Pirro's office won't pursue gun charges over carrying rifles, shotguns  —  D.C.'s top prosecutor said her office would continue charging violent crimes and firearms trafficking that involve those weapons.  —  Federal prosecutors in D.C. have been instructed not to seek felony charges …

Rubio to head commission on Ukraine security guarantees  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead a newly formed joint commission that will work on forging a security guarantees proposal for Ukraine, an administration official told The Hill's sister network NewsNation on Tuesday.

Trump Wants to Paint Border Wall Black So It's Too Hot to Touch  —  President Donald Trump has ordered the entire southern border wall to be painted black to stop migrants from crossing because it'll be too hot to touch, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Trump Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Former and Current Officials  —  The move is the latest effort by the Trump administration to shift the public's attention to the 2016 election.  —  President Trump revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials …

‘Women Have Always Been on the Front Lines.’ How Five Women at the Texas Capitol Stood Up to ‘Fascism.’  —  Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat, spent the night held hostage in the Texas House in protest.  Then four enraged women — many of them mothers — refused to leave her side overnight.

Jeanine Pirro bragged about helping Trump and GOP while a Fox News host  —  The former Fox host complained of “CENSORSHIP” by Fox over her coverage of the 2020 election, according to newly unredacted documents in the Smartmatic defamation case.  —  Jeanine Pirro, then a weekend host on Fox News …

Adam Schiff forms legal defense fund … Trump specifically alleges that Schiff illicitly claimed his primary residence was Maryland for financial benefit, and his administration has tapped Ed Martin — now pardon attorney and director of DOJ's Weaponization Working Group — to oversee the matter.

Elon Musk Pledged to Start a Political Party.  He Is Already Pumping the Brakes.  —  The billionaire has sought to maintain ties with JD Vance, a potential heir to Trump's MAGA political movement  —  The billionaire Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party …

DC National Guard members actively training to carry pistols in capitol mission  —  If you want to support The Handbasket's 100% independent journalism, become a paid subscriber or leave a tip.  —  Sig Sauger P320 pistol  —  The DC National Guard is making sure all members have the requisite training …

Trump bypasses the Senate — and the courts — to install loyal US attorneys … And when district judges have then rejected Trump's choices by exercising a 160-year-old power allowing them to appoint someone to the office after an interim U.S. attorney's term ends, the administration …

Trump tariffs and green energy rollbacks push household electricity bills up 10%  —  US energy secretary said energy prices could hurt GOP in midterms, but blamed Democrats for price increases  —  Household electricity bills have increased by 10% since Donald Trump re-entered the White House …

Trump Wants Universities to Show Him the Money, or No Deal  —  President Trump has personally stipulated that hefty financial penalties be part of agreements his administration is negotiating with the elite universities.  Critics call it extortion.  —  In May, cabinet officials …

RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism.  Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.  — Slashed Autism Funding: RFK Jr. promised to identify the causes of autism but has eliminated parts of his agency actively investigating them and has cut millions in funding for autism research.

Yosemite Employee Fired After Flying Trans Pride Flag  —  Shannon “SJ” Joslin says they were fired for exercising freedom of speech.  —  A federal employee of Yosemite National Park was fired last week after flying a large transgender pride flag from a prominent natural feature.

ICE Wrongly Suggests Lawmaker Doxxed Agents, and Racist Threats Follow  —  A state representative in Connecticut had posted on Instagram about immigration enforcement efforts in his district but did not give detailed information.  —  Federal officials shared a post on social media last weekend …

Trump escalates attacks against Smithsonian museums, says there's too much focus on ‘how bad slavery was’  —  President Donald Trump escalated his campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with his political directives on Tuesday, alleging museums were too focused …

FDA Advises Public Not to Eat, Sell, or Serve Certain Imported Frozen Shrimp from an Indonesian Firm  —  Frozen shrimp imported from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act.  FDA's investigation is ongoing. … Current Update  —  August 19, 2025

RFK Jr.'s Misguided War on mRNA  —  He's using Biden-era mistakes to tarnish a promising technology.  —  Click for Sound  —  Covid vaccine mandates and a lack of transparency by public-health experts produced many unintended effects—or what scientists call “off target” responses.

US drops probe of gun-sales payment company backed by Donald Trump's son  —  CFPB suggests Biden-era investigation into Credova Financial was politically motivated  —  Donald Trump's administration has dropped a Joe Biden-era probe into a gun sales financing company backed by Donald Trump Jr …