Trump's “Russiagate” crusade enters fraught new territory … - For MAGA, the new focus on “Russiagate” offers a unifying reprieve — a return to familiar territory where Trump is the victim of a conspiracy, not the subject of one.  — It's a retribution campaign that's deeply personal …

France Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood, Macron Says  —  The announcement sets France apart from the United States and most of its close allies, and could cause friction with President Trump.  —  President Emmanuel Macron announced late Thursday that France would recognize Palestine …

Hulk Hogan Dead at 71  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has died at 71 years old, TMZ Sports has learned.  —  Medics were dispatched to the WWE icon's Clearwater, Florida home early Thursday morning ... with operators stating it was regarding a “cardiac arrest.”  —  CARDIAC ARREST CALLED IN

Trump White House Rages Over ‘South Park’ Episode, Calls Show ‘Fourth-Rate’  —  The president cowed Paramount execs, but the company's talent is rebelling.  Now, the administration is melting down … “The Left's hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after South Park …

Trump to sign order pushing cities and states to remove homeless people from streets  —  Amid record high homelessness, Trump wants to move homeless people from the streets and into treatment centers.  —  WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump is set to take executive action that looks …

Independents Drive Trump's Approval to 37% Second-Term Low  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump's job approval rating has dipped to 37%, the lowest of this term and just slightly higher than his all-time worst rating of 34% at the end of his first term.

MAGA Inches Closer to a Ghislaine Maxwell Alliance  —  DONALD TRUMP'S JEFFREY EPSTEIN DISASTER has now been dragged into its third week, with the Wall Street Journal's report Wednesday confirming that Trump's own name is in the Epstein files and that he knew it back in May.

Columbia ends uncertainty with Trump deal, head says  —  Columbia University's agreement to pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump's administration to resolve federal probes and restore most of its suspended federal funding ends a period of …

Here's what to know.  —  The administration has led a pressure campaign against Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the central bank, for his handling of the economy and the cost of renovations at the institution's headquarters.  —  Here's what to know.  —  President Trump will make a personal visit …

Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship  —  The artist said that she made the decision after she said she learned that her painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty might be removed to avoid provoking President Trump.  —  Amy Sherald — the artist who rocketed to fame …

Trump sues NYC over ‘sanctuary city’ policies … In the complaint, filed in Brooklyn federal court, the Justice Department contends New York's policies violate the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause and asks the court to issue a permanent injunction prohibiting the city from enforcing them.

RFK Jr. Pictured Partying With Child Sex Predator Jeffrey Epstein  —  WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE  —  The renewed scrutiny on the HHS Secretary comes amid an ongoing firestorm over the Epstein files.  —  Robert Kennedy Jr. is facing fresh questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein …

The Supreme Court Is Now Asking Judges to Do the Impossible … The Supreme Court expanded Donald Trump's power yet again on Wednesday, granting him the authority to fire Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in direct violation of federal law.

Social Security recipients set to face an $18,000 benefit cut in just seven years  —  Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the “big, beautiful bill,” per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Mass starvation stalks Gaza as deaths from hunger rise  —  Israel has severely limited the amount of food entering Gaza, where society is on the brink of collapse.  —  After four months of a near-total Israeli siege, Gaza's few remaining hospitals now have wards for the growing number …

New York's Kathy Hochul opens the door to redrawing House lines … “I'm not surprised that they're trying to break the rules to get an advantage,” Hochul added.  “But that's undemocratic, and not only are we calling them out, we're also going to see what our options are.”

UnitedHealth says DOJ is investigating company after it denied inquiry  —  Insurance giant UnitedHealth Group said Thursday the Department of Justice is investigating the company for its Medicare billing practices.  —  The Wall Street Journal reported in May that the DOJ was conducting …

Pentagon suspends participation in think tank events … The move would sideline the Pentagon from national security dialogues that it has used for decades to advance its policy and explain the department's rationale.  Former Defense Secretaries Jim Mattis, Mark Esper and Lloyd Austin …

IRS considers eliminating non-English language tax services  —  To comply with an order making English the official language, Treasury officials say the IRS may need to get rid of free interpreters and translation services.  —  Trump administration officials are considering eliminating multi …

How a Frantic Scouring of the Epstein Files Consumed the Justice Dept. … Justice Department officials diverted hundreds of F.B.I. employees and federal prosecutors from their regular duties to go through the Jeffrey Epstein files at least four times — including once to flag any references …

LA Grand Juries Are Refusing to Indict ICE Protestors  —  A lot of things happened.  Here are some of the things.  This is TPM's Morning Memo.  Sign up for the email version.  —  U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli Under Pressure From Bondi  —  A major new development out of Los Angeles …

As Starvation Rises, Israeli Minister Says Israel Is ‘Driving Out’ Gazans  —  Amichay Eliyahu's comments came amid growing hunger in the territory, where Israel controls the delivery of food.  —  Amid rising starvation in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli government minister said on Thursday …

ChatGPT Gave Instructions for Murder, Self-Mutilation, and Devil Worship  —  OpenAI's chatbot also said “Hail Satan.”  —  On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists.  Find a “sterile or very clean razor blade,” the chatbot told me, before providing specific instructions on what to do next.

No, Instagram didn't suspend Zohran Mamdani's account for being ‘too socialist’  —  A news article from a questionable website falsely claimed that the account of the New York mayoral candidate was down for several hours. … In a story published earlier this week, a site called “NYC Journals” …

Quebec man warning Canadian boaters after he was detained by U.S. Coast guard, put in jail cell  —  A Quebec man says he is outraged after the U.S. Coast Guard accused him of fishing in American waters and then arrested him before putting him in a jail cell for nearly two hours.

Trump signs bill to cancel $9 billion in foreign aid, public broadcasting funding  —  President Donald Trump signed a bill Thursday canceling about $9 billion that had been approved for public broadcasting and foreign aid as Republicans look to lock in cuts to programs targeted by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency.

The Political Motives Behind the Gaza Aid Catastrophe  —  As Palestinians continue to die of severe hunger, a former Israeli official explains what the latest plan is really meant to achieve.  —  There are currently four main sites in Gaza where Palestinians can receive humanitarian aid.

House Speaker Johnson says Jeffrey Epstein case is “not a hoax”  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News he wants “full transparency” in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, as the Trump administration faces pressure — including from some Republicans — to release more information on the late child sex offender.