Trump’s budget puts war first, and Americans last

President Donald Trump’s new budget proposal exposes the emptiness of his claims to put Americans first.

Iran taunts Trump, threatens Gulf ports over blockade threat

Iran is taunting the Trump administration over gas prices in the U.S. and threatening ports on the Persian Gulf after President Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, told the U.S. in a post

Judge dismisses Trump’s Wall Street Journal defamation suit over Epstein story

A federal judge tossed President Trump’s defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal on Monday over a story it published detailing a letter Trump allegedly sent to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. Trump denies writing the letter and claims it

Development orgs should focus on poverty, not trendy causes

When a child could die tonight from a preventable disease, no family cares about shaving a fraction of a degree from global temperatures a century from now.

Burchett calls on Trump to release files on UFOs, aliens: 'I think America needs to know'

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Sunday called on President Trump to release government files on aliens and unidentified anomalous phenomena, often known as UFOs. Speaking on Fox News "The Big Weekend Show," Burchett urged Trump to “peel back the layers of that onion, let America

MAGA Freaks Out After Trump Posts AI Photo of Himself as Jesus

MAGA treated Donald Trump like a messiah. Now they’re mad he’s comparing himself to Jesus Christ. Trump leapt into hot water with his Christian fans Sunday, when he posted an AI-generated image of himself as literal Jesus on Truth Social. In the image, Trump appeared dressed as

Pope Shuts Down Trump Tantrum as President Calls Him “Weak on Crime”

The Holy See will continue to speak out against war, despite challenges from Donald Trump. Pope Leo XIV brushed off the U.S. president’s verbal attacks Monday, telling journalists aboard a papal flight to Algiers that he’s not afraid of the Trump administration and uninterested

Congressional Republicans are failing the Trump test

Congressional Republicans are being criticized for their silence on President Trump's erratic behavior and potential cognitive decline, as they previously scrutinized President Biden for similar behavior.

House Dems plan for Thursday Iran vote

Trump faces backlash over AI image of him as Jesus

President Trump is facing a conservative backlash from some of his supporters after posting an image created with Artificial Intelligence depicting himself as Jesus healing sick people. The image, posted on Truth Social Sunday, shows him in a religious garb with his hand on a

Live updates: Trump aims to block Strait of Hormuz as he feuds with Pope Leo

After weekend peace talks with Iran that yielded little, President Trump plans to begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning. The negotiations have left questions about the future of the fragile ceasefire in the region. Meanwhile, Trump has lashed out against

The Supreme Court’s refusal to stand up for press freedom is catastrophic

In 2017, journalist Priscilla Villarreal did what good journalists ordinarily do. She was working on two stories — one about the suicide of a border agent and the other about a serious car accident. To confirm the names of the people involved in those incidents, Villarreal

CPC PAC endorses Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania House primary

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) PAC announced Monday that it’s backing state Rep. Chris Rabb (D) ahead of the May Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District. “Pennsylvania state Representative Chris Rabb is a social justice activist, an

Pope Leo responds to Trump's attack: 'I'm not afraid of the Trump administration'

Pope Leo XIV shot back at President Trump after the president went after him on his Truth Social platform Sunday, saying he does not fear Trump. “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works

The Iran war may be on pause but the political fallout is not

The political consequences for President Trump and congressional Republicans are far from over.

Guess Who Else (Besides Orbán) Lost in Hungary’s Wipeout Election?

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance treated Hungary’s election like it was a U.S. Senate race in the United States. Vance flew to Budapest to campaign alongside Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He even called Trump at one of Orbán’s rallies, and while on speakerphone, the

Janelle Stelson hauls in over $2.1M in Q1 in House race against Rep Scott Perry

Democrat Janelle Stelson’s campaign announced on Monday that the former broadcast journalist hauled in over $2.1 million in the first quarter of fundraising this year as she eyes a rematch against Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) this November, according to figures first shared with

Iowa looks competitive, according to new Dem poll

A new survey from a Democratic group that backs moderate candidates shows Iowa potentially in play for Democrats in November.

