May 6, 2026

Benjamin Weiser, et al., of the New York Times: “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. 'They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!' the note begins, adding that the result was charges going back many years. 'It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye,' the note continued. 'Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!!' the note reads. 'NO FUN,' it concludes, with those words underlined. '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.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If this is indeed a suicide note, how is it that a person who could manipulate so many people -- including ultra-wealthy men, presidents of universities, sophisticated urbanites and heads of state -- could write such a crap suicide note? I mean, on my worst day -- and one assumes that a day spent contemplating suicide is a bad day -- I'm sure I'd come up with something better than "Watcha want me to do."  

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted ... [Donald] Trump, accused the Justice Department of having been 'corrupted' by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law. Mr. Smith’s remarks, made last month in a private discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, represented his sharpest criticism of the department since leaving his post early last year. They came at a time when Mr. Trump is demanding Mr. Smith be prosecuted for his work as special counsel — an outcome Mr. Smith believes is likely, according to people familiar with his thinking. 'We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,' Mr. Smith said in the hourlong discussion on April 20, according to a video obtained by The New York Times. Mr. Smith, speaking in the deliberate cadence of a prosecutor delivering a closing argument, cited what he cast as the wholesale erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from the White House. 'We have a department that fails to investigate cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient narratives the president would like to press,' he said.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Say, maybe Jack Smith should be the attorney general in the next administration.

Bibi Is Not Cooperating with Donald's Erratic Program. Suzan Haidamous, et al., of the Washington Post: “Israeli forces launched an airstrike against a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces in Beirut’s southern suburbs Wednesday, the first attack near the Lebanese capital since the start of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last month. 'No terrorist has immunity; the long arm of Israel will reach every enemy and murderer,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. The identity of the target was not immediately clear. A Hezbollah official told The Washington Post that there appeared to be fatalities and a search-and-rescue operation was underway.”

The New York Times liveblogged a hearing the House Oversight Committee held to question Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. ~~~ 

Michael Gold & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: “Howard Lutnick..., [Donald] Trump’s commerce secretary, was grilled by lawmakers ... during a closed-door interview..., for several hours on Wednesday over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, after documents released by the Justice Department revealed that Mr. Lutnick had misrepresented his relationship with Mr. Epstein.... The commerce secretary’s name appeared in more than 250 documents in the Epstein files, a review by The New York Times found.... According to two people familiar with his testimony, Mr. Lutnick said in his opening statement that he had met Mr. Epstein only three times: once for coffee and a tour of Mr. Epstein’s home in New York after they became neighbors, once when Mr. Lutnick and his family were invited to Mr. Epstein’s island in 2012 and once to discuss a construction project on Mr. Epstein’s home in New York that might have had an impact on Lutnick’s residence. 

“After hours of questioning, Democrats told reporters that Mr. Lutnick did not admit to misleading Americans about his ties to Mr. Epstein, including when he said on a podcast last year that he was never in the room with Mr. Epstein again after their first meeting.... Before Mr. Lutnick’s interview, Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the committee’s chairman, acknowledged that Mr. Lutnick 'wasn’t 100 percent truthful' about whether or not he had be on the island. After Republicans finished questioning Mr. Lutnick, Mr. Comer said that he was satisfied that Mr. Lutnick was being 'forthcoming' about his interactions with Mr. Epstein. But he did not directly answer a question about whether Mr. Lutnick explained the discrepancy in his accounts.”

