If you ever wondered how Gavin Newsom became a “bestselling author,” the answer just landed. And it’s about as authentic as everything else the California governor does. According to new reporting, Newsom’s political action committee quietly spent over $1.5 million in donor cash to purchase roughly 67,000 copies of his own memoir. That accounts for about two-thirds of the book’s total sales. Let that sink in. The man had to buy his own book to make it look like people wanted to read it. The book is called “Young Man in a Hurry.” And apparently the only thing in a hurry was Newsom’s PAC, racing to inflate his sales numbers before anyone noticed. New York Times reporter Shane Goldmacher was the first to break down the numbers: NEW: Gavin Newsom offered his memoir to anyone who donated anything to his PAC.About 67,000 people gave — accounting for two-thirds of his book sales. His PAC spend $1.5 million giving away the book to those contributors.https://t.co/FVRiPlBSmW— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) April 16, 2026 Read those numbers again. Out of 97,400 total copies sold, about 67,000 came through Newsom’s own PAC giveaway. That means only around 30,000 copies were purchased by actual readers who voluntarily walked into a bookstore or clicked “buy” on Amazon. Mediaite laid out the details of the scheme: Newsom’s PAC, the Campaign for Democracy Committee, spent $1,561,875 to purchase and deliver the 67,000 copies through the Porchlight Book Company.The governor launched the effort last November, following the passage of Proposition 50, with a fundraising message that read: “We just spent a bunch of money on passing Prop 50. So now I need to refill that coffers at my Campaign for Democracy for the fights ahead.”Supporters who donated any amount received a free copy of the memoir. The PAC listed the purchases as “books at cost,” making them the largest single expenditure of the year. So let’s get this straight. Newsom told donors he needed money for “the fights ahead.” Then he turned around and spent $1.56 million of that money buying his own book. That’s not fundraising. That’s a book deal with extra steps. But here’s the part that really stings. Newsom’s own team put out a press release in March bragging that the book had sold “more than 91,000 copies through organic, in-person and online, non-bulk purchases.” Organic. That’s the word they used. When two-thirds of those sales came from a PAC-funded giveaway where the book was literally free with any donation. Fox News contributor Steve Hilton summed it up perfectly: Gavin Newsom’s “bestseller” memoir just got the ultimate California treatment: his PAC dropped $1.56 million of donor cash to buy 67,000 free copies and mail them to anyone who donated any amount.That’s two-thirds of all print sales.Nothing says “Young Man in a Hurry” like…— Steve Hilton (@SteveHiltonx) April 17, 2026 Hannity.com added more context on the scale of the operation: The strategy traced back to November, when Newsom began offering supporters a free copy of his memoir in exchange for any donation to his Campaign for Democracy PAC. The operation ran through Porchlight Book Company, and by the time the numbers were tallied, roughly 70,000 of the 97,000 total copies sold were directly tied to the PAC promotion.A Newsom spokesman defended the program, stating: “We were thrilled with the response. Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work.” The spokesman added that the amount donated through the campaign actually exceeded what the PAC paid for the books, and that Newsom received no royalties. The “no royalties” defense is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Because even if Newsom didn’t pocket royalty checks directly, having a “bestselling” book does wonders for a governor clearly eyeing his next move on the national stage. The inflated sales numbers generate press coverage, bookstore placement, and the kind of credibility that comes with being a published author people supposedly want to read. This is the same Gavin Newsom who presides over a state with a $21 billion budget deficit. The same governor whose state paused new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults in January because the money ran out. But sure, $1.56 million in donor cash for a vanity book project? That’s a great use of resources. For anyone keeping score at home, only about 30,000 people actually bought Newsom’s book because they wanted to. The other 67,000 got it as a freebie for donating to a political committee. That’s not a bestseller. That’s a bulk order with good marketing.

