Today in one sentence: The U.S. launched a second round of strikes against Iran after Trump said the ceasefire was “over”; the White House announced 25 “Freedom Fuel” gas stations selling gas at $3.47 a gallon “for our 47th President” as oil prices jumped more than 5% and gasoline remains well above its pre-war level; Trump left the NATO summit claiming there was “a lot of love” and “tremendous unity” after saying “I’m not happy with NATO”; Affordable Care Act health insurance plans are expected to increase about 14% next year; Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked Mitch McConnell to publicly update Kentuckians on his health and ability to serve after the 84-year-old senator has spent more than three weeks in a hospital for undisclosed reasons; and Graham Platner is reportedly refusing to quickly drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of rape.

1/ The U.S. launched a second round of strikes against Iran after Trump said the ceasefire was “over” and warned that “it will get much worse” if ships in the Strait of Hormuz are attacked again. U.S. Central Command said the strikes were meant to “further degrade” Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strait. The U.S. said the attacks were retaliation for strikes on three commercial vessels. Iran hasn’t claimed responsibility for those attacks, but said it targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait after earlier U.S. strikes. Despite a memorandum of understanding last month to reopen the strait and keep negotiating toward a permanent ceasefire, Trump said dealing with Iran was “just a waste of time,” calling its leaders “scum,” “liars,” “sick people,” and “vicious, violent people,” before saying: “I’m not sure I want to make a deal with them […] Let’s just finish the job.” (Associated Press / Reuters / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NPR / CBS News / CNBC / CNN / Bloomberg)

2/ The White House announced 25 “Freedom Fuel” gas stations selling gas at $3.47 a gallon “for our 47th President” as oil prices jumped more than 5% and gasoline remains well above its pre-war level. The stations, 20 in Pennsylvania and five in New Jersey, are privately owned and not federally subsidized. In a video posted by the White House, customers thanked Trump for cheaper gas, saying “Thanks, Trump, for saving me some money.” Regular gas averaged about $3.80 nationally Wednesday, down from its May peak of $4.56, but still above the $2.98 average before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February. (The Hill / CBS News / USA Today / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

3/ Trump left the NATO summit claiming there was “a lot of love” and “tremendous unity” after saying “I’m not happy with NATO,” scolding France, Germany, Italy, and Britain for not joining the war against Iran. During the summit, Trump – again – insisted that the U.S. “need[s]” Greenland, and ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off U.S. trade with Spain over Madrid’s refusal to commit to NATO’s new 5% defense spending target. “Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said, later calling Spain a “terrible partner” and telling Bessent: “Don’t even talk to them.” It’s unclear how the order would work because Spain is part of the European Union, which controls trade policy for its member states and EU customs rules prevent singling out one country. NATO leaders nevertheless reaffirmed their “ironclad” commitment to Article 5’s collective defense and pledged about $80 billion in military aid for Ukraine this year and next. Trump also told Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. will allow Ukraine to manufacture U.S.-designed Patriot missile interceptors, saying “We’ll show them how to do it” and “This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough.” It’s unclear, however, how quickly Ukraine could produce the interceptors needed to stop Russian ballistic missiles. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump’s “leadership” and tried to cast the summit as proof of “a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO.” (New York Times / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Washington Post / New York Times / The Hill / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Reuters)

• Trump will remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. first designated Syria a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979, after its then-government sided with Palestinian militant groups. (Semafor / Bloomberg)

4/ Affordable Care Act health insurance plans are expected to increase about 14% next year – a year after rates rose 20%. KFF’s analysis of 77 insurer filings in 16 states and D.C. found that premiums are expected to rise more than 33% between 2025 and 2027, driven by higher hospital prices, specialty drug costs, inflation, and a smaller, sicker risk pool after healthier enrollees dropped coverage when enhanced subsidies expired. ACA enrollment fell to 19.2 million from 22.1 million a year earlier, and insurers estimate the worsening risk pool alone will add about four percentage points to next year’s premiums. (Reuters / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Axios / The Hill / Bloomberg / USA Today)

The 2026 midterms are in 118 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 853 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. A federal judge ordered Trump’s $5.8 million to be released to E. Jean Carroll after the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal of the 2023 civil verdict finding that Trump was liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected Trump’s argument that the money, which Trump had deposited with the court while he appealed, couldn’t be paid out while he asked the justices to reconsider. Trump is separately appealing an $83.3 million defamation verdict Carroll won in 2024. (Associated Press / New York Times)

2. A federal judge threw out Trump Media’s $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post after finding the company failed to show the newspaper acted with “actual malice” when it published a 2023 story about financing for Truth Social. U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber granted summary judgment to The Post, saying Trump Media hadn’t produced evidence that would allow a jury to find the newspaper knowingly published false claims or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. (CNN / Washington Post / The Guardian)

3. A federal appeals court refused to restore Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center while he appeals a lower-court order requiring its removal from the building and website. The three-judge D.C. Circuit panel said the administration failed to show the center would be irreparably harmed without Trump’s name, which was removed last month after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked plans to close the center for renovations. (Reuters / CNN / NPR)

4. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear asked Mitch McConnell to publicly update Kentuckians on his health and ability to serve after the 84-year-old senator has spent more than three weeks in a hospital for undisclosed reasons. McConnell’s office hasn’t said why he was hospitalized, what treatment he’s receiving, or when he might return to the Senate other than he “continues to improve” and is working with staff while the Senate is out of session. (New York Times / Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News)

5. Graham Platner is reportedly refusing to quickly drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of rape. The Maine Democratic Party faces a Monday deadline for him to drop out so they can pick a new nominee. Platner’s campaign, however, has texted volunteers asking for feedback on the nomination process and said it would collect responses for “the next 48 hours” The Maine Democratic Party, meanwhile, accused Platner of “continued efforts to manipulate this process” and said he will have “no role” in choosing the next nominee. (New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Politico / Washington Post)

• Today last year: Day 1631: "Hubristic and senseless."
• Two years ago today: Day 1266: "We have one job."
• Six years ago today: Day 1266: "A campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation."
• Seven years ago today: Day 900: Pathways.

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Today in one sentence: The U.S. launched new strikes against Iran after U.S. Central Command said Iran attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire”; the U.S. reportedly gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers while trying to deport them back to Iran; Trump said he’d consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and lifting sanctions tied its purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system; Trump suggested he could pull U.S. troops out of Europe after NATO allies refused to support his demand that the U.S. should control Greenland; Top Democrats urged Graham Platner to drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021; Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for more than three weeks and his office won’t say why; 60% of Americans say Trump is using his office for personal gain; and 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis, with half saying they’re having trouble affording everyday necessities, like gas and groceries, and two-thirds saying they have little faith that the federal government will improve the cost-of-living.

1/ The U.S. launched new strikes against Iran after U.S. Central Command said Iran attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.” The strikes came after a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, a Saudi oil tanker, and a third vessel were hit near the Omani route through the strait, where Iran has insisted that ships use its approved route and argued that it should be able to charge passage fees. A U.S. official characterized the military strikes as “not proportional,” and saying: “This is punishment. It won’t be over for a bit.” Separately, the Trump administration revoked its temporary waiver allowing Iran to sell oil in global markets. The U.S. said Iran “will only reap benefits if they exhibit good behavior” and that its actions in the strait were “wholly unacceptable.” (Bloomberg / Associated Press / NBC News / CNBC / New York Times / CNN / New York Times / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC)

2/ The U.S. gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers while trying to deport them back to Iran, a lawsuit alleges. The complaint says State Department and ICE officials shared names and immigration files, then kept sending records even after the U.S.-Iran war began. DHS, however, denied that ICE shared “asylum application records,” saying it only works with foreign governments to secure travel documents and consular access. (Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News / Associated Press / NPR / New York Times)

3/ Trump said he’d consider selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and lifting sanctions tied its purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system. Trump praised Turkey as an “extraordinary” ally and said it has been “much more loyal” than other NATO countries. A 2020 law, however, blocks the sale of F-35s to Turkey unless it gives up the Russian equipment, and Congress could still try to block the sale. Meanwhile, Israel opposes the sale, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying he urged Trump directly not to do it because giving Turkey the stealth jets would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East,” describing Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “not exactly a model ally” and warned that “when you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression in its wake.” Israel is currently the only country in the region with F-35s. (New York Times / CNN / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Washington Post / Bloomberg)

4/ Trump suggested he could pull U.S. troops out of Europe after NATO allies refused to support his demand that the U.S. should control Greenland, saying the dispute had “hurt my relationship with NATO.” Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump also said he was “very disappointed with NATO,” criticized Europe’s energy and immigration policies, and said the war between Russia and Ukraine “doesn’t affect us” ahead of a planned meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she expected allies to respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and that U.S. control of Greenland “is not going to happen.” (Reuters / CNBC / Politico)

5/ Top Democrats urged Graham Platner to drop out of Maine’s Senate race after a woman accused him of raping her in 2021. Jenny Racicot said Platner showed up drunk and uninvited at her home while they were dating, ignored her repeated objections, and forced himself on her. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice,’” she said. Platner denied the allegation, calling “any accusation of non-consensual behavior” “categorically false,” while his campaign claimed the allegations were “coached and coordinated by out of state establishment operatives” and timed to come “a week before the ballot deadline.” Platner later said in a video that “regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting,” he was “mindful of the political reality it will inflict” and was taking time to “reflect on the best path forward” for Maine and “the goal of defeating Susan Collins.” If Platner withdraws by July 13, Maine Democrats have until July 27 to replace him on the ballot. If he doesn’t, the party could be stuck with Platner as their nominee in a race that’s essential to retaking control of the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, meaning Democrats likely need to flip the Maine seat, where Susan Collins is the only Republican senator running in a state Democrats carried in 2024. (Politico / CNN / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post)

6/ Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for more than three weeks and his office won’t say why. The 84-year-old Republican hasn’t cast a Senate vote since June 11, but his office says McConnell “continues to improve” and is working with staff while the Senate is out of session. Emergency dispatch recordings from June 14 indicate first responders were sent to McConnell’s Washington address for an unconscious person before reporting “CPR in progress” and “cardiac arrest.” McConnell isn’t named in the audio and his office declined to comment on it. John Thune, John Barrasso, and former McConnell adviser Scott Jennings all said that they’ve spoken with McConnell by phone for about 20 minutes, with Barrasso’s office saying McConnell was “fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.” (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / CNBC)

poll/ 60% of Americans say Trump is using his office for personal gain. (YouGov)

poll/ 95% of Americans believe the U.S. is suffering an affordability crisis, with half saying they’re having trouble affording everyday necessities, like gas and groceries, and two-thirds saying they have little faith that the federal government will improve the cost-of-living.(The Guardian)

The 2026 midterms are in 119 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 854 days.

• Today last year: Day 1630: "Very talented people."
• Four years ago today: Day 534: "Entrenched."
• Five years ago today: Day 169: "A lot of good things."
• Six years ago today: Day 1265: "Gave up and didn't try."
• 9 years ago today: Day 169: An honor to be with you.

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Today in one sentence: Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask him to review Folarin Balogun’s red card and suspension, which FIFA then reversed; the FBI ordered 260 analysts to help investigate the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia; the U.S. labor market weakened in June, with employers adding 57,000 jobs; Trump disclosed that he made 327 stock purchases one day before he told the public it was a “GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” and then paused some of his tariffs; Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office to launch “Trump Accounts”; House Democrats said Trump-linked fundraisers may have steered America250 donors to Trump’s Freedom 250 instead; and the White House accused the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of “extreme political activism.”

1/ Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask him to review Folarin Balogun’s red card and suspension. FIFA then reversed the U.S.’s leading scorer’s suspension and rejected Belgium’s challenge even though World Cup red cards carry an automatic one-game ban. “All I did was ask for a review,” Trump said, because “I didn’t think it was a foul,” while insisting: “I didn’t tell him what to do.” Trump, however, acknowledged that he “didn’t know what the hell a red card was,” but said once he learned Balogun would miss the Belgium match, “I said, ‘You gotta be kidding,’” calling the referee’s decision “horrible” and FIFA’s reversal “brilliant.” Trump described the play as “two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled,” suggested referee Raphael Claus was “a little bit suspect,” and said keeping Balogun out would have left “a big stain” on the tournament. Behind the scenes, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House World Cup task force director Andrew Giuliani, U.S. Soccer officials, and lawyers worked to challenge the ban, while a U.S. official said the government provided “additional evidence” to FIFA’s process. Infantino reportedly told Trump that FIFA’s independent judicial bodies would decide the case. FIFA cited Article 27 to reverse Balogun’s one-game ban and instead put him on a one-year probationary period while keeping the red card on his record. Belgium said FIFA provided no decision, explanation, or referee report before rejecting its challenge as inadmissible because Belgium was not a party to the proceedings. UEFA also accused FIFA of crossing “a red line” with an “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision that undermined the certainty of the rules. Brazil’s soccer federation, meanwhile, rejected Trump’s insinuation about Claus, calling him “an exemplary professional” whose integrity should not be questioned. (The Hill / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / The Athletic / ESPN / Politico / CNN / NBC News / Axios / CBS News / The Guardian / CNBC / Reuters / Associated Press / Washington Post)

2/ The FBI ordered 260 analysts to help investigate the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia. An internal memo described the case as a “priority” for Director Kash Patel and called for “surge support” to review thousands of records by July 17. The investigation centers on the election Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed was “rigged,” even though Biden’s 11,779-vote win in Georgia was confirmed by a machine recount and a hand-count audit in every county. The FBI already seized more than 600 boxes of 2020 ballots and election materials from Fulton County in January, which a federal judge let the Justice Department keep. (CBS News / CNN / NBC News)

3/ The U.S. labor market weakened in June, with employers adding 57,000 jobs. Earlier gains were revised down by 74,000, the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%, and the participation rate fell to the lowest level since March 2021. Roughly 720,000 people left the labor force and household employment fell by 507,000. (Axios / Reuters / CBS News / The Hill / CNN)

4/ Trump disclosed that he made 327 stock purchases one day before he told the public it was a “GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” and then paused some of his tariffs, sending the S&P 500 up about 9.5%. The purchases came after markets had fallen more than 12% following Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement and included between $100,001 and $250,000 each in Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. His annual disclosure also showed more than 21,000 securities trades in 2025, worth somewhere between $600 million and $1.86 billion, along with at least $2.2 billion in revenue from his businesses, including $1.4 billion from crypto-related ventures. (NBC News / CNBC / New York Times / Bloomberg)

5/ Trump rang the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office to launch “Trump Accounts,” the new tax-advantaged investment program for children that gives a $1,000 federal contribution to U.S. citizen children born between 2025 and 2028. The accounts, created in last summer’s tax-and-spending bill, default into State Street’s S&P 500 ETF, while parents, friends, and employers can contribute up to $5,000 a year. Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to give $250 to 25 million children under 10 in low-income areas, while Gwynne Shotwell said she would gift SpaceX stock to more than two million children. Trump, standing beside the Dells, told Americans to “Go out and buy a Dell computer,” joked that “we’re going to get him that money back one way or another,” and said the accounts would grow “right along with our booming economy.” (Bloomberg / The Guardian / CNN / Associated Press / CNBC)

6/ House Democrats said Trump-linked fundraisers may have steered America250 donors to Trump’s Freedom 250 instead. According to a Democratic staff report from the House Natural Resources Committee, donors seeking to support the bipartisan commission created by Congress were allegedly given banking information for Freedom 250, a White House-backed group operating under the National Park Foundation. The report said the alleged diversion of funds, if true, could amount to wire fraud or charitable solicitation fraud. Democrats also accused Trump allies of sidelining America250 by starving it of expected federal funding and selling sponsorship perks tied to Freedom 250 events, including VIP access and a photo opportunity with Trump. (Associated Press / NPR / CNN)

• EARLIER: Trump used the July Fourth celebration of America’s 250th anniversary to attack “communism” and push new voting restrictions. Trump honored veterans, military history, and NASA astronauts, but also told the crowd “we don’t want communists in our country,” called communism “a loser,” and said “with God’s help” America would remain unlike any other nation because “nobody can be like us.” He urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, claimed without evidence that limiting mail-in ballots would mean “you won’t have cheating on the elections anymore,” before declaring the anniversary “only the dawn of the golden age of America” and promising that “the best is yet to come.” (NBC News / Axios / CBS News / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NPR)

7/ The White House accused the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History of “extreme political activism.” The Domestic Policy Council said the current Smithsonian leadership “cannot be trusted” to tell America’s story and claimed the museum had been captured by a “radical, activist ideology,” citing its treatment of the founders, slavery, gender, immigration, Christianity, and “whiteness.” The Smithsonian, a public-private trust, said it’s served the public for more than 180 years with “nonpartisan and independent scholarship.” Secretary Lonnie Bunch said America’s strength is “not running away from its history, but understanding how that history shaped us.” (New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 120 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 855 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 898: "Not a record to celebrate."
• Four years ago today: Day 533: "Broken."
• Six years ago today: Day 1264: "Really not good."
• Eight years ago today: Day 533: Totally prepared.
• 9 years ago today: Day 168: Will to survive.

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Today in one sentence: Trump reported at least $2.2 billion in income in 2025, including more than $1.4 billion from crypto ventures tied to him and his family; Trump refused to renew his own North American trade deal; Trump urged acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte to “declassify almost everything” while he temporarily leads the nation’s intelligence office for the next “month or two months or something”; and Trump took his first flight on the new Air Force One, a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar and retrofitted for presidential use despite legal, ethical, and national security questions over the foreign gift.

1/ Trump reported at least $2.2 billion in income in 2025, including more than $1.4 billion from crypto ventures tied to him and his family. The 927-page disclosure showed roughly $635 million from a Trump memecoin licensing deal, more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial token sales, and nearly $200 million from a stablecoin-related transaction all while the Trump administration loosened crypto regulation and promoted the U.S. as the “crypto capital of the world.” Trump also reported at least $86.5 million from legal settlements with media and technology companies. Mar-a-Lago generated $77 million and Trump National Doral brought in about $122 million. Trump dismissed conflict-of-interest concerns, saying “You know why I’m profiting? Because the stock market is going up. We’re all profiting” And the White House claimed that “Neither the President nor his family has ever engaged — or will ever engage — in conflicts of interest.” (Associated Press / Reuters / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NBC News / The Hill / CNN / CNBC)

• Trump reported earning at least $26 million from foreign real estate deals during his second term. The income came from Trump Organization licensing deals in Romania, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. (Bloomberg)

2/ Trump refused to renew his own North American trade deal, forcing Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. into annual reviews and negotiations for the next decade instead of locking in a 16-year extension. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Trump administration was “not prepared to rubber stamp the agreement,” while Trump, who once called it the “best and most important trade deal ever made,” now says he’s “not a big fan” of it and wants it “terminated.” (Politico / Bloomberg / New York Times)

3/ Trump urged acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte to “declassify almost everything” while he temporarily leads the nation’s intelligence office for the next “month or two months or something.” Despite bipartisan concerns that Pulte, a housing official with no intelligence experience, could weaponize the agency, Trump said “Bill is there just for a fairly short period of time” before Jay Clayton, his permanent DNI nominee, gets a confirmation hearing in two weeks. “But while he’s there, I said you can declassify whatever you want.” (Politico / Reuters / The Hill)

4/ Trump took his first flight on the new Air Force One, a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar and retrofitted for presidential use despite legal, ethical, and national security questions over the foreign gift. Trump called it “maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built,” saying Qatar had “treated us very well” and that the U.S. “couldn’t build a plane like this” because “we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary.” The jet will temporarily replace the 35-year-old planes that have served as Air Force One until Boeing delivers two delayed U.S.-built replacements in 2028. (CNN / CBS News / Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 125 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 860 days.

• Today last year: Day 1624: "Agonizing."
• Two years ago today: Day 1259: "The President is now a king above the law."
• Five years ago today: Day 163: "Sweeping and audacious."
• Six years ago today: Day 1259: "It's going to sort of just disappear, I hope."
• Seven years ago today: Day 893: Unforeseen.

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Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order; the Supreme Court eliminated the decades-old limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates running for office; Speaker Mike Johnson sent the bipartisan housing affordability bill to Trump and said it’ll become law even if Trump refuses to sign it; the House passed a bipartisan kids online safety package to impose federal rules on social media platforms, AI chatbots, data brokers, and porn sites, sending the KIDS Act to a Senate where sponsors have already warned the House version is dead on arrival; the Supreme Court ruled that the police need a warrant to use cellphone location data; and the Supreme Court upheld West Virginia and Idaho laws banning transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s school sports teams.

1/ The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order, reaffirming more than a century of legal precedent under the 14th Amendment that nearly everyone born on U.S. soil is an American citizen. The 6-3 ruling invalidates Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders. The policy that never took effect after lower courts blocked it. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that “citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights,” and that the 14th Amendment extended that promise to “every free-born person in this land.” Trump, meanwhile, called the decision “too bad for our Country” and urged Congress to end birthright citizenship by legislation. (New York Times / NBC News / ABC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post)

2/ The Supreme Court eliminated the decades-old limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates running for office. The 6-3 ruling lets national party committees spend unlimited amounts in coordination with individual campaigns. Donors can give far more to political parties than directly to candidates, meaning parties can now direct a much larger pool of money toward individual campaigns. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that the decision lets all parties “compete more fully” and coordinate more closely with their candidates, while Justice Elena Kagan warned that, without the limits, “the party can serve as the candidate’s checking account.” The case was brought by JD Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign and Republican committees, then backed by Trump’s Justice Department after the federal government stopped defending the law. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico / NBC News)

3/ Speaker Mike Johnson sent the bipartisan housing affordability bill to Trump and said it’ll become law even if Trump refuses to sign it, saying Trump “won’t veto the bill” and can simply let it take effect after 10 days. Trump, who abruptly canceled the signing ceremony last week, called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act “a big yawn” and “so unimportant” compared with the stalled SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. Johnson said Trump told him he’d “think about it.” (USA Today / CNN / New York Times / ABC News / Reuters / Politico)

4/ The House passed a bipartisan kids online safety package to impose federal rules on social media platforms, AI chatbots, data brokers, and porn sites, sending the KIDS Act to a Senate where sponsors have already warned the House version is dead on arrival. The 267-117 vote marks the first time a version of KOSA has cleared the House, but the bill strips out the Senate’s central “duty of care” provision requiring platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent harms to minors. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the House version “dead in the Senate,” while Sen. Maria Cantwell said the Senate is “not interested” in preempting state lawsuits and stronger state protections. Privacy and digital rights groups, meanwhile, warned that the bill’s age-checking provisions could push platforms toward broader identity checks for everyone. (Politico / The Hill / NBC News / Axios)

5/ The Supreme Court ruled that the police need a warrant to use cellphone location data, rejecting the Trump administration’s argument that the Fourth Amendment didn’t apply because users had shared the data with Google. In a 6-3 vote, the court found that the use of broad “geofence” surveillance, which sweeps up location data from cellphones near crime scenes, constitutes a search under the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The court, however, didn’t answer whether the warrant used to identify Okello Chatrie after a 2019 Virginia bank robbery was too broad or lacked probable cause. Justice Elena Kagan wrote that police “intrude” on a protected privacy interest when they demand cellphone-location records, warning that the data can give the government a “virtual panopticon” to scrutinize people’s movements. Justice Samuel Alito dissented, calling the ruling an “irresponsible escapade” that would send “seismic waves” through Fourth Amendment law. (CNN / Washington Post / NPR / New York Times / Associated Press / NBC News)

6/ The Supreme Court upheld West Virginia and Idaho laws banning transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s school sports teams. The ruling reverses a pair of lower court decisions that had blocked the bans as violations of Title IX and the 14th Amendment, and will likely be used by 25 other states with similar laws. The ruling, however, doesn’t create a nationwide ban. (Reuters / ABC News / NBC News / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times)

The 2026 midterms are in 126 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 861 days.

• Today last year: Day 1623: "Insane and destructive."
• Four years ago today: Day 527: "Running out of options."
• Five years ago today: Day 162: "A more stable and secure world."
• Six years ago today: Day 1258: "We're going in the wrong direction."
• 9 years ago today: Day 162: Fraud.

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Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s Justice Department and the Republican National Committee’s effort to force states to throw out mail ballots that arrive after Election Day so long as voters cast them on time; the Supreme Court declined to consider Trump’s attempt to overturn a 2023 jury verdict holding him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll; the Supreme Court expanded presidential authority over independent federal agencies; Trump said the U.S. and Iran will meet this week in Qatar for negotiations after the two agreed to “stand down for now” following attacks over the weekend; Trump nominated former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as director of ICE; Trump’s former national security adviser pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information; Trump plans to renovate Washington, D.C.’s public East Potomac Golf Links starting Sept. 1, despite a pending federal lawsuit to stop Trump from unilaterally renovating the golf course; and 33% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to be an American – a 25-year low.

1/ The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s Justice Department and the Republican National Committee’s effort to force states to throw out mail ballots that arrive after Election Day so long as voters cast them on time. The 5-4 ruling preserves Mississippi’s five-business-day grace period and similar rules in more than a dozen states, plus separate protections for military and overseas voters elsewhere. Trump called the decision a “tremendous loss” and demanded Congress pass the SAVE America Act, again claiming opposition means “CHEATING!” without evidence. (Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Bloomberg / CNBC)

2/ The Supreme Court declined to consider Trump’s attempt to overturn a 2023 jury verdict holding him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump will have to pay Carroll the $5 million judgment, plus interest. However, Trump is still appealing a separate $83.3 million defamation judgment. Trump had argued that the trial judge improperly allowed jurors to hear testimony from two other women who accused him of sexual misconduct and the “Access Hollywood” tape. (Associated Press / Reuters / NBC News / Politico / CNBC / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)

3/ The Supreme Court expanded presidential authority over independent federal agencies, ruling that Trump and future presidents can fire agency leaders at will. The court ruled 6-3 to overturn 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, allowing Trump to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter despite a federal law limiting presidents from firing Senate-confirmed leaders only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” In a separate 5-4 ruling, however, the court blocked Trump from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook while her lawsuit continues. Chief Justice John Roberts said Cook was entitled to notice and a chance to respond before being removed over Trump’s unproven mortgage fraud allegations. (NBC News / New York Times / Politico / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Trump said the U.S. and Iran will meet this week in Qatar for negotiations after the two agreed to “stand down for now” following attacks over the weekend. Iran, however, hasn’t confirmed the meeting and its deputy foreign minister said nothing is scheduled this week. Nevertheless, Trump posted: “IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!” The White House said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will lead the “high-level meetings” to discuss the memorandum of understanding they signed earlier this month. Trump, meanwhile, threatened that “there may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable” and that the U.S. could “complete the job” if Tehran didn’t open up the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has claimed right to full control over. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / CBS News)

• EARLIER:
• The U.S. military attacked Iranian missile and drone sites after Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by launching a drone attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran attacked American military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in response, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if the U.S. continues the strikes. (New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press)

5/ Trump nominated former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as director of ICE. Schroyer has been serving as a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, overseeing coordination between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement agencies. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration. (CNN / NBC News)

6/ Trump’s former national security adviser pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information. John Bolton was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2025 on 18 charges related to retention and transmission of national defense information. Under the plea agreement, Bolton faces a fine of $2.25 million and up to five years in prison. “John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went. Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!” (The Hill / NPR)

7/ Trump plans to renovate Washington, D.C.’s public East Potomac Golf Links starting Sept. 1, despite a pending federal lawsuit to stop Trump from unilaterally renovating the golf course. It’s unclear how the proposed construction date aligns with the judge’s warning to get approvals and notify the court before making major changes, including environmental and regulatory reviews. Nevertheless, Trump toured the course with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and golf architect Tom Fazio, calling it “dilapidated” and “very dangerous and outdated,” and said the Interior Department would rebuild it into “one of the Greatest Golf Courses anywhere in the World” while keeping it open to the public. He also claimed the redesigned course could host the U.S. Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, and other major tournaments, though those events are typically scheduled years in advance. (Associated Press / ABC News / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

poll/ 33% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to be an American – a 25-year low. 20% say they are “very proud,” 22% “moderately proud”, 15% “only a little proud” or 9% “not at all proud.” (Gallup)

The 2026 midterms are in 127 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 862 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 891: "Let them eat cake."
• Four years ago today: Day 526: "A better justification."
• Five years ago today: Day 161: "Take the win."
• Six years ago today: Day 1257: "Nobody told me."
• Eight years ago today: Day 526: Totally screwed.
• 9 years ago today: Day 161: Low IQ.

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Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court ruled that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border aren’t entitled to apply for asylum until they set foot in the country; the Supreme Court allowed Trump to end Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians; a federal judge blocked Trump from using the Postal Service and Homeland Security to restrict who can receive mail ballots; Senate Republicans held a late night re-vote on Trump’s Iran war powers, this time rejecting a nearly identical measure that the Senate had approved the day before; Inflation rose to 4.1% in May – the highest in three years; and 53% of Americans say there’s grounds for Congress to impeach Trump.

1/ The Supreme Court ruled that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border aren’t entitled to apply for asylum until they set foot in the country. The decision allows Trump to revive the asylum “metering” policy, which was first used under Obama in 2016, expanded during Trump’s first term, but rescinded by Biden in 2021. It lets border agents physically block asylum seekers when ports are deemed over capacity. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that “a guest does not arrive in a house when he knocks on the front door,” while Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court had blessed the government’s decision to “slam the door shut” on people fleeing persecution. “More people will die,” Sotomayor wrote. “More people will attempt to cross the border illegally, and some will make it while others will not.” (Politico / Reuters / NPR / Axios / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times)

2/ The Supreme Court allowed Trump to end Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. In a 6-3 ruling, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the TPS law “plainly bars” courts from reviewing DHS decisions to extend or end the protections, and said Trump’s comments about Haitians were “insufficient” to show that the decision was based on race. Justice Elena Kagan, meanwhile, said “hundreds of thousands of lives will be uprooted” and accused the majority of letting DHS end protections “without the required consultations about country conditions” and, for Haiti, with “impermissible race-based considerations tainting the decision.” The ruling exposes them to possible deportation after years of living and working legally in the U.S. It also opens the door for the administration to end TPS for immigrants from 13 countries, which protects roughly 1.3 million people. (Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News / Washington Post / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Reuters / Politico)

• The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring people to get permission to carry guns into stores and hotels. “The measure was sometimes referred to as a “vampire rule” because it required people with guns to get permission to enter, according to vampire lore, bloodsuckers need an invitation to enter a home.” (Associated Press)

• The Supreme Court restricted thousands of lawsuits claiming Monsanto had a duty to warn consumers of alleged cancer risks from the world’s most popular weed killer, Roundup. “The justices ruled Monsanto was not required to offer a warning because the Environmental Protection Agency holds that Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, is not a cancer risk.” (Washington Post)

3/ A federal judge blocked Trump from using the Postal Service and Homeland Security to restrict who can receive mail ballots, ruling that the president had no constitutional authority to create federal voter lists or order USPS to deliver ballots only to voters on federally approved lists. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said the Constitution gives states the power to determine voter eligibility, writing that “the Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections.” The ruling applies to the 23 states and Washington, D.C., that sued and prevents the administration from enforcing the provisions ahead of the November midterms. The decision is separate from Wednesday’s ruling that permanently blocked Trump’s earlier executive order requiring people to show documents proving their citizenship when registering to vote. (NPR / Bloomberg / Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / Axios / Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News / CNN / CBS News)

4/ Senate Republicans held a late night re-vote on Trump’s Iran war powers, this time rejecting a nearly identical measure that the Senate had approved the day before. While Trump claimed that the Senate had “changed its vote on Iran,” the move doesn’t rescind, supersede, or undo Tuesday’s adopted resolution that direct Trump to end the war with Iran or get Congress’s approval to continue. The symbolic reversal came hours after Trump berated Republicans in a closed-door lunch for undermining his negotiations with Iran, which included a shouting match with Bill Cassidy. After receiving a White House briefing from JD Vance and Steve Witkoff, Cassidy changed his vote to no. Tim Kaine, meanwhile, called the second vote “of no consequence” and said it “does not undo the expressed position of Congress that further war against Iran is illegal unless Congress votes for it.” Nevertheless Trump celebrated the procedural defeat, saying: This vote puts Iran on notice!” (USA Today / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / ABC News)

5/ Inflation rose to 4.1% in May – the highest in three years. The Fed’s preferred PCE index rose 0.4% from April, while core inflation rose 3.4% from a year earlier. Personal income and consumer spending both rose 0.7%, with inflation-adjusted spending up 0.3%. (Bloomberg / CNBC / Politico / New York Times / CBS News / Associated Press / Axios)

poll/ 53% of Americans say there’s grounds for Congress to impeach Trump. The most common reason was corruption and self-enrichment, followed by abuse of power, defying court orders, and weaponizing the Justice Department. (Strength in Numbers)

• Today last year: Day 1618: "Daddy."
• Two years ago today: Day 1253: "A deep sense of fear."
• Five years ago today: Day 157: "Particular cruelty."
• Six years ago today: Day 1253: "An explosion."
• Seven years ago today: Day 887: Overwhelming force.
• Eight years ago today: Day 522: Inhumane and unethical.

