New York Times:
The Spectacle of Trump at 80  —  An octogenarian president for a 250-year-old republic.  —  What does it say about President Trump — and America — that the soon-to-be octogenarian plans to celebrate his 80th birthday with a series of U.F.C. matches on the White House lawn?

Brittany Gibson / Axios:
Exclusive: ICE obtains local voter files  —  ICE investigators are going straight to local election officials for individual voter files, and they obtained them in two counties, according to emails shared with Axios. … - Trump said he believes millions of people, including non-citizens …

Russell Contreras / Axios:
White students drop below 50% nationwide … - How schools, colleges and policymakers respond to this demographic shift will define opportunity for a generation. … - White students account for 48.8% of all Americans enrolled in public, private and homeschool systems as of October 2024 …

Public Notice:
Trump's systemic attack on whistleblowers, explained by an expert  —  “The cost to democracy is a loss of accountability and oversight.”  —  ∙ Paid  —  This special Saturday edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️

Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Progressive Champions PAC is a GOP front  —  Progressive Champions PAC, a super PAC created last month, says on its website that its mission is to “elect bold, progressive candidates up and down the ballot.”  On Friday, according to FCC records, it booked nearly $400,000 worth …

Ben Casselman / New York Times:
Wages Are Falling.  Wealth Is Surging.  No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy.  —  As Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire, workers are facing higher prices and fears of A.I.-driven job losses.  —  Two events from the past week help crystallize this strange, contradictory moment for the U.S. economy.

Peter Eavis / New York Times:
Even With U.S. Help, Little Oil Has Gone Through Strait of Hormuz  —  President Trump said more than 200 commercial vessels had safely traveled through the strait.  That's still far fewer than before the start of the war.  —  Even as the United States tries to negotiate an end to the war …

Ivo Daalder / Politico:
Defense decoupling is no longer just a European fear — it's Trump's policy  —  Ending Europe's dependence on U.S. capabilities is one thing, denying allies the ability to defend themselves is an entirely different matter. … When news broke that the Pentagon wouldn't sell long-range Tomahawk missiles …

Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
The Former GOP Operative Running a News Site for the ‘Politically Homeless’  —  Sarah Longwell's profitable startup, the Bulwark, approaches the news with a raw candor subscribers crave  —  Sarah Longwell recently screened a tape of a focus group of Catholic participants discussing President …

Lowell / Blue Virginia:
Saturday (6/13) News: “The world's first trillionaire is a killer”; “Iran Can Hold America Hostage in Either War or Peace”  —  “How America's Birthday Got Hijacked”; “Trump as Don Corleone”; “The Kennedy Center, Minus Trump”  —  Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines …

Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
Screwworm spread tests US readiness after Trump staffing cuts  —  The U.S. spent decades driving the New World screwworm far into South America.  But now the parasite has reemerged, and officials are working to beat it back yet again using many of the same tried-and-true methods as the government did in the 1950s.

New York Times:
Two Dan Sullivans?  Alaska G.O.P. Suggests Kicking One Off the Ballot in Senate Race  —  The lieutenant governor and the top elections official, both Republicans, are investigating whether the challenger coordinated with a Democrat to confuse voters.  —  A political battle in Alaska …

Jonathan Edwards / Washington Post:
Workers begin removing Trump's name from Kennedy Center  —  After courts knocked down attempts to delay the signage change, the Kennedy Center missed the Friday deadline to remove President Donald Trump's name by midnight.  —  Summary  —  President Donald Trump's name is now being taken off the Kennedy Center.

Samuel Benson / Politico:
'They Don't Know How to Accept Him': Vivek Ramaswamy Navigates Identity in Ohio … This tiny Appalachian town, population 2,000, turned out several hundred for the county GOP's Lincoln Day dinner.  The guest of honor, Vivek Ramaswamy, liked what he saw.  —  “We call it the American dream …

New York Times:
Kennedy Center Begins Removing Trump's Name From Facade  —  The arts institution followed a judge's order to take down President Trump's name after seeking a 12-hour extension, attributing the delay to thunderstorms.  —  After a night of storms, both political and meteorological …

Steven Sloan / Associated Press:
Trump's name is still on the Kennedy Center, though officials say it will be down by noon  —  Workers began removing President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center early Saturday, hours after a court-ordered Friday deadline to remove references to Trump from the building …

Wall Street Journal:
Kennedy Center Misses Deadline, Wants More Time to Remove Trump's Name  —  The center asked for an extension just before midnight Friday, saying it expects to have the name removed by Saturday  —  The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board of trustees blew past the court-ordered midnight deadline …

Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
With a Deal Seemingly Close, the U.S. Faces an Iran More Willing to Withstand Pressure  —  The war has produced regime change, but Iran's new leaders are more willing to take risks and believe they have already absorbed the worst that America and Israel can deliver.

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Trump Is Losing Ground With White Working-Class Voters on the Economy … Among blue-collar white voters, President Trump's approval rating on the cost of living stood at just 36 percent in a New York Times survey.Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times  —  The last time President Trump faced a midterm election …

Anna Griffin / New York Times:
Independent Cascadia?  Greater Idaho?  Disunited States Look Toward Divorce  —  At a moment when even the prospects of dialogue seem far-fetched, movements to redraw state lines to link like-minded regions, or even to secede from the union, are gaining strength.  —  The revolution begins with a poetry reading.