Gun Violence Is Actually Worse in Red States.  It's Not Even Close.  —  America's regions are poles apart when it comes to gun deaths and the cultural and ideological forces that drive them.  —  POLITICO illustration/Source: Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University

‘Destroy This Guy’: Why Trump's Campaign Against DeSantis Is So Personal  —  Trump's 2024 orbit is loaded with DeSantis alums.  Some say DeSantis made his staff's lives miserable.  They want to return the favor  —  DONALD TRUMP LOATHES Ron DeSantis for the Florida governor's “disloyal” …

House Republicans punt on national abortion ban amid fears of 2024 backlash  —  House Republicans are abandoning a years-long push by their party to pass a federal abortion ban and are exploring other ways to advance their anti-abortion agenda - a remarkable shift that underscores how the GOP …

NBC News poll: Nearly 70% of GOP voters stand behind Trump amid indictment, investigations  —  But large majorities of all Americans are sour on a Trump v. Biden rematch in 2024.  —  A whopping two-thirds of Republican primary voters say they stand behind former President Donald Trump …

Lindsey Graham Erupts at CNN's Dana Bash in Tense Exchange Over Abortion Access  —  ‘NO!  NO!  NO!’  —  Graham touted false claims and resorted to attacking the media when asked about abortion.  —  When pressed on abortion rights during a tense CNN interview on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham …

Gun Idolatry Is Destroying the Case for Guns  —  On June 26, 2018, our family experienced one of the most terrifying nights of our lives.  It began with a strange and chilling direct message to our son — an image of three Klan hoods.  That was strange enough, but sadly not all that surprising.

GOP Governor Just Comes Out And Says It: ‘Donald Trump Is A Loser’  —  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) didn't hold back on Sunday and called former President Donald Trump that one word that gets to him more than any others: a loser.  That's why Trump has never conceded the 2020 election.

Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot  —  After abortion rights supporters swept six ballot measures last year, Republican legislatures seek to make it harder to get on the ballot, and harder to win if there is a vote.

McCarthy's debt ceiling plan is theater unworthy of a high school gym  —  When Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) nominated Kevin McCarthy for House speaker on the eighth ballot in January's 15-ballot spectacle, he spoke words meant to reassure the party's right-wing holdouts about the California Republican.

‘Kids Were Marched Everywhere.  This Was a Concentration Camp.’  —  In 1819, the federal government instituted a program of state-sponsored abductions and forced assimilation of Native American children.  It lasted 150 years and spawned a legacy of horrific abuse.  Now, survivors and their descendants are speaking out

Our lawmakers are more religious than we are  —  Members of Congress are more Christian — and more religious — than the American public by wide margins, according to an analysis of data reviewed by Axios. … - It also shows how the nation's two-party system, with its partisan primaries …

House GOP's money machine  —  House Republicans in competitive districts dominated their Democratic counterparts in fundraising during the first three months of 2023, according to an Axios analysis. … - On average, the Republicans raised $686,075, while the Democrats brought in $404,687.

Chinese Censorship Is Quietly Rewriting the Covid-19 Story  —  Under government pressure, Chinese scientists have retracted studies and withheld or deleted data.  The censorship has stymied efforts to understand the virus.  —  Mara Hvistendahl, an investigative reporter who has worked …

The conservative campaign to rewrite child labor laws  —  The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank and lobbying group, drafted state legislation to strip child workplace protections, emails show  —  When Iowa lawmakers voted last week to roll …

Five takeaways from the Supreme Court's abortion pill ruling  —  The Supreme Court's decision is good for science and especially good for women.  —  Late Friday, the Supreme Court wisely left the abortion medication mifepristone fully available on the market, at least for the months ahead.

Sacklers Gave Millions to Institution That Advises on Opioid Policy  —  Even as the nation's drug crisis mounted, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine continued to accept funds from some members of the Sackler family, including those involved with Purdue Pharma.

Lula's stance on Ukraine war mars his Iberian trip  —  Brazilian president's intransigence highlights EU's difficulty convincing global south to hold Russia accountable  —  Brazil's president is touring the Iberian peninsula in an attempt to boost ties with the EU, but his persistent claims …

How Washington allowed bank CEOs to pocket huge bonuses amid failure  —  Executive pay rules are getting new scrutiny after Silicon Valley Bank's collapse — but still they may not change  —  The 44-page PowerPoint presentation to federal banking regulators was clear and direct …

Dick Durbin: Clarence Thomas would have ignored our request anyway  —  Durbin asked Chief Justice John Roberts to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month.  —  Sen. Dick Durbin, chair of the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday he expects Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas …

Who was the real Martin Luther King, Jr.?  —  King: A Life is the first comprehensive biography of the black civil rights hero to appear in more than thirty years  —  https://thespectator.com/book-and-art/ real-martin-luther-king-jr-biography- jonathan-eig/  —  Jonathan Eig's new King …

Wagner group surges in Africa as U.S. influence fades, leak reveals  —  The Wagner group is moving aggressively to establish a “confederation” of anti-Western states in Africa as the Russian mercenaries foment instability while using their paramilitary and disinformation capabilities …

In wake of Ralph Yarl shooting, Black teens face fear and resignation  —  Justin Monroe is not quite a teenager yet.  The 12-year-old likes playing basketball and laughing at his big brother's jokes.  He's not exactly sure what he wants to be when he grows up, but he can see himself as a business owner.