Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops and invalidates sacraments  —  The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist group that consecrated bishops without the pope's consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church.

Donors were misled by Trump-backed Freedom 250, House Democrats allege  —  The lawmakers' report alleges that Trump allies worked to divert funds away from America250, a bipartisan effort to mark the nation's semiquincentennial.  —  Summary  —  Some donors who intended to give money …

FBI directing hundreds of analysts to dig into Georgia election probe subjects, sources say  —  A personnel surge supporting Kash Patel's “priority effort” is underway, tasking intelligence experts with running tens of thousands of records checks by mid-July.

White House Officials Reportedly Deleted Photos of Trump Rally After President Became ‘Enraged’ by Poor Attendance  —  President Donald Trump became so enraged by photos of a small crowd at his rally kicking off the Great American State Fair that White House officials deleted the images …

Former Olympic canoeist indicted by a grand jury after arrest at the Reflecting Pool  —  David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington, DC, Superior Court, after being arrested last month when he reached into the Reflecting Pool, a source familiar with the charges told CNN.

U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs in June, less than expected; unemployment rate at 4.2%  —  The U.S. economy saw job creation cool sharply heading into the summer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.  —  Nonfarm payrolls for June increased by a seasonally adjusted 57,000 for the month …

Transcript: Trump Shows New Signs of Midterm Panic as Brutal Polls Hit  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the July 2 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

The GOP's dirty little secret about the SAVE America Act … Instead, Johnson and other House leaders have stuck with an older version of the SAVE America Act that focuses on proof-of-citizenship requirements but otherwise lets states run their elections as they see fit.

What is the Great American State Fair like?  —  I stopped by the Great American State Fair on Tuesday.  The website listed the day's theme as “Innovation, Technology & Progress.”  It doesn't get more on-theme for The Future, Now & Then than that.  —  I documented the trip in a bluesky thread …

Ocasio-Cortez Endorses Abdul El-Sayed in Crucial Michigan Senate Race  —  The endorsement is the first in a contested Senate primary by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez this year, in a state that Democrats believe they must hold this fall to win a Senate majority.

Court Blocks Firings of Intelligence Officers Who Worked on Diversity  —  The C.I.A. and Office of the Director of National Intelligence had tried to fire 19 officers at the beginning of the second Trump administration.  —  A federal appeals court ordered intelligence agencies to rehire officers …

Immigrant Arrests Surge to 10,000 in 5 Days as ICE Clamps Down  —  The agency has doubled its daily arrest numbers without the fanfare of last year's large urban operations, sowing fear in immigrant communities.  —  Federal immigration officials have detained more than 10,000 people in the last five days …

Right-wing media target pregnant and female travelers following SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling  —  Pundits suggested refusing pregnant travelers visas, deporting “birthing-aged” women, and even sterilizing travelers entering the United States … - On June 30, the Supreme Court rejected …

There Are Very Few Socialists in America  —  But most of us are social democrats  —  Fox News has a poll supposedly showing “socialism gaining ground with young voters.”  But I don't believe it.  Young people may be more receptive to the word socialism, but that's only because right-wingers constantly use …

OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake  —  Sam Altman's start-up in early talks for a public ownership deal as political pressure rises  —  Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free  —  OpenAI has discussed giving a 5 per cent stake to the US government as the $852bn AI start …

House Ethics says it doesn't have information to share on lawmaker sexual misconduct settlements  —  The House adopted a resolution Tuesday requiring the House Ethics Committee to release information on taxpayer funds used to pay out sexual misconduct settlements with lawmakers …

The Capital Is a Mess  —  The capital city is an absolute mess.  —  The White House is an active construction site, with cement trucks going through the same gates typically used by the president's armored limousine.  There's a gaping hole where half of the building once stood, a project held up by lawsuits.

The plot to subvert the midterms is getting stranger and more dangerous  —  Right-wing media figures including Steve Bannon, John Solomon, and Cleta Mitchell appear to be weaving together a narrative about interference by China in US elections to justify a national emergency to curtail voting rights

What to know if you go to Trump's potentially record-breaking fireworks show  —  The America 250 fireworks are expected to start later than normal on an unusually hot day.  Here's what to know if you plan to watch from the National Mall on July Fourth.  —  Summary

In Tumultuous Term, Chief Justice Roberts Took Charge of Unruly Supreme Court  —  The chief justice faced down the president, forged unlikely coalitions and achieved long-sought goals.  —  The Supreme Court term that ended Tuesday left almost everybody at least a little unhappy.

Tucker Carlson, Who Broke With Trump, Plans to ‘Help Build a Third Party’  —  The influential conservative commentator's relationship with the president and the G.O.P. fractured over the war with Iran.  Now, he says he is charting a new course.  —  Tucker Carlson, the influential conservative …

Mamdani to deliver America's 250th speech hours ahead of Trump  —  Mayor Zohran Mamdani will deliver a presidential-style speech Friday for America's 250th birthday in what City Hall billed a “major address” hours before President Trump delivers his own remarks.

What Is Going on With Mitch McConnell's Health?  —  In mid-June, Mitch McConnell was admitted to the hospital for an undisclosed reason, marking the latest health concern for Kentucky's senior senator and the former Republican Senate majority leader.  In the weeks since …

‘The old politics are gone’: Steve Bannon on the democratic socialist wave … To Bannon, it's proof of something he's said for months: The U.S. is in a transformational political moment, and leadership in both parties is way behind.  —  “We are facing a new politics.

U.S. Death Rate Falls to Its Lowest Point on Record  —  CDC says continued drop in drug overdose deaths contributed to low rate, while influenza and pneumonia now rank among top 10 causes of death  —  The U.S. overall death rate in 2025 fell to its lowest point on record …

America at 250: Who are we, anyway?  —  America turns 250 this year.  The celebrations are already underway — and so are the questions.  —  President Donald Trump has put himself at the center of the anniversary in Washington, DC, with hype-filled plans for festivals and fireworks.

Brutal heatwave scorches eastern US ahead of Fourth of July weekend  —  National Weather Service warns heat index could reach 115F as heat grips midwest, Ohio valley and east coast  —  A “prolonged, dangerous heatwave” is expected to intensify across parts of the central and eastern United States …

Pete Buttigieg's Ordeal Is a Frightening New Form of Political Harassment  —  Even in these unimaginative days, Americans are still capable of innovations in cruelty.  —  The news that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was investigated by Child Protective Services for a false allegation of child abuse was surprising.

Air Force major arrested after calling for Trump impeachment on Capitol steps  —  An Air Force major was arrested on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday after calling for President Trump and Vice President Vance's impeachment.  —  Peaceful demonstrations are permitted on Capitol grounds …

Fireworks on Mall likely to cause hazardous air pollution, documents show  —  Internal National Park Service modeling for the July Fourth show predicts dangerous pollution around the Mall and “very unhealthy” conditions across central D.C.  —  Summary  —  Fireworks for this year's July …

Colorado Governor Fires Officials Who Opposed Freeing Election Denier  —  Gov. Jared Polis commuted the sentence of Tina Peters, who tampered with voting machines in an attempt to show that the 2020 election had been rigged against President Trump.  —  Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado …