3 ways Trump might try to defuse the Epstein mess  —  President Trump isn't ready to course-correct over how his administration has handled the Jeffrey Epstein evidence.  — But officials and advisers are considering at least three ways Trump could try to defuse an issue that …

Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit  —  The U.S. Justice Department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University …

Playbook: Trump's Epstein headache isn't going away  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco  —  Good Monday morning.  It's Adam Wren in the seat on what is shaping up to be a newsy week.  Let's get to it.  Get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...

Why Trump's ‘major’ announcement on Russia sounds familiar — and falls far short  —  For the fifth time, the American president has threatened Russia with economic sanctions.  The first four times, Trump failed to follow through.  —  In recent days, Americans have repeatedly been told …

Why Gov. Greg Abbott Won't Release His Emails With Elon Musk  —  We asked Abbott for his and his staff's emails with Elon Musk and Musk's companies.  The governor's office won't turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”

The Young GOPer Behind “Alligator Alcatraz” Is the Dark Future of MAGA  —  The other day, Stephen Miller went on Fox News and offered a plea that got surprisingly little attention given its highly toxic and unnerving implications.  Miller urged politicians in GOP-run states to build their own versions of …

Cuomo to Fight On in Mayor's Race After Bruising Primary Loss to Mamdani  —  Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is expected to announce his commitment to a third-party run against Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who soundly defeated him in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

Chelsea put on show in Club World Cup final — only to have Trump steal their moment  —  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chelsea star Cole Palmer was like much of the world wondering why President Donald Trump was obliviously standing in the middle of their trophy celebration after winning the FIFA Club World Cup.

Marc Andreessen Is a Traitor  —  A recent leak of venture capitalist Marc Andreessen's group chats has revealed that he's quite happy to see our university system destroyed if it will keep out foreigners and humiliate the elites who “actively discriminated against” people like him.

America Thirst  —  Twitter may be a shell of its former self these days, but we've got to admit it's still a place for experiences you'd struggle to replicate anywhere else.  Like this weekend, when the account of Sesame Street's Elmo was hacked and the fuzzy red muppet started posting antisemitic garbage …

Trump tariffs don't cause inflation because of ‘patriotism’ buying: WH advisor … White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett speculated Monday that new tariff policies are not yet sparking widespread price inflation because President Donald Trump has convinced more people to buy American.

Obama's blunt message for Democrats: ‘Toughen up’  —  Former President Barack Obama issued a call to action for Democrats at a private fundraiser in New Jersey on Friday evening, urging those frustrated by the state of the country under President Donald Trump to “stand up for the things that you think are right.”

Defense Department to begin using Grok, Musk's controversial AI Model  —  Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up said its models are now available to federal agencies.  —  The U.S. Department of Defense will begin using Grok, the AI chatbot built by Elon Musk's start-up xAI, the company announced in a post on Monday.

Mark Cuban Reveals A Cold Truth About Why Democrats Are Flailing  —  “That's not the way to win.  It's just not,” said the billionaire.  —  Billionaire investor and “Shark Tank” alum Mark Cuban pulled no punches when talking about what he sees as the Democratic Party's current failings.

America Is Now a Police State  —  If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  And if you have $75 billion over four years in new funding for ICE, you—Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Tom Homan—will use it to fund a huge domestic army to round up four million people in the next three years …

The Situation: The Case of Erez Reuveni  —  What if America had checks and balances and nobody came?  —  benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org  —  Meet The Authors … The Situation on Wednesday predicted that the so-called investigation of John Brennan and James Comey will prove to be a ghost …

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffery Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is ready to reveal ‘truth’ of the pedophile client list, say insiders.  So, why are Republicans blocking her?  —  Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files, sources tell Daily Mail.

The right-wing outrage machine gears up, and a cartoonist gets death threats  —  Here are some possible reasonable responses to seeing an editorial cartoon you don't agree with:  — Write an email to the journalist who created it, expressing your opposing view.

Camp Mystic's leader got a ‘life threatening’ flood alert.  They evacuated an hour later. … Camp Mystic Executive Director Richard “Dick” Eastland did not begin to evacuate the young campers asleep in cabins near the rapidly rising Guadalupe River for more than an hour after he received …