New C.D.C. Director Is Fired, White House Says  —  Susan Monarez was said to have refused to adopt Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s stance on vaccination policy.  —  The White House said late Wednesday that it had fired Susan Monarez, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control …

Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire  —  Two people fighting the Bear Gulch fire on the Olympic Peninsula were arrested by federal law enforcement Wednesday, in a confrontation described by firefighters and depicted in photos and video.  —  Why the two firefighters were arrested is unclear.

What to know about the Minneapolis Annunciation Catholic Church shooting  —  Hours after Wednesday's shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church and school left two children dead and 17 other people wounded, Minnesota officials identified the now-deceased gunman as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who has been identified as transgender.

Why Aren't Markets Freaking Out?  —  For those of us who follow economic policy in general and the Federal Reserve in particular, the past week has been shocking and terrifying.  Donald Trump's ongoing attempts to bully the Fed into large interest rate cuts have escalated into an attempt to fire Lisa Cook …

Transcript: Trump Erupts in Rage as Dem Gov's Harsh Takedown Hits Home  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 28 episode of the  —  Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR network.

In Trump's Second Term, a Bolder President Charges Ahead Unchecked  —  Trump is frequently riffing on authoritarianism and ignoring caution from advisers  —  Some aides to Donald Trump warned the president that building a ballroom at the White House would force them to tear down part …

Tulsi Gabbard Blindsided CIA Over Revoking Clearance of Undercover Officer  —  The naming of an agency Russian hand on a list of officials has alarmed people inside the spy agency  —  Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, surprised Central Intelligence Agency officials last week …

Trump administration plans to limit how long foreign students can study in the US … “For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars …

Trump Ally Pelted With Rocks in Campaign Stunt Disaster  —  ROCK AND HARD PLACE  —  Argentina's president was whisked away by bodyguards as things turned nasty on the campaign trail.  —  Argentina's Trump-loving president was whisked away from a rally by his security goons when protesters started lobbing rocks and bottles at him.

The authoritarian checklist  —  There is so much happening that occasionally pausing to take stock is necessary.  So where are we?  In deep trouble.  America may not be fully authoritarian, but by no means can we consider it to be a functioning democracy.

Air Force to provide funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt  —  The U.S. Air Force will provide Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt with military funeral honors, reversing a Biden-era decision that denied her family's request, according to a legal group that has represented her family.

Medicare Will Require Prior Approval for Certain Procedures  —  A pilot program in six states will use a tactic employed by private insurers that has been heavily criticized for delaying and denying medical care.  —  Like millions of older adults, Frances L. Ayres faced a choice …

FDA approves COVID-19 vaccines only for ‘high risk’ people  —  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved the updated version of Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines for this upcoming respiratory viral season, but limited the approval to seniors and people at a high risk …

GDP growth for second quarter revised up to 3.3% rate  —  Economic growth for the second quarter was revised up three tenths of a percentage point to a 3.3% annual rate, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Wednesday in its first revision of the data.  —  The report is the second of three estimates for gross domestic product.

Donald Trump Is a Threat to Capitalism  —  Perhaps we should have seen this coming.  —  In his first term, Donald Trump was not shy about using the bully pulpit of the presidency to attack any institution that interfered with his uniquely distorted economic philosophy.

MAGA's Newest Meltdown With Trump  —  Move over, Epstein files—the president's call for 600,000 Chinese student visas has his base irked.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Trump supporters flip out over Chinese student visas  —  MAGA world is in revolt over Donald Trump's promise to grant visas …

OpenAI Says It's Scanning Users' ChatGPT Conversations and Reporting Content to the Police  —  As the loved ones of the people impacted by these dangerous bots rally for change to prevent such harm from happening to anyone else, the companies that run these AIs have been slow to implement safeguards …

YouTube's Deal With the Devil … In late 2020, YouTube took a decisive step: The company suspended the right-wing conspiracy factory One America News, demonetized its channel, and declared that it was not an “authoritative” source.  It was the correct call: OAN has a lengthy record …

“The Most Transparent Administration In History” Refuses to Say Who's Behind Their Batshit Social Media  —  Government trolls spread cruel memes and “textbook propaganda” on behalf of Trump.  —  The way the U.S. government communicates online has shifted dramatically since Donald Trump returned to power on January 20.

Republican support for unions plunged this year  —  Support for labor unions among Republicans declined this year, finds a Gallup survey out Thursday morning. … - The latest numbers mark a return to form. … - Unions got 90% approval from Democrats and 69% among independents.