While the rest of his party reluctantly retreats from an ironclad allyship with Israel, Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman's political identity is increasingly defined by a blanket defense of the country. Online, Fetterman frequently mocks critics of Israel. In interviews, he has pushed back on claims that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. By Democratic Party standards, Fetterman’s position on Israel is extreme. There are a multitude of theories as to why. But people close to Fetterman cite a previously unreported factor: Behind the scenes, Fetterman is being encouraged and counseled by a little-known man in his late 30s named David “Dovi” Safier. Safier, a writer of Jewish history and fundraiser for Orthodox causes, has no public background in government or counseling politicians on Capitol Hill. He is not an official staffer or paid outside adviser. A few years ago, he “just kind of appeared” in the senator’s orbit, one former Fetterman staffer remembers. And then, suddenly, he seemed to be everywhere. Staffers would walk into Fetterman’s office, only to find Safier sitting in the room. The two are constantly texting and talking, according to multiple former Fetterman staffers, and Safier has unofficially operated as a top campaign fundraiser and senior adviser. He has even set up and attended sensitive meetings with foreign officials; in some cases, he is the only person staffing those meetings. Read Alex Shultz’s full report on how Safier has become arguably the senator’s closest confidant, as Fetterman isolates himself from many of colleagues and members of his his own party: nymag.visitlink.me/5ZQzd0

From @timothypmurphy on the rise of our AI oligarchy and his trip to see the mega datacenter in Memphis, aka "MechaHitler’s bunker"

Sucks to lose this one. My favorite bakery in the city, wonderful people, and got even better in recent years

Caputo’s Bakery on Court Street, a.k.a. “the bread store,” has unexpectedly closed after 124 YEARS! They were a fifth-generation, family-run bakery for all that time. We’re all gonna need some time (and a seeded twist) to mourn this one.

This is incredible reporting. Mapping one cop's driving like an epidemic is perfect

“I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.” Mother Jones' reporter @nlanard spoke with 18 people who've known Florida Republican Congressman Cory Mills. Nearly everyone, Noah found, dislikes him.

Allbirds, the shoe brand, now says it's an AI compute company.

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

Here's what Tucker Carlson said about Trump cnn.com/2026/04/07/politics/…

After Trump's threat that a "whole civilization will die tonight," I asked the White House about concerns Trump is considering using nuclear weapons. They directed me to Trump's post. Their follow-up stated: "Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do."

Alex Jones and MTG on Trump's genocidal language: Trump is an evil madman, someone invoke the 25th Amendment Gottheimer: He must brief Congress with clear objectives!

25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.

Hey, I'm a Features Editor at New York Mag now. I'll be working on a mix of stuff, with a focus on news and politics. (You can pitch me, or belittle me, at the email in my bio.)

I'm an American trauma surgeon. One year ago today I was volunteering at Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza when Israel fired a missile into the room of my 16-year-old patient, Ibrahim Barhoum. The missile killed him instantly. If it had hit the room 90 seconds later it would have killed me, too. Today the US and Israel are still blocking medical supplies from entering Gaza, and are repeating the assault on hospitals and healthcare workers across Lebanon. This is nothing but barbarism. It must be stopped.

I spoke to Anthropic’s AI agent Claude about AI collecting massive amounts of personal data and how that information is being used to violate our privacy rights. What an AI agent says about the dangers of AI is shocking and should wake us up.

My family knows a kid killed in this Israeli strike in Central Beirut in a mixed Christian-Muslim area. He was in 9th grade. A Lebanese priest was killed by Israeli forces last week, as he helped the wounded in South Lebanon. We all know victims in this war, it’s a small nation