Abbott threatens to try to expel Democrats who fled Texas, escalating tensions  —  The Texas state House is set to reconvene at 3 p.m. CT Monday.  Democrats have left the state to try to stop Republicans from moving ahead with enacting a new congressional map that would give the GOP five more safe seats.

Netanyahu government votes to dismiss attorney general  —  Israel's cabinet voted to dismiss Israel's attorney general, a key Netanyahu critic, as the U.S. grows increasingly impatient with the war in Gaza.  —  TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government …

Tesla board awards $30bn of shares to Elon Musk  —  Billionaire chief executive threatened to leave electric-vehicle maker if he was not given more stock  —  Tesla's board has approved the award of 96mn shares worth about $30bn to Elon Musk as part of a new pay deal after the billionaire …

The looming Trumpcession  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers keep Public Notice free.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us.  👇  —  The July jobs numbers, released last Friday, could not have been much bleaker.

Rep. Nancy Mace, Trump critic-turned-ally, to run for South Carolina governor  —  She joins a crowded Republican primary field that includes a rival candidate she has already clashed with sharply this year.  —  Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), who has shifted her stance on President Donald Trump …

New Firm Seeks to Confront Trump on Executive Power  —  The Washington Litigation Group is the latest nonprofit group to join the legal challenges against the president, with a strategy of focusing on appeals early in the case.  —  Cathy A. Harris learned she was fired for a third time during her daughter's high school graduation.

Start the presses!  New York Post will expand to LA with launch of The California Post  —  The New York Post is going Hollywood.  —  The nation's most popular tabloid will launch The California Post early next year — delivering its brand of fearless, common-sense journalism and legendary headlines …

Trump moves to bar nearly all abortions at Veterans Affairs hospitals  —  The proposed rule would repeal a Biden-era VA policy that allowed for abortions in some cases, including rape and incest.  —  Pregnant veterans would no longer be allowed to receive abortions at Department …

Community Colleges Have Been Hit by Trump's War on Elite Universities  —  Measures intended to punish elite universities are inflicting collateral damage on the nation's two-year colleges, which educate 40 percent of all undergraduates.  —  A welding class at Delta College, a community college near Saginaw, Mich.

The Gaza Genocide Is a Test for American Democracy  —  The public overwhelmingly opposes the genocide, but the political elites help keep it going.  Something has to give.  —  Bluesky  —  Pocket  —  Israel's slaughter and engineered famine in Gaza is producing wrenching images …

Kristi Noem says “Alligator Alcatraz” to be model for ICE state-run detention centers  —  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says “Alligator Alcatraz” will serve as a model for state-run migrant detention centers, and she told CBS News in an interview that she hopes to launch a handful …

Popular 1980s actor Loni Anderson of the hit TV series ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ has died  —  FROM AP ARCHIVES: Loni Anderson in 2023: ‘It still is nice to embrace what you are.’  —  Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station's empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati …

All major Las Vegas Strip casinos are now unionized in historic labor victory  —  When Susana Pacheco accepted a housekeeping job at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip 16 years ago, she believed it was a step toward stability for her and her 2-year-old daughter.

State Department to charge some travelers $10,000 bond to get visas … Those details were further spelled out in an unpublished version of the draft regulation posted to the Federal Register.  The final version of the rule is slated to publish in the Federal Register on Tuesday and take effect 15 days later, on Aug. 20.

China Is Choking Supply of Critical Minerals to Western Defense Companies  —  Beijing's tightened controls are a sign of the leverage it has over the U.S. military supply chain  —  China is limiting the flow of critical minerals to Western defense manufacturers, delaying production …

The 3 biggest problems with the new and unwarranted investigation into Jack Smith  —  For years, Team Trump treated the Hatch Act like a joke.  To target former special counsel Jack Smith, it's apparently changed its mind.  —  It's a serious enough problem when Donald Trump publicly endorses investigations …

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 …

What the Columbia Settlement Really Means  —  After months of negotiation, Columbia University announced on July 23 that it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to resolve investigations into alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws.