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The question Democrats keep asking me is, ‘Who comes next?’ Not next cycle — next generation. It’s hard to look at the party and avoid seeing something close to calcification. Many Dems fret that the bench is thin, and the answer doesn’t seem to be coming from Washington.
Matt Mahan is the mayor of San Jose. He is now running to be the next governor of California. Mahan grew up working class in a Central Coast farming town — Watsonville, where your strawberries come from — rode public buses to a scholarship, taught school, lived in South America, started a tech company, and is now running California’s third-largest city. His pitch: Government should set clear goals, publish them in dashboards, measure whether it’s hitting them, and make changes quickly when it isn’t. His supporters call him the face of an efficient, effective Democratic Party. His critics call him the candidate of big tech, but in less neutral language.
We discuss this, plus social media, housing, data centers, and the time he ran what may have been the first political campaign on Facebook — back when he and Zuckerberg were in the same dorm at Harvard together. The conversation is at the top of this email.
In today’s news, something may be shifting on Iran.
Trump is at the White House this weekend. Secretary of State Rubio says the US won’t tolerate Iran’s reported effort to toll ships through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints. And everyone is watching to see what the White House does next. Is the ceasefire about to fall apart? To follow this, you need context on the Strait, the regime, Iran’s nuclear program and all the regional and global interests pulling in different directions.
We loaded full transcripts from the nine interviews with Iran experts we’ve done over the last year into an Adobe Acrobat PDF Space. Same idea as the one we built for our Forest Service reporting. Ask questions, get answers drawn only from those interviews. Every answer links back to the transcript, so you know which expert said what.
No internet slop. No mystery sourcing. Just expert interviews, transcripts, and receipts.
Ask about the nuclear program, the Strait, oil prices, U.S. options, Iran’s regional strategy — whatever helps you understand what’s happening.
Click here to check it out. Adobe Acrobat is a partner and using their tool supports News Not Noise — and gives you a better way to understand a story that is moving fast.
Also in the newsletter: The EPA walked back rules on chemicals so damaging to the climate they’re called super pollutants. Tulsi Gabbard resigned; the cabinet’s gender math is hard to ignore. Meta has a water problem in Georgia. GOP senators had a meeting this week that sources are describing with words we can’t print. The Iran ceasefire is alive — barely — and the pressure is coming from multiple directions. Donald Trump Jr. got married. His father couldn’t make it. And Stephen Colbert signed off on CBS for the last time.
Here Are Your Headlines
Rule of Law: A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s “vindictive” human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The judge accused the administration of “picking the person first and the crime second.” The administration is still trying to deport Garcia.
New Sheriff: Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the new chair of the Federal Reserve. Warsh said he will be an independent leader, promising to run a “reform-oriented” Fed. He inherits a difficult economy, with inflation surging and consumer sentiment at record lows. A growing number of economists think these conditions call for a rate hike — the opposite of what Trump wants from the Fed, and Warsh.
Super Polluters: The Trump EPA relaxed two regulations governing hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, which are used in refrigeration and air conditioning. HFCs are called “super pollutants” because their effect on global warming can be thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The first change lets trucks and other transport vehicles off the hook for rules meant to limit HFC leaks. The second delays a Biden-era requirement for businesses to stop using HFCs. That requirement followed bipartisan legislation aimed at phasing out HFCs that was signed into law by Trump himself in 2020. Trump now says he wants to “get rid” of the law, dismissing environmental concerns. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claimed the rollback would produce $2.4 billion in savings, including $800 million “at supermarkets alone.” A libertarian think tank estimated about $2 in annual savings per consumer. An association of air conditioning and refrigerant companies warned the rollback could actually increase costs, because it brings back refrigerants the industry had been moving away from.
Dirty Water: An EPA official agreed under oath to investigate reports a Meta data center is polluting residents’ drinking water. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) held up two bottles of dirty water in a congressional hearing; she said residents of Morgan County, Georgia told her they have had no access to clean water since the data center broke ground in 2018. Meta claims an independent study found the data center “had no impact” on residents.
Suck It Up: In nearby Fayette County, residents are outraged after a Blackstone-owned data center was caught siphoning off almost 30 million gallons of water — more than the county had agreed it could take — without paying. When residents complained about low water pressure, county officials told them to stop watering their lawns. Then officials discovered two industrial-sized water connections feeding a nearby data center — one not linked to the company’s account, and the other apparently installed without the county’s knowledge. The county refused to fine the data center. “They’re our largest customer,” the water system director said. “It’s called customer service.” Some residents beg to differ. “It’s just frustrating to see them come into our community and run all over us like the citizens don’t matter,” one said. “Then they’re above the law when they do break it.”
Another One Bites the Dust: Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence. She said she needs to “fully support” her husband’s battle with an “extremely rare form of bone cancer.” Reuters reports she was forced out by the White House. Trump elevated Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas to replace her for now. Gabbard, who has been critical of US foreign interventions, was sidelined from major decisions — including the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the war with Iran. She also frustrated Trump by testifying to Congress in March that the intelligence community believed Iran had made “no efforts” to restart nuclear enrichment and was not building a nuclear weapon. Trump said she was “wrong” and “softer” than him on Iran.
Boy’s Club: Gabbard is the fourth woman in Trump’s cabinet to resign or be forced out in three months. All four were replaced by men.
