Tennessee vote marks latest GOP move to stifle dissent, experts say  —  Tennessee Republicans' dramatic expulsion of two Democrats who agitated for gun control in the state Capitol after a mass killing is the latest move by Republican state leaders around the country to stifle dissent and expand …

Justice Thomas addresses report he accepted luxury travel from GOP donor for years  —  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday he had been advised “by colleagues and others in the judiciary” that luxury trips financed by a close billionaire friend and conservative activist …

Trump Moves to Hire Laura Loomer, Anti-Muslim Activist  —  The former president recently directed advisers to give Ms. Loomer, who has a long history of bigoted remarks, a role in support of his candidacy, people familiar with the move said.  —  Former President Donald J. Trump has told aides …

The Abortion Ban Backlash Is Starting to Freak Out Republicans  —  After the Republican Party's disappointing performance in the 2022 midterms, fueled in large part by a backlash to the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Republican National Committee recommitted itself to anti-abortion maximalism.

Twitter now disables likes, replies, and retweets if a tweet has Substack links … Writers trying to embed tweets in their Substack stories are in for a rude surprise: after pasting a link to the site, a message pops up saying that “Twitter has unexpectedly restricted access to embedding tweets …

Mehdi Hasan Dismantles The Entire Foundation Of The Twitter Files As Matt Taibbi Stumbles To Defend It  —  So here's the deal.  If you think the Twitter Files are still something legit or telling or powerful, watch this 30 minute interview that Mehdi Hasan did with Matt Taibbi (at Taibbi's own demand):

North Dakota senators vote to boost their own meal reimbursements after rejecting free school lunch bill  —  Thirteen Republican senators voted to increase meal reimbursements for state employees after voting against a bill to expand free school lunches for low-income students.

March Jobs Report Shows Hiring Gradually Cooled  —  The labor market remains solid but has shown signs of gradual cooling  —  U.S. hiring gradually cooled in March as employers added 236,000 workers.  The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%.  —  The labor market has continued to boom a year …

‘Chilling Effect’: Arrest of Journalist Has Made Covering Russia Even Tougher  —  The detention of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich poses new obstacles for Western journalists seeking to report on Vladimir V. Putin's rule.  —  The exodus began roughly a year ago, in the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Elon Musk says NPR's ‘state-affiliated media’ label might not have been accurate  —  Twitter CEO Elon Musk said the platform's recent labeling of NPR as “state-affiliated media” might not have been accurate during a series of email exchanges that provided a glimpse into the billionaire's thought process …

Nord Stream Sabotage Theories Deepen as Shreds of Evidence Emerge  —  Intelligence leaks surrounding the sabotage of the pipelines have provided more questions than answers.  It may be in no one's interest to reveal more.  —  Russian and Danish naval vessels that disappear in the Baltic Sea, days before an underwater pipeline blast.

Kevin McCarthy's blame game sweeps Capitol Hill  —  As debt limit pressure mounts, it's GOP leadership — not just the rank-and-file — that's in disarray.  —  Soon after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy cliched the speakership, some of his allies began to fret: How the hell was he going to live …

Ukraine War Plans Leak Prompts Pentagon Investigation  —  Classified documents detailing secret American and NATO plans have appeared on Twitter and Telegram.  —  WASHINGTON — Classified war documents detailing secret American and NATO plans for building up the Ukrainian military ahead …

‘Buckle up’: DeSantis escalates Disney dispute, eyes hotel taxes and road tolls  —  The DeSantis administration is also examining if a recent agreement approved between a Central Florida board that had been controlled by Disney and the company runs afoul of the state's growth laws, according to senior administration officials.

The Ultimate Political Shmear Campaign  —  How D.C. — finally! — became a legitimate center of bagel excellence.  —  When Rep. Dan Goldman launched the congressional bagel caucus shortly upon entering Congress, it was with the lofty goal of using food to bring comity to an institution severely lacking it.