Marie: You may recall that last month, akaWendy brought us a story in the Atlantic by Sarah Fitzpatrick about Kash Patel's excessive drinking, unexplained absences & erratic behavior. This report, which cited a lot of specifics and many sources, upset the FBI director quite a bit. So, even after suing the Atlantic for defamation, he decided to use FBI resources to do something about it. ~~~

~~~ Episode 1. Let's Play “Is This FBI Investigation Legitimate or Not Legitimate?” Ken Dilanian & Carol Leonnig of MS NOW: "The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on an Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote a deeply unflattering account last month of Director Kash Patel’s work habits, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW. The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified information and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter. The agents involved are part of an insider threats unit based in Huntsville, Alabama.... Typically, leak investigations look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents. Journalists who receive and publish such information have typically only been involved as potential witnesses.... There is deep concern about this approach among some of the FBI agents assigned to the matter, said the sources....” ~~~

     ~~~ David Graham of the Atlantic: “...  legal commentators from across the political spectrum have concluded that [Patel's defamation suit] is weak and likely to fail.... Filing a flimsy civil lawsuit as a private citizen is Patel’s right, though it is also plainly an inappropriate attempt to smother unflattering reporting. But if Patel’s bureau has launched a criminal investigation into a reporter, employing the power of the federal government, that would be a significant escalation.... [Donald] Trump himself has demonstrated either ignorance of or disregard for the First Amendment, saying that negative coverage of him is 'really illegal.'... Neither Patel nor anyone else has publicly alleged any violation of the law on [reporter Sarah] Fitzpatrick’s part in any other venue. Nor does his lawsuit or any public statement allege that Fitzpatrick reported classified information.... This situation lacks even a pretense of national-security threat.” Thanks again to akaWendy for this gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Update: The Atlantic just published a new report by Sarah Fitzpatrick based on tips Fitzpatrick got as a result of her earlier article about Kash Patel's excessive drinking. ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2: And here's our link, courtesy of akaWendy. Sarah Fitzpatrick of the Atlantic: “...  it is not unusual for [Kash Patel] to travel with a supply of personalized branded bourbon. 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.... In some cases, the 750-milliliter bottles bear Patel’s signature, with '#9' there as well.... Patel has given out bottles of his personalized whiskey to FBI staff as well as civilians he encounters in his duties, according to eight people.... Patel has distributed his self-branded bottles while on official business, including during at least one FBI event. He and his team have transported the whiskey using a DOJ plane, including when he went to Milan during the Olympics in February.”  

Episode 2. Let's Play “Is This FBI Investigation Legitimate or Not Legitimate?” Gregory Schneider, et al., of the Washington Post: “The FBI on Wednesday raided the Portsmouth offices and a cannabis retail business co-owned by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and one of the most powerful Democrats in the state, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, according to two federal law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.... Officials ... said it involved allegations of bribery. One of those officials said the investigation began during the Biden administration. Lucas, 82, (D-Portsmouth) is an outspoken political figure who has touted her cannabis dispensary in provocative social media posts and often trolls Republicans and ... Donald Trump. She is known for her rough-and-tumble background, which includes becoming a teenage mother and working as a shipfitter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to reporting on MS NOW, Lucas was a central force behind Virginia's successful redistricting campaign. So naturally, Trump would be all in for "investigating" her. Did this "investigation" really begin during the Biden administration, as the Post reports? I'd be surprised. ~~~

      ~~~ Update: Carol Leonnig reported on MS NOW that an investigation of Lucas did begin during the Biden administration. Trump's 3rd-runner-up Miss Colorado Lindsey Halligan urged prosecutors to bring a case again her, but they said they weren't ready, that they didn't have enough evidence.  

Your Not-Trump Video of the Day: ~~~

     ~~~ Here's a bonus. And here's another. ~~~

     ~~~ Tim Balk of the New York Times: “... Stephen Colbert ... air[ed] an interview with former President Barack Obama on Tuesday night as Mr. Colbert’s canceled CBS show heads toward its final episode this month. Mr. Obama used the interview to go after Mr. Trump, but never mentioned him by name. He urged Democrats to avoid sounding like academics when talking to voters. And he talked about aliens. Here are five notable moments from Mr. Colbert’s interview with Mr. Obama, which was filmed in early April at Mr. Obama’s soon-to-open presidential center on the South Side of Chicago and aired on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.' (A White House spokesman, Davis Ingle, responded to the interview by issuing a statement insulting Mr. Obama and Mr. Colbert, saying, 'Only pathetic trainwrecks like Stephen Colbert would waste their time interviewing one of the worst presidents in history.')” MB: They really don't know how to behave.

Paul Waldman on the fall of the Cult of Trump. Thanks to Ken W. for the link. 

Jonathan Kandell of the New York Times: “Ted Turner, the media mogul who cut a brash and vivid figure on the American scene of the late 20th century by dominating the cable television industry, creating the 24-hour news cycle with CNN, and extending his restless reach into professional sports, environmentalism and philanthropy, died on Wednesday at his home near Tallahassee, Fla. He was 87. 

Adam Sella of the New York Times: “The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had struck another boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people and bringing the death toll to at least 190 in the monthslong campaign against those who the United States alleges are engaged in drug smuggling at sea. U.S. Southern Command, led by Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps, announced the attack in a social media post on Tuesday evening. The post cited unspecified intelligence, and said the boat was traveling on 'known narco-trafficking routes' and was 'engaged in narco-trafficking operations.' It included a 28-second video showing an attack on a moving boat.”

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: “An employee of the Federal Aviation Administration was set to appear in federal court on Tuesday on charges of threatening to kill ... [Donald] Trump after allegedly using his government-issued work computer for his plans. The Justice Department accused Dean DelleChiaie, 35, of Nashua, N.H., of using his work computer in January to conduct a series of suspicious searches, including how to smuggle a gun into a federal building, the details of previous assassination attempts against Mr. Trump, and the phrase 'I am going to kill Donald John Trump.'” MB: Among his other shortcomings, Mr. DelleChiaie does not appear to be a very bright guy.

Ana Swanson & Michael Gold of the New York Times: “Howard Lutnick..., [Donald] Trump’s commerce secretary, will face questions Wednesday from the House Oversight Committee over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Mr. Lutnick is one of the highest-profile cabinet members to come under scrutiny in connection with Mr. Epstein. The commerce secretary’s name appeared in more than 250 documents in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department, a review by The New York Times found.”

Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “The state police in Illinois said on Tuesday that they were investigating the fatal shooting of a man by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last summer in suburban Chicago. The shooting of the man, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, who was from Mexico, came in the midst of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the Chicago area, and it immediately drew outrage from residents and local officials. Federal officials claimed that Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez, who they said was in the country illegally, drove a Subaru into officers and dragged an officer while fleeing a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Ill., near O’Hare International Airport. The agency said one officer had been severely injured. But video of the shooting, which took place on Sept. 12, raised questions about aspects of that account. Footage reviewed by The New York Times showed Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez attempting to flee from officers. But it did not show Mr. Villegas-Gonzalez, 38, hitting an officer with his car, and an officer was heard on one of the videos saying his own injuries were 'nothing major.'”

The New York Times liveblog of developments in the Iran war are here. ~~~ 

Donald in Fantasyland. Qasim Nauman & Erica Green: Donald “Trump pressed Iran on Wednesday to agree to a peace plan, issuing fresh threats even as an Iranian official dismissed a proposal to end the war as a 'list of American wishes.' The conflicting accounts of diplomacy came a day after Mr. Trump abruptly paused a U.S. military operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing what he said was “great progress” in talks. In public, there was little sign that the weeks of diplomacy aimed at reaching a deal to reopen the vital waterway and end the war were bearing fruit. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump offered safe passage for vessels through the strait if Iran 'agrees to give what has been agreed,' without elaborating. 'If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,' he threatened, warning that further U.S. attacks would be 'at a much higher level and intensity.'... Earlier Wednesday, oil prices fell sharply after Mr. Trump announced that the United States was pausing its days-old naval operation to escort ships through the strait.”

This seems to be another part of Trump's program to pretend we're winning his war against Iran: ~~~

