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Trump Privately Approved Attack Plans For Iran But Has Withheld Final Order — The president is hoping that threatening to join Israel's strikes will lead Tehran to abandon its nuclear program — WASHINGTON—President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran …
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Fox News Is Demanding War With Iran. Donald Trump Is Listening — Trump's heavy consumption of Fox News content is increasing his appetite for direct military confrontation with Iran — As President Donald Trump weighs sending U.S. forces to help Israel bomb Iran …
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New Yorker, Politico, CNN, New York Sun, Blaze Media, The American Conservative, The Hill, New Republic and NewsMax.com

Trump Privately Approved of Attack Plans for Iran but Has Withheld Final Order — As the conflict between Iran and Israel continues, President Trump is considering multiple options, including a U.S. strike on Iran — President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran …
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We asked 1,000 Americans if they support U.S. strikes on Iran. This is how they responded. — if they support U.S. strikes on Iran. — Cannot allow Iran to have nukes — Israel can handle it defend our country Diplomacy first — going to war and dying — Too dangerous

Trump presses aides on whether bunker-buster plan to bomb Iran will work — One key question is on President Trump's mind these days, his advisers say: If the U.S. joins Israel's war and drops its massive bunker busters, will they actually destroy Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear facility?
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Wall Street Journal, Fox News, NPR, USA Today and Metro.co.uk

U.S. Strike on Iran Would Bring Risks at Every Turn
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Associated Press
New York Times:
America Must Not Rush Into a War Against Iran
America Must Not Rush Into a War Against Iran
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HotAir, USA Today, CNN, The Hill, The American Mind, WBUR and Just Security
Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
Iran Crisis Overshadowed as Senators Squabble at Hearing
Iran Crisis Overshadowed as Senators Squabble at Hearing
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ABC News, Alternet.org, New Republic and CBS News
Washington Post:
Navigating Iran crisis, Trump relies on experience over star power
Navigating Iran crisis, Trump relies on experience over star power
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NBC News, Raw Story, CBS News, Military and Veteran …, Washington Times, NewsMax.com and Daily Kos
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump Is Suddenly Raging at Tucker Carlson—and MAGA Is Deeply Rattled
Trump Is Suddenly Raging at Tucker Carlson—and MAGA Is Deeply Rattled
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Lara Jakes / New York Times:
Troops in Mideast Would Be Vulnerable to Iran Strikes on U.S. Targets
Troops in Mideast Would Be Vulnerable to Iran Strikes on U.S. Targets
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FDD's Long War Journal, USA Today, Breaking Defense and The Hill

State Department unveils social media screening rules for all student visa applicants — Applicants will be vetted for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.” — U.S. diplomats have officially …
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State Dept. restarts student visa interviews with tougher social media rules — The new visa requirements could impact hundreds of thousands of visa applications each year, raising concerns about staffing requirements. — The State Department is restarting interviews for new student visas …
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CBS News, Reuters and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

SAMHSA Statement on 988 Press 3 Option — On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the “Press 3 option,” to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.
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The Hill, Axios, Advocate, The Independent, MyNorthwest.com, The 19th, CBS News and Salon
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Trump Administration Cuts LGBTQ-Specific Care From Suicide Hotline
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NOTUS, Associated Press, NPR, The Hill, Governor of California and Daily Kos
Maggie Astor / New York Times:
Trump Administration Will End L.G.B.T.Q. Suicide Prevention Service
Trump Administration Will End L.G.B.T.Q. Suicide Prevention Service
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Nashville Banner and UPI

Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for minors, big loss for transgender rights — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a stunning setback to transgender rights. The justices' 6-3 decision in a case …
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The Supreme Court's incoherent new attack on trans rights, explained — What the hell did the Court just do to equal protection law? … It was obvious, if you listened to the Supreme Court's oral argument in United States v. Skrmetti last December, that the Court would vote …
Elie Mystal / The Nation:
The Supreme Court's Anti-Trans Decision Will Live in Infamy
The Supreme Court's Anti-Trans Decision Will Live in Infamy
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FDA approves powerful HIV drug that nearly eliminated spread in clinical trials — The twice-yearly injectable drug's potential could be compromised by the Trump administration's dramatic cuts to HIV-prevention infrastructure in the U.S. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved …
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UPI, Common Dreams, Gizmodo, NPR and Advocate
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Joseph Choi / The Hill:
FDA approves 6-month HIV prevention shot
FDA approves 6-month HIV prevention shot
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ICE Bars Reps. Goldman and Nadler From Immigrant Detention Area ‘Approaching Capacity’ — Two members of Congress were refused entry to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention areas inside 26 Federal Plaza Wednesday morning, despite rules laid out by Congress allowing members to conduct unannounced visits for oversight purposes.
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Arya Sundaram / Gothamist:
Reps. Nadler and Goldman barred from inspecting ICE holding area in NYC
Reps. Nadler and Goldman barred from inspecting ICE holding area in NYC
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Townhall, Washington Examiner, AM New York, Talking Points Memo, Scripps News, New York Daily News and RedState

Reporter Is Detained by ICE After Reporting on Immigration Protest — Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language reporter originally from El Salvador, was arrested while covering a “No Kings” protest outside Atlanta on Saturday, his lawyers said. — A journalist known for covering immigration arrests …
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WRDW-TV and Associated Press
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Accounts peddling child abuse content flood some X hashtags as safety partner cuts ties — Thorn, a non-profit that provides detection and moderation software related to child safety, said they canceled their contract with X after the platform stopped paying them.

The D.N.C. Is in Chaos and Desperate for Cash — Under its new leader, Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee has been plagued by infighting and a drop in big donations, raising alarms from Democrats as they try to win back power. — Just months into the tenure of a new party leader …
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HotAir, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, The Daily Caller, Plain Dealer, Twitchy and Raw Story

Some Democratic senators regret voting to confirm Kristi Noem as DHS secretary — After seven Democrats voted for Noem, some say they'd now oppose her in the wake of Trump's aggressive deportation plans and last week's incident involving Sen. Alex Padilla. — WASHINGTON — Five days …
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Alternet.org

Democrats walk out of Senate Judiciary hearing probing Biden's mental fitness — Democrats are refusing to participate in the first congressional hearing focusing on allegations of former President Joe Biden's mental decline while in the White House. Only Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) …

Social Security fund could run dry ahead of earlier forecast, trustees say — If Congress does not overhaul the funds' financing, automatic cuts will slash Social Security benefits by 23 percent in 2033, according to the latest trustees report. — Summary384
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Break-in reported at home of slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman — Police say someone pried off a wood covering and broke a window to enter the Brooklyn Park house. — Police are investigating a reported overnight break-in at the boarded-up home where Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman …

Business Leaders Call Trump Attacks on Universities a Competitive Threat — More than 200 business leaders signed an open letter calling on the Trump administration to reverse its moves against colleges and universities, arguing that funding cuts and restrictions on student visas threaten America's economic competitiveness.

Kennedy's picks for vaccine advisory panel raise concerns about anti-vaccine bias — A few of the new members Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed to the federal panel have promoted misinformation about vaccines and public health. — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert …
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New York Times, Ars Technica and Vanity Fair

Senate leadership ponders rural hospital fund to sway megabill holdouts — Senate Republican leaders are working to assuage a group of key megabill holdouts — “the Medicaid moderates” — as they try to lock down votes next week for President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill.”

Justice Dept. to Cut Two-Thirds of Inspectors Monitoring Gun Sales — The move is part of the Trump administration's effort to defang and downsize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. — The Justice Department plans to slash the number of inspectors …

The One Global Problem That's Easy to Fix — Middle East peace, climate change, Ukraine — if Sisyphus were assigned one of today's global problems, he'd plead to be returned to rock rolling. So let's focus for a moment on a global challenge that we can actually solve: starvation.

Scoop: Democrats probe FBI handcuffing of Padilla — The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is scrutinizing FBI agents' forcible removal and handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) at the agency's Los Angeles headquarters last week, Axios has learned.
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NewsMax.com

Hegseth defends Kingsley Wilson amid questioning about antisemitic record — ‘Any suggestion that I or her or others are party to antisemitism is a mischaracterization attempting to win political points,’ the defense secretary said — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth offered a strident defense …

Texas Man Charged Federally for Receipt and Transport of Explosives Intended for Use Against Law Enforcement — For Immediate Release — A Texas man is facing federal charges after allegedly purchasing powerful explosives in New Mexico and expressing plans to use them to harm law enforcement officers …
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MyNorthwest.com, IJR, UPI, Townhall, [your]NEWS and Washington Examiner

Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals — Limits on travel and visa appointments have delayed or prevented foreign doctors from entering the country for jobs set to begin in weeks. — Travel and visa restrictions imposed by the Trump administration threaten patient care …