As Trump heads to Beijing, with negotiations to end a war he started at an impasse and the economy in trouble….

Really, really excited to share our new deep-dive polling on affordability and the economy -- what it means for Americans across the country (and, yes, what the potential political ramifications are.) Main story here: www.cnn.com/2026/05/12/p...

Supreme Court Unblocks Alabama’s Racially Discriminatory Map, Showing That Alito Was Lying talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme...

Here’s an uncomfortable fact: Trump in his first term was the most corrupt President to that point; it made little difference politically. @monacharen.bsky.social’s catalog of Trump’s second-term corruption is enough to make your eyes water. It beggars belief. Will it be politically damaging?

Thread. Details of a signature Trump administration accomplishment — kicking millions of Americans off health insurance as the economy slows. @charlesgaba.com goes state by state, noting bigger numbers of (now) uninsured in states like Georgia that did not make up lost federal premium subsidies.

Thread. @thestudyofwar.bsky.social has an accurate analysis of where Trump’s War with Iran has gotten us.

Thread. The Supreme Court’s Republicans establish an exception to the Purcell Principle discouraging changes to election & voting rules too close to an election, to avoid confusing voters. It now says if Republicans really want to, change everything, whenever! Via @stevevladeck.bsky.social

This is an AMAZING piece of reporting. And this table is mind-boggling:

The monthly weather/climate summary for April highlights the the worst April drought conditions in contiguous U.S. history, the 6 billion-dollar U.S. weather disasters so far, and the usual list of global notable temperature extremes. yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/05/apri...

Just for the record, and for anyone who has wondered if Trump’s physical decline & emotional deterioration — due to age, or illness, or both — has been noticed. How could it not be? He is judged by many like an aging entertainer, appreciated just for showing up. That’s not enough for a President.

Sober listen about a “pre-war international environment” with Biden NSC official Thomas Wright, speaking to a @lowyinstitute.bsky.social meeting last week. Wright sees three large powers — China, Russia, and the US — actively attacking a liberal world order. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

Lake Powell on the Colorado River is set to receive 13% of its normal spring runoff, the lowest amount from upstream snowmelt on record. #climatechange #water coloradosun.com/2026/05/09/l...

Weekend listen, 2: What do the front lines of a trade war look like? @trade--talks.bsky.social looks at the Port of Los Angeles and how the enormous trade it handles has been affected by Trump’s tariffs and Trump’s War. With @chadpbown.com podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Weekend listen, 1: Economist @justinwolfers.bsky.social has begun a podcast series called Platypus Economics to translate complicated economic concepts into plain English. He starts this week with a brief primer on America’s $1.8 trillion federal budget deficit. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

My latest @nytimes.com oped shows that the White House is dramatically understating the cost of the war in Iran. By my calculations—and I show my work—this war will cost the typical American family thousands, and it could cost them tens of thousands. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell short, died Saturday. He was 84. https://to.pbs.org/4eDE0YL

Weekend listen, 1: Economist @justinwolfers.bsky.social has begun a podcast series called Platypus Economics to translate complicated economic concepts into plain English. He starts this week with a brief primer on America’s $1.8 trillion federal budget deficit. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Snapshot of how the Trump White House views Trump’s War, by @jonlemire.bsky.social. Lemire omits discussion of what the Netanyahu government, reportedly influential in getting Trump to start this war, is telling Trump & his people now. There are three, not two state parties to this conflict.

Hungary’s parliament sings “Ode to Joy” — the anthem of Europe — after Péter Magyar is sworn in as prime minister. Hungary is once again a proud member of the European Union.

Thread. Trump’s ballroom is, as @gregsargent.bsky.social says, an assertion of dictatorial power and an affront to the Republic. Compared to inflation or abortion, though, it doesn’t have a long polling history or speak to a specific constituency. Hence, it’s a “distraction” for some Democrats.

"Hello daddy. I hope you are OK. Tell everyone from my class hello." here's some of what I saw and learned this week when I visited the Dilley ICE family detention center in Texas.

Thread. This looks interesting. By @tkovach.bsky.social

An absolute must read from @theswinerepublic.bsky.social. The third person on the photo is - as Chris notes - ISU Prof. Castellano. I really want to emphasize how our "free speech" travesty protects and rewards people like him (and his employer) while punishing those who speak up - like Chris.

President Donald Trump's administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife. https://to.pbs.org/48P7cZd

Snapshot of how the Trump White House views Trump’s War, by @jonlemire.bsky.social. Lemire omits discussion of what the Netanyahu government, reportedly influential in getting Trump to start this war, is telling Trump & his people now. There are three, not two state parties to this conflict.