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Today in one sentence: A federal judge permanently blocked Trump from enforcing an executive order that would’ve required proof of citizenship to register to vote and forced mail ballots to be received by Election Day; a federal appeals court blocked Trump’s Justice Department from obtaining Michigan’s unredacted voter rolls; Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a major bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he won’t sign it until Congress passes the SAVE America Act; Trump berated Senate Republicans for voting to block him from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization; Trump asked Congress for $87.6 billion in emergency spending for his Iran war; a federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from obtaining six years of transgender patients’ medical records; and 77% of Americans say the founders would be disappointed with how the country has turned out.

1/ A federal judge permanently blocked Trump from enforcing an executive order that would’ve required proof of citizenship to register to vote and forced mail ballots to be received by Election Day. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper ruled that the Constitution gives election authority to states and Congress, not the president, and said the Justice Department failed to support Trump’s claims of “widespread illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error.” The order also would have blocked states from counting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day even if postmarked on time, and threatened to withhold federal money from states that refused to comply. Separately, the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether 14 states can keep counting postmarked mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. (ABC News / Associated Press / NBC News)

2/ A federal appeals court blocked Trump’s Justice Department from obtaining Michigan’s unredacted voter rolls, ruling that the DOJ can’t use the 1960 Civil Rights Act to demand a state-created voter file containing personal data like partial Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and birth dates. Judge Andre Mathis wrote that the government once used the law “to ensure that everyone who had the right to vote could freely exercise that right,” but now invokes it “for an inverse purpose – to ensure that some people have not voted.” The 2-1 decision is the Trump administration’s first appellate court loss in its effort to obtain the voter lists from 30 states and D.C. The administration has also lost all nine trial-court rulings so far. Meanwhile, Postmaster General David Steiner told senators that, under a proposed Trump rule, USPS would restrict delivery of mail ballots in states that don’t provide voter lists. Democrats called the plan an attempt to coerce states into handing over election data before the November midterms. (Reuters / CNN / Politico / Democracy Docket)

3/ Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a major bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he won’t sign it until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, an unrelated elections bill that Senate Republicans say doesn’t have the votes to pass. The housing bill, meant to boost supply, lower costs, and limit institutional investors from buying up single-family homes, cleared the House 358-32 and the Senate 85-5, enough to override a veto. Nevertheless, Trump posted on social media that “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT,” calling it a “National Emergency” while dismissing the largest piece of housing legislation in decades as “of minor importance.” Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have repeatedly told Trump they won’t eliminate the filibuster and they don’t have enough votes to pass his elections bill, which would impose new proof-of-citizenship and voter ID requirements and restrict mail voting. (New York Times / NPR / Axios / Washington Post / Politico / CBS News / NBC News / Reuters / CNBC)

4/ Trump berated Senate Republicans for voting to block him from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization. Sen. Bill Cassidy got into a shouting match with Trump after Trump asked why any Republican would back the war powers resolution. “You have not told the American people what’s going on,” Cassidy said, adding that the war “was supposed to last four weeks,” but its “lasted four months” and that “our original objectives have not been achieved.” Trump “did not particularly care for my comments” and “raised his voice,” Cassidy said, so he “matched his tone and his volume,” later adding: “I’m not going to be bullied” and “I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing.” Sen. John Kennedy described Trump as “mad as a murder hornet” about the vote, while Sen. Roger Marshall compared the meeting to “a hospital board meeting, when a bunch of doctors are yelling at each other.” Trump, meanwhile, called it a “really great meeting,” saying “We like everybody really in the room – I don’t like a few people, but that’s OK.” (Associated Press / CNN / The Guardian / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / CBS News / Politico / Bloomberg)

5/ Trump asked Congress for $87.6 billion in emergency spending for his Iran war. The request would send $67.1 billion to the Pentagon, including $21 billion to replace missiles used in the Iran war, $17.3 billion for operations, and $12.1 billion for classified programs. The package also includes $2.4 billion for drones and $5.1 billion for cybersecurity. The White House also bundled in about $11 billion for farmers, $1.4 billion for Ebola response, $1 billion for Penn Station, and $500 million for Washington, D.C. construction. However, the request has no clear path through the Senate where it needs 60 votes and nearly all Democrats oppose funding a war Trump started without congressional authorization. Sen. Patty Murray called it an attempt to make taxpayers “pick up the tab” for a “reckless and costly war.” (CNBC / Politico / New York Times)

• Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate oil companies for price “gouging” consumers at the pump. The Justice Department, however, declined to say whether it would open a probe, saying fuel affordability is a “national security issue” that affects “the wallet of every American.” The national average gas price is about $3.93 a gallon, down from roughly $4.50 a month ago, but still about 70 cents higher than last year. U.S. crude, meanwhile, has fallen back near $70 a barrel after peaking near $120 in March. (Politico / Axios / NBC News)

6/ A federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from obtaining six years of transgender patients’ medical records, ruling that the grand jury subpoenas likely violated the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Judge Katherine Polk Failla said the demand for the “most sensitive medical records” of a “uniquely vulnerable group” was “most egregious,” accusing the Trump administration of trying to “demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender” people. Failla granted class-action status to the patients and families, issued a 14-day restraining order, and set a July 8 hearing on whether to keep blocking the subpoenas. The Justice Department, meanwhile, claimed it was investigating possible “misbranding” of FDA-approved drugs. (Associated Press / Reuters / NBC News)

😏 Well, that’s fantastic. The House advanced a bill to prohibit members of Congress and their families from using prediction markets to bet on politics. (Politico)

poll/ 77% of Americans say the founders would be disappointed with how the country has turned out, while 19% say they’d be pleased. (Gallup)

The 2026 midterms are in 132 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 867 days.

• Today last year: Day 1617: "Low-level loser."
• Two years ago today: Day 1252: "Combustible atmosphere."
• Four years ago today: Day 521: "We dissent."
• Five years ago today: Day 156: "Root causes."
• Six years ago today: Day 1252: "A massive outbreak."
• Seven years ago today: Day 886: Restraint.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: The Senate approved a war powers resolution for the first time to block Trump from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization; Trump insisted that Iran had “fully and completely agreed” to indefinite nuclear inspections, while Tehran denied making that commitment; a group of eight anti-ICE protesters were found guilty of terrorism-related charges and sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in prison; the Justice Department withdrew grand jury subpoenas that would have forced four national security reporters to testify about leaked information tied to Trump’s military decision-making in Iran and Venezuela; and a federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to resume fast-track deportations of undocumented immigrants throughout the country.

1/ The Senate approved a war powers resolution for the first time to block Trump from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization. Four Republicans joined Democrats to adopt the House-passed war powers resolution, 50-48. The measure directs Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes military force. The resolution, however, is largely symbolic, and under the 1973 War Powers Act, a concurrent resolution passed by both the House and Senate doesn’t ​go to Trump for his signature, leaving its legal force disputed. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the vote as having “no significance,” arguing there are “no hostilities” to end because of the April 7 ceasefire. It’s the first time both chambers have passed the same war powers measure since the 1973 law. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / Politico / CBS News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Reuters / Bloomberg)

• poll/ 23% of Americans think the U.S. is in a stronger position with Iran compared with ​before the war. 24% of Americans think the war with Iran was worth the costs. (Reuters)

2/ Trump insisted that Iran had “fully and completely agreed” to indefinite nuclear inspections, while Tehran denied making that commitment. When asked why Iran said inspections weren’t planned, Trump replied, “They know they’re wrong,” and said he’d “cancel the meetings right now” if Iran hadn’t agreed. He then added there was “no rush” to put inspectors on the ground. JD Vance, meanwhile, called Tehran’s supposed agreement to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country a “major milestone,” but Iran’s Foreign Ministry said there were “no plans” and “no protocol” for inspections of nuclear sites damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes. The IAEA hasn’t confirmed any new access. (NBC News / The Hill / CNN / CBS News / Associated Press / Washington Post / ABC News / New York Times)

• 😏 Well, that’s fantastic: The U.S. will allow Iran’s World Cup team to travel into the country two days before their next match. The team was previously allowed ​to enter the U.S. a day before a match. Following Iran’s first game against New Zealand, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said they were the “most oppressed” team at the tournament. (Reuters)

3/ A group of eight anti-ICE protesters were found guilty of terrorism-related charges and sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in prison. Prosecutors said the group launched a premeditated attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado “inspired by antifa ideology,” setting off fireworks, vandalizing property, and bringing weapons and body armor. Benjamin Song opened fire using an AR-15-style rifle, hitting Lt. Thomas Gross in the neck. Gross survived and Song received 100 years in prison, while six others received 50 to 70 years. Daniel Sanchez-Estrada, who wasn’t at the protest, received 30 years for concealing documents. The case was the Trump administration’s first terrorism prosecution of purported antifa “members” after Trump declared antifa a “domestic terrorist organization,” a designation that doesn’t exist under U.S. law. Antifa, short for antifascist, is a loose ideology rather than an organization with formal membership. Nevertheless, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said “antifa terrorists” would face “swift and uncompromising justice.” The sentences were significantly longer than any imposed in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where the most severe penalty was the 22-year term given to Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio before Trump granted him and other Capitol rioters clemency. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / CBS News / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)

4/ The Justice Department withdrew grand jury subpoenas that would have forced four national security reporters to testify about leaked information tied to Trump’s military decision-making in Iran and Venezuela after The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal challenged the demands in sealed court proceedings. The subpoenas targeted Post reporter Ellen Nakashima and three Journal reporters, but the investigations remain under seal and the department refused to explain what it was seeking, why testimony was necessary, or why it backed down. Unlike subpoenas for documents, the demands would have put the reporters under oath before a grand jury and exposed them to contempt if they refused to identify their sources. (Politico / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

5/ A federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to resume fast-track deportations of undocumented immigrants throughout the country, throwing out a lower court order that had blocked Trump’s expanded use “expedited removal.” The ruling revives a policy that allows immigration agents to deport undocumented migrants without a hearing before a judge, which Trump had expanded in January from people caught at or near the border to undocumented migrants anywhere in the U.S. Judge Justin Walker wrote that migrants received “notice of the action the government is taking and the grounds for it, plus an opportunity to respond,” and said the administration wasn’t required to tell people they could avoid expedited removal by proving they had been in the U.S. for more than two years because that would amount to “legal advice.” (Associated Press / New York Times / Bloomberg / Reuters / The Hill)

The 2026 midterms are in 133 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 868 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. A Covid vaccine study blocked by Trump’s acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya was published after finding updated Covid shots cut emergency and urgent care visits by 50% and hospitalizations by 55% among adults last fall and winter. The study had been approved for publication in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report before Bhattacharya delayed it over concerns about its “test-negative design.” One of the study’s authors, however, said “science was never the issue,” arguing that the study was blocked because it conflicted with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to limit Covid vaccines. (NBC News / Washington Post)

2. The Justice Department charged more than 450 people, including 90 medical professionals, in alleged health care fraud scheme totaling more than $6.5 billion. A record 295 Medicaid defendants were accused of submitting more than $518 million in false claims. (Wall Street Journal / CNN / The Hill)

3. The Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill to limit investors with more than 350 homes from purchasing additional single-family homes and loosens federal rules to boost construction. The package heads to the House, and Trump has signaled support. (CNBC / Bloomberg)

• Today last year: Day 1616: "This is not Constitutional."
• Four years ago today: Day 520: "Substantial misconduct."
• Five years ago today: Day 155: "Pursuit of truth."
• Six years ago today: Day 1251: "Mixed bag."
• 9 years ago today: Day 155: Bothersome.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: The Treasury Department gave Iran a 60-day waiver to sell oil, including to U.S. buyers, before negotiators reached a final deal over Iran’s nuclear program; a federal judge blocked six grand jury subpoenas from Trump’s Justice Department targeting Tim Walz and other Minnesota officials; the Trump administration plans to withhold 20% of homeland security grants from states unless they move to hand-marked paper ballots and run voter rolls through a DHS citizenship database; a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from building a database that combines millions of Americans’ Social Security numbers and citizenship status; at least five people have been arrested and five others cited for alleged vandalism at Trump’s newly renovated Reflecting Pool; and 78% of Americans say the Iran war should end now, and 69% say the conflict wasn’t worth the costs.

1/ The Treasury Department gave Iran a 60-day waiver to sell oil, including to U.S. buyers, before negotiators reached a final deal over Iran’s nuclear program. JD Vance said Iran had agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back “as soon as today,” though Iran’s foreign ministry said it’s made “no new commitments.” The talks, however, nearly collapsed after Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Trump responded by warning the U.S. could “hit Iran very hard again.” Meanwhile, Qatar and Pakistan said the sides had agreed to keep technical talks going, set up a hotline to avoid incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, and create a mechanism to keep fighting in Lebanon from derailing the deal, even though Israel isn’t part of the U.S.-Iran agreement and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces would keep “full freedom of action” there. Vance also floated unfreezing Iranian assets only for purchases of U.S. soy, corn, and wheat under U.S. and Qatari oversight, calling it “a classic Trump deal,” while warning: “You can’t trust anybody’s words. You have to trust what they actually do.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / NPR / Associated Press / Reuters / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNBC / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / CBS News)

2/ A federal judge blocked six grand jury subpoenas from Trump’s Justice Department targeting Tim Walz and other Minnesota officials, ruling that their “dominant purpose” was to “coerce” them into helping enforce Trump’s immigration crackdown and to “harass and retaliate” against them for failing to do so. Judge Patrick Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, said DOJ failed to identify “a single plausible investigatory justification” for the subpoenas, which targeted the offices of Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. The subpoenas were issued during Operation Metro Surge, when thousands of federal agents were sent into the Twin Cities for Trump’s immigration crackdown, which drew protests and included the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents. (Politico / Reuters / CBS News / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CNN)

3/ The Trump administration plans to withhold 20% of homeland security grants from states unless they move to hand-marked paper ballots and run voter rolls through a DHS citizenship database. The draft rules would tie more than $1 billion in terrorism prevention, infrastructure protection, and disaster preparedness funding to election changes that Trump has authority to impose on his own. The plan also requires states to use SAVE, a DHS database critics say can wrongly flag eligible voters as potential noncitizens. (CNN)

4/ A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from building a database that combines millions of Americans’ Social Security numbers and citizenship status, saying the government “knowingly trampled” on privacy rights in a way that threatens “the sacred right to vote.” U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said the revised DHS SAVE system unlawfully merged Social Security Administration data into a clearinghouse Congress had prohibited, and then gave states access despite “deep concerns” about its accuracy. States have already run voter rolls through the system, and some voters were wrongly flagged as non-citizens and had their registrations canceled. Sooknanan also said falsely labeling people as non-citizens could amount to defamation, rejecting the administration’s attempt to minimize the consequences as bordering “on the absurd.” (Politico)

5/ At least five people have been arrested and five others cited for alleged vandalism at Trump’s newly renovated Reflecting Pool, who has claimed, without evidence, that vandals “took some form of knife or blade” and cut a 250- to 300-foot “gash” into the “American flag blue” coating and “poured corrosive and destructive chemicals” into the water. The claim comes as the $14.7 million renovation has been overtaken by algae and peeling paint less than three weeks after reopening, with chunks of coating floating in the water and law enforcement citing people for touching or removing them. Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, one of those arrested, denied damaging anything, saying: “I didn’t vandalize anything. I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything.” Reporters at the pool, meanwhile, couldn’t find Trump’s claimed gash, and the Interior Department hasn’t explained why the new coating is peeling. Trump nevertheless warned that “there is a 10-year prison sentence” for destroying or attempting to destroy federal property, “which will be fully enforced.” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said anyone “vandalizing or attempting to vandalize” the pool will “face the criminal justice system in D.C.” (NBC News / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Reuters)

poll/ 78% of Americans say the Iran war should end now, and 69% say the conflict wasn’t worth the costs. (CBS News)

⏩︎ Notably Next: The Supreme Court is expected to decide four cases that test the limits of Trump’s power, including whether he can redefine birthright citizenship, fire a Federal Reserve governor, remove heads of independent agencies without cause, and end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. Meanwhile, Trump, who has predicted he’ll lose the birthright citizenship case, has called the justices as “weak,” “stupid,” “bad,” and disloyal in recent days. (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 134 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 869 days.

• Four years ago today: Day 519: "Breathing room."
• Five years ago today: Day 154: "Our great democracy."
• Six years ago today: Day 1250: "Underwhelming."
• Eight years ago today: Day 519: Phony stories.
• 9 years ago today: Day 154: Win, win, win.

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Today in one sentence: Trump defended his interim Iran deal as “probably” Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and said the war taught him nothing about the limits of his power; Obama said the U.S. may be “worse off” after Trump’s 15-week war with Iran; the Pentagon said it needs $80 billion for the Iran war; the Trump administration redirected $352 million in Secret Service funding into “White House Security Measures” tied to his ballroom; Trump’s $14.7 million resurfacing and renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool failed to deliver the clean, “American flag blue” water he promised as algae has already turned the pool green days after it reopened with blue material peeling off from the bottom; the Trump administration reversed its plan to dismantle a $368 million ocean monitoring system; the Trump administration will phase out HIV/AIDS funding for South Africa; and Republicans now believe their redistricting efforts to redraw several state maps has created “structural dynamics [that] favor Republicans” in the midterms.

1/ Trump defended his interim Iran deal as “probably” Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and said the war taught him nothing about the limits of his power: “I haven’t learned that lesson yet. I know there are, but there are no limits.” The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding that ends the fighting, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, lifts U.S. blockade enforcement, and starts a 60-day negotiation window on a final nuclear deal, with major issues still unresolved. Trump claimed “we defeated them totally militarily,” bragged that “not one ship was able to get through” his blockade, and said bombing Iran for “another two or three weeks” would’ve kept the strait closed: “This is the kind of thing that could cause a worldwide depression.” After Republican criticized the sanctions relief and proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund, Trump called them “fools” who are “either jealous, bad people, or stupid.” (Politico / CNN / CNBC / Axios / Reuters / Associated Press / Washington Post / CBS News)

2/ Obama said the U.S. may be “worse off” after Trump’s 15-week war with Iran. “We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died,” Obama said, adding that “it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off.” Obama argued that Iran had agreed under his 2015 nuclear deal “not to develop nuclear weapons,” but that Trump’s first-term withdrawal from the agreement “caused then Iran to develop more nuclear capacity.” (NBC News / The Guardian)

3/ The Pentagon said it needs $80 billion for the Iran war and other non-war bills despite the Trump administration never seeking congressional authorization for the Iran war. Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers that the money would cover operations, pay, ships, and munitions. Sen. Chris Murphy said “there are not 60 votes in the Senate for a supplemental.” (Wall Street Journal)

4/ The Trump administration redirected $352 million in Secret Service funding into “White House Security Measures” tied to his ballroom despite repeated promises that the project would be paid for with private donations. The money came from Trump’s tax and spending law, which provided the Secret Service more than $1 billion for “personnel, training facilities, programming, and technology” after two assassination attempts. The money was redirected days after Congress rejected a $1 billion request for White House security upgrades tied to the ballroom. A contractor budget summary, meanwhile, projects that the ballroom could cost $600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers. (Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times / ABC News / The Guardian)

5/ Trump’s $14.7 million resurfacing and renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool failed to deliver the clean, “American flag blue” water he promised as algae has already turned the pool green days after it reopened with blue material peeling off from the bottom. The National Park Service also gave a separate $1.7 million no-bid contract for water-purification work to a company owned by a trust led by a longtime Trump donor and Mar-a-Lago neighbor. The Park Service bypassed competitive bidding by citing urgency ahead of the country’s 250th birthday events, while the Interior Department said it didn’t know about John J. Cafaro’s political affiliation. Satellite images show that the algae level days after reopening was higher than in any June image of the pool going back to 2021. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / The Hill)

6/ The Trump administration reversed its plan to dismantle a $368 million ocean monitoring system after scientists and lawmakers warned that losing the Ocean Observatories Initiative would undermine climate research, storm forecasts, and safety data used by coastal communities and fishermen. The National Science Foundation said it “will not proceed with further removal or de-scoping of equipment,” will continue maintenance, and will convene an expert panel to assess the network’s future. Some equipment had already been pulled from waters off Oregon and Washington, but NSF said it is “developing plans to redeploy” it after servicing. (Associated Press / The Guardian / New York Times)

7/ The Trump administration will phase out HIV/AIDS funding for South Africa after State Department said the country “fail[ed] to make demonstrable progress on policy requests by the administration.” The decision to “initiate a phased drawdown of PEPFAR programming in South Africa” follows Trump’s February 2025 executive order accusing South Africa of discriminating against its white Afrikaner minority and directing U.S. agencies to stop providing aid to the country unless it changes its policies. South Africa has about 8 million people living with HIV and received $456 million in U.S. HIV/AIDS funding in 2024, but just $25 million has been allocated so far this year. (Semafor / Politico / New York Times)

8/ Republicans now believe their redistricting efforts to redraw several state maps has created “structural dynamics [that] favor Republicans” in the midterms. The National Republican Congressional Committee memo says Democrats are targeting Republican districts where Trump averaged 53.2% in 2024, compared with 46.6% in the seats Democrats flipped in 2018. The NRCC claims “the composition of the House battlefield has completely flipped.” (Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 137 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 872 days.

👑 Portrait of a President

1. “I’m the president and you’re not.” “Seventeen months into his second term, Trump is increasingly relying on his own gut instincts, dismissing the counsel of aides, conservative lawmakers and longtime associates. The result has been a series of decisions that have confounded and frustrated Republicans.” (Wall Street Journal)
2. “Everyone just needs to copy what I say.” “Trump vented to others that Vance hadn’t repeated his own new phrase that Iran’s nuclear program had been ‘totally obliterated.’ Trump told one associate, ‘Everyone needs to say fucking “obliterated.” […] That’s the word. Everyone just needs to copy what I say. Obliterated. Obliterated.’” (Politico)
3. Trump from “hunted” to “hunter.” “A thesis that Trump himself believes: Had he not lost the 2020 election, he would not be as powerful in his second term as he is now — emboldening him to trample norms, dismantle established institutions and push the limits of presidential power.” (Associated Press)
4. A president using super glue. “One morning, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, entered the Oval Office to find Trump had a tube of super glue in his hand and was trying to adorn the marble fireplace mantel with new golden decorations. (New York Times)

• Six years ago today: Day 1247: Priorities.
• Seven years ago today: Day 881: Misplaced certainty.
• Eight years ago today: Day 516: Infestation.
• 9 years ago today: Day 151: Collective self-defense.

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Today in one sentence: The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and start 60 days of nuclear talks; Trump “canceled” the Senate’s plan to quickly confirm his director of national intelligence nominee, directing Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing hours before it was set to begin; Georgia Republicans rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to redraw congressional and legislative maps during a special session; the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady but moved closer to raising them this year; the Trump administration will pay $765 million to abandon four offshore wind leases; at least 776,000 children have lost SNAP benefits since Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill took effect; and 51% of Americans say they’re extremely or very proud of being American – down from 82% in 2013.

1/ The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and start 60 days of nuclear talks. The 14-point framework ends military operations “on all fronts,” including Lebanon, requires Iran to restore commercial traffic through Hormuz with “no charge for 60 days only,” lifts the U.S. naval blockade, lets Iran resume oil exports, works toward releasing frozen Iranian assets, and develops a $300 billion reconstruction and economic development plan with regional partners. In exchange, Iran “reaffirms” that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons and agrees, at minimum, to down-blend enriched uranium on site under IAEA supervision. The deal, however, doesn’t resolve enrichment, inspections, sanctions termination, ballistic missiles, or whether Iran’s stockpile leaves the country. Trump nevertheless defended the agreement as necessary to avoid an “economic catastrophe,” and denied that the U.S. would directly fund Iran’s reconstruction, saying “We’re not doing anything, we’re not putting up money.” He also attacked Obama’s 2015 deal, saying Iranians “laughed at Obama” and called him “a stupid son of a bitch.” Trump then threatened to restart the war if Tehran doesn’t “behave,” saying” “we go back to bombing.” Bill Cassidy called it a “tremendous foreign policy blunder,” Mike Pence warned that immediate sanctions waivers would be “a lifeline to the Iranian regime,” and Ted Cruz said “giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea.” Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, meanwhile, called the MOU “a record of America’s failure” and said Tehran was negotiating “from a position of strength.” (Axios / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Bloomberg / NBC News / New Republic / Reuters / The Hill / NPR / New York Times / CNN)

2/ Trump “canceled” the Senate’s plan to quickly confirm his director of national intelligence nominee, directing Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing hours before it was set to begin. Trump claimed Republicans “fell into a trap” by moving too fast on Clayton, saying “we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today,” and that the nomination “will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney.” The result is that Bill Pulte, who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has no national security experience, will take over as ting director of national intelligence when Tulsi Gabbard leaves on Friday. Trump defended him as “a very smart guy” and said he could stay “as long as it takes to get everybody else approved.” Meanwhile, Trump also threatened to block renewal of Section 702 of FISA unless Congress attaches the SAVE America Act, a proof-of-citizenship voting bill that Senate Republicans say doesn’t have the votes to pass. Tom Cotton called it “regrettable” that Trump told Clayton not to appear, while Mark Warner said “National security cannot be governed by social media post.” (CBS News / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CNN / NBC News / Politico / CNBC / Bloomberg / NPR / Axios / Washington Post)

3/ Georgia Republicans rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to redraw congressional and legislative maps during a special session, saying they wouldn’t rush new districts for the 2028 election without more public input and clarity from the courts. Kemp wanted lawmakers to revisit majority-Black districts held by Democrats after the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, but House Speaker Jon Burns said redistricting “was not the right path forward for our state at this time.” (Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Politico / New York Times)

4/ The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady but moved closer to raising them this year. In Kevin Warsh’s first meeting as chair, the Fed voted unanimously to keep its benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75%, while projections showed nine officials expect at least one hike this year, eight expect no change, and one expects a cut. Warsh, who Trump appointed after demanding rate cuts, declined to submit his own “dot,” stripped the Fed’s statement of forward guidance, and said he couldn’t say what policymakers would do next because forward guidance is not “well suited” to the current moment. The Fed raised its year-end inflation forecast to 3.6% from 2.7%, saying inflation remains elevated, in part because of supply shocks in energy tied to Trump’s Iran war. Trump, meanwhile, called the prospect of rates hikes “hard to believe,” but “It’s alright, whatever.” (Reuters / CNBC / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico / NPR / Semafor / Axios / Washington Post)

5/ The Trump administration will pay $765 million to abandon four offshore wind leases. The government has spent roughly $2.5 billion to cancel offshore wind projects. Invenergy had paid about $800 million for the leases under Biden, and will instead use the money to develop at least five natural gas plants, along with geothermal projects in the West. It’s the Interior Department’s third lease-surrender agreement since March after courts blocked the Trump administration’s attempts to stop five wind farms already under construction. (New York Times)

6/ At least 776,000 children have lost SNAP benefits since Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill took effect. While Republican promised that children and the “most vulnerable” would be protected, an analysis of 12 states that report SNAP participation by age found that children accounted for 46% of the 1.67 million people who lost SNAP benefits. USDA data also shows 4.3 million fewer people nationwide received SNAP than a year earlier. (ProPublica)

poll/ 51% of Americans say they’re extremely or very proud of being American – down from 82% in 2013. (Axios)

The 2026 midterms are in 139 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 874 days.

• Today last year: Day 1610: "Whacked out."
• Two years ago today: Day 1245: "Deadly consequences."
• Five years ago today: Day 149: "This is a big fucking deal."
• Six years ago today: Day 1245: "Obstruction of justice as a way of life."
• Seven years ago today: Day 879: True cowards.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: Congress is demanding to see Trump’s still-secret U.S.-Iran agreement before it’s formally signed Friday, triggering a 60-day ceasefire and negotiating period; the Senate rejected a resolution to force Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran; Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to replenish weapon stockpiles that’ve been depleted by his war in Iran and other conflicts; Trump said “Russia should make a deal” with Ukraine; federal authorities arrested five people accused of planning to attack the UFC event on the White House lawn with explosive drones and gunfire; Trump claimed “no taxpayer” would put up “10 cents” for his White House ballroom project, but internal contractor records show taxpayers are expected to cover more than half of the $600 million cost; the Trump administration is moving special education and civil rights enforcement out of the Education Department as part of Trump’s effort to dismantle the agency without congressional approval; 47% of Americans consider themselves an independent; and 38% of Americans don’t think the U.S. will last as a single country for another 250 years.

