Seriously, conventions after the age of 30 are sporting events
Virginia court declines to block Democrats from using new voter-approved congressional map
“Many a tradition and law has been laid down in the advancement of a national quest for political power, and the winds that will blow cannot yet be known. Nonetheless, this Court knows its role is clear. It is not to assess the wisdom of public policy nor to engage in policy making from the bench,” Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland wrote in his order. “Instead, it is to decide if those with whom we have entrusted power have exercised that power in conformance with their constitutional mandate. On this question, the Court’s answer is in the affirmative.”
Democracy Docket
Washington in shock after White House press dinner shooting: ‘an angry, polarized nation’
Questions raised about political violence, security and gun control after brazen attack at event attended by top officials
The Guardian
Is Markwayne Mullin’s FEMA Ready for Hurricane Season?
The new DHS chief has pledged to move on from the Kristi Noem era — but the disaster agency is still in disarray
Rolling Stone
4 charts show where money is going in the midterms — and who has the most cash
As the Democratic Party reckons with its future, a handful of older incumbents face well-funded, younger primary challengers who are fueled by a surge of individual contributions. This as nearly 70 lawmakers from both parties have already announced plans to retire, run for a different office or have already lost a primary election.
NPR
Palantir employees are talking about company’s “descent into fascism”
Slack messages, interviews with current and former works paint picture of company in turmoil.
Ars Technica
Judge signals trouble for Trump’s $10B lawsuit against the IRS
Court sets May hearing on whether president can sue the government he oversees.
Politico
White House pushed out new AI official after just four days on the job
The Department of Commerce had picked Anthropic researcher Collin Burns to lead the Center for AI Standards and Innovation.
The Washington Post
Trump’s budget would gut local libraries and museums. Congress is not on board.
President Donald Trump is looking to eliminate funding in fiscal 2027 for the agency that serves as the primary federal funding source for libraries and museums nationwide.
But congressional appropriators — who rebuffed similar efforts to gut the agency in fiscal 2026 — expressed little enthusiasm for the proposed cut in interviews with States Newsroom. Groups representing museums and libraries across the country also blasted the president’s proposal.
Michigan Advance
The AI Industry Is Discovering That the Public Hates It
If there was any doubt over the brewing public backlash to this technology, the last few weeks have erased it.
The New Republic
Vote Blue No Matter Who: Party Politics as Political Agency
Politics is a collective enterprise aimed at controlling the state, and requires working together as co-partisans.
Liberal Currents
Pope Leo affirms support for banning death penalty, marks 15 years since Illinois ban
In a short video sent Friday to DePaul University students, the pope said, “We affirm that the dignity of the person is not lost even after very serious crimes are committed.”
Chicago Sun-Times
Justice Department makes it easier to deport those with DACA status
A new precedent decision published Friday by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) says being a DACA recipient is not enough reason to provide relief from deportation.
A three-judge panel of appellate immigration judges sided with Department of Homeland Security lawyers who appealed a decision from immigration judge Michael Pleters terminating removal proceedings for Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, citing Santiago’s active DACA status. They sent the case back to a different immigration judge for review.
NPR
Recognition of Arab Americans scrubbed from White House website, but celebration goes on
Amal and Warren David, co-founders of the Arab America Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to promoting Arab heritage, brought together hundreds of Arab American leaders, professionals, artists and activists in the Washington, D.C., suburb on April 16 for the national commemoration.
“We want to be joyful. We want to say we stand tall,” Amal David said to the couple hundred guests dressed in tuxedos and authentic Arab clothing at the Belle Haven Country Club. “Of course, we feel with our people, but it’s a form of showing resiliency.”
Michigan Advance
The Justice Department Is Bringing Back the Firing Squad
Rolling Stone reported before the election that Donald Trump wanted to revive several banned methods of execution
Rolling Stone
Trump’s approval on economy falls in AP-NORC poll, showing new warning signs for president
Trump’s approval rating on the economy dropped to 30% in April from 38% in a March AP-NORC poll. A similarly low share of U.S. adults, 32%, approve of the president’s leadership on Iran, which is unchanged since last month.
