The Political Markup for April 22, 2026
Politics
The Trump Administration is keeping a tight control on info related to its midterm election plans.
The ACLU and others are suing the Trump Administration over its requests to states for voter rolls.
Democrats’ redistricting effort in Virginia is drawing Abigail Spanberger into partisan politics, which she campaigned against.
The DOJ charged the Southern Poverty Law Center with using its funds to place informants in hate groups, funds which the DOJ says helped the groups with their efforts. The investigation originated during the Biden Administration.
Economics
Companies are starting to report more economic impacts due to the Trump-Israel war with Iran.
Trump says he’s tracking which companies request tariff refunds.
In bailing out Spirit Airlines, the U.S. could end up owning 90 percent of the company.
Like everything else, the cost of Mother’s Day lunches is also going up.
Palantir has signed a contract with USDA to manage its systems for delivering farm programs.
Trump Administration
Ukraine is thinking about renaming a territory in dispute with Russia as Donnyland, as an attempt to get support from Trump.
Devin Nunes is out at Trump Media. He was a strong congressional defender of Trump during his first administration.
Iran War
Military planners from over 30 countries, led by Britain and France, are meeting in London to discuss strategies for opening the Strait of Hormuz.
The IEA says the war has created the greatest energy crisis in history.
International
The Israeli soldiers who destroyed a statue of Jesus in a Christian village in Lebanon had been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Israeli troops killed two civilians, including a teenage boy, during an altercation in the West Bank.
Scott Bessent says several Middle East and Asian countries have requested financial support from the U.S.
Mexico is raising questions about the presence of two CIA officers in their country after they were killed in a car accident following a drug operation.
Paraguay is receiving migrants from other counties that have been deported from the U.S.
The Trump Administration is planning to resettle in Congo the Afghans who assisted the U.S., since the administration stopped the program which would allow them to come to the U.S.
Minnesota
Trump’s ICE operation in the Twin Cities earlier this year is estimated to have negatively impacted the economy by $850 million.
Steve Simon talks with MPR about the midterm elections.
Angie Craig is trying to downplay her alignment with and donations from AIPAC.
Lisa Demuth is low on direct fundraising, but several PACs are assumed to be helping her.
Cyberattacks against local governments in Minnesota are increasing.