~~~ Evan Hill, et al., of the 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, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported. The threat of air attacks rendered some of the U.S. bases in the region too dangerous to staff at normal levels, and commanders moved most of the personnel from these sites out of the range of Iranian fire at the start of the war, officials have said.” 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

They Really Don't Know What They're Doing. Erica Green, et al., of the  New York Times: Donald “Trump, in a sudden reversal, announced on Tuesday evening that the United States was pausing 'for a short period of time' efforts to help guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked to most commercial ships for weeks. The president’s announcement came one day after the effort began. He said in a social media post that the change was “based on the request of Pakistan and other countries,” as well as the “tremendous military success” and “great progress” toward an agreement. Pakistan has hosted cease-fire talks between American and Iranian negotiators. Mr. Trump said, however, that a recently announced U.S. blockade would 'remain in full force and effect' in the narrow waterway and that the pause was 'to see whether or not the agreement can be finalized and signed.' It was the latest abrupt about-face that has signified much of Mr. Trump’s handling of the war.... Throughout the war, Mr. Trump’s positions have changed suddenly, sometimes in the same sentence.... Earlier on Tuesday, before declaring 'great progress' in talks, Mr. Trump said that he didn’t like that Iranian officials 'play games' by talking to him with 'great respect' and then appearing on television to say they never did.... 

