UNDERNEWS

April 22, 2026

Weather

Washington Post - A massive ocean hot spot is stretching across a 5,000-mile swath of the Pacific — from Micronesia to the coastal waters of California. Across this zone, waters are as much as 6 to 8 degrees above average.

And it has the attention of climate scientists, who say it could boost temperatures, humidity and the threat for tropical storms in the West during the months ahead. Climate scientist Daniel Swain described this increasingly extreme marine heat wave as an “exceptional event” that’s breaking records.

The unusual ocean anomaly — the largest on the planet — could expand and intensify to cover the entire Pacific coast of North America by late summer, he wrote.

Donald Trump

Washington Post - The Trump administration’s contract governing hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom shields donors’ identities, excludes the White House from conflict of interest protections and was disclosed only after a lawsuit and a judge’s order, records obtained by The Washington Post show.

The agreement establishing the legal and financial framework for the planned $400 million undertaking — the most significant change to the White House in decades — was signed in early October, less than two weeks before demolition crews started destroying the East Wing. Public Citizen, a government watchdog organization, sued to obtain the contract between the White House, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall, the nonprofit managing donations for the project, and shared the document with The Post.

“The Trump administration’s failure to disclose this contract was flatly unlawful,” said Wendy Liu, a Public Citizen attorney and lead counsel on the lawsuit, filed after the Park Service and the Interior Department failed to fulfill a public records request for the document. “The American people are entitled to transparency over this multi-million-dollar project.”

Reuters - The fallout from President Donald Trump’s unpopular Big Beautiful Bill keeps hitting impoverished red states harder than others a hospitals and voters come to terms with yawning debt and healthcare cuts threatening critical hospitals.

Mississippi Today reports state lawmakers face a “daunting task” trying to fill the holes Trump blasted into the state budget with his looming federal cuts. Unhappy with their options, the Republican-dominated legislature failed to address some of the most pressing issues with Trump’s cuts during the legislative session, so the looming blast holes are still waiting.

Mississippi is one of many impoverished state with a high percentage of uninsured population who do not reimbursement hospitals for visits. But Mississippi Today reports Medicaid is expected to lose $1 billion over the course of the next decade as a result of “Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill signed into law in July.” To further complicate matters, Republicans let federal enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurance expire late last year, making health care much more expensive for “hundreds of thousands of Mississippians.”

Newly nominated FED chair

New Republic - Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego should be commended for some excellent fact-checking of Trump crony Kevin Warsh on Tuesday.

Warsh is Trump’s pick to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve after Jerome Powell’s term expires in May. During Warsh’s Senate committee confirmation hearing, Gallego tried to suss out whether Warsh was going to put the president’s political interests ahead of the country’s economic health.

“Earlier today, you said to Senator [John] Kennedy that President Trump never demanded you to cut interest rates in your job interview. Is that your sworn testimony?” Gallego asked.

“That is, Senator,” Warsh said.

“Well, someone here is lying, then,” Gallego replied. “It’s either you or President Trump. Because in an interview with The Wall Street Journal of December 12, President Trump confirmed he pressed you on your commitment to support interest rate cuts.”

Gallego helpfully cited the Journal article for Warsh: “During a 45-minute meeting … the president pressed Warsh on whether he could trust him to support interest-rate cuts if he were chosen to lead the central bank, according to people familiar with the meeting. Trump, in the Journal interview, confirmed that reporting.”

Warsh responded by claiming the reporters who wrote the story—Meridith McGraw, Nick Timiraos, and Brian Schwartz—were fibbing:

“Senator, there’s, of course, a third alternative. You cite a couple of reporters for a leading financial newspaper.… I think those reporters either need better sources, or better journalistic standards.”

MS Now - There was one question hanging over the room during Tuesday’s meeting of the Senate Banking Committee. According to the hearing schedule, the gathered senators were there to adjudicate Kevin Warsh’s nomination to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Matters of monetary policy were discussed, but the focus would inevitably return to whether Warsh, if confirmed, would stand up to President Donald Trump and ensure the independence of the Fed from political pressure.

It’s an issue that barely came up in the most recent confirmation hearings for a new chair, nine years ago. The good news is that Warsh was adamant about having no interest in merely doing Trump’s bidding as chair. “I do not believe that independence of monetary policy is threatened when elected officials state their views on rates,” Warsh declared in his opening remarks. “Fed independence is up to the Fed.”

