Pentagon plans military deployment in Chicago as Trump eyes crackdown  —  Military officials are sketching out a plan that could deploy a few thousand National Guard members, officials said.  The use of active-duty forces has also been discussed.  —  The Pentagon has for weeks been planning …

Justice Dept. Sent Congress Epstein Files That Were Already Public, Democrats Say  —  The ‘overwhelming majority’ of the material provided to a key investigative committee in response to a subpoena had already been released, according to Democratic members.  —  The “overwhelming majority” …

In these last days of August, with Congress on hiatus and the Epstein files looming, the Trump White House appears to be making a big move to consolidate power over the federal government, weaponize it against Trump's opponents, and keep him in power indefinitely.

Pentagon Has Quietly Blocked Ukraine's Long-Range Missile Strikes on Russia  —  The Defense Department has withheld approval for attacks as the White House has sought to entice Moscow to open peace talks  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has for months been blocking Ukraine's use of long-range missiles …

The Maxwell transcripts: Trump's lawyer gives away the game  —  Todd Blanche gave the convicted sex trafficker ample opportunity to disparage victims—but became laser-focused on matters related to Trump. … For two days of meandering questioning in Tallahassee, Fla. …

Homeowner shoots, kills 2 men in ski masks claiming to be officers, HPD says  —  “It was just two people and they're masked up and no police cars, no lights or anything like that,” said Lt. Khan with HPD. … HOUSTON — An investigation is underway after two men wearing ski masks and claiming …

Mail-in voting backed by most Americans despite Trump push to end it  —  More than half of Americans supported allowing no-excuse mail-in voting in a Pew Research Center poll despite President Trump's promise to end the practice he denounced as “fraudulent.”

Army base used for WWII Japanese internment now nation's largest ICE detention center  —  Eduardo Cuevas Lauren VillagranUSA TODAY  —  FORT BLISS, Texas - Americans of Japanese heritage say they hear echoes of their families' forced internment in the Trump administration's newest immigrant detention site.

US seeks to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda after he refused plea offer in his smuggling case  —  Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be sent to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty …

Yes, It IS a Police State.  And Yes, You Can Do Something  —  RED ALERT  —  In the short term, the answer must be to use what tools remain to fight back—even at the risk of becoming the targets of the next wave of MAGA retribution.  —  OPINION  —  Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a police state?

How GOP Lawmakers Are Privately Bashing Trump's Tariffs  —  Criticizing the president's policies could earn a public rebuke from the White House.  But embracing the new duties could be politically risky.  —  In April, a group of Utah business leaders visited Washington to meet with lawmakers …

A Summer Afternoon in Washington D.C.  —  Along the National Mall this afternoon, under brilliant blue skies with dry air.  It was the kind of blissful summer-weekend moment that would usually bring throngs to the capital, its monuments, and its museums.  Not now.  (All photos by Deborah Fallows.)

Was It Something The Democrats Said?  —  A Response to Third Way's Political Language Memo  —  I'm so grateful to Jonathan Bernstein over at Good Politics/Bad Politics for putting the topic of this post on my radar.  While I was going to take a week off, he pushed me to check out Third Way's memo …

Conservative Pundit Cornered On CNN For Touting Ghislaine Maxwell Prison Interview  —  “You've become the party of protecting pedophiles,” said comedian Pete Dominick.  —  Conservative pundit Ben Ferguson defended President Donald Trump's administration Friday on CNN over its interview of Ghislaine Maxwell …

The twilight of the central banking elite  —  After several decades in which economic technocrats enjoyed a large degree of autonomy, they are under intense pressure from the Trump administration  —  As Jay Powell stood up to deliver what will almost certainly be his final address …

As Troops Walk the Streets, Washington Restaurants Report a Slump  —  With the deployment of the National Guard, owners say business is down drastically.  —  When the chef Rock Harper read the news this month that President Trump was going to send the National Guard into the streets of Washington …

Trump's Slavish Stupidity  —  I raised my hand.  The nun called on me.  —  She was telling my grade-school class at Nativity — 7-year-olds in green uniforms — about the pitiless epoch of slavery.  —  I thought I had an important counterintuitive point to make — even though …

Advocates File Immediate Legal Challenge to Texas Gerrymander  —  Hours after Texas lawmakers approved a new gerrymandered congressional map Saturday morning, Texans asked a court to block it.  —  The plaintiffs*, a group of Black and Latino Texans, filed an amended complaint in an ongoing challenge …