April 17, 2026

The New York Times headline describes Samuel Samson as a "diplomat." ~~~

~~~ This. Is. Not. A. Diplomat. Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times: “For much of the past year, [Samuel] Samson has been at the forefront of ... [Donald] Trump’s effort to reshape America’s relationship with Europe. Touring the continent, Mr. Samson has sought to cultivate Washington’s ties with far-right Europeans and bolster such figures at the expense of Europe’s centrist establishment. He has shocked its mainstream leaders, many of them with decades of experience in diplomacy, by accusing them of stifling freedom and by frequently meeting with and promoting their hard-line challengers. He is just five years out of college, and he has repeatedly advocated an approach that overturns three generations of American diplomatic orthodoxy. Last March, Mr. Samson was in London for a secret breakfast meeting with Nigel Farage, Britain’s most prominent right-wing populist, to discuss abortion and censorship. In May, he was in Paris trying to convince a human rights commission that Marine Le Pen, a French far-right leader recently convicted of embezzlement, had been unjustly persecuted.”

Catherine Porter & Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: “An 85-year-old Frenchwoman who spent 16 days in American immigration detention went home to France on Friday. Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign affairs minister, announced the return of the woman, Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, to reporters on Friday morning, saying 'there were acts of violence' in her case that concerned the French government. 'The main thing is that she is back in France, and that is fully satisfying to us,' he said. Ms. Ross-Mahé was greeted at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport by her three adult children. She was still dressed in her prison wear — orange shoes, sweatpants and a gray sweater — covered in stains and holes, according to one of her sons. She was in a state of physical shock and spiritual exhaustion after the ordeal. It was unclear Friday whether she had been deported or had left the country voluntarily.”

On Her Own Terms. Vimal Patel of the New York Times: “Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University graduate student who was arrested during the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus speech, has returned to Turkey after completing her studies, the group representing her said on Friday. Her arrest, in March 2025, was an early battle in the Trump administration’s targeting of university campuses. Armed and masked immigration agents surrounded her and whisked her into a van. She spent six weeks in federal custody. First, she was driven to New Hampshire, then Vermont and then flown to a detention facility in Louisiana. In a statement posted by the American Civil Liberties Union, Ms. Ozturk, who completed her Ph.D. in child study and human development, said she was proud to return home on her own timeline. 'The time stolen from me by the U.S. government belongs not just to me, but to the children and youth I have dedicated my life to advocating for,' she said.”

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The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Iran war. From the pinned item at 6:40 am ET: Donald “Trump said Thursday that the next in-person U.S.-Iran talks could take place this weekend.... France and Britain were scheduled to co-host a virtual meeting of around 40 countries on Friday aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts said that the U.S. blockade in the waterway could further hurt Iran’s economy but might not be enough to force concessions or lessen the global energy crunch.”

Tyler Pager & Chris Cameron: Donald “Trump said on Thursday that he might travel to Pakistan if a deal to end the war in Iran was signed there, hours after the country said it expected to host a second round of negotiations between American and Iranian officials. Senior Pakistani mediators were in Tehran this week in an effort to shore up a fragile U.S.-Iran cease-fire that is set to expire next week. A reporter asked Mr. Trump outside the White House on Thursday afternoon if he would visit Pakistan to 'seal the deal yourself.' He said yes.” 

Later That Same Day. Peter Eavis, et al.: “The Strait of Hormuz is open for all commercial ships after the agreement of a cease-fire in Lebanon, Iran and the United States said on Friday. Oil prices dropped soon after the announcement, though Iran said ships would have to take a “coordinated route” that shipping analysts said referred to a route that runs close to Iran’s coast. Shortly after Iran’s announcement... , [Donald] Trump responded in social media post: 'IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!' Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, fell more than 10 percent, to below $90 a barrel, its lowest level in more than a month, though it remains more than 20 percent higher than before the war started. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, also fell over 10 percent, to below $84 per barrel.” 

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Lebanon war. From the pinned item at 6:15 am ET: “Thousands of displaced families flooded the main highway to southern Lebanon on Friday, hours after a 10-day cease-fire pausing Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah went into effect.... he current round of fighting has killed more than 2,100 people in Lebanon and displaced over one million residents, mostly from the south of the country, according to the Lebanese authorities. At least 13 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, along with two civilians, according to the Israeli authorities.... [Hezbollah], onsidered more powerful than the Lebanese military, acknowledged the cease-fire on Thursday but did not directly address whether it would accept the truce. It said its actions would be 'based on how developments unfold.' Hezbollah has abided by some previous deals negotiated by the Lebanese government. 'I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do,' Mr. Trump wrote on social media after announcing the cease-fire on Thursday. 'No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!'... The Lebanese army said overnight that it had recorded several Israeli violations after the cease-fire went into effect.”

Susannah George & Suzy Haidamous of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump announced a pause in fighting in Lebanon on Thursday. Lebanon and Israel have 'agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE,' Trump said in a social media post.... Trump’s announcement followed a call he had with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, in which he expressed 'his commitment to fulfilling the Lebanese request for a ceasefire as soon as possible,' according to a statement from Aoun’s office.... However, it is unclear how successful the ceasefire will be as Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that is fighting Israel and the target of Israeli strikes across Lebanon, has said it is opposed to Lebanese-Israeli talks.” This is an update of a story linked earlier today. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mallory Wilson of the Hill: “'It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!' he wrote. In a follow up Truth Social post, the president said he is inviting Netanyahu and Aoun to the White House 'for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983' but didn’t say when.” (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't get it. As I understand it, Aoun has very little control over Hezbollah. Maybe Trump doesn't know that. At any rate, this idea that Trump has "solved" another war (and one that probably would not have begun without Trump's support) seems like the fantasy of a crazy old man. Ah well, as a crazy old man would say, "We'll see what happens." Update: Looks like so far, so good, at least on the Hezbollah side. ~~~

David Halbfinger of the New York Times: Donald “Trump may be trumpeting the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot. Israeli voters did not want the fighting to end. Overwhelmingly, polls showed, they wanted the military to keep up the pressure on Hezbollah, the militant group whose rockets and missiles have made life miserable and perilous for residents of northern Israel, until the group, which Iran backs, was destroyed or forced to disarm. That, after all, is what Mr. Netanyahu and his military chiefs had promised to do. But Mr. Netanyahu quickly, if grudgingly, fell in line on Thursday when Mr. Trump pressed for a cease-fire in Lebanon — just as the Israeli leader did with prior cease-fires the president had orchestrated.... It is a stark turnabout from Mr. Netanyahu’s role in personally persuading Mr. Trump to join Israel in attacking Iran in the first place — a hard-sell pitch, as The New York Times reported....”

John Ismay of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday renewed his threat to attack Iran’s electrical infrastructure if the cease-fire between Washington and Tehran failed. 'Our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal,' Mr. Hegseth said during a briefing to reporters at the Pentagon. 'We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry.... We’d rather not have to do it..., but we’re ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button.' Under international law, intentionally targeting a country’s energy infrastructure could constitute a war crime....

“Mr. Hegseth [and] Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff..., then discussed the U.S. naval blockade of ships traveling to and from ports in Iran.... [Donald] Trump announced the blockade on Sunday, after peace talks with Iranian leaders ended without a breakthrough. Under international law, a naval blockade is an act of war.... The defense secretary also called out journalists who are reporting on the war, comparing them to the Pharisees who criticized Jesus of Nazareth for performing miracles. 'The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation,' Mr. Hegseth said, 'only looking for the negative.' He then referred to the rescue of two downed F-15 aircrew members in Iran over Easter weekend as 'miracles.'” (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Rich Schapiro of NBC News: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalated his attacks on the media Thursday, comparing reporters covering the Iran war to the Pharisees, the biblical Jewish group that opposed Jesus. The comments came at a Pentagon press briefing in which Hegseth first described the American media as 'incredibly unpatriotic.' 'I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage, the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist peddling, despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops,' Hegseth said, referring to the Iran war. 'Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on,' he added.... 