News From Around the Web
#1 Spirit Airlines Nears Deal With Trump Administration for $500 Million Rescue Package - NBC News, Marjorie Taylor Greene, QE Infinity, Wall Street Mav, Brian Schwartz, and Tom Cotton on X
The Trump administration on Wednesday neared a rescue deal for struggling Spirit Airlines, in a rare move to support a single air carrier. The deal, which has not yet been finalized, would offer $500 million to the discount airline, according to a person familiar with the matter. It would give the airline additional liquidity as it works toward emerging from bankruptcy and grapples with elevated fuel costs due to the war with Iran. The deal would also aim to create a durable, well-funded airline. After Spirit emerges from bankruptcy, the U.S. government could own up to 90% of the airline, the source also said. A White House official said details are still being negotiated and could change. The president would be expected to announce any deal...
#2 Virginia Court Declares State’s Redistricting Vote Was Unconstitutional in Legal Win for Republicans - Alec Schemmel for Fox News, Eric Daugherty/Cheryl, Soldier for Christ, Modern Day Drifter, Owen Gregorian, and Brian Allen/Fabian Benjamin/Grok on X
Republicans are cheering a circuit court victory in Virginia that showed Democrats' redistricting efforts in Virginia are not quite over yet, despite a referendum to accept a new map drawn by Democrats getting approved by voters Tuesday. Virginia Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley ruled Wednesday, one day after the Democrat redistricting referendum passed, that all votes for or against the proposed redistricting amendment were unconstitutional, citing rules that impose certain requirements that the referendum did not meet. There are a handful of cases making their way through the Virginia court system challenging various aspects of the referendum, including the one Hurley ruled on Wednesday...
#3 Ron DeSantis Claps Back at House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ Warning to ‘F-Around and Find Out’ Amid Redistricting Gambit - Fox News, Eric Daugherty, Christian Collins, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez/Jake Sherman, and Ron DeSantis/Team Desantis on X
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned Republicans on Wednesday that efforts to redraw the Florida congressional map will backfire on the GOP. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Jeffries noted that Democrats have already flipped several seats in local elections around the Sunshine State in recent months. With that in mind, he directly challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to move ahead with his plan to redraw the state map, predicting it will only help Democrats flip control of the lower chamber in November. "'Oh, we're gonna go after Florida.' PLEASE. BE MY GUEST. I will PAY you to come campaign! I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion! We'll take you fishing. NOTHING could be better for Florida Republicans than to see Hakeem Jeffries everywhere around this state!" "Voters will NOT like what they see. DOOR IS OPEN! Invitation is out there!" "I kinda feel bad for the guy...the far left hates him! They call him a dollar store Obama, AIPAC Shakur! He tried to ingratiate himself, but they won't drink the Kool-Aid!" Time to re-draw, special session is in ONE WEEK.
#4 U.S. Nuclear Scientist LEAKS Trump's SENSATIONAL IRAN Plan; Gets Fired From Pentagon - Times of India, James O'Keefe, Firstpost, Rudy Giuliani, George Leroy Tirebiter, and The Frank Zone on X
A hidden camera video has triggered a major controversy inside the United States military establishment. A senior nuclear and chemical safety official is now under investigation after allegedly sharing sensitive details about US military operations in a public setting. The footage, released by activist James O’Keefe, shows the official discussing nuclear protocols, chemical agents, and even potential targeting of Iran’s leadership. These claims include references to nerve agents, civilian casualties, and how the US handles missile launches and war decisions. The US Army has responded by placing the official on administrative leave while a formal probe begins. But the larger issue goes beyond one individual. It raises serious questions about operational secrecy, internal accountability, and the real nature of ongoing conflicts involving Iran. As tensions remain high, this leak has added a new layer of uncertainty, exposing how sensitive war-related information can surface in the most unexpected ways...
#5 Mass Layoff Incoming: Meta to Slash Thousands of Jobs Amid $135 Billion AI Investment - Briannagh Dennehy for KTXS, CNBC, G. Paco Gonzalez, Amador Crypto, and Wheel of Dharma/Evan/Archeon1 on X
Meta is set to eliminate approximately 8,000 workers starting May 20, according to Reuters. In its most recent financial highlights report, the company outlined plans to spend up to $135 billion on AI-related infrastructure in 2026.As major technology companies restructure around artificial intelligence, workforce impacts are being closely monitored at the local level. Bill Dean serves as the director of workforce partnerships at Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas. He highlighted strong employment conditions across the region compared to state and national averages...