How Trump’s made-up emergencies could subvert the midterm elections

The real national emergency is the prospect that Trump, his administration and his supporters will declare an electoral emergency and either rig or try to overturn the midterm results. The history of midterm elections and Trump’s tanking poll numbers are motivation.

Capitol agenda: Scandals and Iran overshadow GOP tax pitch

Republicans just want to talk about Tax Day, but complicating that is a host of pressing scandals and policy squabbles.

Forty years after Batson, racial bias in jury selection persists

Will the constitutional promise of equal protection under the law be meaningfully enforced, or quietly set aside?

Trump’s Strait of Hormuz gambit approaches zero hour

In today’s issue: President Trump’s threatened blockade on the Strait of Hormuz is set to come into force at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, a maneuver meant to disrupt Iran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global energy trade. Trump announced the plan on Sunday, after no

Journalists keep burning leakers

Once or twice might be bad luck. More than that, however, and it begins to look like a trend.

Transcript: Trump’s America Is Deeply Unwell, and It’s Time to Say So

The following is a lightly edited transcript of the April 13 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here . Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic , produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent. Donald Trump’s Truth Social

When Peter Hujar Met Paul Thek

Peter Hujar’s most famous photograph, Candy Darling on Her Deathbed , looks like an Old Hollywood melodrama transposed to a hospital room in 1970s New York. The Warhol superstar was in the final stages of lymphoma, a fact the image itself nearly disavows. Darling stretches

Trump administration holds up NOAA grant funding

The Trump administration is holding up some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding. Earlier this month, the University of Colorado released a statement saying that a federal pause on grant funding has put scientists who collect data about the

This Week on the Hill: 6 big fights Congress faces as it returns

Lawmakers are returning to Washington after a two-week recess to a packed and politically fraught agenda. The weekend saw a growing wave of bipartisan calls for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to resign from Congress amid sexual assault allegations, which he has denied. Rep. Anna

Swalwell furor engulfs others accused of wrongdoing, threatening to upend House

Bipartisan furor over sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is cascading into calls to expel not only him, but three other members — two Republicans and a Democrat — accused of wrongdoing. The dynamic could upend the House in the coming weeks with

Sudden GOP infighting explodes over bipartisan immigration reform bill

Sudden outrage over a long-shot bipartisan immigration reform bill sparked a public battle among House Republicans, fueled by an onslaught of online activists, that’s putting GOP divides over immigration policy squarely into the spotlight. The bill in question, the Dignity Act,

Lee Zeldin Is the Most Lethally Boring Man in the Trump Administration

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, reportedly being considered to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general, is not the most polarizing member of the Trump administration, not by a long shot. Yet he’s one of the most dangerous. In contrast to the mutant

Idaho Is Ground Zero of Republicans’ Escalating War on Trans People

In a small corridor near the governor’s office at the Idaho State Capitol last week, state and local police officers stood in formation, blocking the public from approaching a public restroom. Inside, two state police officers had taken up a position beside two white pedestal

How Did California Democrats Let Eric Swalwell Get This Far, Anyway?

I started hearing the swirling Eric Swalwell rumors a couple of weeks ago. There were stories coming, and they were going to be bad. Well they came, all right—and they were very bad indeed. The excellent San Francisco Chronicle article detailing Swalwell’s alleged sexual

Fans express outrage as US World Cup ticket prices soar

It will be more expensive than ever to attend World Cup matches held in the United States this summer, a trend that has soccer fans in the U.S. and around the world frustrated about who will have access to watch historic clashes on the pitch in person. The record-breaking

Donald Trump’s America Is Deeply Unwell, and It’s Time to Say So

Donald Trump’s Truth Social feed can get awfully revealing. He just unleashed numerous posts that open a new window on the man and his presidency: the transactionalism; the amorality; and the utter, buffoonish incompetence. In one, he attacked his MAGA allies in a way that

‘It’s all we have to run on’: GOP looks to tout tax cuts as war overtakes Hill agenda

The benefits of the ‘big, beautiful bill’ are at risk of being swamped by rising energy prices.

