 2 percent NATO target

Rome outwardly says it can easily reach politically unpopular defense spending targets without cutting vital services.

ROME — Italy’s government is privately unsure that its plan to reach NATO’s defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP will pass muster, despite public assurances to the contrary.

The government has said it will be able to reclassify existing civil expenditures to reach that target — but two Italian officials familiar with the budget discussion believe this may not convince the European Commission or NATO.

The uncertainty comes amid ongoing pressure from Washington that NATO members fork over as much as 5 percent of their annual gross domestic product for defense.

Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said earlier this week that Italy would be able to raise its defense expenditure to 2 percent of GDP by the end of 2025 by including the costs of existing defense-adjacent infrastructure, such as the financial police and the coast guard.

That would allow Italy to avoid increasing its defense expenditures in absolute terms, which would risk diverting resources from other politically sensitive services such as the country’s flailing healthcare system.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Britain’s Tories brace for another electoral disaster

Local elections pose a steep test for the Conservative leadership of Kemi Badenoch, despite wide disapproval of the Labour government.

LONDON — The Western world’s most successful political party is steeling itself for a second electoral wipeout in 10 months.

Pollsters are widely predicting Britain’s Conservative Party will lose hundreds of councillors in next week’s local elections as millions of Brits go to the polls.

This would mean that, despite an unpopular Labour government polling at historically low numbers, the Tories are likely to become the biggest loser on May 1 thanks to Britain’s local council electoral cycle.

It comes after the Tories crashed to their worst general election performance in modern history in July as the party, under Rishi Sunak’s stewardship, was booted out of power by Keir Starmer’s Labour after 14 years.

But while the party’s MPs and apparatchiks were in despair in the lead-up to last year’s general election, there appears to be a sense of begrudging acceptance this time around.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has been spending the past week heavily managing expectations, telling the BBC this week that the elections will be “very difficult for the Conservatives.”

Despite this, MPs from all wings of the party say there is no appetite to cause problems for Badenoch or to seriously question her position.

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Iran’s exiled ‘crown prince’ calls for mass labor strikes to topple regime

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, tells POLITICO the West must create a “strike fund” to support civil resistance and paralyze the government.

LONDON — Western governments should create a “strike fund” to support a wave of industrial action across Iran that will paralyze the state and hasten the end of the regime, according to the son of the country’s former leader.

Reza Pahlavi, whose father was the last shah of Iran and was ousted in the 1979 revolution, believes Donald Trump’s nuclear talks with Tehran will fail to deliver peace in the region. But he sees a chance for America and Europe to help the country’s grassroots opposition to overthrow its clerical rulers from within.

In recent years, anger at the regime’s repression and economic mismanagement have boiled over in unusually large public protests. Tehran’s standing across the Middle East has also been heavily dented by the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and by Israel’s devastating strikes against Hamas and Hezbollah.

With Iran on the back foot, Pahlavi saw an opportunity for Western powers to intensify support for the regime’s opponents and potential defectors. In an interview with POLITICO, he called for cash to be released to help people engage in peaceful civil resistance, with a series of “organized labor strikes that could paralyze the system and force it to collapse.”

Continue reading at Politico Europe

Jeff Bezos Didn’t Change. DC Did.

Not long ago, Washington dreamed that Jeff Bezos would become the king of the Beltway. Then the rules changed.

Michael Schaffer is a senior editor and columnist at POLITICO Magazine. He has covered national and local politics for over 20 years and spent seven years as editor-in-chief of the Washingtonian. His Capital City column chronicles the inside conversations and big trends shaping Washington politics.

It’s hard to remember now, but there was a time when people in Washington were positively giddy about Jeff Bezos’ new mansion on S Street.

In 2016, not long after acquiring The Washington Post, the Amazon founder set his eyes on a 17,000-foot former museum designed by the architect of the Jefferson Memorial. Soon after buying it for $23 million in cash, he set about renovating it to host parties, following in the footsteps of an iconic Post predecessor.

“What he’s going to do is revive the legacy of Kay Graham and her great socializing — bringing smart, interesting people together in a social context,” Jean Case, who with her husband Steve was an old friend of Bezos and his then wife, said at the time.

It was a prediction that a certain stratum of D.C. very much wanted to believe. The idea of a world-transforming industrialist running the political city’s salon flattered establishment Washington’s perennial hunger for social validation: See, we’re not just a bunch of ill-dressed policy wonks!

The validation never arrived. While Bezos entertained a couple of times early on, the place is usually so lifeless that one Kalorama neighbor told me she still remembers the day there were three cars in the driveway. “Almost all the time it’s dark,” said Marie Drissel, another neighbor. “My guess is he’s there four or five nights a year.” She’s only laid eyes on her famous neighbor once in nine years.

You get the same feeling across the Potomac in Arlington, Va. That’s where Amazon, which Bezos still chairs, was supposed to bring up to 50,000 jobs at a new headquarters that boosters said would herald an epic transformation of the entire region. Virginia’s victory in the high-profile competition for a new headquarters thrilled locals, in large part because it assuaged another perennial Washington insecurity: A bona fide capitalist headquarters would undercut the fear that this is nothing but a government town.

Continue reading at Politico

Economic Analysis

Economist Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Could Trump Really Break America?

It was my privilege yesterday to host Justin Wolfers on my weekly Let’s Do Lunch econ Q&A over at the Contrarian (which is the place to be on Tues at noon ET, btw). The majority of the questions, at least the ones not about Aussie politics, were some variation on the title of this post. Can Trump fire Powell? What happens if creditors just stop lending …

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 6 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Allow me to bring to your attention...

I got so many good recommendations about things to watch, read, and listen to, I decided to keep it going and talk podcasts. The bar is low in that space, which isn’t a bad thing, but time being precious, the bar should be high…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Weekly Wrap: Learning the Right Lessons from the Trade War, UI Claims, and a Necessary (Non-econ!) New Feature

I yield to no one—NO ONE—in my disdain for Trump’s trade war…

Read more

a year ago · 25 likes · 20 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Three Important Data Points: 2 Bad; 1 Good

Housing starts tumbled last month, down 11.4%, well below expectations, led by a 14.2% negative spike in single-family starts…

Read more

a year ago · 16 likes · 3 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Data_Note: Trade War Frontrunners Boost March Retail Sales

Retail sales rose a solid 1.4% last month, a big bounce back from last month’s 0.2% and a tick above expectations (1.3%). Some clues in the report suggest consumers may way have been spending freely in March in order to front-run the coming price pressures from tariffs…

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 5 comments · Jared Bernstein

Economist Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Tariffs

The Trump tariff story keeps getting crazier. It may seem like ancient history now, but it was just over three weeks ago that Donald Trump gave us “Liberation Day,” a set of massive tariffs on imports from almost every country in the world, including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands off the coast of Antarctica…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump’s Chaos May Allow for New Thinking on Patent and Copyrights

Twenty years ago, I was jumping up and down yelling and screaming about the huge housing bubble and warning that its collapse would give us a bad recession. I turned out to be right. That’s not a good story. It would have been better for the country and the world if I had been wrong, but reality is what it is, and we are best off trying to recognize it…

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Growth Leaves Trump’s MAGA USA in the Dust

The International Monetary Fund just released its growth projections for 2025, as well as the next five years. It’s not a very good picture for Donald Trump’s economic plans. The I.M.F. projects the U.S. economy will grow just 1.8 percent from 2024 to 2025. It looks even worse for next year, with growth projected to slow further to 1.7 percent…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Iron Dome Technology: Elon Musk’s License to Steal Taxpayer Dollars

Donald Trump and Elom Musk are making corruption and graft the main business of the U.S. government. They have fired all the cops who might try to rein them in and attacked any of the judges, politicians, or reporters who object to them stealing everything in sight…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump Derails Manufacturing Boom on Day One

Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices on day one of his new term in office. He also promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Neither of those quite panned out. But it looks like he might accomplish something not on his list, he quickly ended the manufacturing boom he inherited from President Biden…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Economy and Silliness on Deflation

It’s hard to be an economic nerd when we have a wannabe dictator working overtime to destroy democracy in America, but it is necessary just to beat back nonsense about the problems China’s economy faces. For the second time in less than a month the New York Times had a major…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Economist Mike Konczal

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

In which we dive into the labor market of 2024 and the question of whether an increase in health care jobs is evidence of or justification for a recession.

“Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's current actions represent the most harmful response possible to any underlying economic slowdown.”

Rortybomb

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's …

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

As global supply chains fray and the economy veers towards recession, the Federal Reserve faces a different spin on a recent problem — one it can’t fully fix.

Rortybomb

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

Summary…

Read more

a year ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

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Yesterday's post

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I publish this daily news post, updated all throughout the day (and night), every day. I publish it free to all because it is more important to me to keep us all informed

Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

Leaked Budget Document Confirms Axed CDC Offices

— Two key CDC journals also on the chopping block

A leaked HHS budget documentopens in a new tab or window confirms that a number of CDC offices are eliminated in their entirety, as the Trump administration sets out to refocus the agency on infectious diseases.

It also proposes to eliminate two CDC journals: Emerging Infectious Diseases and Preventing Chronic Disease. Funding for CDC's flagship weekly journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reportopens in a new tab or window, however, would be preserved.

The administration wants to "refocus CDC on emerging and infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, preparedness and response, and maintaining the Nation's public health infrastructure," according to the document, which was first sharedopens in a new tab or window by MedPage Today editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust, MD.

"Realigning our focus to better address infectious disease outbreaks and leveraging data to drive more efficient responses is not inherently a bad thing -- in fact, it's necessary," one current HHS executive told MedPage Today. "We must significantly improve our ability to protect Americans from future outbreaks. However, the pace and scale of these changes, combined with limited expert input on what capabilities are needed now and in the near future, raise serious concerns."

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion would be eliminated, ending all programs in the center, according to the document. MedPage Today previously reported that entire teams and divisions within this center were eliminated in the April Fool's Day layoffs, including the Division of Population Healthopens in a new tab or window, the Office of Smoking and Healthopens in a new tab or window, and teams in the Division of Reproductive Healthopens in a new tab or window.

Funding for CDC's Global Health Center is also eliminated, according to the document.