Thread. Constitutional scholar @profmmurray.bsky.social (who is on @talkingfeds.bsky.social this week) examines the Trump administration lawsuit against The New York Times for allegedly discriminating against a white man. This lawsuit must have pleased Trump, who often sees a victim in the mirror.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans died from COVID-19. Conspiracy theorists and quack doctors blame the medical professionals who tried to fight the disease. Led by DHS Sec. Kennedy, they’re trying to use Kash Patel’s FBI to hunt their enemies. Via @justinling.ca

Thread. Set against the President’s daily boasting, this summary of US intelligence assessments of the Iran situation is its own conclusion. American policy and reality are on two separate tracks. Reporting by @johnphudson.bsky.social

Thread. Constitutional scholar @profmmurray.bsky.social (who is on @talkingfeds.bsky.social this week) examines the Trump administration lawsuit against The New York Times for allegedly discriminating against a white man. This lawsuit must have pleased Trump, who often sees a victim in the mirror.

For practical purposes, there has been no rebellion among Republican voters against the very worst of Trumpism. Not against the corruption, or the law-breaking, or the policy failures, or Trump’s War. Not against the promotion of dictatorship. And not against this. Via @thetnholler.bsky.social

A federal court ruled Wednesday against the new global tariffs President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. https://to.pbs.org/3QWwChp

The Trump administration blitz that flooded Minnesota with immigration agents also dramatically slowed other federal investigations and prosecutions into an array of serious crimes, a Reuters review of federal court records found.

Thread. Set against the President’s daily boasting, this summary of US intelligence assessments of the Iran situation is its own conclusion. American policy and reality are on two separate tracks. Reporting by @johnphudson.bsky.social

For practical purposes, there has been no rebellion among Republican voters against the very worst of Trumpism. Not against the corruption, or the law-breaking, or the policy failures, or Trump’s War. Not against the promotion of dictatorship. And not against this. Via @thetnholler.bsky.social

Thread. Nerdy is great, @smith.senate.gov. Congratulations to Winona, MN public schools on a big step into the energy-efficient future.

The FBI Director and his liquor problem, by @sfitz787.bsky.social. Robert Mueller once held this job. “When I reached a former longtime senior FBI official to ask whether he’d ever seen personally branded liquor bottles distributed by a previous FBI director, he burst out laughing.”

A reminder: these murders aren't even accomplishing the Trump administration's stated aims. The boats are NOT smuggling fentanyl The strikes have NOT halted 97% of cocaine shipments Trump’s Killing Spree Is NOT Stopping the Flow of Drugs to the U.S. theintercept.com/2026/05/04/t...

Thread. There is something to what @paulwaldman.bsky.social says here — though Obama, more than most politicians, communicates his thinking better at length than in short clips. The problem with Mamdani as a model — one that Obama doesn’t touch on in his Colbert interview — …

Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

On Tuesday, May 5, the State Department separated more than 200 Foreign Service members under the reduction in force first announced last July, even as it continues to recruit and onboard new officers. Read our statement: https://afsa.org/afsa-statement-state-department-reductions-force

This looks from the headline like a typical Trump-era story: the Justice Department abandoning criminal investigation of a Republican politician. But read the story. @philinvestigates.com has had Rep. Ogles on his radar screen for years, for good reason. The scandals are numerous and lurid.

Re-posting as Secretary of State Rubio has just falsely asserted that the War Powers Resolution is "100% unconstitutional" and every U.S. president has recognized it as such. Nope.

Maybe you have to live in DC to see how cruel and vulgar this latest Trump move is—in a league w bulldozing the East Wing. I'm no golfer. But the **public** bike paths and sports fields (and tennis courts + golf course) of Hains Point are a civic glory of the town. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/c...

The end of this short @thestudyofwar.bsky.social thread, highlights a point Defense Sec. Hegseth also repeated this morning. The Trumpers are defending their made-up position that the 60-day WPA period for military operations before Congress must be consulted is paused if a ceasefire is declared.

Thread. The Purcell principle, that courts should not change election or voting rules too close to an election to avoid confusion, was established in a 2006 Court opinion. Its less-known exception — “unless Republicans really want it” — is being established now. Via @hansilowang.bsky.social

Thread. The Purcell principle, that courts should not change election or voting rules too close to an election to avoid confusion, was established in a 2006 Court opinion. Its less-known exception — “unless Republicans really want it” — is being established now. Via @hansilowang.bsky.social

Thread. Themes of this year’s Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in journalism. By @adamkeiper.com, who I’m glad to see included in this list the citation for @jkbjournalist.bsky.social recognizing her years of reporting on Jeffrey Epstein.

In Sudan, 3 years of war, and 11 million people displaced. Pictures by Jerôme Tubiana, text by Sudanese novelist Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Thread. The ceasefire is crumbling, or so it appears. Iran is firing on easier, stationary targets in addition to shipping, according to @thestudyofwar.bsky.social

The Washington Post obtained leaked documents about hundreds of incidents of physical force in ICE facilities. "...guards forcibly handled detainees who repeatedly asked staff for things to which they are legally entitled, including food and water, medical care and personal belongings..."