memeorandum

6:50 AM ET, April 28, 2026

Top Items:

Mike Johnson's week unravels — IN TODAY'S EDITION: — A FISA and farm bill fiasco — What King Charles III will tell Congress — Don't bank on the ballroom — Speaker Mike Johnson's week just started and it's already falling apart. — Internal GOP strife forced …

Politico:

Hill Republicans lack a clear path to get Trump his ballroom … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C) said he has been hearing from Trump directly about the ballroom and wants Senate Majority Leader John Thune to “expedite” consideration of his new bill with GOP Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt …

Discussion: Semafor, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner and The Hill

Punchbowl News:

4/28/26☀️ AM: … This week is already unraveling for House Republicans. And it's only Tuesday. … GOP leaders haven't been able to resolve the same complaints from conservatives they've heard for weeks now, threatening what the White House and U.S. intelligence officials call a vital surveillance tool.

NBC News:
Congressional Republicans are split on using taxpayer funds to build Trump's ballroom

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Independent, Roll Call, Bloomberg and NewsMax.com

Riley Beggin / Washington Post:
House may scrap DHS funding bill, likely extending agency's shutdown

Discussion: Fox News, Politico, CNN, Axios, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, The Independent, ABC News, Breitbart and Washington Examiner

Chris Geidner / Law Dork:

Breaking: DOJ's leaders just filed what amounts to a Truth social post as a legal filing in the ballroom case — Acting A.G. Todd Blanche, Associate A.G. Stanley Woodward, and Trent McCotter beclowned themselves in yet another dark, embarrassing moment for DOJ.

Discussion: Washington Post and CBS News

Washington Post:
National Trust rejects Trump demand to drop ballroom suit in wake of shooting

Discussion: Politico, Law and Chaos, The Hill, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, UPI, Law Dork, WTTG-TV, Associated Press and Letters from an American

Carol Quillen / @SavingPlaces:
Statement in Response to DOJ Demand to Drop Ballroom Lawsuit

Discussion: NBC News, The National Pulse, UPI, The Independent, NewsMax.com, The Guardian, New Republic, CNBC, MeidasTouch News, RedState and Washington Examiner

Andrew Solender / Axios:

“I don't give a damn”: Jeffries defends “maximum warfare” remark … - After Virginians narrowly voted last week to approve a new map that could give Democrats a 10-1 majority, Jeffries said at a press conference: “We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, MS NOW, RedState, Washington Times, The Hill, Fox News, Newsbusters, The Post Millennial and PolitiFact

Riley Rogerson / Politico:

Jeffries says AI data centers will be Dem priority … Jeffries' comment comes as House Democratic leadership's AI priorities are beginning to crystallize. Earlier Monday, Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte and Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu — both members of leadership from California — introduced legislation to boost federal research on AI.

Discussion: twitchy.com, NewsMax.com, The Independent, Washington Examiner, Townhall, National Politics and NRCC

New York Times:

Trump Administration Will Pay More Energy Firms to Cancel Wind Farms — In exchange, the companies will invest in oil and gas projects, echoing an earlier deal with the French energy giant TotalEnergies. — The Trump administration will pay energy companies hundreds of millions of dollars …

Discussion: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Washington Examiner and KFMB

Abbie VanSickle / New York Times:

Supreme Court Appears Divided Over Roundup Weedkiller Case — The case could help determine the future of thousands of lawsuits against the maker of a popular herbicide over claims that it causes cancer. — The Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday during arguments in a dispute …

Discussion: STAT, PBS NewsHour, NC Newsline, Mother Jones, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Axios, Inside Climate News and American Prospect

Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Supreme Court hears Roundup case that could limit Americans' ability to sue pesticide companies

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Sun, American Prospect, NPR, One America News Network, Washington Examiner, UPI, NewsMax.com, The Guardian, Associated Press, National Politics and Reuters

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

Jamie Raskin's Harsh Trump Takedown on CNN Has Damning Hidden Message — Of all the media exchanges that unfolded in the wake of a deranged gunman's attack on the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the most telling by far was the one between CNN's Dana Bash and Representative Jamie Raskin on Sunday.

Discussion: twitchy.com, The Daily Wire, Washington Times, The Post Millennial, Wonkette and Newsbusters

The Atlantic:

The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About the War — Vice President J.D. Vance is worried that the U.S. is running low on weapons. — In closed-door meetings, J. D. Vance has repeatedly questioned the Defense Department's depiction of the war in Iran and whether …

Discussion: The Guardian, Semafor, NOTUS, Daily Caller News Foundation, Mediaite and DNYUZ

Lisa Friedman / New York Times:

How the Trump Administration Ended Independent Science at the E.P.A. — The agency's prestigious research office spent decades doing scientific work insulated from political pressure. Now it's being dismantled. — For more than a half-century, a prestigious scientific arm of the federal government …

Discussion: Steady

Michael D. Shear / New York Times: King Charles Will Speak of ‘Reconciliation and Renewal’ During Address to Congress

Douglas Soule / NPR:

Florida's DeSantis unveils a voting map that could add to Trump's GOP redistricting — TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed new Florida voting lines that could help Republicans win four additional seats in the U.S. House this November. — DeSantis has called lawmakers to a special legislative session starting Tuesday.

