“President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation,” NBC News reports.
Judge Denies Request for Return of 2020 Ballots
“A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice does not have to return 2020 election ballots seized by FBI agents to Fulton County,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Rick Hasen: “Although this ruling is a disappointment in that it allows the federal government to continue to hold on the ballots when the allegations in the search warrant were based on discredited conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, I do want to point to a part of footnote 26 that I consider very important in the event that the federal government tries to seize ballots in an election that is not already final and beyond a contestation period: ‘Importantly, the seizure at issue in this case did not interfere with the State’s ability to conduct the 2020 election or certify election results, nor have Petitioners shown that it will hinder the State’s ability to conduct future elections.'”
“These issues are key: it’s a much more serious matter if a federal seizure of materials would interfere with the state’s ability to conduct elections or certify election results.”
Hacker Stole Thousands From Cory Booker’s Campaign
A hacker stole more than $3,000 from Sen. Cory Booker’s reelection committee, NOTUS reports.
Purported Epstein Suicide Note Is Released
“A federal judge has released a suicide note purportedly written by Jeffrey Epstein that was sealed for years as part of the criminal case of his cellmate,” the New York Times reports.
From the note: “They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!”
He continued: “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN — NOT WORTH IT!!”
“Mr. Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, said he discovered the note in July 2019 after Mr. Epstein was found unresponsive with a strip of cloth wrapped around his neck. Mr. Epstein survived that incident, but he was found dead weeks later at age 66 in the now shuttered Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan.”
Trump Says Oil at $200 a Barrel Would Be Worth It
President Trump said he was surprised the price of oil hadn’t been driven higher by the Iran war, but even if it reached $200 a barrel, the conflict was worth it, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “I thought oil prices would go to $200, $250. You’re surprised and I’m surprised. But even if it went to $200, it would have been worth it.”
Iran War Looms Over Vance as He Visits Iowa
New York Times: “For Mr. Vance, a former Marine who served in Iraq, the war in Iran highlights the bind he is in as he considers a future presidential bid, pulled between the unpopularity of the conflict — and his own initial skepticism about it — and his role as loyal lieutenant to President Trump.”
“The vice president’s team believes that his political fortunes are inextricably linked to his boss. In polls, he is the front-runner for the next presidential nomination in large part because he is Mr. Trump’s No. 2. Yet he may have to carry the baggage of a president with whom he campaigned explicitly on avoiding ‘forever’ foreign wars.”
U.S. Considers Tapping Oil Under Military Bases
Bloomberg: “The Trump administration is studying using oil under land at US military bases and other Department of War sites to help refill the nation’s depleted emergency reserves.”
Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash
FBI director Kash Patel travels with a supply of personalized, branded bourbon bottles and has gifted these bottles to FBI staff as well as others he encounters, The Atlantic reports.
“The bottles bear the imprint of the Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and are engraved with the words ‘Kash Patel FBI Director,’ as well as a rendering of an FBI shield. Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: Ka$h. An eagle holds the shield in its talons, along with the number 9, presumably a reference to Patel’s place in the history of FBI directors.”
America Must Hope Trump Is Not a New Caligula
The Economist: “America’s founding fathers brooded about the decline of the Roman republic into a corrupt and brutal empire. They feared such tyrannical emperors as Caligula, who renamed temples in his honour, had golden statues of himself erected, and revelled in humiliating Rome’s former elites, including the cowardly senators who handed him supreme powers.”
“Many ordinary Romans loved Caligula as a showman who built marble monuments, organised military parades and relished attending gladiatorial contests, the gorier the better. To show his contempt for the ruling classes, Caligula threatened to make his horse a consul.”
“Mr Trump, a fan of golden statues, marble monuments and cage-fighting, has yet to appoint a horse to his cabinet. He has, however, appointed unqualified sycophants to positions of high rank, where they vie to show their loyalty while squabbling over trivial perks of office. Americans can only hope that their follies are personal to the Trump era, and can be reversed by an election or two.”
Howard Lutnick Admits to Prolonged Ties to Epstein
“For reasons he said were ‘inexplicable,’ Howard Lutnick acknowledged visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s island seven years after he claimed to have severed his relationship with the convicted sex offender,” Politico reports.
Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Have Nuclear Weapons
President Trump said the U.S. has had “good talks” with Iranian negotiators and the country has agreed to not have a nuclear weapon, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “They want to make a deal badly and we’ll see if we get there.”
He added: “Their first-level leaders are dead, their second-level leaders are dead, some of their third-level leaders are dead—I call that regime change.”
Trump Urged to Accept Iran Deal He’s Already Rejected
Wired: “Last month, Trump initially gave his blessing for a so-called ‘cash for uranium’ deal, under which the US would release around $20 billion in frozen funds in exchange for Iran handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.”
“Trump’s negotiators, vice president JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law, received repeated approvals from the president while they were in Islamabad, giving them confidence a deal was close.”
“But the deal unraveled, in part because Trump was warned by his team that there was a risk he could be seen as giving Iran ‘pallets of cash’—an echo of his own oft-stated criticism of Barack Obama’s Iran deal—and he pulled the plug.”
“Except now, that’s once again the cornerstone of the current proposal.”
Trump Wants Iran War Done Before China Visit
“The push to swiftly wrap up a deal to end the war is coming from President Trump’s mid-May visit to Beijing,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Republicans Eye Another Seat in Tennessee
“Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new congressional map on Wednesday that would wipe out the lone Democratic seat in the Volunteer State,” Punchbowl News reports.
“The proposal, which must pass the GOP-dominated state legislature, cracks Memphis’ Shelby County into three districts and likely dooms the reelection prospects of longtime Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN).”
“Tennessee’s primary is not until August, giving Republican lawmakers there more time than other states to switch up their congressional map.”
Bill Banning Whites-Only Housing Passes by Just One Vote
A bill banning white-only housing passed the Pennsylvania House, despite not a single Republican supporting the measure, WHTM reports.
The bill would close a loophole in the state that could let white nationalist groups establish communities under the guise of a private club or member-only organization.
Iran Hit More U.S. Military Targets Than Reported
Washington Post: “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, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment.”
“The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported.”
Trump to Appeal Defamation Ruling to Supreme Court
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked a federal appeals court in New York to pause its ruling rejecting his challenge to the writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit so he can pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court,” ABC News reports.
Trump Defends Price Tag for White House Ballroom
“President Trump defended the cost increase of his massive White House ballroom construction project, the price tag of which has jumped from $200 million to nearly $400 million,” ABC News reports.
Said Trump: “The only reason the cost has changed is because, after deep rooted studies, it is approximately twice the size, and a far higher quality, than the original proposal, which would not have been adequate to handle the necessary events, meetings, and even future Inaugurations.”
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