Continue reading at MedPageToday

Today's news

Democratic News Corner

Newsom on Democrats: ‘I don’t know what the party is’

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is accusing the Democratic Party of not yet performing a thorough autopsy on what went wrong in its devastating loss of the White House and Senate majority in November.

In an exclusive sit-down interview with The Hill on Monday, Newsom said that if the party wants to find its way back from the wilderness, it has to be willing to look inward at what led to the losses – and the failure to win back the House majority.

“We have not done a forensic of what just went wrong, period, full stop,” Newsom said. “I don’t think it, I know it. I mean, to the extent that I’m marginally part of this party, I represent the state larger than 21 state populations combined and I can assure you there’s not been a party discussion that I’m aware of that has included the state of California.

Later in the interview, Newsom said he wasn’t sure what the Democratic Party truly represents, who is leading it or where it wants to go.

“I don’t know what the party is,” he said. “I’m still struggling with that.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Why Dems ‘keep talking about due process’ in the case of man mistakenly deported to El Salvador

Democrats are lining up to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia, despite immigration politics traditionally favoring Republicans.

Democrats have a plan for fighting President Donald Trump over the most high-profile deportation case in recent history: Don’t make it about immigration.

As the party lines up to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, Democrats are emphasizing due process and the rule of law — side-stepping the thornier intricacies of immigration policy that have served as a drag on their party for years.

It’s part of a calibrated approach that Democrats are betting will keep the debate focused on the Trump administration’s refusal to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States, after a federal judge ordered them to “facilitate” his return and the Supreme Court upheld the decision. In interviews with nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers and strategists, they said the real-life implications of Trump’s deportation of the native Salvadoran offer an opening to turn what could be an esoteric argument about democratic rights into a vivid cautionary tale.

Continue reading at Politico

Moderates couldn’t beat Barbara Lee — but they’re not done

A network of wealthy interests swung hard and missed. But they say they’re here to stay.

OAKLAND, California — Former Rep. Barbara Lee was still trailing a moderate challenger on election night when a progressive ally stepped to the mic and highlighted the larger stakes in the mayoral contest.

“These big-money people, they are here to stay,” Oakland City Council Member Carroll Fife warned a crowd of Lee supporters in downtown Oakland, who had gathered as polls closed in a special election to replace the recalled former mayor. “They want to take your city from you, take your voice from you.”

Lee prevailed in the end, vaulting past her more centrist Democratic opponent, Loren Taylor, as late-arriving votes broke decisively for the longtime progressive standard-bearer. Her unity-focused message, widespread name recognition, and formidable political coalition propelled her across the finish line. She takes office in May.

Continue reading at Politico

Jeffries leading delegation to Denmark to discuss ‘geopolitical status of Greenland’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to visit Denmark amid U.S. tensions with the nation and its territory Greenland, he announced Tuesday.

Jeffries said lawmakers will discuss “the continued importance of the NATO alliance and the geopolitical status of Greenland.”

Reps. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), and Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa) will join Jeffries on the trip.

The group is also scheduled to stop for talks in the United Kingdom and Middle East during a time of “global uncertainty.”

President Trump has expressed a desire to annex Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, calling it an “absolute necessity” for national security to combat the presence of China and Russia in the region. Leaders in Greenland and Denmark have sharply pushed back.

Jeffries in January also criticized what he characterized as Trump’s “obsession” with the idea of the U.S. taking over Greenland.

Continue reading at The Hill

Schumer demands details on DOGE savings claims

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is demanding proof of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) savings claims, accusing DOGE and the linked Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in a letter of “stubbornly refus[ing] to release any information” about at least one of the canceled contracts that allegedly cut federal spending by millions.

“The lack of cooperation from both agencies is troubling,” Schumer wrote in the letter to OPM Director Charles Ezell on Tuesday. “The public has a right to access documents concerning DOGE’s reported savings. Such documents must be readily available to ensure these claimed savings are real, legitimate and truly beneficial to taxpayers.”

DOGE, effectively led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has posted a “Wall of Receipts” online listing nearly 8,500 government contracts that it says it canceled for a combined savings of $30 billion.

Schumer specifically cited DOGE’s claims that more than $318 million in savings came from canceling a request for bids on a contract to “provide human resources” through OPM. OPM hasn’t supplied documents to show that it was seeking proposals for such a contract, and one doesn’t appear in federal databases of solicitations, The New York Times reported on April 13.

Continue reading at The Hill

Warren pressed over defense of Biden’s mental acuity in podcast interview

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) maintained in a recent interview that she shared what she “believed to be true” when defending then-President Biden’s mental acuity during the 2024 presidential race.

Warren was pressed about her past comments in an interview on the “Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso” podcast, where the host asked the Democratic senator if she had any “regret” over defending Biden’s mental ability.

“I said what I believed to be true,” Warren said in the interview released Sunday.

“You think he was as sharp as you?” Fragoso responded.

“I said I had not seen decline, and I hadn’t, at that point,” the Massachusetts Democrat replied.

Continue reading at The Hill

National Security

‘Signalgate 2.0’ is ‘indefensible’: Former NATO chief

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis on Monday called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reported sharing of military information in a group chat with family members “indefensible.”

“He’s a former major in the U.S. Army. He was trained throughout his time as a junior officer to protect and guard the nation’s secrets. He’s got to know that he has failed to do that,” Stavridis told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on “CNN News Central.”

“And let’s face it Boris, if Signalgate 1.0 was a release to a group of high-ranking officials, which it was, and got leaked inadvertently to a member of the media, so we saw exactly what was on it. Here we are at Signalgate 2.0, where evidently, if the reporting is correct, very similar level, but now it’s going to unclassified individuals who lack the need to know any of this. So, it’s gone from outrageous to truly egregious. And it’s conduct that, frankly, is indefensible,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Schiff asks National Archives to investigate Trump officials’ Signal use

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to investigate Trump administration officials’ use of Signal and other third-party messaging applications.

Schiff, a frequent critic of President Trump, urged NARA to make sure the messages sent over the encrypted messaging app by Trump officials are preserved and warned that, apart from national security concerns, utilizing Signal “creates profound risk of non-compliance with document preservation.”

“I write to request that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) take immediate action to preserve records and pursue remedial measures in connection with the use of Signal and other commercial messaging applications and email by Trump Administration Officials,” Schiff wrote in a four-page Monday letter.

Continue reading at The Hill

Fired Pentagon adviser says foreign policy views cost him position

A top Pentagon adviser, who was fired last week alongside two other top Defense Department (DOD) officials, said during a recent interview that his foreign policy views, particularly regarding the Middle East, played a part in losing his role at the Pentagon.

Dan Caldwell, who served as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s senior adviser and was terminated as part of the department’s ongoing probe into information leaks at the Pentagon, said on Tucker Carlson’s podcast that his opposition to the U.S.’s potential attack on Iran facilitated his ouster.

“And of course, I have some views about the role of America in the world, you know, as we discussed, little controversial, all of us in our ways threatened really established interests,” Caldwell said on “The Tucker Carlson Show” that aired on Monday. He was referring to Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick, the two other top DOD political appointees who were ousted last week.

“We threatened a lot of established interests inside the building and outside the building,” the Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Hegseth says staffers found leaking ‘will be prosecuted’ amid Pentagon chaos

The Defense secretary has faced increased scrutiny as reports of disorder engulf the Pentagon.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said staffers found to be leaking from within the Pentagon “will be prosecuted,” as the embattled Cabinet secretary seeks to fend off reports of turmoil from within his department.

Hegseth’s push to investigate leaks at the DOD comes as he faces heightened scrutiny for disarray under his leadership at the Pentagon and is part of a broader administration effort to quash leaks across government agencies.

“We’re going to investigate and when we investigate, we’ll take it anywhere it leads,” Hegseth told Brian Kilmeade of “Fox and Friends” on Tuesday morning, referencing “a series of serious leaks at the Pentagon” that had prompted a Defense Department investigation, including information related to Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to a Pentagon briefing.

“When that evidence is gathered sufficiently — and this has all happened very quickly — it will be handed over to [the Justice Department], and those people will be prosecuted if necessary,” Hegseth said. (Hegseth was previously a “Fox and Friends” host before taking the top Pentagon job.)

Chaos at the Pentagon has quickly spiraled in recent days, with three top officials who were removed in relation to leak probes claiming that they “have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with.”

Continue reading at Politico

Hegseth's siege mentality

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is locked in open warfare with his own Pentagon, a hotbed of distrust and dysfunction that commands the most powerful military on the face of the Earth.

Why it matters: No Trump Cabinet official has endured more turmoil in less time than Hegseth, who survived a nasty confirmation battle only to be burned — again and again — by leaks, blunders and now backlash from his own handpicked aides.

• President Trump so far is standing firmly behind Hegseth, a former Fox News host tapped to lead a radical overhaul of the largest and most complex agency in the U.S. government.

• But inside the Pentagon, the knives are out — testing Trump's tolerance for chaos when it's not his own.

Zoom in: Hegseth, whose on-camera talent helped endear him to Trump, lashed out Monday when asked about new reports that he shared sensitive military plans in a second Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.

• Just days earlier, three top Pentagon officials — including two of Hegseth's closest aides — were fired after an investigation into alleged leaks. All three vigorously deny the accusations.

• "What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax," Hegseth said at the White House Easter Egg Roll.

"This is what the media does," he continued, turning to look directly into the camera.

Continue reading at Axios

Hegseth pulled strike information from secure military channel for Signal posts: Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pulled information he shared on Signal group chats from secure messages from a top American general in the Middle East, NBC News reported Tuesday.

The sensitive military details, which he shared using his personal phone, were initially sent to Hegseth by U.S. Central Command head Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla minutes before U.S. fighter jets took off for strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis, three U.S. officials told NBC News.

Using a secure U.S. government system, Kurilla sent details about when the American fighters would take off and when they would hit their targets, keeping Hegseth in the loop.

Two sources told NBC that Hegseth less than 10 minutes after receiving the information sent some of it to two Signal group chats — one composed of Trump administration Cabinet officials, their designees, and, mistakenly, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic; and another that included Hegseth’s family and personal lawyer, among others in his inner circle.

Hegseth shared the information on Signal days after an aide warned him to take caution and not send sensitive information on unsecure communications systems, two people told NBC.