“Mr. Trump’s announcement came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the mission, declaring that 'the Iranian regime cannot be allowed to dictate who uses this vital waterway,' which he called a violation of international law.... Earlier on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the U.S. operation to open the strait, which began on Monday, as defensive and temporary. 'We’re not looking for a fight,' he told reporters at the Pentagon. He and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the cease-fire remained in place, despite recent attacks. Mr. Hegseth added that the United States was still working to free trapped vessels. 'We’re ensuring that we have control of that strait, which we do,' he said.” ~~~

~~~ David Sanger of the New York Times: “When the cease-fire in the war with Iran went into effect a month ago..., [Donald] Trump was pretty direct that if the Iranians failed to end their nuclear program, or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bombers would be back in the air. 'If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,' he said, making it very clear this was just a pause. But it turns out, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the war actually ended at some point after the cease-fire took hold, or so he told reporters at a news conference at the White House on Tuesday. 'The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,' he said. Later on Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced that he was pausing even that effort..., [which] seemed to contradict the administration’s stated position that it was intolerable for Iran to block an international waterway, and that only the United States had the ability to force it open again.\

“For the White House, the insistence that the war was over was the latest rhetorical leap in an effort to put a war that has created the greatest political crisis of Mr. Trump’s presidency in the rearview mirror. But the mere proclamation does not make it true. Missiles were still flying. Both sides insist they control traffic in the waterway. And despite Mr. Rubio’s declaration that the objectives of the war have been accomplished, they clearly have not.” ~~~

     ~~~ Paul Campos, in LG&$, is serving a triple TACO salad along with these remarks by a friend of his: “Trump humiliated Rubio by having him defend Project Freedom to the hilt at a presser today, only to unilaterally suspend the 'project' this evening. Per the Eurasia Group, Trump pulled the plug on it because 1) Iran sank a South Korean tanker and nearly took out two other ships despite US naval protection, and 2) Trump was informed by a liaison to the international shipping insurance consortium that none of their members would support it without Iran agreeing not to shoot. In other words, Iran holds all the cards to get Trump out of this quagmire. He has to bend the knee. Is he smart enough to realize that, cut a deal and move on?”

Courtney Kube of NBC News: "Two U.S. commercial ships that crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday had U.S. military security teams aboard as Iran launched attacks against them during the transit, according to two U.S. officials. Iran targeted both ships with missiles, drones and armed small boats, but the U.S. military intercepted the attacks and blew up the small boats, the Pentagon said. It was the first time U.S. military security personnel were reported aboard the ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as part of ... Donald Trump’s latest effort to open up the key passageway, called Project Freedom, where military vessels were guiding ships through Iran’s blockade of the strait. It was a new entanglement in the conflict that increased the military’s exposure to Iran’s aggression."

Cathy Bussewitz of the AP: “The price of a gallon of regular gasoline climbed 31 cents in the past week, spiking to an average of $4.48 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA, hitting the wallets of drivers after rising 50% since the war with Iran began. The main reason drivers are paying more at the pump is because of the global energy crisis caused by the Iran war. The price of crude oil, which is the main ingredient in gasoline, has been climbing for most of the past two months because the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil normally passes, has effectively been shut, and oil tankers have been stranded there unable to deliver crude.”

Trump Ballroom Scamarama, Ctd. A week or two ago, contributor Patrick explained how we taxpayers would be paying for a large portion of Trump's big gaudy ballroom. Patrick noted that the donors to Trump's ballroom fund at minimum would get standard tax breaks for their contribution. A tax break for a rich person is a burden on every other taxpayer. (Some of Trump's secret ballroom donors are probably foreign nationals (so no U.S. tax breaks), but rest assured they're getting something in return, too, and that something likely will often mean Americans are the losers.) Well, now we're moving from paying for a substantial percentage of Trump's big gaudy ballroom to paying for most of it: ~~~

~~~ Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: “Senate Republicans late Monday proposed $1 billion to pay for new White House security measures, with lawmakers and White House officials disagreeing over whether the legislation would cover ... Donald Trump’s planned ballroom. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, laid out a funding package for security upgrades related to the 'East Wing Modernization Project,' the Trump administration’s name for its planned 90,000-square-foot project to rebuild the East Wing that Trump demolished last year. The proposed legislative text says the money would be used for both aboveground and underground security features that the administration has declined to fully detail. The text explicitly says the money could not be used for “non-security elements” of the project, a reference to Trump’s planned ballroom.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A spokeswoman for ole Chuck said, 'This bill does not fund ballroom construction'” She was not under oath when she said it, of course. I don't believe her. Plus: somehow this $200MM ballroom went to $400MM, and now I guess it's up to $1.4BB. And Trump says there's no inflation. Also, Republicans are passing this bill through reconciliation -- which requires only a simple majority vote -- so Democrats can't do much about it. ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MS NOW: "Put another way, congressional Republicans expect the public to pay $1 billion for a $400 million ballroom. We’ll learn soon enough whether and to what extent the legislation changes in the coming days and weeks, but for now, GOP officials should probably keep in mind that polls show 2-to-1 opposition to the White House ballroom project, and that’s when the survey question emphasized private financing. Watch this space." ~~~

~~~ Hans Nichols of Axios: "Senate Democrats are salivating at the chance to force every Republican to vote on $1 billion for security upgrades tied to ... [Donald] Trump's new White House ballroom.... A billion-dollar, Trump-branded gilded ballroom — which the president insisted would be privately funded — is the kind of affordability contrast Democrats have dreamed about for the 2026 midterms." ~~~ 

