FEMA response to deadly Texas floods delayed & deficient with Noem in charge  —  Staffers sound the alarm. … Disaster struck in Texas on July 4th when the Guadalupe River rapidly overflowed, resulting in lethal flash floods.  As of Monday, local officials said at least 104 were confirmed dead across six counties.

Heavily armed immigration agents descend on MacArthur Park in L.A.  —  Dozens of immigration agents, some on horseback, others carrying rifles in armored vehicles, swept through MacArthur Park on Monday in an extraordinary show of force at the heart of Los Angeles' immigrant community.

The Tariff Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves  —  The video above has nothing to do with the subject of this post.  A big red-headed woodpecker got to work right in front of me yesterday, and I thought I'd give him a few seconds before getting to the dreary subject of tariffs.  —  Yes, tariffs.

I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit  —  In a court filing, the tax agency said a decades-old ban on campaigning by tax-exempt groups should not apply to houses of worship speaking to their own members.  —  The I.R.S. said on Monday that churches and other houses …

Playbook: Trump vs. MAGA  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco  —  Good Tuesday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard.  —  THE NEW DEM BUZZ: James Talarico, the viral Democratic Texas state representative and seminarian, has become the latest member of a rarified group …

Four Fears about ICE, Trump's New Masked Monster  —  We're about to pour $200 billion into immigration enforcement—but understanding specifically why this is a bad idea is important. … There are many reasons Trump's new giant domestic agenda, the so-called one big beautiful bill …

VA on track to cut nearly 30K jobs by end of fiscal 2025, eliminating need for RIF  —  The Department of Veterans Affairs says it's on track to cut nearly 30,000 positions by the end of the fiscal year — a significantly smaller workforce cut than the department's previous estimates.

Planned Parenthood Wins a Temporary Injunction Over Medicaid Funding  —  The nonprofit is challenging a new law that bars its clinics from receiving federal money for any treatment, including birth control and checkups.  —  Planned Parenthood won a temporary injunction on Monday that allows …

Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told President Donald Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, handing Trump a nomination letter during a meeting at the White House.  —  Speaking to reporters at the beginning …

The sad, sad state of the New York Times  —  The sad fact is that there is nothing terribly out of character about the New York Times's decision to publish a deceptive hit piece about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, based on hacked data supplied by a noted eugenicist to whom they granted anonymity.

Dan Osborn doesn't see himself in Musk's America Party — but he wouldn't turn down his money … A Navy veteran and mechanic by trade, Osborn is aware he won't be able to duplicate the out-of-nowhere grassroots campaign he deployed last cycle, when he outperformed Vice President Kamala Harris significantly in the state.

Trump Administration Acknowledges Lack of Evidence From Epstein Documents  —  After Attorney General Pam Bondi promised big revelations for months, the Justice Department noted a lack of evidence for conspiracy theories, including a “client list” and a jailhouse murder.

Bombshell report alleges El Salvador disclaimed responsibility for those U.S. sent to CECOT  —  Challengers filed the document, from a U.N. investigation, in court on Monday.  An update on the rule of law: Alien Enemies Act, birthright citizenship, and law firm litigation.

Trump Told Zelensky He Wasn't Responsible for Weapons Holdup  —  The assurance in a call last week keeps open the option that Trump will continue military aid to Kyiv  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he wasn't responsible for a halt …

TSA to Allow Shoes to Stay On for Airport Security Screening  —  Change follows nearly two decades of travelers being required to remove footwear, after 2001 ‘shoe bomber’ incident  —  After nearly 20 years of passengers having to take off their shoes while going through airport security, they might soon get a break.

Ukraine's ambassador to the US to be dismissed, source says  —  Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. has been informed by President Volodymyr Zelensky that she is to be dismissed, a source in the President's Office confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on July 8.  —  Oksana Markarova has held …

After Mamdani's Win, Some Democrats Are Determined to Stop Him  —  Though Zohran Mamdani scored a resounding victory in New York City's Democratic primary, some in his own party are strategizing about how to defeat him in November.  —  The race for mayor in New York City took an unusual …

As Trump Fails to Deliver, Russia Looks to Musk's America Party for Leverage  —  Elon Musk recently announced the formation of the America Party, and online commentators have been quick to share hot takes about its meaning and prospects.  Rather than join that chorus, and following …