D.C. police chief remains in control, but new Bondi order “directs” immigration enforcement support  —  A Thursday night order from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi caused the Washington, D.C. officials — who have responded cautiously to the Trump administration's efforts to exert more control over D.C. …

Live Updates: Trump Says There Is ‘No Deal’ on Ukraine After Summit With Putin  —  President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia offered vague statements about progress after their nearly three-hour meeting.  But they took no questions.  —  Here's the latest.

Kristi Noem is living rent-free in home used by Coast Guard commandant  —  A DHS spokesman said Noem must live on the military base because she had been “so horribly doxxed and targeted that she is no longer able to safely live in her own apartment.”  —  Department of Homeland Security …

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott immediately calls second special session for redistricting … “Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,” the Republican governor said in a statement.  “We will not back down from this fight.

Scoop: White House loyalty rating for companies  —  The West Wing has created a scorecard that rates 553 companies and trade associations on how hard they worked to support and promote President Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a senior White House official tells Axios.

The Bad Math Driving Democratic Infighting  —  Everyone just chill the f*** out!  —  Two recent developments from deep inside Democratic politics strike me as important barometers for those of us interested in the future of the party.  —  First, the New York Times opinion writer Mara Gay published …

Tom Cruise Rejected Getting a Kennedy Center Honor From Trump (Report)  —  The ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ star has turned down the prestigious arts award, as the president says he plans to personally host this year's ceremony.  —  Getting Tom Cruise on stage with Donald Trump is a real mission impossible.

Trump's ICE Spent Half a Million on Tricked-Out Trucks for a Hype Video  —  The vehicles, purchased for “recruitment purposes,” were styled to look like Trump's private jet — another big expense … The Department of Homeland Security posted a video Thursday on X featuring music by rapper DaBaby …

Texas 2026 Poll: Cornyn and Paxton in Dead Heat for GOP Senate Nomination  —  Home Polls Texas 2026 Poll: Cornyn and Paxton in Dead Heat for GOP Senate Nomination  —  Voters Split on Texas Redistricting and Call for Legislators' Arrests  —  The Emerson College Polling survey …

Where homicide rates are highest: Blue cities in red states  —  To hear President Trump tell it, the nation's murder problem is particularly bad in New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — Democrat-run cities in Democrat-led states (or district, in D.C.'s case).

US military deploying over 4,000 additional troops to waters around Latin America as part of Trump's counter-cartel mission  —  The US military is deploying more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels …

The Official Voice of the US Government Is Cruel, Gross, and Weird.  What Is That Doing to Us?  —  In March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a woman they accused of drug trafficking and entering the country illegally.  Standing in a parking lot, they photographed her …

NASA's acting chief calls for the end of Earth science at the space agency … Sean Duffy, the acting administrator of NASA for a little more than a month, has vowed to make the United States great in space.  —  With a background as a US Congressman, reality TV star, and television commentator …

Kevin McCarthy reemerges to fight California redistricting … Ross, who helped campaign for California's independent redistricting commission, is helming the nascent pitch against the measure targeting center-left voters — with funding from independent redistricting commission champion Charles Munger Jr.

The Perils and Absurdities of Trump's DC Occupation  —  Trump compels his followers to endorse obvious lies.  It's accelerating the country's descent into authoritarianism.  —  Pocket  —  It was 8 PM, humid, and I was by myself, across the street from where my kids went to elementary school …

Why Republicans Are Terrified of Nonexistent Crime  —  They need an excuse to violently subjugate liberal cities.  —  National Guard personnel keep watch as travelers arrive at the entrance to Union Station near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, August 14, 2025.

Nobody's Buying Homes, Nobody's Switching Jobs—and America's Mobility Is Stalling  —  The paralysis has left many people in houses that are too small, in jobs they don't love or shackled with ‘golden handcuffs.’ For everyone, there are economic consequences.  —  Americans are stuck in place.

US consumer sentiment weakens in August; inflation expectations rise  —  U.S. consumer sentiment softened in August as households anticipated higher goods prices because of import tariffs.  —  The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers on Friday said its Consumer Sentiment Index dropped …

Elon Musk's SpaceX Most Likely Doesn't Pay Taxes  —  Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, has become hugely successful.  It's one of the world's most valuable private companies and the linchpin to Musk's plan to colonize Mars.  But little is known about its finances →  —  Susanne Craig

Trump Set to Blow Millions on ICE Barbie PR Blitz as Her Roasting Spirals  —  BIG SPENDER  —  The DHS will pour a fortune into its “Stronger Border” ad campaign as Secretary Kristi Noem weathers a relentless storm of mockery.  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  The Trump administration is set to spend …

Exclusive: Oklahoma to begin controversial test to weed out ‘woke’ teacher applicants today  —  Teachers from “liberal” states who have relocated to Oklahoma and are seeking to work there must take a controversial new assessment, given for the first time today, that “keeps away woke indoctrinators …

'It's not illegal to be homeless': disquiet as Trump crews clear DC encampments  —  Federal officers swept encampments across DC overnight, leaving many uncertain about where they will find shelter  —  For the past eight months, David Harold Pugh has found his “spot” outside the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library in Washington DC.