~~~ Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: “A federal grand jury in D.C. indicted the alleged gunman who was arrested outside the White House correspondents’ dinner, charging Cole Tomas Allen with four felonies, including the attempted assassination of ... Donald Trump. In addition to that charge, the indictment returned Tuesday accuses Allen of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, transporting firearms across state lines, and discharging a gun during a violent crime. If convicted, Allen faces a minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum life sentence.” MB: Trump & his Congressional allies used the incident as an excuse to build a gigantic maximum-security ballroom, even though it would not be large enough to host the correspondents' dinner, and in any case, would not be an appropriate venue for a private event.

Claire Heddles of the Miami Herald: "Palm Beach County commissioners will take their first public vote Tuesday on the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump, now that county officials have reached a tentative trademark deal with the president’s companies following weeks of negotiations. The controversial deal is unusual: other airports named after presidents don’t have trademarks owned by private companies. Trump’s companies and Palm Beach County administrators have argued the trademark agreement is necessary to protect the county from lawsuits, not for private profit.A copy of the agreement signed by Trump Sunday and reviewed by the Miami Herald, however, shows it could leave openings for Trump’s businesses and family members to benefit from the taxpayer-funded airport name change." Read on. Thanks to RAS for what looks to be a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This is outrageous. The voters of Palm Beach County should get rid of these commissioners right now. Do a recall, for Pete's sake. The county has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since at least 2008. That means they voted against Trump three times. And they're naming a public airport after Trump and allowing him to maneuver a way to make money off of it?? Just horrible. What is the matter with these people? The only way they could do worse would be to name the airport for some other infamous Palm Beach resident, like, you know, Epstein International. Update: Oops, my mistake. I'm having a bit of an Emily Litella moment. The airport renaming is a DeSantis-state legislature project: "DeSantis signed the law forcing the name change in late March, but it only takes effect if the county reaches a deal for the trademark." So we'll see what happens at the commissioners' meeting. ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2. Well, the Palm Beach County commissioners royally screwed that up. They had a chance to put the kibosh on "Donald J. Trump International Airport & Revenue Stream." And they blew it. My Emily Litella moment has passed. The voters should recall the four commissioners who voted to perpetuate this abomination. ~~~

     ~~~ Patricial Mazzei of the New York Times: “Commissioners in Palm Beach County, Fla., approved a trademark and licensing agreement with ... [Donald] Trump’s family business on Tuesday, a step required to rename Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport.... Under the new agreement, the Trump family won’t profit from branded merchandise sold at the airport. But the agreement does not prevent the family from profiting off any such merchandise sold outside the airport’s premises, according to Josh Gerben, a trademark lawyer. It also gives the Trump family control over any biographical material presented at the airport, or on airport materials. And it requires the airport to pick a vendor to provide any branded merchandise from a list approved by the Trump family business.

“Mr. Gerben called the agreement 'extremely unusual when it comes to an honorary naming of an airport.' He noted that other airports named after presidents, such as Kennedy in New York and Reagan in Washington, do not have licensing agreements with private businesses benefiting those presidents’ families. Commissioners adopted the agreement by a 4-to-3 vote, with one Democrat joining the three Republicans on the board.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Anthony Faiola of the Washington Post: “Ahead of a visit to Rome by Secretary of State Marco Rubio aimed partly at defusing tensions between the White House and the Vatican..., Donald Trump unleashed new criticism at Pope Leo XIV, suggesting the pontiff’s views on foreign policy are 'endangering Catholics and a lot of people' and that he is 'fine' with Iran having a nuclear weapon. Leo quickly pushed back against the president’s latest remarks, painting them as untrue. 'Should anyone want to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, they should do so with the truth,' Leo told journalists outside the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles south of Rome. 'For years the Church has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there’s no doubt about it, there. So I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s word.'... Leo ... has never suggested that it is acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear bomb....” The AP report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Trump's false criticism of Leo's position on nuclear armaments is either proof of Trump's weak mind or his weak character (or both, I suppose). Trump leveled this criticism of the Pope some while back, and news outlets immediately corrected him. So even if he believed it then, he has been told otherwise. He either can't comprehend and retain new information, or he gets it but he'd rather keep lying. ~~~

     ~~~ It's also worth noting that Trump humiliated Little Marco twice in the space of about 24 hours. And these were big deal, public humiliations that received substantial press coverage: one knocked the sails out of Rubio's effort to help Trump save face re: his unpopular war and the other undermined Rubio's Vatican visit. Since Trump is an erratic, stupid megalomanic, it's impossible to say whether Trump undercut Rubio on purpose or he just doesn't know what he's doing. Or he just doesn't care.