Continue reading at The Hill

Inside the vicious rivalries tearing apart Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon

A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

When President Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, incoming officials knew they’d need to surround the inexperienced Fox News host with accomplished staff who could handle the nation’s largest bureaucracy. Hegseth would be the show horse, they figured, and others at the top would keep the Pentagon on track.

What happened was the opposite. Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into vicious rivals for power — whose bitter brawl has now unraveled into revenge power plays, surprise firings, accusations of leaking and embarrassing headlines that are blowing up the Pentagon, distracting from Trump’s agenda and possibly jeopardizing Hegseth’s job.

Many administration feuds are driven by ideological or factional differences, splitting old-school conservatives from MAGA headliners and “America First” activists. That does not appear to be the case here: This one is all about personality conflict, according to interviews with nine current and former Defense Department officials as well as others close to the feud, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive political issue. Hegseth’s closest advisers privately jockeyed for influence, creating festering distrust and gamesmanship that has rocked the world’s premier defense agency.

The extent of the feud, which has been previously unreported, helps explain the chaos that has eclipsed the Defense Department in recent weeks. And it affirms skeptics’ concerns that Hegseth lacked the management experience to run a large organization.

“There’s just a lot of tension, there’s a lot of bad blood,” said a person with knowledge of the feud. “And there’s a lot of people trying to assert dominance in an area where it’s very hard to do without cutting somebody else.”

Continue reading at Politico

Economics

Trump tariffs will throttle US, global economies: IMF

Century-high tariff levels imposed by President Trump are expected to take a bite out of global economic growth this year, International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists said Tuesday.

The IMF downgraded its projection for global gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 2.8 percent growth in 2025, down from a forecast of 3.3 percent in January.

U.S. growth projections were marked down to 1.8 percent growth from 2.7 percent growth, and expectations for the output of advanced economies were pulled down to 1.4 percent from 1.9 percent.

The markdown reflects “tariff rates to levels not seen in a century and a highly unpredictable environment,” IMF economists said.

Following the announcement of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, additional China-specific tariffs on April 9, and various other trade taxes that have gone into effect since January, the U.S. effective tariff rate is now at about 25 percent.

The IMF said global economic conditions had nearly normalized following the pandemic disruptions starting in 2020 that led to a wave of global inflation and political unrest, but trade policies were ushering in a new era of uncertainty.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump edges closer to crossing the market's reddest line

President Trump is toeing an economic red line that few before him have dared even consider crossing.

Why it matters: The mere possibility that Trump could erode the Federal Reserve's independence has been enough to unnerve investors and tank the stock market.

• Trump risks plunging the global financial system into crisis if that threat becomes a reality and he attempts to remove Fed chair Jerome Powell or undermine his authority.

Driving the news: Trump demanded "major loser" Powell preemptively cut interest rates "NOW," in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

• Last week Trump said Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough;" his top economic advisor Kevin Hassett also told reporters the White House was investigating whether firing the Fed chair was an option.

• Late Monday, the Republican head of the House's Fed task force told Axios that Congress needed to protect the central bank's independence. "I don't know that we need any extra excitement in the markets right now," Rep. Frank Lucas said.

What they're saying: "Were Powell to be fired, the initial reaction would be a huge injection of volatility into financial markets, and the most dramatic rush to the exit from US assets that it is possible to imagine," Michael Brown, a market analyst at brokerage firm Pepperstone, wrote in a recent note.

The big picture: It's easy to imagine why a president would want low interest rates and cheap money policies that help juice the economy.

Continue reading at Axios

Where the most young adults live with their parents

Chart: Share of those ages 25 to 34 living with their parents, as of 2023

California and Texas are home to the major U.S. metro areas with the greatest shares of young adults living with their parents, a recent analysis finds.

Why it matters: While living at home as a young adult is sometimes viewed negatively as a "failure to launch," it can also reflect economic realities, cultural preferences, caregiving needs, and other factors.

The big picture: Nearly 18% of U.S. adults aged 25-34 were living in a parent's home as of 2023, per a Pew Research Center analysis of census data.

• That's down a bit after steadily increasing from 2000-2017, a period marked by multiple financial crises that changed the leaving-home calculus for many young adults.

Zoom in: Vallejo, California (33%), Oxnard, California (32.8%) and Brownsville, Texas (30.5%) have the highest shares of young adults living with their parents among U.S. metros with at least 250,000 residents, per Pew.

• Lincoln, Nebraska (2.9%); Springfield, Missouri (6.7%) and Utica, New York (7.8%) have the smallest shares.

Between the lines: Metros with more white young adults than average tend to have lower-than-average shares of young adults overall living with their parents.

Continue reading at Axios

White House is ‘close’ on Japan, India tariff agreements — but expect them to be light on specifics

One person close to the White House said that it “may take months to hammer out the final deals.”

The White House is closing in on general agreements with Japan and India to stave off massive U.S. tariffs, but they are likely to leave many of the thorny details to be hashed out at a later date.

In the absence of full-fledged trade deals, administration officials are working to ink what three people close to the White House described as “memorandums of understanding” or a broad “architecture” for future deals. They were granted anonymity to discuss the details of internal deliberations.

It “may take months to hammer out the final deals,” said one of the people, conceding, “these things are complicated.”

It’s the clearest sign yet of how President Donald Trump and his top economic officials plan to tackle the gargantuan task they have bitten off: negotiating individual agreements with more than 60 trading partners to head off the steep tariffs the president has threatened to impose in early July. And it shows an awareness within the White House that they need to do more to reassure businesses and financial markets that they have an endgame in sight for the trade wars that have rocked the global economy — and could inflict even more pain in the coming months.

Continue reading at Politico

Tesla earnings plunge 71 percent in first quarter

Tesla’s quarterly earnings dropped by 71 percent, the company announced Monday, marking the latest sign of bad news for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle manufacturer as scrutiny of the tech billionaire persists.

The electric vehicle company reported a 9 percent decline in revenue for the first three months of this year. Its earnings totaled $409 million, down from $1.4 billion in the first quarter of last year, the company said.

Tesla’s stock closed Tuesday afternoon at $238 a share, a nearly 37 percent drop from the beginning of the year.

It is expected to host an earnings call with investors at 5:30 pm EDT.

Continue reading at The Hill

Democratic state treasurers to Tesla: Musk is distracted as stock sinks

Eight Democratic state treasurers on Tuesday pressed the chair of Tesla’s board about the company’s faltering performance, raising questions about whether Elon Musk is devoting enough time to his electric vehicle (EV) firm amid his work in the Trump administration.

In a letter to Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm, the treasurers voiced concerns that the company’s recent difficulties indicate “deeper governance and leadership challenges” that could ultimately impact their states.

“CEO Elon Musk continues to divide his attention across multiple companies and a high-profile advisory role within the federal government,” they wrote. “These external commitments raise serious questions about whether Tesla’s leadership is fully engaged in addressing the company’s core challenges.”

The added, “If Tesla falters, the effects won’t be confined to shareholders—they will ripple through regional economies, workforce pipelines, and public confidence in the energy transition.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Stocks close with gains as White House signals trade progress with China

U.S. stock markets closed with solid gains Tuesday as traders bought into the idea that President Trump’s trade war with China could cool down.

Markets were up in the morning, but momentum really picked up Tuesday afternoon after several media outlets revealed comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told a private meeting of investors in Washington that he expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the U.S. and China.

“No one thinks the current status quo is sustainable,” Bessent said at the event hosted by JPMorgan Chase, according to multiple reports.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to elaborate on those comments during a Tuesday briefing, but she said the administration is “doing very well in respect to a potential trade deal with China.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump: I have ‘no intention’ to fire Powell

President Trump on Tuesday said he has no intention to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, after he has escalated his criticism over the independent agency’s decision to not lower interest rates.

“The press runs away with things. No, I have no intention of firing him. I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates. This is a perfect time to lower interest rates,” Trump said, adding that he “never did” have an intention to dismiss Powell.

“If it doesn’t, is it the end? No, it’s not. But it would be good timing,” he added. “But no, I have no intention to fire him.”

Trump called Powell a “major loser” Monday and suggested the Fed’s previous rate cuts were aimed at helping former President Biden, fueling investor concerns in recent days.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump says tariff on China will ‘come down substantially’ from 145 percent

President Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tariff rate on China will significantly be reduced after he negotiates with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing optimism about a trade deal.

“145 percent is very high. It won’t be that high, it’s not going to be that high… it won’t be anywhere near that high,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.”

The overall tariff level currently imposed on China is 145 percent, which remained in place after Trump delayed the “reciprocal” tariffs on other trading partners for 90 days and reduced them to 10 percent.

“We’re going to be very nice. They’re going to be very nice, and we’ll see what happens. But ultimately, they have to make a deal because otherwise they’re not going to be able to deal in the United States,” Trump said, referring to China.

He cited his relationship with Xi as his reason for being optimistic about a deal. The White House earlier on Tuesday said that it was “setting the stage for a deal with China,” seeking to reassure nervous financial markets and investors that progress with Beijing could be imminent.

Continue reading at The Hill

White House says it’s not targeting green groups’ tax status

The comments follow speculation that the Trump administration would seek to revoke environmental groups’ tax-exempt status.

The White House is not drafting or considering an order targeting nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status, a White House official said Tuesday.

The comments come after rumors swirled in energy and environmental policy groups in recent days that President Donald Trump might attempt to revoke green groups’ tax-exempt status, potentially on Earth Day.

Asked Tuesday whether the president was considering any actions to target nonprofit organizations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she would check in with the White House policy team.

In response to a request for additional comment, a White House official told POLITICO’s E&E News later Tuesday in an email, “No such orders are being drafted or considered at this time.”

Environmentalists’ concerns were amplified when Trump suggested last week that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status after the school defied the administration’s demands.

Continue reading at Politico

Judge halts shutdown of Voice of America

The judge is ordering the Trump administration to immediately restore all employees and contractors to their news programs.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore Voice of America, saying the effort to gut the 80-year-old government-funded news service likely violated the law and Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said the administration’s rush to dismantle the VOA and related news organizations funded by the U.S. Agency for Global Media resulted in the suspension of hundreds of journalists and employees. It put some overseas correspondents at risk of being deported to their home countries, the judge noted. And Lamberth said the silencing of VOA — for the first time in 80 years — also deprived hundreds of millions of listeners of a reliable source of news in parts of the world that lack a free press.

