WATCH: Sen. Mullin cites recording as he accuses CDC leader of repeatedly lying, later walks it back  —  Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., questioned former CDC Director Susan Monarez at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday about her firing, accusing her of being untrustworthy and lying …

America Loves Cocaine Again—Mexico's New Drug King Cashes In  —  The Trump administration's war on fentanyl created an opening for ‘El Señor Mencho’ to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. by the ton  —  From a heavily guarded mountain hideout in the heart of the Sierra Madre, 59-year-old Nemesio …

Texas Congressman Says Trans People Need To Be Taken ‘Off The Streets’ After Charlie Kirk Shooting  —  The killing of right wing activist and influencer Charlie Kirk has prompted disturbing and questionably legal calls for a crackdown on the left from President Trump and his allies.

Trump officials pressuring federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges against NY AG Letitia James: Sources  —  Prosecutors have not found clear evidence James committed a crime, sources say.  —  New York State Attorney General Letitia James makes an announcement at the Office …

The Trump Fantasy Is Unraveling  —  The essence of President Trump's pitch to the American people last year was simple: They could have it both ways.  —  They could have a powerful, revitalized economy and “mass deportations now.”  They could build new factories and take manufacturing jobs …

Ezra Klein Accidentally Shows How the Media Brought Us Trump  —  It's easy to unequivocally condemn the killing of MAGA activist/podcaster/organizer Charlie Kirk as an act of political violence without making up a false version of Kirk to praise.  The wrongness of murder does not depend on what I think of the victim's political views.

Pam Bondi Needs a Free Speech Tutorial  —  The Attorney General seems to think ‘hate speech’ is illegal.  Charlie Kirk knew better.  —  Is a basic understanding of the First Amendment too much to expect from the nation's Attorney General?  Progressives have spent years trying to create and define a category called “hate speech.”

Kash Patel doubles down on his handling of the Epstein files in heated Hill testimony … “Now we're seeing one very clear reason why you want to build a political FBI: the Epstein files,” House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Wednesday.  “You want an FBI blindly loyal …

Republican leaders reject Democratic health care demands for bill to avoid shutdown  —  Republican leaders in the House and Senate said Wednesday that they will reject Democratic demands for an immediate extension of health care subsidies, challenging Democrats to vote against a stopgap spending bill …

5 officers shot in Pennsylvania while apparently serving warrant, sources say  —  Three officers from the Northern York Regional Police Department are in grave condition, and another is in critical condition, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.

Bessent, Like Fed Governor, Made Contradictory Mortgage Pledges  —  US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once agreed to occupy two different houses as his “principal residence” at the same time, mortgage documents show — the same kind of contradictory pledges that President Donald Trump …

GOP defections sink effort to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar  —  Several Republicans joined all House Democrats in voting to sink a GOP-led measure to formally condemn Rep. Ilhan Omar and remove her from her committees.  The 214-213 vote ended an effort by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) …

Fed approves quarter-point interest rate cut and sees two more coming this year  —  WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved a widely anticipated rate cut and signaled that two more are on the way before the end of the year as concerns intensified over the U.S. labor market.

Jamie Dimon at GOP lunch  —  The leader of the largest U.S. bank — JPMorgan Chase Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon — is a guest at Senate Republicans' closed-door lunch Wednesday afternoon.  Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was heard hyping up Dimon's attendance to his colleagues during votes ahead of the meeting.

It Is Genocide  —  Hamas, a terrorist organization, began this war with its brutal attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages.  Israel, as any other country, had a right to defend itself from Hamas.  —  But, over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas.

Confronting a Fuller Picture of Charlie Kirk's Killer  —  Attorney General Pam Bondi learned a tough lesson yesterday: There are still some pieties of the old right that conservatives aren't ready to abandon, and bristling at the concept of “hate speech” is one.

Pentagon's crackdown on Kirk comments stirs fears among troops … “Dangerous territory and very headhunter-like,” said a defense official, who like others was granted anonymity to avoid potential recrimination.  “People are getting swept up for anything that is ‘woke.’”

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement  —  For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT  —  Recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year.  Job gains have slowed, and the unemployment rate has edged up but remains low.  Inflation has moved up and remains somewhat elevated.

FCC Chair Threatens Jimmy Kimmel Over Charlie Kirk Monologue Comments  —  Brendan Carr suggested taking action against ABC affiliates following the late night host's comments about the suspected Kirk shooter's politics. … Kimmel's comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting during Tuesday's show …

Evergreen H.S. shooter hinted at his plans online, ADL says  —  The attacker, who shot and wounded two students, reposted a photo of a revolver and a box of ammunition two hours beforehand, research by the group's Center on Extremism shows.  —  DENVER — The 16-year-old who shot and wounded …

Exclusive Focus Group: Trump Bleeding Latino Voters  —  LATINO VOTERS FLOCKED TO DONALD TRUMP in surprisingly large numbers last November to help him retake the White House.  But a year later, the same cohort has soured on his presidency, with many saying they regret their vote.

Journalists detained as ad van with Trump and Epstein picture ‘seized by police’  —  AN advertising van displaying an image of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together has been confiscated by police, according to campaigners.  —  The group Everyone Hates Elon had been displaying the van …

FBI's ‘Arctic Frost’ Trump investigation also targeted Kirk's Turning Point USA, Grassley says  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said Tuesday the FBI's investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election was broader than previously revealed.