Much more troubling, however, was Warsh’s response to a simple question from the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.: “Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?” It is not the sort of complicated economic issue that he’d expect to oversee, though it still had a simple factual answer. And his response wasn’t encouraging given the pressure Trump has placed on Warsh’s predecessor and the current Fed Chair Jerome Powell. More

Work

The American Prospect - The American labor movement will soon have something it’s never had before: a centralized strike fund. Union Now, the new nonprofit and brainchild of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson, began officially fundraising at a kickoff rally on Sunday, April 12th, in Manhattan. National leaders of the Democratic left were there in support; both Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani made rousing speeches, which suggests that the supporters Union Now hopes to enlist will go beyond those who are already union activists.

The Union Now fund will be a centralized, national clearinghouse to get money directly into the hands of workers, Nelson told the Prospect. Too often, workers want to organize but can’t because of money. Some are working two jobs so don’t have the time; some get fired illegally for attempting to organize. Funds from Union Now will supplement the incomes of those still employed so they can spend time organizing rather than on that second job, Nelson said, and financially support those who have been illegally fired while they contest the dismissal or get a new job. Grant applications will be available following the inaugural fundraising; Union Now is deciding how it will approve grants and is considering using a workers’ council to do so.

Britain moves to ban smoking

NY Times - Britain aims to raise a “smoke-free generation” by permanently banning the sale or supply of tobacco and vape products to anyone born in 2009 or after, with a bill that was approved by Parliament on Tuesday. The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime. The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.

Immigration

Congressional Insider - A wave of immigration-judge firings is colliding with a 3.7 million-case backlog, raising a blunt question: is Washington fixing a broken system—or just swapping one set of “elites” for another?

....The Justice Department has fired more than 20 immigration judges without public explanation as the court backlog exceeds 3.7 million cases.

The dispute highlights a broader tug-of-war over border enforcement, executive control of immigration courts, and the meaning of “due process” inside an overwhelmed system.

Global electricity sources

Data: Ember; Chart: Ben Geman/Axios

Axios - Global electricity generation from renewables edged past coal in 2025, per new analysis by Ember, a clean energy think tank.

The inflection point with renewables — mostly hydro, solar, wind and bioenergy — helped to keep CO2 emissions from power essentially flat even as consumption rose, it found.

A separate report Monday from the International Energy Agency reached a similar conclusion. It showed coal, long the world's largest power source, barely hanging onto the title last year. Coal and renewables both had about a 34% share, with the former an inch ahead, IEA found.

Both reports show solar's growth is doing lots of heavy lifting in 2026, even though it remains a small share of total global generation (8.7% last year by Ember's tally).

Space

1440 - NASA unveiled its Roman Space Telescope yesterday, an instrument that could allow researchers to observe an area of the cosmos 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope. See the telescope here. Roman could help scientists find exoplanets by identifying distortions in starlight that may indicate a planet passing in front of stars. The telescope also aims to answer questions about the formation of the universe as well as dark matter and dark energy (what’s the difference?). The observatory, estimated to cost over $4B, will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Florida as soon as this fall.

States where people spend the most and least on housing

WalletHub - With housing costs consuming up to 50% of the median income in some states, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Housing to highlight where homeownership is least affordable for the average resident.

For this report, WalletHub analyzed mortgage and home energy payments across all 50 states. These costs were then combined and compared with each state’s median household income to determine where people spend the largest share of their income on housing.

Highest % of Income Spent	Lowest % of Income Spent
1. Hawaii (50.02%)	41. Kentucky (20.34%)
2. California (43.00%)	42. Mississippi (20.13%)
3. Massachusetts (33.67%)	43. Arkansas (19.93%)
4. Oregon (33.56%)	44. Indiana (19.70%)
5. Washington (32.97%)	45. Illinois (19.70%)
6. Colorado (32.58%)	46. Ohio (19.68%)
7. Nevada (32.36%)	47. Nebraska (19.34%)
8. Idaho (30.88%)	48. Kansas (18.64%)
9. Montana (30.47%)	49. West Virginia (18.39%)
10. New York (30.41%)	50. Iowa (17.26%)

Full report

Universities

“What they need, in every department, are more skeptics and iconoclasts and people with a capacity to change their minds intelligently.” - Bret Stephens, an Opinion columnist. Read now

Now hospitals are a target

Axios - Washington's anti-hospital animus is gaining momentum with new calls to crack down on federal financing of hospitals coming from a think tank with close ties to the Trump administration.

