Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases  —  Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.

Pardoned Capitol rioter charged with threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries at NYC event this week  —  A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.  —  Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan …

No Kings and the Laws of Power  —  Understanding the Republican will to power and what Democrats must do to counter it.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Before we get started: The stated policy of every Democrat seeking the presidency should be that the first thing they will do is demolish …

Trump's hope for quick second summit with Putin may be stalled as pre-meeting tabled for now  —  President Donald Trump's hopes for a quick meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin may be stalled after sources familiar with the matter told CNN that an expected pre-meeting between …

Treasury Tells Employees Not to Share Photos of White House Ballroom Construction  —  Images of the demolition of parts of the East Wing went viral on Monday, and Treasury's headquarters next door to the White House has a front-row seat  —  WASHINGTON—The Treasury Department instructed employees …

Former US officials urge Congress to examine ‘weaponization’ working group  — Steady State urges probe into Interagency Weaponization Working Group  — Congress urged to hold hearings with DNI Gabbard and AG Bondi on group's scope  —  A group of hundreds of former U.S. national security officials …

‘Sean Dummy’: Musk and Duffy brawl over the future of NASA … Both Duffy and Isaacman have lobbied to head up NASA, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, with Duffy angling to fold the agency into his much larger Transportation Department.  —  But Musk is pushing for Isaacman …

US Rep. McIver to request dismissal of assault charges involving ICE  —  NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) - U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver is expected back in court on Tuesday after she was accused of assaulting ICE agents outside a New Jersey detention center.  —  A judge will hear oral arguments starting …

Trump's Venezuela operation expands in the dark  —  The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what evidence. … - “Officially, our position is we're there to stop narco-terrorists.

Embattled Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia's Mom Tried to Meet With Lawmakers Who Criticized Her Son  —  As Paul Ingrassia's nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel languishes, it's hard to find anyone willing to defend him in Congress.  —  But the Trump nominee who allegedly sent messages saying …

Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots  —  Internal documents show the company that changed how people shop has a far-reaching plan to automate 75 percent of its operations.  —  Over the past two decades, no company has done more to shape the American workplace than Amazon.

NY State Young Republicans stiffed Syracuse hotel for lavish party before racist chat ended their run  —  When the New York State Young Republicans Club disbanded Friday amid an uproar over its racist and antisemitic rhetoric in a group chat, the club left behind unpaid bills from extravagant social gatherings.

Fetterman supports GOP ‘nuking’ filibuster to end shutdown  —  Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) told reporters Tuesday that he would support Republicans using the so-called nuclear option to override the Senate filibuster to pass a bill to reopen the government.

Trump refugee plan seeks 7,000 Afrikaners — and virtually no one else  —  The administration's rush to process thousands of White South Africans coincides with plans for overall admissions set as low as 7,500.  —  The Trump administration's plan to overhaul the U.S. refugee resettlement process …

MAGA's cancellation spree  —  MAGA is on a cancellation spree, targeting marquee entertainment and tech companies with boycotts over comments or content the right deems inappropriate or offensive. … Its ability to impose societal penalties on companies it views as pushing that drift will show how much heft the right's campaign has.

Comey Moves To Dismiss  —  You have choices about where you get your news and analysis.  I'm grateful you've chosen to read Civil Discourse.  If you value clear, independent insight into the law and our democracy, I hope you'll consider a paid subscription.  Your support makes the newsletter possible.

US Marshal shot during immigration enforcement operation in LA, reports say  —  (Gray News) - A U.S. Marshal was shot while assisting an immigration enforcement operation, according to several reports.  —  KCAL reported a deputy U.S. Marshal and a suspect were injured during a shooting at about 9 a.m. Tuesday, in South Los Angeles.

Johnson says he won't block a floor vote to release the Epstein files  —  Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Tuesday morning he would allow a floor vote on a bipartisan bill compelling the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files — once the House comes back into session following the end of the government shutdown.

‘He lost us’: Generals, senior officers say trust in Hegseth has evaporated  —  Secretary's critics worry Pentagon at risk of enduring damage amid firings, resignations and early retirements of high-ranking staff … Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has lost the trust and respect …

Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles  —  The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for the next two years.

Metropolitan Police Drop Non-Crime Hate Incident Investigations  —  We will have to see whether this indicates a return, at least by a little bit, to sanity in the United Kingdom, or whether this is just a tactical retreat in the face of international criticism.

Enraged Democratic candidates turn on their own leaders  —  Democratic congressional candidates nationwide, feeding off voter fury, are raging against their leadership and vowing ruthlessness against their own establishment.  — “I am not a ‘when they go low, we go high’ [person].

More Than 100 Cases of Measles Reported in Utah and Arizona  —  In the hardest-hit counties, childhood vaccination rates steeply declined during the pandemic.  —  Just as one large measles outbreak peters out in the United States, another outbreak of the virus has taken off along the border of Utah and Arizona.

Independent newspapers disappear as private investment firms take over  —  Newspapers owned by small, independent groups — often families or businesses invested in their local communities — are shuttering at an alarming pace compared to those owned by large investment companies …

Appeals court judges — including a Trump appointee — voice doubt over Trump's bid to deport Mahmoud Khalil … Bibas, in particular, scoffed at an argument by a lawyer for the government that the lower-court judge, Michael Farbiarz, didn't have jurisdiction over the case because Khalil's lawyers …

Republicans aren't negotiating an Obamacare extension yet.  But they're getting ready. … The expiring health insurance subsidies are at the heart of Democrats' shutdown demands, and extending them will require a bipartisan deal to get them enacted in Congress.

Nations Hesitate to Send Troops to Gaza, Fearing Clashes With Hamas  —  The Trump peace plan calls for an international security force in the Gaza Strip, but countries that might send troops are wary of danger, an unclear mission and being seen as occupiers.

Stuart Stevens Discusses His Trip To Ukraine, The Senate Appears To Be In Play, Dems Up 7 In New Gallup Party ID Report  —  Hopium paid subscribers gather Wednesday night at 7pm ET  —  Morning everyone.  We start the day with a recording of a live discussion I had yesterday with Stuart Stevens of Lincoln Square.

After clergy arrests, religious pushback to ICE expands in Chicago  —  (RNS) — More than 210 mostly Chicago-area clergy, representing a range of liberal and conservative traditions, have signed a letter criticizing ICE titled ‘Jesus is Being Tear Gassed at Broadview.’