On the Camel’s Back: There is dissension in the GOP’s ranks. Republican Senators were supposed to begin voting on a bill to fund immigration enforcement through the end of Trump’s term. But they abruptly left Washington for a weeklong recess after failing to reach an agreement with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the administration’s $1.8 billion slush fund. Several Republican senators openly condemned the plan. A two-hour-long meeting with Blanche devolved into what sources called a “shitshow” and “screaming fest.” Their core objection: the fund could pay people convicted of assaulting police officers on Jan 6. Blanche reportedly refused to add strict guardrails preventing that. “The nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said. “Utterly stupid, morally wrong — take your pick.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the administration never consulted him about the fund. The meeting also surfaced other frustrations, including Trump’s endorsement of Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
Head in the Sand: In the clearest sign yet that congressional Republicans are willing to break with Trump on the war, House GOP leadership pulled a planned vote on a war powers resolution that would have forced Trump to seek congressional authorization for the war in Iran — because they didn’t have the votes to stop it. Several Republican lawmakers were absent (a way to avoid voting against the president) and others were expected to vote with Democrats. The vote is now scheduled for June. “The next time they bring it,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said, “it’s passing.” The Senate approved a similar resolution earlier this week.
Postmortem: DNC Chair Ken Martin finally released a long-delayed autopsy into the 2024 election and immediately conceded it “does not meet my standards,” and “it won’t meet your standards.” Democratic strategists, staff, and donors were less charitable: “Self-inflicted wound,” “pathetic all the way around,” “garbage and useless.” The report contains baffling errors and empty platitudes. It brushes past or completely ignores major factors in the party’s loss, including Biden’s surprise decision to run again, his age, and the choice of Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ running mate. Neither “Israel” nor “Gaza” appears once in the 192-page report. Instead, it blames the Biden White House for not supporting Harris, accuses the party of failing to make an affirmative case for its candidates, criticizes the Harris team’s campaign strategy, and calls for a shift away from “identity politics” to bread-and-butter issues like affordability. The report argues that the party has been inert or backward looking since President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory. Bottom Line: The report warns that the GOP spends constantly and speaks to voters year round, helping them win elections. “Democrats,” the report observes, “operate in an ecosystem defined by reason, even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”
Autopsy of the Autopsy: The DNC’s handling of the report was almost as disastrous as the document itself. Martin called it a “major mistake” — after pledging to release it in January 2025, then delaying, then backtracking in December. CNN obtained and published a copy, forcing his hand. Democrats from across the political spectrum are calling for Martin’s resignation.
Money Problems: Donors are walking. “I talk to donors constantly who refuse to give to the DNC,” a progressive recruiter said. “They cannot trust the institution is doing its job well.” Under Martin, the DNC is teetering on insolvency; its recent financial disclosures revealed it is $17.5 million in debt. Compare: the Republican National Committee raised $247 million and still has more than half that on hand.
Warning Signs: The WHO upgraded the risk of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high.” The Trump administration will now route US citizens and green card holders who traveled to the DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda within 21 days through Dulles Airport for screening. New reporting confirmed what we flagged earlier this week — that the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid, including dismantling USAID, helped fuel the ongoing outbreak.
Wedding Regrets: Newlyweds Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson are celebrating their nuptials at a private island in the Bahamas this weekend with a group of friends and family. President Trump won’t be there. “This is not good timing for me,” Trump said. “I have a thing called Iran and other things.”
Red Card: The Trump administration announced new rules for green card applicants. They must leave the country before applying. Until now, many applicants have been allowed to switch from a temporary visa to a green card while remaining in the US, a process called adjustment of status. Hundreds of thousands do so every year. Now the Trump administration is effectively forcing the vast majority of applicants to self-deport — even if doing so would disqualify their green card application. This follows the administration slashing green card approvals in half. The CATO Institute criticized the move as an “illogical” misreading of immigration law that would likely harm hundreds of thousands of people and the country as a whole. “The purpose of this policy.” explained a former US Citizenship and Immigration Services official, “is exclusion.” It will likely be challenged in court.
Iran Updates
Red Line: Iran and Oman are discussing a permanent toll system for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced it as “unacceptable,” warning it “can’t happen” and “would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible.” If this were to take hold it would mark a significant strategic win for Iran.
More Strikes? Mediators are scrambling to extend the ceasefire between the US and Iran, as the White House warns of a possible resumption of hostilities. Negotiators from Pakistan and Oman went to Iran for talks. Rubio said there had been “slight progress.” Trump is scheduled to spend the weekend at the White House in “executive time.” That’s rare for him. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to expand the conflict “beyond the region” if the US and Israel strike again.
Getting Heated: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly tried to push Trump away from a deal with Iran on a contentious phone call this week. Trump told reporters Netanyahu “will do whatever I want him to do.”
For more context, check out our Adobe Acrobat PDF Space, NNN Experts Not Pundits: Iran. Ask questions and get answers sourced from full transcripts of interviews with Iran experts. No slop. Just expertise and receipts.
Culture, Not Noise
Better Late Than Never: Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show drew more viewers than any weeknight episode since he took the reins more than a decade ago. Many believe Paramount and CBS canceled the show to appease Trump — who celebrated its end and said others will “soon follow” — but Colbert avoided politics altogether for his finale. Instead he focused on his appreciation for the millions who watched over the years. “We were here to feel the news with you,” he told viewers. “And I don’t know about you, but I sure have felt it.” A roster of celebrities repeatedly interrupted Colbert, each (jokingly) hoping to be the final guest — an honor that finally went to Paul McCartney, who gave Colbert a signed photo of the Beatles playing on that very stage in the Ed Sullivan theatre in 1964. Neil deGrasse Tyson conjured an interdimensional wormhole as a metaphor for cancellation. Colbert and his fellow late night hosts considered it. “You can’t ignore it,” Jon Stewart said. The important thing is “how you choose to walk through it.” McCartney, Colbert, and the Late Show band closed by singing “Hello, Goodbye” — before the wormhole consumed the entire building, studio and all. “We call this show the joy machine,” Colbert said. “Because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.”
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