Maybe it's just me but I don't think Jeffrey Epstein's clients should be the ones to decide if Jeffrey Epstein's clients should be prosecuted.

A mass shooting that took the lives of eight children should stop this country in its tracks. Instead, the Shreveport tragedy disappeared from the headlines in a day. We cannot allow this level of violence to fade into background noise. Ending America’s gun‑violence epidemic is a moral oblligation.

Sen. Jack Reed to Warsh as he dodges questions about divesting his assets: "Excuse me. I must commend you on the way you can circularly go around questions and not answer them. It's a skill. Unfortunately it's not a good skill for the chairman of the Fed."

Here is what Democracy Docket is tracking today:

Active Voting Rights Cases: 158
Active Redistricting Cases: 44
Active Anti-Voting Cases: 85
Active Pro-Voting Cases: 71
Active DOJ Lawsuits: 30

Become a Democracy Docket subscriber to receive in-depth insight and analysis: bit.ly/4qmEiFz

Not off to a great start

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...

ProPublica obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.

(Published 2021)

Kash’s Complaint As he said he would on Sunday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation case against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick this morning over a story that characterizes him as an incomp...

FBI Director Kash Patel sued the Atlantic & a reporter for defamation, alleging they recklessly disregarded truth in suggesting FBI officials are concerned his drinking compromises his ability to do his job. Here’s the breakdown you need to understand the complaint. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so th...

We asked people who lived in homeless encampments that were cleared out in city “sweeps” to write about what object was the hardest for them to lose.

“They took my baby pictures and my moms obituaries,” a man in California wrote.

(Published Dec. 2024)

Translation:

This deal is about to be exactly like the JCPOA, minus Obama’s signature

Of COURSE he's insider trading. He's a crook, he's ALWAYS been a crook, he's using the presidency to make billions.

He ran to stay out of jail, to make money and to feel powerful, because that's what a narcissist like him gets off on. It was never about helping people.

Today's winner of the Internet. Congratulations!

Sens. Warren and Blumenthal investigate NLRB decision to drop charges against SpaceX for retaliatory firings Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are investigating the NLRB after it dropped charges against Elon Musk's SpaceX in February over retaliatory firings.

www.cnbc.com/2026/04/16/s...

Trump loyalist who challenged 2020 election results tapped to head DOJ ‘grand conspiracy’ probe The previous senior federal prosecutor overseeing the probe was removed from the case after questioning the legal viability of future charges.

NEW: A former Trump campaign lawyer who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election has been appointed to a U.S. attorney’s office leading a sprawling probe into federal officials who investigated Trump.

The move marks another significant blow to the DOJ's independence from the White House.

Reminder that the Department of Homeland Security is still shut down.

It’s day 65, and @SpeakerJohnson still refuses to bring up the Senate’s bipartisan bill to fund TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard.

House Judiciary Dems will soon launch an investigation on this.

Stay tuned.

One day in the fight for democracy The Trump administration badly wants these records from all 50 states and has sued 30 states that refused its demands. My law firm is fighting the DOJ in all of them.

My Friday began with some really good news. I wrote about the busy day that followed. www.democracydocket.com/opinion/one-...

Texas Medical Board Sanctions Three Doctors for Delayed Care That Led to the Deaths of Two Pregnant Women The two women died during miscarriages. The state’s medical board has ruled that substandard care led to their deaths.

Porsha Ngumezi died at a Texas hospital after bleeding heavily during a miscarriage.

The medical board’s discipline of her doctor felt like “a slap in the face,” her husband said. “What kind of justice is this for Porsha?”

U.S. attacks Iranian-flagged ship as Tehran promises to respond It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran's joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state br...

With the U.S.-Iran standoff over the strait sharpening and the ceasefire expiring by Wednesday, it was not clear where President Trump 's earlier announcement on new talks with Iran now stood. He had said U.S. negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday. https://to.pbs.org/4vJvXzO

My response at a candidates' forum last week to an opponent's suggestion that we can't impeach and remove Donald Trump but somehow instead can and should pass wonderful legislation (which I support!) that will keep him from abusing his power and wrecking our democracy ….

Chernobyl full of life as wildlife reoccupies a radioactive landscape Wolves, bears and lynx have rebounded in the radioactive landscape, along with a rare breed of horses native to Mongolia. Scientists say it shows nature’s ability to recover when human activity is rem...

Four decades on, Chernobyl remains too dangerous for humans. But the wildlife has moved back in. https://to.pbs.org/48Ge7DM

Serious question:

If you’re a Democrat or liberal, but your spouse is MAGA … how do you actually make your marriage work?

I’m genuinely curious — I don’t think I could do it.

Police say 8 children killed in Louisiana mass shooting The victims range in age from one to 14 years old. The shooting occurred around 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith. He said a total of 10 people shot.

A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in domestic-related shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said. https://to.pbs.org/4sP7Cpv

Help for Medicare Advantage Patients Who Lose Doctors Is Shelved, for Now

"Trump Administration officials declined to explain the reason for the reversal..."

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/b...

This week at Democracy Docket: On the ground in Chicago tp bring you exclusive election news Unlike a lot of media outlets that cover politics, at Democracy Docket we invest in original reporting. This week was a great example of why.

NEW: This week we were at the US Election Assistance Commission convening in Chicago where we revealed that Trump is blocking experts from a key federal committee on voting machine standards. We also unearthed a troubling federal proposal to create a massive system for sharing state voter data.

FBI and Justice Department try to rebuild after wave of resignations and firings The agencies leaders are easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards.

The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment. https://to.pbs.org/4sN6CSB

“Women are sick and tired of having to apologize” for what Congressmen are doing to staff

My weekend edition of “Scott MacFarlane Reports” from Capitol

x.com/MacFarlaneNe...

Things you’d NEVER see Donald Trump do, #628:

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former President Barack Obama are at a child care center in the Bronx reading a children’s book to preschoolers. 📘

Ha! Chronically drunk FBI Director Kash Patel is NOT going to like this new LEGO video. Of course, that assumes he sobers up enough to watch it. 🍺🍸🥃