Marie: In the past, I seldom read Thomas Edsall's New York Times opinion columns. They are long & pedantic. Frankly, I left it to contributor Ken W. to read Edsall for us. Occasionally, I would scan a column in which Ken found some value. But lately, Edsall -- in his abstruse way -- has climbed aboard the Hair-on-Fire Express. He's still sitting at the back of the bus, but his current column is worth reading. And that's because it is so alarming. And real. In it, he explains how Trump can overturn the results of the 2026 election, using laws & procedures that have been on the books since the 1950s. And Edsall reasonably suggests Congress & the Supine Court will let Trump get away with it. The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Robert Davis of the Raw Story: "Barbara McQuade, an author and former U.S. Attorney in Michigan, told Slate's Dahlia Lithwick on a new episode of the 'Amicus' podcast that [acting AG Todd] Blanche seems to have certain skills that his predecessor, Pam Bondi, does not. She pointed to Blanche's experience in the federal courts and his time at big law firms, where he learned skills that could help move malicious prosecutions against former FBI Director James Comey through the system. But McQuade also flagged a reason why Blanche would be willing to put his law license on the line for Trump.... '... perhaps he believes that with the billions in wealth that the Trump family is accumulating during this second term, he will be taken care of,' McQuade said."

Matthew Brown of the AP: “The Trump administration sued Denver and its police department on Tuesday seeking to strike down an assault weapons ban that’s been in place for Colorado’s largest city since 1989. The lawsuit came a day after city officials publicly rejected calls by the Department of Justice to repeal the longstanding local ordinance that makes it a crime to possess assault weapons. Trump’s Republican administration alleges the ban violates the Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. The administration also is threatening to sue Colorado over a statewide ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines adopted following a 2012 mass shooting at a movie theater. 'The Constitution is not a suggestion and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,' acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on Tuesday. 'Denver’s ban on commonly owned semi-automatic rifles directly violates the right to bear arms.'”

Mattathias Schwartz of the New York Times: “A federal judge said Tuesday that she was referring a Trump administration lawyer to face an investigation into potential misconduct for withholding key information from her about a case. The lawyer, Kevin M. Bolan, leads the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. In court filings and during a hearing on Monday, Mr. Bolan acknowledged that he had failed to disclose important information to the judge about an immigrant who had been arrested and had petitioned for release. Mr. Bolan has apologized, but Judge Melissa R. DuBose said that the court still needed to get to the bottom of the omission.... The judge said the referral would be made under the court’s local rules that govern disciplinary proceedings against attorneys. Cases can be heard by a single judge or all active judges, with punishments ranging from private reprimands or fines to disbarment. At an earlier hearing on Monday, Judge DuBose also discussed the possibility of sanctioning Mr. Bolan’s client, the Department of Homeland Security.” Related Politico story linked yesterday.