It's becoming apparent on both sides of the aisle that addressing health care costs means addressing their largest driver: Hospitals.

The Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank led by first-term Trump health official Brian Blase, released a report today, "The Hospital Cost Crisis: How Government Policies Drive Consolidation, Undermine Competition, and Fuel Soaring Prices."

It dismantles several of hospitals' most common arguments about their finances, concluding that "hospitals are not broadly financially distressed."
It also disputes the industry's longtime claim that facilities lose money treating Medicare and Medicaid patients — an argument often used to justify charging commercially insured patients more for services.
And it argues that federal policy, in many cases, overpays hospitals, gives them a competitive edge against other health industry players, and encourages consolidation while promoting inefficiencies.
Paragon played a significant role in shaping the Medicaid overhaul that was included in last year's Republican budget bill, in a sign of its clout on Capitol Hill.

Details: The paper calls for greater scrutiny of "direct subsidy programs" like provider taxes, state-directed payments, and certain Medicare and Medicaid payments, saying such programs are "extensive, opaque and poorly targeted." More

Trump Administration Begins Refunding Tariffs. What You Need to Know

Virginia a win for Democrats

Roll Call - Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map, giving Democrats an opportunity to pick up as many as four additional House seats in this fall’s midterm elections.

The pro-redistricting “yes” side was leading with just over 50 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race around 8:50 p.m. Eastern time, meaning that, at least for now, Democrats would be favored to control 10 out of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts under the new lines.

Tuesday’s special election comes after the Virginia legislature began the process to redraw the map last fall, joining a collection of states that have altered their congressional lines ahead of the midterms.

The result represents a big win for Democratic hopes of flipping the House this year when Republicans are defending a razor-thin majority in the chamber.

Middle East

The Guardian - Donald Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

Hours after announcing that he “expected to be bombing”, Trump said he would extend the truce until Tehran submitted a proposal for peace. The announcement came on a day where JD Vance’s expected trip to Islamabad was put on hold and after Trump stepped up his aggressive messaging, saying the US military was “raring to go”.

Trump’s ceasefire rhetoric received short shrift from Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and Tehran’s lead negotiator. His personal advisor dismissed it as “a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike”, adding that “the time for Iran to take the initiative has come”.

April 21, 2026

Pete Hegseth

X- Pete Hegseth announces that the War Department will no longer require the flu vaccine for military service members this season.

Middle East

NBC News - President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold off on new attacks against Iran, heeding a request from Pakistani mediators. Trump said on Truth Social that Iran's "fractured" government needed more time to put forward a comprehensive proposal for negotiations. A U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports would continue, he said.

Religion and politics

Polls

Pope takes on those "“exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”

Independent, UK - Pope Leo has delivered a forceful condemnation of global injustices during his ongoing four-nation Africa tour, lamenting that many people are “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”. This marks an ongoing shift in his public sermons, showcasing a new, more outspoken style.

Addressing worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo, near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, the first US pope – who has previously drawn the ire of President Donald Trump – said that violence and oppression contradict the Christian message.

He declared: “Every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ”, referring to the core belief of Christianity that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified.

ICE Condemned for ‘Police State’ Tactics

Newsweek - A federal judge has issued a scathing attack on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describing aspects of its arrest practices as resembling “police state” tactics and warning of serious constitutional concerns. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, centers on the detention of an individual on Long Island and ultimately orders the person’s release.

In the opinion, the judge, a George W. Bush-era Republican appointee, points to what she describes as troubling enforcement practices, including the use of after-the-fact documentation to justify arrests, which the judge said raised serious due process concerns.

According to the court, ICE officers arrested the individual without a judicial warrant and later relied on paperwork that appeared to have been prepared after the arrest to justify the detention. The judge said this sequence raised serious questions about whether the government had complied with statutory and constitutional requirements at the time of the arrest. In unusually forceful language, the judge compared such practices to “police state” tactics.

