Todd Blanche says he can't meet directly with Epstein victims  —  Todd Blanche fended off questions about his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files at his confirmation hearing Wednesday morning, telling members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that “when it comes to victims of his horrible man …

They Don't Care If ICE Kills People  —  Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has his first day of hearings for his nomination to the top Justice Department job today.  He'll spend most of the day answering questions—or, more precisely, not answering questions, because the rules the Republicans …

Tehran threatens to halt all Middle East energy exports after US reimposes its blockade on Iran  —  The U.S. military reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign early Wednesday, hitting an Iranian army barracks and killing at least seven troops …

U.S. Mint to produce $1 coin with Trump's face on it, treasury secretary says  —  The U.S. Mint will soon begin producing a new $1 gold-hued coin with President Donald Trump's face on it.  —  Summary  —  The U.S. Mint will soon begin producing a new $1 gold-hued coin with President Donald Trump's face …

New frontiers in sanewashing  —  One of the keys to understanding the current catastrophe enveloping this country because it chose to make Donald Trump president (twice, so far) is that for no doubt complex sociological and psychological reasons lots of elite actors have to pretend to themselves …

Nominee for top intel post faces lawmakers eager to see him replace the current leader  —  Jay Clayton's confirmation hearing comes amid growing concern among Democrats that the Trump administration will try to use the intelligence agencies to interfere with the midterm elections.

'I'm staying out of Maine': Chuck Schumer sidelines himself with the Senate majority on the line … And Chuck Schumer, known for working every possible angle to give his party's campaigns an edge, is largely helpless to do anything about it.  —  The sidelines are an unusual place for the longtime Senate Democratic leader.

FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals  —  Reporting Highlights  — Expensive Gifts: Despite regulating broadcast media, FCC commissioners have accepted pricey tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala from CBS or its parent company, now Paramount.

Why MAGA influencers are wooing Graham Platner's male fans  —  Manosphere figures are using anger over the Maine race to coax young voters back to Trump  —  Graham Platner has already quit the race to be the next senator from Maine, but defenses of the once-rising Democrat are only growing.

Why we still don't know what foods are the source of the cyclospora outbreak  —  Government cuts have contributed to an information vacuum on foodborne illness  —  As of Tuesday, a parasite called cyclospora has  —  so far this summer.  On Monday, Michigan health officials announced their first potential source:

Canadian woman slaps teen over Trump clothing on Jersey Shore boardwalk; now charged and in ICE custody  —  A leftist Canadian woman allegedly slapped a teen who was wearing President Trump-branded clothing on the Jersey Shore over the Fourth of July weekend — before she was arrested and detained by immigration officials.

Opportunities Narrow for Women as Hegseth Blocks More Promotions  —  For the first time in more than a decade, no active-duty female Navy officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year.  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently blocked the promotions of seven senior Navy officers …

The Forever War Gets Scary  —  But I'm not talking about bombs and drones  —  For all my interviews and more, subscribe on YouTube.  —  Transcript  —  The war with Iran has just reached a very scary phase, and I'm not talking about the bombs and the drones.

Biden will publish ‘Promise Me, America’ memoir after the November midterm elections  —  Former President Joe Biden will publish a memoir this fall, publisher Little, Brown and Company told The Associated Press.  “Promise Me, America,” which Biden says will touch upon everything from the economy …

New York offers Democrats a roadmap for data center fight  —  New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's first-in-the-nation data center moratorium could provide a playbook for other Democrats confronting one of the midterms' most heated issues. … - Until now, no governor had imposed a statewide data center moratorium.