It’s Tuesday, April 29. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large.
Today: Donald Trump, American revolutionary. Will the murder of the Lindbergh baby—the “crime of the century”—finally be solved once and for all? Why we should pay organ donors for their altruism. And much more.
But first: How did Canada’s conservatives botch the election of a lifetime?
Rupa Subramanya, The Free Press’s correspondent north of the border, has been chronicling the excesses and unpopularity of Canada’s Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau ever since her first story for us—on the trucker protests that captured international attention in February 2022. Since then, she’s reported on the country’s overzealous assisted suicide program; its war on internet freedom; an economic track record that was pricing young Canadians out of a middle-class life; and many other examples of the kind of hyper-liberalism that the American mind struggles to comprehend.
So when Trudeau resigned at the start of this year, it looked like Rupa had a straightforward story on her hands: Canada was bound to swing right again, and into the arms of Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
Except that’s not what happened.
Instead, Rupa has spent most of the last few months covering how President Trump’s “51st state” jibes scrambled Canada’s politics. She’s talked to Albertan separatists, business owners scrambling because of the tariffs, Canadians who want to become Americans, and even Canadians preparing for war with America (yes, really).
All of that takes us up to last night, when new Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney came out on top. Rupa was on the ground at what was supposed to be Poilievre’s victory party; his supporters drowned their sorrows at a cash bar.
As we went to press after midnight, it was still unclear whether Carney’s Liberals would win an outright majority or whether they would need to attempt to form a government through an alliance with minor left-wing parties. Regardless, it was an astonishing turnaround for the Liberals, who, at the beginning of the year, appeared doomed to defeat.
Why did Poilievre and his Conservatives lose? How does a party and its leader blow such a massive lead in such a quick time span?
Rupa answers all of that and more in her must-read piece today.
—Bari Weiss
On the eve of the hundredth day of Trump 2.0, one thing is clear: This administration isn’t like Trump’s first. The president is going further and faster than he did the last time around. But why is that? And will it work? Matthew Continetti explains why, this time, Trump is doing things his way.
Sally Satel’s life was saved—twice—by people who donated their kidney to her. She was “obscenely lucky,” as she writes in The Free Press today. But not everyone can say the same. Eleven Americans on the transplant waitlist die every day. New legislation aims to do something about that, by allowing donors to be compensated for their generosity. “Altruism is a magnificent virtue. I was twice its beneficiary,” says Sally. “But we can’t rely on the small number of earthbound saints willing to save a life. Not with almost 91,000 people awaiting a kidney.”
Eighty-nine years ago this month, a man named Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed by the state of New Jersey for kidnapping—and killing—Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son. The press at the time called it “the crime of the century.” But there have long been questions about whether Hauptmann was really guilty—questions that could be answered with DNA testing. Now a group of Lindbergh obsessives have sued to allow forensic scientists to do exactly that.
Is the “crime of the century” about to be solved once and for all?
Today on the podcast, we have two Honestly favorites back to discuss Trump’s first 100 days: Free Press columnist Batya Ungar-Sargon and Free Press contributor Brianna Wu. Bari asks them about tariffs, illegal immigration, deportations, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and much more. Click the play button below to listen to the episode, or follow Honestly wherever you get your podcasts.
Widespread power outages struck Spain, France, and Portugal on Monday, shutting down entire cities throughout Europe. Officials found no sign of a cyberattack but trains, hospitals, and schools were affected by the blackout. As of Monday evening the cause was still unclear.
The Trump administration has found the University of Pennsylvania to be in violation of Title IX by “denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.” The school, for whom transgender swimmer Lia Thomas participated in women’s competitions, has 10 days to be in compliance with Title IX before it faces a criminal deferral to Trump’s DOJ. Read Suzy Weiss’s 2022 story, “Watching Lia Thomas Win.”
The Russian military is expanding army bases close to the Finnish border. It’s one of several moves that have alarmed Europeans and point to a wider buildup on NATO’s eastern flank. Finland joined NATO in 2023, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Global military expenditure hit a total of $2.7 trillion in 2024 in what is the largest year-on-year rise since the end of the Cold War. Spending surged amid a rearming in both Europe and the Middle East.
A $70 million fighter jet rolled off a U.S. aircraft carrier, sinking into the Red Sea. The carrier was deployed to fend off attacks from Houthi terrorists on shipping vessels, with initial reports suggesting that the incident occurred due to a rapid movement of the ship away from Houthi fire.
Kamala Harris is set to make her first public remarks since leaving office on Wednesday. The former vice president will speak at a gala for Emerge, a group that encourages Democratic women to run for office. She is expected to offer some “pointed criticism” of the Trump administration, according to one source.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that Trump was responsible for Shedeur Sanders getting drafted by the Cleveland Browns. “All I will say is the president put out a statement and a few rounds later he was drafted. So, I think the facts speak for themselves now.”
Canadian election: For clarity look to the UK’s electorate & political parties. Closer to home study Chicago, the Land of LA, Maine, Seattle & Portland Oregon. All are unable to savor the stench! Trump leave Canada alone. Let them wallow in the muck.
Russian Military: Stalin in a Putin costume.
Giggles: A cackling lecture via a teleprompter on how to lose. If Biden can do it then there’s hope for everyone.
Re the excellent interview with Batya Ungar-Sargon and Brianna Wu. Wu repeated what I’ve heard many times that our work force is not sufficiently educated to take on technical factory work. I would submit that there are probably very few factory jobs that don’t involve a good degree of sophistication (including robotics) currently. They may not be making iPhones but everything from cars to printed packaging to much food processing requires learning and performing skills at a high level of accuracy and consistency. But, let’s not waste any time at getting some good technical schools up and running. With school choice very popular in public schools now, this focus should begin in our K-12 schools.