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1:20 PM ET, April 13, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Natalie Allison / Washington Post:
Trump post appearing to depict him as Jesus removed amid backlash  —  Before the post was deleted, Evangelical and Catholic allies called the image blasphemous in a rare public break from a base that has largely stood by Trump.  —  President Donald Trump's posting of an image that appeared …
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
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.”
Katie Rogers / New York Times:
Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’  —  President Trump's lengthy post on social media showed there were really no boundaries when it comes to people he might target, including the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.  —  Pope Leo XIV is one of the world's most powerful critics of the U.S. war with Iran.
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Christians condemn Trump post depicting him as Jesus-like figure … - A Sunday Truth Social post — where Trump shared an image that showed him in white and red robes with one hand resting on the forehead of a sick man while the other emanated light — was swiftly labeled “blasphemy” online.
Claire Moses / New York Times:
After Criticizing Pope, Trump Posts Image of Himself as a Jesus-Like Figure  —  The image, posted on Truth Social, appeared to be A.I.-generated and depicted the president as a divine leader healing the sick.  The post prompted backlash from some prominent Catholics and conservatives.
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff
David Gilmour / Mediaite:
‘Gross Blasphemy!’ MAGA Die-Hards Deliver Rare Rebuke of Trump for Posting ‘Unacceptable’ Meme Depicting Himself as Jesus
Discussion: IJR
Sean James / Mediaite:
BREAKING: Trump Deletes Post Depicting Himself as Jesus Amid Heavy MAGA Backlash25 minutes ago
Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:
Illiberalism Is Not Inevitable  —  If Viktor Orbán can lose, then his Russian and American admirers can lose too.  —  In the end, the defeat of Viktor Orbán, Hungary's autocratic prime minister, required not just an ordinary election campaign or new messaging but rather …
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Laszlo Gendler / The UnPopulist:
Orbán Lost Spectacularly Because the Hungarian People Simply Stopped Fearing His Authoritarianism  —  Seventy years ago, Hungarians rose against Soviet occupation, tore down a statue of Stalin, and freed themselves—however briefly—until the Soviet tanks returned to crush the uprising.
Paul Krugman:
The Axis of Autocracy Loses a Wheel  —  Hungarians stand up for democracy  —  After Victor Orbán's Fidesz party took power in 2010, Hungary became a role model for those who admired corruption, fascism, and loyalty to Vladimir Putin.  Orbán's regime brought widespread crony capitalism …
Discussion: Euronews
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
What Orban's Defeat Means for the Rest of the World  —  On Saturday, the day before the Hungarian election, I went to Puspokladany, a run-down town of about 16,000 in northeastern Hungary, for the penultimate rally of opposition leader Peter Magyar.  Though the region has traditionally …
The Guardian:
Viktor Orbán is gone.  What does his fall mean for Europe?  Our panel responds  —  Hungary's return to democracy will be hard.  But the impact of Péter Magyar's decisive victory could be profound, inside the country and beyond  —  We've shown that even entrenched illiberal regimes are not invincible
Gabriela Greilinger / Talking Points Memo:
Three Lessons From Hungary on How to Beat Competitive Authoritarianism
Associated Press:
Election loss for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has ripple effects for Trump, US conservatives
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
U.S. begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz; Trump warns Iran ‘attack ships’ to stay away … The U.S. on Monday said it began blocking ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, attempting to ratchet up pressure on Iran to reopen the key oil route after peace negotiations collapsed.that a
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Reuters:
NATO allies refuse to join Trump's Iranian port blockade25 minutes ago
New York Times:
Iran War Live Updates: Deadline Passes for U.S. Blockade in Strait of Hormuz
Associated Press:
Live updates: Pope pushes back against Trump's criticism as US-Vatican feud erupts over Iran
ProPublica:
Inside Trump's Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections  —  Reporting Highlights  — Safeguards Destroyed: In advance of this year's midterm elections, President Donald Trump has systematically demolished federal guardrails that prevented him from overturning the 2020 election.
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Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:   Local election officials fear retribution ahead of fall midterms
Corinne Ramey / Wall Street Journal:
Judge Dismisses Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Against WSJ Publisher  —  The president alleged an article about a bawdy Epstein birthday letter was defamatory  —  A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
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Aaron Parnas / MeidasTouch News:
Federal Judge Dismisses Donald Trump's Lawsuit Concerning the Epstein Birthday Letter
Discussion: KDFX-TV
Associated Press:
Judge dismisses Trump's $10B lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over reporting on ties to Epstein
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
The world's worst dealmaker screws up the Iran negotiations  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🤝 Subscribe to PN 🤝  —  “The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World …
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Quinta Jurecic / The Atlantic:
Harmeet Dhillon Is Not Wasting Any Time … Last may, one month into her time as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon stood behind the lectern at a meeting of the conservative Federalist Society and set out her vision for the Justice Department's civil-rights work.
Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo
Adam Wren / Politico:
Iowa looks competitive, according to new Dem poll  —  Iowa looks to be seriously in play for Democrats in November up and down the ballot, according to a new survey from a Democratic group that backs moderate candidates.  Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand holds an eight-point lead in the governor's race …
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Financial Times:15 minutes ago
Meta builds AI version of Mark Zuckerberg to interact with staff  —  CEO is training and testing his own character as part of wider push to develop ‘personal superintelligence’
Riley Beggin / Washington Post:
Voters grill Republican lawmaker in crucial swing district on Iran war  —  The conflict has animated voters in the suburban district of Republican Rep. Mike Lawler ahead of the midterm elections.  —  Summary  —  MAHOPAC, N.Y. — Rep. Mike Lawler faced another tough crowd at a town hall late Sunday night …
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
April 12, 2026  —  By the end of 2024, inflation in the U.S., which had soared in the aftermath of the Covid-19 lockdowns, was almost back to the Federal Reserve's goal of 2%.  Even so, during the 2024 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump promised he would bring prices down on Day One …
Mehr Sher / Drop Site News:
How 51 Seconds at a Pro-Palestine Protest Could Send a Muslim Student to Prison for 34 years  —  Former University of Pittsburgh student Muhammad Ali faces three felonies for a brief tug-of-war with an officer over a metal barrier.  —  Reader support is what makes Drop Site possible.
 
