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 …

Elon Musk's Grok Chatbot Goes Full Nazi, Calls Itself ‘MechaHitler’  —  The billionaire has long complained about the xAI model undermining right-wing narratives and recently said it would be “updated” … It also proclaimed that Adolf Hitler would “spot the pattern” of Jews' “anti-white hate” and “handle it decisively.”

'Essential isn't a strong enough word': Loss of foreign workers begins to bite US economy … “Essential isn't a strong enough word,” said Matt Teagarden, head of the Kansas Livestock Association.  —  “It is some version of an immigrant, maybe not first generation, but second or third generation, that are just critical to that work.”

Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized pause on weapon shipments to Ukraine, sources say  —  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did not inform the White House before he authorized a pause on weapons shipments to Ukraine last week, according to five sources familiar with the matter …

Ten Individuals Charged with Attempted Murder of Federal Officers and Firearms Offenses in Alvarado Police Officer Shooting  —  For Immediate Release  —  U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas  —  Ten individuals have been charged for their roles in the shooting …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Trump said he threatened to bomb Moscow if Putin attacked Ukraine, 2024 fundraiser tapes show  —  Donald Trump told a private gathering of donors last year that he once sought to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine by threatening to “bomb the sh*t out of Moscow” …

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 …

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 …

Ted Cruz Toured the Parthenon Before Heading Home to Texas Disaster: Report  —  Photos appear to show the senator visiting ancient Greek ruins one day after Camp Mystic announced that more than 20 campers had gone missing in the flood.  —  Texas senator Ted Cruz, whose superpower is always doing …

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.

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.

Trump says he's “thinking about” taking over D.C.  —  President Trump revived the idea of taking over Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, saying the capital city should be run “flawlessly.”  —  Why it matters: Trump is floating his takeover threat amid a high-profile project to build a new NFL stadium …

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.) …

Fact check: Debunking 11 of Trump's false claims at Cabinet meeting  —  President Donald Trump again turned a Cabinet meeting into a wide-ranging conversation with reporters - and again uttered a whole bunch of false claims in the process.  —  Trump's Tuesday remarks at the White House …

Planned Parenthood Gets Cut Off  —  The defunding of the abortion giant is the most beautiful thing in the GOP megabill.  —  Democrats know how to put lipstick on a pig.  In 2022 they tarted up the Inflation Reduction Act, calling it a necessary makeover for the pandemic-scarred economy.

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.

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 …

Los Angeles Moves to Join Suit Against Immigration Raids  —  The legal move came the day after federal agents and National Guard troops converged on a Los Angeles park in an extraordinary show of force.  —  City and county officials in Los Angeles sought to join a federal lawsuit …

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.

Pam Bondi Explains Her Apparent Backtrack on the Epstein ‘Client List’  —  Her comments seemingly contradicted a February interview in which she said, “It is sitting on my desk right now to review.”  — Copy  —  Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday explained her previous comments …

US court strikes down ‘click-to-cancel’ rule designed to make unsubscribing easier  —  Rule would have kept businesses from forcing customers through lengthy chats or other barriers to cancellation  —  A federal rule designed to make canceling subscriptions as easy as signing …

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.

GOP Rep. Weirdly Lies About Helping His State Survive The Medicaid Cuts He Voted For  —  Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) insists he helped get $1 billion for hospitals in his state hit by Trump's tax bill.  Except his governor and state legislature did that.

Netanyahu returns to White House to meet with Trump  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the White House on Tuesday evening for a meeting that President Donald Trump said would be to talk “almost exclusively” about the war in Gaza.  Trump, who shared his plans during a Cabinet meeting …

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.

Big Surprise: The Trump Regime Lied to Judges About CECOT  —  What we've all long suspected has been confirmed by the President of El Salvador in a statement to the United Nations  —  If you've been following my writing or listening to our podcasts, you'll note that we've been covering …