The Political Markup for May 5, 2026
Politics
Only 49 percent of “normal Republicans” are extremely motivated to vote this election year.
There are concerns that Trump would act on one or more options available to him to maintain a Republican majority in Congress or serve a third term himself.
Trump will be the first president to personally profit from an airport named after him.
Senate Republicans want to provide $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom and White House security upgrades, despite Trump initially saying the project wouldn’t be paid for with tax dollars.
The White House is preparing administration officials for the increased oversight that would come from a Democrat-controlled Congress.
The Trump Administration publicly criticized a federal judge in Rhode Island for ordering the release of an immigrant who was charged with murder in the Dominican Republic. But the administration purposely withheld this information from the judge, who as a result has referred the DOJ attorney in the case to investigation for misconduct.
An FAA employee from New Hampshire was charged with threatening to kill Trump, and an individual was taken into custody after shooting a gun near JD Vance’s motorcade in Washington.
Economy
The average U.S. gas price is over $4.50 a gallon.
The U.S. trade deficit increased 4.4 percent to $60.3 billion.
An FCC commissioner says there needs to be more transparency and scrutiny of foreign investments in the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
James Murdoch is looking to buy New York magazine.
International
Trump says Pope Leo is endangering Catholics by speaking against his war with Iran.
Democrats are pushing for transparency on Israel’s nuclear capabilities, as the country continues to maintain and escalate conflicts in the Mideast.
A British retailer association is asking its government for financial and regulatory support due to negative economic impacts from the Trump-Israel war with Iran.
Australia will spend over $7 billion to establish its own fuel reserve, after the country has faced energy issues following the Trump-Israel war with Iran. New Zealand is considering fuel storage for its country in Malaysia and Singapore.
Sweden is reorganizing and strengthening its foreign intelligence agency due to Russian aggression and other international conflicts.