'Our press are just like these Pharisees — not all of you, not all of you, but the legacy Trump-hating press. Your politically motivated animus for President Trump nearly completely blinds you from the brilliance of our American warriors, he said. Hegseth added: 'The Pharisees scrutinized every good act in order to find a violation, only looking for the negative. The hardened hearts of our press are calibrated only to impugn. I would ask you to open your eyes to the goodness, the historic success of our troops, the courage of this president.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Take a look at the construction of Pete's critique of the press. Schapiro writes that Pete compared today's press to the Pharisees -- but Pete also compared Trump to Jesus. Even as it appears to be failing, the cult of Trump is making itself more public-facing. BTW, if Pete knew more about Biblical history instead of just relying on ignorant Sunday-school readings of the Gospels, he would know that many of the beliefs associated with the Biblical Jesus were in fact those expressed by the real-life Pharisees, who were a group of reformed Jews who opposed the views & practices of the aristocratic Sadducees who controlled the Jerusalem Temple. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Speaking of Pete's ignorance, here he is standing at the Pentagon podium, reading from the Gospel of Tarantino. (Related story also linked yesterday). Bear in mind that the Samuel L. Jackson character -- a merciless hit man -- says this "prayer" as he prepares to gun down a man in cold blood. This is extraordinary. Life imitates "Pulp Fiction": ~~~

     ~~~ Richard Luscombe of the Guardian: “It was perhaps inevitable that a braggadocious Christian nationalist defense secretary elevated from his role as a weekend Fox News television host would pluck a fake Bible verse from a violent Hollywood blockbuster and present it at a Pentagon prayer session to rally the troops for the 'holy war' in Iran.” 

Farah Stockman, et al., of the New York Times: “The Pentagon has met with senior executives of Ford Motor and General Motors to gauge whether the auto industry could help the military acquire vehicles, munitions or other hardware more quickly and at lower costs.... The conversations are in the very early stages, and relate to the possible production of components by the companies, not entire weapons systems.... The idea is reminiscent of World War II, when G.M., Ford and other automakers supplied the military.... The Trump administration has complained for months that traditional defense contractors take too long to manufacture weapons systems and charge too much for them. In January..., [Donald] Trump signed an executive order that aimed to punish defense contractors that failed to expand their manufacturing capacity. And in November, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, rolled out a strategy for military procurement that included buying more widely available off-the-shelf components to avoid the high costs and delays associated with the specialized systems that the military typically uses.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: How come the Pentagon is all-of-a-sudden interested in saving money? Is it because they wasted too much on installing fake "Department of War" signs? ~~~

AP photo.

P.S. Does Drunk Pete get a bayonet salute everywhere he goes? The self-parody here is exceptional. 

Just Say It Ain't So, Bro. Chris Cameron of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Thursday dismissed high fuel costs amid his war with Iran, claiming that the economic damage inflicted by the war was much less severe than expected. Speaking in a hotel ballroom off the Las Vegas Strip at an event aimed at promoting a tax deduction for tipped workers, Mr. Trump said that 'we’re having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices, which everybody said was going to $250.' He appeared to refer to the swings in the price of a barrel of oil, which has increased substantially in the war and dipped below $100 on Thursday. Mr. Trump’s appearance to extol the tax deduction followed a broader messaging strategy as the war nears the two-month mark: project confidence about the economy — and a rebounding stock market — while brushing aside the financial consequences of the conflict. 

“The president on Thursday otherwise made little mention of gas prices, which were above $5 a gallon at many Las Vegas gas stations, or the increasing cost of airline tickets, which has been driven by rising fuel costs.... Mr. Trump’s remarks came amid a tourism downturn in Las Vegas, which recorded an 11 percent decline in visitors last year. Mr. Trump’s immigration raids have rattled service workers, and his tariffs and foreign policy threats have angered international tourists — in particular, Canadians, the largest group of international visitors to the city.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: See also Akhilleus' commentary below on Trump's admission that he doesn't know what a "corner store" is. Trump has lived in a great urban center most of his life, where one passes corner stores on, well, many, many corners. It would seem that even though Trump theoretically lived in New York City, he was not a part of it. He didn't walk down the street or go to Central Park or take the subway or visit MOMA. There are advantages to being sequestered from ordinary life, but there are disadvantages, too. For Trump, his strange isolation has meant he has gone through life knowing almost nothing.  ~~~

