The Trendlines DeSantis Doesn't Want to See  —  A new survey of Republican grassroots leaders shows Trump making real gains. … Former President Donald Trump is regaining favor with once skeptical Republican grassroots leaders — largely at the expense of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — according to my latest survey.

Incel nation  —  One problem I have with the whole “mental illness” frame for talking about mass shooters, is that the “mental illness” often appears to be garden variety authoritarian ethno-nationalist misogyny, with the misogyny being the really critical ideological lynchpin (h/t commenter Karen from Texas):

State Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns ahead of expulsion vote over inappropriate relationship with aide  —  Slaton faced the prospect of becoming the first Texas House member to be expelled since 1927.  —  Rep. Bryan Slaton resigned from the Texas House on Monday after an investigation determined …

Senate Democrats ask billionaire Harlan Crow to list gifts to Clarence Thomas and any other justices  —  Democrats on the Judiciary Committee requested the GOP megadonor provide an itemized list of gifts worth more than $415 that he gave to Thomas or any other justice or their family members.

Elon Musk's obsession with anti-white bias  —  On May 1, Jordan Neely, an unhoused subway busker and Michael Jackson impersonator with a history of mental illness, was killed on the F train in New York City.  At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Neely entered a subway car and began screaming that he was hungry and thirsty.

The Trump rape trial is headed to the jury.  Here are the questions jurors will weigh.  —  Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll and Donald Trump presented more than four hours of closing arguments on Monday.  —  Lawyers for Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll offered closing arguments Monday …

Maddow highlights the Nazi speakers welcomed to Trump Doral Miami event this week  —  MSNBC host Rachel Maddow began her Monday show with a list of pro-Nazi speakers that are being welcomed to the Trump Hotel in Miami for an event where a number of former White House officials will also be speaking.

Far-right faction pushes to oust ‘traitors’ from Georgia GOP  —  A far-right faction that has gained clout in the Georgia GOP wants to give the state party new powers to block candidates from qualifying to run as Republicans if they're deemed to be insufficiently conservative or a “traitor” to the party.

Cheney launches New Hampshire TV ad slashing Trump  —  First on NBC News: The former House member previously said she would do everything in her power to prevent Trump from becoming president again.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Liz Cheney isn't a presidential candidate — at least not yet.

Melania fully behind Trump's 2024 campaign, says it would be a ‘privilege’ to serve as first lady again  —  Melania Trump would focus on ‘Be Best’ initiatives focused on children if first lady for a second term  —  EXCLUSIVE: Melania Trump supports her husband's re-election campaign …

Georgia GOP chairman says he was just following orders from Trump lawyers  —  Lawyers representing David Shafer, the embattled chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, are arguing their client should not be charged with any crimes for his actions following the 2020 election …

Americans Lack Confidence in Major Economic Leaders  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the U.S. facing a deadline to increase the nation's debt limit and the threat of an economic recession looming, Americans lack confidence in a variety of key U.S. leaders on economic matters.

Why the Latest Clarence Thomas Revelation Is the Most Insulting  —  In 1969, Justice Abe Fortas resigned his seat at the Supreme Court for accepting $15,000 in exchange for a series of paid lectures at American University.  Part of the Fortas scandal also involved news of him accepting …

Trump prohibited from posting evidence in hush money case to social media, judge rules  —  Judge Juan Merchan largely sided with a request from the Manhattan district attorney's office regarding what Trump can publicly say about aspects of the case.  —  The New York state judge presiding …

Trust in Media 2023: What news outlets do Americans trust most for information?  —  The divide between Democrats and Republicans on which news sources are trustworthy remains stark.  —  Last year, The Economist / YouGov published the results of a poll asking Americans where they get their news …

May 8, 2023 (Monday)  —  The man authorities have identified as the shooter who murdered eight people and wounded at least seven others at a mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday, Mauricio Garcia, appears to have been a white supremacist.  He sported Nazi tattoos and wore a patch on his vest that said …

A WaPo Poll Found That Significant Majorities Support Pro-Trans Policies, But Reported The Exact Opposite  —  Putting a giant “Most in U.S. back GOP's anti-trans policies” headline on the front page when describing a poll that found that to be false is journalistic malpractice.  —  Hey everyone, Parker here.

What Else Do Tucker Carlson's Unredacted Texts Reveal?  —  Confider reveals some more previously unreported text exchanges in which Tucker gripes about being stuck at Fox and Jesse Watters demands a few hard-news heads roll. … Late last week, we revealed previously unreported text exchanges …

A security guard, an engineer, 3 children among the Allen mall shooting victims  —  Seven of the eight people killed in Saturday's mass shooting have been identified.  —  North Texans grieved in the aftermath of gunfire that killed eight people and wounded seven others at an Allen mall …

Florida lawmakers want to use radioactive material to pave roads  —  Roads in Florida could soon include phosphogypsum — a radioactive waste material from the fertilizer industry — under a bill lawmakers have sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis.  —  Conservation groups are urging DeSantis to veto the bill …

Timothy McVeigh's Dreams Are Coming True  —  This column has been updated to reflect news developments.  —  Timothy McVeigh, the right-wing terrorist who killed 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, cared about one issue above all others: guns.  To him, guns were synonymous with freedom …