Lamberth said the administration offered virtually no justification for the draconian cuts, suggesting it was working to comply with President Donald Trump’s March 14 executive order requiring a significant scaling back of the agency. Yet the cuts were so bone-deep, Lamberth said, that they likely violated even Trump’s command that the programs continue to operate at legally required minimum levels of service.

“They took immediate and drastic action to slash USAGM, without considering its statutorily or constitutionally required functions as required by the plain language of the [executive order], and without regard to the harm inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world,” Lamberth said. “It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the Defendants’ actions here.”

Continue reading at Politico

Trump says he won't play hardball with China on trade

The Trump administration on Tuesday signaled the possibility of cooling trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

Why it matters: Investors are hoping for deals that might roll back the steep tariffs on Chinese goods that are expected to roil the global economy.

Driving the news: President Trump, in an Oval Office news conference, told reporters he did not intend to play hardball with China in making a trade deal.

• He also indicated that the ultimate tariff on China won't be 145%, though it won't fall all the way to zero, either.

Zoom out: His comments follow two earlier headlines from his administration that, collectively, suggest a somewhat softer stance.

• "We're doing very well with respect to a potential trade deal with China," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Tuesday.

• "The president and the administration are setting the stage for a deal with China," Leavitt added. "Everyone involved wants to see a trade deal happen and the ball is moving in the right direction."

Continue reading at Axios

Health and Science News

RFK Jr. eyes reversing CDC’s Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for children

He has raised doubts about the need for kids to get vaccinated against the disease.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is weighing pulling the Covid-19 vaccine from the government’s list of recommended immunizations for children, two people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO.

The directive under consideration would remove the Covid shot from the childhood vaccine schedule maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and widely used by physicians to guide vaccine distribution, marking Kennedy’s most significant move yet to shake up the nation’s vaccination practices.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has previously questioned the need for kids to get the shot, raising doubts about its safety and citing studies showing healthy children face an extremely low risk of death from Covid.

Eliminating the vaccine from the CDC schedule would not bar kids from receiving it. But the change would represent an extraordinary intervention by Kennedy to override the agency’s scientific decision-making and reverse a recommendation backed by the CDC and a slate of independent advisers just three years ago.

The removal would also likely influence vaccination procedures across the nation. Pediatricians rely on the CDC schedule to determine which vaccines they should give children and when to administer them, in order to protect against a range of common infectious diseases.

Continue reading at Politico

Measles outbreak in Texas climbs to more than 600 cases

Texas officials said Tuesday there have been 624 confirmed measles cases in the state since late January. The number reflects 27 additional cases since their last update on April 18.

“Sixty-four of the patients have been hospitalized. This number is the total number of people hospitalized over the course of the outbreak. It is not the current number of people in the hospital,” according to a release from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“There have been two fatalities in school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area. The children were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions,” it noted.

Continue reading at The Hill

RFK Jr. set to announce a plan to ban certain artificial food dyes

The Trump administration is set to unveil a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply, ramping up pressure on food companies, according to a media advisory sent by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary will provide additional details Tuesday, the agency said.

Kennedy has made removing artificial dyes from food a key priority from the day President Trump tapped him for the role.

He recently traveled to West Virginia to promote the state banning certain food dyes from school lunches, including those that are approved by the FDA, like yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and red No. 40.

Continue reading at The Hill

Clinics begin closing as Trump admin continues freeze on family planning funds

Dozens of medical providers have struggled to stay afloat since more than $65 million dollars for the Title X family planning program was withheld on April 1.

Clinics around the country that provide contraception and other reproductive health services to low-income patients are running out of funds as they await word from the Trump administration on tens of millions of dollars in grants frozen last month.

Dozens of medical providers from California to Maine, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, have struggled to stay afloat since more than $65 million dollars for the Title X family planning program was withheld on April 1 — a funding freeze the Trump administration said was aimed at enforcing executive orders on diversity and immigration. Federal officials gave the groups 10 days to submit detailed records showing they don’t discriminate in hiring or in patient care, but those who did so by the deadline said they have not received a response.

“It’s been radio silence,” said Sarah Stoesz, the interim CEO of Utah’s Planned Parenthood chapter. “For some inexplicable reason, they are taking a meat axe to the healthcare system in America.”

Utah is one of seven states to lose all Title X funding, along with California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which represents most Title X grantees, estimated that 846,000 patients will lose access to services if the funding isn’t restored.

The Trump administration did not respond to questions about the status of the funds.

Continue reading at Politico

As Trump administration champions IVF, it cuts key CDC staff

President Trump has called himself the "fertilization president," but DOGE-directed cuts this month decimated Centers for Disease Control staff who track the safety, cost and outcomes of the nation's fertility clinics.

Why it matters: The CDC had been a source of unbiased information for families contemplating IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies, including estimates of of their chances for success.

Zoom in: The six-person Reproductive Technology Surveillance and Research Team, which operates under a congressional mandate dating to 1992, was a casualty of the cuts, a former CDC employee tells Axios.

• The team functioned as a clearinghouse for information and conducted research research about how to increase access and reduce costs.

• The Women's Health and Fertility Branch was also completely eliminated, and most of the CDC's Division of Reproductive Health was slashed.

"How does cutting this program support the administration's position?" the CDC employee said. "If [Trump] really wants to expand IVF access, that was exactly what we're trying to do, and we can only help support this position. It's really frustrating and and strange."

• Industry experts have also expressed alarm at the loss of the oversight tool.

Continue reading at Axios

The push for women to have more children has a powerful ally: Trump

The White House is emerging as a powerful ally of the burgeoning movement of people who want women to have more children, but there's little emphasis on the unique level of danger that birth poses in the U.S.

Why it matters: The U.S. population is aging, presenting complex economic and health care challenges that "pro-natalists" argue should be addressed through raising fertility rates. At the same time, the country is facing an ongoing maternal mortality crisis and a politically fraught debate over women's reproductive health that's had widespread ripple effects.

• The pro-natalist movement is splintered into factions with different views, including some with restrictive definitions of what constitutes a family. There's also infighting over exactly how women should be reproducing — with debate around IVF and genetic screening.

• Some of its most controversial adherents hold racist views that encouraging white people to have more babies could help maintain the race's stability.

Driving the news: The White House is soliciting ideas about how to get more Americans to marry and have more babies, the New York Times recently reported.

Continue reading at Axios

Republican senator asks Kennedy to restore HHS staff that worked on coal miner health

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) pushed back on decisions that cut an office and workers seeking to support coal miners’ health.

“I believe in the President’s vision to right size our government, but I do not think eliminating the NIOSH coal programs and research will accomplish that goal,” wrote Capito, referring to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

“I am concerned that the [reductions in force] at NIOSH will undermine the vital health programs important to so many West Virginians. I urge you to bring back the NIOSH employees immediately so they can continue to support our nation’s coal industry,” she added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Florida Medicaid regulator offers explanation of scrutinized $10M Hope Florida donation

The donation garnered headlines as state lawmakers began inquiries over the program’s finances.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida’s top Medicaid regulator on Tuesday sought to explain that a $10 million donation made to a nonprofit associated with first lady Casey DeSantis’ community-based assistance program was not made with Medicaid dollars recouped in a much larger cash settlement.

Amid heightened scrutiny Hope Florida has received over whether it improperly received money intended for the state, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s general counsel sought to clarify the original intent of the money in a Tuesday letter to legislative leaders.

Questions about the program have also led Gov. Ron DeSantis to lash out at state House leaders throughout most of this year’s legislative session, accusing them of colluding with Democrats to kill a program that he has described as a cheaper alternative to publicly subsidized assistance programs that has already helped 30,000 people. And the battle now has pitted a key House Republican against the state’s attorney general.

The Centene Corp. and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration agreed to a $67 million cash settlement last year over a claim that the state Medicaid program was charged too much for prescription drugs. The agreement, finalized at the end of September, included a $10 million donation made by Centene to the nonprofit arm of Hope Florida, a community-based assistance program that subsequently distributed the grant to groups that campaigned against a recreational pot ballot measure that failed last year.

Continue reading at Politico

Polling- Surveys

Trump approval rating slips amid concerns about moves to expand influence: Survey

President Trump’s approval rating slipped in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed concerns with moves by the president to expand his influence.

In the poll, 42 percent said they backed how Trump is doing in his job, 1 point below a Reuters/Ipsos poll from three weeks ago. Right after his inauguration in January, 47 percent said they backed Trump’s job execution.

Eighty-three percent of those polled said they believed the president should follow federal court rulings the president opposes, at a time when Trump is battling the courts over his deportations, including over a mistakenly deported man. Just 13 percent said the opposite.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found pushback against a statement that reads “it’s okay for a U.S. president to withhold funding from universities if the president doesn’t agree with how the university is run,” with 57 percent disagreeing.

Continue reading at The Hill

The Courts / Legal

Watchdog declines to pursue cases involving fired probationary federal workers

The Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) told fired probationary employees it would no longer pursue complaints they were wrongfully terminated, a reversal that comes after the Trump administration fired the head of the agency.

In an email to those who had filed claims with the agency, the OSC said it “plans to take no further action” on some 2,000 complaints.

The Trump administration in February ordered the firing of probationary workers, or those hired in the past year or two years, depending on their agency.

While probationary workers are easier to fire than other civil servants, they still have workplace protections and must be fired for cause.

The Trump administration told workers they were being fired for performance reasons, even as it embarked on sweeping firings impacting more than 20,000 workers.

Continue reading at The Hill

Military authorized to detain undocumented immigrants in New Mexico

American troops now have the authority to detain and search undocumented migrants in New Mexico, a role service members have not held before at the southern border, U.S. Northern Command said Monday.

Northcom said troops “have been delegated the authority” to conduct security support operations in the New Mexico National Defense Area (NMNDA), a zone that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border now considered part of the Army’s Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

The authorization means service members can now temporarily detain and search trespassers, provide medical assistance and implement crowd control on the military-controlled land until appropriate law enforcement can take custody of an individual, according to a statement from Northcom, the command leading military efforts in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Troops also may assist with setting up temporary barriers, signage and fencing if requested, Northcom said.

Continue reading at The Hill

Judge blocks Adams from authorizing ICE office on Rikers Island

A judge on Monday temporarily blocked New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) from permitting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to establish an office on Rikers Island.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Mary Rosado said city officials should halt any efforts “towards negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memoranda of Understanding with the federal government regarding federal law enforcement presence on Department of Correction property.”

A hearing at the New York Supreme Court — which is a trial-level court in the state, not its high court — is scheduled for April 25, when both Adams and the New York City Council will be heard. The council initiated a lawsuit intending to block ICE from operating on Rikers Island. Rosado is then expected to extend, modify or vacate the temporary restraining order.

Adams signed an executive order on April 8 seeking to enter an agreement with the federal agency in an effort to allow ICE to carry out immigration enforcement efforts on the island, which houses New York’s largest jail.

The mayor said the collaboration could help combat the presence of foreign criminal gangs including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, both of which have been the focus of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Continue reading at The Hill

Appeals court scouts middle ground on Trump transgender military ban

A federal appeals court panel looked for middle ground Tuesday on President Trump’s executive order effectively barring transgender people from serving openly in the military, expressing skepticism of the ban but unease over a nationwide block on its implementation.

Trump’s order, penned in January, declared that transgender service members can’t meet the “rigorous standards” necessary to serve, an extension of the culture war rhetoric the president made a hallmark of his campaign.

The Defense Department’s subsequent policy ordered the military to remove service members with gender dysphoria and to pause integration of new transgender recruits.

Continue reading at The Hill

Tesla settles wrongful death case involving one of its EVs

Tesla has settled a wrongful death case with the estate of a man who was killed in a crash involving one of the company’s electric vehicles (EVs).

Elon Musk’s EV company reached an agreement with the estate of Clyde Leach and his wife Donna Leach to dismiss the lawsuit, according to a court filing Monday. The filing did not disclose the details of the settlement.

Leach died in 2021 when his Tesla Model Y “suddenly accelerated forward,” driving off the road and into a nearby gas station, according to the initial complaint. The collision caused an “uncontrollable fire” that consumed the vehicle “within seconds.”

Leach’s estate argued that Tesla was aware of situations in which its vehicles suddenly accelerated and had released several safety features, including automatic emergency braking and a system to distinguish unintentional pedal movements.

“In response to receiving notice of these incidents, Tesla misrepresented that it had designed systems which would prevent these foreseeably dangerous situations and that ‘[t]here is no ‘unintended acceleration’ in Tesla vehicles,’” the complaint reads.

Continue reading at The Hill

Federal prosecutors in Eric Adams case resign after being put on administrative leave

The Manhattan prosecutors accused DOJ of requiring them to “express regret and admit some wrongdoing” in their handling of the case in order to be reinstated.

NEW YORK — Three of the Manhattan federal prosecutors who worked on the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned Tuesday, accusing the Justice Department of trying to force them to admit wrongdoing in connection with their resistance to dropping the charges.

“The Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions of Washington,” the prosecutors wrote in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “That is wrong.”

The prosecutors, Celia Cohen, Andrew Rohrbach and Derek Wikstrom, had been placed on administrative leave in February after they, along with the then-acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, balked at accepting the Justice Department’s orders to drop the five-count corruption case against the Democratic mayor.

Sassoon, along with at least five others in New York and Washington, resigned in protest. They said the Justice Department was abandoning the case in exchange for the mayor’s support for President Donald Trump’s policy objectives, particularly on immigration enforcement. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho eventually dismissed the charges and excoriated Justice Department officials’ rationales for abandoning the case.

Continue reading at Politico

Jury finds New York Times did not defame Sarah Palin

A jury in New York ruled Tuesday that The New York Times did not defame former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) with an editorial about gun violence in 2011.

Tuesday’s ruling comes nearly three years after a separate jury found the Times not liable for damages over the op-ed, which linked her to the deadly 2011 shooting in an Arizona parking lot that injured then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

Palin testified at a trial Monday that death threats against her increased and she felt “defenseless” after the Times editorial about gun violence said her PAC had contributed to an atmosphere of violence, according to The Associated Press.

Hours after the editorial was published, the Times corrected inaccuracies it contained, noting a previous version had “incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump ordered to give some Venezuelans 21 days’ notice before deportations

A federal judge in Colorado ordered the Trump administration on Tuesday to provide Venezuelan migrants detained there 21 days’ notice before deporting them under the Alien Enemies Act.

The order only applies to migrants housed within the state, but it nonetheless deals a blow to the administration, which in some cases elsewhere was providing migrants 24 hours’ or less notice before seeking to remove them under a law it has used to transport migrants to a prison in El Salvador.

U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney also ordered the Trump administration to provide the notice “in a language the individual understands.”

Her ruling comes after lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing a number of Venezuelan migrants the Trump administration has sought to deport, asked the Supreme Court to leapfrog lower courts in taking up that case.

Continue reading at The Hill

Minnesota files preemptive lawsuit against Trump on transgender sports ban

When Bondi announced the administration’s lawsuit against Maine last week, she warned that Minnesota and California could be next.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a preemptive lawsuit Tuesday against Republican President Donald Trump seeking to block his administration from acting against Minnesota in the way it’s taking on Maine under a federal push to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.

“Minnesota brings this lawsuit to stop President Trump and his administration from bullying vulnerable children in this state,” Ellison said at a news conference, quoting the opening line from the lawsuit naming Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi.

When Bondi announced the administration’s lawsuit against Maine last week, she warned that Minnesota and California could be next. The administration’s lawsuit followed weeks of feuding between Trump and Democratic Gov. Janet Mill of Maine that led to a clash at the White House when she told Trump, “We’ll see you in court.”

With this case, Ellison is trying to beat Trump and Bondi to the courthouse.

Continue reading at Politico

Adams and Homan deepen partnership between local law enforcement and ICE

Mayor Eric Adams and border czar Tom Homan showcased their alliance with the indictment of 27 migrants allegedly tied to Tren de Aragua.

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams and President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan ratcheted up their case Tuesday for cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials when they announced the indictment of 27 alleged Tren de Aragua members and associates on racketeering, narcotics, sex trafficking and robbery charges.

Their announcements came after Adams moved to open a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Rikers Island.

“We have taken them down and we will continue to fight violent transnational crimes with the full force of the law,” Adams said during a press briefing at a federal office building in Manhattan. “It’s good to have partners in the federal agencies who are joining us in this priority on how important it is to keep our city safe.”

A judge blocked ICE from setting up on Rikers after the City Council sued Mayor Adams, alleging that the mayor adopted Trump’s hard-line immigration policies as a “quid pro quo” in return for moving to drop criminal bribery charges against him.

If the judge continues blocking the ICE office, Homan warned that not opening it could put other immigrants in jeopardy of arrests.

Continue reading at Politico

Judge castigates Trump administration for ‘bad faith’ in Abrego Garcia’s deportation case

A federal judge said Tuesday that the Trump administration is ignoring court orders, obstructing the legal process and acting in “bad faith” by refusing to provide information about the steps they have taken, if any, to free a mistakenly deported Maryland man from an El Salvador prison and return him to the U.S.

“For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court’s orders,” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis wrote an the order Tuesday. “Defendants have known, at least since last week, that this Court requires specific legal and factual showings to support any claim of privilege. Yet they have continued to rely on boilerplate assertions. That ends now.”

She gave the administration until 6 p.m. Wednesday to provide those details.

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration nearly two weeks ago to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. from a notorious Salvadoran prison, rejecting the White House’s claim that it couldn’t retrieve him after mistakenly deporting him.

Continue reading at the AP

Anti-DEI-Whitewashing

Nothing to see here, yet.

General News

Gingrich believes Trump has taken a tax hike on the wealthy off the table

Some Republicans have been flirting with such a move to pay for President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich believes that President Donald Trump has officially axed the idea of raising income taxes on the highest-earning Americans, citing a missive from Trump he said he received.

“It’s pretty clear that that conversation should now be over,” Gringrich said in an interview Tuesday, amid a hot debate among Republicans over whether such a tax hike should be used to help fund Trump’s wide-ranging policy agenda.

Gingrich posted a note on X that he said was from Trump, in which the president appeared to suggest that any tax increase, no matter how small, could doom Republicans’ electoral prospects.

“George Bush said, ‘READ MY LIPS, NO NEW TAXES,’ then proceeded to give a rather small Tax increase, and was obliterated,” the note said, referring to former President George H.W. Bush, who went on to broker a tax hike deal in 1990 with the then-Democratic-controlled Congress. “While I love the idea of a small increase, the Democrats would probably use it against us, and we would be, like Bush, helpless to do anything about it.”

Continue reading at Politico

Wife of Mahmoud Khalil says he was denied temporary release for birth of son

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was denied permission from attending the birth of his first child, several reports confirmed Monday.

Khalil’s attorneys wrote on Sunday to Melissa Harper, the director of ICE’s field office in New Orleans where he is being held, requesting for a two-week release from detention to be with his wife when she delivered their son, CNN reported.

About 30 minutes later, Harper denied the request and said she was dismissing the furlough “after consideration of the submitted information and a review” of Khalil’s case, the outlet reported.

According to a statement shared online, Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, said she welcomed their son into the world alone.

“This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” she said.

Continue reading at The Hill

Woodward: Hegseth ‘radiates unseriousness’

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward said Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “radiates unseriousness” amid controversy over a second Signal chat in which he shared sensitive military information with family members and a personal lawyer.

“So, you want that position to be … filled by somebody who’s very serious, very competent, very focused on that mission, protecting the homeland, protecting the United States,” Woodward told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in an interview Monday, while discussing the Defense secretary’s role.

“And having known and dealt with 16 of them, there is — you can have somebody like Gen. [James] Mattis, who was … probably the most serious person to ever work in Washington,” he continued. “And then, you know, the current secretary of Defense … is — it’s just too jokey. It’s too unserious. And he kind of radiates unseriousness.”

Woodward added, “And that’s — that’s a shame for him, for President Trump and for the country.”

Continue reading at The Hill

Al Gore compares Trump administration to Nazis

Former Vice President Al Gore compared the Trump administration to the Third Reich in Germany on Monday while giving remarks at a kickoff event for San Francisco’s Climate Week.