~~~ Paul Waldman has kind of a fun post on how Republicans use "ordinary folks" avatars to show they represent the working class, but how their "ordinary folks" stories are always untrue. He starts with Trump's "DoorDash Grandma" who brought Trump a couple of bags-full of McDonald's meals. The claim Trump made about how DoorDash Grandma benefited from Trump's no-tax-on-tips policy was mathematically impossible. 

Motoko Rich of the New York Times: “Amid a growing dispute with the Trump administration over the legitimacy of American attacks in Iran, [Pope] Leo used a speech on Thursday in Cameroon to express 'woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.... Blessed are the peacemakers.... The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.' The pope was speaking in a region of Cameroon where separatists have been clashing with the government for a decade, and he praised local religious leaders seeking to end that conflict. But against the backdrop of American efforts to use Christian theology to justify the Iran campaign, the pope’s words seemed as directed at the Trump administration as they were at separatist leaders and the government of Paul Biya, 93, the world’s oldest president and an authoritarian who has ruled Cameroon for more than 40 years.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Tony Romm & Colby Smith of the New York Times: “Roughly seven weeks into the war with Iran, investors have shrugged off the sky-high price of oil, sending the S&P 500 this week to a fresh record high. That exuberance on Wall Street has offered a sharp contrast with the hardships facing many Americans, who are feeling the financial blowback of a conflict that ... [Donald] Trump once promised would be brief but seems to have no end in sight. With high gas prices cutting deeply into many families’ budgets, the U.S. economy is under increasing strain, raising the odds that inflation will worsen, unemployment will rise and growth will slow this year.... Among economists, the persistent uncertainty means that it is no longer a question of if, but rather, how much the standoff will come to impede U.S. growth and worsen inflation.”

John Leicester of the AP: “Europe has 'maybe six weeks or so' of remaining jet fuel supplies, the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called 'the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,' stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.... Travelers are already paying the consequences. Beyond flight cancellations, some carriers are increasing ticket fares and add-on fees.”

Nahal Toosi of Politico: “The Iran war is risking America’s global security ties and damaging its reputation, especially among the world’s Muslims, according to a set of State Department cables.... The cables, dated Wednesday, described the fallout of the war for America’s standing in three countries in different parts of the world: Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. U.S. diplomats at embassies in the countries’ capitals painted damning portraits of an America under siege in multiple media spheres by pro-Iranian actors that are exceptionally agile in the digital space. In Azerbaijan, what had been a significantly improving relationship has hit a plateau at best, and appears to be faltering. Bahrain’s government is facing questions about whether the U.S. abandoned it to fend for itself against Iranian drones and missiles. And Indonesia’s leader could face growing calls to reduce security ties with the U.S.”

Sahil Kapur & Kyle Stewart of NBC News: “The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to reject a resolution ordering ... Donald Trump to end the war with Iran. The vote was 213-214, almost entirely along party lines, as Republicans overwhelmingly stick with Trump, refusing to slap guardrails on his military campaign. Just one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted for it, while one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against it. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, who previously voted to end the Iran war, voted 'present.' Three Republicans did not vote. The measure, proposed by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., 'directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran,' with exceptions for extreme cases under the War Powers Resolution, 'unless explicitly authorized' by Congress.”

