Deputy AG says removing photos from Epstein files release has ‘nothing to do’ with Trump  —  Deputy AG Todd Blanche said some images from the newly released files would go back up after the Justice Department determines if they require redactions.  — Add NBC News to Google

US Said to Board Third Tanker Off Venezuela as Tensions Rise  —  Another oil tanker has been boarded by the US near Venezuela, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as President Donald Trump intensifies an oil blockade on Nicolás Maduro's government.

Charlie Kirk's Empire Is Lining Up Behind a JD Vance Presidential Bid  —  The vice president will speak Sunday at TPUSA's premier event, days after Erika Kirk endorsed him for 2028 run  —  PHOENIX—Before Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, he was readying for JD Vance to become the next president of the United States.

White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review  —  “American people will have no patience” for any museum that is “uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history,” read a letter from Trump aides.  —  The Trump administration escalated pressure on the Smithsonian this week …

Lankford: Americans will decide whether to blame GOP for lapsed Obamacare subsidies  —  Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said he would leave it to the American people to decide whether they blame Republicans for the lapse in their enhanced Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year …

The year Trump broke the federal government  —  How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation's sprawling bureaucracy.  —  Government reporters Hannah Natanson and Meryl Kornfield can be reached securely on Signal at (202) 580-5477 and (301) 821-2013, respectively.

Trump Takes America's ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level  —  In his first year back in the White House, President Trump has greatly expanded executive power while embracing the trappings of royalty in ways not seen in the modern era.  —  When President Trump hosted the crown prince …

Racial Slurs and Nazi Symbols: Inside the Complaint That Shut Down The Harvard Salient  —  Screenshots and message logs obtained by The Crimson appear to show Salient leaders casually using racial slurs, defending extremist rhetoric, and dismissing internal concerns — conversations …

'It's Just Us': The Firefighter, His Son and a Treacherous Choice  —  For two decades, Luis Martinez has fought wildfires for the U.S. government.  Now he's facing down cancer, debt and the threat of separation from his 11-year-old.  —  Luis Martinez was still trying to figure out how to tell …

Too Early, Too Alone: France Prepares for Russia as U.S. Withdraws … PARIS — The military recruitment center across from the Eiffel Tower, in the posh 7th district's historic École Militaire, is filled with promotional posters for the armed forces.

How the Supreme Court's Mail-In Ballot Ruling Could Affect Voters  —  Hundreds of thousands of Americans in rural and urban areas alike could see their votes rejected if the court decides that ballots must arrive by Election Day.  —  The Supreme Court is set to decide this term whether states …

Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams  — Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email  —  Love what you read?  Love that it was free?  —  Mission Local will never have a paywall.  All our articles are free for everyone, always.

Let's Not Grant the Postliberal Critique of Market Liberalism  —  Discontents with liberal modernity are perennial and a spiritual awakening won't cure them  —  Nineteen-seventy was a banner year for American cultural criticism.  Blockbusters like Charles A. Reich's The Greening of America …

Acting CISA director failed a polygraph.  Career staff are now under investigation. … The incident this July and the subsequent fallout — which has not been reported before — have angered career staff, alarmed fellow Trump administration appointees and raised questions about Gottumukkala's leadership …

Trump's base growing impatient on abortion pill action  —  Anti-abortion voices are growing increasingly impatient for the Trump administration to complete a review of the abortion pill mifepristone, potentially altering its approval.  But changing abortion access at the federal level …

DOJ defiant as it appeals Comey, James dismissals  —  The Trump Department of Justice gave notice it would appeal a judge's decision to toss the cases against James Comey and Letitia James on Friday, insisting the prosecutor deemed unlawfully appointed remains on the job.