Today's Liberal News

Melania Trump emerges from the shadows—with nothing to offer

It’s tough to divine what’s going on in the mind of first lady Melania Trump. 

While she doesn’t miss an opportunity to get in on the family grift, Melania Trump also seems to have convinced herself that she is the new and vital voice of her husband’s political priorities—and that she deserves all the attention and money coming her way. She is dabbling in foreign policy, artificial intelligence, and foster care while promoting all her hagiographic media efforts.

GOP lawmaker announces ‘retirement’ after admitting to affair with staffer

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Monday he will retire from Congress amid bipartisan calls to expel him.

Gonzales had already said he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. His announcement came just hours after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said he would be resigning from Congress as he also confronted allegations of sexual misconduct.

Democratic Rep.

Aliya Rahman v. DHS: Disabled Woman Dragged from Car Files Claim over Violent Arrest in Minneapolis

Aliya Rahman, a Minneapolis resident who was violently detained by ICE officers in January during “Operation Metro Surge,” filed a federal tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, claiming the agency used excessive force and violated her rights. Rahman was never charged with any crime. “They battered Aliya. They assaulted Aliya. They were negligent in their medical care for Aliya,” says Jessica Gingold, one of Rahman’s attorneys.

Rami Khouri: U.S. & Israel Were “Forced into Two Ceasefires” as Regional Balance of Power Shifts

“We’ve seen now, in the last six weeks, Iran and Hezbollah almost single-handedly checking — not defeating, but checking — the two biggest military powers in the region, which is the U.S. and Israel,” says Rami Khouri. Khouri says the U.S. and Israel have been “forced into” ceasefires in Iran and Lebanon. This is all a sign “of the evolving balance of power across the region” and demonstrates that Iran’s Axis of Resistance “is still effective.

Report from Beirut: Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Met with “Cautious Optimism”

A 10-day ceasefire has begun in Lebanon. The news is being celebrated across the country, but major questions remain over what happens next. President Trump announced the deal between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday. Hezbollah, which is not a party to the agreement, says it will observe the ceasefire. The Israeli military is occupying a large swath of southern Lebanon, about 10% of the country.

As Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz, Are U.S. & Iran Near Deal or Renewed Fighting?

President Trump on Thursday repeated his claim that a deal to end the war on Iran is “very close” and that direct talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan as soon as this weekend. Despite the claims, the Pentagon is surging thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, including an additional 6,000 sailors and aviators joining the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier battle group. Around 4,200 others with the Navy and Marines are expected to arrive near the end of the month.

Catch

I never caught a ball.
Why would I?
Why do men need to be around balls?
(the rubber kind)
Are you more of a man if you throw a ball and less so if you catch one?
I do neither.
My father once tried to throw me a ball when I was a child
but
I just stood there.
No one has ever thrown a ball to me
since
or even considered it.
What would I do if I caught a ball?
I have nowhere to put it
I’d certainly never throw it back
Please
don’t ever throw me a ball.

Photos: Out Among the Cherry Blossoms

Naoya Azuma / The Yomiuri Shimbun / Reuters
Weeping cherry blossoms are in full bloom at a sightseeing spot in Higashi-yoshino Village, Nara Prefecture, Japan, on April 11, 2026.Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Cherry blossoms near peak bloom in front of the Washington Monument along the Tidal Basin, on March 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.Martin Meissner / AP
Thousands of people gather for the start of cherry-blossom season in the old town of Bonn, Germany, on April, 6, 2026.

A 13,000-Mile Mission for One Beautiful Loaf

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
Somewhere between a Red Lobster and a three-Michelin-star dining room lies the best free restaurant bread in America. For The Atlantic’s May cover story, our staff writer Caity Weaver set out to find it, surveying more than 500 people and traveling 13,000 miles along the way.

The Problem With Hasan Piker’s Einstein Story

Last week, Pod Save America, the popular podcast founded by former Obama-administration staffers, hosted the influencer and leftist provocateur Hasan Piker. A charismatic and pugnacious socialist streamer, Piker has become a flash point in a broader debate among Democrats over how far their party’s big tent ought to extend. Unsurprisingly, Piker’s hourlong interview generated controversy. Critics on the right and left highlighted his refusal to condemn Hamas.

California’s Blue Armageddon

On a chilly Saturday late last month, I met Eric Swalwell at a Little League diamond near Capitol Hill, where the Bay Area congressman and his wife, Brittany, would be watching their 8-year-old son. Swalwell, who was running to succeed Gavin Newsom as the next governor of California, had been gradually rising above a Lilliputian cast of candidates and had acquired a strong scent of momentum in the race.
“Impeccable timing for you,” he’d texted me on my drive over.