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Tony Romm of the New York Times: “The White House declined to estimate the cost of the war with Iran at a congressional hearing on Thursday, prompting some Senate Democrats to criticize the Trump administration for its lack of transparency. In a second appearance on Capitol Hill this week, Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, sidestepped questions about the price tag of the U.S.- and Israel-led conflict. He said the “fluctuating” nature of the war made it hard to calculate either the expenses incurred to date or the amount that the president would seek soon in new military funding. Pressed at one point to supply even a general range of the cost, Mr. Vought told lawmakers, 'I’m not going to give you a range because I don’t want to be inaccurate.' He said the administration would furnish those details in a fuller request to Congress soon.” More on Vought's testimony by Politico linked below. 

Paul Campos (in LG&$) is disgusted: "Everyone associated with the Trump administration is the scum of the earth," he writes. And here's what disgusts him:

      ~~~ Carol Miller & Syra Blanes of the Miami Herald: "The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida. The development comes amid rising tensions between the administration and American Catholics over ... Donald Trump’s heated criticism of the Vatican’s first American pope, Leo XIV.... The Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, has paid Catholic Charities in Miami for several years to house immigrant children who enter the U.S. without parents or adult supervision." Thank to RAS for the link to Campos' post. If you can't access the Herald's story, Campos has republished a good part of it.  (Also linked yesterday.)

New York Times rendering. Note the teeny, tiny person on the left.

~~~ Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “A federal panel approved early designs for ... Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch, even as members of the public urged Trump-appointed arts commissioners to block the project — and one commissioner suggested shrinking it. Thursday’s vote by the Commission of Fine Arts, whose job is to vet the design of monuments and other major projects in the capital, does not give final approval for the project. Commissioners instructed Nicolas Charbonneau, an architect at the firm Harrison Design who is leading the project, to make some revisions to his plans and present them again at a later meeting.... On Thursday, several members of the public testified in opposition to Trump’s proposal.... The fine arts commission received about 1,000 comments on the proposal in a public-comment period, and they were '100 percent' against the project, said Thomas Luebke, who serves as the commission’s secretary. The commissioners, all of whom were appointed by Trump, generally supported the president’s idea.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Dan Diamond & Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “A federal judge set new limits on ... Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, saying construction could proceed only on an underground portion of the project deemed necessary by the military, and not on the 90,000-square-foot aboveground addition that Trump has eyed to entertain VIP guests. 'National security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity,' U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote Thursday. He said the Trump administration could also take steps to secure the construction site to make it safe for people on the White House grounds. 

“Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush, last month ordered a halt to Trump’s planned $400 million project, ruling that it could not continue until the president obtains approval from Congress. But Leon permitted further construction to ensure 'the safety and security of the White House' after Trump officials said work on an underground emergency bunker was necessary to protect the president, his family and his staff. The Trump administration swiftly appealed Leon’s ruling, and a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week asked Leon to clarify what parts of the project were paused before it rules on the case.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Sounds practical to me. If Trump wants to enjoy his new construction project, he can do it deep in the pit he dug.  

digby republishes some of the indispensable Aaron Rupar's tweets on Maria Bartiromo's interview of Donald Trump. The poor old guy is so confused he doesn't know, for instance, that he appointed Amy Phony Barrett to the Supreme Court right before the 2020 election. He seems to think she died during Obama's term in office (which ended January 2017). Or right after Obama's term ended. Or something. And Bartiromo tried -- but failed -- to convince Trump that Georgia Sen. Tom Tillis is still a senator. digby: "Those who think this is normal need to have their heads examined too." Yup. Thanks to RAS for the link. Lawrence O'Donnell, BTW, covered some of the Trump-Bartiromo interview, too, during his opening segment. (Also linked yesterday.)

Donald Trump has violated public trust. Congress must be unequivocal in denouncing the president's misconduct and stand up for the American people and our democracy. To this end, I have introduced a censure resolution that will send a strong message to this president and future presidents that their abuses of power will not go unchecked, while leaving the question of removing Trump from office to the voters to decide. I am confident that the American people will decide to deliver a resounding rebuke of President Trump's innumerable improprieties and abuses. And they will express that judgment at the ballot box. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, December 18, 2019, statement regarding her vote of "present" in the matter of the impeachment of Donald Trump ~~~

