There are two BR codes above the photo link in the html source code. I think that’s the extra space. I use adblocker, so the page doesn’t have a banner for me.
The breaks are for the banner you aren’t seeing with your adblocker. No breaks between the grave mark and banner.
`<title>DRUDGE REPORT 2016®</title>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="X-Headlines" CONTENT="60">
...
</head>>
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
The Drudge page is badly formatted. It is missing the top-level <html> and <head> tags.
Note the weird leading spaces and the grave mark that appears before the title tag.
The page isn't even valid HTML.