Scoop: Platner privately told staff he'll formally exit Senate race Monday  —  Graham Platner privately told staff that he is planning to officially file paperwork to end his Senate campaign on Monday — the drop-dead deadline for him to exit the race.

Texas ICE Killing Darkens: Rep Says Witnesses Pressured to Self-Deport  —  After a federal agent killed an undocumented Mexican man in his van during a traffic stop in Houston on Tuesday, the government rushed to follow a familiar template.  Just as it has after other shootings …

ICE killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.  They want you to be apathetic.  Don't be.  —  Lorenzo Salgado Araujo woke up at 5 a.m. Tuesday and started his day like almost every other one for the last 35 years since he came to Houston from Mexico and built his own American Dream brick by brick …

The Downballot releases presidential results for every new House district, sponsored by Grassroots Analytics  —  The Downballot is pleased to present our calculations of the results of the 2024 presidential election for every congressional district that will be used in the 2026 midterms …

In ruling against Florida's Stop WOKE Act, this Trump judge took DeSantis to school  —  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals' 2-1 decision Tuesday upholding a lower court decision against Florida's so-called Stop WOKE Act is a necessary rebuke of state lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis …

Rubio tries to enlist other nations in antifa fight, but some allies recoil  —  The secretary of state plans to convene foreign ministers in Washington next week.  The event has unsettled some U.S. and European officials.  —  Summary  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers …

An American Life Cut Short  —  Whoever said “brevity is the soul of wit” never ran for Senate in Maine.  Days after he was accused of sexual assault—and weeks after the first reports of his suspect behavior towards women raised worries that more serious allegations could emerge …

A New Poll Shows a Tight Fight for Platner Replacements  —  A poll of potential replacements for Graham Platner, who dropped out of the Maine Senate race on Wednesday, found a trio of former gubernatorial candidates in tight head-to-head battles against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Dem lawmakers want Kash Patel to answer for his spending — but this time they're not alone  —  A powerful Republican who has publicly defended the FBI director is now demanding answers on his BMW purchases and his use of the bureau jet.  —  FBI Director Kash Patel has been demanding special perks …

Trump's proposed triumphal arch clears another key hurdle  —  The National Capital Planning Commission, led by the president's allies, voted to advance the project near Arlington Cemetery, tabling a height question for later.  —  Summary  —  A federal commission Thursday advanced President …

Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism  —  A former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys …

Ukraine has ‘two months before Putin escalates war’  —  Czech president warns Russian leader could order general mobilisation after parliamentary elections  —  Ukraine has two months to restart peace talks or risk Russia escalating the war, the Czech president has said.

The hidden costs of low-tax states  —  America's state governments now run on two very different tax engines: income in many coastal and professional-class states, and consumption in much of the Sun Belt and low-tax-growth belt.  —  Why it matters: States are not just competing over tax rates.

Bill Pulte Keeps Firing Career Intel Staff.  Wait Until You See Some Of His Past Hires.  —  Trump's intelligence chief previously hired a once-convicted sex offender and a former JD Vance aide who got caught chronicling his drug abuse on Reddit.  —  WASHINGTON ― Bill Pulte …

White House says Trump's Air Force One switch was a ‘misdirection’  —  The White House on Thursday defended the new retrofitted Air Force One as safe and secure after reports emerged indicating President Trump switched to the older model to leave Turkey out of an abundance of caution.

Jeb Bush raises alarm over Iranian drones in Cuba  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Wednesday raised the alarm over Iranian drones believed to be in Cuba.  —  “Iran has been a consistent threat to the united security interests of our country, certainly of Israel,” …

Data Centers Are Quietly Taking Over Texas.  The Pollution Could Be Catastrophic  —  A regulatory loophole has let in thousands of new fossil-fuel-burning power sources across the state.  The AI business is booming—but residents feel blindsided.  —  Omaira Garcia didn't realize life …

He Earns $33 an Hour as a Costco Cashier.  Now He's a Millionaire.  —  Long-tenured workers like cashier Tony Barzar are reliable, experienced and able to speed shoppers through a checkout line.  Costco is willing to pay to keep them around.  —  TUCSON, Ariz.—Costco cashier Tony Barzar unloaded …

Fetterman, McCormick launch rare bipartisan joint fundraising committee  —  Pennsylvania's two senators, despite being from opposite parties, are banding together in a joint fundraising effort in advance of the 2026 midterms and 2028 election cycle.  —  A new political action committee …

SC Republican calls on National Guard to end suspensions of 8 beach-buzzing Apache pilots  —  South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry (R) called on the state's National Guard on Thursday to lift its suspensions on pilots involved in a Fourth of July flyover show in the Palmetto State.

The Fight Over Hormuz Boils Down to One Poorly Worded Clause in Trump's Deal  —  Paragraph 5 hands Iran a leading role in opening the waterway, but one the U.S. and its allies aren't comfortable with  —  President Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran was supposed to open the Strait …

Is Mitch McConnell Even Alive?  If So, Where the Hell Is He?  —  Republicans are really into strange disappearances lately.  —  I have withheld comment on this whole Mitch McConnell business because I find it difficult to analyze a person without the most basic information—like, whether or not he's freaking alive.

RNC midterm convention to be candidate fundraiser, with tickets reaching $20,000 in some states  —  An invitation from the Denton County Republican Party outside of Dallas offers attendees at the GOP's midterm convention a chance to be “honorary delegates” for a cool $20,000.

Mamdani's office accused of excluding Jews from map of NYC immigrant neighbourhoods  —  The map included ‘Little Palestine’ and ‘Little Egypt’, but not its Jewish, Irish and Italian enclaves  —  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lights the Empire State Building in celebration of America 250 on July 04, 2026 (Getty Images)

Andy Burnham apologises for Labour's stance on Gaza and says it 'didn't get it right'  —  Exclusive: PM-in-waiting says party must ‘do better’ in approach to Middle East and he will put more pressure on Israel  —  Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour's initial response to Israel's military action in Gaza …

Trump denies disaster aid to four blue states, after approving aid to six red states  —  A White House spokesperson said there is “no politicization to the president's decisions on disaster relief.”  There's compelling evidence to the contrary.  —  The White House was already facing credible allegations …

The administration has a new climate change office.  It's headed by a climate critic.  —  The Trump administration has reconstituted a governmentwide program that tracks how climate change is transforming the country, after having gutted it last year as part of a purge of programs that didn't line up with its worldview.