~~~ Jacob Rosen & Olivia Gazis of CBS News: "Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard asked the Justice Department to investigate two former government officials who played a central role in ... [Donald] Trump's first impeachment inquiry.... The referrals came after Gabbard criticized how former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson handled the 2019 whistleblower complaint earlier this week, releasing a trove of documents linked to Atkinson. The whistleblower — whose identity has not been formally disclosed — reported an 'urgent concern' about ... Trump's request for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. The complaint also expressed concerns about how records of a Trump-Zelenskyy phone call were handled, and about the role of Mr. Trump's then-personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in the U.S.'s relationship with Ukraine." Thanks to RAS for the lead. (Also linked yesterday.)

Madeleine Ngo & Hamed Aleaziz of the New York Times: “Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said on Thursday that he would resign at the end of May, shaking up the leadership at the agency responsible for carrying out ... [Donald] Trump’s mass deportation campaign. In a letter to Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, Mr. Lyons said that it had been a 'tremendous honor' to lead the agency, but that he had decided to leave to 'spend more time with my family.'... His exit raises more questions about the direction of ICE.... Mr. Lyons, who joined ICE in 2007 as an agent in Dallas, has defended the agency’s work under Mr. Trump. But he has also spoken recently about a surge in threats against ICE officers, saying that he knew the reality firsthand, and that his own family had been targeted.” An NBC News story is here.

Tyler Pager, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump intends to nominate Cameron Hamilton to run the Federal Emergency Management Agency after he was pushed out as acting leader nearly a year ago....  Mr. Hamilton, who has limited disaster management experience, is a former Navy SEAL who worked for a defense contractor and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Virginia before taking over FEMA. Mr. Hamilton was ousted from that position after he told members of Congress that the agency should not be eliminated. Mr. Trump had said early in his second term, 'I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away.' But when Congress pressed him on the agency’s future in a hearing last May, Mr. Hamilton contradicted that outlook.... His nomination could raise concern among emergency managers because of a federal law passed after Hurricane Katrina requiring that the FEMA administrator carry extensive experience managing disaster response.”  (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Crap. I was pulling for the FEMA fellow was was teleported to a Waffle House. I once got stuck in a disastrous flood somewhere in the Carolinas that closed I-95, and the only open restaurant I could reach was a Waffle House. How excellent would it be if flood victims could teleport to a Waffle House? ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Doktor Zoom of Wonkette reports some bad news: "According to CNN’s follow-up reporting on [teleport guy Gregg] Phillips (paywalled, unfortunately), shortly after CNN’s initial report in late March about Phillips’s claims, the White House got in touch with Homeland Security and told them to get rid of Phillips or hide him somewhere out of public view.... But this time, for a change, Phillips has stubbornly refused to teleport out of the public eye.... Phillips is still somehow in his job as the head of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, the number-three job in the agency. That’s the biggest division in FEMA...." 

Sheila Eldred, et al., of the New York Times: “Prosecutors in Minneapolis on Thursday charged a federal immigration agent with assault, accusing the agent of pointing a gun at motorists along a state highway during the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities in February. It was a rare instance of state prosecutors charging a federal agent for on-duty actions, and the first such case, officials said, connected to the federal government’s 10-week operation in Minnesota. The prosecutor in Hennepin County, Mary Moriarty, described the assault case as one of 18 incidents involving federal agents now under investigation by her office and indicated that charges against other agents were possible. The agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pointed a gun at two people in a car as he attempted to pass them in an unmarked vehicle on the shoulder of a highway, according to the criminal complaint.” An AP report is here.

