Top Items:
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Epstein Fiasco Worsens as Dems Suddenly Find Big New Weapon — Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but they also call for creative ones. Faced with a criminal president and a GOP congressional majority that's wholly devoted to shutting down any and all transparency …
Discussion:
New York Times, Axios, ABC News, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, CBS News, CNBC, Deseret News and Washington Times
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Punchbowl News:
A Texas-sized gamble: Details on the new map — We have a lot of news for you on the new shape of the political universe in Texas. — As early as today, Texas Republicans will release their proposed new congressional map for the Lone Star State. — This proposal could change some as it winds …
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, RedState, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Politico, Associated Press, CNN, New York Sun, Newsweek, Votebeat, USA Today and Fox News
The Texas Tribune:
Texas House Republicans unveil new congressional map that looks to pick up five GOP seats — The first draft of the lower chamber's new redistricting map targets Democratic members of Congress in the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro areas and in South Texas.
Discussion:
Politico, The Atlantic, Dallas Morning News, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, New York Sun, New York Post, Roll Call, New Jersey Online, Washington Times, CBS News, Lone Star Left, Washington Examiner, San Diego Union-Tribune, NBC News, Deseret News, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, Pluribus News, The Daily Signal, Strength In Numbers, Axios, Bloomberg and Washington Post
Ari Berman / Mother Jones:
Trump's Texas Gerrymander Is Supercharging a New War on Democracy
Discussion:
Fox News, NPR, Politico, PoliticusUSA and Raw Story
David Weigel / Semafor:
Democrats struggle against Trump-waged redistricting battle
Democrats struggle against Trump-waged redistricting battle
Discussion:
The Hill, Punchbowl News, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Examiner and NewsMax.com
Gary Fineout / Politico:
DeSantis says a census redo could be in works amid state redistricting wars
DeSantis says a census redo could be in works amid state redistricting wars
Discussion:
Newsweek, Florida Politics and RedState
Maeve Reston / Washington Post:
Kamala Harris will not run for California governor, opening door for 2028 run — Harris has not ruled out another run for the White House, according to confidantes, while exploring the formation of a new group. — LOS ANGELES — Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California next year …
Discussion:
Deadline, HotAir, New York Times, The Washington Free Beacon, Los Angeles Times, CNN, New York Post, Bloomberg, ABC News, Deseret News, New Jersey Online, RedState, Mercury News, The Guardian, New York Daily News, Raw Story, CalMatters, The Independent, twitchy.com and Daily Caller News Foundation
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Natasha Korecki / NBC News:
Kamala Harris decides not to run for governor of California
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, UPI, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, NOTUS, Pluribus News, Axios, Deadline, ABC News, USA Today, Reuters, Scripps News, MeidasTouch News, CBS News, Blaze Media, Mediaite, Townhall, Ace of Spades HQ, Advocate, New York Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The 19th, One America News Network, TheGrio and The National Pulse
Melanie Mason / Politico:
Kamala Harris won't run for California governor
Kamala Harris won't run for California governor
Discussion:
New York Magazine, ABC News and IJR
Michael Gold / New York Times:
House Democrats Sue ICE for Barring Them From Detention Facilities — The 12 Democrats accused the Trump administration of violating the law when it turned them away from immigrant detention sites and imposed a new policy limiting congressional access. — A dozen House Democrats who were barred …
Discussion:
Denver Westword and Fox News
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Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
House Dems Sue ICE For Blocking Oversight on Immigration Facilities — A dozen House Democrats sued Trump administration officials Wednesday, alleging that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has prevented them from conducting oversight on federal immigration detention facilities.
