Top Items:
New York Times:
Lawler Will Seek Re-election to House, Forgoing Run for N.Y. Governor — Representative Mike Lawler's decision clears a path for his Republican House colleague, Elise Stefanik, to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul. — Representative Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, plans to seek re-election …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, NOTUS, The Hill, New York Post, Associated Press, abc7NY, NewsMax.com and Gothamist
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Punchbowl News:
HFC losing influence in Trump's Washington — The House Freedom Caucus has a reputation for wreaking havoc. But the far-right group is falling flat in Donald Trump's Washington. — Just a few recent examples: … But the package passed with the group getting little in return.
Discussion:
Washington Times and The Daily Signal
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Trump sets 15% tariff on Japanese imports as part of investment agreement — 15% would be less than the tariff rate Trump previously threatened to impose on Japan, a key U.S. ally. — President Donald Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social that his administration had reached a deal with Japan …
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Wall Street Journal, CNN, Associated Press, USA Today, Reuters, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Axios, CNBC, Raw Story, UPI, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, RedState, CBS News, NewsNation, Washington Times and The Japan Times
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Paul Krugman:
About That Japan Deal — Arithmetic has a well-known globalist bias
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reuters, RTÉ, The Independent and Politico
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Epstein Fiasco Takes Darker Turn as Dem Senator Drops New Bomb — A few days ago, as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal gripped Washington, Senator Ron Wyden offered a striking revelation in an interview with The New York Times. The Oregon Democrat said that his investigators had discovered …
Discussion:
Off Message
CNN:
Exclusive: Newly discovered photos and video shed fresh light on Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein — Newly uncovered archived video footage and photos reveal fresh details about Donald Trump's past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Photos from 1993 confirm for the first time that Epstein …
Discussion:
New York Times, Newsweek, Mediaite, Townhall, Metro.co.uk, Raw Story, TMZ.com, The Independent and Washington Times
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
E.P.A. Is Said to Draft a Plan to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change — According to two people familiar with the draft, it would eliminate the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse-gas emissions threaten human life by dangerously warming the planet.
Washington Post:
U.S. deportees, freed from Salvadoran prison, describe ‘horror movie’ — Three Venezuelans, released last week from the Terrorism Confinement Center, said they were repeatedly beaten and denied access to lawyers. — just now — Julio González Jr. had agreed to be deported to Venezuela.
Discussion:
WTOP News, Reuters and The Independent
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Administration Wants Military Women to Know Their Place — Pete Hegseth seems to be on a mission to erase women from the top ranks of the U.S. armed forces. — President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth seem to be on a mission to erase women from the top ranks of the U.S. armed forces.
Discussion:
twitchy.com
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
The Virginia Governor's Race Has Republicans Reeling … When the Republican Governor's Association convened this week for its annual summer fundraiser in Aspen, Colorado, there was an elephant in the room at the St. Regis: How little can it get away with contributing to its all-but-hopeless candidate for Virginia governor?
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David Pressman / New York Times:
I Watched It Happen in Hungary. Now It's Happening Here. — As the most recent U.S. ambassador to Viktor Orban's Hungary, I'm often asked if the Trump administration's tactics and policies feel familiar. The short answer is yes. But the more important — and unsettling — question is this …
Martha McHardy / Newsweek:
Jeffrey Epstein's Former Attorney Who Secured Plea Deal Dead at 80 — Roy Black, the prominent defense attorney who helped secure Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal, has died, according to his law partner. — Black died on Monday at his home in Coral Gables at the age of 80 after an illness, his law partner Howard Srebnick said.
Discussion:
Miami Herald, Associated Press, NewsMax.com and IJR
Juliet Macur / New York Times:
U.S. Olympic Officials Bar Transgender Women From Women's Competitions — The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee changed its eligibility rules on Monday to comply with President Trump's executive order, taking the decision away from national governing bodies for each sport.
Discussion:
ABC News, NewsNation, Fox News, PinkNews, USA Today, israelhayom.com, The Hill, Must Read Alaska, Mediaite, NewsMax.com, HotAir, twitchy.com, New York Post, Axios, CBS News, MPR News, Washington Examiner, Advocate, Boston.com and The National Pulse
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Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Losing by winning — President Trump, in terms of raw accomplishments, crushed his first six months in historic ways. Massive tax cuts. Record-low border crossings. Surging tariff revenue. Stunning air strikes in Iran. Modest inflation.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, YouGov and MSNBC
Kira Davis / New York Post:
The Hunter Biden interview shows Democrats are party only for elites — Who represents the Democratic Party in the year of our Lord 2025? — This is the question on many of the greatest minds in the nation these days. There are a myriad of arguments, which, in and of itself denotes no one is leading the pack right now.
Discussion:
Mediaite, twitchy.com, Blaze Media and The Gateway Pundit
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Chris Cillizza / The Daily Beast:
Hunter Biden Really Needs to Shut It
Hunter Biden Really Needs to Shut It
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Post, National Review, So What and The Hill
Marina Dunbar / The Guardian:
Videos reveal harsh conditions inside Ice's New York City confinement center — Footage shows people sleeping on floor next to toilets in facility that agency says is not a detention site — Two videos have surfaced shedding light on what is happening behind closed doors at a New York federal building …
Discussion:
The Independent
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Whitney Curry Wimbish / American Prospect:
There's No Safe Place for Legal Immigrants in Trump's America
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell / The Daily Signal:
EXCLUSIVE: White House Targets Bloated Federal Agency in Next Round of Rescissions — FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The White House plans to introduce another rescissions package soon that will include cuts to education funding, sources familiar with the matter tell The Daily Signal.
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Luke Harding / The Guardian:
Zelenskyy approves bill weakening anti-corruption bodies despite big protests — Move by Ukrainian president widely opposed and may prove a setback to hopes of country one day joining the EU — Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved a contentious bill weakening Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies …
Joseph Stieb / Liberal Currents:
Moyn's Muddle on Ukraine — Moyn makes both historical and moral errors in his analysis, and at times he uncritically adopts Putin's perspective. — Yale historian Samuel Moyn recently published a review in Harper's of Jonathan Haslam's new book on the Russo-Ukraine War.
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Calls to strip Zohran Mamdani's citizenship spark alarm about Trump weaponizing denaturalization — Past administrations, including Obama's, have sought to denaturalize U.S. citizens, such as terrorists and Nazis. But advocates worry he could target political opponents.
Kate Santaliz / Axios:
Exclusive: Emmer says Epstein is a “non-issue” — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) called the push to force release of the Epstein files a “non-issue” at an Axios News Shapers event Wednesday. … - “It's kind of funny if it was so important, then why weren't Democrats clamoring …
Discussion:
ABC News and The Gateway Pundit
New York Times:
Trump Told Park Workers to Report Displays That ‘Disparage’ Americans. Here's What They Flagged. — Descriptions and displays at scores of parks and historic sites have been flagged for review in connection with an executive order from President Trump. — At Cape Hatteras National Seashore …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Lawyers, Guns & Money, NewsMax.com and Vox
Washington Post:
Republicans propose naming Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump — The House Appropriations committee passed an amendment that would rename the theater, months after President Donald Trump took over the performing arts center. — The Kennedy Center's Opera House could soon be called the …
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, USA Today, Scripps News, Politico, Breitbart, PinkNews, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Must Read Alaska, CBS News, Variety, The Forward, The Wrap, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, One America News Network, ABC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Post, NOTUS, Daily Mail, Deadline, Rolling Stone, The Independent, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, The A.V. Club, Fox News, New York Daily News, NewsMax.com and The Hollywood Reporter
Jeremy Roebuck / Washington Post:
Judges vote to oust Trump pick Alina Habba as U.S. attorney in New Jersey — The state's U.S. district court judges made the announcement in a brief order that did not offer any explanation for their decision. — New Jersey's federal judges declined Tuesday to appoint Alina Habba …
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, New Jersey Globe, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Ace of Spades HQ, Fox News, Newsweek, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, American Greatness, UPI, Breitbart, Raw Story, NOTUS, One America News Network, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, RedState, The Post Millennial, The Hill, Al Jazeera, The National Pulse, New York Post, New York Daily News, New Jersey Online, New Republic, The Independent, New York Sun, CBS News, WTOP News, MeidasTouch News, Forbes, Washington Times, MSNBC and The Gateway Pundit
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
Medicaid ‘gamers’ are the new ‘welfare queens’ — 🧬 💊 🚑 With corporate outlets like CBS caving to authoritarianism, supporting independent political media is more important than ever. Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Madeline Materna / GovExec.com:
Why a federal program paying employees not to work may violate spending laws — Agencies appear to be making unauthorized payments on a large scale. Federal spending law prohibits agencies from using funds without congressional authorization. But under the Fork in the Road deferred resignation program …
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China's Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule — In an industry once known for cushy perks, some founders are now asking staff to commit to a 72-hour weekly schedule. You're either in or you're out. — Would you like to work nearly double the standard 40-hour week?
Discussion:
Fox News
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite:
Trump Claims the Epstein Story Has Boosted His Approval Rating to 'Best Numbers I've Ever Had' — At a reception with members of Congress Tuesday, President Donald Trump claimed that the festering scandal regarding the Epstein files had made his poll numbers improve five points.
Discussion:
Newsweek
New York Times:
Showdown in New Jersey Over Top Federal Prosecutor — Alina Habba's term as interim U.S. attorney was set to expire this week. Federal judges announced a replacement, but Attorney General Pam Bondi quickly intervened. — 5 MIN READ — As Billionaire Funds Opera House, Nazi-Era Questions Linger Over His Company