Maryland bns "surveillance pricing" by retailers

Newsweek - Maryland could become the first U.S. state to ban "surveillance pricing" as a new law—the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act—could affect how retailers charge millions of residents for their groceries.

Surveillance pricing—sometimes called dynamic or personalized pricing—is a practice that allows retailers to charge different customers different prices for the same item, based on their personal data.

Retailers use information they've collected about individual shoppers—such as their purchase history, location or online behavior—to determine how much someone is willing to pay for an item.

After Maryland lawmakers passed the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act, Democratic Governor Wes Moore confirmed that he would sign the bill into law, arguing that surveillance pricing could unfairly raise the cost of everyday essentials.

In January, when the bill was first introduced, Moore said in a news release, "At a time when Marylanders are already stretched by the rising cost of groceries, housing, and everyday necessities, we must ensure that new technologies are not used to drive up the bill for working families."

Donald Trump

The Daily Adda - A stunning new report from The Wall Street Journal has exposed a deeply troubling picture of President Donald Trump during one of the most critical national security moments of his second term. According to senior administration officials, Trump completely lost it during an active military rescue operation tied to the Iran war. His own team made the extraordinary decision to physically remove him from the room and shut the door behind them.

The crisis began on Good Friday when a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran and two American airmen went missing behind enemy lines. When Trump received the news, he screamed at aides for hours. The scene inside the West Wing, according to sources, was not one of calm leadership. It was one of a president who had completely lost his grip.

Senior officials including Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles dialed directly into the Situation Room to receive live, minute-by-minute updates on the rescue operation. Trump was not in that room. He was briefed separately, only at what officials described as “meaningful moments,” over the phone.

Heather Cox Richardson - Late Saturday evening, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey of the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was so unstable and angry after learning on April 3 that Iranians had shot down an American jet that his aides kept him out of the room as they received updates, simply telling him what was going on at important moments.

The journalists describe an erratic president who entered the war after Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced him the Iranian people would support such strikes and after his successful extraction of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Celia Flores convinced him the military could pull off another quick victory. He seemed to believe that if his gamble worked, he would be saving the world.

But while the strikes did indeed kill Iran’s top leaders and badly damage its military, the Iranians closed the Strait of Hormuz. Trump did not foresee this outcome, although he was warned of it. He told his team that the Iranian government would give up before it closed the strait and, if it did manage to close the strait, the U.S. military would handle it. The journalists report Trump has “marveled at the ease with which the strait was closed.”

Social Security checks come later in May

Newsweek - Millions of Social Security beneficiaries will face a longer-than-usual wait for their next payment, according to the Social Security Administration’s benefit schedule.

The delay isn’t the result of a policy change or benefit cut. Instead, it stems from how the calendar falls this spring. However, it is a quirk that can catch retirees and other recipients off guard if they’re not expecting it.

“Most seniors don't realize their May Social Security check isn't late, the calendar just shifted on them. Because May 1 falls on a Friday, the first Wednesday payment doesn't land until May 13,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.

The Democrat alternatives

Robert Reich - Here, according to early polls and political observers, are the people most likely to be the Democratic nominee — as of April 21, 2028 (no candidate has yet officially announced their candidacy)....

1. Kamala Harris: Harris says she’s now “thinking about” another run at the White House, which is tantamount to throwing her hat into the ring. Her brief campaign in 2024 showed her to be a tough and able campaigner, and she was enormously effective in her debate with Trump (so much so that he refused to debate her again). She has wide name recognition. And having been the Democratic nominee once, she may have dibs on another run if she wants it.

But some worry that a woman cannot win the presidency and that we shouldn’t put a woman up for president when a Democratic win is so urgently needed. Others say that although she was effective as a candidate, she hesitated to take any strong positions during her spirited three-month 2024 campaign. Most Americans still don’t know what she stands for.

2. Gavin Newsom. The California governor has eagerly become Trump’s foil. He sued Trump for sending the National Guard to Los Angeles and led a successful push to redraw California’s congressional map to counter redistricting in red states. He also has a popular podcast. And he’s gaining attention for giving Trump some of his own medicine on social media by mocking him.

But many worry that a prominent California Democrat can’t win. In addition, Newsom has some baggage: He infamously dined in a high-priced restaurant during COVID after warning Californians to avoid dining out. He had an affair with his deputy chief of staff’s wife, who was also his aide. His ex-wife and former political adviser was Kimberly Guilfoyle, who then dated and became engaged to Donald Trump Jr., before they separated (she’s now the ambassador to Greece).

