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Commanders to brief Trump on new Iran military options Thursday

(Axios) President Trump is slated to receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action in Iran on Thursday from CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, two sources with knowledge tell Axios. The briefing signals that Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations either to try to break the logjam in negotiations or to deliver a final blow before ending the war. Behind the scenes: CENTCOM has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran — likely including infrastructure targets — in hopes of breaking the negotiating deadlock, three sources with knowledge said.

mahatmakanejeeves

Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers

(New York Times) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday defended his decisions to fire or sideline nearly 30 generals and admirals over the past year with little explanation by falsely comparing his record to that of President Barack Obama. “I would also note that under Barack Obama, 197 general officers were removed,” Mr. Hegseth said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. The number Mr. Hegseth gave has no basis in fact. It originated with an unsigned 2018 editorial in Investor’s Business Daily, which cites the right-wing news site “Breitbart.com’s Facebook page” as its source.

BumRushDaShow

Hegseth says $400M in Ukraine support released after McConnell's angry op-ed

(The Hill) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said $400 million in Ukraine support was released after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) penned an angry op-ed criticizing the stall in funding. “The department recognizes that $400 million was allocated for European capacity building, and as of yesterday, it has been released,” Hegseth said in response to a question about the aid from Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.). Elfreth followed up to ask whether the money was released under contract. Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III said the aid was “not under contract, but released to be put under contract.”

demmiblue

Janet Mills, Governor of Maine, Suspends Senate Campaign

(New York Times) Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, the Democratic establishment’s choice to run for the Senate seat long held by Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, suspended her campaign on Thursday, saying she no longer had the financial resources to compete against Graham Platner, a progressive political newcomer. Her exit paves the way for Mr. Platner, an oysterman who has led her in polls, to become the Democratic nominee in one of the most important Senate races in the country.

KS Toronado

R U ready 4 some TOONS?

highplainsdem

Amazon Mulls 'Apprentice' Reboot With Donald Trump Jr. as Host

(The Wrap) Amazon is reportedly considering a reboot of the “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., hosting the new iteration. The Jeff Bezos-led company appears to be doubling down on its relationship with the Trumps after buying First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania,” as a new report from the Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon executives are in the midst of talking about an “Apprentice” reboot.

Celerity

The supreme court's voting rights decision is a death knell for American democracy

(The Guardian) Political scientists such as the University of Notre Dame’s Christine Wolbrecht have argued that America wasn’t really a democracy, not in the meaningful sense of the term, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the law that formed the signature achievement of the civil rights movement and sought to end racial barriers to voting across the south when it was passed in 1965. If you accept that premise, you could say that the era of American democracy officially ended on Wednesday, when the supreme court finished its project of dismantling the VRA in its 6-3 decision in Louisiana v Callais. Whatever this country has become now, “democracy” does not describe it.

BumRushDaShow

Trump administration appeals ruling that blocked RKF Jr.'s vaccine overhaul

(NBC News) The Trump administration has appealed a Massachusetts federal judge’s ruling that blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent overhaul of the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule. A filing Wednesday evening in the District of Massachusetts indicates the administration is appealing Judge Brian Murphy’s order March 16. Murphy put any decisions made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee on hold, ruling that Kennedy replaced the committee “unlawfully.”. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate signed the appeal.

bigtree

Clear paper trail revealed of Trump officials planning to share sensitive voter data with an outside political group

(Democracy Docket) The records — first obtained by Democracy Forward through public record requests and ongoing litigation, and shared exclusively with Democracy Docket — include heavily redacted emails between government employees and the external group. They also include the signed voter data agreement and discussion of how data would be transferred between parties. Internal communications included in the files show discussions about executing a data-sharing agreement and coordinating the transfer of information once finalized, though key details — including the identities of the outside entity and other officials involved — remain blacked out.

BlueWaveNeverEnd

Elon Musk told a federal court on Wednesday that he now considers himself

(Newswer) Elon Musk told a federal court on Wednesday that he now considers himself "a fool" for bankrolling OpenAI's early years, as his lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company and its leaders played out in a California courtroom. On the stand, Musk said he put roughly $38 million into what he believed was a nonprofit meant to advance AI for the public good, the Wall Street Journal reports, only to see it become "an $800 billion company."

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Senate passes 45-day FISA extension

14 min ago - 04/30/26 3:19 PM ET The Senate on Thursday passed a 45-day extension of the nation’s warrantless spy powers, rejecting a longer House-back proposal and teeing up continued debate over how to reform the program. In turning to a 45-day extension, ... (The Hill)

'We want to be paid a living wage': Graduate student workers at UIC go on strike

26 min ago - Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune Thu, April 30, 2026 at 5:00 AM CDT Isobel Araujo, a second-year Ph.D. student, earns $24,000 a year as a teaching and resident assistant at the University of Illinois Chicago. Between classes, coursework and dorm duties ... (Chicago Tribune Yahoo)

Senate bans its own members and staff from betting in prediction markets

41 min ago - April 30, 2026, 2:53 PM EDT / Updated April 30, 2026, 3:10 PM EDT The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution to ban members and staff from trading on prediction markets. The resolution, which changes the rules of the Senate, passed unanimously withou ... (NBC News)

Mexico will extradite officials to U.S. only if given "irrefutable evidence" of cartel links, president says

1 hr ago - April 30, 2026 / 12:15 PM EDT Mexico is seeking "irrefutable evidence" to back up U.S. drug trafficking charges against a state governor and other officials before proceeding with extradition requests, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday. The ... (CBS News/AFP)

Oil price hits highest since 2022 after report Trump to be briefed on new Iran options

1 hr ago - Oil prices jumped to their highest level since 2022 after a report that the US military is set to brief President Donald Trump on new plans for potential action in the Iran war. Brent crude rose by almost 7% to more than $126 (£94) a barrel at ... (BBC)

Trump Eyes Tennessee Map Reset After Supreme Court's Voting Rights Decision

1 hr ago - updated Apr 30, 2026 at 01:32 PM EDT By Gabe Whisnant and Jesus Mesa President Donald Trump said Tennessee officials are moving to respond to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on congressional maps, urging Republican Governor Bill Lee to pursue redistric ... (newsweek.com)

House relents, finally ends record-breaking Homeland Security shutdown

1 hr ago - Updated April 30, 2026, 2:13 p.m. ET WASHINGTON ‒ Congress finally ended the historic Department of Homeland Security shutdown, resolving the longest crisis of its kind in American history. In an abrupt afternoon voice vote on Thursday, April ... (USA Today)

ArcelorMittal Donates Steel for Trump Ballroom

2 hrs ago - April 30, 2026, at 11:25 a.m. April ⁠30 (Reuters) - ⁠ArcelorMittal said on ⁠Thursday it had donated steel for a White House ballroom project backed by ‌U.S. President Donald Trump. The ‌Luxembourg-based steelmaker' ... (US News & World Report/Reuters)

Trump withdraws nomination of Casey Means for US surgeon general

2 hrs ago - Thu 30 Apr 2026 13.00 EDT Last modified on Thu 30 Apr 2026 13.01 EDT Donald Trump on Thursday pulled his nominee to become the US surgeon general, Casey Means, and replaced her. The US president said that Means will continue to fight for the so-calle ... (The Guardian)

Trump DOJ Pursuing Separate Comey Probe for Classified Leaks

3 hrs ago - Exclusive Trump DOJ Pursuing Separate Comey Probe for Classified Leaks April 30, 2026, 11:55 AM EDT The Justice Department is pursuing additional charges against James Comey for allegedly leaking classified information, after the former FBI director' ... (Bloomberg Law)

Top GOP Super PAC Warns Senate Majority at Risk

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Iran's New Leader Pledges to Guard Nuclear and Missile Tech

4 hrs ago - (Bloomberg) -- Iran’s new supreme leader gave a rare statement on Thursday, vowing not to give up the country’s nuclear or missile technologies and signaling Tehran would keep control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic will “ ... (Bloomberg)

U.S. Seeks International Help To Reopen Strait Of Hormuz As Crude Prices Surge

4 hrs ago - Apr 30, 2026, 05:39 AM EDT | Updated 5 hours ago WASHINGTON/DUBAI/ISLAMABAD, April 29 (Reuters) - The United States is pressing ahead with plans for an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable seen b ... (Huff Post/Reuters)

Black lawmakers decry supreme court voting decision: 'We're going backwards'

6 hrs ago - Wed 29 Apr 2026 13.56 EDT Last modified on Wed 29 Apr 2026 23.20 EDT The lawmakers who represent Alabama’s two Black congressional districts, who are now at risk of losing their seats after the supreme court effectively decimated the Voting Righ ... (The Guardian)

Legal filing raises questions about who shot Secret Service officer at press dinner

6 hrs ago - Summary Court filing omits claim Allen shot Secret Service officer, contrasting with earlier official statements Security footage reviewed by Washington Post shows no evidence Allen fired at officers Source of officer's gunshot wound rema ... (Reuters)

Trump says US considering reducing troops in Germany amid clash with Merz and Nato allies

7 hrs ago - Thursday 30 April 2026 03:20 EDT President Donald Trump has said that his administration will ⁠review the possible reduction of US troops in Germany amid an escalating dispute with Berlin over the Iran war. “The United States is ... (The Independent)

Janet Mills, Governor of Maine, Suspends Senate Campaign

7 hrs ago - Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, the Democratic establishment’s choice to run for the Senate seat long held by Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, suspended her campaign on Thursday, saying she no longer had the financial resources to compete against ... (NYT)

Core inflation rate hit 3.2% in March; GDP grew 2% in first quarter; jobless claims lowest since 1969

7 hrs ago - Published Thu, Apr 30 2026 8:34 AM EDT Updated 7 Min Ago Consumers faced escalating prices in March as the Iran war sent oil soaring and created a new level of challenges for the Federal Reserve, according to a batch of reports Thursday that showed e ... (CNBC)

Senate confirms ATF director, who announces new rules

7 hrs ago - Posted April 29, 2026 at 9:19pm The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with some Democratic backing on Wednesday, as the new director unveiled plans to roll back Biden-e ... (Roll Call)

Little Lake teachers in southeast L.A. County reach tentative deal after crippling strike

7 hrs ago - By Howard Blume and Cierra Morgan April 29, 2026 Updated 9:35 PM PT The Little Lake school district in southeast Los Angeles County and its teachers union reached a tentative agreement Monday night, ending one of the longest teacher strikes in state ... (LA Times)