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Trump wants to pardon 250 people for America's 250th birthday

(The Independent) Donald Trump is considering issuing 250 presidential pardons to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, according to a new report. The president may make the announcement on June 14, his own birthday, or on July 4, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Trump has already faced criticism for issuing an historic number of pardons since returning to office for his second term, despite vowing to end what he described as the “politicization” of the Justice Department during his campaign.

Grocery prices in the U.S. soared faster in April than any month in nearly four years

(ABC News) Grocery prices in the U.S. soared faster in April than any month in nearly four years, driving up the cost of everything from frankfurters to tomatoes to cupcakes, government data this week showed. Fresh vegetables cost 11.5% more than they did a year ago. Seafood prices are up 6.2% over that time, according to the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The jump in food prices stems in part from a historic oil shock set off by the Iran war, which increased diesel costs, some analysts told ABC News. Diesel is the lifeblood of the food supply chain, fueling trucks and ships.

Vance says $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California will be deferred over fraud concerns

(LA Times) Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the Trump administration is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California over concerns the state is allowing “fraudsters” to drive up costs to taxpayers, including by pushing unnecessary medications on unsuspecting patients. “There are California taxpayers and American taxpayers who are being defrauded because California isn’t taking its program seriously. But also, you have people who’ve been prescribed medications that they don’t even need,” Vance said.

The Most Important Thing You Should Know About the CEOs Traveling to China with Trump

(Robert Reich) Trump calls the entourage of 12 CEOs accompanying him to China an “incredible gathering” of America’s “Greatest Businessmen/women.” Well, it may be an incredible gathering. But to characterize them as America’s greatest business leaders — who are assumed to be leading America’s competitive charge against China — is misleading. The American CEOs traveling with Trump to China don’t think of themselves as being in competition with China. In fact, they’d like nothing better than to make more money for themselves and their shareholders by setting up more lower-cost, highly productive factories and research facilities in China and hiring more Chinese talent.

House Democrats prep for years of redistricting hardball after court losses

(Politico) House Democrats say they tried playing nice. Now the gloves are off. After spending more than a decade pushing for anti-gerrymandering measures and other good-government initiatives, Democratic lawmakers said this week they are gearing up to play political hardball in the wake of stunning court losses on redistricting — potentially for years to come. "We will beat the far-right extremists," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday.

Thursday's Condensed News Cartoons

'Trump Needs Medical Attention': Congressman Says President's Family Should Stage 'Intervention'

(Mediaite) Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said President Donald Trump’s call to arrest former President Barack Obama should trigger a medical "intervention." On Wednesday, Pablo Manríquez of MeidasTouch caught up with McGovern at the Capitol. "Is Donald Trump’s ballroom a national emergency?" Manríquez asked. "You gotta be kidding me," McGovern responded. "It’s a vanity project that’s gonna cost the American taxpayers over a billion dollars at a time when people can’t afford their healthcare, they can’t afford their groceries, they cannot afford their fill up their gas tanks."

Cuba has run out of diesel and oil, energy minister says

(BBC News) Cuba has completely run out of diesel and fuel oil, the country's Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy has said. In an interview with state-run media, de la O Levy said there were limited amounts of gas available, but that Cuba's energy system was in a "critical" state as a US-led blockade of oil to the country squeezed supply. The US this week reiterated its offer of sending $100m (£74m) in aid to the country in exchange for "meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system".

Fulton County DA Fani Willis threatens lawsuit over Georgia law stripping party labels from Atlanta-area elections

(CBS News) Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law requiring nonpartisan elections for most local officials in the five most populous counties in the Atlanta area, leading Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and another Democratic prosecutor to threaten to sue over the bill's constitutionality. Kemp signed the bill privately Tuesday, the final day after Georgia's 2026 legislative session for the governor to sign or veto bills. Republicans have repeatedly targeted Willis because of her prosecution of Republican President Donald Trump after he pushed to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's win in Georgia in 2020.

White House planned to start Triumphal Arch work under unrelated contract

(Washington Post) The Trump administration planned to start work at the site of the president’s proposed Triumphal Arch by piggybacking on an existing, unrelated contract for engineering services at the White House grounds more than a mile away, emails obtained by The Washington Post show. The move would allow the administration to bypass a potentially lengthy public bidding process, and experts said it was unusual because the arch site is on National Park Service land across the Potomac River and is not part of the White House complex.