Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior  —  The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming, women said in interviews, but some found his actions intimidating and disturbing.  —  TIMES EXCLUSIVE  —  The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming …

House Passes Ukraine Aid in Defiance of Republican Leaders  —  Eighteen G.O.P. lawmakers broke with their party and joined Democrats to deliver yet another blow to the president's foreign policy agenda.  —  The House voted on Thursday to approve new aid for Ukraine and impose a fresh round …

Kennedy Center orders staff to begin removing Trump's name after ruling  —  The Kennedy Center's general counsel instructed staff members in a memo to strip all uses of President Donald Trump's name from signs, brochures, the website and other materials.  —  Summary

House bill rolls back food aid for pregnant women, children  —  Millions of WIC recipients would have less money for fruits and vegetables under the legislation, which funds the Agriculture Department and other agencies.  —  Summary  —  As grocery prices continue to rise nationally …

Vanilla Ice Is In, Bret Michaels Is Out: Trump's Battle for Celebrity Validation  —  President Trump has pursued fame his entire adult life.  Now in his second term in the White House, he is finding how little power he has to force cultural figures to fall in line.

ICE to stop reporting deaths of newly released detainees, internal memo says  —  The agency is facing pressure to improve medical care in its facilities after reporting the deaths of 18 detainees in the first five months of this year.  —  Summary  —  As the number of immigrants dying …

Blanche faces uncertain path through Senate  —  Senators voted to confirm Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general in early 2025, but there's no guarantee they will now vote to install him as the nation's chief law enforcement officer.  Blanche, now serving as acting attorney general …

The real Nick Bilton revealed — from political beliefs of new ‘60 Minutes’ boss to the rivals he beat to top job  —  It turns out Nick Bilton wasn't the only candidate that Bari Weiss considered for the top job at “60 Minutes.”  —  Multiple sources with knowledge of CBS News' hiring practices …

Lebanon's Latest Cease-Fire Shows Little Sign of Taking Hold  —  The U.S.-brokered deal depends on Hezbollah halting its attacks first.  But the leader of the Iran-backed group rejected those terms, and Israel said that its offensive would continue.  —  For all the diplomatic fanfare surrounding …

Pentagon likely to cancel missile deal with Germany over fears of Russia … Europe “can step up now and in the near term,” Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's top commander and the head of U.S. forces in Europe, told military leaders this week.  America, he said, will “refocus” equipment and forces elsewhere.

Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds  —  President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the gifts as a boon to taxpayers, but critics of the project say the administration's refusal to release a full list of donors creates the potential for corruption.

I wrote about George Santos.  Then he made a violent threat and lied about it  —  I was winding down my work day here in Los Angeles when my phone rang at 5:37 p.m. from a blocked number.  It was former Congressman George Santos.  He was boiling with rage.

Screwworm In Texas Cattle Could Drive Up Beef Prices—After DOGE Axed Prevention Efforts  —  Topline  —  A flesh-eating parasite that was largely eradicated from U.S. livestock in the 1960s has been found in a 3-week-old calf in a south Texas border town, the USDA confirmed …

House members keep losing their bids for higher office.  Some think they know why. … Some of those who have been on the campaign trail this year have a simple explanation for the trend: It's hard for members of a dysfunctional and unpopular institution to ask voters to reward them with even bigger jobs.

Ex-national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty in classified information case: AP source  —  Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department …

Trump's arch not subject to law limiting D.C. building height, planning chief says  —  The federal requirement caps most construction in Washington to a maximum height of 130 feet, about half that of the president's 250-foot project.  —  Summary  —  The head of a federal commission reviewing …

The MAGA Representative Crusading Against Government Secrecy  —  I don't think I'll ever be able to roll a little green man in on a silver platter for anyone, but what I can do is I can present you with the evidence that we have seen, and I can also tell you what we've been up against.

The Jan. 6 Pardons: How Many Clemency Recipients Have Faced Other Charges?  —  The real count is much higher than the public knew.  —  katherinepomps  —  katherinepomps.bsky.social  —  Meet The Authors  —  At least 97 of the more than 1,500 individuals granted clemency by President Trump …

DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List  —  Defense Secretary Hegseth previously announced the change due to an “impractical” system.  —  Add us on  —  Military.com has learned that the Department of Defense, for the first time in almost 10 years …

Trump eyes his next DC renovation: The Lincoln Memorial … There are already several construction projects surrounding the National Mall. … Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is overseeing the renovations, said the projects complete designs for the Mall dating back to the McMillan Plan …

US-Iran Talks at a Standstill as Hezbollah Rejects Truce  —  There was no sign of progress in ceasefire talks between the US and Iran after the worst burst of violence in weeks and Tehran-backed Hezbollah rejected a US-brokered truce in Lebanon.  Bloomberg's Abeer Abu Omar breaks down the situation.

Van Hollen blasts AIPAC, crypto spending for Hoyer's chosen successor  —  Sen. Chris Van Hollen is slamming the pro-Israel lobby and crypto industry for pouring millions of dollars into the race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer, accusing the special interest groups of trying to “buy this congressional seat” in their state.