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9:40 AM ET, April 20, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Politico:
Republicans stare down a growing, neverending FISA crisis … For many Republicans, the high-drama meltdown in the House was entirely predictable and has been months in the making, after Trump demanded a clean extension of the surveillance law despite well-documented skepticism within his own party.
RELATED:
Politico:   Capitol agenda: FISA fight weighs on GOP priorities
Politico:
Trump's inconvenient truth
Discussion: Raw Story
Reuters:
Ceasefire at risk after US seizes Iranian ship, Iran shuns peace talks  —  A ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared in jeopardy on Monday after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.
RELATED:
Garrett Downs / CNBC:
U.S. struck, seized Iranian-flagged ship Touska in Gulf of Oman, Trump says
NBC News:
Justice Department demands Michigan county turn over 2024 ballots  —  Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel dismissed the latest election inquiry from the Trump administration as “absurd” and “baseless.”  —  The Justice Department has demanded Wayne County, Michigan …
RELATED:
Emma Whitford / Inside Higher Ed:
Faculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing Censorship Concerns  —  Fed up with the state's censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom.  —  Texas A&M philosophy professor Martin Peterson …
Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real Possibility  —  Helped by a favorable national environment and strong candidate recruitment, Democrats are tied or ahead in four Republican-held seats, polls show.  —  At the start of the 2026 election cycle, the Senate looked far out of reach for the Democrats.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Democrats Eye a Broader Battlefield to Capture Congress in November
Discussion: Daily Kos and Politico
Steve Vladeck / One First:
221. Chief Justice Roberts and the Clean Power Plan  —  Remarkable reporting from the New York Times provides a peek behind the curtain of the February 2016 rulings that ushered in the modern emergency docket.  And what it reveals is pretty discouraging.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” …
Discussion: Law Dork, MS NOW and RedState
RELATED:
William Baude / Divided Argument:   The Non-Scandalous Clean Power Plan Memos
New York Times:
Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs  —  The government will debut a system to repay importers two months after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs at the heart of the president's trade policy.  —  When President Trump unveiled his sprawling global tariffs last spring …
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump Library Saga Takes Dark Turn: Where Did Millions in Funding Go?  —  Last year, four huge companies pledged tens of millions of dollars to help fund the creation of Donald Trump's presidential library, a planned monstrosity in Miami that—in a perfect Trumpian twist—may also double as a hotel.
New York Times:
Energy Secretary Says Gas Prices May Stay Above $3 Until 2027  —  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright's acknowledgment in a TV interview undercut President Trump's earlier claim that price increases would be “short-term.”  —  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Sunday that gasoline prices …
RELATED:
Nick Marsh / BBC:
The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency  —  Throughout US President Donald Trump's second term in office, traders have been betting millions of dollars just before he makes major announcements.  —  The BBC has examined trade volume data on several financial markets …
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Wall Street Journal:
U.A.E. Asks U.S. About a Wartime Financial Lifeline  —  Emirati officials speak with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about accessing dollars if Middle East conflict drags on  —  WASHINGTON—The United Arab Emirates has opened talks with the U.S. about obtaining a financial backstop in case …
Washington Examiner:
Universities cannot survive as left-wing echo chambers  —  Trust in higher education is near an all-time low, and a new Yale University report suggests colleges have only themselves to blame.  —  In addition to problems such as high prices, opaque admissions processes, and declining academic standards …
RELATED:
Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:   Why Yale's term paper on what's wrong with college gets a ‘D-’
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Power without accountability: The Palantir manifesto  —  It is not enough for the broligarchy to have untold wealth.  They also wanted political power.  Now they have that.  And they want to be esteemed as philosopher kings, while simultaneously shielded from criticism.  Well, that's a taller order.
Russell Contreras / Axios:
The pope's English fuels a Trump feud  —  Escalating tensions between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump may hinge on something unusually simple: the pope doesn't need a translator. … - Without that layer, Leo's comments land more directly in the American media ecosystem and to American Catholics …
Discussion: Raw Story
Gary Fields / Associated Press:
With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington  —  The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington's Tidal Basin annually.  This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial …
Washington Post:
Uncertainty reigns at DOJ in the aftermath of Bondi's departure  —  Acting attorney general Todd Blanche has moved quickly to put his stamp on the department, but other Trump loyalists also appear to be vying for leading roles.  —  Summary  —  Since President Donald Trump tapped Todd Blanche …
Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth's Feud With Army Secretary Spills Into Public View  —  Spat comes as the military faces unprecedented commitments around the world  —  Soon after his first day at the Pentagon in early 2025, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll walked into his boss's office with a proposal.
New York Times:
Iran War Live Updates: Iran Vows Retaliation for U.S. Attack on Cargo Ship  —  President Trump said that a U.S. Navy destroyer had fired on an Iran-flagged vessel that was trying to evade a blockade.  He also said an American delegation was heading to Pakistan for more peace talks …
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
How Trump is wooing Joe Rogan after their Iran split  —  President Trump and his administration officials are working aggressively behind the scenes to court Joe Rogan, even as the podcast titan torches the president over the Iran war. … The president knows that keeping him close still matters.
Washington Post:
He sat atop an extremist empire.  She thought he needed money. … Summary  —  Kristine Kasubienski's donation appeared on viewers' screens four hours into the live stream of Nick Fuentes, the far-right influencer she often called her second son.  —  “I pray DAILY for your safety,” …
Discussion: Raw Story
Vox:
Pete Hegseth's spiritual leader explains his radical faith  —  The Christian nationalist pastor swaying the Trump administration discusses Trump, Iran, and the pope. … War is nothing new for America — but the way Pete Hegseth talks about it is.  President Donald Trump's secretary …
 