Lena Sun, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump believes he has found a prescription to fix the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: a four-person team to lead an agency charged with advising Americans on navigating health challenges that has seen a precipitous decline in public trust. Trump on Thursday named Erica Schwartz, a deputy U.S. surgeon general during his first term, as his pick to lead the agency. 'She is a STAR!' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. The role requires Senate confirmation. The president also named Sean Slovenski, a former Walmart executive, as a CDC deputy director and chief operating officer; Jennifer Shuford, an infectious-disease physician who is Texas’s health commissioner, as a CDC deputy director and chief medical officer; and Sara Brenner, a senior FDA official and former acting commissioner, as senior counselor for public health.... Trump’s latest attempt to put his stamp on the CDC comes amid questions about whether the agency will continue to implement ... Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine agenda or back away ahead of the midterm elections, with many voters opposed to Kennedy’s efforts to roll back vaccine policies.” Politico's report is here.

Katherine Tully-McManus & Jennifer Scholtes of Politico: “Senators from both parties chided the Trump administration Thursday for continuing to withhold funding Congress has approved, more than a year after the White House first froze billions of dollars for temporary 'review.' During White House budget director Russ Vought’s testimony before the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) scolded the OMB chief for not sending hundreds of millions of dollars the Trump administration is supposed to give states throughout the year to support community services aimed at reducing poverty. 'Congress has appropriated money, and you don’t have the authority to impound it,' Grassley said about the more than $810 million Congress appropriated this year for the Community Services Block Grant program.” ~~~

     ~~~ Heather Cox Richardson touches on this and other topics -- mostly related to Congressional goings-on, in her newsletter. 

Rachel Roubein & Lauren Weber of the Washington Post: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his controversial record leading the nation’s health department, as Democrats argued his changes on vaccines threatened public health in America and pushed back against his proposed budget cuts. On Thursday, Kennedy kicked off a marathon of seven congressional hearings where lawmakers grilled him for the first time in more than seven months. The hearings will continue through next week. Kennedy’s health department has recently undergone a major leadership shake-up, and he’s leaned into his messaging around food and nutrition as GOP pollsters warn of the political risks of vaccine skepticism ahead of the midterms. But for hours on Thursday, lawmakers quizzed him on vaccines, fraud in federal government programs and the budget request for his department.... Here are four takeaways from Thursday’s two hearings.” An MS NOW report is here.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “The House of Representatives voted early Friday to extend an expiring surveillance law for 10 days, after libertarian-leaning Republicans demanded that they be allowed to vote on adding new privacy limits to any long-term extension. The law, a major section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is set to expire on Monday. The House bill would push that off until April 30, creating more time for negotiations. The Senate, which reconvenes on Monday, would still need to approve the stopgap measure.... [Donald] Trump has been pressuring Republicans to pass an 18-month reauthorization without any changes to the provision, known as Section 702. Speaker Mike Johnson has been attempting to comply, but he needs the backing of nearly every G.O.P. member in the House to proceed. Twenty balked early Friday morning, making it impossible to move forward even though four Democrats crossed party lines to try to help him bring the matter up for a vote.”

Alana Wise of NPR: "The U.S. House voted on Thursday to extend temporary protected status for Haitian migrants through 2029, with several Republicans supporting the Democratic-endorsed measure to curb ... [Donald] Trump's immigration crackdown. The vote was split 224-204, with 10 Republicans joining the Democrats in approving the resolution. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who led the effort, used a congressional procedure called a discharge petition to force a vote to the floor.... The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle against a Republican majority. If it does pass the Senate, the White House has said that Trump would veto the bill.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “House Republicans on Thursday threw their support behind Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and lamented the recent ouster of the service’s top general, making a rare public break with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after his repeated clashes with senior Army leaders. House Democrats offered some similar sentiments, but the plaudits from conservative lawmakers at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee’s panel on defense appeared intended to buttress Driscoll’s standing in the Republican Party.” 

David Dwyer of ABC News: “Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Wednesday delivered a televised broadside against progressivism, a political philosophy he described as an existential threat to America and the principles that founded it 250 years ago. 'Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence and hence our form of government,' Thomas said in a speech at the University of Texas Austin Law School pegged to the nation’s upcoming milestone birthday.” Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his comments and RAS's in Thursday's thread. (Also linked yesterday.)

