Deterrence and leverage: Iran tries to call the shots with strikes on Israel  —  Severe escalation complicates advanced peace talks as Tehran signals willingness to risk return to full-scale war, 100 days into the conflict  —  Monday's escalation suggests Tehran, confident in its ability …

Ken Paxton's Impeachment Defense Lawyer Endorses James Talarico  —  A Texas lawyer who helped lead Republican Ken Paxton's defense during a 2023 impeachment trial said Paxton “has lost sight of his core mission.”  — Copy  —  A Texas lawyer who helped lead Republican Ken Paxton's defense during …

Trump says Netanyahu will have ‘no choice’ but to accept a deal with Iran  —  US president tells FT that he ‘calls the shots’ after urging the Israeli leader not to retaliate against Tehran

All the Ways Europe Is Ditching American Technology  —  A WIRED timeline shows how dozens of governments, companies, and other organizations across Europe are moving, or planning to shift, away from US Big Tech.  —  Europe is done with American Big Tech.  Well, sort of.

Nithya Raman surges past Spencer Pratt in L.A. mayor's race, closing in on runoff with Karen Bass  —  Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman surged past reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the city's mayoral primary election Sunday, capping off a five-day turnaround after she fell behind to Pratt on election night.

Pam Bondi was the worst AG in history.  Until now.  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  ☀️ Subscribe to PN ☀️  —  Pam Bondi has a strong claim to being the most corrupt and subservient attorney general in US history.

Deep in Rural Virginia, a MAGA Pro-Gun Push Takes an Unnerving Turn  —  When Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a new assault weapons ban in Virginia last month, it got almost zero national news coverage.  Yet it amounted to an important milestone: It marked the first time in U.S. history …

231. The Death of Purcell's “Principle”  —  There is no coherent defense of the “Purcell principle” that can be rationalized with the Supreme Court's behavior over the past six weeks in the Alabama and Louisiana redistricting cases.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” a newsletter that aims …

Spy-powers deal is latest Hill casualty of Trump's impetuous decisionmaking … But Democrats are withdrawing their support in protest of the Pulte appointment, with nearly every Democratic senator joining a handful of Republicans in tanking a procedural vote early Friday morning …

Andrew Tate's Empire of Abuse  —  How the defining figure of the manosphere built a fortune—and became a political force—by systematically exploiting women.  —  “I've done this with over 100 girls,” Tate said, about compelling women into sex work.  “I almost sound evil.  But I'm not.”

How America Gave Up on Its Own History  —  Unable to agree on how to interpret the American story, the country's schools, universities, and political institutions have stopped trying to tell it at all.  —  Seek  —  on a july afternoon in 2019, I found myself in a large, sun-dappled room within one of America's great estates.

Why centrists can't win the Democratic presidential primary  —  The liberal wing of the party is now the majority wing  —  On Wednesday, I went to WelcomeFest, the annual gathering of centrist Democratic operatives and D.C. types.1 The purpose of the conference is to advocate for moderation …

The New York Primary That Is All About Israel  —  From lower Manhattan into brownstone Brooklyn, events 6,000 miles away are dividing neighbors and consuming a Democratic congressional race.  'It's crazy.'  —  NEW YORK—Not long ago, Dan Goldman was a hero of the resistance.

Lawsuit Aims to Stop U.F.C. Fights at White House on Trump's Birthday  —  A federal lawsuit said the event, set for June 14, was unlawfully planned and designed to benefit Mr. Trump and his allies.  —  A political activist and a Vietnam veteran represented by an anti-corruption organization filed …

The Justice Department Hasn't Taken Its Usual Steps to Protect the 2026 Election  —  The DOJ appears to be quietly scrapping its typical “command center” that would monitor Election Day emergencies.  — Copy  —  President Donald Trump says “if you don't have honest voting, you can't really have a nation.”

The Hidden Figure With Close Ties to Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein  —  Melanie Walker was a confidante to Gates and Epstein.  Her lawyer says she was in a ‘coercive relationship’ with Epstein.  —  It was September 2017, and Dr. Melanie Walker's work with Bill Gates was coming to an end.