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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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.

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

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 …

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.

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.

The Betrayal of Black Voters Threatens Our Democracy  —  Outside the blindingly white antebellum columns of the Alabama State Capitol on a recent Saturday, Martese Chism stood in the Southern heat with thousands of others, rallying for voting rights.  It was a show of defiance amid a sweeping attack on Black political power.

Redistricting redux  —  Presented by With additional help from Gelila Negesse  —  HAPPY FRIDAY.  This is Nick Reisman, eager to stress watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals.  Go Knicks.  Today we'll take a dive into the future of the just-passed amendment overhauling New York's redistricting process.

Trump never wanted to invade Greenland, US envoy to EU says  —  Andrew Puzder said Europe should “focus on the coffee and not on the froth” when discussing the U.S. president's threats to annex the island.  —  U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to invade Greenland earlier this year were misunderstood …

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 …

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 …

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 says Pulte won't be his nominee for director of national intelligence  —  President Donald Trump said Thursday that federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, his pick for acting director of national intelligence, would not be his “permanent” choice for the critical security post.

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 …

It's No Wonder Grads Are Booing Their Commencement Speakers  —  Commencement address season hasn't been going well — for the commencement speakers.  —  I'm sure you've seen the videos on social media.  The big shots who have been brought in to inspire a next generation of graduates have used …