Discussion: The National Pulse, Florida Politics, ABC News, Axios, New York Magazine, National Review, Roll Call, CBS News, New York Sun, Washington Times, Washington Post, FOX 35 Orlando, UPI and The Hill

Fox News:
Ron DeSantis unveils new Florida congressional map that would give the GOP an extra four seats

Eva Fedderly / Straight Arrow News:

Accused correspondents' dinner shooter charged with trying to assassinate Trump — The California man accused of attacking the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday faces a potential life sentence for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Discussion: Daily Montanan, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, The Daily Signal, Breitbart and Mediaite

CNBC:
Cole Allen charged with trying to assassinate Trump at WHCD event

Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:

CBS News ousts London bureau chief Claire Day after she clashed with Bari Weiss over Iran, Gaza coverage: sources — CBS News has ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after she clashed with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss over the network's coverage of Iran and Gaza, The Post has learned.

Discussion: The National Pulse, Deadline and Variety, more at Mediagazer »

Mary Whitfill Roeloffs / Forbes:

Billionaires Tax Closer To California Ballot—Here's Who Has Already Left — Topline — Organizers of a proposal to impose a one-time, 5% tax on the wealth of California residents with assets worth at least $1.1 billion say they've collected twice as many signatures as they need …

Discussion: The National Pulse, The Guardian, DNYUZ, Mercury News, New York Post, HotAir, Associated Press, Fox Business, NBC News, CBS News, The Hill, The San Francisco Standard, NewsMax.com, New York Times and Wall Street Journal

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

GOP senators losing confidence in Hegseth amid Pentagon turmoil — Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misattributed a quote describing a resignation of Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, as a “real loss.” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) described George's departure in those terms.

Discussion: NewsMax.com, The Independent and Raw Story

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Affordability Still Dominates Americans' Financial Worries — WASHINGTON, D.C. — The high cost of living continues to top Americans' list of the most important financial problems facing their families. The 31% citing it in an open-ended question is below the 41% peak in 2024 but similar …

Discussion: Axios and Semafor

CNN:

Trump calls on ABC to fire Kimmel after he joked Melania was an ‘expectant widow’ — President Donald Trump called Monday for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he jokingly called first lady Melania Trump an “expectant widow” during a White House Correspondents' Dinner skit on his show last week.

Emily Goodin / New York Post:
Melania Trump blasts ‘coward’ Jimmy Kimmel over ‘hateful’ monologue delivered days before WHCD shooting

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, IJR, Mediaite, Fox News, HotAir, MS NOW, Vox, New York Times, DNYUZ, GB News, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit, Deadline, The Daily Wire, WALV-TV, Althouse, New Republic and Consequence, more at Mediagazer »

Garrett Graff / Doomsday Scenario:

The Trouble with Trump's Bunker and Ballroom — Is he building it to sustain an attack — or the end of democracy? … Saturday's incident was closer on the spectrum to the Clinton era “assassination attempt” when a guy opened fire on the White House with an AK-47 from the public sidewalk …

Discussion: New York Sun, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, NBC News, MS NOW, Bloomberg, Washington Post and NOTUS

Maydeen Merino / Washington Examiner:

Lee Zeldin clashes with Democrats over climate change and public health — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin clashed with Democrats over the agency's approach to climate change and public health. — Zeldin testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee on the Interior …

Discussion: Fox News, New York Post, NPR, RedState, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and House Committee …

Mike Konczal:

Cherry-Picking the Wrong Inflation Measures With Kevin Warsh — Let's play a game. Below is a list of 13 inflation measures. I want you to guess two of them. Specifically I want you to guess the two inflation metrics Kevin Warsh said were his preferred measures during his Senate nomination hearing last week.

Washington Post:

Trump wants a correspondents' dinner redo. Critics aren't convinced. — Following the shooting that disrupted the dinner, critics of the event — and of Trump's relationship with the press — have renewed calls to end the schmoozing between journalists and the administration. — Summary

Discussion: Raw Story and Washington Examiner

Filip Timotija / The Hill:

Senate Democrats probe attack that killed 6 US service members in Kuwait amid Iran war — A group of Senate Democrats are investigating an early March attack on U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait, where six service members were killed and another 20 were injured amid the U.S. war with Iran.

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Examiner and CBS News

New York Times:

Investigators in Trump Assassination Attempt Look Through Bluesky for Suspect's Motive — Federal authorities are looking into whether Cole Tomas Allen posted on Bluesky as “coldforce,” who wrote and promoted liberal views that did not stand out on the left-leaning platform.

Discussion: The Washington Free Beacon

The Economist:

Donald Trump is crushing America's farmers—yet they back him — They bore the brunt of his trade war. Now the war in Iran is pushing some to the brink — To sam watson, farming has always been a gamble. Raised in southern Georgia, he learned the risks from a young age …

Nick Garber / New York Focus:

Cuomo Allies Pour Money Into Race Against Lindsey Boylan … With the election just a day away, a New York City Council race has seen a surge of outside spending over the past week from a super PAC tied to allies of former governor Andrew Cuomo — whose treasurer is a sitting member of the city's Board of Elections.

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, City & State New York, Advocate and Gothamist

Liam Scott / Washington Post:

First came the shooting. Then, the conspiracy theories. — The shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner has sparked conspiracy theories on the left and the right that it was staged to drum up support for Trump and his ballroom. — Summary — About six hours after a shooter stormed …