#6 Warner Bros Shareholders to Vote on Paramount’s $81 Billion Takeover of the Hollywood Giant - Wyatte Grantham-Philips for AP/MSN, Scott Zefferson, TheFinancialDistrict, FRANCE 24, Patrick S. Buck, and Washington Examiner on X
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders are set to vote Thursday on the company's proposed $81 billion sale to Skydance-owned Paramount, in a mega merger that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media
landscape. Paramount wants to buy all of Warner. That means HBO Max, cult-favorite titles like “Harry Potter” and CNN could soon find themselves under the same roof as Paramount’s CBS, “Top Gun” and the Paramount+ streaming service. And a green light from shareholders would bring the acquisition closer to the finish line. Shareholders are expected to meet at 10 a.m. ET to vote on the deal, which is valued at nearly $111 billion, including debt, based on Warner's current outstanding shares. Even if approved, a Paramount-Warner combo would still face ongoing regulatory reviews, including from the U.S. Department of Justice. Warner has said it expects to close the deal sometime in the third fiscal quarter...
#7 Patel Loses Defamation Case Against Ex-MSNBC Analyst That He Cited in His New Atlantic Suit - Jordan Rubin for MS NOW, Stefan Bethlenfalvay, James Steed, Howard Prince, Lee E. Berlik, and Arnaud Mercier - #Entrepreneur on X
BI Director Kash Patel just lost one defamation case right after he filed another one. The case he lost was against ex-MSNBC analyst and columnist Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI. While appearing last year on MSNBC’s (now MS NOW’s) “Morning Joe,” Figliuzzi said Patel had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building.” Patel argued Figliuzzi’s statement was defamatory, while Figliuzzi argued a reasonable viewer would have seen it as a “sarcastic, hyperbolic quip about the media narrative surrounding” Patel at the time. The FBI director countered that a reasonable viewer would...
#8 Federal Judge Dismisses Laura Loomer’s Defamation Suit Against Bill Maher - Kyla Guilfoil for NBC News, HuffPost, Diesel's dad, Laura Loomer/Carmen Quinlan, and Disclose.tv on X
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit from Laura Loomer, ruling in favor of comedian Bill Maher over a comment he made on his show that insinuated the far-right activist had an affair with President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge James Moody wrote in an 18-page ruling that Maher was clearly joking when he made the comment during a September 2024 episode of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." Moody said the episode aired "during a time when the environment was rife with jokes and speculation about Loomer’s relationship with President Trump," and that a reasonable viewer of the show "would have understood Maher was making a joke, and not a statement of fact about plaintiff and President Trump."
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#9 Justice Department Reaches $1.25 Million Settlement With Trump 2016 Campaign Aide Over Russia Probe - Eric Tucker and Lindsay Whitehurst for Associated Press/MSN, Lise Latulippe @liselatulippe.bsky.social, Michael Caputo/Michael McLaughlin, Bryan Johnson, Political Spittoon, and Parallel Polis in Exile
The Justice Department has settled for $1.25 million a lawsuit from an aide to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign who was the target of secret surveillance during the FBI’s Russia investigation. Carter Page asserted in a 2020 lawsuit that he was the victim of “unlawful spying” by an FBI agency that was investigating whether Trump's 2016 campaign had conspired with Russia to affect the outcome of the election. The lawsuit alleged a series of omissions and errors made by FBI and Justice Department officials in applications they submitted in 2016 and 2017 to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to eavesdrop on Page on suspicion that he was an agent of Russia. Senate Republicans adopted a budget resolution during a late-night voting marathon that lasted until early Thursday morning, setting the stage for Congress to vote next month on a budget reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement and reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The resolution passed by a vote of 50-48 shortly after 3:30 a.m. Thursday. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rand Paul (Ky.) joined all Democrats in voting against the measure...
#10 Senate Republicans Adopt Budget Resolution in Late-Night Voting Marathon - Alexander Bolton for The Hill, John F Kennedy Jr, fox8news, Brian Bullock | Everyone Knows, Laura Weiss/Punchbowl News, and Conservative Brief on X
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