Paul says Fauci will face ‘repercussions’ for taking the Fifth.  That could get complicated.  —  Rand Paul says Anthony Fauci can expect consequences for the former Covid czar's decision to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before Paul's Senate committee on Wednesday.

6 In 10 Voters Oppose U.S. Military Action In Iran Amid Spike In Expectations It Will Last A Year Or More, Trump Approval Hits New Low, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 49% Worse Off Financially Than A Year Ago As Majority Thinks Economy Is Worsening  — mail_outline

Blanche nomination hangs by a thread as Cornyn stands by settlement ultimatum  —  GOP Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday, less than 24 hours before a critical committee vote, that he is “not prepared” to support Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general as the two continue to tangle …

Scoop: Inside the White House pitch for pre-election MAGA megabill … President Trump and his team disagree.  — White House officials want the Senate to build in flexibility to jam through as much of the SAVE America Act as possible, and they are insisting it can be crafted to avoid tough amendment votes.

Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk's Racist Commentary?  —  “The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop.  It purports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working to overthrow the United States government — or as the book calls it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.”

Trump Unveils $22.5 Billion Redesign of Dulles Airport  —  The project would make the airport easier to navigate and include a new United lounge, officials said.  It's part of the president's plans to remake the Washington area.  —  President Trump unveiled plans for a $22.5 billion redesign …

Saudi defense minister holds urgent meeting with Vance after Iraq strikes  —  Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman told Vice President Vance at the White House Wednesday that despite the joint U.S.-Saudi strike on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, Saudi Arabia still favors de-escalation with Iran …

Trump Demanded Details of Agents' Interview of Comey, New Filing Says  —  The demand suggests the intense personal involvement of President Trump in investigating one of his longtime critics, the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey.  —  Secret Service agents who questioned the former F.B …

Exclusive: Musk plans massive push for GOP in midterms  —  Tech billionaire Elon Musk is jumping into the midterms with a huge investment in a plan to boost Republican voter turnout, Axios has learned. … - America PAC will focus on door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed …

Mamdani Derangement Syndrome: Murdoch Media Lets Its Islamophobic Flag Fly  —  From Fox to the NY Post and WSJ, the media's embrace of anti-Muslim rhetoric just got worse.  Plus, why CBS News staff are telling Zeteo its flagship news program is ‘so f***ed.’  —  ∙ Paid

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement  —  For release at 2:00 p.m. EDT  —  The Federal Open Market Committee approved the following statement for release by a 9 - 3 vote:  —  The Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent, in support of the Federal Reserve's dual mandate.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Ties the Knot With Brian Glenn in Las Vegas  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  RECOUNT ORDERED ON WEDDING GUESTS  —  UPDATE  —  7:46 AM PT ... Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the newylweds had dinner at Spago and got married at the Terrazza di Sogno in The Bellagio.

Trump overrode his own agencies to deny 4 Democratic disaster requests  —  President Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month.  —  Emails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages …

Singer Humiliates Trump After White House Uses His Song  —  MUSICAL MUTINY  —  His co-writer got even more personal.  —  Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan is leading the latest charge of musicians firing back against the White House for stealing their songs.  —  The chart-topping folk-pop …

Judge tosses Kash Patel's $10M defamation lawsuit against blogger who called him a ‘chud’  —  Jim Stewartson accused Patel of helping to organize the Jan 6 attack on the US capitol  —  FBI Director Kash Patel's $10 million defamation lawsuit targeting a blogger who called him a “Kremlin asset” …

Senate goes on record to oppose any possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell … - Why it matters: Democrats wanted to put every Republican senator on record as opposed to a potential pardon.  — By failing to object to Sen. Jacky Rosen's resolution, Republicans agreed that the president …

Fox News Poll: Democratic enthusiasm shapes North Carolina Senate race  —  In North Carolina, more Democrats than Republicans say they are extremely interested in the midterm elections (51% vs. 42%), and more Democrats also say they are extremely motivated to vote (58% vs. 50%).

What Our Epstein Outrage Has Obscured  —  A woman showing the tattoo of one of her traffickers.Tamara Reynolds for The New York Times  —  Kanisha Hamilton became an expert on sex trafficking the hard way, beginning at the age of 12.  So whenever she heard talk about the Jeffrey Epstein case, “it triggered me bad,” she recalled.

Pacing the Frontier  —  A statement from 1,273 employees of frontier AI companies  —  Statement  —  AI could help create a dramatically better future, but that outcome is not guaranteed.  The world's leading AI companies believe they could be close to automating AI research.

Trump Says He Wants Supreme Court to Revive Suit Against Hillary Clinton  —  President Donald Trump said he will ask the US Supreme Court to revive his failed lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and others of conspiring to tarnish his 2016 campaign with bogus claims of collusion with Russia.

European soccer officials eye Qatari sports executive to challenge Infantino  —  BRUSSELS — European soccer officials are considering Qatari sports executive Nasser al-Khelaifi as a potential candidate in next year's election for FIFA's top job, after President Gianni Infantino's proposal …

Senior Trump Official Using Government Account To Smear Sitting Federal Judges  —  This “puts a bullseye” on judges already facing a spike in violent threats, warned U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a disgruntled litigant.  —  WASHINGTON - A senior Trump administration official …

Trump administration ending Medicare premium subsidy program  —  The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would move to end a Biden-era Medicare premium subsidy program, alleging it benefited insurance companies more than enrollees.  —  As a result, Medicare Part D subsidies will expire …

Trump DOJ loses bid for New Jersey voter rolls, now 0 for 18  —  President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) suffered its 18th defeat, with no wins, in its nationwide voter data crusade Wednesday, when a federal judge dismissed the department's lawsuit* seeking New Jersey's unredacted voter rolls.

Convicted assailant of author Salman Rushdie found guilty of federal terrorism charges  —  The man who stabbed and partially blinded author Salman Rushdie on stage at a New York arts institute in 2022 was found guilty on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges stemming from the attack.

Bari's New ‘60’ Slate … On Tuesday afternoon, I received an urgent tip on the encrypted-messaging app Signal: Ross Douthat, the conservative opinion columnist at The New York Times, was set to leave the newspaper and join “60 Minutes.”  Initially, I was skeptical.

US oil inventories fall to ‘precariously low’ level as Iran war disrupts supply  —  Decline could erode ability to supply Asian and European markets dependent on supplies from the Middle East  —  US crude stockpiles fell sharply last week as local oil refineries boosted activity to take advantage …