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 …

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 …

Blanche's slip-up on his Trump relationship: 'I'm his lawyer'  —  Todd Blanche likely fueled the most potent criticism against him Wednesday with a gaffe that may haunt him beyond his ongoing confirmation hearing to become the next attorney general.  Asked by Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) …

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 …

Trump intel pick Jay Clayton questioned about election security, journalist subpoenas  —  His appearance comes weeks after the president scrapped his originally scheduled confirmation hearing.  He is nominated to replace acting DNI Bill Pulte.  —  Summary

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 …

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 …

FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals  —  The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center's opera house in December were there to enjoy one of the nation's most exclusive celebrations of the performing arts: the center's annual honors gala.

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:

Ossoff predicts Trump's primetime address will be a ‘pretext for an abuse of federal power’  —  Sen. Jon Ossoff told MS NOW that he thinks the president will “lay the groundwork for some kind of potential challenge to the results” of November's midterms.  —  Ahead of the president's primetime address …

DRL NOFO Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in Europe  —  Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in Europe  —  A. Basic Information  —  1. Overview  —  Developing Civilizational Bonds, Democratic Resilience, and Rule of Law in Europe

'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.

Testosterone-Fueled Troops?  Hegseth Says Military to Begin Testing Hormones.  —  The Pentagon will annually test service members over the age of 30 for testosterone deficiencies, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday.  —  Hegseth said in a video posted to social media …

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.

Exclusive / Baltimore Sun owner threatens to sue Moore over Epstein comments  —  THE SCOOP  —  The owner of The Baltimore Sun is threatening to sue Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over comments the governor made linking him to Jeffrey Epstein.  —  During an appearance on MS NOW on June 16 …

America's Death Squads Are Real  —  Sometimes you can't see the world clearly from the inside.  —  ∙ Paid  —  1. Roving Death  —  Over the last week, agents of the federal government have killed two people on the streets of America.  We should say their names: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo; Johan Sebastián Guerrero.

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.

Diarrhea Donald And The Cyclospora Outbreak  —  Fair game is fair game.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Before we get to all of the diarrhea, let's talk about how Republicans did politics even before Donald Trump transformed bad faith from a right-wing method into a badge of honor.

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 …