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 …

Trump roasted over ‘flying palace’ trips with aide: ‘He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie’  —  Democratic senator Jon Ossoff claimed that the president is ‘treating citizens as fools and those who serve as pawns’  —  Donald Trump would rather build the White House ballroom …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

What's So Special about a Special Grand Jury?  —  A primer on how special grand juries work, what federal law actually permits them to do, and why this one might backfire.  —  annabower.bsky.social  —  Meet The Authors  —  The Justice Department has empaneled a special grand jury in Washington …

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 …

Is the DSA a Republican Psy-Op?  —  If I told you the DSA was secretly run by Roger Stone to hurt Democrats it would make more sense than . . . this.  —  1. Sides  —  Over the weekend Hakeem Jeffries was asked if he endorsed the agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America.  He said no.

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!

Don't Say Sophie!  —  No matter how much of a disaster you think the WNBA has been lately, the geniuses at the League are determined to prove that they can make the problems worse.  —  AOC is right that Woke One was crazy; what she leaves out is that Woke Two, Three, and Four are or will be crazier yet.

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