1/ Congress is demanding to see Trump’s still-secret U.S.-Iran agreement before it’s formally signed Friday, triggering a 60-day ceasefire and negotiating period. The draft agreement reportedly would give Iran immediate economic relief before a final nuclear deal is reached, including waivers allowing Iranian oil and petrochemical exports, while other sanctions relief and frozen assets would be tied to further negotiations. A proposed $300 billion reconstruction and development fund remains central to the deal, though Trump denied the U.S. would “invest” money in Iran and the fund would reportedly be private, not taxpayer-funded. The nuclear issue remains unresolved, with JD Vance saying inspectors would “absolutely” return and help destroy Iran’s highly enriched stockpile. The draft, however, leaves the future of Iran’s enriched material and future nuclear activity to a final agreement negotiated in the next 60 days. Trump, meanwhile, said he “never even thought about” sending the agreement to Congress, but “I like the idea.” (Reuters / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Associated Press / Washington Post / CNBC / Politico / Reuters / CBS News)

2/ The Senate rejected a resolution to force Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran despite four Republicans breaking with their party to support limiting Trump’s war powers. Democrats are still trying to advance a separate resolution that the Senate narrowly advanced last month. The House has passed its own war-powers measure. The vote came as Trump said he’ll release and “read” an initial U.S.-Iran agreement once it’s finalized, even as lawmakers in both parties said they still haven’t seen the text of a memorandum that could trigger congressional review under the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. (Politico / Washington Post / The Hill / CBS News / CNN)

3/ Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to replenish weapon stockpiles that’ve been depleted by his war in Iran and other conflicts. Trump said “limited production capacity, fragile supply chains, long-lead dependencies, and related production bottlenecks” could threaten national defense. The memo gives Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authority to pursue voluntary agreements with defense contractors and other private companies to address shortages in solid rocket motors, igniters, guidance systems, and other critical weapons components. Last month, Hegseth said that “the munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated” and that “we have plenty of what we need.” (Bloomberg / Reuters)

4/ Trump said “Russia should make a deal” with Ukraine. Following a “very good” meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he would do “whatever I can” to end Russia’s war now that the Iran war is “in the rearview mirror.” Zelenskyy said the talks focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses and advancing diplomacy “to make Russia end its war,” while European leaders pushed Trump to stay aligned with their strategy of maintaining support for Kyiv and increasing pressure on Moscow. (NBC News / Politico / CNBC / Reuters / Associated Press)

5/ Federal authorities arrested five people accused of planning to attack the UFC event on the White House lawn with explosive drones and gunfire after the mother of 19-year-old Tycen Proper called police about his gun purchases and online contacts. Proper later told investigators that members of a roughly 19-person Signal chat planned to meet near D.C., stage a demonstration, detonate drones over the arena, and shoot “wealthy people and politicians” to “jumpstart” a revolution. Court records don’t show that any explosive drones were found or how close the alleged attack came to being carried out. (CNN / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News)

6/ Trump claimed “no taxpayer” would put up “10 cents” for his White House ballroom project, but internal contractor records show taxpayers are expected to cover more than half of the $600 million cost. Clark Construction’s March project summary estimated $293 million from private sources, with $155 million from the Secret Service, $149 million from the White House Military Office, and $3 million from the Executive Residence, which are all taxpayer-funded sources. The White House didn’t answer questions about the estimates or taxpayer funding, but instead claimed Trump and “generous American patriots” were funding the ballroom at “approximately $400 million” and that the East Wing project was “inextricably tied” to White House security. (Washington Post / The Hill)

7/ The Trump administration is moving special education and civil rights enforcement out of the Education Department as part of Trump’s effort to dismantle the agency without congressional approval. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which oversees IDEA and roughly $15 billion in grants for about 7 million students, will move to Health and Human Services. Most of the Office for Civil Rights’ work investigating discrimination complaints will move to the Justice Department. The Education Department, however, is legally obligated to investigate all civil rights complaints it receives. (ABC News / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post)

poll/ 47% of Americans consider themselves an independent, while 27% identify as a Democrat and 26% as a Republican. (CNN)

poll/ 38% of Americans don’t think the U.S. will last as a single country for another 250 years, while 62% think the nation would last. (Reuters)

The 2026 midterms are in 140 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 875 days.

• Today last year: Day 1609: "We are not backing down."
• Four years ago today: Day 513: "A heated fight."
• Five years ago today: Day 148: "A partisan circus."
• Six years ago today: Day 1244: Transgressions.
• 9 years ago today: Day 148: Ruh roh.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: The U.S. and Iran signed a preliminary framework to end Trump’s monthslong war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz; Trump plans to nominate one of his personal lawyers to run the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan; federal agents have reportedly questioned Gavin Newsom’s family friends, former employees, and people tied to his wife’s nonprofits as part of several federal investigations; Trump said the July 4th celebration on the National Mall for America’s 250th anniversary will double as “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all”; Trump hosted a $60 million UFC cage fight on the White House South Lawn for his 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary; 78% of Americans say the “American Dream” is harder to attain now than it was a generation ago; 49% of voters say they prefer to see Democrats control Congress; and 69% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing to address the cost of living.

1/ The U.S. and Iran signed a preliminary framework to end Trump’s monthslong war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The full text of deal, however, remain secret and the issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program, stockpile of highly enriched uranium, sanctions relief, frozen assets, and whether the ceasefire applies to Lebanon were deferred for 60 days of negotiations. Nevertheless, Trump declared “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” saying the strait would be “completely open” by Friday and “permanently toll-free.” Iran said it was “not seeking to levy transit tolls,” but would charge fees for unspecified services. JD Vance, meanwhile, called memorandum “a very general document” of “about a page and a half,” but said there are “a lot” of details left to figure out. Iran said nuclear issues and sanctions relief remain subject to negotiation and that talks would proceed “on the basis of mistrust.” Israel, meanwhile, distanced itself from the deal, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it Trump’s “decision,” saying Israel and the U.S. don’t always “see eye to eye” while warning that Israel’s “struggle has not ended” as it continued striking Hezbollah targets despite Iran and Pakistan saying the agreement covers Lebanon. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Politico / Associated Press / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNBC / CNN / NBC News / ABC News)

• The U.S. emergency oil reserve fell to its lowest level since 1983. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve now holds about 340 million barrels after the Trump administration released another 8.9 million barrels last week to help with fuel prices – a little less than half full. It’s down 75 million barrels, or 18%, since the war began in late February. (CNN / Bloomberg)

• Oil and gas supplies could take months to recover despite the U.S.-Iran deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Energy experts said companies first need insurance, crews, and confidence that ships can safely enter, load, and leave the strait, while some producers might not restart wells until they believe the ceasefire will last. (Associated Press / New York Times)

• 💡 Trump sought to break Iran’s regime. He settled for reopening Hormuz. “A return to a version of the status quo was a far cry from the original aims of a war effort that kicked off with a vow to come to the aid of the Iranian protesters who had taken to their nation’s streets to denounce their regime.” (Washington Post)

• 💡 Trump winds down the war he started with goals unmet. “Despite Mr. Trump’s grandiose claims, the agreement has not yet achieved the core goals he laid out three months ago for launching U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.” (New York Times)

• 💡 Trump celebrates while America capitulates. “It is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible.” (The Atlantic)

2/ Trump plans to nominate one of his personal lawyers to run the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan. James M. McDonald, a Sullivan & Cromwell partner and former Southern District prosecutor, is still part of the legal team appealing Trump’s 34-count felony conviction in New York for falsifying business records tied to hush-money payments during the 2016 campaign. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to fast-track Jay Clayton’s confirmation as director of national intelligence. the current Manhattan U.S. attorney. Trump’s temporary pick for DNI, Bill Pulte, has drawn bipartisan concern and criticism for his lack of intelligence experience. Democrats have refused to support renewing the expired Section 702 surveillance authority while Pulte is acting DNI. (Associated Press / Politico / NBC News / New York Times / Politico)

3/ Federal agents have reportedly questioned Gavin Newsom’s family friends, former employees, and people tied to his wife’s nonprofits as part of several federal investigations, though the scope, targets, and legal basis remain unclear. Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, claimed Trump’s Justice Department is “digging through years and years of random documents” because he’s considering running for president, saying: “To get me, he’s coming after my wife,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Tax records show Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit paid her production company $161,250 in 2024, and another nonprofit she co-founded has received support from donors with business before California’s government. However, no public evidence of wrongdoing by Siebel Newsom or the nonprofits has surfaced. (Reuters / Axios / New York Times)

4/ Trump said the July 4th celebration on the National Mall for America’s 250th anniversary will double as “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.” The event, which Freedom 250 had promoted as the country’s “premier Independence Day celebration,” will include military bands, flyovers, airshows, Trump’s own playlist, and what he called the “LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.” (Axios / Politico / Reuters / Washington Post / CNN)

5/ Trump hosted a $60 million UFC cage fight on the White House South Lawn for his 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary. Fighters walked through the Oval Office and military jets flew overhead with more than 4,000 VIPs, officials, and service members watching under a 92-foot steel “Claw.” UFC said it paid the production costs, while the federal government provided security, law enforcement, medical, and emergency services at an unclear taxpayer cost. Trump sat cageside between Melania Trump and Dana White, with several fighters thanking Trump. (NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / New York Times / NPR)

• 👑 Portrait of a President at 80

• As Trump turns 80, he faces a foe he can never defeat: Father Time. That’s a problem for us all. “Alarm over the judgment and behaviour of the world’s most powerful man, and the consequent risks to the world, can only get worse.” (The Guardian)

• A president “really uncomfortable” with aging. “Even for a president known for imposing his own reality on every situation, Trump has not outrun scrutiny over his age.” (New York Times)

• Trump is trying to project strength as he turns 80, but mounting political problems are tarnishing his image as an all-powerful leader. “Trump’s political capital is declining, with struggles to end an unpopular war with Iran, resistance from fellow Republicans to his ideas, and waning support outside his devoted base.” (Bloomberg)

poll/ 78% of Americans say the “American Dream” is harder to attain now than it was a generation ago. (NBC News)

poll/ 49% of voters say they prefer to see Democrats control Congress, compared to 44% who prefer Republican control. 7% are unsure. (NBC News)

poll/ 69% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing to address the cost of living, while 24% approve. (Reuters)

The 2026 midterms are in 141 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 876 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. Trump’s Justice Department approved Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal would combine Paramount with CNN, HBO, Warner Bros., and HBO Max, while merging HBO Max with Paramount+ into a streaming service with roughly 200 million subscribers. The Antitrust Division said its eight-month review found the transaction “is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.” (CNN / Politico)

2. The Trump administration told a federal appeals court that it’s too late to stop Trump’s 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom as construction has continued for more than two months while judges considered whether the project can legally proceed. (Wall Street Journal)

3. The Trump White House debated suspending habeas corpus for undocumented immigrants to speed up mass deportations after the Supreme Court said migrants facing removal under the Alien Enemies Act could challenge their deportations in court. Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, warned Susie Wiles in a confidential memo that the Constitution permits suspending the right only in cases of “rebellion or invasion,” and that courts have “almost uniformly” held only Congress can do it. Scharf also wrote a separate confidential memo warning against invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy the military against immigration protests, arguing it would invite immediate legal challenges. (New York Times)

4. ICE obtained local voter files from local election officials in Texas and North Carolina as part of the Trump administration’s push to investigate alleged noncitizen voting into state and county voter systems. Voter records can include a person’s address, date of birth, driver’s license number, registration history, and voting history. Trump has repeatedly claimed that millions of people, including noncitizens, are voting illegally, but documented cases are rare. (Axios)

5. Trump said U.S. Southern Command killed Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero in a “swift and lethal kinetic strike”, calling it “retribution.” Guerrero was indicted in New York in December on terrorism and violence charges, and the State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. (ABC News)

6. Top White House officials believe journalists obtained audio recordings of Situation Room meetings for their forthcoming book. “We’re afraid some of our most sensitive conversations were being recorded,” an administration source said. The White House hasn’t disputed the verbatim dialogue from several Situation Room meetings included in New York Times excerpts about the Iran war and Epstein files, including Marco Rubio dismissing Benjamin Netanyahu’s Iran regime-change scenarios as “bullshit.” (Axios)

7. The Kennedy Center removed Trump’s name from its facade and official materials after a federal judge ruled its rebranding was unlawful. A D.C. Circuit denied the administration’s last-minute request to keep the name up during an appeal. (New York Times / ABC News)

8. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore signs, films, and exhibits removed or altered at national parks under Trump’s directive against materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans” or cast the country “in a negative light.” U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley blocked the National Park Service from making further changes and ordered the restored materials back within three weeks, by July 3, saying the administration sought “to rewrite the Nation’s history with a white-out pen.” (Associated Press / New York Times / CNN)

9. The U.S. is on track to lose its measles-elimination status for the first time since 2000 as a Utah outbreak has spread continuously since at least August. Utah needs to go 42 days without a new case to declare the outbreak over. It reported another case last week. (Wall Street Journal)

• Three years ago today: Day 877: "A bad thing."
• Four years ago today: Day 512: "Substantial."
• Five years ago today: Day 147: "Trust the plan."
• Eight years ago today: Day 512: Fickle.
• 9 years ago today: Day 147: Phony.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Trump called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran and claimed a peace deal was close hours after threatening to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” and saying the U.S. would take Kharg Island and “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets; the House rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, all but ensuring the government’s foreign surveillance authority expires at midnight on Friday; Trump said he would nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and former SEC chair, as permanent director of national intelligence; and the Interior Department is investigating brown grass patches on the National Mall that appeared from above to form “8647.”

1/ Trump called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran and claimed a peace deal was close hours after threatening to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” and saying the U.S. would take Kharg Island and “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets. The reversal followed two days of U.S. strikes on Iranian air defenses, radar, and military sites after Trump accused Iran of downing a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by targeting U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved,” Trump said he had “cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” adding: “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran.” The deal is still “subject to finalization of documents.” Trump suggested that a signing could happen “over the next few days” and said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the deal is signed. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain “in full force and effect” until the “Transaction is finalized.” Iran, however, hasn’t publicly confirmed an agreement. (New York Times / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Axios / Washington Post / Politico / CNN)

2/ The House rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, all but ensuring the government’s foreign surveillance authority expires at midnight on Friday after Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against a three-week patch. Democrats said they wouldn’t extend the warrantless surveillance program while Trump still plans to install Bill Pulte, a housing official with no national security experience, as acting director of national intelligence. Hours later, Trump said he would nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and former SEC chair, as permanent DNI, but he didn’t withdraw Pulte. Clayton also has no intelligence community experience. (Axios / CNBC / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

3/ The Interior Department is investigating brown grass patches on the National Mall that appeared from above to form “8647.” The numbers have been used by Trump’s opponents as a sort of protest slogan, while Trump allies and federal prosecutors have argued it’s a threat because “86” can mean to remove or get rid of something and Trump is the 47th president. Park Police said the cause of the “discoloration” hasn’t been determined and collected grass samples for testing, while the Interior called it “deranged vandalism” and said “any threat against the President is taken very seriously.” (CNN / Reuters / Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 145 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 880 days.

• Today last year: Day 1604: "Do not give in to him."
• Two years ago today: Day 1239: "The stakes just couldn’t be higher."
• Five years ago today: Day 143: "A gross abuse of power."
• Six years ago today: Day 1239: "This is not a game."
• Seven years ago today: Day 873: Not off the table.
• Eight years ago today: Day 508: Sobering and a bit depressing.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Inflation topped 4% for the first time in three years; Trump responded to the inflation report by saying “I love the inflation,” calling the numbers “great,” and arguing that prices would fall “like a rock” when the Iran war he started ends; the U.S. bombed Iran for a second straight night after Trump said Tehran had taken “too long to negotiate” and would “pay the price”; Maine Democrats nominated Graham Platner to challenge Susan Collins in a race that will likely to decide control of the Senate; Trump signed the nearly $70 billion bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of his term; a top Justice Department official planned to seek compensation from Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and asked to recuse himself from work on it; and Trump directed his acting director of national intelligence to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing” of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while asking Congress to temporarily extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

1/ Inflation topped 4% for the first time in three years. The Labor Department reported that prices rose 0.5% from April and 4.2% from a year earlier – up from 3.8% in April. Energy accounted for more than 60% of the monthly increase, with gas rising 7% in May, and up more than 40% from a year ago. Real average hourly earnings, meanwhile, fell 0.7% from a year ago, meaning inflation has outpaced wage growth for a second straight month. (NPR / CNN / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Reuters / Associated Press / Washington Post)

2/ Trump responded to the highest inflation reading in three years by saying “I love the inflation,” calling the numbers “great,” and arguing that prices would fall “like a rock” when the Iran war he started ends. Trump then claimed that the U.S. had been “taking out millions of barrels of oil” and that “the other night” it “took out […] 22 ships,” adding: “Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran, until right now.” Trump later called it a “secret mission” that helped to move more than “100 MILLION Barrels of Oil” and more than 200 commercial ships through the strait, declaring: “The UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright, meanwhile, said he wasn’t aware the U.S. was taking millions of barrels out of Iran, but said the military had helped some tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz. (CBS News / The Hill / ABC News / CNBC)

3/ The U.S. bombed Iran for a second straight night after Trump said Tehran had taken “too long to negotiate” and would “pay the price.” Central Command said that it began “additional self-defense strikes” against “multiple targets in Iran,” but didn’t identify the targets. Iran, however, accused the U.S. of hitting drinking-water reservoirs. Trump, who repeatedly claimed that a peace deal was close, accused Iran of “playing us for suckers” and said, “We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard again today.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the strikes would “advance our military interests and also enhance our diplomatic position,” adding: “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs.” The strikes followed Iran’s overnight attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan after earlier U.S. strikes near the Strait of Hormuz in response to an Iranian drone colliding with an American Apache helicopter. (Associated Press / Reuters / Axios / New York Times / Bloomberg / Washington Post / The Guardian / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / CNBC)

4/ 🟦🟥 Primaries: Maine Democrats nominated Graham Platner to challenge Susan Collins in a race that will likely to decide control of the Senate. Despite months of controversy over Platner’s past conduct, old Reddit posts, sexually explicit texts, and allegations from former girlfriends that he denied or attributed to a “very dark period” after his military service, the Marine veteran and oyster farmer won about three-quarters of the vote. Collins ran unopposed for a sixth term in a state Trump lost in 2024. Elsewhere, Trump-backed South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette advanced to a June 23 runoff for governor, while Rep. Nancy Mace failed to advance. In Nevada, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford won their primaries. (ABC News / Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

5/ Trump signed the nearly $70 billion bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of his term. The law gives ICE $38 billion, Border Patrol $26 billion, and another $5 billion for unforeseen costs. Republicans stripped out $1 billion tied to Trump’s White House ballroom security and the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” payout fund. (Politico / Associated Press / CBS News)

6/ A top Justice Department official planned to seek compensation from Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and asked to recuse himself from work on it. Patrick Davis, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, said his phone and email records were subpoenaed while he investigated “Russiagate” as a congressional staffer, making him a potential claimant to a fund that he was responsible for defending to Congress. The Justice Department, however, said Davis temporarily recused himself “out of an abundance of caution,” and later decided recusal was unnecessary. (Politico)

7/ Trump directed his acting director of national intelligence to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing” of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while asking Congress to temporarily extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is set to take over June 19 while keeping that job, despite having no intelligence or national security experience. House Intelligence Committee Democrats have demanded that Pulte undergo a full security review, including his finances, foreign contacts, and a polygraph, before assuming the post, warning that “a security clearance granted under executive authority is insufficient to safeguard classified information.” Trump claimed he needed a short-term extension of the surveillance law, which lets the government collect foreigners’ communications overseas without a warrant but can also sweep up Americans’ communications with those targets, to allow time to choose and confirm a permanent DNI. (Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC / The Guardian / Bloomberg)

The 2026 midterms are in 146 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 881 days.

• Today last year: Day 1603: "This is what America voted for."
• Two years ago today: Day 1238: "Can't be compromised."
• Five years ago today: Day 142: "Point of no return."
• Six years ago today: Day 1238: "Everything about this is irregular."
• Seven years ago today: Day 872: Possibly catastrophic.

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Today in one sentence: The U.S. launched “self-defense strikes” against Iran after Trump accused Tehran of shooting down a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz; House Republicans passed the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term; Social Security’s retirement trust fund is now expected to run of money in 2032, forcing an automatic 22% cut in retiree and survivor benefits to more than 68 million beneficiaries unless Congress acts; Trump and his family collected at least $2.3 billion from four crypto ventures while investors in those products lost roughly $2.3 billion; and Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, as well as the first president to be booed at an NBA Finals game.

1/ The U.S. launched “self-defense strikes” against Iran after Trump accused Tehran of shooting down a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command called the strikes a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” but provided no targets, damage assessment, or evidence that Iran deliberately shot down the helicopter. Trump had earlier claimed Iran “shot down” the aircraft and said “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.” U.S. officials, however, said an Iranian drone brought down or collided with the aircraft while the military’s formal investigation was still ongoing. Iran, meanwhile, didn’t claim responsibility, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that forces near Iranian territory were at risk from “human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire,” adding that the “best solution is for them to leave.” The two crew members were rescued by a Navy surface drone, the first known U.S. military rescue of its kind. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Axios / Bloomberg / NBC News)

2/ House Republicans passed the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term. Republicans passed it 214-212 using reconciliation to bypass Democrats and end the monthslong standoff that began after immigration agents fatally shot two Americans in Minnesota. Democrats had demanded changes to immigration enforcement tactics, including warrants before entering homes, limits on masks, and more oversight. The final bill, however, doesn’t include those demands. It also dropped Trump’s proposed $1 billion in White House security and ballroom funding, but leaves out restrictions on his proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. (NBC News / Politico / New York Times / CNN / NPR / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

3/ Social Security’s retirement trust fund is now expected to run of money in 2032, forcing an automatic 22% cut in retiree and survivor benefits to more than 68 million beneficiaries unless Congress acts. The fund is projected to be depleted one quarter sooner than last year’s forecast, leaving enough money to cover 78% of scheduled benefits. The trustees said Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduced taxes paid on Social Security benefits, which normally flows back into Social Security and Medicare, while lower fertility and reduced immigration mean fewer workers are paying into the system. Trump, nevertheless, has vowed not to cut benefits, but Congress would still need to raise taxes, cut benefits, borrow more, or some combination to prevent the reduction. (CNN / Washington Post / Reuters / Associated Press / New York Times / NPR / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Trump and his family collected at least $2.3 billion from four crypto ventures while investors in those products lost roughly $2.3 billion. In all four deals, the Trump family promoted crypto products, risked little or none of their own money, and then got paid through licensing, revenue-sharing, or equity arrangements. Buyers, however, absorbed the downside. World Liberty Financial sent more than $1.6 billion to the Trumps, while its token fell from 46 cents to about 6 cents with most holders locked out of selling until 2030. Alt5 Sigma raised $750 million from investors, bought World Liberty tokens, and then routed roughly $500 million to the Trump family. The company, now AI Financial, has since lost more than 90% of its stock value and warned that there is “substantial doubt” it can keep operating. Nevertheless, the White House said “there are no conflicts of interest,” and World Liberty called itself “a private American financial technology company, not a political organization.” (CNBC / Reuters)

5/ Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, as well as the first president to be booed at an NBA Finals game. When Madison Square Garden showed him on the jumbotron during the national anthem before Game 3, fans loudly booed and the camera cut away. Trump later claimed it was “loud”, “mostly cheers”, and “very enthusiastic,” while also calling the NBA “a little left wing” but “great.” The Knicks went on to lose their first Finals home game since 1999, while snapping a 13-game win streak. (Associated Press / New York Magazine / Vanity Fair / New Yorker / New York Times / ESPN / The Athletic / New York Post / Wall Street Journal)

The 2026 midterms are in 147 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 882 days.

• Today last year: Day 1602: "They want a spectacle."
• Three years ago today: Day 871: "Nothing more, nothing less."
• Four years ago today: Day 506: "Strategy to subvert the election."
• Five years ago today: Day 141: "Frustrated."
• Six years ago today: Day 1237: "We're still at the beginning."
• 9 years ago today: Day 141: Complete vindication.

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Today in one sentence: Israel and Iran paused direct attacks after trading strikes for the first time since the April ceasefire; Trump denied that he ever promised not to start a war while defending his three-month war with Iran that he launched without congressional approval; Trump abruptly ended a “Meet the Press” interview after Kristen Welker pressed him for evidence supporting his false claims that the 2020 election and California’s primary were “rigged”; the House passed a Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions bill; the Senate passed the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill without restrictions on Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund; a federal judge voided Trump’s $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications; Trump wants his acting director of national intelligence to “start the process” of firing “a lot of people” in the intelligence community; a federal lawsuit seeks to block Trump’s UFC fight on the White House South Lawn arguing the June 14 event violates National Park Service rules, lacked environmental review, and uses federal landmarks for a private, for-profit sports event; and 66% of Americans say a democratically elected government is important to the nation’s identity – down from 80% in 2021.

1/ Israel and Iran paused direct attacks after trading strikes for the first time since the April ceasefire. Trump twice told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop firing and warned him that Israel could be “on your own very soon.” After Iran fired missiles at Israel in response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, Trump called Netanyahu Sunday night to tell him not to retaliate further. Netanyahu reportedly said Israel had to answer a direct attack and then struck Iranian air defenses and a petrochemical facility, prompting more Iranian missiles toward Israel. Trump then demanded on Truth Social that “Israel and Iran must immediately stop shooting,” and called Netanyahu again Monday morning, and said he told him: “Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon.” Netanyahu later said “the fire on this front has been contained,” but warned Israel would “respond with force” if Iran attacks again. Iran’s armed forces said they were suspending operations, but threatened “more severe and crushing measures” if Israeli strikes continue, including in southern Lebanon. Trump, meanwhile, claimed “final negotiations” with Iran were still proceeding, but Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. said the two sides “have not yet reached a final text.” (New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / NPR / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)

2/ Trump denied that he ever promised not to start a war while defending his three-month war with Iran that he launched without congressional approval. “I didn’t guarantee no war,” Trump said. “I didn’t promise anything.” However, as a candidate, Trump said “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars,” and told voters: “I will not send you to fight and die in stupid foreign wars that never end.” Trump insisted Iran “is not an endless war” because “we’ve been doing this for three months,” claimed “the threat is largely over,” and said the U.S. may keep 50,000 troops in the Middle East because “maybe we may use them.” (NPR / New York Times / Politico / The Hill)

3/ Trump abruptly ended a “Meet the Press” interview after Kristen Welker pressed him for evidence supporting his false claims that the 2020 election and California’s primary were “rigged.” Trump claimed California officials were “cheating on the election” because ballots were still being counted days after the primary even though state law allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be accepted for up to a week. “All I have to do is look, and I listen,” Trump said. “But that’s not evidence,” Welker replied. Trump then accused Welker and NBC of being “crooked,” saying “You’re either crooked or you’re stupid” and that “You’re a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough.” Before removing his microphone and walking off the set, Trump said: “A country can never be great with a dishonest press.” (Washington Post / Politico / BBC / The Hill / Axios)

• The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles opened “multiple election fraud investigations” into California’s primaries and sent a prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles County a day after Trump claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were trying to “steal” the races for governor and L.A. mayor. Bill Essayli, a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor, didn’t provide details, but claimed California’s mail-voting system has “serious structural vulnerabilities.” (NBC News / Associated Press / The Hill)

4/ The House passed a Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions bill. 18 Republicans joined Democrats to pass the Ukraine Support Act, 226 to 195, after lawmakers used a rare procedural move to bypass Republican leaders who had kept it off the floor. The bill would authorize up to $8 billion in loans for Ukraine and NATO allies, provide roughly $1.8 billion in military and security aid, while imposing new sanctions on Russia’s energy, finance, and mining sectors, as well as companies and people helping Moscow evade sanctions. The bill, however, faces a difficult path in the Senate and would likely be vetoed if it reached Trump’s desk. (New York Times / Reuters / ABC News / Washington Post / NBC News)

5/ The Senate passed the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill without restrictions on Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, sending the package to the House after Republicans defeated bipartisan attempts to block or limit the taxpayer-funded payout program. The bill, approved 52-47 with Lisa Murkowski the only Republican opposed, would fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term using budget reconciliation that bypasses the filibuster. The House is expected to take up the bill next week. Meanwhile, Trump refused to rule out using the fund to compensate Jan. 6 defendants who attacked police, saying he “wouldn’t be inclined” to approve payouts for them, “but I have to see it.” Although acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers the administration was “not moving forward with the fund, period,” Trump said “I love the idea” and “if it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve.” (New York Times / NBC News / The Guardian / NBC News / Politico / ABC News)

6/ A federal judge voided Trump’s $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, ruling that the charge was an unlawful tax that Trump had “no power or delegated authority” to impose without Congress. Judge Leo Sorokin said the policy violated the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act, and vacated it “in its entirety.” The fee had raised the cost of new H-1B petitions from several thousand dollars to $100,000 for a program used by tech companies, hospitals, universities, and other employers to hire skilled foreign workers. The White House claimed Trump had “clear legal authority” to restrict entry and said the administration was “confident this order will be reversed on appeal,” pointing to a separate December ruling that upheld the fee. (CNN / CNBC / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

• A federal judge ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to resume processing asylum and immigration applications after striking down Trump administration policies that had frozen decisions for people from 39 travel-ban countries and stopped asylum adjudications worldwide. Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell said the agency acted without legal authority and “placed the lives of countless individuals on hold — solely by virtue of their countries of birth.” The policies, adopted after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, left immigrants waiting indefinitely for asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship decisions, including lawful permanent residents whose naturalization applications had stopped moving. (Reuters / CNN / The Hill / New York Times)

• The Trump administration moved to strip citizenship from 17 naturalized Americans accused of hiding crimes, fraud, or false identities when they applied. The Justice Department called it the largest denaturalization push in decades, but the cases still require federal judges to revoke citizenship through a rarely used, difficult court process. (New York Times / CBS News / NOTUS)

7/ Trump wants his acting director of national intelligence to “start the process” of firing “a lot of people” in the intelligence community. Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has no national security experience, but can serve for up to 210 days without Senate confirmation. Trump doesn’t plan to nominate Pulte for the role permanently, calling that an advantage because “you’re less shackled.” Trump also said ODNI, which oversees 18 intelligence agencies and units, is “unnecessary and/or too big,” “should maybe even be terminated,” and that Pulte should consider releasing classified documents related to the 2020 election. (Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / Reuters / The Hill)

• The Senate blocked Trump’s effort to extend Section 702 of FISA after seven Republicans joined almost every Democrat to stop a three-year renewal of the warrantless surveillance program, which is set to expire June 12. Section 702 lets U.S. intelligence agencies collect communications of foreign targets overseas, but it also sweeps up Americans communicating with them. (New York Times / CBS News / Wall Street Journal)

8/ A federal lawsuit seeks to block Trump’s UFC fight on the White House South Lawn arguing the June 14 event violates National Park Service rules, lacked environmental review, and uses federal landmarks for a private, for-profit sports event. The Public Integrity Project sued the National Park Service, Interior Department, and Doug Burgum on behalf of two Virginia residents, saying the 92-foot “Claw” structure was built without congressional approval and that ceremonial weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial would turn “sacred ground” into a backdrop for “a for-profit cage fight.” The suit also claims UFC, Dana White, and Trump stand to benefit financially, citing VIP and sponsorship packages and Trump’s recent financial disclosure showing a $15,000-to-$50,000 investment in UFC parent company TKO. The White House called the lawsuit “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory,” saying the event is “no different” from other White House-hosted events. (Politico / NBC News / CNN)

poll/ 66% of Americans say a democratically elected government is important to the nation’s identity – down from 80% in 2021. (Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 148 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 883 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 870: "Blindsided."
• Four years ago today: Day 505: "Transparent."
• Five years ago today: Day 140: "Planned in plain sight."
• Six years ago today: Day 1236: "Now that everything is under perfect control."
• Eight years ago today: Day 505: We have a world to run.
• 9 years ago today: Day 140: No fuzz.

