Top Items:


Trump Administration Draft Order Calls for Drastic Overhaul of State Department — The draft executive order to be signed by President Trump would eliminate Africa operations and shut down bureaus working on democracy, human rights and refugee issues. — A draft White House executive order proposes …
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg, The Guardian and emptywheel


Sen. Chris Van Hollen says America is in a ‘constitutional crisis’ as Trump disregards court orders in the Abrego Garcia case — The Maryland senator told “Meet the Press” that the Trump administration needs to litigate the case in courtrooms rather than social media posts.
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GOP Sen. John Kennedy says Trump administration should not send Americans to foreign prisons — The Louisiana senator also said he doesn't believe Trump has the authority to fire a Federal Reserve chair. — Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pushed back Sunday on President Donald Trump's expressed interest …
Discussion:
USA Today


Vance meets Pope Francis on Easter Sunday after tangle over migration, gets chocolate eggs for kids — U.S. Vice President JD Vance met briefly with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings, after they got into a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration's migrant deportation plans.
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Pope meets Vance, then releases Easter message decrying ‘logic of fear’ — The visit at the Vatican brought together the ailing head of the Catholic church and a high-profile convert who has criticized the pope's social teachings. — Vance meets with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday


Boeing begins flying back planes refused by Chinese airlines — Beijing orders carriers to stop taking deliveries of US jets as part of its trade war strategy — The US plane manufacturer Boeing has begun flying 737 Max jets that were refused by Chinese airline customers back to the United States …


Thousands of protesters rally against Trump across US — Thousands of protesters rallied in Washington and other cities across the U.S. on Saturday to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump's policies on deportations, government firings, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Discussion:
NPR and Associated Press
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‘Shame!’ Protesters Nationwide Rally Again to Condemn Trump Policies.
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN, UPI, CNBC, The Verge, Associated Press, The Guardian, KSLNewsRadio, Daily Camera, WTOP News, The Independent, Fox News, East Bay Times, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Al Jazeera, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and NPR


Zuckerberg, Dimon Are Among Top Sellers Ahead of Tariff Stock Rout — Billionaire Oracle CEO also unloaded shares in first quarter before markets tumbled. — Insiders including Meta Platforms Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle Corp.'s Safra Catz and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jamie Dimon cashed …


Read Justice Alito's Dissent — Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote that the Supreme Court's decision to block the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants under a wartime law was premature. … See more on: Samuel A. Alito Jr., U.S. Supreme Court — Our Coverage of the Supreme Court
Discussion:
RedState, New York Times, The Independent and National Review


This Midwestern city has long been a federal hub. The pain from DOGE's cuts is everywhere — In her 28 years working for the federal government, Shea Giagnorio provided day care for the children of U.S. soldiers, training for employees and oversight for safety net programs.


Kash Patel Embraces the Limelight, Unlike Recent F.B.I. Directors — Kash Patel's embrace of the spotlight appears to be a break from the recent past, as his predecessors typically did the job with little fanfare. — Kash Patel flew to Miami on Air Force One last weekend to watch …


The America I loved is gone — It was a nation of dreams, built for the screen. Then it shattered — The first impression America gave me was gentle carelessness. We were driving down from Canada to visit family friends in Texas sometime in the mid- to late 1980s …


U.S. citizen in Arizona detained by immigration officials for 10 days — IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS IN TUCSON ARRESTED THE 19-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM ALBUQUERQUE ON APRIL 8, SAYING HE HAD ENTERED THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, BEFORE A JUDGE DISMISSED HIS CASE ON APRIL 17. — 19-year-old Jose Hermosillo …


As legal fight raged, ICE buses filled with Venezuelans heading toward airport turned around, video shows — At least 28 detainees were placed on buses Friday evening at ICE's Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, and then driven toward an airport about an hour away.


‘A Huge Negative Shock’: Three Experts Game Out Recession Odds and Economic Uncertainty — Josh Barro, a contributing Opinion writer, hosted a written online conversation with Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council from 2023 to 2025 and a former vice chair of the Federal Reserve …


Ukraine's Zelenskiy says Russian army ‘trying to create impression’ of Easter ceasefire — Russia and Ukraine blamed each other on Sunday for breaking a one-day Easter ceasefire announced by President Vladimir Putin, with both sides accusing the other of carrying out hundreds of attacks.


Musk to Force Pentagon to Build and Then Pay Him to Use Network of Killer Satellites … This is a two day old article. But with so much else going on I hadn't seen it. If you haven't really must read it. It's one of growing number of examples that the US government is at present essentially …
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Three Hegseth aides ousted in leak investigation decry ‘baseless attacks’ — Three former senior advisers to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decried on Saturday what they called “baseless attacks” after each was escorted from the Pentagon in an expanding probe on information leaks.
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller


Trump isn't holding rallies these days — and doesn't seem to miss them much — “There's really no reason to do it,” a senior White House official said of holding a rally. — In his first eight months in the White House in 2017, Donald Trump held nine rallies — the kind of campaign-style events …


Trump claims unfettered presidential power on immigration — The president's deportations have created a clash between the rule of law and due process, and his assertions of presidential power and resistance to challenges by federal judges. — From the day he came down the escalator …
Discussion:
Grabien


Democrats face growing calls for generational change — Calls for generational change among Democrats are growing louder as the party seeks to chart a path forward going into the 2026 midterms. — On Wednesday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair David Hogg's group Leaders …


Medicaid cuts risk worsening Black maternal health crisis — Advocates are warning lawmakers that the proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will leave millions of pregnant Black women at a heightened risk of death, worsening the maternal mortality crisis and its racial disparities.


America's Second-Richest Elected Official Is Acting Like He Wants to Be President — Billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is one of the top Democrats being watched as the party searches for a way out of the political wilderness — CHICAGO—If JB Pritzker runs for the Democratic presidential nomination …
Discussion:
Politico