Discussion:
Reuters, CBS News, NOTUS, Congressman Joe Neguse, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Salon, Roll Call, Axios, Los Angeles Times, Mississippi Free Press, JURISTnews and TheGrio
New York Times:
Brazil's President Lula Voices Frustration With Trump Amid Tariff Battle — Faced with threats of 50 percent tariffs and demands to end a criminal case, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he wouldn't take orders from President Trump. — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva …
Discussion:
New Republic, Vox, The Hill, The Economist, Washington Times, Breitbart and The Guardian
RELATED:
U.S. Department of the Treasury:
Treasury Sanctions Alexandre de Moraes
Discussion:
The White House, UPI, CNBC, RedState, The Hill, The National Pulse, Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg
Eric Bazail-Eimil / Politico:
US sanctions Brazilian judge for prosecuting Trump ally Bolsonaro
US sanctions Brazilian judge for prosecuting Trump ally Bolsonaro
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Raw Story, CBS News, Axios, Al Jazeera, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Reuters
Ben Casselman / New York Times:
U.S. Economy Slowed in First Half of 2025 as Tariffs Scrambled Data — Gross domestic product rebounded in the spring after contracting at the start of the year, but consumer spending remained weak. — Economic growth softened in the first half of the year, as tariffs …
Discussion:
New York Post, Governor of California, The Daily Caller, MSNBC, New York Sun and The Hill
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Harriet Torry / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Economy Grew at 3.0% Rate in Second Quarter — Consumer spending rose 1.4% but was offset by weaker business spending — Created with Highcharts 9.0.1GDP, change from previous quarterSources: Commerce Department (actual); WSJ survey of economists (forecasts)Notes …
Discussion:
U.S. Bureau …, Associated Press, Financial Times, CNBC, ABC News, Bloomberg, Reuters, Washington Post, NPR, HotAir, Washington Examiner and UPI
Seth Masket / Tusk:
Murdering higher education, 1-2-3 — Much of Donald Trump's governing approach in his second term is to take conservative bogeymen — long used for fundraising and for riling up base voters — and actually use the power of the government to attack them. We've seen that with foreign aid …
RELATED:
Washington Examiner:
Trump calls for Pelosi investigation over insider trading: ‘Disgraceful’ — President Donald Trump called for an investigation into an old foe when asked about a bill to ban stock trading among members of Congress. — “What I do think is Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should be investigated,” …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Bessent says new Trump child savings accounts are ‘back door for privatizing Social Security’ — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the Trump administration was committed to protecting Social Security hours after he said in an interview that a new children's savings program …
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Associated Press, NewsMax.com and New Republic
RELATED:
Michael Stratford / Politico:
Bessent hails new ‘Trump accounts’ as ‘backdoor for privatizing Social Security’
Bessent hails new ‘Trump accounts’ as ‘backdoor for privatizing Social Security’
Fox News:
Patel found thousands of sensitive Trump-Russia probe docs inside ‘burn bags’ in secret room at FBI — EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel found a trove of sensitive documents related to the origins of the Trump-Russia probe buried in multiple “burn bags” in a secret room inside the bureau, sources told Fox News Digital.
Financial Times:
Paramount deal thrusts David Ellison into Trump's war with US media — What began as a Hollywood studio merger has become a test of how far corporate America will bend to president's will — Anna Nicolaou and James Fontanella-Khan in New York, Christopher Grimes in Los Angeles and Daniel Thomas in London
ProPublica:
Now That They're Free — Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration say they endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison. Though happy to be home, they say the fact that they were released is proof of how senseless their detentions were. — Reporting Highlights
Discussion:
Rolling Stone
US Food and Drug Administration:
High Noon Announces Recall of its Vodka Seltzer Beach Pack (12 Pack) Due to Inclusion of CELSIUS® ASTRO VIBE ™ Energy Drink Cans that were Inadvertently Filled with Vodka Seltzer — When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal, or safety alert, the FDA posts the company's announcement as a public service.
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica:
Substack's “Nazi problem” won't go away after push notification apology … After Substack shocked an unknown number of users by sending a push notification on Monday to check out a Nazi blog featuring a swastika icon, the company quickly apologized for the “error,” tech columnist Taylor Lorenz reported.
Discussion:
User Mag and Gizmodo, more at Mediagazer »
Daniel Orton / Newsweek:
Zohran Mamdani Scores 17-Point Lead with Jewish Voters in NYC Mayoral Race — New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani commands a 17-point lead among Jewish voters in the upcoming New York City mayoral race, according to newly released polling. — The survey from Zenith Research …
Discussion:
New York Times, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Midwesterner and Hell Gate
Zaid Jilani / Washington Post:
I might lean left — but Marjorie Taylor Greene is winning my respect — The congresswoman, who represents my district, has shown genuine political courage lately. — Just now — I'm not a big fan of political labels. They invite people to put you in a box, and the only box I want to be in is one labeled “open-minded.”
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, HuffPost, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Forward
Ariana Baio / The Independent:
Musk's America Party can't get off the ground and was just to ‘blow off steam’ about Trump's bill … After his fallout with Trump and departure from the White House, Musk is transitioning back to focusing on his various companies and finding firmer footing in the political sphere.
