The simple reason Republican Sunday show hits are disasters  —  It's hard to defend the indefensible. … Not so long ago, the Sunday morning news shows were a vital part of the political ecosphere.  Politicians and government officials clamored for the mainstream platform provided by ABC's This Week …

Biden's big donors fume over Israel criticism … - “Bad, Bad, Bad, decision, on all levels, Pls reconsider,” he wrote in a message obtained by Axios and other news outlets.  — He added: “Let's not forget that there are more Jewish voters, who care about Israel, than Muslim voters that care about Hamas.”

House Democrats' Surprise Campaign Play: Embracing Border Security  —  Republicans blamed Biden for surge in illegal crossings but blocked bipartisan deal  —  WASHINGTON—Some House Democrats are leaning into border security on the campaign trail after years of playing defense against Republican criticism …

Paul Manafort, poised to rejoin Trump world, aided Chinese media deal  —  The former Trump campaign chairman, who's likely to help manage this summer's GOP convention, resumed consulting work after being pardoned in 2020.

Trump team throws out GOP plan and builds a ‘leaner’ 2024 operation  —  The new plan calls for fewer offices, less staff and a focus on new partnerships with outside groups — raising concerns among some Republicans.  —  Donald Trump's 2020 campaign called itself a “juggernaut” …

Hoping tensions ease, House Republicans still brace for more drama  —  Many House Republicans don't believe Marjorie Taylor Greene and other agitators are going to “move on” as Speaker Mike Johnson hopes.  —  Shortly after House lawmakers overwhelming rejected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's attempt …

Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to two schools  —  School board members in Virginia's Shenandoah County voted early Friday to restore the names of two schools that previously honored Confederate leaders - four years after those names had been removed.

Trump gets Barron's age wrong when asked about his youngest son's convention role  —  In an interview with Telemundo 51, Trump offered that Barron, who turned 18 in March, is 17 years old.  —  Former President Donald Trump misstated the age of his youngest son in an interview that aired Thursday …

Jim Jordan's quiet power play for 2025 … - Jordan privately told colleagues what he would be doing differently than Johnson during the recent fight over foreign aid funding, multiple sources told Axios.  — The Ohio Republican has been noticed handing out more campaign checks to colleagues, multiple lawmakers told Axios.

US to announce new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine  —  The package includes new Patriot missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Bradley fighting vehicles, MRAPs, Javelin anti-armor systems and other munitions.  —  The United States will announce a new $400 million military aid package …

Medical residents are starting to avoid states with abortion bans, data shows  —  Isabella Rosario Blum was wrapping up medical school and considering residency programs to become a family practice physician when she got some frank advice: If she wanted to be trained to provide abortions, she shouldn't stay in Arizona.

Rick Scott tries to rewrite history on $1.7 billion Medicare fraud controversy  —  Conventional political wisdom would typically advise candidates to steer clear of mentioning their past controversies.  —  But U.S. Sen. Rick Scott went out of his way, quite literally, on Thursday …

Playbook: MAGA Mike vs. Speaker Johnson  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  PROTEST-PROOFING THE DNC — In a newsy column just posted, Jonathan Martin looks at the quiet effort to engineer this summer's Democratic National Convention …

BREAKING: President Pollack to Retire After Seven Years of Leadership  —  President Martha Pollack announced that she will retire from her position on June 30, in an email sent to the Cornell community on Thursday, May 9.  —  Provost Michael Kotlikoff will serve as interim president …

At a Dinner, Trump Assailed Climate Rules and Asked $1 Billion From Big Oil  —  At a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the former president said fossil fuel companies should donate to help him beat President Biden.  —  Former President Donald J. Trump told a group of oil executives …

Trump's trial trap: Voters to be his most important jury … - “It really is an all-or-nothing strategy in the sense that the delaying tactic could be a complete victory if he were to be elected president,” said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor.  — Judges have latitude in sentencing …

California Students Get $1 Million After They Were Expelled for Wearing Supposedly Racist Acne Masks  —  During a sleepover in August 2017, three 14-year-old boys, two of whom were about to start attending St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California, took a picture of themselves wearing dark green acne masks.

Gaza war: Netanyahu vows to defeat Hamas in Rafah despite US arms threat  —  Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed Israel can “stand alone”, after the US warned arms shipments could be stopped if he orders a full-scale invasion of Rafah in Gaza.  —  Thousands of people have already fled the southern city …

A top Biden aide highlights a coming showdown with GOP over 2017 tax cuts that are due to expire  —  The Biden White House wants voters to know about its differences with Republicans over taxes, with a top aide making the case for higher rates on corporations and the ultra-wealthy.