The very political pattern of Trump's pardons  —  Trump pardons his own hagiographer and a family ‘friend’ who criticized Mueller.  —  President Trump's pardons were self-serving before, and they became even more so Wednesday night, after he pardoned two prominent conservatives who had already completed their sentences.

Governor Ivey Issues Statement After Signing the Alabama Human Life Protection Act  —  MONTGOMERY - Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, after both houses of the Alabama Legislature passed HB314.  —  Upon signing the bill, Governor Ivey released the following statement:

Working People First |  Bill de Blasio 2020  —  When we put working families first in New York City, the city got stronger.  That can happen for our country, too.  Learn about my candidacy for president of the United States of America to put working families first.

Company owned by Brazilian crooks received $62 million in Trump bailout cash meant for struggling U.S. farmers  —  The Trump administration has forked over more than $62 million — taxpayer cash that was supposed to be earmarked for struggling American farmers — to a massive meatpacking company owned …

Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran  —  The Trump administration has been on high alert in response to what military and intelligence officials have deemed specific and credible threats from Iran against U.S. personnel in the Middle East.

Missouri Senate passes bill to ban abortions at 8 weeks  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican-led Senate has now passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy.  —  Senators approved the legislation 24-10 early Thursday with just hours left before a Friday deadline to pass bills.

SAT to Give Students ‘Adversity Score’ to Capture Social and Economic Background  —  New score comes as college admissions decisions are under scrutiny  —  The College Board plans to assign an adversity score to every student who takes the SAT to try to capture their social and economic background …

Democrats are badly blowing it against Trump.  A brutal new TV ad shows how.  —  Nancy Pelosi has succeeded in stifling impeachment talk.  The Post reports that the House Speaker privately told Democrats to stick to policy and forget about an impeachment inquiry, and not a single Democrat uttered a word in protest.

‘Get Scavino in here’: Trump's Twitter guru is the ultimate insider  —  Shortly after President Donald Trump announced plans to yank U.S. troops out of Syria last December, a group of lawmakers came to the White House to talk him out of the idea, which critics called a threat to national security.

Toddler apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border dies after weeks in hospital  —  A 2½-year-old Guatemalan boy apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border died Tuesday night in El Paso after several weeks in the hospital, according to the Guatemalan Consulate and another person with direct knowledge of the case.

Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections  —  JERUSALEM (AP) — Facebook said Thursday it banned an Israeli company that ran an influence campaign aimed at disrupting elections in various countries and has canceled dozens of accounts engaged in spreading disinformation.

Trump won't stop coining nasty nicknames for his foes — but the media must stop amplifying them.  —  I was talking to an acquaintance recently about Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign.  —  He liked the Massachusetts Democrat's detailed policies and was impressed with her recent CNN town hall presentation.

How Hillary Clinton's Press Secretary Self-Radicalized and Became a Resistance Leader  —  Once a fixture of the Democratic Party's institution, Brian Fallon has taken a new approach fighting from the outside.  —  Brian Fallon was once one of the most sought after operatives in Democratic politics …

White House Seeks Social Media Sob Stories from Conservative Snowflakes  —  Was someone mean to you on Twitter?  The White House wants to know about it.  As of Wednesday, a new tool on the White House website allows visitors to report suspected “political bias” from social media companies.

Silver Bulletpoints: Why Did All The White Guys Stampede Into The Race So Late?  —  Today is Thursday, May 16, 2019, which means we have 538 days4 worth of #content to bring you until the 2020 presidential election.  In today's edition of Silver Bulletpoints, we'll ask the age-old question …

Why I Am Determined to End Voter Suppression  —  As more people of color claim political power, efforts to block them will accelerate — unless we act.  —  Ms. Abrams is the founder of the voting rights group Fair Fight Action.  —  ATLANTA — In the mid-1960s, when my father was a teenager, he was arrested.

De Blasio, Etc.: Why Are So Many Implausible Democrats Running?  —  The party has created incentives for hopeless candidates to prolong their campaigns.  You can't blame them for trying.  —  Okay, I was wrong.  Earlier this year, I guessed repeatedly that the Democratic presidential field …

It's Time to Reduce Corporate Influence at the Pentagon  —  I've made the short trip between the Washington DC airport and the United State Senate more times than I can count — sometimes just barely catching my flight back to Boston, Bailey and Bruce.

Barr Says He Isn't Blocking Mueller's Testimony to Congress  —  Attorney General William Barr denied he is standing in the way of special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony before Congress.

'We won't tell you': DeSantis, a onetime firebrand, is stonewalled by the FBI  —  TALLAHASSEE— Gov. Ron DeSantis shaped his political identity in Congress by taking on the FBI and criticizing its Russia investigation.  —  But as Florida governor, not only has DeSantis toned down the FBI bashing, he's even doing the bureau's bidding.