WSJ: Fauci May Have a Bigger Problem Than Contempt Charge Today; UPDATE: Contempt Referral Passes  —  Anthony Fauci spent his life as a bureaucrat.  He apparently never learned a thing about operational security.  —  Today, a Senate committee led by Rand Paul (R-KY) will vote to send …

Moderate Democrats Prepare for ‘War’ Against an Ascendant Left  —  One moderate group says the progressive wins are “deeply troubling” and is planning a $15 million effort against democratic socialism.  —  The embattled establishment of the Democratic Party searched furiously for a political reset …

‘Is she even allowed to be doing this?’:  Inside a federal judge's side gig running a PR firm  —  A Trump-appointed federal appeals judge spent months running a Washington public affairs firm after being appointed to the bench last year, an arrangement that contributed to an exodus among …

Mitch McConnell Is Voting, But He's Still on Medical Leave  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell wasn't at the Agriculture Committee's markup of the farm bill Thursday, but the Kentucky Republican was casting tie-breaking votes on partisan issues.  —  Yet his absence is why the bill did not advance to the Senate floor.

How the U.S. Squandered Its Strategic Advantage  —  Idle threats and munitions shortages have boxed Trump in.  —  The united states is running out of missiles.  After five months of war with Iran, stockpiles of long-range weapons are so low, current and former U.S. defense officials told us …

IRS worker's group joins Jan. 6 ‘slush fund’ suit, seeking to block Trump audit carveout  —  The National Treasury Employees Union argues career IRS auditors “will be given unlawful directions” to terminate tax audits because of a Trump administration decision.

Elon Musk's DOGE made big errors in claims of government savings, GAO finds  —  The government watchdog found that billions of dollars in DOGE's public tally could not be verified and that some claimed cuts never happened.  —  Summary  —  The U.S. DOGE Service, the cost-cutting group spearheaded …

Iowa 2026 Poll: Sand Has an Edge in Governor's Race; Hinson Holds Narrow Senate Advantage  —  Trump, Reynolds approval ratings underwater  —  A new Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey of Iowa voters in the race for Governor finds 48% of voters support Democrat Rob Sand, while 43% support Republican Zach Lahn.

Vanderbilt's Board Declares War Against Academic Freedom  —  A new policy punishes faculty for speech the trustees deem strays from the core purpose of the university.  —  On July 29, Vanderbilt University's board of trustees announced the release of “The University And Its Purpose: A Declaration of First Principles.”

An Israeli professor lost a prestigious US job offer after speaking out on Gaza.  Now the university is paying him $250,000  —  The University of Minnesota withdrew an offer for Raz Segal to lead its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies after an organized campaign against his hiring

Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content  —  In short:  —  An ABC NEWS Verify investigation has found Facebook's parent company, Meta, is directly paying several controversial content creators including a white nationalist with Neo-Nazi links and a prominent anti-vaxxer.

Senate Republicans launch network of fake news sites  —  The Alaska Navigator bills itself as “independent news covering the Last Frontier.”  On June 10, the outlet published an article headlined, “As Fentanyl Deaths Rise in Alaska, Sullivan Pushes Tougher Penalties and Enforcement.”

Trump Administration Has Repeatedly Confessed in Court to Withholding Money From Blue States  —  The New York Times reported last month on one instance of the Trump administration explicitly admitting in court that it withheld grants from states for political reasons.  TPM has found more.

Three state attorneys general subpoena Anthony Fauci over Covid guidance  —  Fauci was subpoenaed as Republicans in Washington seek to hold him in contempt for refusing to answer questions about the handling of the Covid pandemic.  —  Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Wednesday …

See Where the Reflecting Pool Renovation Appeared to Fail  —  The New York Times identified dozens of areas throughout the newly installed liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that showed signs of bubbles, tears or peeling.  —  President Trump has for weeks blamed vandals for the damage …

How a $20 burrito shows the Trump administration's disconnect on cost of living  —  The latest political argument consuming social media ostensibly began with a college student's gripe that a burrito shouldn't cost $20.  —  Then entered former Marc Thiessen, the former George W. Bush speechwriter …

Judge Turns Up Heat on Trump's DOJ in Epstein Files Battle  —  Judge Emmet Sullivan found the Justice Department still hasn't complied with major portions of his earlier orders and is demanding answers face-to-face  —  Key Points … The federal judge overseeing MeidasTouch reporter Katie Phang's lawsuit …

Did MAGA Infiltrate the Green Party in Michigan?  —  ‘Welcome to the ballot, random internet stranger.’  —  OF ALL THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS up for grabs this fall, Michigan's 7th may be the most hotly contested.  Smack in the middle of the state, the 7th went to Donald Trump by just one percentage point in 2024.

Leprosy cases climb in Florida: Here's how to reduce your risk  —  (NewsNation) — Cases of leprosy are on the rise in Florida, and health officials are linking many cases to exposure to a specific animal.  —  As of July 23, Florida's Department of Health reported 17 cases statewide …

New book from Tillis dubs Miller, Hegseth as ‘MAGATS’  —  Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) becomes the latest lawmaker to announce a forthcoming book — but this one will take aim at his own party and President Donald Trump.  “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents” will explore how a group of …

Sanders doesn't believe he will endorse Hong: 'I don't think so'  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) signaled Wednesday he does not expect to endorse Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, less than a week before the primary in the Badger State.  —  “I don't think so,” …

Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership  —  The move sets the stage for more corporate consolidation in the media industry.  —  The Federal Communications Commission, the government agency that regulates the broadcast airwaves, voted Thursday to eliminate …

Our Chaos Agent President Has Another Big Card to Play  —  We got lots of important elections stories this week, but none stranger than the outcome in the Republican primary for Michigan's swingy 8th district, where Trump's endorsed candidate, Navy veteran Amir Hassan, endured a shocking loss …

Trump administration's latest buyback of offshore wind leases brings total to nearly $4 billion  —  An offshore wind company said Thursday that it reached a $1.2 billion settlement with the Trump administration to walk away from projects under development off New York, California and Louisiana.

Cities Are Ditching Flock, Immediately Replacing It With Axon License Plate Readers  —  Rather than get rid of ALPR cameras entirely, many cities and towns are switching to Axon, whose cameras can be mounted to an existing streetlamp, helping them blend into their surroundings.

At Trump's DOJ, watchdogs gutted as misconduct complaints soar  —  In one courtroom after another, federal judges have accused U.S. President Donald Trump's Justice Department of an extraordinary spate of misconduct, including making false statements, failing to comply with court orders …