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 …

Times pushed ahead to avoid being scooped on Mamdani Columbia story  —  The Scoop  —  The afternoon before a long holiday weekend isn't always the best time to drop a major scoop.  But the New York Times did not want to wait to publish its story about Zohran Mamdani's application …

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

Exclusive: DOJ, FBI conclude Epstein had no “client list,” committed suicide … - The administration is releasing a video — in both raw and “enhanced” versions — that it says indicates no one entered the area of the Manhattan prison where Epstein was held the night he died in 2019.

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.

Trump gutted the weather service.  Then Texas flooded.  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers make Public Notice possible.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please support us.  👇  —  Over the weekend, torrential rains struck central Texas …

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.

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.

Judge calls DOJ's motion to dismiss Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawsuit “meritless”  —  A federal judge denied the Justice Department's motions to dismiss Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawsuit over his mistaken deportation to El Salvador, calling one of the government's motions “meritless.”

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.”

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.

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 Media launches TV streaming platform with Newsmax channel globally  —  Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT.O) launched its TV streaming platform, Truth+, globally on Monday, featuring the cable channel Newsmax to support the company's expansion.  —  The move also allows conservative …

Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants To Make Weather Manipulation A Felony  —  The Georgia Republican announced plans for a new bill following the devastating floods which swept through central Texas on Friday.  —  I looks like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has her head in the clouds.

Trump admin waffles in court on whether pro-Palestinian foreigners have full First Amendment rights … “That's an answer and I'll hold you to that,” Young responded.  —  However, about 10 minutes later, as Santora concluded her opening statement, she said she may have misspoken and needed to qualify her answer.

Trump to put 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea, new import taxes on five other nations.  —  President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar, all of which would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Real Men Burn Stuff  —  The manosphere and the war on renewable energy  —  “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.”  That famous 2011 quip from the venture capitalist Peter Thiel still resonates, even though Thiel himself has become a deeply malignant force in American politics.

Medical Societies Sue Kennedy and H.H.S. Over Vaccine Advice  —  New restrictions on Covid shots run counter to scientific evidence, the groups said.  —  Six leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday against Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and the federal Department …

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 …

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 …

Is the Hispanic Red Wave for Donald Trump Starting to Crash?  —  In the Rio Grande Valley, bordering Mexico, ice raids have emptied construction sites and restaurants.  Recently turned Republicans are beginning to have doubts.  —  Javier Villalobos, the mayor of McAllen …