10,000 rulings: The courts’ overwhelming rebuke of Trump’s ICE policies A POLITICO analysis reveals judges have ruled against ICE detention practices in roughly 90% of cases since the agency mandated millions of immigrants must be locked up while they face deportation proceedings bit.ly/3R6TL0M

Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S. NYT gift article Settlement terms under review is for I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his family members and businesses! His DOJ is "holding internal discussions" about settling suit against his IRS! bit.ly/49urirQ

What Did Jamaica Do to Deserve This? Kari Lake, Trump’s pick for ambassador, has a disastrous record by Anne Applebaum Atlantic gift “No diplomatic or political preparation, other than the 14 months she has just spent running America’s foreign broadcasting agencies into the ground" bit.ly/3REHaSo

Democrats bypass Mike Johnson on Ukraine aid with GOP help Axios Secured the necessary 218 signatures to force vote on package of Russia sanctions and billions of dollars in Ukraine aid 8th time in last 3 years that discharge petition has been used with a combo of D's and R's bit.ly/4dicP3q

Trump changes story on Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool contractor who got no bid contract The Hill Said he didn't know him when cost went ballooned from $1.8 million to $13.1 million But said last month that he had a “guy who’s unbelievable at doing swimming pools” who called him bit.ly/3PEDaRm

True threats, James Comey, and the Supreme Court: an explainer Scotus Blog "86 47" being threat to Trump's life is laughable to me as a bartender for the summer when I turned 21 Here is the law including a decision on "true threat" & First Amendment by none other than John Roberts bit.ly/3PoUJVn

Wavy Gravy, most famous counterculture icon alive in Berkeley turns 90 Berkeleyside He’s emceed Woodstock, lived with Bob Dylan, clowned for the Grateful Dead, co-founded a summer camp & saved eyesight of millions. A Berkeley resident since the ’70s he’s being feted in San Francisco bit.ly/4dHizVF

$1.3 BILLION in Medicaid to California deferred over "suspicions" of fraud AP Trump admin makes “largest deferral ever made” in funds We are targeted along with other blue states We pay for more in taxes to Feds than we get back Weaponized & politicized along with disaster relief bit.ly/4u5V8ev

Supreme Court faces new criticism for redistricting decisions so close to the 2026 elections NBC Justices warned judges should not interfere in election disputes so close to the primary process-- but their own rulings have triggered a frenzy to draw new congressional maps Shame bit.ly/4u94ZjI

Scoop: Republican Member of Congress Chuck Edwards' aide feared retaliation over unwanted attention Axios The House Ethics Committee is investigating Read the details of evidence about this member who should be expelled or resign bit.ly/4nstEx5

Appeals court temporarily blocks Trump $83M payment in E. Jean Carroll case until Supreme Court decides if it will get involved on his claim of immunity Axios Trump’s appeal is meritless At least the court to increased his bond by $7.5 million for additional interest he’ll owe bit.ly/4uKxWSY

Trump says he ‘doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation’ as he heads to China for talks with Xi Jinping”; “The Iran War Worsens America’s Democratic Erosion” "Big Brother Is ReTruthing You"; Springsteen Succeeds "Where Democrats Fail" Blue Virginia Plus Jamelle Bouie! bit.ly/3Rm56db

The Algorithm Found Your Wallet California takes on digital mugging while Democrats decide whether outrage is a strategy. Spoiler: it isn’t by Don Perata A bit of history CA can't sit out November election. We can elect 4 new Dems to the House 5 months isn't much time Commit today bit.ly/49N3qjg

Los Angeles Mayor Election Poll just out from Emerson College Karen Bass 30% Spencer Pratt 22 Nithya Raman 19 Others trailing Undecided 16 Assuming no one breaks 50% there will be runoff in November The LA sample is of 350 with MOE of 5.2% Governor race larger sample bit.ly/4nnPa69

California 2026 Poll: Becerra Continues to Surge, Steyer and Hilton Compete for Second Spot Emerson College Polling Just out: Becerra 19% Hilton 17 Steyer 17 Bianco 11 Porter 10 Mahan 8 Villaraigosa 4 Thurmond 1 Undecided 12 leaning 20% to Becerra 19 to Steyer Survey of 1000 3%MOE bit.ly/4nnPa69

Democrats pick Nebraska Senate nominee who could drop out and back independent Dan Osborn NBC Democrat Cindy Burbank won primary. She has said she would consider leaving the race if she didn’t have a path to victory She defeated a "Republican plant" who ran as a Dem to split vote bit.ly/4uLU9Ad

