- Natalie Allison and Kadia Goba @ The Washington Post: White House tells House GOP to avoid mass deportation talk ahead of midterms
Change in rhetoric comes as the public sours on the administration’s aggressive tactics and Republican fears of election losses mount.
- Jacob Wendler @ Politico: Trump pick for State Department drops out after drawing heat for comments about ‘white culture’
Jeremy Carl faced tough questions from lawmakers during a Senate confirmation hearing last month.
- Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog: Dems score upset win in New Hampshire special election, giving GOP fresh reason to worry
The more Democrats win closely watched races, the more Republicans should be concerned about the 2026 midterms.
- David Gilbert, Matt Giles, Leah Feiger and Zoë Schiffer@ Wired: A Trumpworld Events Company Is Raking In Millions in Federal Contracts
The Trump administration has awarded Event Strategies several contracts—including one that could be worth up to $100 million—with little competition, according to federal filings.
- Anna Merlan @ Mother Jones: The Pro-MAGA Press Can’t Agree on How to Cover Trump’s War on Iran
A combination of fight, flight, fawn, and freeze.
- David Gilmour @ Mediaite: Pentagon Reportedly Bans Press Photographers from Briefings Over ‘Unflattering’ Hegseth Pics
Pentagon staffers have reportedly barred press photographers from briefings on the escalating U.S. conflict with Iran after growing angered by “unflattering” images of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