Ole Donald's Toadies, they are jumping higher & further than Mark Twain's "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." ~~~

~~~ Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the New York Times on Tuesday, alleging that the news organization violated federal law by passing over a White male employee for a promotion. 'No one is above the law — including “elite” institutions,' EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, an appointee of ... Donald Trump, wrote in a statement.The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Lower Manhattan, alleges that the Times violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 in denying an unnamed employee a promotion. The EEOC said the Times’ emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which the Trump administration has worked to eliminate, was to blame.... The lawsuit follows reporting in the Times alleging that staffers at the EEOC are under intense pressure to bring cases that further the Trump administration’s agenda, including dismantling DEI policies.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The New York Times story is here. Update: the NYT link has been changed to one that appears to be a gift link. An AP report is here.

Todd Wallack of the Washington Post: “The Education Department has launched an investigation into Smith College, one of the nation’s most well-known women’s colleges, for its policy that allows transgender women to enroll. The probe, announced Monday, could mark the start of a lengthy legal battle between the Trump administration and women’s colleges that accept students who were assigned male at birth and now identify as women. Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination at education institutions that receive federal money, makes an exception for admissions decisions at private undergraduate colleges, like Smith. That allows single-sex colleges to operate without violating the law. But the Education Department asserted that the exception applies only to biological sex, not gender identity.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Ryan Mancini of the Hill: “The Department of Education on Tuesday announced that it is investigating the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) over its alleged reassigning, and not removal, of teachers accused of sexual misconduct. The department released a statement accusing LAUSD of 'protecting predators at the expense of its students' and that the reassigning of teachers included those 'engaging in exploitative “romantic relationships,” to another school.'” MB: It's possible the Education Department is right to investigate this situation, but since they're so bent on undermining institutions they perceive as liberal or woke, it's impossible to have any confidence in them even when an action they take may be justified.

Doing that Crazy Brain Worm.* Christina Jewett of the New York Times: “Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed. The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare. In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals. In February, top F.D.A. officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference. The withdrawal of the studies is the latest step by the administration to try to limit access to vaccines. It has sharply cut research funding for vaccine development, released unvetted information casting doubt on vaccines, and blocked other information supporting their safety, most recently a paper on Covid vaccine effectiveness by career scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” The link appears to be a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ *Marie: The brain worm is a little like the twist or the swim or the batman, except if you do Bobby's brain worm dance, there's a good chance you'll die on the dance floor. ~~~

     ~~~ digby: "There’s no need to go over the stats for the COVID vaccine. We all know it. But SHINGRIX is now on the chopping block too? My god. Shingles is a horrible virus and can sometimes have long term consequences. And guess what? Just as the mRNA technology they are so anxious to kill is showing vast promise for curing cancer, the shingles vaccine is looking more and more like a preventative for dementia[.]... But sure, let’s keep the information from the American people because some crank with a brain worm and his addled followers read something on YouTube." ~~~

~~~ Paul Krugman: “Yesterday the Food and Drug Administration broke with previous policy and approved the sale of blueberry and mango-flavored vapes, dismissing long-standing concerns that making sweet-flavored vapes available will lead to increased smoking, especially among young people. A White House spokesman claimed that this policy U-turn reflected 'Gold Standard Science,' but the decision came after Donald Trump — who suddenly became pro-vaping in 2024 after meeting with a 'leading vaping lobbyist' — personally put pressure on the FDA commissioner. Trump is reportedly hoping that support for vaping will win back support from young men. In other news, the New York Times reports that the Trump FDA has been suppressing research that refutes disinformation from anti-vaccine activists[.]... Does MAGA want to see thousands of Americans die prematurely from smoking and refusal to get vaccinated? Yes.... There is a strong correlation between right-wing politics and increased mortality....” Read on.

Rick Hasen on his Election Law blog (May 4): “After the Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling in the Callais case last week effectively killing off a key part of the Voting Rights Act protecting minority voters, there was a question about whether the ruling could be applied to provide a basis for Louisiana, which had already started early voting by mail, to call off and reschedule its house elections, so that the state could redraw its lines to eliminate one or both black opportunity districts in the state to help Republicans keep control of the House.... The plaintiffs in Callais asked the Court to waive [their ordinary rule] ... send the case back down right now.... Justice Jackson strongly dissented, accusing the majority of changing the default rule to help the Republican party gerrymander right now; she says they have 'unshackled' themselves from their usual restraints.... This provoked a vituperative concurrence from Justice Alito, joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch, who said Justice Jackson’s comments contained 'rhetoric that lacks restraint.'” ~~~

