Top Items:
Stephen Neukam / NOTUS:
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 …
Discussion:
Scripps News, MS NOW, The Hill, The Texas Tribune, NewsMax.com, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, New Republic, Washington Examiner, Mediaite and Breitbart
RELATED:
Jacques Berlinerblau / MS NOW:
The hypocrisy of Republicans trying to shame James Talarico for his faith
Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
Israel says it has struck Iran after taking missile fire — Israel launched airstrikes early Monday targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran, attacks that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war. Iranian state television reported …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The National, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, HotAir, GV Wire, Mediaite, The Forward, Associated Press, Townhall, Drop Site News, New York Post, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, WJBK-TV, Forbes, Jewish Insider, Modern Diplomacy, Stars & Stripes, The Times of Israel, Axios, Politico, The Hill, ABC7, HuffPost, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Breitbart, Middle East Monitor, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, UPI, Al Jazeera, The Irish News, The Gateway Pundit, WTTG-TV, The American Conservative, Fox News, Los Angeles Times and Semafor
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump and Netanyahu's Rift Over Lebanon Is Deepening
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Sun, Bloomberg, Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera and France 24
Max Boot / Washington Post:
Trump struggles to end an Iran war he never should have started
Trump struggles to end an Iran war he never should have started
Discussion:
CSIS, HuffPost, Fox News, GV Wire, NewsMax.com, Daily Mail, NBC News and MS NOW
New York Times:
Live Updates: Iran and Israel Pull Back After Exchange of Attacks
Live Updates: Iran and Israel Pull Back After Exchange of Attacks
Discussion:
New York Post, The Hill, The American Conservative, Bloomberg, Reason, Politico, NewsMax.com, Mediaite, New Republic, HuffPost, Semafor and Al Jazeera
Megan K. Stack / New York Times:
Israeli Expansionism Is Shaking the Middle East
Israeli Expansionism Is Shaking the Middle East
Discussion:
Associated Press, Reuters and Middle East Monitor
Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
Trump administration launches largest-ever effort to denaturalize U.S. citizens accused of fraud or other crimes — Add CBS News on Google — The Trump administration on Monday plans to announce it is seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 U.S. citizens accused of immigration fraud …
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Applies for Trump Pardon — FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried formally applied for a presidential pardon, more than two years after he was convicted over the multi-billion dollar collapse of his once-thriving cryptocurrency empire.
Discussion:
Fox Business, New Republic and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Politico:
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried applies for pardon … Bankman-Fried said in an interview from prison with Fox Business, which earlier reported the pardon application, that he would “absolutely” want a pardon. He said he hasn't personally had any conversations with the White House …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
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 …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Associated Press:
6 people hurt in stabbings at New York's Penn Station with a suspect in custody, authorities says — Six people were injured in a stabbing inside New York's Penn Station on Sunday evening, authorities said, less than a day before thousands of fans are expected to descend on neighboring Madison Square Garden …
Discussion:
The Nation, New York Post, CBS News, Washington Times, The Moderate Voice, Breitbart, Blaze Media, IJR, CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Townhall, Straight Arrow, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, The Korea Herald, News Talk 105.9, UPI, Boston.com, WTTG-TV, Daily Mail and Gothamist
RELATED:
Devlin Barrett / New York Times:
How the Drive to Find a Conspiracy Against Trump Rocked the Justice Dept. — The push to investigate what the president's allies saw as a “deep state” cabal intent on taking him down set off cascading crises, ended careers and undercut the department's credibility with judges.
RELATED:
Jennifer Millman / NBC New York:
No walking allowed in heart of Midtown for Monday's Knicks game … Sorry, Knicks fans: No Madison Square Garden watch party tonight. — You won't even be able to walk close. — The NYPD and U.S. Secret Service announced another spate of street closures and security measures in anticipation …
Discussion:
The City Reporter and Gothamist
Steve Benen / MS NOW:
On campaign promises about foreign wars, Trump rewrites recent history — The candidate who promised not to launch a war has been reduced to “I didn't guarantee ‘no war,’” as if we don't remember the events of two years ago. — Before Donald Trump abruptly ended his latest “Meet the Press” …
Discussion:
NBC News, Politico, MeidasTouch, New York Times, GV Wire, Bloomberg, The Independent and IJR, more at Mediagazer »
Matthew Gault / 404 Media:
A Farmer Donated Land to Turn into a Park. The City Is Building a Massive Data Center Instead — In 1999, a farmer gave away 87 acres of land to a small Texas city to use as a park. The city sold to a data center developer for $10 million. — Almost 30 years ago a farming family deeded land …
Discussion:
Tom's Hardware
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:
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.”
Discussion:
The Independent, Mock Paper Scissors, Raw Story and HuffPost
Matt Burgess / Wired:
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.
David Stout / New York Times:
Gordon S. Wood, Pioneering Historian of Early America, Dies at 92 — In a Pulitzer-winning book, “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” he wrote that the colonists rose up against an entire worldview, not just against taxation. — Gordon S. Wood, a historian whose decades of research …
Discussion:
Go Local Prov, Associated Press and The Daily Caller
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
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.
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Court blocks Trump's $100K visa fee — It's a significant victory for states who sued Trump over the proclamation, saying the $100,000 fee had damaged their ability to hire workers … The Clinton appointee's ruling was rooted in two Supreme Court precedents: the ruling that upheld Obamacare …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, MS NOW, Townhall and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Heidi Blake / New Yorker:
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.”
Shawn Hubler / New York Times:
Progressive Challenger Overtakes Spencer Pratt in Race for L.A. Mayor — Nithya Raman pulled into second place in the race to see who will face Mayor Karen Bass in November. There are more votes to be counted. — Nithya Raman, a progressive member of the Los Angeles City Council …
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Signal, Public Comment, Scripps News, TMZ.com, Mercury News, Staff Stories, New York Sun, The Free Press, New York Post, Deadline, IJR, Variety and KTLA
RELATED:
Eric Katz / NOTUS:
The IRS Moved IT and HR Staff to Process Taxes. It's Not Going Well. — Staffers detailed to the roles say “nobody feels confident” they can handle the cases. — Copy — The IRS tapped information technology and human resources staff with no experience in taxpayer services …
Jonathan Edwards / Washington Post:
Kennedy Center removes Trump's name from website after judge's ruling — The center removed President Donald Trump's name from its website, although the front of the performing arts venue still read: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” — Summary
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, The Guardian and The Hill
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Knicks fans warn Trump to expect hostile reception at NBA Finals game — Some Knicks fans say the president is not welcome at Madison Square Garden. — Summary — President Donald Trump is used to cheers at his highly curated rallies and events. But on Monday night he's widely expected …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Blanche: “Not a Crime to Party with Mr. Epstein” — This weekend saw a series of worrisome escalations between Israel and Iran, with the battered, beleaguered ceasefire in the region threatening to give way entirely. On Sunday, Israel carried out strikes against Hezbollah forces in Beirut …
Discussion:
The Contrarian and Raw Story
Amy Brittain / Washington Post:
This agent sent models to meet Jeffrey Epstein. Now he's trying to explain why. — A Post examination reveals how Epstein cultivated a network of modeling industry associates who offered to bring women into his orbit after he was released from jail. — Summary
Steve Vladeck / One First:
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 …
Discussion:
Election Law Blog
Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
MS NOW, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, THE FARCE, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, The Hill, New Republic and New York Sun
Yoni Appelbaum / The Atlantic:
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.

