Trump goes off the rails at Mother's Day debacle

Top Stories for May 9:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump makes humiliating mistake at public ceremony
The president held an event at the White House to honor Gold Star moms…and it went about as poorly as you’d expect. Watch Brian Tyler Cohen brutally roast the president for yammering on about his home improvement projects and generally doing everything he can to make their lives worse.

Take Action: Tell Trump: Don’t waste public money building yourself a battleship!

“My ambition is to change the country,” AOC says when asked about seeking higher office in 2028
The New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez answered a question about potentially running for higher office in 2028 by declaring: “My ambition is to change the country.” “What’s funny is they assume my ambition is a title or a seat,” the Bronx US House representative replied. “My ambition is to change this country. Presidents come and go. Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go. “But single-payer healthcare is forever,” she added, in reference to the kind of national healthcare platform she has long supported over the private system entrenched in the US.

Ocasio-Cortez then ran through a litany of her other signature policy positions, saying: “A living wage is forever, workers’ rights are forever, women’s rights, all of that, and so anyways … to a finer point to your question is that when you aren’t attached, when you haven’t been like fantasizing about being this or that since the time you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating.”

Virginia Supreme Court hands HUGE win to Trump and Mike Johnson
Red to Blue: Now that the Democrats’ new maps in Virginia have been struck down, it’s more important than ever that we flip as many seats as possible if we’re going to retake Congress. There are 20 Democrats running to flip the most vulnerable red seats in the House, and their must-win races are the key to us retaking Congress and making Mike Johnson’s majority nothing but a bad memory. All of these Democratic candidates are locked in close races in Republican-held districts, and every dollar might make the difference in helping the Democrats regain control of the House. The Democrats in these races are united by their desire to fight for hardworking families in their districts — not the billionaires bankrolling Republicans’ corrupt and divisive machine. Wil you chip in a donation to be split among ALL these candidates to help kick the GOP out of the House?

GOP donors left to wonder about Trump’s $300 million war chest
Republican donors have given massive sums of money to Trump’s operation. But they are in the dark about how he’s going to spend it in the midterms. There is mounting anxiety among party donors about when and how Trump will deploy his $300 million war chest, and concern that the White House is missing an opportunity to reinforce the party now when it is facing electoral threats on all sides.

Some Republicans fear Trump may ultimately opt to hold back some of the money from the midterms and direct it to other purposes, such as legacy-building projects or anointing a successor in 2028. The White House brushes aside those concerns, and MAGA Inc. spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer characterized them as whining from anonymous detractors. It is unclear when Trump’s personal political operation will begin spending on the midterms or give donors more information on its plans.

7 states prepare to receive Americans possibly exposed to hantavirus
The U.S. has entered emergency response mode as a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak sails toward Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, where it will evacuate nearly 150 passengers on board, including at least 17 Americans.

State and local health officials in the U.S. are monitoring at least eight passengers who disembarked on April 24 and returned home. For the time being, those individuals are not being told to isolate, since they have not developed symptoms.

Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a 3-day ceasefire
President Trump on Friday announced Russia and Ukraine will swap 1,000 prisoners as a part of a three-day ceasefire for the observation of Victory Day in Russia this weekend. Russia and Ukraine previously announced separate ceasefires on different days, so the timeline isn’t entirely clear. Mr. Trump said the temporary ceasefire will suspend all kinetic activity Saturday through Monday. In statements, Ukraine and Russia appeared to agree to the terms Mr. Trump announced.

Taking to Truth Social, the U.S. president said he requested the temporary ceasefire, and appreciates Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreeing to it. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War,” he said of a war that’s over four years old. “Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”