     ~~~ David Kurtz of TPM covers the Jackson/Alito quarrel in a very understandable way, and concludes, "The Roberts Court’s unique ability to be nakedly partisan and thin-skinned about it mirrors the Trumpian attitude of the current era: We will behave with impunity, and we don’t want to hear a peep from you about it." 

~~~ Six Supremes Side with Extremist Election-Denying Conspiracy Theorist to Tank VRA. Matt Cohen & Yunior Rivas of Democracy Docket: “The lead plaintiff in the case that destroyed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) has a history of promoting false election conspiracies and anti-voting policies, and was at the Stop the Steal protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, before a deadly riot by pro-Trump insurrectionists. In the original complaint in the case that became Louisiana v. Callais, Phillip 'Bert' Callais was described simply as a 'non-African American voter' from Brusly, Louisiana, whose congressional district changed after the state redrew its map. Callais, a veteran who lives near Baton Rouge, said in 2024 he was a member of his local board of supervisors. But social media posts exclusively reviewed by Democracy Docket paint a far more troubling picture of Callais — suggesting a man who harbors a deep distrust of the election system, which he has called 'rigged,' and who is steeped in false conspiracy theories about voting.”

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Indiana Primary Elections. Trump Won Most Retribution Contests. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: Donald “Trump promised political payback last year when Indiana state senators from his own party voted down his plan to redraw the state’s congressional map to help Republicans. On Tuesday, he got much of what he wanted, as at least five of the seven anti-redistricting Republicans facing Trump-backed challengers lost their primaries, according to The Associated Press. The results reflected Mr. Trump’s continuing sway over Republican voters and his ability to enforce political consequences for Republican officeholders who defy him. In the other races, at least one incumbent won his primary and another race remained too close to call. State legislative primaries are often low-drama affairs, but Mr. Trump’s involvement brought unusual levels of attention and outside spending. The president issued social media endorsements to the seven challengers and hosted some of them at the White House, while outside groups aligned with Mr. Trump poured money into the races.” ~~~

     ~~~ Adam Wren of Politico: “... Donald Trump flexed his grip on the GOP base in Indiana on Tuesday, vanquishing a majority of the Republican state senators who had dared cross him on redistricting. It was a show of force in the year’s first major test of Trump’s power over the GOP. Trump-aligned groups dumped millions against the eight GOP lawmakers who blocked his effort to gerrymander the state. And on Tuesday night, at least five lost reelection.”

Michigan State Senate Election. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “Democrats held onto a narrow majority in the Michigan Senate on Tuesday by winning a special election in a closely divided district, The Associated Press said. The victory by Chedrick Greene, a Saginaw firefighter, carried practical and symbolic importance for Michigan Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections, which include competitive races for governor and U.S. Senate. Mr. Greene will take a seat vacated more than a year ago by Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. House in 2024. The State Senate seat will be up for election again in November. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, waited until last August to call the special election to replace Ms. McDonald Rivet, a delay that was criticized by Republicans and many political observers. The vacancy kept in place a one-seat Democratic majority in the State Senate, but also left residents of Bay City, Midland and Saginaw without representation.”

Ohio Senate Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: There is an “upside-down picture in Ohio, where Senator Jon Husted, a Republican appointed last year to replace Vice President JD Vance, is hoping to fend off former Senator Sherrod Brown, a three-term Democrat who was unseated in 2024.... The election is a test of how far even a Republican-dominated state has swung left during ... [Donald] Trump’s second term and of whether Mr. Brown, as he has done in the past, can outperform his party in a state where Democrats have been trounced in the last three presidential elections. Now, as the general election begins — Mr. Brown faces only token opposition in the primary contest on Tuesday and Mr. Husted is unopposed — both sides are beginning an advertising war expected to exceed the $550 million spent on Ohio’s 2024 Senate race. The winner will serve the final two years of Mr. Vance’s term and then face re-election again in 2028. Mr. Brown’s opening salvo last week sought to capitalize on Mr. Husted’s relatively low profile by highlighting $116,000 in campaign contributions he received in the past from Leslie Wexner, an Ohio billionaire who was the source of much of [Jeffrey] Epstein’s wealth.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Ohio House Race. Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “Madison D. Sheahan, who stepped down from ICE to run against Representative Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat, had leaned into her work at the agency, calling herself 'a Trump conservative' and highlighting her efforts to stop illegal immigration. But on Tuesday she fell well short in the Republican primary race, placing a distant third in a race won by Derek Merrin, a former Ohio state legislator, according to The Associated Press. The primary victory of Mr. Merrin, 40, who called himself a 'MAGA Republican,' could give his party more hope of finally unseating Ms. Kaptur, 79, the longest-serving woman in Congress, who has represented the Toledo area in the House since she was first elected in 1982. Mr. Merrin lost only narrowly to Ms. Kaptur in 2024, and Ohio Republicans have since redrawn her seat in the Ninth Congressional District to be slightly friendlier to their party.”

Ohio Gubernatorial Race. Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: “Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican pharmaceutical entrepreneur, and Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat who served as the Ohio health director under the current Republican governor, won their respective primaries for governor on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.... Both primaries lacked suspense, as Mr. Ramaswamy, 40, and Dr. Acton, 60, had their partisan fields mostly to themselves for months. But the general election ... may rest on two questions: Will Mr. Ramaswamy have the discipline to stay on message..., and can Ohio really elect a Democrat statewide?... Both candidates also come with prominent potential liabilities. Mr. Ramaswamy’s vast wealth will help fund his campaign, but it will be on display at a time of economic struggle. Dr. Acton’s association with the Covid-19 pandemic might give her statewide name recognition, but it ties her to a time many Ohioans may want to forget.”

Here's your Not-Trump Video of the Day (for Tuesday): ~~~