“I understand very well why it is wrong to compare Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich to any other movement. It was uniquely evil, full stop. I get it. But there are important lessons from the history of that emergent evil,” Gore, a Nobel Peace Prize awardee, told attendees.

“It was [Jürgen] Habermas’s mentor, Theodor Adorno, who wrote that the first step in that nation’s descent into hell was, and I quote, ‘the conversion of all questions of truth into questions of power,”’ Gore said, quoting the famed German philosopher and social theorist.

“He described how the Nazis, and I quote again, ‘attacked the very heart of the distinction between true and false.’ End quote. The Trump administration is insisting on trying to create their own preferred version of reality,” he added.

Continue reading at The Hill

Shouting, pointed DOGE questions at Donalds town hall

Rep. Byron Donalds’s (R-Fla.) raucous town hall Monday evening featured a mix of cheers, shouting and pointed questions around the work President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been doing to curb spending and overhaul the federal workforce.

Donalds, who launched a gubernatorial campaign in late February to replace the term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), defended the Trump administration’s approach on a range of issues, including Social Security, DOGE layoffs and the president’s sweeping tariff agenda.

The Florida Republican, who has been endorsed by Trump in his bid for governor, had a number of tense exchanges with attendees at the event in Estero, Fla., with the lawmaker asking, “do you want to yell, or do you want to hear?” CNN reported.

He stood in defense of DOGE’s work and pointed to previous remarks from former President Obama, who he said also wanted to examine federal government inefficiency while in the Oval Office.

“We actually have to let the DOGE actually finish its work. What they are examining right now is inefficiency in the federal system,” Donalds said Monday night at Estero High School.

Continue reading at The Hill

Scott stays silent as his minority business legacy crumbles under Trump

Sen. Tim Scott has been a huge proponent of helping minority businesses and underserved communities access capital.

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has spent years boosting a federal program to support minority-owned businesses. President Donald Trump’s administration dismantled it in a matter of weeks.

Scott, along with other Republicans, was integral to congressional efforts to permanently authorize the Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency, expand its services into rural areas and leverage the program to help minority-owned businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, the program, which funds grants to business owners and provides technical assistance, support and mentorship, has had 100 percent of its staff, about 50 people, placed on administrative leave or redistributed within the Commerce Department, according to a Commerce employee and a Democratic staffer granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

For years, Scott has prioritized efforts to expand access to capital and economic mobility for underserved communities, like the one he says he grew up in, and minority businesses, like his own Main Street insurance agency. The MBDA dates back to the Nixon administration and was one outlet for this mission. But Scott has stayed silent publicly about the gutting of the agency.

Continue reading at Politico

Karen Bass unveils her ‘very difficult budget’ for LA

The Los Angeles mayor kept an upbeat tone in her annual State of the City address, but her proposed budget offered a reality check.

LOS ANGELES — Call it the Karen Bass special: a shot of optimism, followed by a bitter budget chaser.

That was the incongruous combination the Los Angeles mayor debuted on Monday, when she presented an upbeat outlook in her annual State of the City address, only to drop a gloomy spending proposal that could result in 1,600 layoffs.

The bracing split-screen is a result of the city’s cascade of disasters: historically devastating wildfires, a perennial homelessness crisis and a bleak budget outlook made worse by global economic upheaval. It lays bare the daunting climb awaiting Bass, whose flat-footed initial fire response has left her more politically vulnerable than ever as she seeks reelection in 2026.

Throughout her midday speech, Bass recounted Los Angeles’ woes in her typically sunny cadence, presenting the challenges as an opportunity to further transform the nation’s second-largest city.

“The state of our city is this: Homelessness is down, crime is down. These are tough challenges and they show that we can do so much more,” Bass said. “We still have a long way to go. We need a citywide turnaround, and we need a fundamental overhaul of city government to deliver the clean, safe and orderly neighborhoods that Angelenos deserve — and to reverse decades of failure on homelessness.”When it came to the city’s fiscal crisis, though, Bass kept it simple and blunt: “Los Angeles, we have a very difficult budget to balance.”

Continue reading at Politico

White House asked FERC’s Phillips to step down

His exit from the commission will leave a 2-2 partisan split, and allow President Donald Trump to tap a replacement commissioner.

FERC Commissioner Willie Phillips, a Democrat who chaired the agency under President Joe Biden, was asked to step down from the agency by the White House, he told POLITICO on Tuesday.

“I heard from the White House, and they expressed their interest that I step aside,” he said. “It’s something that’s not a surprise to me. In fact, I had already planned to do so.”

Phillips will step down effective immediately, he said. He had already informed his team and Chair Mark Christie, whom he praised for his leadership.

His exit from the commission will remove the Democrats’ majority on the commission, leaving a 2-2 partisan split, and allow President Donald Trump to tap a replacement commissioner.

But Phillips was widely seen as a consensus builder who regularly voted alongside Democrats and Republicans during his time as chair and as commissioner. And his latest push for FERC to be more aggressive in finding ways to get data centers connected to the grid more quickly was actually more in line with the more in line with the White House’s stance than the agency’s Republican minority.

Continue reading at Politico

State Department releases reorganization plan

The organizational chart released Tuesday does not go as far as versions previously reported.

The State Department released its plans for reorganizing the agency Tuesday, a first step toward reducing what the Trump administration says is an inefficient foreign affairs operation.

“In its current form, the department is bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

An organization chart released to the public shows that the ultimate plan for trimming the State Department does not go as far as versions previously reported, but it still eliminates several human rights-focused bureaus. Future changes to the plan are also still possible.

Among the bureaus and offices the administration plans to cut are the Office of Global Women’s Issues and its Diversity and Inclusion Office, which were expected given the Trump administration’s focus on eliminating such programs from the federal government. State also expects to eliminate some offices previously housed under the undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, though it is expected that much of their work will continue in other sections of the department.

The State Department also will eliminate the office of the director of the Foreign Service Institute, which provides language training and other educational support for career foreign service officers.

Continue reading at Politico

Meet the 8 MAGA Outlets Disrupting the White House Briefing Room

The AP is on the outs, but these new MAGA media stars are on the rise.

Ian Ward is a reporter at POLITICO.

Francis Chung is a POLITICO staff photographer.

As she left the James S. Brady Briefing Room in early April, Natalie Winters, the newly minted White House correspondent for Steve Bannon’s War Room, tried to describe the relationship between the White House press corps’ old guard and the “new conservative media” who’ve entered the briefing room in the early days of the second Trump administration.

“You know when you’re at a party and you see someone who you don’t technically know, but you know them like through a friend from social media, and it’s that awkward question of, like, ‘Do I say hi or do I not?’” Winters told me. “It’s a room full of that, except you know the people because you bash them on TV.”

Not that she particularly minds the confrontation. Since securing credentials to cover White House events in January, Winters has distinguished herself as the enfant terrible of the “new media” set, the collection of non-traditional — and mostly MAGA-aligned — outlets that the Trump administration has welcomed to the White House as part of its campaign shake up the briefing room. “We’re the rising power,” Winters said.

Most of the members of the new media have adopted Trump’s hostile relationship to the mainstream media, but Winters goes further than most in her animosity: She has accused other White House reporters of taking part in “CIA psy-ops,” and she believes the liberal media is actively fomenting a “color revolution” against Trump. “They can criticize what we’re doing [at War Room] as, like, state regime propaganda or whatever,” she said as we walked along the National Mall. “But at the end of the day, I’m like, ‘Who’s running cover for the state?’”a

Continue reading at Politico

Von der Leyen: World is ‘lining up’ to work with Europe amid Trump’s trade war

In exclusive comments to POLITICO, the European Commission president touted the EU as a safe haven in an unpredictable world.

BRUSSELS — Countries are ready to work with reliable trade partners in Europe after United States President Donald Trump's blanket trade tariffs upended global markets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told POLITICO.

"In a more and more unpredictable global environment, countries are lining up to work with us," the Commission president said without naming Trump or the U.S.

In recent weeks she has spoken to leaders from Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates who were looking for "strong, reliable partners."

The global order is "shifting more deeply than at any time since the Cold War ended," von der Leyen added.

Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs on April 2 — hitting the EU with a 20 percent levy and most of the rest of the world with a baseline tariff of 10 percent. As financial markets melted down a week later, Trump suspended the higher tariffs for 90 days to open the way for talks on a trade deal.

In the EU's case, it is still paying that 10 percent rate, as well as 25 percent on exports of steel, aluminum and cars — while the U.S. and China have hit each other with triple-digit tariffs. If Trump reimposes those reciprocal tariffs, global merchandise trade could shrink by 1.5 percent this year, with North America hardest hit, the World Trade Organization forecasts.

Continue reading at Politico

Trump’s ‘chaos’ strategy vs. the global economy | Playbook Daily Briefing

America's fact fight fades

Chart: Minutes cable news spent covering misinformation and disinformation

America's obsession with countering mis- and disinformation has withered as society grows skeptical of institutions once trusted with facts.

Why it matters: Professional fact-checking went mainstream during the first Trump administration, but it's since become politicized.

• Americans are less enthusiastic about policing information today than they were two years ago, and the trend is bipartisan, per Pew Research Center.

State of play: Institutions once seen as critical to providing facts about history and current events, such as public schools and news media, are experiencing record-low trust levels, in addition to financial challenges.

• A February YouGov poll found that U.S. citizens are far more likely to trust information coming from the Trump administration "a great deal" or "a fair amount" (44%) than they are the news media (28%).

• In 2017, that gap was much smaller, with 43% of Americans saying they trusted the Trump administration "a great deal" or "a fair amount" on facts, compared to 38% for the news media.

By the numbers: Mentions of the terms "misinformation" and "disinformation" across the country's three biggest cable news networks, MSNBC, Fox News and CNN, have declined considerably since the pandemic, according to data from Stanford's Cable TV News Analyzer.

Continue reading at Axios

Bluesky rolls out blue check verifications

Bluesky is adding blue checks to "authentic and notable accounts" in a system that's reminiscent of one that Twitter had before Elon Musk ended it on the platform that's now called X.

The big picture: "Bluesky will proactively verify" such accounts and "display a blue check next to their names" because "trust is everything," per a Monday blog post by the decentralized microblogging platform.

