Rep. Tom Kean Jr. represents New Jersey's most competitive district this November " but nobody, even his GOP colleagues, can say where he's been for the past month. A scion of one of the state's most storied political dynasties, Kean's team says the two-term congressmember is facing unspecified health issues. The New Jersey Republican hasn't voted since March 5 and has missed almost 50 roll call votes. The other two Republicans in the New Jersey delegation, Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, said they have called and texted Kean out of concern for his health. But so far, neither said they have heard from him. Van Drew said it's been "radio silence."
Election law attorney Marc Elias dubbed Turley "Mike Lindell with tenure," which is funny, but always seemed a tad unfair. Turley's takes oscillate between ragebait cynicism and comical dullardry. Even his most conspiratorial takes " like swallowing hook, line, and sinker the wingnut theories about Hunter Biden's laptop " carried a faux intellectual energy, that separated him from the frothing conspiracy theory vibe that the MyPillow guy brings to everything. But that tenuous grip on reality seems to be slipping, as the professor delivers his contrarian love letter to the recently deposed Viktor Orban. Sure, Orban had ties to Putin and a reputation for "authoritarianism and corruption," Turley concedes, but the Hungarian prime minister formed the last firewall against "global governance," a term Turley invokes with all the tin foil, black helicopter baggage you'd expect from Alex Jones, not a GW Law professor.
Hospitals in Mississippi " already strained under the costs of caring for a high rate of patients without health insurance and with low-reimbursement plans, such as Medicaid " are expected to lose $1 billion over the course of the next decade as a result of President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill signed into law in July. To complicate matters further, federal enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurance expired late last year. That happened after Congress did not extend them, making health care less affordable for hundreds of thousands of Mississippians.
Close to half of the children in the United States"more than 33 million kids"live in counties with dangerously high levels of toxic air pollution, according to the American Lung Association's annual air quality report out Wednesday. Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the ALA, said at a time when the federal government should be strengthening air quality standards, President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "is doing the opposite," despite Trump's campaign promise to deliver "the cleanest air." "In the last year, EPA has weakened enforcement and rolled back rules that would have protected kids from power plant and vehicle pollution," said Wimmer. "Children need clean air to grow and play, and communities need clean air to thrive. Leaders at every level must act to improve and protect America's air quality."
A Virginia circuit court judge on Wednesday issued an order blocking the results of a congressional redistricting referendum that could net Democrats four extra seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, in a statement, vowed to fight the order issued by Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley, a Republican appointee, a day after Tuesday's referendum approved the newly drawn districts. Read more
The company behind President Donald Trump's social media network is changing leaders amid mounting financial losses, a sagging stock price and lingering uncertainty about the long-term viability of its flagship product, Truth Social. Devin Nunes, a former California member of Congress and longtime Trump loyalist, is exiting his position as chief executive officer of Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. Read more
Palantir published a mini manifesto over the weekend based on a book by its CEO that made the company's position clear on a range of topics, from reinstating the military draft to Silicon Valley's moral duty to help the U.S. defend itself.
The media blackout of Jared Kushner's historic, ongoing corruption scandal As Trump's son-in-law returns to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, major news outlets are largely ignoring an egregious conflict of interest. Read more
The redistricting war President Trump forced on his party appears to have backfired. With Virginia's vote Tuesday, Republicans are now favored in fewer House seats than if the war had never started.
Why it matters: Trump bet his slim House majority on a mid-decade redrawing frenzy. It's increasingly looking like a self-inflicted wound, leaving Republicans with long-shot hopes of any major rewards.
US Naval Secretary John Phelan has been fired. Phelan, who has no military experience, was appointed to the position by Trump in 2025 following a career as a private equity CEO and Republican fundraiser.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan. The Pentagon framed it Wednesday as an immediate departure.
Why it matters: The ouster of the service's top civilian caught many off-guard, and adds to the pile of military officials who either abruptly exited or were pushed out of their posts under Trump 2.0.
"Phelan didn't understand he wasn't the boss. His job is to follow orders given, not follow the orders he thinks should be given," a person familiar with the situation told Axios.
The same person said Phelan and Hegseth did not "get along."
The National Security Agency is using Anthropic's most powerful model yet, Mythos Preview, despite top officials at the Department of Defense " which oversees the NSA " insisting the company is a "supply chain risk," two sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The government's cybersecurity needs appear to be outweighing the Pentagon's feud with Anthropic The department moved in February to cut off Anthropic and force its vendors to follow suit. That case is ongoing. The military is now broadening its use of Anthropic's tools while simultaneously arguing in court that using those tools threatens U.S. national security.
An IDF soldier wracked with unimaginable guilt and suffering from PTSD after being deployed into the Gaza Strip:
Meanwhile other Israelis celebrate the mass murder of Palestinians
Traffic co-founder Dave Mason has died. He was 79. The legendary musician's family confirmed his passing in a statement to People on Wednesday, sharing their "deep and profound sadness." A spokesperson for Mason's loved ones wrote that the "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, celebrated songwriter, musician, singer and author passed away peacefully at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada," on Sunday.
Washington " The Islamic Republic of Iran maintains more military capabilities than the White House or Pentagon has publicly admitted, according to multiple U.S. officials with knowledge of intelligence on the matter.
Ukraine is betting big on war robots, with plans to buy 25,000 and remove humans from front-line supply runs
Ukraine aims to have robots handle 100% of front-line logistics missions.
Its defense minister said Ukraine will contract 25,000 robots in the first half of this year.
Their use has surged. They carry gear and troops and attack Russian positions.
