Virginia Giuffre's Family Was Shocked That Trump Described Her as ‘Stolen’  —  The siblings of one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers wonder what the president knows.  —  When Donald Trump told reporters yesterday that Jeffrey Epstein “stole” a young woman named Virginia Roberts Giuffre …

The kangaroo-fication of the courts  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers keep Public Notice free.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us.  👇  —  The Trump administration continues to wage war on the lower courts …

Trump's war on Big Law leads firms to retreat from ‘pro bono’ work for underdogs  —  Interviews with over 60 lawyers and 30 nonprofits show legal aid groups now have fewer resources to defend the vulnerable.  —  When the Texas Civil Rights Project needed lawyers to help dozens …

WHAT WE'RE SEEING  —  Agents break car windows even when sobbing children or pregnant women are inside.  —  “She is pregnant!” a man yelled as his wife, a U.S. citizen, filmed from inside their Chevy.  “Is pregnant!  Is pregnant!”  —  Officers smashed through three windows …

Senate Confirms Conspiracy Theorist To Lead National Counterterrorism Center  —  You can't make it up, folks.  Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to confirm Joe Kent, a conspiracy theorist with alarming ties to white nationalists and far-right groups, to lead the National Counterterrorism Center.

Newsom will move to redraw California map if Texas redistricts, teeing up national fight  —  The governor plans to go through the Legislature to usher in a map with more Democratic seats if Texas tilts its map to the right, according to a person with knowledge of Newsom's thinking.

The Fact Checker rose in an era of false claims.  Falsehoods are now winning.  —  Longtime Fact Checker Glenn Kessler takes stock as he departs The Washington Post.  —  Just now  —  When 400 fact-checkers from around the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro in June for an annual conference, the mood was tense.

Donald Trump's unprecedented attack on Brazil's judiciary  —  He has placed sanctions on the judge leading the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, his ideological ally  —  “Let this be a warning to those who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen,” Marco Rubio …

Trump escalates trade war with Canada following Palestine stance  —  U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his trade war with Canada a day ahead of his August 1 deadline for a tariff agreement, saying it would be “very hard” to make a deal with Canada after it gave its support to Palestinian statehood.

Key Inflation Measure Rose in June, Adding to Pressure on Fed  —  The price index was the latest indication that President Trump's tariffs are beginning to show up in consumer prices.  —  The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation picked up last month, the latest sign …

Listen: Appeals court skeptical of Trump tariff authority … A federal appeals court appeared skeptical Thursday of arguments from a Justice Department lawyer defending President Donald Trump's global tariff regime.  —  Trump has claimed he has the power to impose a vast array of new tariffs under …

Trump set to revive the Presidential Fitness Test while hosting professional athletes at White House  —  President Donald Trump will be joined by professional athletes on Thursday to sign an executive order that will expand on his council on sports, fitness and nutrition …

Brown University signs deal with Trump administration to restore funding  —  Brown University on Wednesday announced a deal with the Trump administration that ends three investigations into the institution and restores research funding that was withheld from it.

Army Secretary forces West Point to rescind appointment given to Easterly  —  The United States Military Academy abruptly ended the appointment of Jen Easterly to a high-profile academic position in West Point's Department of Social Sciences, according to a memorandum issued Wednesday by the Secretary of the Army.

Kamala Harris will release ‘107 Days,’ a behind-the-scenes look at her historic presidential run  —  Former Vice President Kamala Harris will have a memoir out in September on her historic presidential run.  The book is called “107 Days,” the length of her abbreviated campaign, and will be published by Simon & Schuster on Sept. 23.

How Scientific Empires End  —  And what it means for America  —  Roald sagdeev has already watched one scientific empire rot from the inside.  When Sagdeev began his career, in 1955, science in the Soviet Union was nearing its apex.  At the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow …

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work  —  Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.  —  Just now  —  The government is paying more than 154,000 federal employees not to work …

Alan Dershowitz Says He's Suing ‘Bigoted Vendor’ After Being Denied Pierogi  —  Alan Dershowitz said he is suing a Martha's Vineyard food vendor who refused to serve the former Harvard Law professor pierogi because of his politics.  —  Dershowitz, a former Democrat who represented President Donald Trump …

Traffic Apocalypse  —  Google's AI Overviews are killing click-throughs to news sites.  —  Worldwide search traffic has fallen by 15 percent in the past year, estimates Similarweb, a digital intelligence platform.  The culprit: AI search.  Now that AI-generated summaries are being integrated …

Dems grapple with Trump resistance dilemma  —  IN TODAY'S EDITION:  — Dems' big decisions ahead on spending, noms  — Schumer's new Epstein push  — Flood previews policy battles for Main Street Caucus  —  Senate Democrats have a chance to show their voters …

Soros' alleged ties to Russiagate exposed in declassified annex of Durham report  —  The credible foreign sources indicating the FBI and the Obama administration would play a role in spreading the salacious Trump-Russia narrative — before the bureau ever launched its probe …

The latest effort to toss Alina Habba draws on an unusual source: Aileen Cannon … “As Judge Cannon explained in Trump, when executive officials deliberately engineer an appointment in violation of statutory and constitutional mandates, the only effective remedy is dismissal or, at the very least …

The rise of ‘Zohran Derangement Syndrome’  —  MIRROR IMAGE — The mere mention of his name generates intense hostility.  Every one of his online posts, no matter how anodyne, sends his enemies into a blind rage.  Nearly every action or public appearance seems to underscore his depravity and unfitness for office.

The Media Can't Handle the Absence of Truth  —  And their diffidence empowers pathological liars  —  We have guests for the next couple of days, and it would be rude to spend the whole time chained to the computer.  So this post and maybe the next will be short and somewhat meta.

Virginia councilman set on fire in personal attack at his office: Police  —  The suspect is in custody.  —  J. Lee Volger is shown in this undated file photo.  —  danville-va.gov  —  A Virginia councilman was set on fire in an apparent personal attack on Wednesday, authorities said.

Treasury Secretary Says Trump Accounts Could Pave Way to Privatizing Social Security  —  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments about the safety net program ventured onto the so-called third rail of American politics.  —  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday …

Judge Excoriates Trump Officials for Violations of Laws on Voice of America  —  The judge had ruled that the administration must restore news programming at Voice of America and has brought back only a fraction of the coverage it provided.  —  A federal judge said Wednesday that it was likely …

This Tuckahoe home won a $1.26 billion contract for an ICE detention center.  The owner isn't talking.  —  On July 18, the Acquisition Logistics Company received a contract worth a reported $1.26 billion from the federal government for the construction and operation of an immigrant detention center …

Judge Bars Trump Administration From Punishing 2 Law Professors for I.C.C. Work  —  A federal judge in New York permanently blocked the government from pursuing penalties against the professors over their assistance to the International Criminal Court.  —  A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred …

‘Not a Damned Penny.’ Texas Flood Survivors Look for Help … From the early days of the tragedy, officials in Kerr County have faced questions about the weak local government response and lack of alarm systems along the river.Desiree Rios for The New York Times

Why Trump Broke With Bibi Over the Gaza Famine  —  The president wants the war to end and thinks Benjamin Netanyahu is standing in his way.  —  A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu each gave the other something of great symbolic value.

Donald Trump slams India and Russia as ‘dead economies’ after tariff stand-off  —  US president's threat of 25% levy against New Delhi stands as deadline nears  —  John Reed in New Delhi and Chris Kay in Bengaluru  —  Donald Trump has described India as a “dead economy” and said the US does …