Supreme Court Clears Way for Mass Firings at Federal Agencies  —  The Trump administration had asked the justices to block a lower court's ruling that paused the largest phase of the president's efforts to downsize the government.  —  The Trump administration can move forward with plans …

Top House Democrats demand release of Epstein files that mention Trump  —  Exclusive: Jamie Raskin and 15 others accuse justice department of withholding Epstein files to protect Trump  —  Hugo Lowell and Chris Stein in Washington  —  House Democrats on Tuesday demanded …

Alvarado ICE facility attack: 11 charged in ‘ambush’ on ICE officers, officials say  — 11 people have been arrested in what it calls a “planned ambush” on an ICE facility in Alvarado on July 4.  — Officials say 10-12 individuals in military-style clothing fired fireworks to lure officers out …

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.

JD Vance: Some Americans Are More American Than Others  —  VP tries to redefine citizenship in speech to friendly think tank.  —  The day after President Trump signed a bill that throws unprecedented amounts of money at ICE, extends tax cuts for the wealthy, and slashes health-care …

Trump Says He's Weighing Federal Takeover of Washington, DC  —  President Donald Trump said his administration is weighing whether to take control of the city of Washington, DC, to help combat crime, in a move that would represent a dramatic upheaval to the capital's half-century of home rule.

Conspiracy Theories About the Texas Floods Lead to Death Threats  —  Disinformation around a “weather weapon” and cloud seeding is being widely promoted by everyone from anti-government extremists to GOP influencers—and leading to real-world consequences.  —  On Sunday afternoon …

How Insularity Defined the Last Stages of Biden's Career … At the most perilous moment of his presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was all but impossible for anyone outside his tight inner circle to reach.Eric Lee/The New York Times  —  Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s aides did not want him to speak with me.

Alligator Alcatraz detainees allege inhumane conditions at immigration detention center  —  Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade on assault charges, was transferred to South Florida's new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades …

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

Major medical groups sue Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines  —  Kennedy's track record of undermining vaccine safety and effectiveness prompted the lawsuit.  “We've had enough,” one public health expert said.  —  Several major medical organizations are suing Health Secretary …

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 …

FBI launches criminal investigations of John Brennan, James Comey: DOJ sources  —  CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred Brennan for criminal investigation to the FBI, sources told Fox News Digital  —  EXCLUSIVE: Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey …

Ag secretary says able-bodied Medicaid recipients should replace immigrant farm workforce  —  Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said millions of adult Medicaid participants who will face stricter work requirements under the GOP megabill should replace foreign farm workers deported under …

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.

Dueling U.S. Efforts Botched a Deal to Swap Venezuelans Held in El Salvador for Americans  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the U.S. envoy to Venezuela were both working on different deals and ended up at cross purposes.  —  The Trump administration's top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio …

Only Criminals Don't Want To Be Gassed By The Government  —  The United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, my former employer, has filed a criminal complaint against Alejandro Orellana, a local immigration activist in Los Angeles.  They've charged him for distributing face masks to protestors.

Trump on DOGE cuts: ‘I would have done it differently’ … Trump praised the Department of Government Efficiency for many of its cuts to the federal workforce, specifically citing the exodus at the Environmental Protection Agency, where more than 1,300 employees have left through the Trump administration's deferred resignation program.

Trump now backs tough Russia sanctions bill, Graham says  —  A bill targeting Russia with substantial new sanctions is gaining momentum in the Senate, with a key GOP senator signaling Tuesday that President Donald Trump is now on board.  “We're moving,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) …

Team Trump struggles to control the Epstein ‘client list’ fire it helped create  —  It was members of the president's own team who helped light the match and fan the flames, starting a political fire that they've clearly lost control over.  —  To know anything about contemporary conservative politics …

IRS says churches should be allowed to make political endorsements  —  Since 1954, the IRS has banned nonprofits — including congregations — from participating in political campaigns.  The agency now says political endorsements by churches should be allowed.

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.

Texas flood exposed America's warped priorities  —  I've always believed there's a lifetime limit on excitement from fireworks — even on July 4 — and that I passed mine many years ago.  Maybe that's why I volunteered to pick up a family member at New York's JFK Airport last Friday night …

Harvard's Fight Is a Defense of Democracy and Civic Virtue  —  Harvard's case will set precedent for every college that relies on federal grants or hosts international students.  —  Living in a liberal democracy, a free society, doesn't always look like a marble rotunda or a dramatic floor vote.

How The New York Times is (still) getting gamed by the right … Lately, it has been difficult to ignore a tendency at The New York Times to make astonishingly bad news judgments.  The paper's obsession with a view from nowhere is long-standing, but as Republicans increasingly circulate …

MAGA influencers are raging at Trump officials over the ‘Epstein Files’ dud  —  Trump administration officials who fed conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein's death are now feeling the wrath of their own audience.  —  A number of Trump administration officials spent six years nurturing …

Senate Judiciary eyes next week for votes on two contentious nominees  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote July 17 on the nominations for Emil Bove — President Donald Trump's controversial judicial nominee for the Third Circuit — and Jeanine Pirro — the former Fox News host …

New Mexico flash flooding emergency declared, multiple rescues underway  —  A father and two children in Lincoln, New Mexico, were washed away in flood waters on Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported after declaring a flash flooding emergency in the area.

Bill would force ICE agents to ID themselves, ban most masks  —  Federal immigration agents would be banned from wearing most face coverings but be required to wear visible ID during public enforcement operations, according to a proposal from Democratic U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The wrong lesson to take from Trump's gutting of Medicaid  —  Did the president just blow up Democrats' model for fighting poverty? … Last week, the Senate passed the largest cut to America's welfare state in modern history.  President Donald Trump's inaptly named “One Big Beautiful Bill” …

This Law Made Me Ashamed of My Country  —  Last week, Robert Rubin and I warned of the many macroeconomic risks created by the domestic policy bill President Trump signed into law on Friday.  I stand by our judgment that it will most likely slow growth, risk a financial crisis …