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 …

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.

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.

Ted Cruz Kept Sightseeing as Desperate Rescue Crews Searched for Missing Kids in Texas Floods  —  GREEK TRAGEDY  —  The Texas senator was visiting the Parthenon in Athens while a massive rescue mission was under way to find flood victims, our must-read newsletter, The Swamp, reveals.  —  EXCLUSIVE

Epstein ‘client list’ doesn't exist, Justice Department says, walking back theory Bondi had promoted  —  Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a “client list,” the Justice Department acknowledged Monday as it said no more files related to the wealthy financier's sex trafficking investigation …

Musk and Yang have connected on the billionaire's third party threat … He did not respond to follow-up questions about when they spoke and what else they discussed.  Yang amped up his denunciation of America's two-party system after his failed run for New York City mayor in 2021 as a Democrat.

U.S. measles cases reach 33-year record high as outbreaks spread  —  Johns Hopkins University data reflects the public health reversal in defeating the vaccine-preventable disease since measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.  —  Summary564

Man with rifle and tactical gear killed after exchange of fire with Border Patrol in Texas  —  A man with a rifle and tactical gear opened fire on law enforcement officers Monday morning at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, before being shot and killed during an exchange of fire …

Democrats told to “get shot” for the anti-Trump resistance  —  At town halls in their districts and in one-on-one meetings with constituents and activists, Democratic members of Congress are facing a growing thrum of demands to break the rules, fight dirty — and not be afraid to get hurt.

Here Are Trump's New Tariff Threats  —  President Trump has told 14 countries that they will face tariffs of at least 25 percent on Aug. 1 if they don't reach agreements by then.  —  President Trump informed Japan, South Korea and 12 other nations on Monday that they will face significantly …

An Elderly Lawmaker's Staff Keeps Walking Back Things She Tells Reporters.  Should They Keep Quoting Her?  —  A media conundrum for the age of gerontocracy.  —  A few weeks ago, my POLITICO colleague Nicholas Wu and NBC's Sahil Kapur ran into D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in the Capitol.

El Salvador Contradicts Trump, Says It Has No Authority Over Migrants Held in Megaprison  —  El Salvador told the United Nations that it has no legal authority over hundreds of Venezuelan men that President Donald Trump sent to a Salvadoran megaprison earlier this year.

Trump Fired Them.  Now They're Plotting to Stop Him.  —  Former USAID and State Department officials worried about the future of democracy in America say they're actively organizing to resist Trump, inside and outside of government.  — Copy  —  Some of the democracy-building experts …

Pediatrician fired for vile post suggesting Texas flood victims were Trump supporters who got ‘what they voted for’  —  A pediatrician has been fired over a vile post suggesting that the more than 80 killed in the horrific Texas floods — including dozens of kids — were President Trump supporters who got “what they voted for.”

Playbook: Why Biden wanted the CNN debate  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco  —  Good Monday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard.  —  FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Biden bombshell: Here's one for the history books.  This morning, Playbook readers can read the actual six-page memo …

Veterans Affairs reverses course on large-scale layoffs  —  The agency says it is on pace to reduce its total staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of this fiscal year through retirements, attrition and deferred resignations after previously saying it would need to cull 83,000.

Former Houston appointee claims flood-ravaged Camp Mystic is ‘Whites-only’ in viral video  —  Houston mayor condemns ‘deeply inappropriate’ comments as officials search for missing children  —  A former appointee to a Houston city board recently came under fire for claiming …

Court Strikes Down ‘Unconstitutional’ Kansas Ballot Application Law  —  In a major win for voters, a federal court ruled that a Kansas law banning prefilled mail-in ballot applications is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.  —  The law, known as the “Personalized Application Prohibition …

Take Off the Mask, ICE … From 2011 to 2013, I commanded the New York City Police Department's 6th Precinct, which covers Greenwich Village.  We had a team of plainclothes officers who went out looking for serious crimes in progress.  Sometimes they worked out of a dilapidated unmarked van …

The Ruthless Ambition of Stephen Miller The Ruthless Ambition of Stephen Miller  —  Stephen Miller was livid.  It was a couple of months after Donald Trump's inauguration, and Mr. Miller, a senior White House adviser, believed that the federal government was not doing nearly enough to stem …

CNN Data Chief 'Never Thought I'd See' This Stunning Shift In Sentiment  —  “But that's exactly where we are,” said Harry Enten.  —  Democrats' pride in being American has “fallen through the floor,” CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten has noted.  —  Enten pointed to new survey data …

Who Is Scott Ruskan?  Coast Guard Hero Saves 165 People From Texas Floods  —  Scott Ruskan, a 26-year-old rescue swimmer with the U.S. Coast Guard, is being applauded as an “American hero” after his first mission saw him save 165 people affected by the flash floods in Texas.

Trump Probably Can't Believe How Easy It's Been  —  He's becoming a more effective bully, and no one is getting in his way.  —  Terrible news out of Texas, where more than eighty people have died as a result of floods, and scores remain missing.  We spend a lot of time discussing manmade tragedies …