Trump calls Epstein birthday letter a ‘dead issue’  —  The president has denied that he wrote the letter, which was part of a trove of documents the House Oversight Committee released Monday.  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declined to discuss the letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein …

A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum  —  The Department of Justice has also acknowledged the situation and said it would be investigating  —  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A Texas A&M professor under fire by university, state, and federal leaders is under investigation …

U.S. added 911,000 fewer jobs than first estimated, BLS says  —  The U.S. economy added 911,000 fewer jobs in the year ending in March than estimated, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday.  —  Why it matters: The labor market had less momentum than previously known over the past year …

Mamdani Holds Huge Lead in Mayor's Race, Times/Siena Poll Finds  —  Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in the New York City mayoral race, is way ahead of his three rivals, but his lead would diminish considerably if the field shrank to a two-man race.  —  Zohran Mamdani has opened …

Judge throws out charges against GOP would-be electors in Michigan  —  The dismissal of the charges is a victory for Trump and his allies and a blow to those who have been calling for accountability for lies about the 2020 election.  —  A Michigan judge threw out charges Tuesday against Republicans …

Supreme Court's scant explanations in Trump emergency cases draw friction  —  The Supreme Court's scant explanation in recent emergency decisions backing President Trump is sparking increasing debate among lower judges — and even the justices themselves.  —  The Supreme Court …

Trump and Johnson likely doomed in effort to stop Epstein files vote  —  Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) discharge petition on releasing the Epstein files is all but certain to force a House vote by the end of this month — even if no additional Republicans sign on.

Can a Despised Autocrat Consolidate Power?  —  Trump is losing the public.  Will that matter?  —  Yesterday I wrote about Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, and made some unflattering observations about him.  So it might be worth mentioning a new incident, reported by Politico.

Eric Trump Removed From Board Role After Firm Consults Nasdaq  —  Topline  —  A Trump Organization-backed crypto deal was quietly revised weeks after it was announced, with Eric Trump no longer joining the board of fintech firm Alt5 Sigma as initially planned, following the firm's consultation with Nasdaq …

How CBS News' Trumpy new ombudsman fits into the right's anti-media campaign  —  The new owners of CBS News announced Monday that they have selected Kenneth R. Weinstein — a Donald Trump supporter and right-wing think-tanker with no apparent newsroom experience who often criticizes …

Florida's surgeon general said he didn't calculate the costs of ending vaccine mandates in the state.  But scientists have.  —  Florida's surgeon general said Sunday that he had not weighed the cost - in terms of infections, hospitalizations or deaths - of ending vaccine mandates in his state.

Israel says it targets Hamas leadership in Qatar's capital as blast heard in Doha  —  Israel launched a strike targeting Hamas' leadership in Qatar on Tuesday, officials said, further widening its campaign against the militant group as negotiations over ending the war in the Gaza Strip appears stalemated …

Student test scores are sliding, reaching new lows  —  Scores for 12th-graders in math and reading continued their years-long slide, reaching new lows on national tests, new data released Tuesday show.  —  Scores for 12th-graders in math and reading continued their years-long slide …

DHS Claims Videotaping ICE Raids Is ‘Violence’  —  The expanded definition has justified assaults on journalists who have documented detentions of immigrants.  —  DHS officers confront a man filming with his phone outside the federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles, August 8, 2025.

Trump Administration Halts I.R.S. Crackdown on Major Tax Shelters  —  The Treasury Department is rolling back efforts to shut down aggressive strategies used by America's biggest multinational companies and wealthiest people.  —  The Trump administration is quietly dismantling efforts …

Under Trump administration, ICE scraps paperwork officers once had to do before immigration arrests  —  For years, officers were required to fill out “homework” before operations.  But, one source noted, “it's hard to fill out a worksheet that just says, ‘Meet in the Home Depot parking lot.’”

House Democrats probe Trump attack dog Bill Pulte  —  House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Tuesday launched an investigation into Bill Pulte, the Trump administration housing official targeting some of the president's political enemies.

The school shooting industry is worth billions — and it keeps growing  —  On a sunny day in Grapevine, Texas, three drones are buzzing around the head of a test dummy balanced on a pedestal.  It's part of a demonstration outside the National School Safety Conference.

Is Blueskyism Really a Thing?  —  A few thoughts on Nate Silver's thesis that the weird politics of 2020 explains the authoritarian politics of 2025.  —  A week ago Nate Silver tweeted the following warning to Democrats:  —  Okay, but what is Blueskyism?  Last Friday, Silver elaborated on what he meant in a Substack post.

Feds indict LGBTQ org lawyer over testimony in Alabama “judge-shopping” investigation  —  Note: This report is the latest development in the Alabama “judge-shopping” investigation, which Law Dork began reporting on in May 2024, including two in-depth reports that provide substantial background on the happenings since 2022.

MAGA dreaming of greater power grabs  —  MAGA activists are urging President Trump to tear down the remaining guardrails on his authority, dreaming of bigger, faster power grabs than the sweeping changes already in motion. … - But in MAGA's maximalist mindset, it's not enough …