AP News
Michigan court tosses GOP bid to disenfranchise overseas voters
In a sweeping opinion, the Michigan Court of Claims dismissed the case brought by the Republican National Committee and state Republicans, upholding a law that allows certain U.S. citizens living overseas to inherit voting rights from their families in Michigan.
Democracy Docket
Kash Patel Got Arrested for Public Urination After a Night of Drinking
FBI Director Kash Patel was twice arrested in incidents involving alcohol, once for public intoxication and once for public urination after leaving a bar, he admitted in a 2005 letter about disclosures on his Florida Bar application.
The Intercept
Justice Department drops investigation into Federal Reserve and Jerome Powell
The decision could clear the way for Trump’s nominee to chair the Fed, Kevin Warsh, to advance toward a confirmation vote in the Senate.
NBC News
ICE Has Arrested Dozens of Delivery Drivers at the Gates of a San Diego Military Base
While undocumented people have long avoided military bases because of the possibility of deportation, a pilot program launched last year at Camp Pendleton is trapping people with temporary permission to be in the U.S. so that officers can send them to immigration detention facilities and try to convince them to agree to deportation. According to local attorneys, Alkhawaja is among dozens of people detained by ICE at the gates of the U.S. Marine Corps base even though they had temporary permission to be in and work in the U.S.
“It’s a business,” Alkhawaja said. “This is what I found out in the detention center. We are just numbers that generate income to big corporations.”
Capital and Main
Texas police can arrest people suspected of entering country illegally, federal court rules
The conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge Senate Bill 4, the 2023 law that lets state police arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally.
The Texas Tribune
Pentagon Erases Wounded U.S. Troops From Iran War Casualty List: “Definition of a Cover-up”
Amid a fragile ceasefire in the U.S. war on Iran, the Pentagon is playing a numbers game with American casualty statistics, adding and subtracting from the count as questions about the human toll mount.
The Intercept
So, uh, how’s things…
EU approves a $106 billion loan package to help Ukraine after Hungary lifts its veto
Hungary and Slovakia have been locked in a feud with Ukraine since Russian oil deliveries to the two EU countries were halted in January after a pipeline was damaged. Ukrainian officials blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks. Both countries confirmed Thursday that deliveries have resumed.
NPR
India’s Electoral System is Melting Under Extreme Heat
Suraj’s passing reflects a largely unacknowledged reality. India’s elections are increasingly unfolding in dangerously hot conditions; conditions which are not treated as a public health risk even while they are claiming lives.
The Xylom
Starmer’s FCDO closes Israel war-crime monitoring unit, ‘loses’ massive evidence
The Starmer government’s Foreign Office (FCDO) has closed down its unit that tracked Israeli atrocities and breaches of humanitarian law in Gaza and Lebanon. The closure also shuts down the Conflict and Security Monitoring Project run by the Centre for Information Resilience. This is — now was — the FCDO-funded project that reviews the legality of arms exports to the genocidal colony.
The Canary
Trans people are dying of suicide more than the general UK population, new investigation reveals
While there is never one reason why someone takes their own life, some experts are concerned that this is happening amid trans rights and healthcare rollbacks. A former NHS clinical psychologist whistleblower has told us that these deaths were “not only predictable, but predicted.” But many trans deaths are left uncounted or unpublished. Zach’s was one of them.
Queer AF
I’ve Been Organizing Climate Strikes Since I Was 12. Colombia’s Santa Marta Conference Is Giving Me Hope Again.
It is easy to lose hope for combating the climate crisis in times like these. But while the US government has relinquished its leadership, others are stepping forward.
Common Dreams
The 43 Group – when Jewish veterans took the fight to Britain’s fascists
In April, eighty years ago, a British anti-fascist organisation was founded by Jewish ex-servicemen in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was called the 43 Group. Its origins lay in the anger of men and women who had fought and defeated fascism in Europe returning home to find it resurrected on the streets of London.
Searchlight Magazine
Iran’s foreign minister leaves Pakistan, then Trump cancels U.S. delegation’s travel
Araghchi had arrived Friday in the capital Islamabad, where Pakistan had hosted direct U.S.-Iran talks earlier this month. His spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, had denied that a direct meeting with the U.S. was planned.
NPR