 
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Rachel Roubein / Washington Post:
KitKat, Gatorade or granola bars? What's banned under new SNAP rules is mixed.   Find
 
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 More Items: 
Politico:
Set on ousting Cassidy, MAHA faces first midterms testNEW!
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Politico:
Big-city politicians are starting to worry about the World Cup10 minutes ago
Discussion: New Republic
Jackie Llanos / NOTUS:
The Trump Administration's DACA Renewal Delays Are Pushing People Out of Work25 minutes ago
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
The Supreme Court will decide when the police can use your phone to track you
Discussion: Los Angeles Times
Rachel Roubein / Washington Post:
KitKat, Gatorade or granola bars? What's banned under new SNAP rules is mixed.
Bloomberg:
Fed Pick Warsh to Face Senate Grilling With Confirmation in Limbo
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Trump Is dooming his party to a midterm blowout
Ed Mazza / HuffPost:
Now Trump Reportedly Wants Nation's Highest Military Honor... For Himself
Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Maibritt Henkel / The Argument:
The New York Times is wrong about the birth rate
Discussion: STAT and Washington Examiner
Al Weaver / NOTUS:
Senate Republicans Agonize as Trump Tramples on Tax Cut Message
Discussion: Raw Story and MS NOW
Julian Mark / Washington Post:
Supreme Court justices turn children's books into big paydays
Sebastian Starcevic / Politico:
Slovenia's prime minister admits he cannot form a government
Discussion: Bloomberg
Lauren Egan / The Bulwark:
Dems Aren't Buying Reports of Alito Staying Put
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Harry Keyishian, Lead Plaintiff in Academic Freedom Case, Dies at 93
MS NOW:
‘Most important speech...that should never have been given’: Fmr Judge pans SCOTUS justice's remarks
Discussion: Raw Story
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
More than 250 ex-broadcast journalists urge WHCA dinner organizers “to forcefully demonstrate opposition” to Trump's “efforts to trample freedom of the press”

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Bill Ackman proposes merging UMG with his SPAC and naming Michael Ovitz as chair, an offer UMG is likely to reject; UMG stock is down 20% since 2021

August Brown / Los Angeles Times:
How Trump's immigration policies, visa fees, and fuel costs are affecting international artists' US tours; Pollstar: US concert volume in Q1 is down ~17% YoY

 
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