Good morning, Wake Up Right fam! What would you say if I told you socialist congresswoman AOC was the leading Democrat to become the party's presidential nominee in 2028? Well, that’s what acclaimed pollster Nate Silver predicts. And he has good reason. A recent survey of Democrats found 50% want the party to become more progressive, while just 18% want it to be more moderate.

What do you think? Cast your vote below, and I’ll share the results in tomorrow’s newsletter.

• 🌎️ Today is Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970

• ✝️ Trump and Melania will attend Pope's funeral

• 🇷🇺 Just 50% of Americans say Russia is an enemy

^{Sources: History, Truth Social, Washington Post}

For Pete’s Sake… Swamp still trying to oust Hegseth

The White House is standing firmly behind Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as disgruntled fired staffers bring a fresh wave of leaks to the mainstream media.

Back up: Over the weekend, the mainstream media published two hit pieces on Hegseth:

• The New York Times reported on an anonymous "source" claiming that Hegseth sent details of the Match attack on the Houthis in Yemen to a second Signal group chat that included his wife, brother, and lawyer.

• Politico ran an op-ed by former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, who described his short stint under Hegseth as a "month from hell."

Stand by your man: Yesterday, the White House — from President Donald Trump to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — reiterated its strong support for Hegseth:

• Trump told the press: “Here we go again. Just a waste of time… He’s doing a great job. Ask the Houthis how he’s doing… Everybody's happy with him. We have the highest recruitment numbers I think we've had in 28 years."

Hegseth responds: The Defense Secretary spoke to reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll event yesterday, saying:

• “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations,” Hegseth continued. “Not going to work with me, because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war-fighters. And anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn’t matter.”

Fake news: NPR [yes, the same NPR your taxes pay for] ran a report yesterday claiming "The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense."

• However, this was quickly debunked by the Press Secretary, who called it "total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about."

Hell hath no fury like a neocon/neolib scorned: This seemingly coordinated media blitz comes days after Hegseth purged several deep state leakers from the Defense Department. It also comes, maybe more interestingly, days after he reportedly was one of the voices inside the Trump administration pushing for negotiations with Iran over a military attack.

Big picture: The deep state really wants Hegseth’s scalp. Thankfully, it appears that Trump has no interest in giving it to them.

Fight for healthcare price transparency

Choosing the next Pope

Following the death of Pope Francis yesterday, the Catholic Church will soon begin the centuries-old procedure to elect his successor.​

Step 1: Conclave

• Timing: The conclave convenes 15–20 days after the pope's death, likely between May 6–12. ​

• Electors: 135 cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote – 108 of whom were appointed by Francis.

• Secrecy: Cardinals are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel, barred from external communication during the vote.

Step 2: The vote

• Balloting: Up to four secret ballots are held daily.​

• Majority: A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope.

• Signals: Black smoke indicates no decision; white smoke announces a new pope.

Step 3: The announcement

• Once elected, the new pope selects a papal name and is introduced to the world from St. Peter’s Basilica with the proclamation, "Habemus Papam."

Choices: Conservative Catholics appear to favor Guinea's Cardinal Robert Sarah, who was outspoken against many of Francis’ more progressive leanings. On the progressive end, French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline is a leading candidate and was reportedly Francis' "favorite" to succeed him.

[Source: Axios, The Guardian]

🇨🇳 China threatened to retaliate against any country that makes a trade deal with the U.S. that would be unfavorable to Beijing. Read more.

🩸 RFK Jr's HHS plans to take action to remove artificial food dyes linked to cancer from the nation's food supply. Read more.

⌛️ The Department of Education will resume collections on defaulted federal student loans in May for the first time since 2020. Read more.

🫵 President Trump blasted Fed Chair Jerome Powell as a “loser,” calling for reduced interest rates amid claims of low inflation. Read more.

🛢️ Chevron is kicking off a new oil and natural gas project in the Gulf of America, expected to produce upwards of 75,000 barrels of oil daily. Read more.

💣️ China detonated a hydrogen-based bomb, creating a 1,800°F fireball 15x more powerful than TNT—without using nuclear materials. Read more.

👜 DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse was stolen while she dined in D.C. on Sunday. It contained $3,000 in cash, her DHS access badge, Passport, blank checks, and keys. Read more. Women really do carry their entire life in their purses!

🚂 Trump is taking control of the $7 billion reconstruction project for NYC’s busy but aging Penn Station, sidelining the city’s inefficient mass transit agency. Read more.

🏫 Harvard University is suing the Trump administration for threatening to withhold federal funding over antisemitism on campus. Read more.

Shop the Wake Up Right store!

About two months ago, I was at a butcher in my neighborhood and saw a diagram of a cow, with all the cuts of meat labeled. And that gave me an idea for a t-shirt:

DOGE Butcher Shop — but instead of the cow, we use a pig. And the cuts of meat in the diagram represent all the waste, fraud, and abuse being butchered by the Trump admin.

Over the last few weeks, I worked with a really talented graphic designer who brought it to life. And on Friday I got a sample in the mail and I’m happy to say, it came out better than I’d hoped.

Also, my wife told me I had to mention that the t-shirt it’s printed on is Comfort Colors. Apparently, they’re well-known for high-quality materials. I just chose them because they are printed in the U.S. and made with 100 U.S. cotton.

If you love this newsletter and want to rep the Wake Up Right fam, you can do so with the link below!

Click here to check out the Wake Up Right Shop.

🎥 Side-by-side of Biden and Trump interacting with the Easter bunny. Watch.

🎥 Passengers evacuate from Delta flight after engine catches fire. Watch.

🎥 Liz Warren gets GRILLED by podcaster for lying about Biden's mental fitness. Watch.

🎥 If your pastor lights candles wrapped in barbed wire to honor deported MS-13 gang bangers... Find a new church. Watch.

🎥 Sen. Van Hollen admits taxpayers funded his publicity stunt to visit deported MS-13 gang banger. Watch.

🎥 President Trump coloring with kids for Easter. Watch. 

🎥 Comedian Andrew Schulz calls out Dems for supporting an MS-13 gang banger. Watch.

🎥 The White House launched a new video series ahead of our 250th anniversary. Watch the intro.

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