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Today in one sentence: Senate Republicans rejected multiple attempts to ban Trump from establishing his $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”; John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to illegally retaining classified information; Trump will nominate Todd Blanche, his former criminal defense lawyer and the current acting attorney general, to lead the Justice Department; Trump won’t nominate his acting director of national intelligence for the job permanently following bipartisan criticism that Bill Pulte lacked the national security experience needed to oversee the 18 agencies that make up the intelligence community; and Trump pledged roughly $700 million in taxpayer money to revive the declining U.S. coal industry.

1/ Senate Republicans rejected multiple attempts to ban Trump from establishing his $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” even though acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers under oath that the Justice Department is “not moving forward with the fund, period.” The efforts to kill the fund came during an unrelated Senate amendment session on a separate $70 billion Republican bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term. Trump, meanwhile, said he still “love[s]” the “weaponization fund,” calling it “a beautiful thing” and “so important.” When asked whether the fund was dead or just on hold, Trump replied: “I’d have to ask the lawyers.” (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

2/ John Bolton is expected to plead guilty to illegally retaining classified information under a deal with federal prosecutors that would reduce the 18-count case against Trump’s former national security adviser to one felony count of unlawful retention of national defense information. Bolton would pay $2.25 million and face a sentencing range from no prison time to five years behind bars, though a federal judge still has to accept the plea and decide his sentence. Prosecutors had accused Bolton of sending more than 1,000 pages of “diary-like” notes from his time in Trump’s first administration to two relatives through personal accounts while preparing his memoir. Bolton had previously pleaded not guilty and accused Trump of trying to “intimidate his opponents.” (CNN / Associated Press / Reuters / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ Trump will nominate Todd Blanche, his former criminal defense lawyer and the current acting attorney general, to lead the Justice Department. Blanche took over after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April, and has since pursued Trump’s perceived enemies, including securing a new indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over a social media photo of seashells. The nomination comes days after Blanche abandoned the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. (NBC News / Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / CBS News / CNN / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Reuters)

4/ Trump won’t nominate his acting director of national intelligence for the job permanently following bipartisan criticism that Bill Pulte lacked the national security experience needed to oversee the 18 agencies that make up the intelligence community. “We’re interviewing people right now,” Trump said, adding that Pulte is “somebody just to take it over for a little while.” Pulte, who also runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency and oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has used the job to pursue Trump’s political rivals over alleged mortgage fraud and attack Jerome Powell. Trump praised Pulte as “very smart.” (CNBC / Bloomberg / Axios / Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 152 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 887 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. The Kennedy Center ordered staff to remove Trump’s name from official materials and signage after a federal judge ruled that its board illegally added it to the performing arts center. Staff were told to immediately revert references to “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “the Kennedy Center,” with signage, brochures, ID cards, and website pages due by June 12. (Politico)

2. A federal planning commission advanced Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch, but stopped short of final approval after its Trump-appointed chairman argued that D.C.’s height law may not apply to federal projects. The law caps most construction at 130 feet, and the commission’s own career staff said it has “always applied” the restriction to federal projects. The administration says it doesn’t need Congress’s approval and will give 14 days’ notice before construction, despite warnings from preservationists, residents, and veterans that the arch would tower over nearby monuments and alter the setting of Arlington National Cemetery. (Washington Post)

3. The Justice Department reportedly told federal prosecutors to “get creative” in bringing charges against noncitizens who voted after an official said more than 90 investigations were open, but “languishing.” An associate deputy attorney general told prosecutors that the cases were a top priority and that immigrants convicted of that kind of fraud should be deported. (New York Times)

4. Trump pledged roughly $700 million in taxpayer money to revive the declining U.S. coal industry using emergency and Energy Department funds to extend the life of aging coal plants, subsidize the first new coal-burning power plants since 2013. Trump claimed the plan would lower energy prices with “clean, beautiful coal,” but experts say coal is more expensive to build and operate than natural gas and renewables, while burning it produces more air pollution and carbon emissions. (Bloomberg / New York Times)

• Today last year: Day 1597: "A very bad situation."
• Two years ago today: Day 1232: "Will not be intimidated."
• Five years ago today: Day 136: "This is progress."
• Seven years ago today: Day 866: False light.
• Eight years ago today: Day 501: Absolute right.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: The House voted to block Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, passing a war powers resolution after four Republicans joined Democrats; Senate Republicans advanced Trump’s $70 billion immigration enforcement bill after stripping out $1 billion for his White House ballroom and forcing the administration to drop its $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund; Congress’s effort to renew the warrantless surveillance program is in jeopardy after Trump named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, a political loyalist with no known intelligence experience, as acting director of national intelligence; the Trump administration proposed new tariffs between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners in an effort to revive Trump’s signature economic policy, which the Supreme Court ruled most were illegal; six states held primaries Tuesday that set up key midterm races; the Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts despite a unanimous three-judge panel finding that the plan intentionally discriminated against Black voters; CBS News fired “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley “for cause” after he confronted the show’s new executive producer and accused the network’s editor in chief of “murdering” the program; and the Trump administration hired a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant for a sensitive Pentagon counterterrorism job inside an office that handles highly classified military operations.

1/ The House voted to block Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, passing a war powers resolution after four Republicans joined Democrats. It’s the first successful congressional rebuke of Trump’s military campaign after three failed attempts. The measure directs Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes the war. The 215-208 vote sends the resolution to the Senate, which advanced a similar measure last month on a procedural vote. Even if it passed both chambers, Trump would likely veto it, requiring two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override him. No war powers resolution has ever overcome a veto. The White House, meanwhile, has argued that the War Powers Act’s 60-day deadline doesn’t apply because “hostilities” ended with the ceasefire, even as the U.S. continues to enforce a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Hakeem Jeffries called it a “reckless and costly war of choice,” while Speaker Mike Johnson warned it was “a very dangerous prospect” to weaken Trump’s negotiating leverage. Marco Rubio added taht Iran would see the vote as a sign that Trump’s “hands are going to be tied.” (New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / Reuters / Associated Press / Axios)

2/ Senate Republicans advanced Trump’s $70 billion immigration enforcement bill after stripping out $1 billion for his White House ballroom and forcing the administration to drop its $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The Senate voted 53-46 to begin debate on the package, which would fund ICE and Border Patrol through 2029, using budget reconciliation to avoid a Democratic filibuster and pass it with a simple majority. The ballroom money was removed after the Senate parliamentarian ruled it violated reconciliation rules and Republicans worried about defending taxpayer funding for Trump’s personal project while voters face cost-of-living pressures. The bill now heads into the amendment process before final Senate passage. House Republicans are hoping to pass it by the end of the week. (The Hill / CNN / New York Times / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CBS News)

3/ Congress’s effort to renew the warrantless surveillance program is in jeopardy after Trump named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, a political loyalist with no known intelligence experience, as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte would oversee the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and Section 702, which allows warrantless collection of foreign targets’ communications but can also sweep up Americans’ messages. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune to pressure Trump into reversing the appointment, warning that Democrats wouldn’t renew those powers under someone with “no intelligence background” and “a record of misusing private information.” Sen. Chris Murphy said “the very nature of our collection” would be put in the hands of someone with “a history of seeking out private information for political gain.” Thune, meanwhile, said “we don’t need a weaponized” DNI. Republicans need Democratic votes before the June 12 deadline. (Punchbowl / Politico / Semafor / The Guardian / NPR / Bloomberg / The Hill)

4/ The Trump administration proposed new tariffs between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners in an effort to revive Trump’s signature economic policy, which the Supreme Court ruled most were illegal. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the countries failed to ban or enforce bans on goods made with forced labor, creating “an unlevel playing field” for American workers. Under the proposal, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, and others would face a 10% duty, while 12.5% tariffs would apply to China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and dozens more. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, said “Washington is desperately searching for new legal grounds to sustain its tariff policy. Accusing the EU of all places of insufficient action against forced labor is absurd.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, denied the allegation, saying: “There is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in China.” (ABC News / Politico / The Guardian / CBS News / Washington Post)

5/ 🟦🟥 Primaries: Six states held primaries Tuesday that set up key midterm races. In Iowa, Republicans rejected Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra for governor and nominated Zach Lahn, who will face Democratic state auditor Rob Sand. Democrats also nominated Josh Turek, a state legislator and four-time Paralympian backed by party-aligned groups, to challenge Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson for an open Senate seat. In California, Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra led Tom Steyer in the still-uncalled top-two governor’s primary with millions of ballots left to be counted. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass advanced to a runoff, while Republican reality TV star Spencer Pratt and progressive Councilmember Nithya Raman are still competing for the second spot. In New Jersey, Democrats nominated former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett to challenge Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has missed more than 100 votes since March due to an unspecified medical issue. In New Mexico, Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for governor, while South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden was forced into a Republican runoff against businessman Toby Doeden. (Associated Press / Washington Post / ABC News / New York Times / NBC News / Reuters)

6/ The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts despite a unanimous three-judge panel finding that the plan intentionally discriminated against Black voters. The unsigned order lets Alabama to hold special congressional primaries on Aug. 11 under a never-before-used 2023 map that could help Republicans flip a Democratic seat and leave the state with one Black-majority district out of seven. More than one-quarter of Alabama’s residents are Black. The court’s conservative majority said the lower court failed to apply its new Voting Rights Act standard and “did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, said the court had chosen “a chaotic election” under a map that “intentionally discriminates against Black Alabamians,” adding: “Just as Alabama doubled down on racial discrimination, the Court today doubles down on chaos.” (CNN / Associated Press / New York Times / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / NBC News)

7/ CBS News fired “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley “for cause” after he confronted the show’s new executive producer and accused the network’s editor in chief of “murdering” the program. Nick Bilton said Pelley “hijacked” his first staff meeting as executive producer with “remarkable incivility and contempt,” while Bari Weiss told staff that “trust and mutual respect” had been broken and that management tried to “find a way back.” Pelley, however, disputed that, saying “Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true,” while also claiming that the new management told him to inject “falsehoods and bias” into a politically sensitive story and to let politicians choose “60 Minutes” correspondents for interviews. Pelley’s firing follows the dismissal of executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as well as Anderson Cooper’s departure. (New York Times / NBC News / Politico / Washington Post / Axios / CNN / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)

The 2026 midterms are in 153 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 888 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. Social Security retirees could face an average $500 monthly cut in 2032 if Congress lets the retirement trust fund run dry, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The group says a projected 24% benefit cut would affect 63 million current beneficiaries unless Congress changes taxes, benefits, or funding before then. (CNBC)

2. The Trump administration is diverting at least $90 million in national park entry fees to Washington, D.C. projects tied to July 4 and America’s 250th anniversary. The money includes $1.6 million for fireworks and $76 million for fountain repairs, even as the park system faces a $24 billion maintenance backlog and recent staffing cuts have already strained basic operations. (Washington Post)

3. The White House is proposing to make billions in federal grants pass a political test before agencies can award them, requiring Trump appointees to certify that the money “demonstrably advance[s]” the president’s priorities. The rule would restrict grants for projects tied to DEI, voter registration, or “anti-American values,” while giving the administration broad power to terminate awards it later decides aren’t in the “public interest.” (New York Times)

4. Federal regulators are investigating whether George Santos illegally bet on a prediction-market contract tied to his own State of the Union attendance after Kalshi flagged the trades to the CFTC and Justice Department. Santos had told his followers he planned to attend, allegedly bet that he wouldn’t, and then skipped the speech. He called the accusation “preposterous.” (NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

5. The Trump administration hired a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant for a sensitive Pentagon counterterrorism job inside an office that handles highly classified military operations. Elias Irizarry pleaded guilty after entering the Capitol through a broken window with a metal pole, later apologizing for bringing “great shame” on himself and the country. The Pentagon, nevertheless, defended him as “qualified” and “patriotic.” (Washington Post / NBC News)

• Today last year: Day 1596: "Making America bankrupt."
• Two years ago today: Day 1231: "Reckless."
• Five years ago today: Day 135: "To no avail."
• Six years ago today: Day 1231: "No idea."
• Seven years ago today: Day 865: Presidential obstruction and other crimes.

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Today in one sentence: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Trump’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is dead; Trump named Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence; Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that Trump hasn’t offered Iran sanctions relief simply to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; Trump reportedly yelled “What the fuck are you doing?” at Benjamin Netanyahu during a call over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon; seven Democratic-led states sued to block the Trump administration’s taxpayer-funded deal paying TotalEnergies $795 million to walk away from an offshore wind lease and put the money toward oil and gas instead; the National Science Foundation will dismantle most of the $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative; Trump signed a scaled-back AI order that asks companies to voluntarily give the government up to 30 days of early access to powerful new models before public release; and the White House Correspondents’ Association rescheduled its annual dinner after a gunman disrupted the April event.

1/ Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Trump’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is dead. Senate Republicans had threatened to hold up the roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement bill unless the White House killed the taxpayer-funded payout that was created through Trump’s settlement with his own IRS over the leak of his tax records. Lawmakers in both parties had also objected to the lack of oversight and the possibility that Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police could collect payouts. “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche told lawmakers, while still defending the premise, saying “the reasons for the fund remain as important as they were before.” Blanche, however, left intact the settlement provision barring audits and tax-enforcement actions involving Trump, his family, and related businesses over past returns. “Nothing has changed with that,” Blanche said, while insisting “it’s not immunity.” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, meanwhile, accused him of giving Trump and his family “tax immunity to the tune of about $100 million.” (Politico / Reuters / New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg)

2/ Trump named Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence. Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, has no known intelligence or national security experience, but will nevertheless oversee the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community while he continues to run FHFA and chair Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Pulte’s used his housing job to make or push mortgage fraud referrals against Trump’s perceived enemies, including Letitia James, Adam Schiff, Lisa Cook, and Eric Swalwell. “We don’t need a weaponized DNI,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. “We need professionals there.” Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican on the Intelligence Committee, added: “I don’t see any evidence of qualifications for that job.” Naming Pulte acting DNI allows Trump to bypass Senate confirmation for up to 210 days. (New York Times / NBC News / Politico / Axios / CNN / Associated Press / Reuters / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

3/ Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that Trump hasn’t offered Iran sanctions relief simply to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying any relief must be “condition-based” and tied to Tehran giving up nuclear activities. Rubio said Iran must declare the strait open, stop firing on or threatening commercial ships, help remove mines, and enter talks on “severe and long-term limitations” on its nuclear program while acknowledging that “it is not a guarantee” that any deal will be acceptable. He also pushed back on Iranian state media claims that the two sides had stopped exchanging messages, saying talks are continuing through intermediaries because “talks with Iran are not like talks with Switzerland.” Trump likewise claimed the reports were “false and erroneous,” saying talks had continued “four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” even though he said a day earlier that he “couldn’t care less” if Iran ended the negotiations, because they had “started to get very boring.” (New York Times / CNBC / Reuters / Washington Post)

• Trump reportedly yelled “What the fuck are you doing?” at Benjamin Netanyahu during a call over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, demanding that the prime minister abandon a planned strike on Beirut because it could derail U.S. talks with Iran. One U.S. official summarized Trump’s message as: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Israel no longer plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut. (Axios / ABC News / Mediaite)

4/ Seven Democratic-led states sued to block the Trump administration’s taxpayer-funded deal paying TotalEnergies $795 million to walk away from an offshore wind lease and put the money toward oil and gas instead. New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont argued that the Interior Department illegally canceled the New York-New Jersey lease without the required hearing or national security review, then used the Judgment Fund, a taxpayer-backed account for settling legal claims, even though TotalEnergies hadn’t sued the government. The project was expected to power roughly one million homes and businesses. (Reuters / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

5/ The National Science Foundation will dismantle most of the $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative, removing more than 900 deep-sea instruments that scientists have used for a decade to track ocean currents, carbon absorption, marine heat waves, fisheries, coastal flooding, and climate change. NSF said the “descoping” would remove in-water infrastructure from four of the program’s five arrays, including the Irminger Sea station used to study the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, while leaving the Regional Cabled Array off Oregon in place for now. (New York Times / Scientific American / E&E News)

6/ Trump signed a scaled-back AI order that asks companies to voluntarily give the government up to 30 days of early access to powerful new models before public release. The policy, however, creates a review process that doesn’t require companies to participate or explain what happens if they don’t. The order nevertheless directs federal agencies to strengthen cyber defenses, create an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse, and develop classified benchmarks for deciding which “frontier” models warrant scrutiny, while explicitly saying it doesn’t authorize mandatory licensing, preclearance, or permitting. (Politico / Associated Press / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal)

7/ The White House Correspondents’ Association rescheduled its annual dinner after a gunman disrupted the April event forcing Trump, JD Vance, Cabinet officials, journalists, and media executives to evacuate or take cover. WHCA president Weijia Jiang said the second dinner will be a “more intimate gathering” with “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures,” and that members who bought tickets won’t have to pay again. (CNN / Reuters / CBS News)

The 2026 midterms are in 154 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 889 days.

• Today last year: Day 1595: "We deserve better."
• Four years ago today: Day 499: "Common sense."
• Five years ago today: Day 134: "My Republican friends."
• Six years ago today: Day 1230: "Everything to divide us."
• 9 years ago today: Day 134: Showdown supreme.

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Today in one sentence: Trump insisted that talks with Iran to extend the April ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set terms for future nuclear negotiations were continuing “at a rapid pace,” despite Iran’s state-affiliated media reporting that Tehran had suspended talks and was threatening to “completely block” the strait; White House economic director Kevin Hassett insisted that Americans are better off despite rising inflation, high gas prices, and worsening consumer sentiment; Trump plans to drop his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after a federal judge blocked it; a federal judge ordered Trump to answer allegations that his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was a pretext to create a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for his political allies; a federal judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center and blocked his handpicked board from closing the venue for a two-year renovation; former Attorney General Pam Bondi shifted responsibility for the release of the Epstein files to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche; a former Colorado county clerk who was convicted for breaching voting systems in search of election fraud in 2020 was released from prison; Trump will headline the opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair after more than half of the performers withdrew saying they had been misled about the event’s political ties; and the White House released a medical memo from his third Walter Reed checkup in 13 months, saying Trump’s in “excellent health” and “fully fit” to serve despite persistent questions about bruising on his hands, swelling in his legs, and apparent drowsiness in televised meetings.

1/ Trump insisted that talks with Iran to extend the April ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set terms for future nuclear negotiations were continuing “at a rapid pace,” despite Iran’s state-affiliated media reporting that Tehran had suspended talks and was threatening to “completely block” the strait, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply. The report cited no source and wasn’t directly confirmed by Iranian officials, but oil prices jumped more than 7% anyway. Trump, meanwhile, said he “couldn’t care less” if negotiations were over, because they had “started to get very boring,” adding: “We’ll keep the blockade.” Separately, the U.S. said it struck Iranian radar and drone sites near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran downed an American drone, while Iran fired two ballistic missiles toward U.S. forces in Kuwait that CENTCOM said were intercepted. Iran’s foreign ministry accused the U.S. and Israel of violating the ceasefire “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel ordered new strikes near Beirut before Trump claimed Israel and Hezbollah had agreed that “all shooting will stop.” (CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News / CBS News / CNBC / CNN / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Reuters)

• The U.S. military killed three men in another strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific – the fourth in a week. The campaign has now killed 205 people since September. (CBS News / NBC News)

2/ White House economic director Kevin Hassett insisted that Americans are better off despite rising inflation, high gas prices, and worsening consumer sentiment. Hassett argued that Americans should “smooth through the ups and downs” and focus on real wages, even though the latest Labor Department report showed inflation (3.8%) was outpacing wage growth (3.6%). Gas prices, meanwhile, have jumped to $4.34 a gallon from $3.15 a year ago since. Gallup’s economic confidence index, meanwhile, fell to its lowest level since October 2022, and the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey hit its lowest level ever recorded. “People look at their wallets,” Hassett said, “and if they look at their wallets and look at how much money they have after the increase in prices, they’re going to find that they have a lot more money.” (Politico / ABC News / The Hill / ABC News / Associated Press)

• Jerome Powell warned that the Fed’s credibility is at risk if presidents can fire central bank officials over policy disagreements, saying “future administrations will do so as well” and the public would lose faith that the central bank makes decisions “based only on what’s best for all Americans.” (Bloomberg / Politico / Associated Press / Reuters / Axios / ABC News)

3/ Trump plans to drop his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after a federal judge blocked it. Lawmakers in both parties also objected to the possibility of taxpayer-funded payouts to Trump allies and Jan. 6 rioters. Two senior administration officials said the fund is “dead for now” and that the White House is “planning to respect the courts,” though one noted that “nothing is final until it’s final” because Trump still “likes the fund.” U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily barred the administration from transferring money into the fund, considering claims, or paying out funds until a June 12 hearing to “ensure that no funds are irreversibly disbursed.” (Axios / Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / Reuters / CNN / NBC News / Washington Post)

4/ A federal judge ordered Trump to answer allegations that his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was a pretext to create a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for his political allies. 35 former federal judges urged U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the case and investigate “grievous allegations” that the settlement was “premised on deception” and amounted to “serious misconduct.” Williams gave Trump’s lawyers until June 12 to address whether Trump colluded with his own government “to avoid judicial scrutiny” and filed “for the sole purpose of forcing a settlement.” Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns, but the case was dismissed before the Justice Department filed a defense. The Justice Department then announced a settlement creating a nearly $1.8 billion fund for people described as victims of government weaponization. (New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico / Axios)

5/ A federal judge ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center and blocked his handpicked board from closing the venue for a two-year renovation, saying “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” Judge Christopher Cooper said the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by rebranding the building as the “Trump Kennedy Center” and gave officials 14 days to remove Trump’s name from the building, website, and official materials. Cooper also temporarily halted the planned closure, calling the board’s March vote “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” Trump responded by attacking Cooper as “an anti Trump Hater,” saying the judge “should be ashamed of himself,” and claiming the building was too dangerous to keep open because of “rotting beams,” parking areas “subject to collapse,” and other “Life and Safety problems.” He added that he had “no interest” in continuing the renovations unless he was “free” to run it his way, warned the center would “soon be closed, probably never to open again,” and claimed he’d ordered the Commerce Department to work with Congress on a “full and complete transfer” of the center’s operation, maintenance, and management. (NBC News / ABC News / The Guardian / The Hill / Associated Press / Reuters / CNN / Politico / Bloomberg / Washington Post)

6/ Former Attorney General Pam Bondi shifted responsibility for the release of the Epstein files to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. During a closed-door House Oversight interview that wasn’t under oath or videotaped, Bondi said she “did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review” herself and delegated the review to Blanche. Democrats said DOJ lawyers blocked Bondi from answering questions about Trump, and will seek testimony from Blanche next with FBI Director Kash Patel “number two on the list.” (New York Times / Politico / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Washington Post)

7/ A former Colorado county clerk who was convicted for breaching voting systems in search of election fraud in 2020 was released from prison. Tina Peters was convicted in 2024 of attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, violation of duty, and other crimes after allowing an outside computer expert affiliated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to access the county’s Dominion Voting Systems server during a 2021 software update. Gov. Jared Polis commuted her nearly nine-year sentence, saying Peters wasn’t innocent and that he disagreed with her false claims about the 2020 election, but argued that her sentence was “extremely unusual and lengthy” for a first-time, nonviolent offender. Shortly after leaving prison, Peters appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast and claimed, without evidence, that Democrats “are going to cheat” in the midterms and that she had been imprisoned as “retribution” for exposing machines that “allow the votes to be flipped.” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called the clemency “an affront to our democracy” and said Peters’ release “will embolden the election denial movement.” (ABC News / CNN / Associated Press / Politico)

8/ Trump will headline the opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair after more than half of the performers withdrew saying they had been misled about the event’s political ties. Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, Young MC, Morris Day and the Time, and the Commodores all withdrew after the lineup was announced, with McBride saying she was offered “a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.” Trump, meanwhile, called the performers “Third Rate ‘Artists,’” suggested replacing the concerts with “a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY,” and said he would give “a major speech” to rally “the Country forward.” (Associated Press / NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / Wall Street Journal)

9/ The White House released a medical memo from his third Walter Reed checkup in 13 months, saying Trump’s in “excellent health” and “fully fit” to serve despite persistent questions about bruising on his hands, swelling in his legs, and apparent drowsiness in televised meetings. Trump reportedly scored 30 out of 30 on a cognitive screening, had normal cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and lab results, and showed “slight lower leg swelling” that had improved since last year’s diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency. The memo also said Trump weighs 238 pounds (14 pounds more than last year) and was counseled to increase physical activity, lose weight, follow diet guidance, and take low-dose aspirin. Outside physicians, however, said the report left out standard details from Trump’s cardiovascular tests, including calcium, plaque, and artery-narrowing scores. (NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Washington Post / ABC News)

⏰ Dept. of I Ran Out of Time Today: Appeals court rules Trump policy illegally banned transgender troops from military; Scott Pelley accused CBS News boss of “murdering” 60 Minutes; and a Trump administration plan would allow for quick asylum rejections without interviews.

The 2026 midterms are in 155 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 890 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 863: "Time is a luxury."
• Four years ago today: Day 498: "Massive failure."
• Five years ago today: Day 133: "An assault on democracy."
• Six years ago today: Day 1229: Bunker boy.
• Eight years ago today: Day 498: "Totally unacceptable."
• 9 years ago today: Day 133: It's heating up.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: U.S. and Iranian negotiators moved toward a tentative 60-day ceasefire extension to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that neither Trump nor Iran’s leadership has approved; a federal judge declined to block Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list to limit mail-in voting; inflation accelerated to 3.8% in April, its highest level in nearly 3 years; the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll lied under oath; Trump refiled his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two Wall Street Journal reporters over its report on a lewd birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein; White House adviser Peter Navarro initiated a Pentagon request for a $620 million loan to a startup tied to Trump Jr.’s venture firm; Trump bought more than $1 million in Dell stock before the Pentagon awarded Dell a $9.7 billion contract; Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s son quietly took a political appointee job as a Treasury Department lawyer while the Supreme Court handled cases involving the department; and Trump’s Treasury Department has prepared a design for a $250 bill with his portrait and signature, despite laws barring living people from U.S. currency.

1/ U.S. and Iranian negotiators moved toward a tentative 60-day ceasefire extension to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that neither Trump nor Iran’s leadership has approved. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there were “perhaps” the “makings of a deal,” but said Trump’s terms still include reopening the strait, surrendering highly enriched uranium, and ending Iran’s nuclear program. The draft would let shipping resume while both sides negotiate Iran’s nuclear program, frozen assets, sanctions relief, and the U.S. blockade. The talks advanced despite new strikes, with U.S. forces hitting Iranian drones near Bandar Abbas and Kuwait intercepting an Iranian missile aimed toward a U.S. base. U.S. Central Command called the launch an “egregious ceasefire violation,” while Iran said it answered U.S. “aggression” and warned of a “more decisive” response. Meanwhile, Trump threatened to “blow up” Oman if the U.S. ally joined Iran in managing or tolling the strait, saying “nobody’s going to control it.” (New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Associated Press)

2/ A federal judge declined to block Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list to limit mail-in voting. The order directs federal agencies to use Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration data to build “state citizenship lists,” and tells USPS to deliver ballots to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. Judge Carl Nichols didn’t rule on whether the order is lawful, but said the challenge was premature because no citizenship lists had been created, no Postal Service ballot rule had been adopted, and no voter had yet been harmed. (New York Times / Associated Press / NBC News / NPR / Washington Post / Reuters / The Hill)

3/ Inflation accelerated to 3.8% in April, its highest level in nearly 3 years. Core inflation rose to 3.3%, while the savings rate fell to 2.6% and real disposable income fell. Initial jobless claims, meanwhile, increased by 5,000 to 215,000, while continuing claims rose to 1.79 million. (Politico / ABC News / Reuters / New York Times / CNN / Associated Press / NBC News / Reuters / Associated Press)

4/ The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll lied under oath about outside funding for her civil lawsuits against Trump. The investigation is based on a perjury theory already examined, at least in part, by the appeals court that upheld Trump’s $5 million sexual abuse and defamation judgment. In Carroll’s 2022 deposition statement, she said no one else was paying her legal fees, though lawyers later disclosed that LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman helped cover some costs. The appeals court upheld the verdict against Trump and said Carroll had “plausibly represented” that she forgot about the limited funding, and that discovery showed she “simply was not involved” in who paid litigation costs. Carroll won two civil cases against Trump: a $5 million verdict in 2023 after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, and an $83.3 million defamation award in 2024 over his later attacks on her. (CNN / Reuters / CBS News / NBC News / Associated Press)

5/ Trump refiled his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two Wall Street Journal reporters over its report on a lewd birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump denies writing or signing the “bawdy” birthday note that was typed inside a sketched outline of naked a woman and ends with, “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret,” and signed “Donald” below the waist to mimic pubic hair. A federal judge dismissed the original complaint, saying it lacked sufficient claims that the story was published with “actual malice” toward Trump. The revised suit says Trump called Murdoch before publication and denied writing the letter. Murdoch allegedly told him “I will handle it.” Dow Jones said it has “full confidence” in the reporting and will defend the case. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Reuters / CNN / The Hill)

The 2026 midterms are in 159 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 894 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. White House adviser Peter Navarro initiated a Pentagon request for a $620 million loan to a startup tied to Trump Jr.’s venture firm. Trump Jr.’s firm took an undisclosed stake in Vulcan Elements about three months before the Pentagon announced a deal to help the company build a magnet facility and give the government a $50 million stake. The Pentagon denied political influence, while Trump Jr.’s spokesperson claims he had “no knowledge about how this deal came together.” (ProPublica)

2. Trump bought more than $1 million in Dell stock before the Pentagon awarded Dell a $9.7 billion contract. The purchase came nine days before Trump praised Michael Dell for pledging $6.25 billion to Trump’s child investment accounts program, telling people to “go out and buy a Dell computer.” (New York Times)

3. Trump’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission asked a judge to erase a $5 million Biden-era penalty against the crypto exchange run by prominent donors to Trump’s 2024 campaign. Gemini, run by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, settled the case weeks before Trump took office, after regulators accused it of making false statements tied to a bitcoin futures business. The agency now says the case should never have been filed, citing a whistleblower account it now calls not credible and describing Gemini as a fraud victim. (CNN)

4. A senior CIA official was arrested after investigators found 303 gold bars worth more than $40 million, about $2 million in cash, and dozens of luxury watches at his Virginia home. Court papers say David Rush received gold bars and foreign currency for work expenses, but the CIA later couldn’t locate much of it. Prosecutors charged him with stealing public money. The filings don’t explain why his work required that much gold or why it ended up at his house. (Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times)

5. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s son quietly took a political appointee job as a Treasury Department lawyer while the Supreme Court handled cases involving the department. Philip Alito works in Treasury’s general counsel office, which advises Secretary Scott Bessent, but his name doesn’t appear on the department’s website and his public bar listings are outdated. Samuel Alito didn’t recuse from a tariff case naming Treasury as a defendant, and his office didn’t respond to questions about the arrangement. (NOTUS)

6. Trump’s Treasury Department has prepared a design for a $250 bill with his portrait and signature, despite laws barring living people from U.S. currency. The Treasury claimed it was only doing “appropriate planning” for the stalled legislation needed to authorize the note. After resisting the effort, Bureau of Engraving and Printing Director Patricia Solimene was reassigned. She told colleagues in a goodbye email: “The buck stopped here.” (Washington Post / CNN / Associated Press)

• Today last year: Day 1590: "Trump Always Chickens Out."
• Two years ago today: Day 1225: "Lacking in substance and professional courtesy."
• Five years ago today: Day 129: "Short-term political gain."
• Six years ago today: Day 1225: "Big action."
• Seven years ago today: Day 859: "False narrative."

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: Trump said “I don’t care about the midterms” and wouldn’t let the upcoming election or Iranian state media reports rush him into a deal; Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas, turning Trump’s late endorsement into a 28-point rejection of Sen. John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent; Alabama asked the Supreme Court to let it use a 2023 congressional map that would likely give Republicans six of the state’s seven House seats by eliminating a second Black-majority or near-majority district; Biden sued the Justice Department to block the release of about 70 hours of private audio recordings and transcripts from 2016 and 2017 interviews with his ghostwriter; Jill Biden said she was “frightened” that Joe Biden was “having a stroke” during his June 2024 debate against Trump; Trump appointed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to the White House science and technology advisory council; the Trump administration agreed to pay $13.1 million in a no-bid contract to a first-time federal contractor to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; 58% of Americans say Trump has made the economy worse; 25% of Latino Trump voters said they would not vote for him again; Democrats lead Republicans by almost 6 points on the House generic ballot; and 12% of Americans said the worst thing about Republicans is their loyalty to Trump, while 10% said the worst thing about Democrats is that they’re weak and don’t stand up to Trump.

1/ Trump said “I don’t care about the midterms” and wouldn’t let the upcoming election or Iranian state media reports rush him into a deal. “They thought they were going to outwait me, you know? We’ll outwait him, he’s got the midterms,” Trump said, suggesting that Tehran believed the elections would force U.S. concessions. Trump, however, claimed Iran was “negotiating on fumes” and said talks were going “nicely,” but warned that the U.S. would “finish the job” if he was “not satisfied” with the terms. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed an Iranian state media report about a draft agreement as a “complete fabrication.” Trump also rejected any Iran-Oman control of the strait, saying “nobody’s going to control” the waterway while warning that Oman would have to “behave” or “we’ll have to blow them up.” Talks remain stuck over the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, and Iran’s enriched uranium. (New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Reuters / Washington Post / CBS News / ABC News)

2/ Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas, turning Trump’s late endorsement into a 28-point rejection of Sen. John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent. Paxton now faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November, forcing Republicans to defend a seat they had treated as safe while trying to protect their Senate majority. Republican leaders had backed Cornyn and warned that Paxton’s legal and ethical history, weaker fundraising, and polarizing record could make Texas more expensive. Paxton, the state attorney general, was impeached and acquitted, settled a securities-fraud case without admitting wrongdoing, and has lagged Talarico in fundraising. No Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994. (Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / Associated Press)

3/ Alabama asked the Supreme Court to let it use a 2023 congressional map that would likely give Republicans six of the state’s seven House seats by eliminating a second Black-majority or near-majority district. It’s the first major test of the court’s April Voting Rights Act ruling, which made vote-dilution claims harder by requiring proof of discriminatory intent. Alabama said that ruling “vindicates” its 2023 map, even though a unanimous three-judge panel blocked it, finding the plan was “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination” in violation of the 14th Amendment. The state accused the judges of acting as if the new Supreme Court ruling “changed nothing,” arguing it “did not intentionally discriminate by declining to intentionally discriminate.” (Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / Reuters / CBS News / CNN)

4/ Biden sued the Justice Department to block the release of about 70 hours of private audio recordings and transcripts from 2016 and 2017 interviews with his ghostwriter. The recordings were obtained during Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation, which ended without charges. The Justice Department plans to release redacted materials to the House Judiciary Committee and the Heritage Foundation on June 15 unless a judge intervenes. Biden’s lawyers said the release would violate his privacy and called the committee request pretextual. The Justice Department said the recordings should be public so Americans can judge his “mental acuity.” (Politico / CNN / New York Times / ABC News / Reuters / NBC News)

• Jill Biden said she was “frightened” that Joe Biden was “having a stroke” during his June 2024 debate against Trump. She said she had “never, ever seen Joe like that,” but publicly praised his performance afterward and urged him to keep running. (CBS News / New York Times)

5/ Trump appointed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to the White House science and technology advisory council, adding her to a panel focused on AI policy. Bondi will help coordinate between the government and tech executives on the council, including Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison. JD Vance called Bondi “an enormously valuable asset,” while David Sacks said she would advise on legal and regulatory issues. Bondi will also serve in a new national infrastructure advisory role while recovering from thyroid cancer treatment. (Axios / The Hill)

6/ The Trump administration agreed to pay $13.1 million in a no-bid contract to a first-time federal contractor to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. A National Park Service analysis found that Atlantic Industrial Coatings’ bid carried an “inflated” 20% profit margin that staff called “excessive.” The Interior Department defended the price as the cost of rushing the work before July 4. Park Service documents, meanwhile, showed that the contractor initially failed two tests to seal the leaking slab gaps, the main problem it was hired to fix. (New York Times)

poll/ 58% of Americans say Trump has made the economy worse, and 41% say Trump is responsible for the cost-of-living problems people are facing today. (Strength in Numbers)

poll/ 25% of Latino Trump voters said they would not vote for him again, and 67% disapprove of his job performance. In 2024, Trump won 48% of Latino voters – a 12-point increase from 2020. Axios / CBS News)

poll/ Democrats lead Republicans by almost 6 points on the House generic ballot, and nearly 6% of Republicans say they plan to vote for a Democratic House candidate in November. (FiftyPlusOne)

poll/ 12% of Americans said the worst thing about Republicans is their loyalty to Trump. 10% said the worst thing about Democrats is that they’re weak and don’t stand up to Trump. (ABC News)

The 2026 midterms are in 160 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 895 days.

• Today last year: Day 1589: "Wimpy and anemic."
• Five years ago today: Day 128: "No excuse."
• Six years ago today: Day 1224: 100,000 dead.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: A federal court blocked Alabama Republicans from using a congressional map that was “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination”; the U.S. struck Iranian missile sites and boats it claimed were laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “self-defense”; the Trump administration proposed a governmentwide nondisclosure agreement for federal employees in an effort to crackdown on leaks; Trump declared that “everything checked out PERFECTLY” after what he called a “6 month physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; construction began on a temporary UFC octagon on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s planned fights to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S.; and 37% of Americans approve Trump’s job performance.

1/ A federal court blocked Alabama Republicans from using a congressional map that was “tainted by intentional race-based discrimination.” The 2023 map would’ve likely flipped a Democratic House seat. Alabama argued that the Supreme Court’s April ruling, which narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, allowed the state to reuse the map after the justices sent the case back for review. The three-judge panel, however, rejected that argument, saying the map still violated the 14th Amendment, because lawmakers intentionally diluted Black voting power. Alabama must use the court-drawn 2024 map for now, while Attorney General Steve Marshall called the blocked plan “blandly unobjectionable” and said the state would immediately appeal, adding: “It is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when.” (Politico / CNN / New York Times / CBS News / NBC News / Associated Press / ABC News / Washington Post / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)

• The South Carolina Senate effectively blocked a Trump-backed congressional map that aimed to give Republicans all seven House seats by dismantling Rep. Jim Clyburn’s majority-Black district. After a procedural vote failed, senators adjourned until June 10 – one day after the state’s primary. (ABC News / NBC News / Politico / NPR / New York Times / Associated Press)

2/ The U.S. struck Iranian missile sites and boats it claimed were laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attacks “self-defense.” Iran called the strikes a “grave violation” of the ceasefire and warned it would not leave “any act of hostility unanswered.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said negotiators were still working through “specific language” and that a deal could take “a few days.” The working deal reportedly would stop the fighting and reopen Hormuz first, and then give negotiators 30 to 60 days to address Iran’s enriched uranium, sanctions, and missile program. (New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / Washington Post / Politico / Reuters / NBC News / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN)

3/ The Trump administration proposed a governmentwide nondisclosure agreement for federal employees in an effort to crackdown on leaks. The agreement is described as voluntary, but employees who refuse to sign could face removal or debarment. The proposal preserves whistleblower protections and will face a 30-day public comment period. (Washington Post / The Hill / Politico / Bloomberg / Associated Press / The Guardian)

4/ Trump declared that “everything checked out PERFECTLY” after what he called a “6 month physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, his third visit to the facility in 13 months as the oldest person ever elected president. The White House described the appointment, which lasted more than three hours, as “routine annual dental and medical assessments” and part of his “regular preventative healthcare.” Trump, who turns 80 next month, has faced questions over bruised hands, swollen legs, a neck rash, and a chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis. His physician has previously described him as in “exceptional health,” with “exceptional” lab results. (New York Times / Bloomberg / NPR / CNN / Associated Press / Reuters / The Hill / CBS News)

• Trump skipped Trump Jr.’s wedding due to “circumstances pertaining to Government.” Trump added that the timing was bad because of “a thing called Iran and other things.” (Politico / Reuters)

5/ Construction began on a temporary UFC octagon on the White House South Lawn for Trump’s planned fights to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. The June 14 event, branded “UFC Freedom Fights 250,” falls on Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday. Trump has claimed the South Lawn will seat about 4,000 people, with 75,000 to 100,000 more watching free on screens at the Ellipse. The White House called it “one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history.” (ABC News / New York Times / The Hill)

poll/ 37% of Americans approve Trump’s job performance, with 60% disapproving. 39% say prices are the single most important problem facing the country, and Trump’s net approval on prices and inflation has fallen to -47 – a record low. (Strength in Numbers)

The 2026 midterms are in 161 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 896 days.

🫩 From the weekend.

1. Tulsi Gabbard will resign as director of national intelligence on June 30, citing her husband’s diagnosis with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer.” Trump said Principal Deputy Director Aaron Lukas will serve as acting DNI, temporarily overseeing the office that coordinates 18 intelligence agencies. Gabbard’s departure follows months of reported tension with the White House over Iran, national security decisions, and her role in domestic election matters. Trump, meanwhile, said Gabbard did “an incredible job.” (Fox News / Reuters / Associated Press / NPR / Politico / CNN / NBC News / Washington Post)

2. Trump defended the Justice Department’s nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” claiming he “gave up a lot of money” by allowing it to proceed, and could have settled his IRS tax-leak case for “an absolute fortune.” Instead, he said he chose to help others get “JUSTICE!” despite his earlier claim that he “wasn’t involved” in the fund’s creation or settlement. Meanwhile, a fired Jan. 6 prosecutor, a law professor, New Haven, Common Cause, and the National Abortion Federation sued to block the fund, arguing it’s an unauthorized and politically selective payout system for Trump allies. (Associated Press / CNN / CBS News)

3. A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s human-smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, calling it a vindictive prosecution for fighting his illegal deportation. Judge Waverly Crenshaw said prosecutors reopened a dormant 2022 traffic-stop case only after courts ordered the government to facilitate his return. Abrego Garcia still faces separate deportation proceedings. (New York Times / Washington Post / Reuters / Politico / Wall Street Journal / ABC News)

4. The Secret Service fatally shot a 21-year-old after he opened fire at a White House checkpoint while Trump was inside. Nasire Best reportedly approached the checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, pulled a gun from a bag, and fired at officers. A bystander was also shot and hospitalized with a non-life-threatening wound. Best was arrested in 2025 near another White House checkpoint after entering a restricted area and telling officers he was Jesus Christ. (NBC News / Washington Post / Axios)

• Five years ago today: Day 127: "Closer to a definitive conclusion."
• Six years ago today: Day 1223: "Shutdown mood."
• 9 years ago today: Day 127: Disinformation.

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Today in one sentence: The Democratic National Committee released its 192-page draft autopsy of the 2024 election after refusing for months to make it public, saying it wanted to avoid “a distraction”; Senate Republicans abandoned plans to pass Trump’s $70 billion bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol after the Justice Department tried to attach his $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund; Trump eased EPA limits on greenhouse gases used in refrigerants; Trump postponed his planned AI and cybersecurity executive order hours before a White House signing ceremony; Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts approved his 250-foot triumphal arch; and 54% of non-MAGA Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

1/ The Democratic National Committee released its 192-page draft autopsy of the 2024 election after refusing for months to make it public, saying it wanted to avoid “a distraction.” DNC Chair Ken Martin, however, conceded that that decision “ended up creating an even bigger distraction,” saying he was “not proud of this product.” While Martin said the report was released “for full transparency,” the document disavow the report on every page with a disclaimer saying the DNC could not “independently verify the claims presented.” The report blamed Biden’s White House for failing to “position or prepare” Harris to run, faulted Harris for not making an “affirmative case” why voters should support her, and said Democrats wrongly assumed Trump’s weaknesses were “baked in.” It also said Trump’s “Kamala is for they/them” ad was “very effective” and left Harris “boxed” in, while arguing that she “wrote off rural America” and relied too heavily on urban and suburban margins. The document also largely overlooked Biden’s age, Gaza, Israel, the party’s late switch to Harris after Biden quit without a nominating process. DNC annotations in the report flagged errors, missing sourcing, and conclusions with “no evidence provided.” (New York Times / NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post / Axios / Politico / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / Associated Press / CNN / The Guardian)

• Takeaways from the DNC autopsy: New York Times / CNN / Associated Press
• Read the DNC’s 2024 autopsy
• poll/ 53% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they’re dissatisfied with the Democratic Party, while 45% are satisfied. (New York Times)

2/ Senate Republicans abandoned plans to pass Trump’s $70 billion bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol after the Justice Department tried to attach his $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spent nearly two hours defending the fund behind closed doors, but senators said he failed to answer basic questions about its rules, including who would decide claims, what evidence would be required, and whether Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted police officers could receive taxpayer payouts. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it “would have been nice” if the White House had consulted senators, while Lisa Murkowski said the administration “dropped a bomb” into the bill, and Ron Johnson called it a “galactic blunder.” The collapse sends Congress into a Memorial Day recess and leaves ICE and Border Patrol funding stalled alongside a separate $1 billion request tied to Trump’s White House ballroom security. (Politico / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press)

3/ Trump eased EPA limits on greenhouse gases used in refrigerants. Trump claimed that the Biden-era mandate to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons was “ridiculous, unnecessary, and costly and actually makes the machinery worse,” while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the Biden-era rules “piled on costly, unattainable restrictions.” However, Trump signed the legislation mandating a reduction in HFC chemicals into law in 2020, which was implemented in 2023 under Biden. Inflation in the U.S., meanwhile, increased to 3.8% annually in April, driven by the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs. (Associated Press / The Guardian / CNN / Bloomberg / New York Times / Axios)

4/ Trump postponed his planned AI and cybersecurity executive order hours before a White House signing ceremony, saying he “didn’t like certain aspects” and feared it could “get in the way” of the U.S. lead over China. The draft order would’ve created a voluntary federal review process to test for cybersecurity risks for advanced AI models before public release. Trump didn’t identify which provisions he opposed, but the delay came amid concerns that the order could look like federal pre-approval of frontier AI models. (Axios / New York Times / Bloomberg / CBS News / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

• poll/ 35% of voters said they believed A.I. to be mostly bad, while 16% said it was mostly good, and 45% said it was neither good nor bad. (New York Times)

• So, is WTFJHT written by AI? No. All content is researched, written, and curated by me (Matt 👋), an IRL human working out of my basement in Seattle, WA. The editorial judgment, sourcing, writing, and editing of WTFJHT, as well as the personal accountability for corrections, errors, and omissions, will always be uniquely my human responsibility. (Plus my persistent typos are a giveaway that a human wrote it) The ethical and moral dilemmas related to AI are pretty consequential, and I won’t pretend to have arrived at a coherent point of view beyond generative AI slop being lame, cheap, and destructive. But I’m clear on one thing: I will only use AI tools and related technology that help me scale my labor, not replace it. WTFJHT’s AI use policy & pledge

5/ The Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts approved his 250-foot triumphal arch. The advisory panel approved a revised design that removed lions, a platform, and tunnel access, but kept the golden figures Trump wanted on top. The project still needs National Capital Planning Commission review on June 4. (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press)

poll/ 54% of non-MAGA Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing as president. Overall, 80% of Republicans approve of the job Trump is doing – a new low. (Fox News)

The 2026 midterms are in 166 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 901 days.

• Today last year: Day 1583: "The ultimate betrayal."
• Two years ago today: Day 1218: "An act of madness."
• Six years ago today: Day 1218: "Social and moral responsibility."
• Seven years ago today: Day 852: Demands.
• Eight years ago today: Day 487: Walking into a trap.
• 9 years ago today: Day 123: Will not comply.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Federal Reserve officials warned that it might need to raise interest rates in inflation remains above its 2% target; Trump claimed the U.S. was in the “final stages” of negotiations with Iran “or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty,” while also insisting, “I’m in no hurry”; Senate Republicans removed the $1 billion Secret Service provision tied to Trump’s White House ballroom from an immigration enforcement bill after the Senate parliamentarian ruled it was outside the bill’s budget rules; police officers who came under attack by Jan. 6 rioters sued to block Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”; Republicans backed by Trump won or led primaries in Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky; and the Trump administration plans to move ahead with Trump’s 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery without congressional approval, instead relying on a 101-year-old authorization for a different, unbuilt project at the same site.

1/ Federal Reserve officials warned that it might need to raise interest rates in inflation remains above its 2% target. U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April – the highest level in nearly three years – driven largely by energy prices increasing due to the Iran war. Since last year, energy prices are up nearly 18%. Trump, meanwhile, said incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh can “do what he wants to do” after repeatedly pressuring Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. Futures markets now put 60% odds on at least one hike by year-end. (New York Times / Reuters / Axios /Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump claimed the U.S. was in the “final stages” of negotiations with Iran “or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty,” while also insisting, “I’m in no hurry.” Tehran, meanwhile, warned that it would retaliate beyond the Middle East if the U.S. or Israel renews strikes. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. could wait “a few days” for the “right answers.” The U.S. is demanding that Iran give up nuclear enrichment and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran is demanding sanctions relief, control over Hormuz traffic, and an end to the U.S. blockade of its ports. (Bloomberg / New York Times / CNBC / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / NBC News)

3/ Senate Republicans removed the $1 billion Secret Service provision tied to Trump’s White House ballroom from an immigration enforcement bill after the Senate parliamentarian ruled it was outside the bill’s budget rules. Republican leaders also concluded they lacked the votes. The draft text had explicitly named the East Wing Modernization Project and allowed for the money to fund “above-ground and below-ground security features,” despite Trump claiming that donors, not taxpayers, were paying for the ballroom. While the White House told senators that only $220 million could go toward the ballroom and broader White House “hardening,” several Republicans objected to using an immigration bill to advance the project. Meanwhile, Trump demanded that Republicans fire Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, falsely claiming Obama helped appoint her and warning them to “get smart and tough.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, declined, saying “most of the issues we have here are votes,” while Sen. John Kennedy said plainly: “The votes aren’t there.” (Politico / Washington Post)

4/ Police officers who came under attack by Jan. 6 rioters sued to block Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” arguing the Justice Department used Trump’s IRS tax-leak settlement to create an unauthorized payout system for people claiming “weaponization” and “lawfare.” The officers called it a “slush fund” and that payments to riot participants would violate the 14th Amendment’s ban on funding obligations “incurred in aid of insurrection.” The money would come from the federal Judgment Fund and be distributed by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general. (Politico / CNBC / Bloomberg / NBC News / New York Times / ABC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

5/ Republicans backed by Trump won or led primaries in Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky, extending his control over Republicans even as his overall approval rating has slipped into the mid-30s. In Kentucky, Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie, one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics in Congress. More than $32 million in ad spending was spent on the race – the most expensive House primary ever. Trump also helped Rep. Andy Barr win the Republican nomination for Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat. And in Georgia, Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones advanced to a June 16 runoff for governor against billionaire Rick Jackson, while Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger failed to advance. In 2020, Raffensperger refused Trump’s demand to “find” enough votes to flip the state in his favor. (NPR / New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / ABC News / Reuters / CNN / NBC News)

6/ The Trump administration plans to move ahead with Trump’s 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery without congressional approval, instead relying on a 101-year-old authorization for a different, unbuilt project at the same site. Even though federal law requires congressional approval for monuments on protected land, the Justice Department argued that Congress already approved the project when it ratified a bridge commission report in 1925 calling for 166-foot columns for a different project. (Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 167 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 902 days.

• Today last year: Day 1582: "I’ve done enough."
• Two years ago today: Day 1217: "Objectionable and personally insulting."
• Five years ago today: Day 121: "Not the case."
• Six years ago today: Day 1217: "We still have a long way to go."
• Seven years ago today: Day 851: "Threshold for impeachment."

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: Trump’s Justice Department expanded his IRS settlement to include a provision ending all pending tax audits of him, his family, and his businesses; the Senate voted to advance a war powers resolution that would require Trump to end military action against Iran without congressional authorization; Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in Texas’ Republican Senate runoff; JD Vance defended Trump’s 3,700-plus stock trades in the first three months of 2026; Affordable Care Act enrollment could fall by nearly 5 million people this year after pandemic-era subsidies expired; Trump called the White House ballroom project “a gift” funded by him and private donors; and 55% of Republicans want the party’s next nominee for president to follow Trump’s lead, but 37% want the party to move in a different direction.

1/ Trump’s Justice Department expanded his IRS settlement to include a provision ending all pending tax audits of him, his family, and his businesses. The one-page addendum was signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche one day after the Trump administration agreed to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The fund was part of a deal for Trump to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against his own government over leaked tax records. The addendum says the IRS is “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED” from pursuing “examinations” of Trump, “related or affiliated individuals,” and related trusts and businesses. Meanwhile, Blanche and JD Vance separately declined to rule out payments to Jan. 6 defendants, with Vance saying “anybody can apply” and Blanche adding: “My feelings don’t matter.” (Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CNBC)

2/ The Senate voted to advance a war powers resolution that would require Trump to end military action against Iran without congressional authorization. While the procedural vote didn’t end the war, four Republicans joined Democrats to advance the resolution after seven failed attempts. The measure, however, still needs a final Senate vote, House passage, and an almost certain Trump veto. (New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / CNBC / Bloomberg / ABC News)

3/ Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in Texas’ Republican Senate runoff. The endorsement came after early voting began and immediately angered Senate Republicans, who warned that Paxton could put a normally safe seat at risk against Democrat James Talarico. Trump, nevertheless, called Paxton a “true MAGA Warrior” and blamed Cornyn for not supporting him “when times were tough.” (Texas Tribune / New York Times / CBS News / Politico / Bloomberg / NPR)

4/ JD Vance defended Trump’s 3,700-plus stock trades in the first three months of 2026, calling it “absurd” to suggest that Trump is sitting in the “Oval Office on his computer on his, like, Robinhood account, buying and selling stocks.” The disclosure showed trades in companies with business before his administration, including firms Trump has “talked up at events” and in social media posts. The White House, however, said “there are no conflicts of interest” because Trump’s assets “are in a trust managed by his children.” (CNBC / Bloomberg)

5/ Affordable Care Act enrollment could fall by nearly 5 million people this year after pandemic-era subsidies expired Jan. 1. Average premium payments rose 58%, while deductibles jumped 37%. Enrollment is expected to drop from 22.3 million in 2025 to about 17.5 million in 2026, a decline of about 22%. The average deductible rose by more than $1,000, to $3,786, as many enrollees shifted into cheaper bronze plans. (Washington Post / CBS News / NPR / Associated Press)

6/ Trump called the White House ballroom project “a gift” funded by him and private donors. The comment follows the Senate parliamentarian blocking a Republican attempt to include taxpayer money for ballroom-related security work in an unrelated immigration enforcement bill. The administration estimates that about $220 million of the $1 billion Secret Service provision would go toward security work tied to the ballroom project. Trump, meanwhile, hasn’t publicly disclosed how much he’s personally contributed, but insisted that “all of this was paid for by myself.” (Politico / ABC News / Washington Post)

poll/ 55% of Republicans want the party’s next nominee for president to follow Trump’s lead, but 37% want the party to move in a different direction. (New York Times)

⏭️ Notably Next: Tuesday is the busiest primary election day of the 2026 midterms so far. Here’s what you need to know.

The 2026 midterms are in 168 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 903 days.

• Today last year: Day 1581: "This isn’t 'The Hunger Games.'"
• Five years ago today: Day 120: "Offensive and humiliating."
• Six years ago today: Day 1216: "Badge of honor."
• 9 years ago today: Day 120: Kept in the dark. Person of interest.

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Today in one sentence: Trump postponed a previously unannounced attack on Iran after Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked him to “hold off”; Trump’s Justice Department settled Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS by creating a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people claiming they were targeted by the government for political purposes; Trump helped defeat a Republican senator who voted to convict him after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol; the Supreme Court rejected Virginia Democrats’ emergency effort to use a new, voter-approved congressional maps; Minnesota prosecutors charged an ICE agent with four felony assault counts and falsely reporting a crime in the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge in January; the EPA proposed repealing drinking water limits for four “forever chemicals”; 76% of Americans are concerned about their personal finances; and 64% of voters think Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran.

1/ Trump postponed a previously unannounced attack on Iran after Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked him to “hold off.” Trump claimed Gulf leaders told him “serious negotiations are now taking place” and that “a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable” because it would include “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” Trump, however, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine to remain ready for a “full, large scale assault” on “a moment’s notice” if talks fail. Iran, meanwhile, insisted it wouldn’t give up its enrich uranium and warned that Iranian forces were “ready to pull the trigger.” (Reuters / Axios / CNBC / Bloomberg / New York Times / NBC News / Politico)

2/ Trump’s Justice Department settled Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS by creating a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people claiming they were targeted by the government for political purposes. A five-member commission appointed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will decide payouts and issue “formal apologies” through Dec. 15, 2028. Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization, who sued over the leak of their tax records by a former IRS contractor, will receive a formal apology, but no money. The deal also ends Trump’s separate claims seeking damages over the Russia investigation and the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago. It comes two days before a judge had ordered Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department to explain whether the case presented a real legal dispute or if Trump is suing “entities whose decisions are subject to his direction.” While Blanche called it “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization,” Rep. Jamie Raskin called it “pure fraud and highway robbery” and a slush fund for “insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists.” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called it “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.” (Associated Press / New York Times / Reuters / Politico / Axios / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / NPR / NBC News / CBS News / CNBC)

3/ Trump helped defeat a Republican senator who voted to convict him after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Bill Cassidy finished third behind Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary, sending Letlow and Fleming to a June 27 runoff. Trump had endorsed Letlow and celebrated Cassidy’s defeat, writing that his “disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now part of legend” and that “his political career is OVER.” Cassidy also provided the critical vote needed to confirm Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last year despite concerns about Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism. (NPR / New York Times / Bloomberg / Axios / NBC News / Washington Post / Politico / Reuters)

• Trump called Rep. Thomas Massie “the Worst Republican Congressman in History” and urged Kentucky Republicans to “vote the bum out.” After Massie voted against his tax-and-spending bill, sponsored a measure to stop his Iran strikes, and helped force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, Trump endorsed Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL. Massie accused outside billionaires of trying to “buy a seat.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, campaigned in Kentucky for Gallrein ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary. The Pentagon said he appeared in a “personal capacity” and that no taxpayer dollars supported the trip. (NBC News / ABC News / New York Times / Politico / New York Times / NBC News / The Hill)

• Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against Rep. Lauren Boebert after she campaigned for Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky. He called Boebert “weak-minded” and said he would withdraw his endorsement “if the right person came along.” Boebert said she was “not mad or offended” and “knew the risks” of supporting Massie. (Reuters / The Hill)

4/ The Supreme Court rejected Virginia Democrats’ emergency effort to use a new, voter-approved congressional maps, which could have given Democrats up to four more House seats in the midterms. The unsigned, one-sentence order left the Virginia Supreme Court ruling intact. The state court said lawmakers began the amendment process after early voting had started for the 2025 general election, leaving Virginia’s current 6-5 Democratic map in place. (Axios / Wall Street Journal / CNN / NBC News / New York Times / NPR / CBS News / Associated Press)

• Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen ended his reelection campaign after the Tennessee legislature’s broke up his existing, majority-Black district into three that favor Republicans. Cohen is Tennessee’s only Democrat in Congress. (CBS News / Washington Post)

5/ Minnesota prosecutors charged an ICE agent with four felony assault counts and falsely reporting a crime in the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge in January. Prosecutors said Christian Castro fired through a closed front door after agents chased another man to the Minneapolis home, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg while adults and children were inside. (CNN / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times)

6/ The EPA proposed repealing drinking water limits for four “forever chemicals,” rolling back part of the Biden administration’s first national PFAS rule meant to cut exposure for about 100 million people. (Washington Post)

poll/ 76% of Americans are concerned about their personal finances, and 29% say Trump’s economy is good. (CBS News)

poll/ 64% of voters think Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran. 59% disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president. (New York Times)

The 2026 midterms are in 169 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 904 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 849: "Extreme."
• Five years ago today: Day 119: "Legitimatizing a grift."
• Six years ago today: Day 1215: "I seem to be okay."
• Eight years ago today: Day 484: Really bad stuff.
• 9 years ago today: Day 119: Undisclosed.

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Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court preserved nationwide mail and telehealth access to mifepristone; U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks resigned; Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned Trump of “clashes and even conflicts” if the U.S. “improperly” handles Taiwan; the EPA proposed relaxing wastewater limits for coal-fired power plants; FBI Director Kash Patel took a military-coordinated “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona memorial; the Trump administration wants to build Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch using an existing, unrelated White House engineering contract; Trump allies want the July 4 fireworks show in Washington to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest fireworks display; and 45% of Kamala Harris voters said Democrats should redraw House maps to help the party win more seats, even if that weakens some districts designed to protect Black and minority voters.