Ten American scientists with ties to classified nuclear and aerospace programs have either vanished or turned up dead over the past two years. And now President Trump is personally involved.The President confirmed on Wednesday that he had just come out of a White House meeting specifically about the growing list of missing and deceased researchers. His tone was measured but unmistakable: this is not something the administration is taking lightly.When Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the matter during a briefing, she confirmed the administration was looking into it.PETER DOOCY: “There are now 10 American scientists who have either gone missing or died since mid 2024. They all reportedly had access to classified nuclear or aerospace material. Is anybody investigating this to see if these things are connected?”KAROLINE LEAVITT: “I’ve seen… pic.twitter.com/CCqhmwQx7D— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 15, 2026The cases span from mid-2024 to early 2026. Almost all of the scientists involved either worked directly for the U.S. government or on government-funded programs related to nuclear energy, aerospace research, or advanced defense technology. The list includes names tied to NASA, MIT, Caltech, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.Among the most alarming cases: retired Air Force Major General William “Neil” McCasland disappeared from his Albuquerque home on February 27. McCasland previously led the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Reconnaissance Office. His wallet, phone, and glasses were all left behind. He took only hiking boots and a .38-caliber revolver.Then there is Monica Jacinto Reza, a 60-year-old aerospace engineer and director of Materials Processing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She vanished while hiking in the Angeles National Forest last June. She was last seen smiling and waving to a companion before she simply disappeared.Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn before departing for Las Vegas, President Trump did not mince words.BREAKING: President Trump vows to look into the 10 scientists who have gone missing or turned up dead:“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half.”“I just left a meeting on that subject.”“Pretty serious stuff… Some of them were very important… pic.twitter.com/VMgeZyayXl— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 16, 2026Fox News provided extensive details on all ten cases:The National Nuclear Security Administration acknowledged awareness, noting: “NNSA is aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter.”Steven Garcia, a 48-year-old government contractor who worked for the Kansas City National Security Campus, went missing on August 28, 2025. He was last seen on surveillance leaving his Albuquerque home carrying a handgun. His phone, wallet, keys, and car were all left behind.Nuno Loureiro, the 47-year-old director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a leading fusion energy researcher, was shot at his Brookline, Massachusetts home on December 15, 2025. He died the following day.Carl Grillmair, a 67-year-old Caltech astrophysicist who worked on the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, was shot outside his Llano, California home on February 16, 2026.The pattern is hard to ignore. Scientists with security clearances, working on some of the most sensitive projects in the country, are dropping off the map. Some vanished without a trace. Others were found dead under circumstances that raise more questions than answers.The Rapid Response 47 account shared the President’s full remarks on the situation:.@POTUS on the recent disappearances and deaths of U.S. scientists: “I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half. I just left a meeting on that subject… some of them were very important people, and we’re going to look at it…” pic.twitter.com/hGnKGYln27— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 16, 2026Newsweek laid out the full scope of the cases:There are now 10 American scientists who have either gone missing or died since mid-2024, and they all reportedly had access to classified nuclear or aerospace material.Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old administrative employee who held security clearance at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was last seen walking State Road 518 in Taos County, New Mexico on June 26, 2025. She left behind her car, purse, keys, and both phones, which had been factory-reset.Anthony Chavez, a 78-year-old retired Los Alamos National Laboratory employee, was last believed seen on May 4, 2025. His wallet, keys, and personal items were left behind. His car was locked in the driveway with no signs of forced entry or struggle.Officials have established no confirmed connections between cases, though the clustering has prompted increased scrutiny and public concern.President Trump said he hopes the pattern is just coincidence. But the fact that the White House held a dedicated meeting on the matter tells you everything you need to know about how seriously this is being taken. The President indicated answers could come in the next week and a half.

It was quite a night on Capitol Hill. Speaker Mike Johnson tried everything. A five-year extension. An 18-month extension. President Trump personally urged Republicans to get in line. None of it worked. Shortly after 2 a.m. Friday morning, Johnson’s plan to renew the government’s controversial surveillance powers collapsed — tanked by 20 members of his own party who refused to budge on privacy concerns. Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna was practically gloating about the late-night chaos: They have called us back at midnight to cast a secret vote to reauthorize FISA while America sleeps. A yes vote gives Trump more power to surveil Americans.Every Democrat must vote no. Everyone who loves the constitution must vote no. pic.twitter.com/kJGQm5EWW3— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 17, 2026 Here’s how it all went down. Johnson rushed lawmakers back into session late Thursday night for a series of back-to-back votes on extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the provision that lets intelligence agencies monitor foreign targets but has been criticized for sweeping up Americans’ communications without a warrant. First, leadership tried a five-year renewal with revisions. That went nowhere. Then they tried to salvage President Trump’s preferred option — a clean 18-month extension with no new limits on surveillance. That also crashed and burned, failing 197 to 228. Newsweek published the full list of GOP holdouts: According to the House clerk’s official vote record, 20 Republicans voted against moving forward with the 18-month extension: Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, Eric Burlison, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Warren Davidson, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris, Diana Harshbarger, Thomas Massie, Mary Miller, Ralph Norman, Andy Ogles, Scott Perry, John Rose, Keith Self, Victoria Spartz, Sheri Biggs, and Mark Harris. President Donald Trump had previously urged Republicans to support extending the program. “I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this week. “We need to stick together.” Twenty Republicans looked at that message from the President and said: no thanks. Rep. Bob Good praised the holdouts for standing firm on the Fourth Amendment: Thank you to the 6 House R’s who withstood the pressure early this morning and voted against BOTH the 5 yr & 18-mo FISA reauthorizations w/out sufficient reforms: Andy Harris MD, Thomas Massie KY, Andy Ogles TN, Scott Perry PA, John Rose TN & Keith Self TX— Bob Good (@RepBobGood) April 17, 2026 With both proposals dead in the water, the House scrambled. At 2:09 a.m., they passed a bare-minimum 10-day extension by unanimous consent — kicking the can down the road to April 30. The Senate cleared it by voice vote Friday, sending it to President Trump’s desk. PBS News put it in perspective: The revolt is a significant setback for House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House, who both pushed for a clean long-term extension of the surveillance authority. With Johnson controlling a slim majority, he has little room for dissent. The short-term fix leaves the future of Section 702 unresolved, as lawmakers remain divided over how to balance national security considerations with concerns over privacy. Senator Mike Lee made it crystal clear that the fight over FISA reforms is far from over: FISA 702 must be reformedAs the failed House vote last night made clear, it can’t be reauthorized without reforms @SenatorDurbin and I have a bipartisan bill that reforms FISA 702 in a way that allows it to perform its national-security functions while protecting Americans pic.twitter.com/AKLHEs9LpC— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) April 17, 2026 Congress has 10 days to figure out what they couldn’t resolve in months. Good luck with that.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday announced a record hiring effort for air traffic controllers. “In just 13 HOURS: 8,004 Americans applied to join our controller ranks — that’s over 10 applications EVERY MINUTE! EVEN BETTER, 7,252 applicants are qualified! This is now the FASTEST application pace in AMERICAN HISTORY for Air Traffic Controllers,” Duffy said. “Did you know… the @FAANews has been recruiting controllers since 1958 — 67 YEARS AGO? Today interest in joining has never been HIGHER. We’re just getting started! Applications are still open,” he continued. TRUMP ADMIN BREAKS U.S. RECORD FOR HIRING EFFORT FOR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS In just 13 HOURS: 8,004 Americans applied to join our controller ranks — that’s over 10 applications EVERY MINUTE! EVEN BETTER, 7,252 applicants are qualified! This is now the FASTEST… pic.twitter.com/UwCbrUyDMr — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 17, 2026 Semafor explained further: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that it makes a lot of sense to hire gamers to address a shortage of air traffic controllers. “If you think just what these gamers are doing on screens, and they’re talking and there’s a lot of things going on — they’re used to that. And that’s actually what you’re doing in a tower,” Duffy said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. The Transportation Department announced a week ago that it would begin a recruitment campaign targeting gamers, releasing a promotional video urging them to “level up” by joining the department. Duffy noted on Friday that 6,000 people had applied since the application window opened at midnight that day, with the portal closing upon reaching 8,000 applicants. “We’ve had a flood of young people coming in that want to be air traffic controllers,” he said, adding, “They have to be qualified. We have to go through an assessment process. But this has been wildly successful.” “Watch this… YOU can be the future of air traffic control. It’s not a GAME, its a CAREER. Applications open April 17th at Midnight,” Duffy said last week. Watch the ad below: Watch this… YOU can be the future of air traffic control It’s not a GAME, its a CAREER Applications open April 17th at Midnight @FAANews pic.twitter.com/JVpgCIeF58 — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 10, 2026 More from The Hill: The FAA has scrambled to hire and keep on enough air traffic controllers for decades. Duffy said in November that the amount of air traffic controllers retiring daily had tripled amid the government shutdown, which left federal workers without paychecks for more than a month. “This is going to live on in air travel, well beyond the time frame that this government opens back up,” Duffy said in November. In his 2027 budget proposal, Trump requested $481 million to help the FAA with an air traffic controller hiring surge as a part of his continued push to “supercharge” controller recruitment and retention. Leading up to his November 2024 win, future Trump administration officials polled about 250 air traffic academy graduates, only three of which reported not being gamers, Duffy told Talcott. The hiring campaign is the most recent effort by the Trump administration to fill staffing gaps in the air travel industry. “You may think I’m crazy. Like, gamers for air traffic controllers?” Duffy said. “This came about, we polled 250 random students at our academy and only three of them were not gamers. Like, huh, there must be a correlation between gaming and people wanting to become air traffic controllers. So we’ve leaned into that community.”

