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 …

We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books.  It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility … Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process.  —  A 404 Media investigation was able to reveal Amazon's book buying operation …

Supreme Court denies Trump's rehearing petition, cementing Carroll's $5 million win  —  The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump's long-shot request to reconsider taking up his appeal in one of the two civil cases he lost to E. Jean Carroll.

Trump Will Make South Korea Pay for His Iran Humiliation  —  His rage is driving him to make irrational policy choices.  —  Last winter, Donald Trump plunged recklessly into war with Iran.  The United States is now losing that conflict.  Iran remains defiant, much of the world economy …

Fox Host Trashes U.S. Sailors as ‘Weak’ for Speaking Out About Dire Conditions  —  Fox News host Joey Jones mocked service members speaking out about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln  —  Key Points … Fox News host Joey Jones lashed out at U.S. service members who have spoken publicly …

The Wrong Kind of American  —  The Trump White House needed me—until the fact that I am trans became public.  —  At the cia, they'd started an office pool on when I'd be fired.  —  President Trump would be sworn in for his second term at noon; the smart money had me gone by 12:15.

Burnham exchanged messages with impersonator of top Trump aide  —  The U.K. leader believed he was communicating with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.  —  LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham engaged with messages from somebody impersonating one of Donald Trump's closest advisers, four officials have told POLITICO.

From Natalie, With LOVE ...  With the growing attention being given to Trump handler/confidante Natalie Harp, I looked up this November 2024 Times article which captures some of the relationship ...  Given that Natalie Harp is not only a conventionally attractive women but also Trump's type …

Trump blames vandals for damaged grass in the same spot where he held his big July 4 celebration  —  President Donald Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration.

With Fear and Favor  —  Institutions don't have courage.  They have incentives.  —  Institutions don't have courage.  They have incentive structures.  When incentives line up just right, it is not uncommon for an institution to make a collective decision that almost no one inside it would have made alone.

The Democratic establishment's ideas deficit  —  The centrist Democratic group Third Way recently declared “war” on democratic socialists to head off what they fear could be a far-left hijacking of the party ahead of 2028.  — But establishment Democrats have made clear what they're …

Ossoff rips Trump over closeness with White House aide in new Democratic attack line  —  Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) launched attacks on President Donald Trump at a Sunday rally in Atlanta, chastising the president over his closeness to top White House aide, Natalie Harp, opening the door …

New evidence suggests White House took steps to punish Colorado over Tina Peters case  —  Exactly one year ago this week, Donald Trump threatened to impose “harsh measures” on the state of Colorado unless it agreed to release election denier Tina Peters from prison several years before her sentence runs its course.

Why prescription drug prices are plunging  —  America is experiencing its biggest prescription drug price deflation in generations. … - Prices haven't risen in any month this year, an unusually persistent stretch of flat or falling drug prices.  — The downward trend comes as costs …

James Talarico's Campaign Is Refunding Over $1 Million in Excess Contributions  —  James Talarico keeps raising too much money.  —  The Texas Democrat has already raised more than $70 million in his bid to defeat state Attorney General Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate — more than any other non-incumbent candidate …

Even some Republican voters sour on Trump  —  High prices, a persistent war and anxiety about corruption are quickly eroding President Trump's support among Republicans, a warning sign for the White House with less than 80 days to the midterms. … - The loss of one or both chambers …

Trump dwarfs his predecessors in the number of ultra-rich in his second White House, report shows  —  Wealth, perhaps second only to loyalty, has been a prized attribute for Donald Trump during his second presidency.  —  The number of people worth at least $100 million whom the Republican president …

Kushner in Israel, trying to get Gaza peace plan back on track  —  President Trump's son-in-law and envoy, Jared Kushner, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, an Israeli official told The Hill, following reported talks with the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas …

Trump ‘Won’ on Tariffs?  Lol.  —  Today marks the end of the sixty-day negotiating period set forth in the memorandum of understanding the Trump administration signed with Iran.  By now, we were supposed to have agreements on the status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.  And we do!

What could a post-Trump governance coalition look like?  —  To simplify a bit (a lot): there are two parts to public administration.  “Administration” means getting shit done.  “Public” implies doing it in a way that is broadly legitimate and accountable to citizens.

FBI stumbled across Eric Swalwell's affair with Chinese spy Fang Fang when agents tried to recruit her: docs  —  WASHINGTON — The FBI stumbled on disgraced ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell's affair with Chinese spy Fang Fang when the bureau tried to recruit her to be a double-agent, bombshell documents reveal.

Islamophobia's Rise in Texas: 'I Won't Rest Until Every Muslim Is Gone'  —  Muslim communities have been growing for decades, particularly around Dallas.  Now, conservatives want to roll up the welcome mat.  —  Morning prayer at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas.Desiree Rios for The New York Times

I'm a hawk.  I'm shocked by a $1.5 trillion defense budget.  —  The request would top World War II spending while funding boondoggles and sweetheart deals.  —  As a defense hawk, I've long been in favor of more military spending — up to and including when the defense budget hit $1 trillion this year.