Continue reading at Axios

Trump Energy secretary: Clean energy tax credits a ‘big mistake’

Energy Secretary Chris Wright railed against clean energy tax credits on Tuesday, defending the Trump administration’s efforts to increase manufacturing powered by coal, natural gas and oil.

His criticism of financial incentives for citizens’ use of renewable energy came during a morning appearance on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co” and coincided with Earth Day — which is typically hailed as a time to champion environmental protections.

“I think it’s a big mistake,” Wright told host Stuart Varney, referring to energy tax credits.

“That term ‘clean energy’ is just a marketing term. There’s no clean energy. All energy sources involve trade-offs,” he continued. “Solar and wind take over 100 times more land, 10 times more steel and cement and heavy materials to produce. There’s no clean energy; there’s just different trade-offs.”

Continue reading at The Hill

‘Insulting’: Amid workforce reductions, DOT offers employees tips on personal branding, managing emotions

The new “Career Transition Learning Series” is intended to help guide “employees through the transition from the federal sector to alternate industries.”

With layoffs looming at the Transportation Department — possibly as soon as next month — the agency has begun offering workshops for employees on topics such as ways to improve their personal brands and how to manage strong emotions around losing their jobs, according to a memo reviewed by POLITICO.

This “Career Transition Learning Series,” communicated to DOT employees by the Office of Human Resource Management last week, includes sessions on things like elevating your personal brand, where employees will “learn practical tools to effectively leverage your personal brand and navigate career transitions with confidence.”

And there are scheduled sessions on helping workers translate their federal experience to the private sector, mastering interviewing skills and even ones that focus on “coping with downsizing and job loss” and “managing strong emotions.” The managing strong emotions session makes the point that “preventing emotional outbursts is key to a productive workplace.” The overview is billed as an opportunity to “recognize emotional cues” and to incorporate strategies to “manage and prevent strong reactions.”

DOT did not respond to a request for comment.

Continue reading at Politico

Rubio not attending Ukraine talks in London

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be attending peace talks with Ukrainian and European officials in London this week, the State Department announced, citing logistical issues.

“As we know, Secretary Rubio is a busy man,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday.

“While the meetings in London are still occurring, he will not be attending, but that is not a statement regarding the meetings. It’s a statement about logistical issues in his schedule.”

The London talks come after Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, met with European leaders in Paris last week about efforts to bring the fighting in Ukraine to an end.

Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general serving as Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, will be participating for the U.S. in the upcoming meetings.

Continue reading at The Hill

EPA firing 280 staffers who fought pollution in overburdened neighborhoods

These staffers worked in an area known as environmental justice, which helps communities that face a disproportionate amount of pollution exposure, especially minority or low-income communities.

The EPA has framed its efforts to cut these programs — including its previous closure of environmental justice offices — as part of a push to end diversity programming in the government. Supporters of the agency’s environmental justice work have pointed out that Black communities face particularly high pollution levels and that the programs also help white Americans, especially if they are poor.

“EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency,” an EPA spokesperson said in a statement.

Continue reading at The Hill

Rubio targets democracy and human rights bureau in State Department shakeup

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is eliminating his department’s main bureau focused on democracy and human rights as part of a reorganization of the agency’s operations announced Tuesday.

Rubio said the moves are aimed at reducing bloat at the State Department, consolidating operations and eliminating programs the administration sees as advancing a liberal agenda. Civil rights advocates say the programs are important to promoting U.S. values of freedom and democracy.

The cuts reportedly eliminate about 17 percent of the agency’s total number of offices, with Rubio looking to further downsize the number of employees based in the U.S. by 15 percent, according to The New York Times.

The largest cut focused on the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, which housed seven bureaus related to migration, democracy, religious freedom, criminal justice, drug trafficking and more.

Continue reading at The Hill

Florida bill would let homeowners use ‘reasonable force’ against drones

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would permit homeowners to use “reasonable force” against drones — likely sparked by last year’s uptick in sightings of mysterious unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Keith L. Truenow (R) last month, was placed on the Florida Senate’s legislative calendar on April 16.

Constituents across the U.S. have signaled discontent with the federal response, prompting more questions on where the drones originated and how they could be regulated. The Biden administration stressed that the UAVs were not a threat to national security or operated by foreign adversaries.

President Trump earlier this year said he would look into the drone spotting, but he ruled they were “not the enemy” and likely authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or belonged to hobbyists.

The Sunshine State legislation seeks to change property owners’ guidelines for unmanned aircraft that remain suspended above their own land. It has already cleared several committees despite potential conflicts with federal law.

Continue reading at The Hill

Will your student loans be sent to collection? What to know about Education Department changes

If you haven’t been making payments on your federal student loans, you could soon find yourself sent to collection with your wages garnished following the return of a Department of Education program.

The department announced Monday that it would restart collections in two weeks, on May 5, a process that has been on hold since the start of the COVID pandemic. While the Education Department has warned that defaulted borrowers could be sent to collections, it has offered tips to help those impacted “get back into repayment.

Here’s what to know.

When are student loans in default?

According to the Education Department, more than 5 million borrowers are in default. Another 4 million are in “late-stage delinquency” and could enter default status in a few months.

If you miss a payment on your federal student loans, even by a day, you are delinquent, the Federal Student Aid office explains. As soon as you repay the past due amount (or change a payment plan, or enter deferment or forbearance), you are no longer delinquent.

Continue reading at The Hill

Elon Musk says he's taking a step back from DOGE after Tesla "blowback"

Elon Musk said Tuesday that he will take a major step back from his work as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Why it matters: The Tesla CEO has become a close and outspoken ally of President Trump, but his government-slashing work via DOGE has sparked a damaging backlash on Tesla.

The big picture: Musk said on Tesla's earnings call that "my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly" likely starting in May, declaring the effort "mostly done."

• "I'll have to continue doing it for I think the remainder of the President's term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back, which it will do if it has the chance," Musk said.

• "I think I'll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to do so and as long as it would be useful," he added.

Musk also acknowledged "some blowback" on Tesla due to his Trump ties, saying there's been "a few bumps in the road," but said the company's future is still bright.

Continue reading at Axios

The Republican response to Hegseth’s controversies: Publicly defend, privately seethe

GOP lawmakers worry about bucking the president but the public show of good will could expire.

Most Republicans aren’t willing to denounce Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over alleged security lapses and allegations of mismanagement, but privately, some in the GOP are increasingly worried.

“My boss is livid,” said a Republican staffer granted anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly. “He defended Hegseth the first time around to be a team player, but the second time he’s not — because sending classified info to your wife and personal lawyer is something completely different. If any staffer, lawmaker or agency employee did this, they would be in major legal trouble.”

With President Donald Trump offering full-throated support for Hegseth and dismissing the latest bad headlines as overblown, many Republicans — at least publicly — have closed ranks around the embattled Defense secretary, whose confirmation required party leaders to spend considerable political capital.

But the anger, just below the surface, suggests the good will toward Hegseth could expire if the incidents keep piling up, even, potentially, among some of Hegseth’s original backers during his bruising confirmation fight and the fallout from the first leaked Signal chat.

Since then, the Defense Department has endured a high-level staff purge, a scathing opinion piece from a former senior staffer in POLITICO and fresh revelations that Hegseth shared sensitive details of military operations in a Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.

For the most part, Republican lawmakers are publicly downplaying the controversies and turning their ire on the media and internal leakers.

Continue reading at Politico

EPA fires, reassigns 455 environmental justice staffers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will fire 280 staffers who worked on tackling pollution in overburdened and underserved communities and will reassign another 175.

These staffers worked in an area known as environmental justice, which helps communities that face a disproportionate amount of pollution, especially minority or low-income communities.

The EPA has framed its efforts to cut these programs — including its previous closure of environmental justice offices — as part of a push to end diversity programming in the government.

Supporters of the agency’s environmental justice work have pointed out that Black communities face particularly high pollution levels and the programs also help white Americans, especially if they are poor.

“EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency,” an EPA spokesperson said in a statement.

Continue reading at The Hill

Musk says time spent on DOGE will drop next month as Tesla sales plunge

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday he plans to spend less time working on the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiatives to focus more on the electric vehicle manufacturer, which saw its sales plummet in the first quarter.

“Starting probably in [the] next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” Musk said on a Tesla earnings call Tuesday evening. “I’ll have to continue doing it for, I think, the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure that the waste and fraud doesn’t come roaring back, which we’ll do, if it has the chance.”

The tech billionaire said he will likely spend one to two days of the week on “government matters” for “as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful,” but noted the major work of establishing DOGE is done.

May 30 marks the end of Musk’s special government status and dozens of Democratic lawmakers called on Trump earlier this month to confirm Musk will leave his role in the administration by that date.

Continue reading at The Hill

Trump's "final offer" for peace requires Ukraine to accept Russian occupation

The U.S. expects Ukraine's response Wednesday to a peace framework that includes U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and unofficial recognition of Russian control of nearly all areas occupied since the 2022 invasion, sources with direct knowledge of the proposal tell Axios.

Why it matters: The one-page document the U.S. presented Ukrainian officials in Paris last week describes this as President Trump's "final offer." The White House insists it's ready to walk away if the parties don't make a deal soon.

• Trump's proposal would require major concessions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously ruled out accepting Russia's occupation of Crimea and parts of four regions in eastern Ukraine.

• And while Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to freeze the current front lines in order to reach a deal, he has previously rejected other elements of the U.S. framework, such as a European peacekeeping force on Ukrainian territory.

• A source close to the Ukrainian government said Kyiv sees the proposal as highly biased towards Russia: "The proposal says very clearly what tangible gains Russia gets, but only vaguely and generally says what Ukraine is going to get."

What Russia gets under Trump's proposal

1. "De jure" U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea.

Continue reading at Axios

More House members want out of their "broken" chamber

Two House members launched bids for U.S. Senate on Tuesday — and more of their colleagues in the lower chamber may soon follow in their footsteps.

Why it matters: To some lawmakers, the large number of House members seeking higher office in recent election cycles reflects what they see as the institution's growing dysfunction.

• "The House is broken, doesn't pass legislation, doesn't work anymore," said one House Democrat, calling the lower chamber "just a big comms shop."

• Former Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) told Axios he has heard "increased frustration" from his former House colleagues, who are chafing under four years of Republican control.