1/ The Supreme Court preserved nationwide mail and telehealth access to mifepristone, blocking a lower court order that would have reinstated in-person dispensing rules. The unsigned order keeps the FDA’s 2023 policy in place while Louisiana’s challenge continues, leaving medication abortion access unchanged for now. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas writing that the manufacturers’ “are not entitled to a stay of an adverse court order based on lost profits from their criminal enterprise.” The case returns to the 5th Circuit. (NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Reuters / The Hill / The 19th / CBS News / ABC News)

2/ U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks resigned. Banks oversaw Border Patrol during Trump’s immigration crackdown and deployment of agents inside U.S. cities. Rodney Scott, the Customs and Border Protection commissioner, thanked Banks for delivering “the most secure border ever recorded.” His departure follows Kristi Noem’s removal, Gregory Bovino’s retirement, and Todd Lyons’s expected exit from ICE. When asked, Banks said “it’s just time” for him to leave the agency. (Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / ABC News / CBS News)

3/ Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned Trump of “clashes and even conflicts” if the U.S. “improperly” handles Taiwan, a democratically self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. Xi called “the Taiwan question” “the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” saying it could put “the entire relationship in great jeopardy.” The White House readout of the meeting, however, didn’t mention Taiwan, saying only that Trump and Xi had “a good meeting” and agreed the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open” and free of tolls. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil. Iranian outlets, meanwhile, said Tehran allowed some Chinese ships through the strait. (CNBC / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Politico / Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / CBS News)

4/ The EPA proposed relaxing wastewater limits for coal-fired power plants. The rule required plants to reduce toxic heavy metals, including mercury, arsenic, and selenium, before dumping wastewater into waterways. The EPA said the change could cut power costs by up to $1.1 billion a year. However, in 2024 the EPA estimated that the rule would reduce 660 million to 672 million fewer pounds of pollution and provide $3.2 billion in annual public health benefits. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claimed the change is needed because the “AI and data center revolution” requires a “power demand that cannot be met under the overly restrictive policies of past administrations.” (Associated Press)

5/ FBI Director Kash Patel took a military-coordinated “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona memorial. The Pearl Harbor military cemetery is normally closed to swimmers and divers. The FBI didn’t disclose the swim, but instead said Patel’s Pearl Harbor visit was part of his official travel. Government, however, emails showed military officials arranged the logistics. One Marine veteran called it inappropriate for Patel and other political figures to snorkel or dive at the memorial, saying: “It’s like having a bachelor party at a church. It’s hallowed ground. It needs to be treated with the solemnity it deserves.” (Associated Press)

6/ The Trump administration wants to build Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch using an existing, unrelated White House engineering contract. Emails show that the Park Service asked if the engineering firm AECOM’s White House contract could cover an environmental assessment at Memorial Circle, more than a mile away. While the White House approved the idea within an hour, it’s unclear whether the Park Service used the contract. (Washington Post)

7/ Trump allies want the July 4 fireworks show in Washington to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest fireworks display. The group leading the event says the finale would run more than 30 minutes and require more than 810,904 fireworks. The event will be treated as a National Special Security Event. Organizers, however, didn’t say what it’ll cost or whether taxpayers will help pay for it. (Axios)

poll/ 45% of Kamala Harris voters said Democrats should redraw House maps to help the party win more seats, even if that weakens some districts designed to protect Black and minority voters. Another 32% said Democrats should preserve those majority-minority districts, even if it means winning fewer seats. (Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 173 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 908 days.

• Today last year: Day 1576: "This is idiotic."
• Two years ago today: Day 1211: "It's cheating."
• Five years ago today: Day 115: "Very concerning."
• Six years ago today: Day 1211: "Not an acceptable answer."
• Seven years ago today: Day 845: Echoes.
• Eight years ago today: Day 480: A fucked-up feedback loop.

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Today in one sentence: Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to stop Trump’s war with Iran for the seventh time; the Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair; U.S. producer prices rose 1.4% in April and 6% from a year earlier; the Trump administration will withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursements from California; the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating ICE’s $38 billion warehouse-to-detention program; Trump’s Justice Department is discussing whether to settle Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, an agency he oversees; and the White House is considering a plan for Trump to issue 250 pardons to mark America’s 250th birthday.

1/ Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to stop Trump’s war with Iran for the seventh time. However, Republican Lisa Murkowski joined Rand Paul and Susan Collins in supporting the Democratic measure, leaving it one vote short. The Trump administration claims the April ceasefire “terminated” hostilities, making congressional authorization unnecessary. But U.S. forces remain deployed in the region, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims Trump can resume strikes without Congress. “It doesn’t appear that hostilities have ended,” Murkowski said. (CBS News / New York Times / The Hill / Washington Post / Associated Press)

2/ The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair in a 54-45 vote. Warsh will replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends Friday. Powell, however, plans to remain on the Board of Governors. Terms for governors last 14 years, while the chair’s term lasts four years. Warsh, who replaces Stephen Miran on the board, has pledged independence, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren called him a “sock puppet” for Trump. Inflation tied to the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs has complicated Trump’s demand for lower interest rates, and markets are currently not expecting a June rate cut. (CNBC / Bloomberg / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

3/ U.S. producer prices rose 1.4% in April and 6% from a year earlier – the biggest annual increase since late 2022. Energy costs led the increase, with gasoline up 15.6%, with services, trade margins, and shipping costs also rising. The data followed a 3.8% annual increase in consumer prices. (Associated Press / CNBC / Reuters / New York Times / Axios)

4/ The Trump administration will withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursements from California. JD Vance claimed California had “not taken fraud very seriously,” while Mehmet Oz said the state must “come to the table” to explain outlier billing. Oz said California’s records showed “major red flags,” including $630 million in billing, $500 million in home health services, and $200 million in questionable spending. California, however, disputed the accusation, saying its home care program grew because it’s “keeping more people OUT of far more expensive nursing homes.” CMS also imposed a six-month freeze on new Medicare enrollments for hospice and home health agencies, but current Medicaid beneficiaries and existing Medicare providers aren’t supposed to lose coverage or services. (Reuters / Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Politico)

5/ The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating ICE’s $38 billion warehouse-to-detention program. Under former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, DHS paid at least $1 billion for nine facilities, while ICE bought 11 vacant warehouses that weren’t zoned for detention at Noem’s direction. New DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has since paused the plan. (Wall Street Journal)

6/ Trump’s Justice Department is discussing whether to settle Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, an agency he oversees. Trump sued after a former IRS contractor leaked his tax records, claiming the agency “wrongly allowed” a “rogue, politically-motivated employee” to disclose them. The talks come as U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams is questioning whether Trump and the IRS are truly opposing parties, since Trump is both the plaintiff and the president overseeing the defendant agency. Options under discussion include having the IRS drop audits of Trump, his family, and his businesses, paying Trump taxpayer funds, or giving him some other unspecified public benefit as part of a pre-deadline settlement. (New York Times / CNN)

7/ The White House is considering a plan for Trump to issue 250 pardons to mark America’s 250th birthday. The discussions are preliminary, and some officials have raised concerns about granting so many pardons before the midterms. There were more than 16,000 formal pardon requests last year. (Wall Street Journal)

The 2026 midterms are in 174 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 909 days.

😒 Dept. of Election Meddling.

1. South Carolina GOP Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to announce a special session on redistricting. The new map would eliminate Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s seat, leaving the state with seven likely red seats and no Democratic-leaning ones. (Politico)
2. Republicans in the Louisiana Senate voted to advance a new congressional map that would eliminate one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black districts and give Republicans a 5-1 advantage. (NBC News)
3. The Missouri Supreme Court approved the state’s Republican-drawn map, creating an additional Republican-leaning seat. (Politico)
4. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey set special primary elections for four House races using its 2023 congressional map that includes one majority-Black district. (New York Times)
5. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is calling a special legislative session to redraw his state’s congressional map for the 2028 cycle. Kemp declined to take up redistricting for this cycle. (Politico)

• Today last year: Day 1575: "A chance at greatness."
• Two years ago today: Day 1210: "Just do it."
• Five years ago today: Day 114: "A great day for America."
• Six years ago today: Day 1210: "The darkest winter in modern history."
• Seven years ago today: Day 844: Rules and norms.

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Today in one sentence: Trump said he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation” as a motivation for negotiations with Iran; U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April, the highest level in nearly three years; the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years – nearly seven times more than Trump’s $175 billion estimate; Trump called a journalist “a dumb person” after she noted that the cost of his White House ballroom project had doubled from $200 million to $400 million; Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner after 13 months; the Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to revive a Republican-drawn House map with only one majority-Black district, likely giving Republicans six of the state’s seven seats; Democrats called for Rep. Jen Kiggans to resign after she agreed with a radio host’s comment that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia”; and during a late-night Truth Social posting spree, Trump baselessly called Obama a “traitor,” a “demonic force,” and part of a coup.

1/ Trump said he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation” as a motivation for negotiations with Iran – “not even a little bit.” Trump said the “only thing” that matters is Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.” Trump added that “Every American understands.” (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / NBC News)

2/ U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April – the highest level in nearly three years. Consumer prices rose 0.6% from March, with energy accounting for more than 40% of the monthly increase, with gasoline prices up 5.4%. Core inflation rose 2.8% from a year earlier, while real average hourly wages fell 0.5% from March – meaning prices rose faster than pay. (NPR / New York Times / Reuters / NBC News / CNBC / Associated Press / Washington Post)

• poll/ 77% of Americans said Trump’s policies have raised their cost of living, and roughly two-thirds said they’ve worsened national economic conditions. 55% said the economy and the cost of living are the most important issues facing the country. (CNN)

3/ The Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years – nearly seven times more than Trump’s $175 billion estimate. Congress has approved about $24 billion for the program. The system would add ground- and space-based interceptors, sensors, and orbiting weapons, including a space-based interceptor layer of 7,800 satellites. The CBO said the system would still be overwhelmed by a full-scale attack from Russia or China. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / ABC News / Reuters)

4/ Trump called a journalist “a dumb person” after she noted that the cost of his White House ballroom project had doubled from $200 million to $400 million. Trump claimed the project remained “under budget,” because he had “doubled the size.” He then called MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner “not a smart person” when she asked about rising costs for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation. The White House, meanwhile, tried to justify the $1 billion East Wing funding request as a security package and not ballroom funding. It shared a document with Senate Republicans listing $220 million for White House hardening, $180 million for visitor screening, $175 million for Secret Service training, and hundreds of millions more for improving security for Secret Service protectees, drones, and national events. (MS Now / The Hill / Axios)

5/ Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner after 13 months, ending a tenure marked by mass layoffs, senior leadership departures, and erratic policy decisions on drugs, vaccines, abortion pills, and vapes. Trump named Kyle Diamantas, the FDA’s top food regulator and a lawyer with no medical degree, as acting commissioner. Makary’s exit followed pressure from Trump to approve fruit-flavored vapes, which he’d resisted because of their appeal to young people. Trump called him “a great doctor” who was “having some difficulty.” (Reuters / New York Times / NBC News / CBS News / Associated Press / Politico)

6/ The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to revive a Republican-drawn House map with only one majority-Black district, likely giving Republicans six of the state’s seven seats. The Supreme Court didn’t explain why its Louisiana ruling narrowing the Voting Rights Act should also reverse a separate finding that Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black voters. Alabama passed the 2023 map after courts ordered a second district be drawn where Black voters could elect their preferred candidate. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, meanwhile, warned that the court had “unceremoniously” discarded the lower court’s ruling and would “unleash chaos.” (New York Times / CBS News / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / Associated Press / Politico)

7/ Democrats called for Rep. Jen Kiggans to resign after she agreed with a radio host’s comment that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia.” Kiggans later said the host “should not have used that language” and that she was agreeing only that Jeffries should stay out of Virginia politics. Jeffries’ office called it a “stunning failure of judgment,” while House Democratic leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus demanded her resignation. Republicans, meanwhile, called it a “nothing-burger.” Kiggans is currently running for reelection in one of the country’s most competitive House races. (Axios / New York Times / Reuters / Politico / NBC News)

8/ During a late-night Truth Social posting spree, Trump baselessly called Obama a “traitor,” a “demonic force,” and part of a coup. He demanded that Obama be arrested for “treachery, treason, and seditious conspiracy,” while reviving the debunked claim that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. “Arrest them all. Prosecute them all. Incarcerate them all at once,” before adding: “But first, Barack Obama.” Trump also attacked the New York Times, posted AI-style images tied to Iran, and repeated his false claims about the 2020 election. The White House declined to comment on the more than 50 posts Trump sent. (Washington Post / The Guardian / CNN / New Republic)

The 2026 midterms are in 175 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 910 days.

• Today last year: Day 1574: "Total reset."
• Four years ago today: Day 478: "Headlines and sensationalization."
• Five years ago today: Day 113: "Ignoring the lie emboldens the liar."
• Six years ago today: Day 1209: "That's not prevailing."
• 9 years ago today: Day 113: Another fucking Twitter tirade.

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Today in one sentence: Trump said the U.S. ceasefire with Iran is on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest counterproposal as a “piece of garbage” and “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE”; Trump endorsed suspending the federal 18.4-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax after his war with Iran pushed the average pump price to $4.52 a gallon; the man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner pleaded not guilty to four federal charges; the Supreme Court temporarily preserved nationwide access to mifepristone by mail and telehealth; the Virginia Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s voter-approved congressional redistricting plan; ABC accused the FCC of violating its First Amendment rights; and preservation group sued to stop Trump’s no-bid repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

1/ Trump said the U.S. ceasefire with Iran is on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest counterproposal as a “piece of garbage” and “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.” Iranian state media said Tehran demanded war reparations, sanctions relief, recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to the U.S. blockade. Iran called its terms “reasonable,” “generous,” and limited to its “legitimate rights,” but Trump said Tehran had “changed their mind” on allow the U.S. to remove its enriched uranium. Trump, meanwhile, accused Iran’s leadership of being run by “lunatics.” (New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNBC / CBS News / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / CNN / The Hill / The Guardian / Reuters / Axios)

• poll/ 66% of Americans say Trump hasn’t clearly explained why he took the country to war with Iran, including 30% of Republicans. (Reuters)

2/ Trump endorsed suspending the federal 18.4-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax after his war with Iran pushed the average pump price to $4.52 a gallon. “We’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time,” Trump said, calling the savings “still money” and predicting that prices would “drop like a rock” when the war ends. Congress, however, would have to approve any pause, which would also cut revenue for highways and public transit. Last week, the White House said suspending the federal gas tax wasn’t “currently under consideration.” (Reuters / Associated Press / Axios / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CBS News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

• poll/ 63% of Americans blame Trump for the increase in gas prices, including a third of Republicans. (NPR)

3/ The man accused of trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner pleaded not guilty to four federal charges. Cole Tomas Allen allegedly traveled from California with guns and knives, then tried to rush a Washington Hilton security checkpoint. Prosecutors say he fired a shotgun and hit a Secret Service officer’s ballistic vest. Allen faces up to life in prison if convicted. (Associated Press / ABC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / CBS News / NBC News / CNBC)

• poll/ 24% of Americans believe the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner was staged, while 32% were unsure and 45% believed it was legitimate. (Washington Post)

4/ The Supreme Court temporarily preserved nationwide access to mifepristone by mail and telehealth. Justice Samuel Alito extended an administrative stay until 5 p.m. May 14, blocking a 5th Circuit ruling that would require in-person dispensing and suspend telehealth access. Louisiana had sued to revive those limits, arguing FDA rules undermine its abortion ban, while mifepristone manufacturers warned the ruling could disrupt national drug regulation. (NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times)

5/ The Virginia Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s voter-approved congressional redistricting plan, blocking Democrats from drawing a map that could have given them as many as 10 of the state’s 11 U.S. House seats. In a 4-3 ruling, the court said the Democratic-led legislature violated the state constitution’s amendment process by acting after early voting had begun, and leaving the April referendum “null and void.” The ruling didn’t judge the map’s fairness and Virginia will use the current 6-5 Democratic map. (Associated Press / Politico / CNBC / NPR / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Washington Post / New York Times)

6/ ABC accused the FCC of violating its First Amendment rights, arguing that the agency’s review of “The View” marks a “major shift in policy and practice” that could “chill critical protected speech.” The filing came after the FCC ordered ABC’s Houston station to file a petition asking whether “The View” still qualified for its 2002 exemption from equal-time rules, following Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s February appearance. ABC called the demand “unprecedented” and asked the agency to reaffirm its long-standing treatment of the show as a “bona fide news interview program.” (Bloomberg / CNN / CBS News / The Verge / New York Times / NBC News)

7/ A preservation group sued to stop Trump’s no-bid repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying officials began changing a historic landmark without the required review. Federal records show that the contract to paint the surface blue was $13.1 million, more than 7 times Trump’s estimate of $1.8 million. The Cultural Landscape Foundation said the blue coating would make the pool resemble a resort feature, while Interior said “American Flag Blue” paint will improve the visitor experience. (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / CNN / CBS News)

The 2026 midterms are in 176 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 911 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 842: "It's hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN."
• Four years ago today: Day 477: "Failure."
• Five years ago today: Day 112: "A lifeline."
• Six years ago today: Day 1208: "It's scary to go to work."
• Eight years ago today: Day 477: Big mistake.
• 9 years ago today: Day 112: Contradicting the White House.

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Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: Chief Justice John Roberts claimed that Supreme Court justices aren’t “political actors” and that the court isn’t a political institution; Tennessee Republicans enacted a new congressional map that breaks up majority-Black Memphis, likely eliminating the state’s only Democratic House seat; Trump called for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “INCITING VIOLENCE,” in an attempt to link Jeffries’ “maximum warfare” language about redistricting to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting; a federal judge let the Justice Department keep more than 600 boxes of 2020 election ballots and records seized from Fulton County, Georgia, despite finding flaws in the FBI warrant; the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump’s 10% tariff on most imports was illegal; and 80% of Americans support age caps for members of Congress.

1/ Chief Justice John Roberts claimed that Supreme Court justices aren’t “political actors” and that the court isn’t a political institution. The defense comes a week after the court’s 6-3 conservative majority narrowed the Voting Rights Act’s protection for majority-Black congressional districts, opening the door for Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps. Since then Florida has enacted a new map that could add four more Republican House seats in November’s midterm election, while Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina are all moving to redraw their maps targeting Democratic districts. While Roberts didn’t address that ruling, he insisted that the court is “not simply part of the political process” and doesn’t make “policy decisions,” rather they just decide “what the law provides.” He called “considered criticism” fair, but warned that personal attacks on judges can become “problematic” and lead to “very serious problems.” (Politico / CNN / NBC News / Associated Press / Reuters)

2/ Tennessee Republicans enacted a new congressional map that breaks up majority-Black Memphis, likely eliminating the state’s only Democratic House seat. Republican Gov. Bill Lee promptly signed it into law after lawmakers repealed Tennessee’s ban on mid-decade redistricting. Republicans now have a path to sweep of all nine U.S. House seats. The move follows last week’s Supreme Court ruling narrowing Voting Rights Act protections for majority-Black districts. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / ABC News / NPR)

3/ Trump called for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to be charged with “INCITING VIOLENCE,” in an attempt to link Jeffries’ “maximum warfare” language about redistricting to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting. Jeffries used the phrase at an April 22 news conference about Democratic redistricting efforts, saying Democrats wanted “a fair national map.” The phrase also echoed language from a person close to Trump, who described the White House’s political strategy as “Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.” Jeffries dismissed Trump’s post as “another deranged rant,” saying Trump was “threatening to criminally prosecute me” and asking: “What’s wrong with you, bro?” (Politico / The Hill / Daily Beast)

4/ A federal judge let the Justice Department keep more than 600 boxes of 2020 election ballots and records seized from Fulton County, Georgia, despite finding flaws in the FBI warrant. Judge J.P. Boulee called parts of the FBI warrant “troubling” and “defective,” but said the county hasn’t shown the government acted with “callous disregard.” The ruling allows the investigation into alleged election “irregularities” to continue. Georgia counted its 2020 presidential vote three times, each confirming Biden’s win. The Justice Department is separately seeking personal information on 2020 election workers. (New York Times / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / Politico / Associated Press / Reuters)

5/ The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump’s 10% tariff on most imports was illegal and that he exceeded his authority under the Trade Act of 1974. The court said Section 122 didn’t allow Trump to treat trade deficits as “balance-of-payments deficits,” the legal criteria he cited after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier tariffs. The court for now only immediately blocked the administration from enforcing the tariffs against the two companies that sued and Washington state, making clear that it was not issuing a so-called “universal injunction.” The ruling limits enforcement against the two companies and Washington state that sued, stopping short of a nationwide injunction. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / Reuters / New York Times / CBS News / Politico / ABC News)

poll/ 80% of Americans support age caps for members of Congress. 83% support term limits for members of Congress. (NPR)

⏰ Dept. of I Ran Out of Time: A federal judge released Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide note; FBI Director Kash Patel gives away personalized bourbon bottles engraved with his name, title, and FBI shield; and Kamala Harris might run for president for a third time, saying “I’m thinking about it.”

The 2026 midterms are in 180 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 915 days.

• Today last year: Day 1569: "Not at all clear what it is we should do."
• Two years ago today: Day 1204: "Blacked out."
• Five years ago today: Day 108: "We have a long way to go."
• Six years ago today: Day 1204: "Overly prescriptive."
• Seven years ago today: Day 838: Privilege.
• Eight years ago today: Day 473: Fighting back.

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Today in one sentence: The FBI searched the office of a Virginia Democratic state lawmaker who helped lead the state’s redistricting plan earlier this year; Trump helped defeat at least five incumbents in Indiana’s Republican primaries that had blocked his mid-decade redistricting plan; Tennessee Republicans unveiled a proposed congressional map that would eliminate the state’s only Democratic U.S. House; the FBI reportedly launched a criminal leak investigation into the Atlantic writer who reported about concerns over Director Kash Patel’s drinking and conduct; Iran is reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war even as Trump threatened Tehran “if they don’t agree, the bombing starts […] a much higher level and intensity”; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified behind closed doors to the House Oversight Committee about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; 87% of Americans have a negative view of Trump’s social media post depicting himself as Jesus; 63% of Americans blame Trump for the increase in gas prices; and 61% of Americans say the country used to be a great place for immigrants, but not anymore.

1/ The FBI searched the office of a Virginia Democratic state lawmaker who helped lead the state’s redistricting plan earlier this year. FBI agents executed a search warrant at Sen. L. Louise Lucas’ office and a neighboring cannabis dispensary she co-owns as part of a corruption investigation into possible marijuana-related bribery that began under Biden. Lucas has not been charged. The search came weeks after Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional map. Lucas helped push Virginia’s mid-decade redistricting plan that could give Democrats up to four more House seats. After Republicans complained that the new Virginia map was unfair, Lucas replied: “You all started it and we fucking finished it.” (Fox News / Associated Press / New York Times / CBS News / NBC News / Bloomberg / Politico / Washington Post)

2/ Trump helped defeat at least five incumbents in Indiana’s Republican primaries. The senators had helped block his mid-decade redistricting plan that could’ve helped Republicans target Indiana’s two remaining Democratic U.S. House seats. Trump-aligned groups spent more than $12 million on races that usually draw little national attention. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy won the Republican nomination for governor, while Sherrod Brown advanced to a U.S. Senate race against Jon Husted that could help decide control of the chamber. In Michigan, Democrat Chedrick Greene won a state Senate special election, giving Democrats another off-year win and securing their majority in the chamber. (Washington Post / Politico / Axios / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / CNN / ABC News / Associated Press / The Guardian / CBS News / NBC News)

3/ Tennessee Republicans unveiled a proposed congressional map that would eliminate the state’s only Democratic U.S. House seat. The plan would divide majority-Black Shelby County across three districts and give Republicans a shot at a 9-0 delegation. Lawmakers, however, must first repeal Tennessee’s ban on mid-decade redistricting and pass new election rules before the August primary. (NBC News / Axios / Politico / New York Times / The Hill)

4/ The FBI reportedly launched a criminal leak investigation into the Atlantic writer who reported about concerns over Director Kash Patel’s drinking and conduct. Patel has sued The Atlantic and Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million, claiming the story was false, while the magazine said it stands by the reporting and will defend its staff against “government harassment.” The FBI, meanwhile, said “no such investigation” exists, calling it “completely false.” (MS Now / New Republic / The Atlantic)

• 📌 Previously on WTFJHT – Apr 20, 2026: FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic and a journalist for defamation, seeking $250 million over an article that said he showed “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” was “often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions,” and had become a point of concern inside the FBI and Justice Department.

5/ Iran is reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war even as Trump threatened Tehran “if they don’t agree, the bombing starts […] a much higher level and intensity.” Hours later, Trump said the U.S. had “won” the war and held “very good talks” with Iran, adding: “We’re in good shape” but “we have to get what we have to get.” The reported one-page memo would start 30 days of talks on the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, frozen funds, and limits on Iran’s nuclear program. (New York Times / CNBC / NPR / CBS News / Axios / Associated Press / Reuters / ABC News / CNN / Bloomberg)

• Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 U.S. military structures or pieces of equipment across the Middle East since the war began – far larger than the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged. (Washington Post)

6/ Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified behind closed doors to the House Oversight Committee about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Justice Department files showed Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island in 2012, four years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, and then kept in contact after he previously said he cut ties in 2005. Committee Chairman James Comer said Lutnick was “forthcoming” but “wasn’t 100% truthful,” adding that the transcript would let “the American people judge.” Democrats, meanwhile, called Lutnick “evasive, nervous” and “dishonest,” and described his answers as “contortions and lies.” The interview wasn’t videotaped, which Democrats called part of an “egregious cover-up.” Lutnick is the first sitting Trump Cabinet official questioned as part of the panel’s Epstein investigation. (Associated Press / NBC News / MS Now / Bloomberg / New York Times / ABC News / The Guardian / CBS News / CNBC)

poll/ 87% of Americans have a negative view of Trump’s social media post depicting himself as Jesus. 9% had a positive reaction. Trump later deleted the image. (Washington Post)

poll/ 63% of Americans blame Trump for the increase in gas prices, including 32% of Republicans and 63% of independents. (NPR)

poll/ 61% of Americans say the country used to be a great place for immigrants, but not anymore, while 27% feel the country is currently a great place for immigrants, and 10% say the U.S. was never a great for immigrants. (Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 181 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 916 days.

• Today last year: Day 1568: "Never say never."
• Two years ago today: Day 1203: "Not serving as a deterrent."
• Six years ago today: Day 1203: "We've solved every problem."
• Seven years ago today: Day 837: Legitimacy.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Trump paused Project Freedom after one day, citing “Great Progress” toward a “Complete and Final Agreement” with Iran while keeping the U.S. blockade “in full force and effect”; Marco Rubio urged Iran to negotiate, saying “the time’s come for Iran to make a sensible choice,” but added that its leaders are “insane in the brain”; Pete Hegseth dismissed reports about Iranian “kamikaze dolphins,” saying: “I cannot confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t”; Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of “endangering a lot of Catholics” by criticizing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran; Senate Republicans proposed $1 billion for Secret Service security upgrades tied to Trump’s ballroom project, despite Trump’s repeated promises that the project would use “ZERO taxpayer funding”; soil and debris from the demolished White House East Wing tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals; and Fulton County asked a federal judge to block a Justice Department subpoena seeking the personal information for thousands of 2020 election workers.

1/ Trump paused Project Freedom after one day, citing “Great Progress” toward a “Complete and Final Agreement” with Iran while keeping the U.S. blockade “in full force and effect.” Earlier in the day, Trump declined to define whether Iranian attacks on U.S. forces, commercial vessels, and the UAE had breached the ceasefire, saying: “You’ll find out, because I’ll let you know.” However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Operation Epic Fury “is concluded” and that the U.S. had shifted to a defensive Strait of Hormuz mission, saying “There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.” Rubio also urged Iran to negotiate, saying “the time’s come for Iran to make a sensible choice,” but added that its leaders are “insane in the brain.” Separately, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed reports about Iranian “kamikaze dolphins,” saying: “I cannot confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don’t.” (New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Reuters / CBS News / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / CNBC / CNN / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Politico)

2/ Trump accused Pope Leo XIV of “endangering a lot of Catholics” by criticizing the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, falsely claiming the pope thinks “it’s OK” for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Leo, however, has never said that and he rejected the claim, saying the church has “no doubt” opposed nuclear arms. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, will meet with Leo at the Vatican on Thursday for what U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch called a “frank conversation” on U.S. policy. Rubio said the trip was planned before the dispute and that “there’s a lot to talk about with the Vatican.” (The Guardian / Wall Street Journal / New Republic / NBC News / Bloomberg / Reuters)

3/ Senate Republicans proposed $1 billion for Secret Service security upgrades tied to Trump’s ballroom project, despite Trump’s repeated promises that the project would use “ZERO taxpayer funding.” The money is included in a roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement bill, which says the funds can’t pay for “non-security elements.” Nevertheless, the White House said Congress had “rightly recognized the need” to harden the “long overdue” project. Democrats, meanwhile, plan to force a floor vote on the provision, while Republicans are trying to move it through a party-line bill. (CNN / Politico / New York Times / ABC News / Washington Post / NBC News)

4/ Soil and debris from the demolished White House East Wing tested positive for lead, chromium, and other toxic metals after being dumped at East Potomac Golf Links. While the National Park Service said the site didn’t exceed legal environmental limits and the Interior Department said the transfer was “safe for the public,” some samples, however, exceeded California’s industrial lead threshold and normal chromium levels. (New York Times / The Hill / The Guardian)

5/ The Education Department opened a Title IX investigation into Smith College, a women’s college in Massachusetts, for allegedly violating federal sex discrimination laws by allowing transgender women to enroll and access women’s housing, bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights claimed “an all-women’s college loses all meaning” if it admits “biological males.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)

6/ The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued The New York Times, alleging that it denied a promotion to a white male editor because of race and sex. The lawsuit claims the Times diversity goals influenced the 2025 hiring process for deputy real estate editor and violated federal civil rights law. The Times, meanwhile, rejected the case as “politically motivated” and said that neither race nor gender played a role. (Washington Post / The Guardian / New York Times / Axios)

7/ Fulton County asked a federal judge to block a Justice Department subpoena seeking the personal information for thousands of 2020 election workers. The subpoena demands names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails for county employees, temporary workers, volunteers, and poll workers. County lawyers called the request “grossly overbroad” and that it was meant to “target, harass, and punish” Trump’s perceived political opponents. In January, the FBI seized Fulton County’s 2020 ballots and records as part of a federal investigation tied to Trump’s false claims that he lost Georgia because of voter fraud. (Associated Press / CNN / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News)

🟦🟥 Primaries: Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana and Ohio will test Trump’s hold over Republican politics. In Indiana, Trump is trying to oust seven Republican state senators who blocked his effort for a friendlier House map. In Ohio, primaries for governor, Senate, and House will shape November contests that could help decide control of Congress. (NPR / NBC News)

The 2026 midterms are in 182 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 917 days.

• Today last year: Day 1567: "The best, safest and most cost-effective way."
• Four years ago today: Day 471: "Appropriate next steps."
• Five years ago today: Day 106: "Disingenuous."
• Six years ago today: Day 1202: "Weaker and sicker and poorer."
• 9 years ago today: Day 106: An uncertain fate.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: U.S. forces shot down Iranian missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian small boats after Trump began moving commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz as part of “Project Freedom”; the Supreme Court temporarily restored mail and telehealth access to mifepristone; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional map that could give Republicans 24 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats; and 62% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president – a record high from his two terms in office.

