Texas Democrats head to Illinois to deny Republicans a quorum on redistricting  —  In an extraordinary move brokered with Illinois Gov. Pritzker, dozens of Texas House Democrats move to deny quorum as the GOP is set to draw new maps.  —  CHICAGO — In an extraordinary move …

Applebaum on Autocracy … Anne Applebaum has spent decades chronicling the rise of authoritarianism and the collapse of democratic norms around the world.  In her latest piece for The Atlantic, appearing on this week's cover, she turned her attention to Sudan, where a brutal civil war has displaced millions of people.

Harvard President Garber Tells Faculty He Is Not Considering a $500 Million Deal With Trump  —  Harvard President Alan M. Garber '76 has told faculty that a deal with the Trump administration is not imminent and denied that the University is considering a $500 million settlement …

White House has no plan to mandate IVF care, despite campaign pledge  —  President Donald Trump has said he wants a “baby boom,” but critics say his administration has yet to make significant family policy changes — and that Medicaid cuts will hurt.  —  Just now

The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine  —  How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.  —  The digital deluge is a familiar annoyance for anyone on a Democratic fundraising list.

The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP finds  —  The requests have come in letters, emails and phone calls.  The specifics vary, but the target is consistent: The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up an effort to get voter data and other election information from the states.

Trump Is Very Mad at Charlamagne Tha God for Talking About Epstein  —  “I think this Epstein thing is going to be a way for traditional conservatives to take their party back,” the radio host said on Lara Trump's Fox News show  —  Donald Trump is angry and lashing out at radio host …

Trump And Miller Compel Colleges Not To Enroll International Students  —  Stuart Anderson writes about immigration, business and globalization.  —  SaveComment  —  The Trump administration is using rules, policies and formal agreements to compel and discourage U.S. universities from enrolling international students.

ICE crackdown imperils Afghans who aided U.S. war effort, lawyers say  —  Two former Afghan interpreters for U.S. forces face deportation despite following immigration processes, according to attorneys for the men.  —  One former interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan was detained …

The rise of AI tools that write about you when you die  —  Families and funeral directors are using AI obituary generators to more efficiently memorialize the dead.  What happens when they get it wrong?  —  Two days after Jeff Fargo's mother died, he lay in bed, crying, at home in Nevada and opened his laptop to ChatGPT.

McCloskeys win back AR-15 rifle 5 years after Black Lives Matter protest confrontation  —  The St. Louis couple who went viral in 2020 for wielding guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched outside their property have regained possession of their semiautomatic rifle.

Putin Widens Effort to Control Russia's Internet  —  The introduction of a state-approved messaging app has raised fears that Russia could be preparing to block WhatsApp and Telegram.  —  Russia is escalating its efforts to curtail online freedom, taking new steps toward a draconian state-controlled internet.

Experts Raise Concerns Over Trump's White House Ballroom Renovation Plans  —  President Trump plans to build a $200 million ballroom off the East Wing “long before” the end of his term in 2029.  —  Experts on historic preservation are raising concerns over the feasibility of President Trump's plans …

China welcomes 183 Brazil coffee sellers in wake of US tariffs  —  China has approved 183 new Brazilian coffee companies to export products to the Chinese market, according to a social media post of the Chinese embassy in Brazil on Saturday.  —  The measure, a boon to local exporters …

Puzder confirmed as US ambassador to EU  —  Andrew Puzder, a former fast-food chain CEO, was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union (EU).  —  Puzder's confirmation went through in a 53-44 vote, with New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan (D) and Jeanne Shaheen …

The problem is far bigger than Jeffrey Epstein  —  Treating the scandal as an aberration misunderstands the global epidemic of violence against women  —  On 2 July, the jury delivered a guilty verdict on some of the charges against the music mogul Sean Combs, accused of horrific sexual abuse …