 
 New Item Finder: 
40 minutes ago
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump's Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate   Find
55 minutes ago
Gabriela Greilinger / Talking Points Memo:
Three Lessons From Hungary on How to Beat Competitive Authoritarianism   Find
 
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 More Items: 
Joshua McElwee / Reuters:
Pope says he will continue to speak out against war after Trump attack
Thomas Escritt / Bloomberg:
Hungary Foreign Minister Shredding EU Documents, Magyar Says
Discussion: Reuters, France 24 and Al Jazeera
Jeff Tomich / Politico:
Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal
Nikolas Guggenberger / Lawfare:
America Used to Own the Internet. Now It's Running Scared.
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
MAGA International Goes Down in Flames
Bernard Condon / Associated Press:
Trump family deal spree could open door for future presidents to profit from office
David M. Halbfinger / New York Times:
Israelis Don't Feel Much Like Victors in War With Iran
Discussion: Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Stefanos Chen / New York Times:
Can This Chaotic Brooklyn Plaza Be Car-Free? Mamdani Says Yes.
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
What the death of Direct File tells us about state capacity
Dave Philipps / New York Times:
Trump's Military Transgender Ban Is Keeping Workers on Expensive Paid Leave
Discussion: The Independent and Advocate
Eric Levitz / Vox:
OpenAI is pivoting to...socialism?
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
New data suggests Trump's assault on democracy may be stalling out
Matthew McManus / Liberal Currents:
The Right Wants You Stupid
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Peltola raises almost $9M in first three months of Senate bid
NBC News:
Eric Swalwell drops bid for California governor after sexual misconduct allegations
 

 
From Techmeme:

Jonah Owen Lamb / The San Francisco Standard:
Police report: Sam Altman's home appears to have been targeted in a second attack after a gun was fired from a car early on April 12; police arrest two suspects

Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Memo: OpenAI Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser says OpenAI's Microsoft deal “limited our ability” to reach clients using Bedrock and touts its Amazon deal

Stanford HAI:
2026 AI Index Report: AI capability is accelerating, not plateauing, the US-China model gap has closed, the US leads in data centers and AI investment, and more

 
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