Top Items:
Marisa Kabas / The Handbasket:
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.
Discussion:
New York Post, Raw Story, UPI, FEMA.gov, TODAY.com, Eschaton, Politico and Christian Science Monitor
RELATED:
Farrah Tomazin / The Daily Beast:
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 …
Nicole Cobler / Axios:
Texas state leaders didn't prioritize flood management — As Texas state leaders have prioritized spending on border security and property tax cuts, they have been far more reluctant to fund flood management efforts. … - More than 1,000 people died in Texas floods from 1959 to 2019 …
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News, WBIR-TV, The Daily Caller, New York Times, CBS News, Washington Examiner and New Republic
Adam Nichols / Raw Story:
Ted Cruz's rush from vacation after tragedy doubted as flight data revealed — Flight data shows Sen. Ted Cruz could have rushed back to his flood-hit Texas constituency after the deaths of 100 people — including 27 girls and counsellors at a summer camp, the Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
Joey Garrison / Reuters:
President Trump says he plans to visit flood-ravaged Texas on Friday
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, FOX 11 Los Angeles, The Atlantic and HuffPost
Washington Examiner:
The Democrats' big Texas flood lie
The Democrats' big Texas flood lie
Discussion:
KPTV-TV, GovExec.com, Breitbart, Spectrum News NY1, The Guardian, Alternet.org, Fox News, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, E&E News, Forbes, RedState, The Daily Caller, Time, The Washington Free Beacon and The Hill
The Guardian:
Deadly floods could be new normal as Trump guts federal agencies, experts warn
Deadly floods could be new normal as Trump guts federal agencies, experts warn
Discussion:
Washington Post, MSNBC and PJ Media
The Daily Beast:
Ted Cruz Kept Sightseeing as Desperate Rescue Crews Searched for Missing Kids in Texas Floods
Ted Cruz Kept Sightseeing as Desperate Rescue Crews Searched for Missing Kids in Texas Floods
Discussion:
Axios, New Republic, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, CNN, Townhall, Daily Mail, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Texas Tribune, Washington Examiner, The Independent, New York Post, Gizmodo, NewsMax.com and Newsweek
Oliver Milman / The Guardian:
Ted Cruz ensured Trump spending bill slashed weather forecasting funding
Ted Cruz ensured Trump spending bill slashed weather forecasting funding
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Forbes, Advocate, E&E News, Raw Story, Yale Climate Connections, RedState, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Semafor, Reason and Alternet.org
Associated Press:
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
Discussion:
New York Post, KARE-TV, Washington Examiner, New Jersey Online, CBS News, Houston Public Media and Raw Story
Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
The Texas Floods Were Made Worse by Climate Denialism
Ken Klippenstein:
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 …
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Associated Press
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
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.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, New York Post, TMZ.com, Associated Press, Instapundit, twitchy.com, Washington Examiner, The Independent, Althouse, The Daily Caller and NewsNation
New York Times:
Federal Agents March Through L.A. Park, Spurring Local Outrage
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Post Millennial
Chris Lindahl / Los Angeles, CA Patch:
Humvees, Mounted ICE Officers And Soldiers Descend On LA's ‘Ellis Island,’ Face Protesters And Mayor
Humvees, Mounted ICE Officers And Soldiers Descend On LA's ‘Ellis Island,’ Face Protesters And Mayor
Discussion:
FOX 11 Los Angeles, RedState, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, IJR and Townhall
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
July 7, 2025 — At about 10:30 this morning local time, heavily armed masked agents in trucks …
July 7, 2025 — At about 10:30 this morning local time, heavily armed masked agents in trucks …
Discussion:
UPI, USA Today, twitchy.com, RedState and Fox News
Washington Post:
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
David A. Fahrenthold / New York Times:
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 …
Politico:
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.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, CBS News, The Post Millennial and Semafor
RELATED:
Bridget Bowman / NBC News:
Independent Dan Osborn launches another Nebraska Senate run
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, New York Times, KLKN-TV and Washington Post
Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Republican super PAC smashes fundraising record
Scoop: Senate Republican super PAC smashes fundraising record
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Dave Troy / America 2.0:
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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, Bloomberg and RedState, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Brittany Gibson / Axios:
Musk's America Party has helpers — and challenges
Discussion:
The Nation and The Hill
Holly Otterbein / Politico:
Musk and Yang have connected on the billionaire's third party threat
Musk and Yang have connected on the billionaire's third party threat
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Reuters, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, NPR, USA Today, ballot-access.org and New York Times
Kiki Intarasuwan / CBS News:
Passengers at some U.S. airports no longer have to remove shoes during regular TSA checks — Passengers at some airports across the U.S. no longer have to remove their shoes during regular TSA security checks, two sources familiar with the change confirmed to CBS News on Monday.
Discussion:
New York Times, UPI, The Post Millennial, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Forbes, KARE-TV and Semafor
RELATED:
Paul Krugman:
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.
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, CNBC, Mock Paper Scissors, Washington Post, CNN, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, Daily Kos, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Politico, Newsweek, Associated Press, NewsNation and NBC News
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
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 …
Lindsay Wise / Wall Street Journal:
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 …
RELATED:
Jacob Borg / OCCRP:
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 …
Associated Press:
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 …
Paul Dallison / Politico:
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.
Discussion:
Inside FIFA
Jessica Glenza / The Guardian:
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 …
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, twitchy.com, The Hill, ABC News, KARE-TV, The Independent and New York Times
Associated Press:
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.
New Republic:
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.
Reuters:
U.S. threatens California with legal action over transgender sports law — The threat by Education Secretary Linda McMahon was the latest salvo in the culture wars over transgender youth. — Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday threatened the state of California with legal action …
Discussion:
Sacramento Bee, Townhall, PinkNews, Associated Press, Advocate, NewsMax.com, Washington Times, Fox News, IJR and twitchy.com
Jarrett Renshaw / Reuters:
‘Trump Effect’ website takes credit for US investment made under Biden — Within hours of taking office in January, President Donald Trump boasted about attracting $3 trillion in new corporate investments to the United States. Since then, Trump has said the investments have swelled to $14 trillion …

