“CQ Brown, the retired general forced out of his post as the nation’s top military officer last year, has provided his most direct critique of the Trump administration’s handling of the U.S. military, questioning the deployment of troops in U.S. cities and warning against tainting the armed forces’ service with politics,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Texas Governor Embraces Former Hard Right Critic
“Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday appointed an immigration hard-liner and former political rival to be state comptroller, his latest move to unify the Republican Party by embracing its increasingly ascendant hard right faction,” the New York Times reports.
“The former rival, Don Huffines, has long been a figure on the right flank of Texas politics. He is a former state senator and Dallas-area real estate magnate who unsuccessfully challenged Mr. Abbott for re-election in 2022 by arguing that the governor was not sufficiently conservative.”
“But with Democrats newly energized behind what they believe will be a favorable national political moment this fall, Mr. Abbott and other Texas Republicans are attempting to put their intraparty fights behind them.”
Long Lines for Gas Shatter Illusion of Normalcy in Russia
New York Times: “As Ukraine escalates its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, including some deep into Russian territory, refineries across the country have been forced to shut down for lengthy repairs.”
“That has caused the kinds of gas shortages that many Russian citizens have not seen in their lifetimes. They originally started in Russia-occupied Crimea in May and have since spread to mainland Russia and even Siberia.”
“The situation is so serious that Russian officials said this week that they were in talks to explore importing oil from other countries, a startling admission for the world’s third-largest oil producer.”
Trump Heads to Mount Rushmore
“President Donald Trump returns to Mount Rushmore on Friday, and though the president has openly mused about adding his likeness to the storied national monument, it’s unclear if he can move the mountains necessary to make it happen,” CNN reports.
How Jeff Bezos Learned to Love Trump
Wall Street Journal: “Few relationships have changed more for the president than that with Bezos, who has gone from an avowed enemy of the president to an energetic ally. ”
“By early this year, when Trump spoke to the Alfalfa Club, an elite Washington group, the president annoyed some attendees with what they felt was a rambling, 45-minute speech that was too long and too vituperative. Bezos was sitting in the front, laughing uproariously.”
“Trump hosted Bezos for a private dinner in the Rose Garden last year, frequently asks whether he will be attending other events and talks and texts with him regularly. .”
Trump Made Big Trades Around ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs
“President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April 2025 pushed financial markets into a tailspin, sending Wall Street and everyday investors scrambling to shield themselves from the fallout,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Trump’s money managers were also busy. In a series of trades on April 3 and April 4—the days after Trump announced global tariffs in the Rose Garden—his investment accounts bought and sold hundreds of individual stocks, according to financial disclosures released this week.”
Trump’s Huge Windfall Has Few Known Global Precedents
New York Times: “Mr. Trump’s profits are a haul once unimaginable for any leader of a liberal democracy, particularly a sitting American president. No modern Western leader has ever publicly disclosed such big windfalls while in office.”
“The Trump family’s earnings, experts said, have moved him into an echelon of enrichment more associated with strongmen in Russia and Turkey.”
Los Angeles Times: As Trump reports $2.2 billion in 2025 income, ethics experts raise alarms.
The End of North America
Paul Krugman: “In what would be major news except for all the other disasters happening, Donald Trump has declined to renew the USMCA — the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement — which he himself negotiated. This puts businesses on notice that tariff-free shipments within North America, which NAFTA supposedly made permanent, may go away.”
“Some commentators have dismissed this as no big deal, because Trump’s successor will probably reverse his decision and make the USMCA permanent after all. However, this misses the point of such agreements. Before NAFTA went into effect, North American tariffs were already low. The average tariff imposed by the US on imports from Mexico was only 2 percent. But NAFTA gave more than tariff relief. It gave, or seemed to give, certainty: businesses could invest in border-spanning supply chains confident that they would be able to use these chains for many years to come.”
“Or, as it turns out, not, if we have a U.S. president who doesn’t care about breaking promises.”
Turnout in Primary Elections Favors Democrats So Far
“This year’s primary turnout continues a trend that’s been building since Donald Trump’s return to the White House – Democrats are more motivated than Republicans to vote,” CNN reports.
“Voter numbers have surged in Democratic primaries through the first half of 2026, creating a primary electorate that tilts more toward Democrats than in 2018, when Democrats won control of the House during Trump’s first term, or toward Republicans in 2022, when the GOP took back the House during Joe Biden’s term.”
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Democratic Socialists of America See Surge in Membership
“The leaders of Democratic Socialists of America chapters are seeing a boost in energy ahead of November’s midterms,” NOTUS reports.
“That momentum is on the heels of primary wins by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani-endorsed candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez and Brad Lander in New York. Earlier this week in Colorado, Melat Kiros beat out another House incumbent, fueling speculation that this is the ascendant wing of the Democratic Party.”
“Chapter leaders say they’re feeling that energy on the ground. They’re getting interest from voters, new members, and people interested in running for office.”
Can Socialism Appeal in a Swing State?
New York Times: “The progressive movement is surging this election cycle, as liberal voters — furious with a Democratic establishment they view as old, tepid and beholden to corporate interests — have ousted incumbents. In particular, socialism (a term politicians once strained to distance themselves from) has surged in popularity on the left, as candidates with that label have won House primaries in New York City, Denver and Philadelphia.”
“Wisconsin, which Mr. Trump won in 2024, presents a riskier gamble.”
America’s 250th Turns into a Fight over God and Country
“The White House and its allies are steering America’s 250th birthday toward prayer, repentance and divine guidance, with critics saying a national celebration is becoming a Christian one,” Axios reports.
“One side sees Trump politicizing a national birthday party. The other sees a long-overdue chance to restore faith to the center of America’s founding story.”
”Trump-aligned organizers are leaning into prayer events, conservative Christian partners and language about rededicating America as ‘one nation under God.’”
Trump Discloses 21,000 Securities Trades During First Year
“Across President Donald Trump’s first year back in the White House, his investment advisers made more than 21,000 securities trades, amassing sizable holdings in companies that are directly involved in deals tied to his administration,” ABC News reports.
Trump Insists ‘Nothing Wrong’ with His Big Crypto Gains
“President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he was not aware of the extent of his digital asset holdings but said there was nothing illegal about his involvement, following disclosures about his family companies’ crypto windfall,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Trump: “I could know about it. I didn’t.”
Doug Burgum Doubles as Trump’s Project Manager
Wall Street Journal: “Burgum is point man for Trump’s Washington makeover, tackling everything from troublesome algae blooms in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to an effort to revitalize aging golf courses in the city.”
“The portfolio has made Burgum, a former tech entrepreneur and governor of North Dakota, a constant fixture at the president’s side, giving him an unusually prominent role in Trump’s second term amid the country’s 250th birthday celebrations.”
Pete Hegseth Had Bombshell Plan to Cut Troops in Europe
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was planning to head to Brussels last month to deliver what would be a bombshell announcement in a meeting with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s top military chiefs,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The U.S., he planned to say, was preparing additional cuts to its forces in Europe that would go beyond the canceled deployment of an armored brigade to Poland and the earlier withdrawal of an infantry brigade from Romania… But Hegseth’s proposal was nixed after it was shared with Marco Rubio—President Trump’s national security adviser—and other senior officials.”
Trump Thinks Musk Will Donate SpaceX Stock
“President Donald Trump said he thinks Elon Musk will donate SpaceX stock to the Trump accounts initiative, following other technology executives who have embraced the new investment vehicles for children,” Bloomberg reports.
New York Times: Less than 10 percent of eligible children have Trump accounts.
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