Mitch McConnell hospitalized with ‘flu-like symptoms’  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell checked himself into a local hospital Monday night “in an abundance of caution” after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” a spokesperson for the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.  McConnell missed Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday.

Don't Let ICE Freeze Voting  —  Guest article by Jay Inslee, former governor of Washington State  —  Of all the threats we face, the threat that Donald Trump will use ICE and Border {atrol agents to suppress the vote calls for a response by the Senate in the pending budget bill.

Attorney for government tells judge in ICE case: ‘This job sucks’  —  Julie Le made the remark while she was representing the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota, where federal officers are conducting a massive immigration crackdown.  —  Listen to this article with a free account

Washington Post Begins Sweeping Layoffs  —  The layoffs are slated to shrink the newsroom by hundreds of journalists, cutting into The Post's local, international and sports coverage.  —  The Washington Post told employees on Wednesday that it was beginning a widespread round of layoffs …

DHS Hunts Down 67-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Who Criticized Them in Email  —  The Trump administration is targeting free speech with a little-known legal tool: administrative subpoenas.  —  The Washington Post reports that a retired Philadelphia man, Jon, 67, found himself in the government's crosshairs …

ICE demanded Maine sheriff's employment records following his criticism of arrest  —  The Bangor Daily News was the first to report this story.  What you're reading here would likely not be made public without the efforts of professional journalists asking questions, interviewing sources and obtaining documents.

Hannah Neeleman's Ballerina Farm Halts Sale of Raw Milk Due to Bacteria Concerns: Report  —  Screenings from summer 2025 showed high levels of coliform, the family of bacteria that includes E. coli, in Ballerina Farm's bottled raw dairy  — Hannah and Daniel Neeleman of Ballerina Farm …

Border czar Homan says feds will “draw down” 700 law enforcement personnel  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday federal authorities will “draw down” 700 law enforcement personnel in Minnesota immediately.  —  The news comes a day after the state's top …

Profiles in Cowardice, Tariff Edition  —  Donald Trump loves tariffs.  Mainly, I believe, he loves them because they offer so much opportunity for dominance displays, allowing him to threaten other countries with economic ruin — usually via middle-of-the-night Truth Social posts — unless they bend to his whims.

How to Get Kevin Warsh Confirmed  —  Tell Pirro to drop the criminal probe over Powell's testimony.  —  President Trump made a wise decision last week to nominate Kevin Warsh to run the Federal Reserve, but now Mr. Trump has to get him confirmed by the Senate.

Trump, Changing Course, Throws Harvard Deal Talks Into Chaos  —  In the latest example of his mercurial negotiating style, President Trump went from dropping his ask for a $200 million fine to demanding $1 billion from the university.  —  The potential for a deal between Harvard University …

Trump's New “Prison Camp” Threat Unleashes Fury Even in MAGA Country  —  When Stephen Miller offered his first big rollout of Donald Trump's immigration agenda during the 2024 campaign, he demonstrated great enthusiasm for the idea of giant migrant camps.  He gushed about creating …

Columbia Heights fourth-grader and her mother released from ICE detention after school officials call attention to her case  —  A Columbia Heights fourth-grader and her mother have been released from a Texas detention center after school officials and the governor called for their release.

Citadel's Ken Griffin says Trump White House has ‘enriched’ family members  —  Wall Street figure and Republican donor offers rare public criticism of perceived administration's self-dealing  —  Billionaire investor Ken Griffin has accused members of the Trump administration of enriching their families …

How Stephen Miller Stokes Trump's Boundary-Pushing Impulses  —  The White House aide has been an architect of aggressive immigration sweeps in U.S. cities and deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean  —  Moments after federal officers fatally shot Alex Pretti, his body still lying facedown …

The Clintons knew Team Trump was coming — and waved the white flag over Epstein  —  At first glance, the decision by Bill and Hillary Clinton to drop their long resistance and agree to testify before a GOP-controlled House panel about Jeffrey Epstein looks like a huge defeat for them.

