Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea  —  President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea after he says it declined to help denuclearize Iran.  The announcement comes just before one of two large-scale joint annual exercises …

Kushner Meets With Hamas to Advance Trump's Gaza Plan  —  The president's son-in-law met the Palestinian militant group's leaders in Egypt, officials said.  He will soon see Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader.  —  Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and close adviser …

Blanche Refuses to Say He'll Always Be Independent of Trump as Attorney General  —  The new head of the Justice Department said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the president had never asked him to prosecute specific people — and never would.  —  Todd Blanche, the newly confirmed attorney general …

Hook and Squeeze  —  This investigation was originally developed for The New York Times, where it underwent eight months of editing, multiple rounds of fact-checking, and independent replication of the underlying methodology.  The piece had a scheduled publication date when requests for comment were sent.

Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport.  —  The case represents a new front in President Trump's mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.  —  Brent Jindra, a tech salesman, voted for President Trump three times …

Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War  —  Intercepted communications and other intelligence suggest a strategic shift by hard-line leaders to raise the costs for the U.S. and its regional allies  —  After President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June …

CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism, and how Americans see parties in today's economy  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Most Americans believe a free market system is a good thing.  —  Americans are net-negative on socialism.  Capitalism is better-liked.

Rep. Nancy Mace reveals new tattoos as she launches YouTube show after losing political career  —  WASHINGTON — Outgoing firebrand Rep. Nancy Mace used her new YouTube talk show to debut spicy tattoos on both arms — as she went sleeveless in public for the first time in months.

Democrats Face a Potential Tea Party Moment  —  A string of primary wins by progressive candidates has revealed the strength of a high-energy insurgent movement but also its possible limitations.  —  Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani at a rally last week.Angelina Katsanis for The New York Times

Trump's Ballroom Was His Dream of Beauty and Space.  Now It's a ‘Military Complex.’  —  As courts have questioned the president's authority for the project, he has leaned in to arguments of national security  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump's vision for a White House ballroom stretches back more than a decade.

We need to care about Trump's CIA murdering fishermen on the high seas  —  One of the worst things about Donald Trump's America in the 2020s — I know, I know, it's hard to pick — is the return of all the horrible stuff that you foolishly thought our flawed nation was done with after the reckonings of the 1970s.

Far-right Israeli minister advocates killing ‘30 to 40’ Gazans each night  —  Itamar Ben-Gvir also calls for re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian enclave  —  Israel should be killing “30 to 40” people each night in Gaza and should build Jewish settlements in the Palestinian enclave …

Trump accuses Democrats of ‘trickery’ over candidate with same name as Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan  —  Republican Dan J. Sullivan is challenging GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.  —  Dan J. Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares a name with the incumbent seeking reelection …

How AOC is rewriting her own “Woke 1” history  —  New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is laughing off “Woke 1.”  But she's carrying baggage from the 2020 era of cultural progressivism that some Democrats say is an obstacle to a future presidential run.

How ‘Psychopath’ Trump's Mayhem Will Backfire in 2028 for Republicans  —  Steepening gas prices, Medicaid cuts, war with Iran... Norm Ornstein joins John Harwood to dissect how Trump's chaotic reign will far outlast him once he goes.  —  John Harwood, Norman Ornstein, and Team Zeteo

Socialist NY lawmaker Emily Gallagher says shoplifting for ‘biological need’ is OK  —  It's her ‘steal’ of approval.  —  A Brooklyn socialist lawmaker declared this week that shoplifters have a right to swipe items like soap and toothpaste from local stores without getting busted — because of their “biological need” for the products.

Top U.S. commander acknowledges mental health issues on USS Lincoln … U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper on Sunday acknowledged mental health challenges aboard the USS Lincoln after reports that a sailor jumped overboard amid the aircraft carrier's long Middle East deployment.