Vacationing Ted Cruz's as ‘Fast as Humanly Possible’ Return Claim Crumbles  —  ACROPOL-OOPS  —  Cruz says he returned to Texas as quickly as he could after news of devastating floods broke.  Flight data tells a different story.  —  Ted Cruz could have booked numerous flights from Greece …

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.

Exclusive: Operation Excalibur in Los Angeles Was Show of Force  —  Leaks from military's LA deployment reveal Coca Cola vs. Pepsi rivalry, sweaty guardsmen, and abject failure  —  Today's homeland security operation at the 35-acre MacArthur Park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles was a mere …

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 …

A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials  —  The unknown individual contacted at least five government officials, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress, according to a State Department cable.  —  Summary167

Independent Dan Osborn makes another run at Nebraska Senate … 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.

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 …

Inside Trump's Patriot missile plans for Ukraine  —  President Trump's decision Monday to send defensive weapons to Ukraine followed days of consultations with aides and other world leaders about where those arms would actually come from. … Now the desperately needed weapons are on the way.

TSA to end shoes-off policy for airport security screening  —  The agency first began requiring passengers to take their shoes off in 2006.  —  Air travelers go though TSA security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, CA, May 7, 2025.  —  Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

NYC Real-Estate Execs Throw Money Behind Adams to Counter Rise of Mamdani  —  Developers turn their backs on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and host fundraisers for incumbent mayor  —  New York City real-estate executives are throwing support and money behind incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in their fight …

Gabbard's team has sought spy agency data to enforce Trump's agenda  —  The Director's Initiative Group has expressed an interest in gaining access to emails and chat logs of the largest U.S. intelligence agencies to root out “weaponization,” according to multiple people familiar with the effort.

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.

Transcript: Trump Blurts Out Awkward Truth about ICE as MAGA Seethes  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the July 8 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR network.

The Republican budget is a climate horror  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers make Public Notice possible.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please support us.  👇  —  Standing on a balcony at the White House on July 4 to celebrate …

The Republican Strategy to Win Without Trump on the Ballot  —  GOP group's new strategy tries to rally ‘prosperity’ voters to keep House in 2026  —  WASHINGTON—A political organization tied to House Republican leadership is pouring millions of dollars into polling and advertising in a new effort …

Exclusive: Top Trump Adviser Sergio Gor Was Born in the Soviet Union  —  The birthplace of U.S. President Donald Trump's director of personnel has been the subject of media speculation — fuelled by his refusal to answer the question. … When he was named director of the White House Office …

US adults want the government to focus on child care costs, not birth rates, AP-NORC poll finds  —  While the Trump administration explores ways to encourage Americans to have more babies and reverse the United States' falling birth rate, a new poll finds that relatively few U.S. adults …

FIFA opens office in Trump Tower  —  World football governing body FIFA has boosted its ties with U.S. President Donald Trump by opening an office in New York's Trump Tower.  —  The move comes a year ahead of the men's World Cup — which is being hosted across North America — and a year after FIFA opened an office in Miami.

RFK Jr. promoted a food company he says will make Americans healthy.  Their meals are ultraprocessed  —  Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees.

US Acts Against Foreign Ownership of Farmland Amid China Tension  —  The Trump administration is tightening its grip on foreign ownership of farmland amid continuing concerns over Chinese investment in America's heartland.  —  The US Department of Agriculture will work with state lawmakers …

Mayor Adams, police cronies forced out, punished investigators who were onto NYPD scandal: bombshell suit  —  The NYPD under Mayor Eric Adams solicited bribes for promotions, falsified time cards, put unqualified pals in specialized units and routinely ignored rules on body cameras, a bombshell series of new lawsuits claims.

Pregnant doctor denied Covid-19 vaccine sues Trump administration  —  Lawsuit takes aim at RFK Jr's decision to advise against Covid vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children  —  A pregnant physician who was denied a Covid-19 vaccine is suing the Trump administration alongside a group …