Trump could also tear down the Statue of Liberty, DOJ argues in defense of White House ballroom … “On these theories, I think that's right,” replied Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department attorney.  —  Millett, an Obama appointee, peppered Roth with questions about the extent …

Senate Passes Party-Line Reconciliation Bill, Sidesteps Attempts to Kill ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund  —  The bill provides $70 billion for immigration and border agencies.  The House plans to take it up next week.  — Copy  —  The Senate voted mostly along party lines …

Trump officials planned to mark 2.7 million living people as dead, whistleblower says  —  A former Social Security executive said the plan, which was not carried out, would have used a death database to pressure immigrants to leave the country.  —  Summary

Trump Urges ‘Less Shackled’ Pulte to Fire Intelligence-Community Employees  —  President said in interview Office of the Director of National Intelligence should be ‘much smaller’ and maybe even terminated  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump said he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director …

Paramount's Weiss Woes … Over the last week, as Bari Weiss plunged CBS News into an unprecedented crisis by implementing her ill-advised overhaul of “60 Minutes,” other Paramount leaders have been left to deal with the fallout.  Indeed, Status has learned that the Weiss-induced turmoil …

The Supreme Court Has Invented a Right to Discriminate  —  Alabama gambled on the Court's partisanship, and won.  —  This week, the Roberts Court made clear that when it comes to drawing congressional districts, Black voters have no rights that anyone is bound to respect.

First on CNN: DOJ sends prosecutor to observe LA ballot counting amid Trump's baseless ‘cheating’ claims  —  The Justice Department sent one of its attorneys to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles Friday morning, the county's elections office told CNN, after President Donald Trump claimed earlier …

Trump's next GOP loyalty test: Ending the changing of the clocks … His personal touch, coupled with engagement from the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, helped land the provision in the House transportation bill, according to a senior White House official granted anonymity to share private legislative strategy.

Platner ex-girlfriend accuses New York Times of ‘set up’  —  An ex-girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is expressing her frustration with The New York Times over the way it portrayed her and others' experience dating the Democrat.  —  Lyndsey Fifield, whom the Times quoted …

Trump Keeps Immunity from I.R.S. Audits, Even as $1.8 Billion Fund Falls Away  —  Even as they rebelled against a $1.8 billion fund for President Trump's allies, Republicans looked the other way as his administration granted him potentially lucrative tax protections.

Video: Police Tussle With Diabetes Experts at ADA Meeting  — Researchers told they could no longer attend the annual scientific sessions  —  NEW ORLEANS — Members of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) were escorted by police out of the convention center in New Orleans during …

How Bari Weiss's Free Press laundered MAGA talking points about refugees  —  Bari Weiss continues to take a hatchet to CBS News.  This week she fired longtime journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley after he angrily confronted her handpicked new editor for the program.

Move Fast, Surveil Things  —  Meta has deployed facial recognition code to millions of their always-on surveillance glasses, according to new reporting by Wired.  EFF's Threat Lab was able to confirm that the facial recognition code is present through static analysis of the application.

Trump Is Eyeing Control of Smithsonian's Budget  —  The administration is creating a conflict with how Congress intended its money be spent.  — Copy  —  A directive from the Office of Management and Budget could force the Smithsonian Institution to change its spending plans …

Quotes about slavery, immigrants, and war memorials slated for removal from Bunker Hill historic site  —  The National Park Service has ordered the removal of three quotes that reflect on slavery and immigrants' places in the American Revolution and question war memorials built to honor death rather than …

Talarico Orders a Texas BBQ Feast After Paxton's ‘Vegan’ Jab  —  James Talarico picked at the brisket with his bare hands and polished off a rack of pork ribs.  Sausage links and “Texas Twinkies” — stuffed jalapeño peppers wrapped in bacon — crowded the butcher paper on his overflowing tray of smoked meats.

The White House's Latest Provocation Is ‘Grotesque and Terrifying and Juvenile’  —  “They walk among us.”  The glowing green letters emerge ominously against a dark backdrop.  Above them hover the words “aliens” and “declassified,” suggesting the release — long awaited in some corners of the internet …

Judge Says Trump Officials Must Restart Asylum and Immigration Processing  —  The judge invalidated policies the Trump administration enacted last year that halted asylum grants, as well as the processing of immigration benefits for people from 39 countries.

Electric cars are starting to take over the world  —  Despite sluggish EV sales in the U.S., it's full steam ahead for electric vehicles in most other regions. … Electric vehicles may be struggling to find buyers in the U.S. — but they're making inroads elsewhere.

White House Explodes Over Viral Video of Sleepy Trump, 79  —  EYES WIDE SHUT  —  Trump's aides flew into attack mode amid renewed scrutiny of the president's health.  —  A viral video of Donald Trump sitting with his eyes closed sent the White House's social media operation into full meltdown mode.

U.S. payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, much more than expected; unemployment at 4.3% … Job growth unexpectedly surged in May as the U.S. labor market continued a solid year of expansion, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.  —  Nonfarm payrolls jumped a seasonally adjusted 172,000 …

Lewis George leads in D.C. mayoral race, Post-Schar School poll finds  —  Janeese Lewis George leads Kenyan R. McDuffie by double-digits in the Democratic primary, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.  —  Summary  —  Janeese Lewis George leads Kenyan R. McDuffie by double-digits …

Department of Energy Celebrates First Advanced Reactor Criticality  —  Today, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Reactor Pilot Program, Antares Nuclear's advanced reactor design, the Mark-0, successfully completed a zero-power fueled criticality demonstration at DOE's Idaho National Laboratory.

Trump Says He Supports Salary Cap for Major League Baseball  —  President Donald Trump sided with Major League Baseball owners who are proposing a hard salary cap as part of the next collective bargaining agreement, adding his voice to a contentious negotiation with the league's players union.