1/ U.S. forces shot down Iranian missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian small boats after Trump began moving commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz as part of “Project Freedom.” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels crossed under U.S. military protection and that U.S. forces had “opened a passage through the Strait of Hormuz to allow for the free flow of commerce to proceed.” Iran had warned that ships crossing without its permission faced “serious risks.” The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and blamed an Iranian drone strike for a large fire at its Fujairah oil port, while Oman reported an attack near Emirati territory, and Seoul said a South Korean-operated ship caught fire after an explosion in the same area. Trump, meanwhile, said Iran had taken “some shots at unrelated Nations,” and warned Iranian forces that they’d be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they targeted U.S. ships. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNN / The Guardian / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

• On Friday, Trump told Congress that hostilities with Iran were “terminated,” arguing that the April 7 ceasefire meant the 60-day War Powers deadline no longer required congressional authorization. The letter said there has been “no exchange of fire” with Iran since the ceasefire, though U.S. forces were still enforcing a blockade and remain positioned to resume strikes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the ceasefire “pauses, or stops” the clock. (Politico / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC)

• On Saturday, Trump compared the U.S. Navy to “pirates” while describing the seizure of a ship as part of his blockade of Iranian ports. “We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, took over the oil,” Trump said, calling it “a very profitable business.” (Reuters / The Guardian)

• On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. would start guiding foreign commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “Project Freedom” and warning that interference would be met “forcefully.” Iran warned it would strike U.S. forces if they attempt to approach the strait. (Washington Post / Axios / Bloomberg / CNBC / The Guardian / Wall Street Journal)

• Trump ordered 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. has “no strategy” for leaving the war and that “an entire nation is being humiliated” by Iranian leaders who are “very skillfully not negotiating.” The Pentagon claimed the withdrawal followed a force posture review. (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / New York Times)

2/ The Supreme Court temporarily restored mail and telehealth access to mifepristone. Justice Samuel Alito Jr. paused a 5th Circuit order that would’ve prevented providers from prescribing the pills by telemedicine and shipping them to patients. Two manufacturers of mifepristone asked the Supreme Court to intervene, saying the appeals ruling created “immediate confusion and upheaval” for patients, providers, pharmacies, and the drug-regulatory system. Louisiana, which bans most abortions, had argued that the FDA’s mail-order rules undermine its law and increase state health costs. Louisiana is due to respond Thursday to the administrative stay. (NPR / CNN / Axios / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Associated Press / Politico)

3/ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new congressional map that could give Republicans 24 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. The map, approved in a fast-tracked special session after the Supreme Court narrowed Voting Rights Act protections, targets Democratic-held districts in Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida. Meanwhile, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called lawmakers back for a special legislative session to consider a new congressional map to give Republicans an additional House seat. And in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee also called for a special session to “review” the state’s only Democratic-held district. (The Hill / Politico / CNN / Democracy Docket / CBS News / New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press)

poll/ 62% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president – a record high from his two terms in office. Trump’s overall approval stands at 37%. (ABC News / Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 183 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 918 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 835: "An insidious plot."
• Four years ago today: Day 470: "Not going to be easy."
• Five years ago today: Day 105: "New normal."
• Six years ago today: Day 1201: "It goes up rapidly."
• Eight years ago today: Day 470: Oh my goodness.
• 9 years ago today: Day 105: Health care?

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Trump signed legislation funding most of the Department of Homeland Security; Louisiana suspended its U.S. House primaries after the Supreme Court struck down its congressional map, giving the Republican-controlled Legislature time to redraw districts before November; Trump withdrew Dr. Casey Means as his surgeon general nominee and named Dr. Nicole Saphier, a longtime Fox News contributor and radiologist; oil prices briefly hit their highest level since the Iran war began; the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge jumped to 3.5% in March; 56% of Americans oppose Trump tearing down the East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom; and the Senate unanimously banned senators and staff from trading on prediction markets, codifying the idea that lawmakers shouldn’t gamble on events they may might shape.

1/ Trump signed legislation funding most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending a record-long shutdown after House Republicans dropped weeks of resistance to a Senate-passed bill. The measure restores money for TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service, but leaves ICE and Border Patrol unfunded while Republicans pursue a separate $70 billion party-line bill for immigration enforcement. Democrats had demanded new limits on immigration agents after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, including restrictions on raids and agents wearing masks. The final deal included none of those demands. Speaker Mike Johnson claimed House Republicans held up the Senate bill because “we had to” keep ICE and Border Patrol from being left out of the funding package, adding: “We threw a fit.” (NBC News / CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / Axios / NPR)

2/ Louisiana suspended its U.S. House primaries after the Supreme Court struck down its congressional map, giving the Republican-controlled Legislature time to redraw districts before November. Early voting in the House primaries was set to begin Saturday, and absentee ballots had already gone out. While the House races will remain on the ballot, votes in those races won’t count. The Senate primary, however, will go forward on May 16. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Gov. Jeff Landry “has no choice but to suspend” the primaries, then urged other states with “unconstitutional maps” to act before the midterms. A new Louisiana map could give Republicans one or two more House seats. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Reuters / Associated Press / NPR)

3/ Trump withdrew Dr. Casey Means as his surgeon general nominee and named Dr. Nicole Saphier, a longtime Fox News contributor and radiologist. Means’ nomination had stalled in the Senate for more than two months over Republican concerns about her stance on vaccines, credentials, and her inactive medical license. Saphier is Trump’s third pick for the job. (CNN / Associated Press / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Oil prices briefly hit their highest level since the Iran war began, pushing U.S. gas to $4.30 a gallon. Brent crude topped $126 before falling toward $114, while U.S. crude settled near $105. The spike followed stalled U.S.-Iran talks, Trump’s reported rejection of Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and continued restrictions on tanker traffic through the waterway. Analysts said markets were “losing hope for any quick resumption in oil flows.” Before the war, Brent traded near $70. (New York Times / Semafor / Axios / CBS News / The Guardian)

5/ The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge jumped to 3.5% in March, as the Iran war drove gasoline prices to a four-year high. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose to 3.2% – well above the Fed’s 2% target. (CNBC / CNN / ABC News)

poll/ 56% of Americans oppose Trump tearing down the East Wing to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, while 28% support, and 15% unsure. (Washington Post / ABC News)

😏 Well, that’s fantastic: The Senate unanimously banned senators and staff from trading on prediction markets, codifying the idea that lawmakers shouldn’t gamble on events they may might shape. A broader ban on stock trading, however, remains stalled. (Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 187 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 922 days.

• Today last year: Day 1562: "Not afraid of you."
• Two years ago today: Day 1197: "You know, it depends."
• Five years ago today: Day 101: "One god-awful mess."
• Six years ago today: Day 1197: "Honestly, I'm really in charge."
• Seven years ago today: Day 831: Meritless.
• Eight years ago today: Day 466: Panic mode.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, striking down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district and limiting the law’s main tool against racial vote dilution; Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new congressional map, which could give Republicans up to four more House seats in November’s midterm elections; the Supreme Court ruled that a Christian faith-based anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” can challenge a New Jersey subpoena tied to a state investigation into whether they misled donors and clients about abortion services; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will remain a Fed governor when his term as chairman ends; Trump rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. naval blockade will continue until Tehran accepts a nuclear deal; and the Iran war has cost about $25 billion so far.

1/ The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, striking down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district and limiting the law’s main tool against racial vote dilution. Louisiana created the district after Black voters sued over a post-2020 map that gave them one of the state’s six House seats, despite Black residents making up about one-third of the population. While the ruling doesn’t erase Section 2, it narrows the provision Congress updated in 1982 to stop maps that diluted minority voting power. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Louisiana’s map was an “unconstitutional gerrymander,” while Justice Elena Kagan said the court had rendered Section 2 “all but a dead letter” and left states free to “systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power.” Republicans, meanwhile, in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana immediately called for special sessions to draw new maps, saying “There is no time to waste” and “LET’S GO!” (Associated Press / Politico / Reuters / New York Times / Axios / Washington Post / NPR / CBS News / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Politico / ABC News)

2/ Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new congressional map, which could give Republicans up to four more House seats in November’s midterm elections. The map targets Democratic seats around Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale, giving Republicans a strong chance to win in 24 of 28 districts. Democrats said the map is “designed and intended to rig outcomes.” Voting rights groups are expected to sue, citing Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments, which bars maps drawn to favor a party or incumbent. (Politico / New York Times / Bloomberg / CBS News / Washington Post / ABC News)

3/ The Supreme Court ruled that a Christian faith-based anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” can challenge a New Jersey subpoena tied to a state investigation into whether they misled donors and clients about abortion services. In 2023, when New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin issued a subpoena as part of an investigation into whether First Choice Women’s Resource Centers was misleading patients and donors by implying it offered abortions and referrals while obscuring its antiabortion mission. The unanimous ruling revives First Choice’s First Amendment lawsuit, but doesn’t stop New Jersey’s investigation. (Reuters / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will remain a Fed governor when his term as chairman ends May 15, preventing Trump the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the central bank’s board. Powell said “legal attacks on the Fed” had left him “no choice” but to stay until the investigation into the Fed’s renovations is “well and truly over with transparency and finality.” Powell called the Trump administration’s legal actions “unprecedented,” saying they “threaten our ability to conduct monetary policy without considering political factors.” While the Justice Department said it would close its criminal probe, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office could reopen the investigation if “the facts warrant doing so.” The Fed also held rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75%. The four dissents were the most since 1992. (Bloomberg / NBC News / CNBC / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)

5/ Trump rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. naval blockade will continue until Tehran accepts a nuclear deal. He called the blockade “somewhat more effective than the bombing,” and that Iran is “choking” and must “cry uncle.” Iran’s state media warned the blockade could bring “practical and unprecedented action.” The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group, however, are expected to leave the Middle East in the coming days. The war has cost about $25 billion so far. (NPR / NBC News / CBS News / Axios / CNN / Bloomberg / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)

The 2026 midterms are in 188 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 923 days.

• Today last year: Day 1561: "America’s greatness."
• Two years ago today: Day 1196: "Serious questions."
• Five years ago today: Day 100: "Crisis into opportunity."
• Six years ago today: Day 1196: "A great success story."
• Seven years ago today: Day 830: Personal conversations.
• 9 years ago today: Day 100: Perspective.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: U.S. gas prices rose to their highest level in nearly four years; the Government Accountability Office will investigate the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein files; the Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey over a 2025 Instagram photo of seashells arranged as “86 47”; the FCC ordered an early review of Disney-owned ABC station licenses after Trump demanded – again – that Jimmy Kimmel be fired; federal prosecutors indicted NIH official David Morens with conspiring to hide COVID-19 research records from public records requests while serving as an adviser to Anthony Fauci; the State Department plans to issue a limited run of U.S. passports featuring Trump’s portrait and gold signature to mark America’s 250th anniversary; and 64% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.

1/ U.S. gas prices rose to their highest level in nearly four years, reaching $4.18 a gallon as the Iran war has left the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed. Prices are up $1.19 since late February. While Iran has offered to reopen the strait if the U.S. lifts its blockade, Trump was reportedly dissatisfied because the proposal delays talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump also claimed, without evidence, that Iran said it was in a “State of Collapse” and wanted Hormuz opened “as soon as possible.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran cannot decide “who gets to use an international waterway.” Analysts, meanwhile, warned that supplies remain strained and the summer demand could bring “a day of reckoning” the stock market is “ignoring.” (Reuters / New York Times / ABC News / Politico / CNBC / CBS News / Axios / Bloomberg / Reuters / ABC News)

• U.S. intelligence is studying how Iran would respond if Trump declared unilateral victory. The review comes as the two-month war has killed thousands, closed much of the Strait of Hormuz, and become a political liability for Trump. (Reuters)

2/ The Government Accountability Office will investigate the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein files, including how officials reviewed, redacted, and released the records. A bipartisan group of senators said the Justice Department had exposed victim information while shielding alleged co-conspirators, calling it a failure that “re-victimize[d]” survivors and violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The department has, so far, released about 3.5 million pages while withholding millions more that officials claim are duplicates or exempt from disclosure. The review has no completion date and will run alongside a separate Justice Department inspector general audit. (Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / CNBC)

3/ The Justice Department indicted former FBI Director James Comey over a 2025 Instagram photo of seashells arranged as “86 47.” The indictment charges Comey with threatening Trump and transmitting a threat across state lines, saying a “reasonable recipient” would view the post as “a serious expression” of intent to harm Trump, the 47th president. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed, “You are not allowed to threaten the president.” Comey deleted the post at the time and said he opposed “violence of any kind.” The case follows a failed 2025 prosecution that accused Comey of lying to Congress, which fell apart after a judge found that Trump’s hand-picked prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed. (CNN / Reuters / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Bloomberg / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post)

4/ The FCC ordered an early review of Disney-owned ABC station licenses after Trump demanded – again – that Jimmy Kimmel be fired. The FCC claimed the review concerns ABC’s diversity practices and possible “unlawful discrimination,” but the timing follows Kimmel joking that Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow” several days before a gunman tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Disney said ABC complies with FCC rules and is prepared to defend its licenses under the Communications Act and the First Amendment. (Semafor / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Washington Post / Axios / CNN / New York Times)

5/ Federal prosecutors indicted NIH official David Morens with conspiring to hide COVID-19 research records from public records requests while serving as an adviser to Anthony Fauci. Prosecutors said Morens used a personal Gmail account to evade FOIA searches for communications about bat coronavirus grants, EcoHealth Alliance, and the origins of the pandemic. The indictment cites a 2021 email where Morens said he had learned “how to make emails disappear,” though he denied in 2024 that he tried to evade transparency laws. The indictment doesn’t accuse Fauci of wrongdoing. (Associated Press / Reuters / Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)

6/ The State Department plans to issue a limited run of U.S. passports featuring Trump’s portrait and gold signature to mark America’s 250th anniversary. The design will be the default for in-person applicants at the Washington Passport Agency, while online applicants and those using other offices will receive the current version. The Trump passport follows a 2026 national parks pass showing Trump beside George Washington, newly printed paper currency with Trump’s signature, a planned 24-karat gold commemorative coin with his likeness, the renamed “Trump-Kennedy Center,” the renamed “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace,” the $5 million “Trump Gold Card” visa program, “Trump Accounts” savings plans for children, TrumpRx prescription drug discounts, and a large “MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN” banner with Trump’s face on the Justice Department headquarters. Officials didn’t say how many passports would be issued. (Associated Press / Politico / CNN / CBS News / Washington Post)

poll/ 64% of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, while 34% approve. (Reuters)

The 2026 midterms are in 189 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 924 days.

• Today last year: Day 1560: "They know me now."
• Four years ago today: Day 464: "A small price to pay."
• Five years ago today: Day 99: "Investments in our future."
• Six years ago today: Day 1195: "Can't imagine why."
• 9 years ago today: Day 99: Weak.

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Today in one sentence: The Justice Department charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate Trump; the National Trust for Historic Preservation refused to drop its lawsuit challenging Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, rejecting a Justice Department demand following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a new congressional map that could give Republicans four more U.S. House seats; Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade and ends the war, while setting aside nuclear negotiations for later; and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. has “no strategy” for leaving the war and that “an entire nation is being humiliated” by Iranian leaders who are “very skillfully not negotiating.”

1/ The Justice Department charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate Trump. Allen faces up to life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors said Allen allegedly rushed a White House Correspondents’ Dinner security checkpoint with a shotgun, pistol, and knives. He also faces two federal gun counts. Prosecutors said Allen planned the attack for weeks, booked a room at the Washington Hilton, traveled by train from California, and emailed a document listing administration officials as targets “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” A Secret Service officer was struck in the chest, but protected by a ballistic vest. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement “did not fail” because Allen was stopped “a floor above the ballroom,” with “hundreds of federal agents” between him and Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, said the Secret Service needs to “tighten up,” calling security at the event “a little lax.” (Associated Press / ABC News / Politico / New York Times / Axios / NPR / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / NBC News / Washington Post / Bloomberg)

• EARLIER: An armed California man was taken into custody after charging a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, prompting agents to evacuate Trump and senior officials before the suspect reached the ballroom. Officials said Cole Tomas Allen had a shotgun, handgun, and knives, and had traveled by train from California before staying at the Washington Hilton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary evidence showed that Allen “set out to target folks” in the administration, “likely including the president,” while cautioning that investigators were still reviewing writings, devices, and interviews. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro added that Allen appeared “intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” and that prosecutors plan to arraign him Monday on federal firearm and assault charges. Although a Secret Service agent was hit in their bulletproof vest and released from the hospital, Blanche said “the system worked” because Allen “barely breached the perimeter.”

• Trump attacked CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell during a “60 Minutes” interview after she read from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect’s apparent manifesto. O’Donnell said the writings referred to Trump administration officials as “targets” and included the phrase “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor.” Although they didn’t name Trump, he treated the passage as directed at him, saying: “I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody” and “I’m not a pedophile.” He called the suspect “sick,” accused CBS of being “horrible people,” and told O’Donnell she was “a disgrace” for reading the excerpt on air. He then said, “But go ahead. Let’s finish the interview.” (CBS News / Axios / Politico)

• Trump and Melania Trump called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel for a joke he made two days before a gunman tried to enter the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. On Thursday, during a parody skit of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech, Kimmel joked that the first lady looked like she had a “glow like an expectant widow.” Trump called the joke a “despicable call to violence,” while Melania said ABC should “take a stand.” (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Politico / CBS News / NBC News / NPR / New York Times)

• 💡 First came the shooting. Then, the conspiracy theories. “The shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner has sparked conspiracy theories on the left and the right that it was staged to drum up support for Trump and his ballroom.” (Washington Post)

• 💡 False flag conspiracy theories swirl around White House Correspondents’ Dinner attack. “Baseless claims that the incident was staged swirled almost immediately. By the next day, the idea had spread across social media. Even Trump noted the speed.” (NBC News)

• 💡 Rumors and Speculation Swirl Online After Shooting at Washington Dinner. “Influencers jumped to fill the information void with conspiracy theories about the attack at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday.” (New York Times)

2/ The National Trust for Historic Preservation refused to drop its lawsuit challenging Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, rejecting a Justice Department demand following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The Justice Department claimed the lawsuit put Trump and his staff at “grave risk.” The Trust said the claim didn’t change the legal issue that Congress hasn’t authorized construction on White House grounds. The trust sued after the White House demolished the East Wing for a 999-person ballroom, arguing Trump bypassed Congress and federal review. An appeals court has allowed work to continue until a June 5 hearing. (NBC News / CNBC / Bloomberg / Politico / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times)

3/ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a new congressional map that could give Republicans four more U.S. House seats. Florida’s current congressional maps, also drawn by DeSantis, currently give Republicans a 20-8 advantage over Democrats, which could change to 24-4 under the new plan. The Republican-controlled Legislature could approve the plan this week. Democrats have promised lawsuits, citing Florida’s voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering. (Reuters / Politico / Axios / New York Times / CNN / NPR / The Guardian / Washington Post / NBC News)

4/ Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade and ends the war, while setting aside nuclear negotiations for later. The proposal, via Pakistani mediators, would extend the ceasefire or end the war permanently before talks resume over Iran’s uranium enrichment and stockpile. While Trump’s used the blockade to choke off Iran’s oil exports and force nuclear concessions, the strait’s closure has driven up energy prices and disrupted global shipping. The White House said Trump’s national security team discussed the offer, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any arrangement where ships must “get our permission” or “pay us,” saying: “That’s not opening the straits.” Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. has “no strategy” for leaving the war and that “an entire nation is being humiliated” by Iranian leaders who are “very skillfully not negotiating.” (Associated Press / CNBC / Bloomberg / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

• Three years ago today: Day 828: "This issue is too important."
• Four years ago today: Day 463: "Last chance."
• Five years ago today: Day 98: "A beautiful day."
• Six years ago today: Day 1194: "Not worth the time and effort."
• Eight years ago today: Day 463: Very sick or very dumb.
• 9 years ago today: Day 98: Explicit.

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Today in one sentence: An armed California man was taken into custody after charging a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner; Trump said “I guess” and “I’m honored” when asked whether he was the target; and Trump described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building,” adding: “We need the ballroom.”

1/ An armed California man was taken into custody after charging a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, prompting agents to evacuate Trump and senior officials before the suspect reached the ballroom. Officials said Cole Tomas Allen had a shotgun, handgun, and knives, and had traveled by train from California before staying at the Washington Hilton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said preliminary evidence showed that Allen “set out to target folks” in the administration, “likely including the president,” while cautioning that investigators were still reviewing writings, devices, and interviews. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro added that Allen appeared “intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” and that prosecutors plan to arraign him Monday on federal firearm and assault charges. Although a Secret Service agent was hit in their bulletproof vest and released from the hospital, Blanche said “the system worked” because Allen “barely breached the perimeter.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / CNBC / NBC News / CBS News / ABC News)

2/ Trump said “I guess” when asked whether he was the target, saying “I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most […] they’re the ones that they go after.” He continued: “And I hate to say I’m honored by that, but I’ve done a lot.” Trump added that he wouldn’t change how he lives, saying “To be honest with you, I’m not a basket case.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Reuters)

3/ Trump described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building,” adding: “We need the ballroom.” About 10 hours later, he posted on Truth Social that the shooting “would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!” (Washington Post / The Hill / Axios)

The 2026 midterms are in 191 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 926 days.

✏️ Weekend Notables.

1. Trump canceled U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s planned trip to Pakistan, stalling talks to end the Iran war. He said the trip meant “too much time wasted on traveling,” accused Iran of “infighting and confusion,” and said: “We have all the cards, they have none.” Trump said Iran later sent a “much better” proposal, but added that it “offered a lot, but not enough.” (New York Times / Washington Post / Reuters / CNBC / CBS News)

2. Sen. Thom Tillis said he will stop blocking Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve after the Justice Department dropped its criminal probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Tillis said the DOJ assured him it wasn’t using the probe “as a weapon” against Fed independence and would shift the renovation-cost review to the Fed’s inspector general, clearing the way for Trump’s pick for likely confirmation. (Bloomberg / NBC News / Reuters / Washington Post / Semafor / CNBC)

3. Federal prosecutors charged Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke with using classified information from the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro to make more than $400,000 on Polymarket. The indictment says Van Dyke helped plan and execute the Caracas raid, then placed about $34,000 in bets tied to Maduro’s removal and U.S. forces entering Venezuela. He faces commodities fraud, wire fraud, theft, and misuse of confidential government information for personal gain. Prosecutors said he later tried to hide the trades by deleting his Polymarket account, changing account emails, and moving proceeds through cryptocurrency accounts. (ABC News / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post)

• Three years ago today: Day 827: "Mundane matters."
• Four years ago today: Day 462: "Bluster."
• Five years ago today: Day 97: "Presidential, focused, and competent."
• Seven years ago today: Day 827: Defensive.
• Eight years ago today: Day 462: Extremely opposed.
• 9 years ago today: Day 97: Ridiculous.

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Today in one sentence: Trump ordered the Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz; Senate Republicans voted 50-48 to advance a budget plan for about $70 billion in ICE and Border Patrol funding for the rest of Trump’s term; a Virginia judge blocked state officials from certifying the new congressional map a day after voters approved it; Republicans are urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to redraw the state’s congressional map before the midterms; the Justice Department’s internal watchdog opened an audit into whether the agency complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act; the Justice Department reclassified FDA-approved and state-licensed medical marijuana as a Schedule III drug while leaving recreational marijuana illegal under federal law; the Trump administration has approved only 1 “Gold Card” visa so far; and 58% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance.

1/ Trump ordered the Navy to “shoot and kill” any boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. officials said Iran had deployed new mines despite the ceasefire agreement. Trump said there should be “no hesitation,” but claimed the strait was under “total control” and “Sealed up Tight” until Iran is able to “make a DEAL.” The order came as the USS George H.W. Bush arrived near Iran, putting a third U.S. aircraft carrier in the region. The blockade has turned back 33 vessels and left shipping through the strait remains sharply reduced. Trump, however, said he had no “time pressure” to reach a deal, telling reporters “Don’t rush me,” and that Americans should expect higher gas prices “for a little while.” (CNBC / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / CNN / NBC News / ABC News)

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Phelan was leaving “effective immediately,” and Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary. Officials said Phelan moved too slowly on shipbuilding reforms and angered Hegseth by going directly to Trump. (CNN / Reuters / Politico / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post)

2/ Senate Republicans voted 50-48 to advance a budget plan for about $70 billion in ICE and Border Patrol funding for the rest of Trump’s term, starting a reconciliation process to bypass Democrats. The measure now goes to the House, where GOP leaders want Republicans to adopt the Senate plan unchanged next week. “It has to be clean because it has to be quick,” Speaker Mike Johnson said, but conservatives are threatening to oppose the bill unless it includes other priorities, including tax changes, defense money, Iran war funding, spending cuts, or Planned Parenthood restrictions. Democrats have refused to fund ICE and Border Patrol without new enforcement limits, including a ban on masked raids, warrant requirements for entering homes, body cameras, and limits on raids at schools and hospitals. (Politico / Bloomberg / New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / ABC News / NBC News)

3/ A Virginia judge blocked state officials from certifying the new congressional map a day after voters approved it, pausing a plan that could shift as many as four House seats to Democrats. Judge Jack Hurley said the referendum violated the state constitution and called the ballot question “flagrantly misleading.” Attorney General Jay Jones said he’d appeal. Meanwhile, Republicans are urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to redraw the state’s congressional map before the midterms, seeing Florida as their last chance to regain an edge. Some Republicans, however, say Trump’s Texas-led redistricting push triggered a Democratic response that may leave the party worse off. (CBS News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Semafor / New York Times)

4/ The Justice Department’s internal watchdog opened an audit into whether the agency complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The review will cover how the department identified, withheld, redacted, and published records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that lawmakers and survivors said was incomplete and careless with victim information. The law required nearly all records to be released, with exceptions for victims, child sexual abuse material, and active investigations. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche denied a cover-up, saying the department “did not protect President Trump” or anyone else. (New York Times / Politico / Reuters / ABC News / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post / CBS News / CNBC)

5/ The Justice Department reclassified FDA-approved and state-licensed medical marijuana as a Schedule III drug while leaving recreational marijuana illegal under federal law. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the order would expand research and treatment options, while creating a faster DEA registration process for state medical marijuana licensees. The move came days after Trump signed a separate order expanding federal research into psychedelics such as MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, and ibogaine. (Washington Post / CBS News / NBC News / Associated Press)

6/ The Trump administration has approved only 1 “Gold Card” visa so far. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the program, which opened in December, offers U.S. residency to foreigners who pay $1 million to the government for “the betterment” of the country, plus a $15,000 processing fee. Lutnick said there are “hundreds” of applications and described the vetting as “the most serious” in government history. (Bloomberg / CBS News)

poll/ 58% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance, while 39% approve. It’s Trump’s highest disapproval rating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (New York Times)

The 2026 midterms are in 194 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 929 days.

• Today last year: Day 1555: "Too erratic."
• Two years ago today: Day 1190: "Silly."
• Five years ago today: Day 94: "A critical step."
• Six years ago today: Day 1190: "The worst is yet to come."
• Seven years ago today: Day 824: Defiant.
• Eight years ago today: Day 459: Under open assault.
• 9 years ago today: Day 94: Rest easy.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Virginia voters approved a temporary plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, which could give Democrats as many as four more House seats this; the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut despite Trump extending the ceasefire, with Iran firing on three commercial ships and seizing two of them; Democrats on the House Judiciary demanded that FBI Director Kash Patel complete a World Health Organization alcohol-use screening test; the Trump administration agreed to pay former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page $1.25 million to settle his claims over FBI surveillance during the Russia investigation; the Justice Department charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with defrauding donors by secretly using more than $3 million in contributions to pay informants inside the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups; 52% of Americans prefer congressional candidates who don’t support Trump’s deportation policy; and 55% of Americans say the House should impeach Trump.

1/ Virginia voters approved a temporary plan to redraw the state’s congressional map, which could give Democrats as many as four more House seats this fall. The new lines would shift Virginia from a 6-5 Democratic edge to a map that favors Democrats in 10 of 11 districts. Republicans said they will challenge the referendum in the Virginia Supreme Court. The measure suspends Virginia’s normal redistricting system for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections, not permanently, with the state set to return to its bipartisan redistricting commission after the 2030 census. Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other supporters cast it as a temporary response to the mid-decade redistricting fight in other states, not a permanent replacement for the commission. (CNN / NPR / Washington Post / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / The Hill)

2/ The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut despite Trump extending the ceasefire, with Iran firing on three commercial ships and seizing two of them. Trump justified the extension by saying Iran’s government was “seriously fractured” and there’s “no time frame” for ending the conflict, even though he had described Tehran’s new leaders as “much more rational” and “very reasonable” days earlier. He also insisted the U.S. “totally controlled” the strait and said Iran was “losing 500 Million Dollars a day.” (New York Times / CNN / ABC News / CNBC / Bloomberg / Associated Press / CNBC / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Reuters / NPR)

3/ Democrats on the House Judiciary demanded that FBI Director Kash Patel complete a World Health Organization alcohol-use screening test and turn over security clearance questionnaire responses with Congress. The demand followed The Atlantic’s report that Patel’s alleged excessive drinking and unexplained absences had become a concern inside the FBI and Justice Department. Patel denied the claims, said he has “never been intoxicated on the job,” and sued The Atlantic for defamation, seeking $250 million. Meanwhile, a federal judge dismissed Patel’s separate defamation suit over a TV remark that he spent more time in nightclubs than at FBI headquarters, ruling the comment was “rhetorical hyperbole,” not a statement of fact. Separately, The New York Times reported that the FBI looked into whether one of its reporters violated stalking laws after she wrote that Patel used bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with security and transportation. (CNBC / NBC News / The Hill / NBC News / The Guardian / New York Times)

• 🍻 This round’s on WTFJHT: We deserve better than a drunk FBI director. And independent journalism does, too. So I’m going to sponsor three subscriptions to The Atlantic for WTFJHT readers. Enter to win here. No purchase necessary to enter or win, blah, blah, blah.

4/ The Trump administration agreed to pay former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page $1.25 million to settle his claims over FBI surveillance during the Russia investigation. Page sued in 2020, alleging that the FBI and Justice Department used false and misleading surveillance applications to monitor him. A later inspector general report, issued during Trump’s first term, found major errors and omissions in those filings. The settlement, however, doesn’t change the Mueller investigation conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election on Trump’s behalf. (Associated Press / Politico / CBS News)

5/ The Justice Department charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with defrauding donors by secretly using more than $3 million in contributions to pay informants inside the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups. The 11-count federal indictment charged the civil rights group with wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging it used fictitious entities and disguised bank accounts to conceal the payments. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the civil rights group was “manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose.” (Reuters / New York Times / NPR / Washington Post / NBC News)

poll/ 52% of Americans prefer congressional candidates who don’t support Trump’s deportation policy, while 42% said they were more likely to support such a candidate. (Reuters)

poll/ 55% of Americans say the House should impeach Trump, while 37% oppose, and 8% are unsure. 45% say they strongly support impeachment, while 30% say they strongly oppose it. (Strength in Numbers)

The 2026 midterms are in 195 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 930 days.

• Today last year: Day 1554: "Creating their own preferred version of reality."
• Two years ago today: Day 1189: "It’s called democracy."
• Five years ago today: Day 93: "A moral imperative."
• Six years ago today: Day 1189: "Dangerous and provocative."
• Seven years ago today: Day 823: Weapon of choice.
• 9 years ago today: Day 93: Planet B.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: Trump abruptly extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire hours before it was due to expire; Trump said he’d “remember” the companies that don’t seek refunds for tariffs the Supreme Court ruled illegal; Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell told senators he’d run the central bank as a “strictly independent” institution and denied that Trump had asked him to cut rates; Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned minutes before the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on whether to recommend her expulsion from Congress; the Justice Department is escalating its Florida-based “grand conspiracy” investigation; the FBI is “spearheading the effort to look for connections” between the deaths or disappearances of scientists and staff who worked at sensitive nuclear or space technology laboratories; 62% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance; and 70% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.