Tennessee State House Democrats stripped of committee assignments because of raucous protest of redistricting Congressional maps during special session WSMV TV Read what Speaker of the TN House wrote and what Democrats call a "Jim Crow racial gerrymander" Shit is hitting the fan! bit.ly/42stht1

Inflation hits 3.8%, outpacing wage growth for the first time since 2023 NBC Increased energy costs are “accounting for over 40% of the monthly all items increase” said the Bureau of Labor Statistics (And this is The Trump BOL, as he fired career folks before when he wasn't happy!) bit.ly/49Hpo7e

Somewhat unexpected news from South Carolina: Enough Republican senators *opposed* a vote to add redistricting to the ongoing legislative session, so the measure was DEFEATED. This prevents the GOP from taking up a new congressional map and eliminate the majority-Black district held by Clyburn.

Governor’s race has CA Dems holding on to their ballots CalMatters For many CA Dems who want to avoid 2 Republicans as the only candidates for Gov come November *BUT if MAILING in ballot do it a week before election as mail is slow* OR drop off at vote sites or Reg of Voters office bit.ly/48VC5es

Vladimir Putin Is Much Weaker Than You Think Used to outwitting his enemies, the Russian leader is running out of room for maneuver Foreign Policy analysis Kremlin document recently leaked to the press by a European intelligence service lays bare a whole new level of suspicion bit.ly/4djY9Rs

Inflation hits 3.8%, outpacing wage growth for the first time since 2023 NBC Increased energy costs are “accounting for over 40% of the monthly all items increase” said the Bureau of Labor Statistics (And this is The Trump BOL, as he fired career folks before when he wasn't happy!) bit.ly/4uOYKlf

GOP canceling elections? It’s already happening by Will Bunch PA Inquirer The South’s 160-year tradition of throwing away Black votes is back History, some snark and: Are you angry about what’s happening in the Deep South around voting rights? Yo, do this! bit.ly/3PaEKu9

New poll finds majority of Americans unsure if attempts on Trump's life were real KQED NPR He was subject of three assassination attempts over the last two years however 30% think at least one of those incidents was staged We live in a time when folks don't know who to trust! bit.ly/4dCtzDN

Checkmate in Iran Washington can’t reverse or control the consequences of losing this war by Robert Kagan Atlantic Gift Article It’s hard to think of a time when US suffered total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored bit.ly/4wv3mP9

Johnson to address Senate Republicans amid escalating tensions Axios House Speaker seeks to heal growing friction with his Senate counterparts in remarks emphasizing unity during Senate Republicans' weekly lunch Split could cause difficulties in reconciliation and more bit.ly/4tZYaB3

Chief Executives to Accompany Trump to China NYT gift article Just take look at list of 16 business leaders (tycoons and billionaires) including Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of Tesla This tells it all: He's more concerned about business deals than anything else Worry about this bit.ly/4wkabTq

Jack Smith Calls the Justice Dept. ‘Corrupted’ by Trump and His Allies NYT Gift Article The "money quote" "Mr. Smith still could inflict damage on the president by revealing unreleased evidence. He appears unfazed by the prospect of shifting from accuser to accused" Stay tuned! bit.ly/4dGscD9

Why We Endorsed Xavier Becerra Over Tom Steyer for California Governor by Sharon Kyle LA Progressive Voter Guide A personal reflection on concentrated wealth, democratic erosion, and why even “good billionaires” can normalize a dangerous political trajectory bit.ly/4uHj1sT

“Democratic Angst Could Lead California to Change Its Primary Rules” Election Law Blog Article by Laurel Rosenhall in NYT Prospect of Dems getting shut out of general election for governor spurs effort to eliminate state’s “top-two” open primary approach Steven Maviglio, sign me up! bit.ly/4wmIh9d

The Cleanup Crew Arrives by Don Perata Rubio goes to Rome, CBS Radio goes dark, and California’s would-be governors dodge the deficit Donald Trump is the Jackson Pollack of military strategy A cease fire that allows American and Iran to exchange missile fire on military “assets” bit.ly/4dqjzMS

Trump sounds off SCOTUS justices he appointed over tariff ruling ABC News "They were appointed by me" Never satisfied that he can't control EVERYTHING including Congress, courts, the voters and that he has to obey the Constitution and laws We need to take back the Senate and House bit.ly/4dBznNR

Lawsuit filed over Trump Reflecting Pool renovations The Hill Cultural Landscape Foundation: Blue paint “altering the historic character” without authority violates environmental & preservation law “The dark grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design. It was the design” bit.ly/4fcyyfA

The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians Male and female Palestinians describe brutal sexual abuse at the hands of Israel’s prison guards by Nicholas Kristof NYT Gift Article Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape bit.ly/4np5Ie3