3. Pete Buttigieg. The former transportation secretary is well-liked. Many are drawn to him by his obvious intelligence, thoughtfulness, even-temperedness, facility with languages, and ability to articulate a clear progressive Democratic message. No potential Democratic candidate is as much the opposite of Trump in all these respects.

But for the same reason that some worry about putting up a woman for president in 2028, some worry that a gay candidate wouldn’t have a chance in the bigoted politics Trump has left us with and argue that we cannot risk that America’s homophobia would scare off needed voters. Others claim that although he was mayor of a small city and transportation secretary, he lacks enough experience in national politics to be an effective campaigner for president.

4. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The fiery representative from New York’s 14th Congressional District was the youngest woman ever elected to Congress and one of the first two female members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected. In 2028, she’ll be old enough to run for president, and many progressives love her powerful speeches and strong voice on the Internet. No politician has mastered social media nearly as well as AOC, and none has as clear a blessing from Bernie Sanders and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

But some express disappointment with AOC’s more recent voting record, claiming she has pivoted from challenging establishment Democrats to aligning with them as she weighs a potential 2028 run. Her vote on funding Israel’s Iron Dome, and her increasing willingness to work within the party machinery rather than primarying establishment Democrats, has caused concern among progressives. Others argue that a Democratic-Socialist woman candidate has little chance of winning.

5. Others? Among others actively being mentioned (and fairly actively pushing themselves) as potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2028 are Illinois governor JB Pritzker, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, California congressman Ro Khanna, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, New Jersey senator Cory Booker, and former congressman and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.

New Federal Reserve head says he'll make decisions independent of Trump

NY Times - Kevin M. Warsh, President Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve, asserted at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday that he would not do the president’s bidding on interest rate decisions, pledging to be “strictly independent” if confirmed for one of the world’s most powerful economic positions.

In sometimes testy exchanges, Mr. Warsh, 56, sought to dispel doubts around his credibility, saying Mr. Trump had “never asked me to predetermine, commit, fix, decide on any interest rate decision in any of our discussions, nor would I ever agree to do so.”

Democrats also sought clarity on his roughly $100 million in assets that he has agreed to divest if he is confirmed. Mr. Warsh said that confidentiality agreements had prevented him from providing specific details, and said his investments will be “as plain vanilla as possible” and “sitting in something like cash.”

Mr. Warsh touched on several reforms he would support if confirmed, including changing how the Fed communicates around its policy decisions, and providing fewer hints about the future to avoid officials getting boxed in. He also reiterated his commitment to keep the Fed focused on keeping inflation low and stable and avoiding issues that fall outside its remit.

“The president believes that real economic growth in the U.S. and real take home pay will accelerate,” he said. “I share the president’s confidence in the country and its people. America’s economic growth potential is rising as we sit here today.”

Harris claims Trump pulled into Iran war by Netanyahu

Congressional Insider - Former Vice President Kamala Harris accuses President Trump of being “pulled” into an Iran war by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, raising questions about whose interests truly drive America’s military choices.

She links the conflict to soaring gas prices, with Americans paying $15 more per tank and 50% higher diesel costs.

Claims lack evidence, highlighting partisan attacks amid a war yielding historic U.S.-Israel gains against Iran.

Gambling addicted states

WalletHub - With the gambling industry generating a record $78.7 billion in revenue last year, ... WalletHub has released its report on the 2026’s Most Gambling-Addicted States, along with expert insights, to shed light on where this risky addiction is most widespread.

To create the ranking, WalletHub compared all 50 states using 20 key metrics, including factors such as illegal gambling activity, lottery spending per person, and the percentage of adults struggling with gambling disorders.

Most Gambling-Addicted States	Least Gambling-Addicted States
1. Nevada	41. Maryland
2. South Dakota	42. Connecticut
3. Montana	43. Florida
4. Mississippi	44. Wisconsin
5. Louisiana	45. Nebraska
6. West Virginia	46. Hawaii
7. Pennsylvania	47. Kansas
8. New Jersey	48. Alaska
9. Oregon	49. Vermont
10. Oklahoma	50. Utah

To view the full report