A blinking red light for Israel in American politics  —  The shift has come amid rising internal frustrations inside the administration about the war.  —  In notably blunt terms Thursday, top U.S. officials made a series of warnings to the Israeli government that they were nearly out of patience with its conduct of the war in Gaza.

“Screws up female brains”: MAGA leaders are conditioning Republicans to back birth control bans  —  Charlie Kirk says the pill causes “angry, bitter young ladies” who vote for Democrats to get “free stuff”  —  Charlie Kirk, the head of the MAGA propaganda behemoth Turning Point USA …

The Freedom Caucus chair now wants the speaker's help.  Yes, you read that right.  —  Rep. Bob Good is the second straight chair of the conservative bloc to face political peril.  This time it's coming from within his own party.  —  The House Freedom Caucus has long hammered Republican speakers …

‘The nuclear button’: Special counsel could seek removal of judge in Trump classified docs case, attorneys warn  —  Special counsel Jack Smith and Judge Aileen Cannon traded terse words in filings this week.  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith could soon seek to have the judge presiding …

Hot streak for U.S. job growth continues in early months of 2024  —  The unemployment rate has now been below 4% for 26 consecutive months — a streak unseen in the United States since the 1960s.  —  Expectations heading into this morning showed projections of about 200,000 new jobs having been added in the United States in March.

Florida ensures Trump has to talk about abortion  —  It's the last thing Republicans want to do.  —  ∙ Paid  —  📈 Subscribe to Public Notice 📈  —  At a Donald Trump event this week in Michigan, a reporter asked the presumptive Republican presidential nominee to comment on Florida's new six-week abortion ban.

Republicans Shrug Off the ‘Massive Problem’ Awaiting Trump  —  DON'T SWEAT IT  —  Republicans acknowledge that Donald Trump is facing some big problems and is about to have a couple really bad months, but they're contending he's in a great position. … Republicans Grapple With Trump's Structural Disadvantage

What Liberals Get Wrong About ‘White Rural Rage’ — Almost Everything  —  Liberals who dump on rural America are getting the research wrong.  I know, because some of it is mine.  —  If you've been watching television or tracking trending topics over the last few weeks, you've probably seen or read something about “white rural rage.”

Former Trump officials are among the most vocal opponents of returning him to the White House  —  Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has called him a “threat to democracy.”  Former national security adviser John Bolton has declared him “unfit to be president.”

4.8 magnitude quake rattles New York City area  —  A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the New York City area Friday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).  —  The epicenter was near Lebanon, N.J., with a depth just shy of 3 miles, according to the USGS.

Ukraine Claims One of Its Biggest Attacks Inside Russia Just Destroyed Six Bombers  —  OBLITERATED  —  Drone attack struck an airfield where warplanes were parked up ready for action.  —  Ukraine is claiming to have destroyed at least six warplanes at an airfield in Russia in a major drone attack Friday.

The disturbing irony behind a disgraceful new endorsement of Trump  —  The Police Officers Association of Michigan claims backing Trump will restore “honor” to the profession.  Tell that to the U.S. Capitol Police.  —  On Tuesday, the 12,000-member Police Officers Association of Michigan …

Pluralistic: Too big to care (04 Apr 2024)  — Too big to care: Enshittification is a choice.  — Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.  — This day in history: 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023  — Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.  — Recent appearances: Where I've been.

RFK Jr. disavows fundraising email boosting ‘J6 activists’  —  The statement was an “error,” Kennedy's campaign said.  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign walked back a line in a fundraising email sent to supporters Thursday afternoon, which described people detained for storming the Capitol in 2021 as “J6 activists.”

Israeli military fires 2 officers as probe blames World Central Kitchen deaths on “mistaken identification”  —  The Israeli military announced Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission …

Ted Cruz Is Getting Nervous He's Going to Lose His Senate Seat  —  The Texas senator's questionable podcast deal with iHeartMedia is raising eyebrows amid his increasingly desperate fundraising efforts  —  THE WALLS ARE closing in around Ted Cruz, and the Republican senator is lashing out.

China Is Targeting U.S. Voters and Taiwan With AI-Powered Disinformation  —  Findings from Microsoft and others shed light on Beijing's expanding covert influence operations  —  SAN FRANCISCO—Online actors linked to the Chinese government are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence …

Let Me Rewrite That For You: NY Times Misinforms Readers About RFK & Biden  —  from the journalists-need-to-get-it-together dept  —  It's been a few years since I last did a “Let me rewrite that for you” post.  This idea was first suggested by the brilliant press critic Dan Froomkin.

Melania Trump is back, set to hold event for Log Cabin Republicans  —  The former first lady had been largely absent from the campaign trail.  —  Melania Trump, who has been largely absent from the campaign trail during her husband's presidential run, is back on the GOP fundraising circuit.

Iceland's Prime Minister Steps Down to Run for President  —  Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir will quit a year before the next general election to run for president in a move that could cost her environmentalist force the premiership in the north Atlantic nation.

Musk's X pivots again, restoring blue checks to popular accounts  —  The social network formerly known as Twitter is now gifting premium features to users with at least 2,500 verified followers  —  A year after his controversial decision to remove verification from popular Twitter accounts unless …

Russian military ‘almost completely reconstituted,’ US official says  —  Russia has rebuilt its military after suffering enormous losses during its invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.S. State Department official.  —  “We have assessed over the course of the last couple of months that Russia …

Election Updates: No Labels abandons its effort to field a presidential candidate.  —  We know voters are not enthusiastic about the rematch between former President Donald J. Trump and President Biden, based on recent polling.  No Labels' decision to call it quits means those dissatisfied voters …