A former small-town Alabama mayor is now facing felony charges for allegedly rigging an election with absentee ballots. And the numbers tell you everything you need to know about how brazen this scheme allegedly was. Fort Deposit, Alabama has a population of about 900 people. Somehow, the August 2025 municipal election produced over 1,000 votes. That’s roughly 120% voter turnout. More than half the ballots cast were absentee. Let that sink in for a second. A town where 900 people live had more votes than residents. You don’t need to be a math genius to see something was seriously wrong. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall just made it official. Former Mayor Jacqulyn Boone, 51, and city council candidate Steven Thigpen, 49, have both been arrested and charged with unlawful use of absentee ballots. It’s a Class C felony in Alabama, carrying one to ten years in prison. WSFA 12 News broke the story: BREAKING: Former Ft. Deposit mayor, city council candidate arrested by Alabama AG’s office https://t.co/oNzpzo1mdB— WSFA 12 News (@wsfa12news) April 15, 2026 Both Boone and Thigpen were initially declared winners in their respective races. But it didn’t take long for officials to realize something was off. Voting irregularities were flagged almost immediately after the results came in. A judge stepped in and threw the whole thing out. Lowndes County Circuit Judge Cleveland Poole annulled the election results after ruling that more than 400 absentee ballots were invalid. The reason? Both Boone and Thigpen had personally witnessed the ballot affidavits, sometimes separately and sometimes together. WSFA reported on the arrests: Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the arrest of two Lowndes County residents on charges related to the unlawful use of absentee ballots in the August 2025 Ft. Deposit municipal election. Jacqulyn Boone, 51, and Steven Thigpen, 49, were each charged with unlawful use of absentee ballots, a Class C felony under Alabama law. Boone previously served as mayor of Ft. Deposit, and Thigpen was a candidate for the Ft. Deposit City Council. Both were declared winners in the August 2025 election. The election was later set aside due to voting irregularities, and a special election was held in January. Under Alabama law, unlawful use of absentee ballots is punishable by one year and one day to 10 years in prison. A special election was held in January 2026 to give the people of Fort Deposit the fair vote they deserved. Boone lost her re-election bid, and Thigpen withdrew from the race entirely. Madelene Means was elected as the new mayor. The case is being handled by AG Marshall’s Special Prosecutions Division. Officials have not released additional details because the investigation is still ongoing. This is far from the only ballot fraud case AG Marshall has been pursuing in Alabama. His office has been on a tear. Just weeks earlier, three Monroe County residents were arrested on a combined 37 counts of ballot harvesting and unlawful use of absentee ballots tied to the Frisco City municipal election. Two of those women were courthouse employees. Libs of TikTok highlighted the Monroe County case: BREAKING: Two of the three women indicted on voter fraud charges in Alabama for allegedly submitting DOZENS of fake absentee ballots were Monroe County courthouse employees.Samantha Kyles is listed as a judicial assistant for Judge Donna Silcox, while Sarah Bennett worked as a… https://t.co/WfAroNNAYL pic.twitter.com/0SMFAbnSJU— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 10, 2026 State Auditor Andrew Sorrell, who is running for Alabama Secretary of State in 2026, has been vocal about the Fort Deposit case. He’s pointed to it as proof that the state needs a dedicated election security division. ABC 33/40 covered the broader details: Both face unlawful use of absentee ballots, classified as a Class C felony under Alabama law. Conviction carries one year and one day to 10 years imprisonment. The case is handled by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division. Officials declined to release additional information due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. The Fort Deposit election irregularities prompted formal review, leading to the invalidation of the August 2025 results and subsequent special election to restore electoral integrity. The bigger picture here is impossible to ignore. People constantly try to tell you that voter fraud doesn’t exist, that concerns about mail-in ballot integrity are overblown. And then you get a case like this, where a town of 900 people somehow produces over 1,000 votes. Where more than 400 absentee ballots get thrown out by a judge. Where the candidates themselves were allegedly witnessing the very ballot affidavits that kept them in power. Boone and Thigpen are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the election results were already invalidated. The people of Fort Deposit already had their votes stolen once. At least now, the justice system is catching up.