President ‘seriously considering’ having Venezuela become 51st state NY Post Another shiny object to distract us Told this to Fox News. Desire to expand American territory, having previously eyed Canada and Greenland (Nothing about Puerto Rico or DC statehood!) Dx: Megalomania bit.ly/42wDJ2y

President Trump While at War, May 2026 Marist Poll Dissatisfaction with President Trump's Handling of Iran Up: 60% disapprove of how he is handling Iran, 62% our role in world weakened by his decisions Lots more details on economy Democrats +10 on Generic Congressional Ballot bit.ly/4dcF9FL

Transcript: Trump Blurts Out Plot to Rig Midterms as Polls Turn Brutal TNR As Trump reveals new levels of corruption to the GOP scheme to gerrymander the midterms, how Dems can aggressively challenge this The only chance Mr. T has of salvaging the midterms is extreme cheating bit.ly/4wumsVB

Trump’s Redistricting Push Could Cost Republicans More Than It Gains Politico Republicans chasing extra House seats risk energizing Democrats and alienating key new voters Political jiujitsu! Don't just get mad, get even Don't despair: Organize and go after them with all we have bit.ly/430roDX

China Sees a ‘Giant With a Limp’ as U.S. Drains Weapons on Iran War NYT Gift Article America’s ability to deter China in a war over Taiwan is weakened, Chinese analysts say, giving Beijing leverage in an upcoming summit with President Trump Trump has made us weaker not great again bit.ly/4uDjADZ

Democrats now have to win House vote by 4 points due to Republican gerrymandering by G. Elliott Morris New analysis: Impacts of mid-decade post-VRA redistricting by Republicans with the missing Democratic counter-gerrymander in Virginia Be angry but work to overcome this bit.ly/4ulBT0V

U.S.-China Rivalry Reaches South American Skies NYT Gift Article U.S. has pressed Argentina and Chile to review two Chinese telescope projects in the Andean deserts. Astronomers are worried about setbacks to research What a shame we won't cooperate. There has to be a better way bit.ly/4wimxeM

On Superpower Suicide And the recovery of justice Timothy Snyder We've spent billions to lose war that enriches oligarchs, impoverishes citizenry, sabotages alliances & strengthens enemies As justification for self-destructive mindlessness WH gestures to Jesus and genocide Read it! bit.ly/4uFndJz

MAGA Religious Leaders Dedicate and Bless 22-Foot Golden Trump Statue at Doral Letters from Leo 22-foot, gold-leafed Trump effigy at Doral blessed by Pastor Mark Burns and circle of evangelical and Jewish clergy Catholic Church has a name for what just happened and a duty to stop it bit.ly/4uxg4uK

Join CalMatters at our VotingMatters events for the 2026 California primary election CalMatters is on the road all of May, bringing our popular 2026 Voter Guide to life during in-person, community conversations across California See calendar Or host your own VotingMatters event bit.ly/3OWwu0N

Latinos in California are mad at Trump. Their votes for Democrats’ gerrymandering show it CalMatters Trend most striking in precincts where majority of ballots were cast by Latino voters. “Yes” on Prop. 50 gained 30 points compared to Harris’s performance against Trump a year earlier bit.ly/3RuV89q

DOJ sees fallout after push to prosecute former FBI director James Comey WAPO gift article Prosecutors have left Justice Department, others are considering doing so. At least one major case has been disrupted Key prosecutorial office understaffed and weakened Not keeping us safe bit.ly/3RvA2rr

Russia Has Lost More Than 350,000 Soldiers, New Estimate Finds NYT gift article About half a million soldiers have died on Russian and Ukrainian sides Doesn't include those who have died on the front this year and deaths of foreigners who have fought for Russia While Trump sleeps bit.ly/4eVTckj

Russia and China Dominate African Airwaves Following the Shutdown of Voice of America Streamline Abrupt closure of VOA by Trump has allowed Russian and Chinese state media to dominate African news. The stakes are immense For 65 years VOA was primary conduit for fact-based journalism bit.ly/49p3rtz

Péter Magyar sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister ending 16-year Orbán era by Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi in Budapest Jubilation in Budapest as new leader invites people to ‘step through gate of regime change’ Historic landslide victory over Putin, Trump and dictator bit.ly/4tWSFTz

The DNC, Dem Senatorial Campaign Committee, Dem Congressional Campaign Committee and Dem Governors Association, filed a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s illegal executive order that attacks Americans’ right to vote by mail One of MANY lawsuits protecting the right to vote Update bit.ly/4uASD3H