1/ Trump abruptly extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire hours before it was due to expire, saying Iran’s leadership was “seriously fractured” and needed to “come up with a unified proposal.” Earlier in the day, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire “numerous times,” said the U.S. was “going to end up with a great deal” because Iran had “no choice,” but also warned, “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with. We’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.” He ordered the military to “continue the Blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving in place the main point of contention that stalled the talks. JD Vance, who had been expected to lead the next round of negotiations in Pakistan, stayed in Washington after his trip was postponed after Iran said it wouldn’t attend while the blockade remained. (New York Times / CNBC / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / CBS News / Axios / CNBC)

2/ Trump said he’d “remember” the companies that don’t seek refunds for tariffs the Supreme Court ruled illegal. The comment came a day after Customs opened a claims portal for roughly $166 billion in repayments tied to Trump’s use of emergency powers for “reciprocal” tariffs. “It’s brilliant if they don’t do that,” Trump said. “If they don’t do that, I’ll remember them.” Trump added that the White House was trying to replace the lost tariff revenue “a different way,” promising “the same” result and “bigger numbers, actually,” though “it’s a little more unwieldy.” (Reuters / CNBC / Bloomberg / New York Times)

3/ Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell told senators he’d run the central bank as a “strictly independent” institution and denied that Trump had asked him to cut rates. Democrats called Kevin Warsh a potential White House proxy, pressed him over a recent shift toward lower rates, and demanded more detail about his financial holdings worth more than $100 million that he declined to fully describe. Warsh also called for “regime change” in how the Fed fights inflation and communicates with markets, offering few specifics on what that would mean in practice. Sen. Thom Tillis, meanwhile, has said he’ll block any Fed nominee while the Justice Department’s investigation into the current chair remains open. (CBS News / New York Times / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg)

4/ Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned minutes before the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on whether to recommend her expulsion from Congress. The move ended the panel’s jurisdiction and spared Democrats a vote on one of their own after a bipartisan ethics subcommittee found 25 violations and said all but 2 of 27 allegations against her had been proven, including accusations that she diverted federal relief money into her campaign. Cherfilus-McCormick, who has pleaded not guilty in the related criminal case, dismissed the proceedings as a “witch hunt.” Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a resolution to expel Republican Rep. Cory Mills over ethics allegations that include sexual and financial misconduct. (New York Times / NBC News / CBS News / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / The Hill)

5/ The Justice Department is escalating its Florida-based “grand conspiracy” investigation. The legally untested theory treats the Russia investigation and later cases against Trump as a long-running plot by former intelligence and law enforcement officials to target him. Joseph diGenova, who helped Trump in his failed effort to overturn the 2020 election, was brought in after career prosecutor Maria Medetis Long was removed from the case for raising concerns about charges. They’re targeting former CIA Director John Brennan over whether he lied to Congress about the 2017 intelligence assessment that found Russia interfered to help Trump. Brennan has denied wrongdoing. (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / CNN / Associated Press / CNN / Reuters / New York Times)

• The Southern Poverty Law Center said the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into its past use of paid informants to infiltrate violent extremist groups. The investigation followed months of attacks by Trump allies, including FBI Director Kash Patel’s decision to cut ties with the SPLC, Republican accusations that its “hate map” smeared groups like Turning Point USA and the Family Research Council, and the Justice Department’s recent push to root out what it calls anti-Christian bias in the federal government. (New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Washington Post)

6/ The FBI is “spearheading the effort to look for connections” between the deaths or disappearances of scientists and staff who worked at sensitive nuclear or space technology laboratories. Since 2022, at least 10 scientists working on nuclear programs, NASA, and in other sensitive areas have died or disappeared. Investigators, relatives, and former officials involved in several of the cases said they have seen no evidence of a broader plot, and no link between the cases has been established. Nevertheless, online speculation and internet theories linking them to America’s enemies caught Trump’s attention: “I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump said. “Pretty serious stuff […] hopefully a coincidence, or whatever you want to call it.” (CBS News / NBC News)

poll/ 62% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance, while 36% of approve. (Reuters)

poll/ 70% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. Among Republicans, 37% disapprove, 80% of independents, and 96% of Democrats. (Associated Press)

The 2026 midterms are in 196 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 931 days.

• Today last year: Day 1553: "Doing a great job."
• Four years ago today: Day 457: "A critical window."
• Five years ago today: Day 92: "An American achievement."
• Six years ago today: Day 1188: "A new way of living."
• 9 years ago today: Day 92: Ridiculous standard.

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Today in one sentence: Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to extend the Iran ceasefire, warning that if it expires, “then lots of bombs start going off”; Trump called his energy secretary’s assessment that gas prices might remain at $3 per gallon or more until next year “totally wrong”; FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic and a journalist for defamation, seeking $250 million over an article that said he showed “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” was “often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions,” and had become a point of concern inside the FBI and Justice Department; Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned following an inspector general investigation into allegations that she had an affair with a member of her security detail, drank on the job, and used official events to facilitate personal travel; the House Ethics Committee publicly urged anyone with information about sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer to come forward; the Justice Department demanded that a Michigan county turn over ballots and other records from the 2024 election; a federal appeals court allowed construction on Trump’s White House ballroom to continue for now; and Trump’s IRS and Treasury Department told a federal judge they’re negotiating a resolution to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over his leaked tax records.

1/ Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to extend the Iran ceasefire, warning that if it expires, “then lots of bombs start going off.” A second round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, however, was still being prepared despite Tehran publicly saying there was “no plan” and “no decision” on new talks after the U.S. seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. The U.S., Pakistani, and some Iranian officials suggested the meeting could still happen. Trump insists Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon,” while Iran says it won’t negotiate “under the shadow of threats” and called the ship seizure and continued blockade as proof Washington’s “claim of diplomacy” doesn’t match its actions. Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains far below normal after Iran briefly declared it open, then reasserted control as the U.S. kept its blockade in place. (Washington Post / PBS News / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press)

2/ Trump called his energy secretary’s assessment that gas prices might remain at $3 per gallon or more until next year “totally wrong.” Trump claimed prices would fall “as soon as this ends,” referring to the Iran war and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. A day before, Chris Wright had suggested that gas “prices have likely peaked and they’ll start going down, certainly with a resolution of this conflict.” The national average price of a gallon of gas was about $4.10 last week. (The Hill / New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico / CNN)

3/ FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic and a journalist for defamation, seeking $250 million over an article that said he showed “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences,” was “often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions,” and had become a point of concern inside the FBI and Justice Department. The article, which cited more than two dozen anonymous sources, also said Patel’s drinking had forced meetings and briefings to be pushed later in the day, that members of his security detail at times had trouble waking him, and that he feared his job was in jeopardy. Patel called the story “a lie” and said, “They were given the truth before they published, and they chose to print falsehoods anyway.” His lawsuit described the story as “replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations” meant to “destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.” The Atlantic, meanwhile, said it stood by its reporting and would “vigorously defend” the magazine and its journalists. (Reuters / Washington Post / Associated Press / CBS News / NBC News / Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

• [READ] The FBI Director Is MIA. “Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.” (The Atlantic)

4/ Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned following an inspector general investigation into allegations that she had an affair with a member of her security detail, drank on the job, and used official events to facilitate personal travel. The White House said she was leaving for the private sector, and said Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling would serve as acting secretary. Chavez-DeRemer is the third cabinet member to leave in less than two months, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and Attorney General Pam Bondi. (NBC News / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico)

5/ The House Ethics Committee publicly urged anyone with information about sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer to come forward. The rare statement comes after Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales resigned following sexual misconduct allegations. “There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination in the halls of Congress, or in any employment setting,” the committee said. The panel encouraged anyone who may have experienced sexual misconduct by a House member or staffer to contact them, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, or the Office of Employee Advocacy (ABC News / Washington Post / Politico)

6/ The Justice Department demanded that a Michigan county turn over ballots and other records from the 2024 election. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon’s letter gave Wayne County 14 days to produce ballots, envelopes, and receipts, citing a handful of fraud convictions and old lawsuits. Michigan officials said none of the cases involved the 2024 election and called the request “baseless.” Trump won Michigan in 2024, but lost by nearly 250,000 votes in Wayne County, which is home to Detroit. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel said arrests over the 2020 election were “coming soon,” adding that the FBI had “all the information we need” for an “entire conspiracy case.” (NBC News / Politico / Democracy Docket / Reuters / New York Times / Washington Post)

• A federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking Rhode Island’s unredacted voter rolls, ruling that federal election law didn’t authorize the request for private data on roughly 750,000 registered voters. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy called the demand a “fishing expedition.” (CBS News / Associated Press / Reuters)

7/ A federal appeals court allowed construction on Trump’s White House ballroom to continue for now, pausing a judge’s order that had stopped the aboveground work on the 90,000-square-foot project and underground bunker. The panel said the stay is administrative, not a ruling on the merits, and set arguments for June 5. Meaning, whether Trump can proceed without congressional approval remains unresolved. (ABC News / NBC News / Washington Post)

8/ Trump’s IRS and Treasury Department told a federal judge they’re negotiating a resolution to Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over his leaked tax records. The filing asked for a 90-day pause while Trump’s own administration weighs whether to settle a personal lawsuit against itself, potentially leaving taxpayers to fund a payment to Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization. The suit stems from the leak of Trump’s tax records by former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. (Reuters / CNN / NBC News / New York Times)

poll/ 37% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 63% disapprove. (NBC News)

The 2026 midterms are in 197 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 932 days.

• Three years ago today: Day 821: "Great."
• Four years ago today: Day 456: "Food for thought."
• Five years ago today: Day 91: "Overwhelming."
• Six years ago today: Day 1187: "Complaining."
• Eight years ago today: Day 456: Unprecedented treachery.
• 9 years ago today: Day 91: "Super-mighty preemptive strike."

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: The Republican-controlled House rejected a Democratic war powers resolution ordering Trump to end the war with Iran; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recited a fake prayer from a fictional movie during a Pentagon prayer service; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended Trump’s proposed 12% cut to the Health and Human Services budget; RFK Jr. once pulled over on Interstate 684 in New York and cut the penis off a road-killed raccoon to “study them later” while “my kids waited patiently in the car”; the House passed a bipartisan bill to restore Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. for three years; a federal fine arts panel gave preliminary approval to Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery; and a federal judge – again – blocked above-ground construction of Trump’s White House ballroom, ruling that the administration could continue only below-ground work tied to national security facilities.

1/ The Republican-controlled House rejected a Democratic war powers resolution ordering Trump to end the war with Iran. The vote was 213-214 and comes a day after the Senate voted down a similar measure. (Politico / Associated Press / CBS News / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios)

• Trump claimed a deal with Iran was close and suggested that Tehran had agreed to give up its buried stockpile of highly enriched uranium he calls “nuclear dust.” Trump, however, warned that if no deal emerged, fighting would resume, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces were prepared to restart attacks and maintain the blockade around Iranian ports. (New York Times / ABC News / CNN / Washington Post / Bloomberg / NBC News / CBS News / New York Times / Politico)

2/ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recited a fake prayer from a fictional movie during a Pentagon prayer service. “They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” Hegseth said, before reading a version of the made-up Bible verse from Pulp Fiction. Samuel L. Jackson’s character delivers the passage just before shooting a man. The Pentagon later defended Hegseth, saying the CSAR prayer was “obviously inspired” by Pulp Fiction and that anyone claiming he had misquoted Ezekiel was “peddling fake news and ignorant of reality.” (New Republic / Mother Jones / Rolling Stone / Variety / The Hill / Mediaite / The Guardian)

3/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended Trump’s proposed 12% cut to the Health and Human Services budget. In his first congressional appearance in seven months, Democrats pressed Kennedy on the deaths of unvaccinated children during the Texas measles outbreak, the CDC’s rollback of childhood vaccine recommendations, and the agency’s decision to halt pro-vaccine messaging. Kennedy acknowledged that the measles vaccine is safe and effective “for most people” and safer than getting measles, but maintained that vaccination is a personal choice and that parents should “do your own research.” Republicans, meanwhile, used the hearing to praise his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. (New York Times / NPR / Washington Post / Associated Press / ABC News)

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once pulled over on Interstate 684 in New York and cut the penis off a road-killed raccoon to “study them later” while “my kids waited patiently in the car.” The account is based on a 2001 diary entry included in a new RFK Jr. biography. (People / The Guardian / New York Post)

• Trump said he’d nominate Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC – a former deputy surgeon general and public supporter of vaccines. (New York Times / Politico)

4/ The House passed a bipartisan bill to restore Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians in the U.S. for three years. 11 Republicans joined Democrats to force a vote on the bill, which would reinstate work permits and deportation protections that the Trump administration tried to terminate. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its future are unclear. (Politico / NBC News / Washington Post)

5/ A federal fine arts panel gave preliminary approval to Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, but asked for revisions before a final vote. The panel, made up entirely of Trump appointees, advanced the project even though roughly 1,000 public comments opposed it. Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who called the proposal “beautiful,” has a “Make Design Great Again” hat on his desk, and said Trump “wants to do something that in his heart he feels is good,” has previously said Washington should get three triumphal arches, not one. Commissioners raised concerns about the arch’s scale, its tunnel, and the gold statues on top. The arch also faces a lawsuit from Vietnam veterans, additional federal review, and questions about congressional approval, cost, and funding. (New York Times / ABC News / Washington Post / CBS News / NPR / Politico)

6/ A federal judge – again – blocked above-ground construction of Trump’s White House ballroom, ruling that the administration could continue only below-ground work tied to national security facilities. The larger project remains on hold pending congressional approval. Judge Richard Leon said the White House had offered a “brazen” and “disingenuous” reading of his earlier order, writing that “national security is not a blank check.” Trump responded on social media, calling Leon a “Trump Hating” and “highly political” judge, accusing him of undermining national security, and arguing that without the ballroom’s planned bomb shelters, medical facilities, and “Top Secret Military Installations,” future presidents wouldn’t be safe at inaugurations, summits, or major events. (Politico / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

The 2026 midterms are in 201 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 936 days.

• Today last year: Day 1548: "Do your job."
• Two years ago today: Day 1183: "A clusterfuck."
• Five years ago today: Day 87: "Disastrous."
• Six years ago today: Day 1183: "Call your own shots."
• Seven years ago today: Day 817: Breakdown-level anxiety.
• Eight years ago today: Day 452: Morally unfit.
• 9 years ago today: Day 87: Provocation.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

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Today in one sentence: For the fourth time, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic resolution to force Trump to end U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval; Trump said the war with Iran was “very close to over” and claimed Iranian leaders wanted “to make a deal very badly”; House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; House Republicans delayed a planned procedural vote on renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after their own members threatened to block it; Trump – again – threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he stays on as a Fed governor after his term as chair ends; Senate Republicans plan to move quickly on any Supreme Court vacancy that opens before the midterms; and 65% of voters blame Trump for the rise in gas prices.

1/ For the fourth time, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic resolution to force Trump to end U.S. military action in Iran without congressional approval. Rand Paul was the only Republican to support the measure, while John Fetterman was the only Democrat to oppose it. The war is now in its second month, and the War Powers Resolution requires Trump to end the operation within 60 days unless Congress authorizes it. Several Republicans, however, have begun to warn that their support might not last much longer, with Thom Tillis saying it will soon be time to “fish or cut bait” and John Thune saying the administration “need[s] a plan for how to wind this down”. (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / CBS News / Politico)

• The Pentagon is sending thousands more U.S. troops and warships to the Middle East. The buildup includes about 6,000 troops aboard the USS George H.W. Bush and about 4,200 more with the Boxer Amphious Ready Group, adding to roughly 50,000 U.S. personnel already in the region. (Washington Post)

• Russell Vought told Congress the White House has no “ballpark” estimate for the cost of the Iran war. The Office of Management and Budget Director told the House Budget Committee “We’re not ready to come to you with a request. We’re still working on it. We’re working through to figure out what’s needed in this fiscal year versus next fiscal year.” (Politico / CNBC)

2/ Trump said the war with Iran was “very close to over” and claimed Iranian leaders wanted “to make a deal very badly,” adding that if the U.S. “pulled up stakes right now” it would take Iran “20 years to rebuild that country.” U.S. Central Command said its blockade of Iranian ports was “fully implemented,” while Iran warned that if the blockade remains in place it “will not allow any exports or imports to continue” across the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea. The White House, meanwhile, pushed back on reports that Trump wanted to extend the ceasefire, which expires next week, saying that was “not true at this moment.” Trump nevertheless said oil prices would fall “very big” when the war ends and that the stock market “is going to boom.” (CNBC / Axios / Bloomberg / CBS News / Associated Press / New York Times)

• JD Vance admitted that young voters “do not love” Trump’s Middle East policy, but urged conservatives not to “get disengaged” and argued they should stay with Trump because the administration had delivered on other priorities. (The Hill / Associated Press / New York Times)

3/ House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but the resolution is largely symbolic and not expected to advance in the Republican-controlled House. It accuses Hegseth of causing civilian casualties in Iran, possibly violating the law of armed conflict, mishandling sensitive military information, obstructing Congress, abusing his power, and bringing disrepute on the armed forces. The Pentagon dismissed the effort as a “charade,” saying Hegseth would remain focused on carrying out Trump’s objectives in Iran. (Axios / The Hill / CBS News)

4/ House Republicans delayed a planned procedural vote on renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after their own members threatened to block it. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is demanding privacy changes, including requiring a warrant before agencies can search Americans’ communications or buy personal data from brokers, warning that AI has made it easier to analyze huge amounts of personal data at scale. Republican leaders, the White House, and intelligence officials say those changes would make Section 702 harder to use and that a warrant requirement “won’t work” because intelligence agencies sometimes have to act within hours. (Politico / Axios / CBS News / The Guardian)

5/ Trump – again – threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he stays on as a Fed governor after his term as chair ends. Powell’s term as chair expires May 15, but he can remain on the Board of Governors until 2028, and said he’ll stay until the Justice Department’s investigation into the Fed’s headquarters renovation is finished. The probe has also delayed Kevin Warsh’s confirmation because Sen. Thom Tillis said he will block the nomination until the case is resolved. Trump said that if Powell stays on the board past May 15, “then I’ll have to fire him, OK? If he’s not leaving on time, I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial.” (New York Times / CNBC / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NBC News / NPR)

• Justice Department prosecutors made an unannounced visit to the Federal Reserve’s headquarters construction site. They were turned away after seeking a tour of the $2.5 billion renovation project. (Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post)

6/ Senate Republicans plan to move quickly on any Supreme Court vacancy that opens before the midterms. While no justice has suggested they plan to retire, Justice Samuel Alito is 76 and Justice Clarence Thomas is 77. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said his panel would be “fully prepared” and named Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz as his preferred candidates if one were to step down. Cruz said he had “zero interest” in serving on the court, while Lee said it was “a bridge” he would cross if asked. (Politico / Bloomberg)

poll/ 65% of voters blame Trump for the rise in gas prices, and 55% disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president. (Quinnipiac)

The 2026 midterms are in 202 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 937 days.

• Today last year: Day 1547: "No tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding."
• Two years ago today: Day 1182: "Take the win."
• Five years ago today: Day 86: "Disinformation and interference."
• Six years ago today: Day 1182: "As dangerous as it sounds."
• Seven years ago today: Day 816: Hateful and inflammatory.
• 9 years ago today: Day 86: Frankenmissile.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: Trump said new U.S.-Iran talks could resume in Pakistan “over the next two days”; a woman publicly accused Eric Swalwell of raping her in a West Hollywood hotel room in 2018, saying she was “already incapacitated” when she arrived and that, as “he was choking me,” she “lost consciousness” and “thought I died”; a divided federal appeals court shut down U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration defied his order to stop deportation flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador; Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve disclosed financial holdings worth well over $100 million; House Republicans accused the main Democratic fundraising platform of misleading Congress and withholding subpoenaed records tied to an investigation into possible foreign donations; the Justice Department released its first “weaponization” report, accusing the Biden administration of selectively enforcing the FACE Act against anti-abortion activists; and the Justice Department asked to vacate the Jan. 6 convictions of 12 former Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members, including several convicted of seditious conspiracy.

1/ Trump said new U.S.-Iran talks could resume in Pakistan “over the next two days” as the U.S. continued to enforce a blockade on Iranian shipping. No new meeting had been officially scheduled, and the main dispute remains unchanged: U.S. negotiators reportedly want a 20-year suspension on Iranian uranium enrichment, while Iran has agreed to a three to five years pause. Trump, however, wants a permanent ban on nuclear enrichment, saying “I’ve been saying they can’t have nuclear weapons. So I don’t like the 20 years.” JD Vance, who failed to secure a deal over the weekend, said “the ball is in the Iranian court,” while Iranian officials accused the U.S. of “maximalism” and “shifting goalposts.” The temporary ceasefire deal expires April 21. (CNBC / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg / ABC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press)

• poll/ 51% of American think the war in Iran hasn’t been worth it, while 24% think it has been worthwhile, and 22% are not sure. (New York Times)

2/ A woman publicly accused Eric Swalwell of raping her in a West Hollywood hotel room in 2018, saying she was “already incapacitated” when she arrived and that, as “he was choking me,” she “lost consciousness” and “thought I died.” The allegation surfaced as Swalwell’s resignation from Congress took effect, after at least two women had accused him of nonconsensual sex or sexual assault and at least three others had accused him of other sexual misconduct, including unsolicited explicit images and an unwanted kiss. Swalwell’s lawyer, meanwhile, said he “categorically and unequivocally denies” all allegations and called them false. (New York Times / Associated Press / CNBC / NBC News / Washington Post / Reuters)

• Rep. Tony Gonzales said he would resign from the House after admitting last month to an affair with a staff member, a move that headed off a possible bipartisan expulsion vote. The Texas Republican said he would file his retirement when the House returned. Gonzales had already dropped his reelection bid as the House Ethics Committee investigated misconduct allegations. The inquiry ends once he leaves office. (NBC News / Politico / ABC News)

3/ A divided federal appeals court shut down U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration defied his order to stop deportation flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. The 2-1 D.C. Circuit ruling said Boasberg’s probe was an “abuse of discretion” that improperly intruded on executive branch decision-making over national security and foreign affairs. The majority said Boasberg’s March 2025 order wasn’t clear enough to support criminal contempt over the migrants’ transfer to El Salvador. The decision, for now, ends a yearlong effort to determine why the flights happened despite the order. Lawyers for the migrants said they’d seek review by the full appeals court. (New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Reuters / Associated Press / Bloomberg / CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve disclosed financial holdings worth well over $100 million. Kevin Warsh’s Senate ethics filing, submitted as part of his confirmation process, shows he received about $10 million in consulting fees from Stanley Druckenmiller’s family office and holds two Juggernaut Fund stakes valued at more than $50 million each. Sen. Thom Tillis, meanwhile, has said he will block Fed nominees until the Justice Department closes its probe tied to Powell. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC)

5/ House Republicans accused the main Democratic fundraising platform of misleading Congress and withholding subpoenaed records tied to an investigation into possible foreign donations. The demand from the chairs of the House Administration, Judiciary, and Oversight committees followed reporting that ActBlue’s outside counsel had warned that the company may have misstated parts of its 2023 letter to Congress explaining its anti-fraud procedures. ActBlue denied wrongdoing and dismissed the inquiry as a partisan effort to damage Democrats’ main online fundraising operation, which raised has $568 million in the first quarter of 2026. (New York Times / Politico / CBS News)

6/ The Justice Department released its first “weaponization” report, accusing the Biden administration of selectively enforcing the FACE Act against anti-abortion activists. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department will dismiss some pending cases and approve new FACE Act prosecutions only in “extraordinary” circumstances. The 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act makes it a crime to use force, threats, or physical obstruction to stop people from entering or providing services at reproductive health clinics. The 900-page report claims Biden-era officials worked too closely with abortion-rights groups, sought harsher sentences for anti-abortion defendants, and paid little attention to attacks on pregnancy centers and churches. The department also fired 4 prosecutors tied to FACE Act cases. (CNN / Associated Press / New York Times / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CBS News)

• Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Americans should be “happy” that Trump is directly involved in Justice Department decisions. He said Trump is “my boss,” and that directing the department is “what being the commander in chief is about.” (NBC News / The Hill)

7/ The Justice Department asked to vacate the Jan. 6 convictions of 12 former Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members, including several convicted of seditious conspiracy. Trump already commuted many of their prison terms last year, but the new filings asked the court to dismiss the convictions and the indictments with prejudice, meaning the cases couldn’t be brought again. (CBS News / Associated Press / NBC News / The Hill)

• Mark Meadows asked the Justice Department to reimburse legal fees he incurred in Trump-related federal and state investigations. Meadows was not charged in Jack Smith’s federal election case, but he was charged in Georgia and Arizona over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Meadows has incurred at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills. (CBS News)

The 2026 midterms are in 203 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 938 days.

• Today last year: Day 1546: "Charade of due process."
• Four years ago today: Day 450: "Strange."
• Five years ago today: Day 85: "We stand for democracy."
• Six years ago today: Day 1181: "The ultimate authority."
• Eight years ago today: Day 450: Mission accomplished.
• 9 years ago today: Day 85: Preemptive.

Support today’s essential newsletter and resist the daily shock and awe: Become a member

Subscribe: Get the Daily Update in your inbox for free

Today in one sentence: The U.S. began a naval blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports after JD Vance failed to secure a peace deal in talks with Iran in Islamabad; Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV as “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” after the pope condemned the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran; Rep. Eric Swalwell will resign from Congress and suspended his California governor campaign after sexual assault and other sexual misconduct allegations; the Trump administration agreed to restore the Pride flag at New York’s Stonewall National Monument; a federal judge dismissed Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report about Trump’s lewd 2003 letter to Jeffrey Epstein; a federal appeals court temporarily allowed Trump’s White House ballroom project to continue; 50% of local election officials said they were worried about political interference ahead of the midterms, while 45% feared politically motivated investigations and 32% said they had already faced threats, harassment, or abuse; and from the Dept. of Cringe, the White House arranged for a McDonald’s DoorDash delivery to the Oval Office so Trump could turn it into a live promotion for his “no tax on tips” law.

1/ The U.S. began a naval blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports after JD Vance failed to secure a peace deal in talks with Iran in Islamabad. Trump framed the blockade as a way to stop what he called Iranian “extortion,” saying Tehran had “chosen not to accept our terms,” and threatened to “finish up the little that is left of Iran” if it didn’t accept a deal. Hours after the blockade took effect, Trump warned that if Iranian “fast attack ships” came “anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” calling the method of attack “quick and brutal.” The talks were aimed at extending the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but broke down over U.S. demands that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, surrender or dilute its highly enriched uranium, and give up control over traffic through the strait. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / NPR / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / CNBC / Axios / Associated Press)

• U.S. intelligence agencies obtained indications that China may be preparing to send shoulder-fired air defense missiles to Iran. The intelligence remains uncertain, and officials said there’s no evidence the missiles have been delivered or used. Trump, meanwhile, warned Beijing of “big problems” if it arms Tehran. (CNN / Bloomberg / New York Times)

• Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a UFC fight while JD Vance announced that talks with Iran had failed. Trump entered the arena with UFC president Dana White and family members, took his seat near Rubio, and watched the fights as Vance told reporters that Iran had refused to give up the capacity to produce a nuclear weapon. House Democrats criticized Rubio for missing the talks, calling his attendance at the event “not serious leadership.”(The Guardian / Associated Press)

2/ Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV as “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” after the pope condemned the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, saying “God does not bless any conflict” and warning that “military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace.” Leo also denounced the “idolatry of self and money” and the “display of power” surrounding the war. Trump responded, saying he didn’t “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States” and told Leo to “stop catering to the Radical Left” and “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” He then posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like healer, which was later deleted. Leo, meanwhile, replied that he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would “continue to speak out loudly against war.” Trump refused to apologize for the now-deleted image and insisted it was “me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross. It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better.” (Associated Press / Bloomberg / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Axios / CBS News / CNBC / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian)

• Trump’s erratic behavior and extreme comments revive mental health debate. “As the president threatens to wipe out Iran and attacks the pope, even some former allies and advisers are questioning whether he has grown increasingly unbalanced, describing him as ‘lunatic’ and ‘clearly insane.’” (New York Times)

3/ Rep. Eric Swalwell will resign from Congress and suspended his California governor campaign after sexual assault and other sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell said he was “deeply sorry” for “mistakes in judgment” and would fight the “serious false allegation” against him, but said it was wrong for his constituents to have him “distracted” from his duties. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into whether Swalwell engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee he supvervised, while the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also investigating one allegation. A former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her, and other women accused him of misconduct including unsolicited nude photos or explicit messages, allegations he has denied as false. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico / ABC News / Washington Post / CBS News / CNN / CNBC / Axios)

4/ The Trump administration agreed to restore the Pride flag at New York’s Stonewall National Monument, reversing a February removal and settling a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ+ and preservation groups. Under a proposed court settlement, the National Park Service will return the flag within 7 days and keep it in place except for maintenance, with the Pride flag flown below the U.S. flag and above the park service flag. A judge still must approve the deal, but the government said it intends to maintain a Pride flag at Stonewall permanently. (Associated Press / New York Times / Reuters)

5/ A federal judge dismissed Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its report about Trump’s lewd 2003 letter to Jeffrey Epstein. The judge ruled that the complaint didn’t plausibly show “actual malice,” and said the Journal had sought comment from Trump, the Justice Department, and the FBI before publication. At the time, Trump called the letter a “fake thing” because “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” House Democrats would later release the letter that he insisted was “nonexistent,” “false, malicious, and defamatory.” The ruling, however, didn’t determine whether Trump wrote the letter. (Axios / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News)

6/ A federal appeals court temporarily allowed Trump’s White House ballroom project to continue, extending a pause until April 17 while sending the case back to U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to clarify whether stopping the work would interfere with White House security. The ruling didn’t resolve whether Trump can even build the $400 million, 90,000-square-foot project without congressional approval, but the court said it couldn’t determine whether the administration’s claimed of security work, including below-ground upgrades, is actually separate from the ballroom itself. (NBC News / Associated Press / Washington Post)

7/ 50% of local election officials said they were worried about political interference ahead of the midterms, while 45% feared politically motivated investigations and 32% said they had already faced threats, harassment, or abuse. Trump has called for Republicans to “take over” voting in key places, the Justice Department has tried to access voter rolls from states, and the FBI raided a Georgia election office. Trump has also replaced many career officials who resisted his 2020 efforts to overturn the election with appointees tied to the election-denial movement. (ProPublica / Politico)

The 2026 midterms are in 204 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 939 days.

• 😬 Dept. of Cringe:
  The White House arranged for a McDonald’s DoorDash delivery to the Oval Office so Trump could turn it into a live promotion for his “no tax on tips” law. “Look at this!” Trump said, before asking reporters, “This doesn’t look staged, does it?” He invited the driver, Sharon Simmons, to stand beside him. She said his policy had raised her income by about $11,000. Trump then asked whether she voted for him and whether “men should play in women’s sports.” She replied that she was “here about no tax on tips.” Trump tipped her $100. (Mediaite / CBS News / PBS News / The Hill / New Republic / New York Post / Associated Press)

• Three years ago today: Day 814: "Continued complications."
• Four years ago today: Day 449: "Fundamental changes."
• Five years ago today: Day 84: "Abundance of caution."
• Six years ago today: Day 1180: "A lot of instincts."
• Eight years ago today: Day 449: Slime ball.
• 9 years ago today: Day 84: Misdirected.

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