The Political Markup for April 3, 2026
Politics
Several lawsuits have been filed against Trump’s effort to limit mail-in voting.
Voters in competitive congressional districts are getting frustrated with ongoing economic issues and Congress’ lack of work to address them.
A new poll finds that differences in political views are within generations and not genders.
The leading potential Democrat presidential candidates for 2028 voice opposition to Israel. Karl Rove also explains the 2026 races which may predict the 2028 election.
Anonymous donations are increasing through super PACs and nonprofits, mostly by and for the benefit of Democrats.
ActBlue, the fundraising platform for Democrat candidates at all levels of government across the country, is under DOJ investigation for potentially facilitating foreign campaign contributions and not doing enough to prevent this from happening.
Economics
The average mortgage rate increased for the fifth straight week in a row.
World food prices increased last month and are expected to continue to as the Iran war goes on.
Trump’s war in Iran has increased farmers’ fertilizer costs and is threatening their livelihood. Farmers have also been spending less on equipment.
The IPOs of SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI could create 16,000 millionaires.
Iran War
Two U.S. military planes were shot down by Iran, one pilot is still missing, and two search-and-rescue helicopters were also hit.
The Defense Department says 365 troops have been injured and 13 killed in the Iran war. Over 3,500 Iranians are estimated to have been killed, including over 1,600 civilians of which nearly 250 are children.
Iran is taking additional steps to prepare for an ongoing war. Its army commander says they must be prepared for anything.
The NATO secretary-general is visiting D.C. after Trump has been stepping up his criticism of NATO allies not doing enough to help in Iran.
International law experts say the Trump Administration may be violating humanitarian laws and conducting war crimes in Iran.
The Wall Street Journal details how whoever gets control of the Strait of Hormuz is the winner of the Iran war. U.S. intelligence reports indicate Iran currently has a strong control over it. The UK is holding a meeting in London between 35 countries to discuss reopening the strait. J.P. Morgan estimates oil could hit $150 a barrel if the strait is closed into May.
Pope Leo said in a homily that Christianity shouldn’t be used to justify war.
Trump Administration
Todd Blanche will be serving as acting attorney general after Trump fired Pam Bondi. Blanche was one of Trump’s personal attorneys before his second administration. Trump is also considering more changes to his Cabinet.
The Washington Post profiles the Methodist church featured on the cover of JD Vance’s forthcoming book. It’s getting attention because Vance has never been Methodist and the book is about his conversion to Catholicism.
JD Vance will be visiting Hungary prior to their presidential election to meet with Victor Orban, who is politically-aligned with Trump.
A liberal group is worried about Supreme Court justices retiring and Trump having the opportunity to appoint younger ones. Samuel Alito was treated at a hospital last month after feeling sick at an event in his honor.
Tiger Woods called President Trump immediately after his car crash.
A FEMA official in Trump’s administrations claims he was teleported to a Waffle House in Georgia.
A former county clerk in Colorado, who supports President Trump and tampered with voting machines in 2020, is having her sentence reconsidered.
Trump is following up on his idea to reopen and use Alcatraz as a prison by requesting $152 million for the project.
International
The Trump Administration is in talks with Congo about deporting illegal immigrants there.
A second Russian oil tanker is en route to Cuba, despite Trump saying countries would be blocked from doing so.
Russia is believed to have helped organize arson attacks in Poland.
Sweden is investing in air defense and anti-drone systems.
China is building a base in the South China Sea near Taiwan and the Philippines. Taiwan is also building up defenses in response to China.
Trump removed sanctions against Delcy Rodriguez, the acting president of Venezuela, allowing the country to do business with American industries and companies. Rodriguez was a key member of the administration of Nicolas Maduro, who Trump ousted.
Minnesota
Activating the Minnesota National Guard earlier this year to deal ICE’s presence in the Twin Cities is estimated to cost $5.2 million.
Trump is having JD Vance lead a task force to investigate fraud in Minnesota and other Democrat-led states.
Over the last year, Trump’s tariffs have created confusion and extra costs for Minnesota businesses.
Forum Communications let go of its liberal columnists.