New York Magazine is investigating writer Ross Barkan for plagiarism after he seemingly ripped off his lede paragraph in a recent hit piece against The Daily Wire. Barkan recently joined the new liberal media trend of writing rumor-laden attacks on The Daily Wire. After his story was published, Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell took to X to complain that Barkan’s lede was almost identical to the one he had published days earlier. After Barkan was called out, New York Magazine updated his story to credit Harwell, seemingly acknowledging that it was a direct rip-off. NPR then identified at least two other instances where Barkan ripped off entire paragraphs, this time from The Intercept and Compact Magazine. The lede of our Shapiro story on Saturday and the lede of the @NYMag story todayhttps://t.co/P20BkpGhqWhttps://t.co/Ha03RLE3qs pic.twitter.com/64OzrvFcRS — Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) May 14, 2026 New York Magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke told NPR that the magazine is “conducting a review of the writer’s prior work.” Rather than deny that he is a plagiarist, Barkan argued online that it’s okay because he credited the people he was stealing from. “I am allowed, as a columnist building on *his* reporting, to cite facts. Especially when he’s credited,” Barkan said of the Compact Magazine incident. He further attempted to brush the issue under the rug in a statement to NPR: “I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of journalism in my career. I stand by my record.” He added that this is “all quite ridiculous.” Barkan has been a prolific writer, and liberal, in the New York scene. In addition to New York Magazine, he has also written for The New York Times, and in 2018 ran for state senate (but lost) as a Democrat.

Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was slammed after his public statement championing “Nakba Day,” drawing sharp criticism from historians and policy analysts who accused the lawmaker of presenting a highly selective and revisionist version of the 1948 war. Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed. Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us… pic.twitter.com/z2PBOaJq5Z — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 15, 2026 Happy Nakba Day to you and yours! I celebrate the failed attempt to Holocaust the middle eastern Jews. Are you with me? — Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) May 16, 2026 The “Nakba” is the biggest load of cry-bully bullshit In 1948 the Arabs waged a war of extermination against Jews If they had won, all those performing pain today would be posting about a day of joy and celebration But they lost – and now they cry crocodile tears to the world… — leekern (@leekern13) May 16, 2026 Shame on your @NYCMayor. This is political propaganda masquerading as compassion. Mamdani erases the fact that the Arab world rejected the UN's partition plan which would have created a Palestinian state and instead launched a war to destroy the newborn Jewish state in 1948. He… — Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) May 15, 2026   The “Nakba” was when an Arab paramilitary group led by a former colonel in the Nazi Wehrmacht – with an official emblem featuring a sword stabbing a Jewish Star of David – failed to carry out a second Holocaust against Jews three years after the Nazi Holocaust pic.twitter.com/1NPY9KT8fZ — Drew Pavlou

An American intelligence assessment leaked to Axios Sunday claims the communist regime in Cuba is plotting an attack against Guantanamo Bay, American ships, and maybe even Key West, Florida. The Cuban government has amassed more than 300 drones and has since started discussing using them to attack those sites, Axios reported, citing the intelligence. Axios did not provide any further specifics on the nature of the intelligence or where it came from. Momentum toward a U.S. military action in Cuba appears to be surging, with the Axios report serving as the latest piece of the puzzle. Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba to warn them against attacking the United States, and told government officials that they must abandon their authoritarian system to receive sanctions relief. The day before, it was reported the Department of Justice plans to unseal an indictment against Cuban leader Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two humanitarian planes from Miami. The legal tactic mirrors that which was used against deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. captured in January after indicting him for his role in narcotics trafficking. U.S. officials say Cuba has been amassing drones for several years from Russia and Iran, with an increased number coming from Russia in the last month. An estimated 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with the Russian government paying Cuba a reported $25,000 per soldier. An official told Axios that the U.S. had intercepted communications that indicate the Cubans are trying to learn from Iran’s tactics in their ongoing war with the United States. “When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it’s concerning,” a U.S. official told Axios.

President Donald Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) after she hit the campaign trail to support embattled Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie.  In Saturday night Truth Social posts, Trump railed against Republicans backing Massie for “parading around like fools,” calling Boebert “weak-minded.” “Boebert is campaigning for the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump said.  “Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement and endorse a good and proper alternative,” he said. “Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended. I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie. I was, and will be, America First, America Always, and MAGA,” Boebert said in response. Before Trump’s threat, the Colorado Republican attempted to thread the needle between her support for both Massie and Trump.  “Below is my friend Thomas Massie. He loves America and is fighting to save it. Also below is my friend and President, Donald Trump. He’s put his life on the line to save this great country. I support both of these men. I’ve worked with both to preserve freedom and liberty,” Boebert posted on social media. “And if that makes you angry, bless your heart.”  The filing deadline has passed for new candidates to enter the race, and neither of Boebert’s initial primary challengers qualified for the ballot, so she is running unopposed. Massie, long a thorn in the side of Trump, is currently facing the toughest challenge of his political career in the most expensive U.S. House primary of all time. The Kentucky Republican has emerged as a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, Iran, and the president’s signature “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” Now, Trump is throwing the full weight of his political machine behind Massie’s primary challenger. In January, Trump endorsed Captain Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer opposing Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. “The man running against Massie, Ed Gallrein, is a true American Patriot, a Farmer from Kentucky, and a Military Hero,” Trump said in a Saturday night social media post. “He is loyal, and MAGA all the way — VOTE FOR ED GALLREIN, AND WIPE AWAY THE STENCH OF ONE OF THE WORST CONGRESSMEN IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THOMAS MASSIE. MAY WE NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM AGAIN!” Conventional political wisdom suggests Massie enters Tuesday’s primary with significant structural advantages. The libertarian-minded fiscal hawk has deep roots in the district, riding the Tea Party wave into Congress in 2012 and remaining politically untouchable ever since. Yet, Massie’s tendency to break with Trump is alienating segments of the MAGA faithful. A new Quantus Insights survey shows Gallrein leading Massie 53%-45% among likely Republican primary voters, marking the first public poll to show the Trump-backed challenger ahead.   Massie is blaming third-party spending in the race for his slippage in the polls.  “After months of beating around the bush, one reporter finally writes the true story of my race and when asked, the lobbyists brag about it,” Massie said of a Politico story titled “A coalition of Israel’s lobbyists and donors is spending tens of millions of dollars in a blatant attempt to buy a KY congressional seat. The home stretch in Kentucky comes after Louisiana Republicans voted to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, rejecting the incumbent who voted to convict President Donald Trump on impeachment charges. Trump also successfully ousted several state senators in Indiana who voted against redistricting earlier this month. 

California Republicans appear energized heading into the state’s closely watched June 2 primary, holding an early turnout advantage as Democrats scramble to unite behind a candidate in multiple key races. The Golden State sends every registered voter a mail-in ballot, arguing that the policy gives voters ample time and access to make their voices heard. With a few weeks until Election Day, more than 900,000 have returned ballots in California’s primary, which features a contentious gubernatorial race plagued by scandals and stumbles and the Los Angeles mayoral contest.  The data, compiled by Political Data Intelligence, paints an encouraging early picture for Republicans. As of May 15, statewide Republican turnout stood at 6%, compared to 4% for Democrats. Despite trailing Democrats nearly 2-to-1 in voter registration, Republicans remain competitive in the total vote share. California Early Voting Now vs at this point in 2022 At this point in 2022: