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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.”

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.

Ronny Jackson to Newsmax: Trans People Need Treatment  —  Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a physician and former White House doctor, told Newsmax on Tuesday that he believes inpatient mental health facilities should play a role in treating transgender people, whom he said have underlying psychiatric issues.

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 …

Capitol agenda: Dems dig in against the GOP CR  —  Democrats say they won't accept the stopgap funding bill Republicans unveiled Tuesday, further increasing the chances of a government shutdown Oct. 1.  “The House Republican-only spending bill fails to meet the needs of the American people …

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.

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.

University of California Leaders to Meet as Trump Increases Pressure  —  The Trump administration ratcheted up demands on the university system over the summer.  —  University of California leaders, besieged by a billion-dollar demand from the Trump administration, will meet Wednesday …

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.

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.

FBI director says he's never spoken to Trump about the Epstein files  —  FBI director Kash Patel said he's never spoken to President Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein files during congressional testimony on Wednesday. … - Patel blamed recent court orders for barring him from releasing Epstein-related FBI documents.

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.

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.

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 …

Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk's killing seeks to widen US divisions  —  Russia moved to amplify online conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's killing just hours after it happened, seeding social media with the frightening claim that America is slipping into civil war.

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.

U.S. adding more questions to citizenship test in latest step to overhaul legal immigration process  —  The U.S. government is adding more questions to the civics test that applicants need to pass to become American citizens, the latest step by the Trump administration to tighten the legal immigration process.