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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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,” …

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 …

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.

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

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

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.

DHS' new ICE recruitment strategy: 50K signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness and Trump posters … The GOP domestic policy package allocated $170 billion for immigration and border efforts, a major shot in the arm for the White House's ambitious deportation agenda. … “Look, this isn't easy.

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.

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 …

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.”

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.”

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Israel's Special Place In American Politics May Never Recover  —  Thank you for reading The Cross Section.  This site has no paywall, so I depend on the generosity of readers to sustain the work I present here.  If you find what you read valuable and would like it to continue, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI  —  Hundreds of pages of records reviewed by WIRED show just how quickly DOGE gained access to systems at the Small Business Administration—and through it, a USDA system that handles payroll for federal law enforcement.

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.”

Kamala Harris ally Katy Perry dines with Justin Trudeau in Montreal, stirring speculation  —  Pop superstar Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were spotted having dinner together at a Montreal fine-dining restaurant Monday night, prompting speculation …