Driving the news: Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Andy Barr (R-Ky.) both launched campaigns for open U.S. Senate seats in their states.

• Unlike Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), who appears to be on a glide path for the Senate nomination in his state, Stevens and Barr are both entering what will likely be bitterly contested primaries.

• They likely won't be the last: At least three House Democrats are sizing up Sen. Dick Durbin's (D-Ill.) seat if he retires.

• Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) is seen as likely to challenge Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for her state's Senate seat.

Zoom out: It's not just the Senate. Three House Republicans and two Democrats are currently running for governor.

Continue reading at Axios

West Virginia senators fight DOGE cuts that hit coal miners

West Virginia's GOP senators are urging top Trump officials to undo DOGE cuts that threaten the health and safety of their state's coal miners.

Why it matters: It's a clear example of how the fast-paced, deep cuts in federal spending are hitting even rural, GOP communities — and creating crises for the lawmakers who represent them.

• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday asking him to undo some of the thousands of layoffs at the agency that are part of the DOGE cuts.

• The issue is specifically at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, West Virginia, a main hub for the safety and health of coal miners and other workers.

• "It is my understanding that the [Reduction in Force] impacted every employee in these important programs," Capito wrote. "I urge you to bring back the NIOSH employees immediately so they can continue to support our nation's coal industry."

Between the lines: Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) also called the cuts to NIOSH "problematic," and told Axios he has spoken with several Trump officials about the issue, but not RFK Jr.

Continue reading at Axios

New York City union breaks with labor trend to back Adrienne Adams over Cuomo for mayor

DC37, the city’s largest municipal union, also supported Zohran Mamdani and Zellnor Myrie.

NEW YORK — The city’s largest municipal union is breaking with its labor counterparts in rejecting Andrew Cuomo’s bid for mayor, instead endorsing a slate led by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

District Council 37, which represents 150,000 New Yorkers who are predominantly Black and Latino, selected Adrienne Adams as its top pick, followed by state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie.

The decision marks a significant departure from the near-unanimous support Cuomo has earned from New York City unions — large and small, public and private — since announcing his run last month.

“We’re proud to endorse these pro-worker candidates in the June primary and look forward to getting out the vote in support of their campaigns,” Henry Garrido, executive director of the union, said in a statement. “At a time when workers’ rights are being ripped apart at the federal level, it’s more important than ever to elect local candidates who will fight for working families and the services we all rely on.”

Adrienne Adams needs the support: She got into the race late, has yet to raise enough money to qualify for matching funds and is in single digits in the polls.

Continue reading at Politico

As controversies pile up, Trump allies increasingly turn on one another

WASHINGTON (AP) — The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.

The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.”

Hegseth lashed out on Tuesday on Fox News Channel, where he was a weekend host before joining Trump’s administration, by faulting the people who used to work for him.

“Those folks who were leaking, who have been pushed out of the building, are now attempting to leak and sabotage the president’s agenda,” he said.

Continue reading at the AP

The top producer at ’60 Minutes’ has quit. He says he can no longer run the show as he always has

NEW YORK (AP) — With his show involved in a bitter dispute with President Donald Trump, the top executive at the storied CBS News show “60 Minutes” abruptly resigned on Tuesday while saying he’s losing the freedom to run it independently.

Bill Owens, executive producer of television’s most popular and influential newsmagazine since 2019, said in a note to staff that it has “become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience.”

“The show is too important to the country,” he wrote. “It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”

Trump sued “60 Minutes” for $20 billion last fall, claiming it deceptively edited an interview with his Democratic election opponent Kamala Harris. CBS denied it had done anything to give an advantage to Harris, and released the full transcript of its interview.

When Trump took office for his second term, his Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, announced CBS would be investigated for the same issue.

Continue reading at the AP

Congressional delegation visits grad student, PhD student held in ICE detention

A Congressional delegation traveled to Louisiana on Tuesday to demand the release of Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, and Mahmoud Khalil, a 2024 Columbia University graduate, and to examine conditions at their separate detention facilities.

It’s the first time a delegation has visited with either detainee. The visit was first reported by CNN.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) shared on X that he was heading to Louisiana to demand the release of Ozturk, one of his constituents.

Markey was joined by fellow Democrats, Reps. Troy Carter (La.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern (Mass.).

Ozturk’s arrest and detention sparked widespread concern after immigration officers in plain clothes detained her on March 25 and placed her in an unmarked van. She was sent from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, then Vermont and finally to Louisiana.

Her student visa was terminated, and attorneys argue that her due process rights are being violated. Just days ago, a federal judge ordered Ozturk to be transferred back to a detention facility in Vermont.

Continue reading at The Hill

Economic Analysis

Economist Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Allow me to bring to your attention...

I got so many good recommendations about things to watch, read, and listen to, I decided to keep it going and talk podcasts. The bar is low in that space, which isn’t a bad thing, but time being precious, the bar should be high…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Weekly Wrap: Learning the Right Lessons from the Trade War, UI Claims, and a Necessary (Non-econ!) New Feature

I yield to no one—NO ONE—in my disdain for Trump’s trade war…

Read more

a year ago · 25 likes · 20 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Three Important Data Points: 2 Bad; 1 Good

Housing starts tumbled last month, down 11.4%, well below expectations, led by a 14.2% negative spike in single-family starts…

Read more

a year ago · 16 likes · 3 comments · Jared Bernstein

Jared’s Substack

Data_Note: Trade War Frontrunners Boost March Retail Sales

Retail sales rose a solid 1.4% last month, a big bounce back from last month’s 0.2% and a tick above expectations (1.3%). Some clues in the report suggest consumers may way have been spending freely in March in order to front-run the coming price pressures from tariffs…

Read more

a year ago · 19 likes · 5 comments · Jared Bernstein

Economist Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Growth Leaves Trump’s MAGA USA in the Dust

The International Monetary Fund just released its growth projections for 2025, as well as the next five years. It’s not a very good picture for Donald Trump’s economic plans. The I.M.F. projects the U.S. economy will grow just 1.8 percent from 2024 to 2025. It looks even worse for next year, with growth projected to slow further to 1.7 percent…

Read more

a year ago · 6 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Iron Dome Technology: Elon Musk’s License to Steal Taxpayer Dollars

Donald Trump and Elom Musk are making corruption and graft the main business of the U.S. government. They have fired all the cops who might try to rein them in and attacked any of the judges, politicians, or reporters who object to them stealing everything in sight…

Read more

a year ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Trump Derails Manufacturing Boom on Day One

Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices on day one of his new term in office. He also promised to end the war in Ukraine on his first day. Neither of those quite panned out. But it looks like he might accomplish something not on his list, he quickly ended the manufacturing boom he inherited from President Biden…

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a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

China’s Economy and Silliness on Deflation

It’s hard to be an economic nerd when we have a wannabe dictator working overtime to destroy democracy in America, but it is necessary just to beat back nonsense about the problems China’s economy faces. For the second time in less than a month the New York Times had a major…

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a year ago · 7 likes · Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Donald Trump’s Handout to the Pharmaceutical Industry

When we teach introductory economics, we tell students that monopolies lead to price discrimination, where the monopolist tries to charge different prices to different types of customers to maximize their profits. The logic is straightforward…

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a year ago · 11 likes · 1 comment · Dean Baker

Economist Mike Konczal

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

In which we dive into the labor market of 2024 and the question of whether an increase in health care jobs is evidence of or justification for a recession.

“Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's current actions represent the most harmful response possible to any underlying economic slowdown.”

Rortybomb

When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024

Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's …

Read more

a year ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

As global supply chains fray and the economy veers towards recession, the Federal Reserve faces a different spin on a recent problem — one it can’t fully fix.

Rortybomb

The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?

Summary…

Read more

a year ago · 3 likes · 1 comment · Mike Konczal

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Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating

Former Clinton Adviser: Democrats Should Follow Bernie Sanders and AOC

Longtime Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik says the party should promote populist economics.

As Democrats grapple with how to find their way back to power, one party strategist has some surprising advice. Or at least, it may be surprising coming from him.

Doug Sosnik is a longtime Democratic strategist best known for being a top adviser to Bill Clinton. He’s a self-described member of the party’s centrist wing. But he says it’s now time for Democrats to take a page from the progressive left’s playbook.

“I think that what Bernie Sanders and AOC have been saying — which is really a populist economic agenda — I think that is an important element for the Democratic Party going forward,” he said in an interview with the Playbook Deep Dive podcast.

Sosnik is also blunt about Democrats’ predicament as President Donald Trump upends Washington, but argues the party has an opportunity to refine its message ahead of 2026, and more importantly, 2028.

“We’re out of power. We can’t get anything done,” he said. “But at least we need to be able to articulate a coherent narrative about the future that can appeal to the middle class.”

Sosnik also talked about which Democrats intrigued him as potential 2028 presidential contenders — mostly governors, but one senator did come up — as well as who was not likely to end up as the nominee.

“There are indoor politicians and outdoor politicians,” Sosnik said. “Indoor politicians have a roof over them. They’re senators, they give speeches. Outdoor politicians are people that are out there in the field, they’re in the crowds.” Keep an eye on the ones outside.

Continue reading at Politico watch the interview here:

Thousands Attend Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Montana Rally

Democrats dive into GOP districts, accusing Republicans of avoiding constituents

House Democrats are diving back into GOP districts to conduct town halls during the long spring recess, escalating an unusual tactic they’re hoping will help them win over battleground voters.

The gambit — aimed at districts held by Republicans facing tough reelection contests — was initiated after House GOP leaders advised Republican lawmakers not to meet face-to-face with voters in large, public forums amid the outcry over President Trump’s efforts to remake Washington.

In March, a handful of Democrats ventured into GOP districts to stage town halls put on by grassroots activists and local party affiliates. They’ve expanded the effort this month, using the two-week holiday break to visit Republican-held districts in states spanning from coast to coast.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have gained the most attention as they traverse the country on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which launched in March. In recent days the pair has barnstormed through Republican strongholds in the West, including stops in Montana, Utah and Idaho, attracting large crowds in the process.

But they’re hardly alone. On a smaller scale, individual House Democrats — some coordinating with the Democrats’ national campaign arms, others not — are also hopping into Republican territory to take their anti-Trump arguments directly to voters. A large part of the message is calling out GOP lawmakers for declining to conduct similar public events.