Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming damage on ‘botched’ installation  —  The Justice Department said “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Trump says he wishes anti-weaponization fund wasn't dead, angering senators he needs to confirm Blanche  —  President Donald Trump said Friday that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for so-called victims of government abuse is “dead” - as much as he'd like it not to be.

Live Updates: Most of the Migrants Who Crossed Into Spanish Territory Have Returned, Officials Say  —  About 37,000 of the up to 60,000 people who came into Ceuta from Morocco returned within a day.  Still, the sudden influx created a crisis for Spain's pro-immigration government.  At least 34 people died.

Trump Orders Fresh Attack on Iran  —  U.S. officials say the attacks could begin as soon as this weekend  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump has ordered a fresh attack on Iran aimed at getting Tehran to surrender that could begin as soon as this weekend and would last a few days, U.S. officials said.

How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms  —  Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.  —  Benny Johnson, a right-wing podcaster …

The Bond Market Doesn't Like Bullshit  —  The Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve meets every six weeks to set interest rates — specifically the federal funds rate, the overnight rate at which banks lend each other money.  The Fed funds rate has little direct economic significance …

Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says  —  The federal warning comes after more than 30 water facilities in Minnesota were breached. … Cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems have been reported in at least seven states this week …

Editor of Washington Post Opinion Section Resigns After 1 Year  —  Adam O'Neal inherited a mandate from the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, to shift toward “personal liberties and free markets.”  —  Adam O'Neal, the top editor of The Washington Post's opinion section, resigned on Friday …

Google Earth's New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images  —  On Thursday, Google introduced a new AI feature into Google Earth which lets anyone fabricate all sorts of misleading or straight up inaccurate satellite imagery, from making it look like a specific place …

How Trump Has Changed, With Maggie Haberman  —  This is an edited transcript of “The Ezra Klein Show.”  You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts.  —  Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent at The New York Times, a Pulitzer Prize winner and an author …

What Susan Collins Just Did on Trump and ICE Should Worry All Dems  —  Last month, an ICE agent gunned down a 25-year-old immigrant father outside his house in Biddeford, Maine.  The shooting was a horror.  His three-year-old daughter was seen crying after the killing.  The victim has been widely described as a good man.

Exclusive: FBI gets voter's IP address in new fraud probe tactic  —  The Trump administration has a new tactic for trying to isolate cases of alleged voter fraud — digging into the IP addresses of those who went online to register to vote.  — The FBI recently obtained the IP address …

LAPD officer who recorded colleagues' racist comments charged with felony eavesdropping  — 5 min Click here to listen to this article … - Prosecutors are expected to charge that LAPD officer Daniel Flores violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which prohibits recording others without their consent.

Elon Musk planning to throw financial support behind Susan Collins' U.S. Senate bid  —  Musk's America PAC reportedly intends to spend $100 million to $120 million to help Republicans in Senate races in Maine and several other states.  —  3 min readFont size +

Hunter Biden Blames Cancer for Joe Biden's Disastrous Debate  —  Medical experts say it is unlikely that Mr. Biden's debate performance was affected by the cancer that was diagnosed months later.  —  Hunter Biden said on a podcast episode published this week that he believed his father …

The Tate Brothers' Should Be The Trumps' Second Epstein Scandal  —  The truth is much worse than most people realize, and they knew a lot of it.  —  I've had Heidi Blake's lengthy New Yorker exposé about Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan open in a browser tab for over a month.

Sen. Bernie Moreno Doesn't ‘Know’ if Embattled Rep. Max Miller Should Stay on Ballot  —  Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is unsure whether Rep. Max Miller should stay on the ballot in his House district after Miller was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife — who is also the senator's daughter.

Obama's Refreshingly Frank Verdict on Trump Revealed  —  BURN BOOK  —  The former president got extremely candid on a private phone call.  —  Former President Barack Obama tore into his successor Donald Trump in private as an “idiot” and a “liar,” a secret diary has revealed.

Pentagon ends leadership of Ukraine aid group as US distances from Europe  —  The Pentagon is giving up leadership of a U.S.-led NATO command in Germany that coordinates military aid to Ukraine, the latest sign of a broader American withdrawal from its closest allies.

Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It  —  The White House tried but failed to block funding for preschool for poor children.  Instead, it will seek to strip away standards on health, literacy — and brushing teeth.  —  The Trump administration is preparing …

He Sees Politics as a Spiritual Battle Against Demonic Forces.  Now He's Advising the Governor.  —  Meet Nate Schatzline, the Christian nationalist and former state representative who is helping Greg Abbott manage “election integrity.”  —  Digital subscribers can listen to this article.

A Portrait of MAGA Psychodrama  —  With his Middle East crisis spiraling out of control, his domestic agenda totally stalled, and popularity in the sewer, Donald Trump is keeping his eye on the prize.  “Almost every night in the White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports …