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 …

Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to November election in California governor's race, CNN projects  —  Biden's cabinet US elections Gubernatorial elections State & local races  —  Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, will advance to the November election …

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 …

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 …

Scoop: Trump's Iran envoys quietly convene nuclear experts in Tennessee  —  President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Thursday for consultations with a team of technical experts that could play a role in nuclear negotiations with Iran, Axios has learned.

Justice Dept. Promises to Drop $1.8 Billion Fund  —  It was the department's clearest statement to date that it was pulling back from a plan to use taxpayer money to make payments to people who claimed to have been politically persecuted.  —  The Justice Department told federal judges …

Trump Fumes as Republican Senator Delivers Todd Blanche an Ultimatum  —  President Trump is incensed by outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis's refusal to support Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general until he disavows January 6 insurrectionists.  —  “Tillis said he won't support …

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.

Bill Pulte's Family Has Ties to “The Family”  —  Becoming a paid subscriber supports my reporting and keeps it free for everyone.  Thank you.  —  Incoming acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte's family has had extensive ties over two generations to leaders and financial backers …

Hegseth takes six of his children to France on official trip  —  The Pentagon says he is covering their travel expenses, but bringing them along could strain his security team at a time of increased threats, officials warned.  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to bring six …

Trump says he's considering government stake in top AI companies  —  Industry leaders will soon gather at the White House to discuss the idea, the president said.  The comments come as SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI prepare to go public.  —  Summary  —  President Donald Trump said on Friday …

6 Republicans vote no on FISA extension  —  Six Republican senators sided with Democrats early Friday to vote against advancing an extension of warrantless spy powers set to expire next week, complicating efforts to keep those powers alive.  —  The procedural vote failed by a vote of 47-52 …

Stocks Slide as Investors See Rates Rising After Strong Jobs Data  —  The S&P 500 fell more than 2 percent on Friday, on course for its worst one-day drop of the year and ending nine weeks of gains.  —  Stocks slumped on Friday, ending a long run of weekly gains, after stronger …

Trump Arch Will Need Red Lights, F.A.A. Says  —  The Federal Aviation Administration advised that if the Trump administration adds red obstruction lights to the arch design, it is likely to pose no risk to local aviation.  —  The Federal Aviation Administration said the Trump administration's plans …

Putin pours cold water on Zelensky meeting  —  Defense & National Security  —  The Big Story  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin poured cold water on the prospect of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person, arguing there is no reason to have diplomatic talks to potentially end the Russia-Ukraine war.

As Trump prepares to make his pitch to farmers, he's haunted by his record  —  During Donald Trump's recent trip to China, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas appeared on Newsmax and toed a sycophantic line in a rather specific way.  —  “We trust in Trump that he's over there making a great deal for us,” the senator said.

Janet Mills shows no sign of reigniting her Maine Senate bid amid Graham Platner's troubles  —  Some Mills supporters want to see her jump back into the race, but there's no organized effort promoting her in Tuesday's primary.  —  Some of Maine Gov. Janet Mills' most ardent supporters …

Pentagon Cuts 180 Religious Identities From Military Personnel Records  —  The new policy, which the Pentagon framed as a largely administrative action, leaves just 31 religious categories to choose from, 22 of which are Christian.  —  The Defense Department will no longer allow military service members …

Group that funded Duffy's road trip includes his ex-staffers … The document, a corporate filing that the state of Delaware provided to POLITICO, lists Mark Bednar and Maxwell Docksey as two of the organization's six directors.  The person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly …

Susie Wiles to quit White House: Insiders claim Trump's chief of staff is ‘drained’ by cabinet chaos... and stung by president's ‘insult’  —  Donald Trump's White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is preparing to leave, five insiders have told the Daily Mail.

GOP squeezes Hegseth, but backs Pentagon rebranding: 4 NDAA takeaways  —  The House Armed Services Committee early Friday advanced a historically large defense policy bill that would authorize some $1.15 trillion for the Pentagon, giving service members a pay bump and supporting U.S. allies and acquisition reforms.

Treasury warns banks of ‘red flags’ tied to customers in the US illegally  —  Treasury's financial crimes arm wants banks to help identify payroll schemes tied to people living in the country illegally, as part of the Trump administration's latest measure to clamp down on immigration.

FBI fires analysts behind controversial memo on ‘radical Catholic ideology’  —  The rescinded memo had argued that extremists were attempting to recruit “radical” Catholics, leading to an apology by then-FBI Director Christopher Wray.  —  FBI Director Kash Patel fired a group …