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
His Name Is Jesus. He's a Carpenter. ICE Arrested Him. — Seriously. — ∙ Paid — JESUS TERAN FLED PERSECUTION in Venezuela, seeking asylum in the United States in 2021 and joining his family in Imperial, Pennsylvania, half an hour outside Pittsburgh. He was living a version of the American Dream.
Discussion:
The Independent
Mark Zuckerberg / Meta:
Personal Superintelligence — Over the last few months we have begun to see glimpses of our AI systems improving themselves. The improvement is slow for now, but undeniable. Developing superintelligence is now in sight. — It seems clear that in the coming years …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CBS News, TechCrunch, Associated Press, Deadline, Variety, The Register, UPI, Adweek, Futurism and Los Angeles Times, more at Techmeme »
Cristina Laila / The Gateway Pundit:
BREAKING: GOP Virginia Lawmaker Doused in Gasoline, Set on Fire in His Office - Attacker Identified and in Custody — A Danville, Virginia, City Councilman Lee Vogler was doused in gasoline and set on fire in his office on Tuesday. — According to reports, the attacker …
Discussion:
WBTM 102.5, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, TMZ.com, CBS News, The National Pulse, IJR, Mediaite, Daily Mail, WJLA-TV, RedState, New York Times, NewsNation and Raw Story
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement — For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT — Although swings in net exports continue to affect the data, recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year. The unemployment rate remains low, and labor market conditions remain solid.
Discussion:
Fox Business, The Daily Caller, Deseret News, CNBC, Daily Caller News Foundation, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, RedState, GB News and CBS News
Jeremy Roebuck / Washington Post:
Epstein grand jury transcripts include testimony from two witnesses, feds say — The disclosure raises questions on whether unsealing the transcripts would satiate the appetite for more information. — just now — The grand jury transcripts the Justice Department is seeking to make public …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, New York Post, MSNBC, Forbes and NBC News
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
How the Israeli Right Explains the Aid Disaster It Created — The fiercest defenders of Netanyahu's war in Gaza continue to insist that Palestinians aren't starving. — Last week, in a piece for the Guardian, Nick Maynard, a volunteer surgeon at a hospital in southern Gaza, wrote …
Discussion:
The Contrarian and The Intercept
Nadeen Ebrahim / CNN:
Arab states call on Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in unprecedented move — Arab and Muslim states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have for the first time issued a joint call for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to end the war in the territory.
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Examiner, Telegraph, RedState, Fox News, Algemeiner.com, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Human Events and Middle East Monitor
Reece Rogers / Wired:
What JD Vance, Pam Bondi, and Sam Altman Can't Stop Listening to, According to the ‘Panama Playlists’ — A new website claims to know the Spotify listening habits of Trump officials, tech leaders—even journalists. Attorney general Pam Bondi allegedly jams out to Nelly's “Hot in Herre.”
Discussion:
New York Post and The Verge
C.J. Ciaramella / Reason:
Woman Who Died of Heart Disease in ICE Custody Reportedly Told Son She Wasn't Allowed to See Doctor for Chest Pains — A woman who died of a heart attack in a federal immigration detention facility in South Florida told her son over the phone on the day she died that staff refused …
Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:
Live updates: Trump administration to launch new private health tracking system with Big Tech's help — EDITED BY BRIDGET BROWN, MICHAEL WARREN AND SHARON L. LYNCH — The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records …
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Hill and NewsNation
Anthony Adragna / Politico:
UK's Farage calls Jamie Raskin ‘pig-headed’ during London visit … After Farage accused Raskin of being “the most pig-headed person he'd ever met,” the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee clapped back: “This is why we had a revolution against you guys.”
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Sky News, GB News, The Independent and Politico
Lexi Lonas Cochran / The Hill:
Trump administration freezes more than $100M in federal funding for Duke — The Trump administration has frozen $108 million to Duke University just days after it launched an investigation into alleged race-based discrimination at the institution. — The frozen funds from the National Institutes …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNN and The Guardian
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Democrats Introduce Bill To Audit What DOGE Bros Did To Government Data Systems — Senate Democrats are introducing a bill Wednesday that would require a sweeping audit of the federal government's computer systems to figure out what, exactly, Elon Musk's team of unvetted workers did when they meddled …

