1. In a ruling that put an end to nearly six months of legal battles over North Carolina’s contested Supreme Court election, a federal judge ruled against the Republican candidate’s effort to overturn his narrow loss. Shortly thereafter he conceded. HUGE WIN!
2. Republican Brian Kemp has passed on a Senate run against Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. He was the only one who was polling competitively with Ossoff, so this is great news!
3. Ann Telnaes, a longtime Washington Post editorial cartoonist who quit in protest after editors cut her sketch criticizing the paper’s owner, just won a Pulitzer Prize.
4. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) told CBS News that she expects Mike Waltz to have a “brutal hearing” for U.N. ambassador. Bring it on, Dems!
5. The Met Gala rejected Trump's anti-DEI crusade and celebrated diversity.
6. The DOJ won’t appeal a judge’s order blocking part of Trump’s election order that imposed a documentary proof of citizenship requirement when registering to vote — a win for voters.
7. The Trump regime’s decision to target ActBlue resulted in the left-leaning platform’s biggest fundraising day of the year.
8. In Lincoln, Nebraska, several Democrats won key races, including seats on the City Council, Lincoln Public Schools Board, and Airport Authority.
9. Ed Martin’s nomination is dead.
10. We got a new Pope! He’s American, for the first time in history. MAGA hates him. He seems relatively progressive and kind and is definitely staunchly pro-immigrant. All in all, a win!
11. We convinced all 47 Senate Democrats to FILIBUSTER the "GENIUS" bill to legalize crypto corruption and money laundering..”
1. At this week’s “May Day” protests, hundreds of thousands of people came together in every U.S. state to protest against what organizers called a “billionaire takeover.”
2. A federal judge permanently blocked an executive order from President Trump targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, declaring it unconstitutional.
3. The liberal candidate won in Canada
4. The Pentagon inspector general has expanded an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sharing of military plans to a second Signal chat that included his wife and brother.
5. Target’s CEO Brian Cornell got a 45% pay cut. Maybe because foot traffic has been down there for 11 straight weeks now? (Costco’s is up for its 16th straight week.)
Publisher Penguin Random House has introduced a “book ban” clothing line. 100% of the profits will benefit libraries.
6. Microsoft has dropped a law firm that settled with the Trump administration in favor of one that is fighting it.
7. Australia’s centre-left prime minister, Anthony Albanese, won a second term with a crushing victory over the opposition. Meanwhile rightwing leader Peter Dutton ended up losing his own seat.
8. In Cobb County, GA, Democrats swept both county commission seats in a special election, maintaining control of the five-member board.
9. Sen. Ron Johnson just announced he won’t support the reconciliation bill being written by House Republicans. His reasons are bad, but the fact that he’s willing to buck Trump is a good sign.
10. A new poll, UnidosUS, Voces Unidas, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Climate Power en Acción released today that nearly two-thirds of Latino voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with 70% of them holding President Trump responsible.
11. Mohsen Mahdawi has been released on bail.
12. The Trump administration is restoring financial support for a landmark women’s health study, which was researching “factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, aging, cognition, frailty, resilience, and much, much more.”
1. Fourth Circuit shoots down the Trump administration’s efforts to appeal Judge Xinis’s order requiring it to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. “It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process..”
2. Judge Boasberg finds probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt.
3. ICE tried to detain a 20-year-old American citizen, mounting public pressure got him released. Protests and pressure campaigns matter.
4. The Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants held in a Texas detention center.
5. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continued to pack stadiums in red areas of the country this week with their “Fight The Oligarchy” tour. Including in deep red Idaho.
6. Donald Trump now holds the worst net approval rating among Independents ever recorded at this point in a presidency, according to CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten: “He has set the new record — he is completely underwater with the center of the electorate.”
7. In a win for academic freedom and independence, Harvard University gave Trump the middle finger and told him it would not bend the knee, even after he threatened to cut off billions of dollars in research funding and cancel its tax-exempt status.
8. In the House, a dozen Republican members in vulnerable swing districts wrote to GOP leadership warning that they won’t back a budget package that has deep cuts to Medicaid.
9. In North Carolina, the Board of Elections has determined that the number of ballots affected by the Supreme Court’s order to cure defects amounts to only around 1,700, making it extremely unlikely the GOP challenger will steal the election from Justice Alison Riggs.
10. The April 19th No Kings protests were another huge success! And the press actually covered them! Yay to everyone that attended.a protest.
1. Fourth Circuit shoots down the Trump administration’s efforts to appeal Judge Xinis’s order requiring it to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. “It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process..”
2. Judge Boasberg finds probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt.
3. ICE tried to detain a 20-year-old American citizen, mounting public pressure got him released. Protests and pressure campaigns matter.
4. The Supreme Court issued a 7-2 ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants held in a Texas detention center.
5. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continued to pack stadiums in red areas of the country this week with their “Fight The Oligarchy” tour. Including in deep red Idaho.
6. Donald Trump now holds the worst net approval rating among Independents ever recorded at this point in a presidency, according to CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten: “He has set the new record — he is completely underwater with the center of the electorate.”
7. In a win for academic freedom and independence, Harvard University gave Trump the middle finger and told him it would not bend the knee, even after he threatened to cut off billions of dollars in research funding and cancel its tax-exempt status.
8. In the House, a dozen Republican members in vulnerable swing districts wrote to GOP leadership warning that they won’t back a budget package that has deep cuts to Medicaid.
9. In North Carolina, the Board of Elections has determined that the number of ballots affected by the Supreme Court’s order to cure defects amounts to only around 1,700, making it extremely unlikely the GOP challenger will steal the election from Justice Alison Riggs.
10. The April 19th No Kings protests were another huge success! And the press actually covered them! Yay to everyone that attended.a protest.
1. Thursday night as a unanimous Supreme Court upheld an order from federal district court Judge Paula Xinis that the government must facilitate the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia from custody in El Salvador. The government admits Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to a prison in that country.
2. The Associated Press scored a victory for the First Amendment after a federal judge in D.C. ruled that the Trump administration had engaged in viewpoint discrimination by denying White House press access.
3. Trump-appointed federal judge blocks all deportations from southern district of Texas under Trump's Alien Enemies Act proclamation for Venezuelan alleged gang members.
4. A team of city council members in Rolla, Missouri, have been pushing anti-LGTB policies, including a ban on drag shows and book censorship. Voters just ousted all three of these city councilors who were running for re-election.
5. Trump’s job approval rating continued its downward trajectory, hitting a new low for his second term. According to Morning Consult, his rating has shifted downward by 14 points. Trump Week 1 - 52%-44% (+8) Trump Today - 46%-52% (-6).
1. Millions of people in all 50 states and DC gathered in 1300 "Hands Off" marches Saturday to protest against Musk and Trump. SFVI was there.
2. Tesla stock has dropped 38% since the start of 2025.
3. Susan Crawford won a 10 year term in the Wisconsin Supreme Court defeating Elon Musk’s attempt to buy the election. Jumping around in a cheese head handing out million dollar checks didn’t work.
4. Citizens are the most powerful force in a democracy. 19 Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit arguing that the EO is unconstitutional, infringing on states' authority to conduct elections.