Those new tax breaks Trump is touting come with a catch … Republicans are counting on those benefits from their new tax law to drive up refunds this year, hoping they'll be rewarded at the ballot box in November.  But unlike familiar and relatively easy-to-understand breaks like the Child Tax Credit …

Judge limits feds' use of weapons against anti-ICE protesters in Portland … DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that DHS “is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”

Alleged Ransom Note for Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping Demands Millions in Bitcoin  —  12:59 PM PT — The Pima County Sheriff's Department posted on X they are “aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie.”

The Paramilitary ICE and CBP Units at the Center of Minnesota's Killings  —  Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of highly militarized DHS units whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones.

Republicans Make a Costly Push to Try to Save Cornyn in Texas  —  Senator John Cornyn, once seen as a potential Republican leader in his chamber, is now depending on wealthy party donors to survive a right-wing challenge.  —  Some of the country's richest conservative donors have been pouring tens …

'It's attacking the public's right to know': Georgia Fort on the White House going after journalists  —  Trump meets fierce opposition escalating information war with arrests of journalists  —  Maddow: Trump ‘wobbling’ as his agenda falls apart in the face of pressure

Exclusive: Trump pollster finds MAGA voters like solar energy  —  A majority of Trump-coalition voters back solar power, especially if the panels are made in the U.S. and without Chinese materials, polling shared exclusively with Axios shows.  —  Why it matters: Trump officials are moving …

Who is Hurting Kids?  —  The irony should not be lost on Americans that the MAGA movement and its QAnon cousins made the hunt for pedophiles their obsession.  It turns out that those concerned about child sexual predators should have staked out Jeffrey Epstein's island...not a D.C. pizza restaurant.

Starmer orders release of files relating to Mandelson US ambassador decision  —  Pressure grows on PM over ex-minister's Jeffrey Epstein links as Tories criticise move to withhold some records  —  Keir Starmer will attempt to get ahead of the widening scandal over Peter Mandelson's conduct …

Republicans are freaking out about Hispanic voters after a Texas upset … Polling already showed that Republicans were rapidly losing support from Hispanic voters.  But the electoral results were a confirmation of that drop.  —  “It should be an eye-opener to all of us that we all need to pick up the pace …

From arms to orbit: Rheinmetall's expansion unsettles rivals  —  German group's outspoken boss Armin Papperger wants to ‘catch’ €300bn in European deals by 2030  —  Earthly ambitions are not enough for Rheinmetall's Armin Papperger — the boss of the German arms group is setting his sights on space.

Defense Dept. effort to punish Mark Kelly draws skepticism from judge  —  A federal judge in D.C. said the restrictions being used against Kelly, a retired Navy captain, have only applied to active-duty service members.  —  A federal judge on Tuesday sharply questioned the legality …

It's the Billionaires, Stupid  —  The faultline for Dems in the run to 2028 will be attitudes toward elites  —  In the liturgy of American political theology, there are certain articles of faith that must never be challenged.  —  These are ideas or even just terminology that must be treated as sacrosanct by people in both parties.

A Winter of Anguish for Minneapolis Children  —  “It's like living in fear all the time,” a teenager said about the federal raids that have shattered families.  —  The morning her father called to say that he had been detained on a snowy Minneapolis road, Xochitl Soberanes was seized by an urgent and inescapable feeling.

Trump says India won't buy Russian oil anymore.  Moscow insists India hasn't said that … A day after President Donald Trump said India agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil as part of a new U.S.-India trade deal, the Kremlin said it has heard nothing from New Delhi to suggest those flows are stopping.

Ex-Prince Andrew leaves Windsor home after latest Epstein revelations  —  Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles, has moved out of his palatial home, a royal source confirmed on Wednesday, following new damaging revelations about his links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump plays kingmaker as GOP primaries heat up  —  President Trump appears to be ramping up his involvement in Republican primaries ahead of the midterm elections, playing the role of kingmaker in a bid to ensure the party has the strongest candidates possible ahead of November.