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New Jersey. Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “Analilia Mejia, a progressive Democrat, was elected on Thursday to a New Jersey House seat after a race that was heavily defined by attitudes toward ... [Donald] Trump and outside spending by a pro-Israel lobbying group. Ms. Mejia, an organizer by trade who helped run Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, will replace Gov. Mikie Sherrill in the largely affluent and suburban 11th Congressional District. Ms. Sherrill, a moderate Democrat, resigned from her seat after being elected governor in November, leaving a rare vacancy at a critical moment for Congress. Ms. Mejia was ahead of her Republican opponent, Joe Hathaway, by about 59 points when The Associated Press called the race in her favor minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. Ms. Mejia ... has already entered the race for a full, two-year term in November. In a district where registered Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans, she is expected to have a distinct edge as she competes for the seat as an incumbent.” (Also linked yesterday.) A Politico report is here. The NBC News report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think Mejia's win will make the balance in the House 217 Republicans to 214 Democrats. That means Republicans can afford to lose only one vote to win passage of a bill if Democrats unanimous vote against it (assuming all members of both parties vote).

Virginia. Joe Heim, et al., of the Washington Post: “'Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife inside of their home and then shot and killed himself,' Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference Thursday morning outside the couple’s home in the Annandale area of Fairfax. 'This has been an ongoing domestic dispute surrounding what seems to be a complicated or messy divorce.' Davis said that Fairfax, 47, was recently served paperwork related to an upcoming court proceeding. The couple, he said, were separated but living together. They married in 2006. Both of the couple’s children, a teenage boy and girl, were at home when the shooting occurred, Davis said. According to Davis, Fairfax shot his wife several times in the basement and then ran upstairs to a bedroom, where he shot and killed himself. The couple’s son called 911, he said.... Fairfax, a Democrat, was elected to Virginia’s second-highest office in 2017.... He served with former governor Ralph Northam and was once a favorite to become the state’s governor.” An NBC News story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) 

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France. M. Gessen of the New York Times: “As the judge read her verdict in Paris Criminal Court on Monday, police officers walked to the defense table to arrest Bruno Lafont, the 69-year-old former chief executive of one of the world’s largest cement manufacturers, Lafarge, and Christian Herrault, the 75-year-old former deputy head of operations. They would begin serving their prison sentences immediately: six and five years, respectively, for financing terrorism in Syria and beyond. Their individual sentences were striking, but the big news was something else: For the first time in France, and possibly for the first time ever, anywhere, an entire corporation had been put on trial and found criminally liable for enabling terrorism.... The money Lafarge plowed into the coffers of militant organizations most likely made a significant difference in their capabilities.”

U.K. Michael Shear of the New York Times: “British vetting officials recommended against granting top level security clearances to Peter Mandelson before he became ambassador to the United States last year, but were overruled by Britain’s foreign office, 10 Downing Street said on Thursday. In a statement, the office of Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said that neither the prime minister nor any government minister knew until this week that the foreign office had given Mr. Mandelson 'developed vetting' — the highest level of security clearance in Britain — against the advice of the formal security vetting team. Mr. Mandelson was fired last September from his post as Britain’s top diplomat in America after leaked emails revealed Mr. Mandelson’s deep and enduring friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. A series of revelations about Mr. Mandelson have rocked Mr. Starmer’s government for months, with political opponents and allies saying that the prime minister exercised poor judgment in choosing him in the first place. The scandal has contributed to Mr. Starmer’s record low approval ratings.” ~~~

     ~~~ It appears the Guardian broke the story. ~~~

     ~~~ Anabelle Dickson, et al. of the Guardian: “One of Britain’s most senior civil servants, Olly Robbins, was dismissed late Thursday as Keir Starmer’s government reeled from a deepening crisis over the appointment of its former ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson. Starmer and his foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, lost confidence in Robbins, the top official in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), a U.K. official familiar with the matter said, after a new report revealed new details of his role in the security vetting for Mandelson.”