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Democrats’ big Virginia loss; US-Iran ceasefire teeters

4 0
08.05.2026

Democrats’ big Virginia loss; US-Iran ceasefire teeters

Happy Friday! I cannot stop thinking about a customer service agent hanging up on the pope when he called his bank to change his address. He does live in Vatican City now, after all. If you haven’t seen 📹 the clip of the pope’s friend telling the story, it’s worth watching. 

No one is safe from customer service — not even the pope!  

Virginia Supreme Court tosses Dems’ new map 

Virginia Supreme Court tosses Dems’ new map 

April jobs report beats expectations 

April jobs report beats expectations 

Pentagon releases new UFO files 

Pentagon releases new UFO files 

Trump says Iran ceasefire still stands despite new strikes 

Trump says Iran ceasefire still stands despite new strikes 

Is hantavirus the next COVID? 

Is hantavirus the next COVID? 

Customer service reportedly hung up on the pope

Customer service reportedly hung up on the pope

Well, Virginia’s new electoral map was short-lived: 

The Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats’ redistricting effort in the state this morning in a 4-3 ruling, giving Republicans a huge win. 

Democrats had included a ballot measure last month to redistrict the state. Voters in the state passed the referendum to draw new lines, which would have given Democrats an advantage in 10 of 11 congressional districts. 

Today’s ruling means the old congressional map will stay in place. Democrats will continue to have an advantage in six of 11 districts. 

Ayyy, some good news!: 

The U.S. economy added a whopping 115,000 new jobs in April, beating economists’ expectations. 

What economists had predicted: A gain of roughly 67,000 jobs.

Why this is such good news: It’s a reassuring sign about the state of the U.S. economy while energy prices surge and inflation continues to keep consumer costs high. The average price of a gallon of gas spiked above $4.50 this week, according to AAA. Annual inflation rose above 3 percent over the past year. 

ET, Yoda, Stitch and Alf-approved: 

The Pentagon released a new batch of files related to UFOs as part of the Trump administration’s promise to be transparent. 

 🔎 Read the files yourself! 

Tidbit — lol, Obama is skeptical: Former President Obama told Stephen Colbert in an interview this week that the federal government is not hiding information on “little green men.” 

This does make sense: “If there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about — seen photographs, what have you — I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with........

© The Hill