Oil prices surge above $100 as US Navy to blockade Iran’s ports after peace talks fail

Oil futures were at over $100 per barrel in the wake of President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. military would start blockading ships looking to enter the Strait of Hormuz. Prices of U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude hovered just above $104 per barrel late

US military says 5 killed in Eastern Pacific boat strikes

The U.S. military said Sunday that five people were killed in boat strikes in the Eastern Pacific, stating that “intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the” region. “On April 11, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen.

Ex-CIA Director: ‘I think the 25th Amendment was written with' Trump 'in mind’

Former CIA Director John Brennan said Saturday that he believed the 25th Amendment “was written with” President Trump “in mind,” comments that come after multiple Democrats pushed for Trump’s ouster following his intense threats toward Iran. “I think the 25th Amendment was

Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced on Sunday that he would be suspending his campaign for governor — just over 48 hours after initial reports alleging that the congressman, and one of the frontrunners for California governor, had twice sexually assaulted a former aide. "I

Trump congratulates Rory McIlroy on winning 2026 Masters

President Trump on Sunday congratulated Rory McIlroy for winning the 90th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. McIlroy won the tournament Sunday, donning the tournament's signature green jacket for the second year in a row. "Congratulations to Rory

DHS probes Swalwell over allegations of hiring nanny illegally

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is looking into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who has recently faced sexual assault allegations, over allegations of hiring a nanny illegally. In a statement to The Hill’s broadcast partner NewsNation, a spokesperson for U.S.

US blockade of Strait of Hormuz to start Monday morning, military says

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said Sunday it will begin blockading Iranian ports at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, 5:30 p.m. in Iran, following posts earlier in the day from President Trump directing the U.S. military to "clean out" the Strait of Hormuz. The move follows 21 hours of

Israeli ambassador to US points to 'potential' for 'continued talks' with Iran

Michael Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said Sunday that there could be a “potential” for “continued talks” with Iran about the U.S.-Israeli conflict against the country after Vice President Vance said no progress was made in the direction of a peace agreement in

Lawmakers set to return to Washington as TSA paycheck uncertainty looms over partial shutdown negotiations

Lawmakers are set to return to Washington this week as questions over future pay for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees — including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers — loom over efforts to end the partial shutdown. The impasse follows a

Trump ally Orbán sees government fall despite Vance visit

In one of Europe's most consequential elections of the year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has conceded to the party led by Péter Magyar, ending his run as Hungary's leader after more than 16 years. With 60 percent of the votes counted, Magyar's Tisza Party had more

Warner on US blockade in Strait of Hormuz: 'I don't get that logic'

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said Sunday that he didn’t understand the “logic” behind President Trump’s recent announcement that the U.S. military would begin blockading ships looking to enter the Strait of Hormuz. “We know we've got $4-a-gallon gasoline. We know that 25 percent of

MAP: Gas prices dip in 15 states since last weekend

In many cases, however, the price difference is less than 5 cents.

Trump says price of oil, gas 'could be' down, 'the same or maybe a little bit higher' by the midterms

President Trump said Sunday that the prices of oil and gas could drop, stay even or go “maybe a little higher” by this year’s midterm elections in comments that follow his announcement that the U.S. military would start blockading ships looking to enter the Strait of Hormuz.

GOP senator says US has not 'won' Iran war yet, contradicting Trump

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) said Sunday that the U.S. has not “won” the war with Iran yet, despite President Trump saying otherwise on Saturday. “We will not have won until we have completely defanged the Iranian regime. … To me, finishing the job is to make sure that