“Brace for losing everything”: Farm crisis fears grip GOP in Iowa  —  Iowa is on the verge of a farm crisis that threatens to wreck the agricultural heart of the state and hurt the fortunes of Republicans at the top of the midterm ticket, GOP strategists acknowledge.

The Beclowning of Scott Bessent  —  One iron law of current politics is that nobody who associates themselves with Donald Trump emerges with a shred of credibility.  For some, that's not a big loss — it's not as if anyone respected Pete Hegseth even before he decided that the key …

Trump personally helped orchestrate taxpayer-funded ads promoting himself and his policies, source says  —  President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, taxpayer-funded video ads promoting himself and his administration's policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used …

Hegseth to cut 20 percent of admirals, generals in major Pentagon overhaul  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce a 20 percent cut to slots slated for admirals and generals at the Pentagon as part of his push to overhaul the outlook of the department, a Pentagon official confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday.

Democrats coalesce around a message about the cost of corruption  —  Loading...  In today's edition ... It's worth watching where Trump is traveling ... We ask you about a midlife sabbatical ... but first ...  A message centered on the cost of corruption  —  Voters often think all politicians, from both parties, are corrupt.

A Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western Civilization  —  Kurt Schlichter was part of a task force rooting out so-called woke ideologies at the military's war colleges.  He has called to bar childless adults from voting.

Jack Smith stresses strength of Trump cases, says he will not be ‘silenced’ by threats  —  Former special counsel Jack Smith stressed in prepared remarks that it was the evidence tied to President Trump's own actions that prompted him to bring charges against Trump.

It Was the Essential Home of Supreme Court News.  Now It's a Joke.  What Happened?  —  Earlier this month, SCOTUSblog hosted its annual Supreme Court “summit” in Washington.  For nearly a quarter century, SCOTUSblog has been the go-to outlet for information about the court and its docket …

Sen. Eric Schmitt pins down Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan  —  Sen. Eric Schmitt thought he caught Jack Smith in a lie.  Instead, he outed him as a fan of former Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark.  In a quest to frame former special counsel Jack Smith as a liar during his testimony …

Midterm Elections in Ohio, September 2026  —  Democrats Lead in Ohio's Senate & Gubernatorial Contests... Impressions of Trump Loom Large  — Brown (51%) leads Husted (43%) among registered voters statewide in the race for U.S. Senate in Ohio.  Independents break for Brown (58% to 33% for Husted).

“A Massive Power Grab”: White House Proposal Threatens Funding That Helps Disabled Americans Vote  —  Without Amy Miller, some elderly and disabled people wouldn't be able to vote.  —  The attorney for Disability Rights Nebraska travels the state, investigating the quality of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Sen. Eric Schmitt is drawing buzz as a possible Vance VP in 2028  —  First-term Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) — who was a tough-on-crime state attorney general, and now is vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee — has grown close to Vice President Vance and is seen as a top prospect to become a potential 2028 running mate.

Unsurprisingly, Meta's new Muse AI agent blatantly ignores users permissions  —  In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.

Top FBI official Andrew Bailey, who was once widely seen as Patel successor, resigns  —  Andrew Bailey, FBI co-deputy director who was once widely viewed as a potential successor to FBI Director Kash Patel, is resigning, he announced Monday.  —  His resignation takes effect Oct. 2, multiple sources said.

Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko  —  Listen to Zooming In at The UnPopulist in your favorite podcast app: Apple Podcasts |  Shikha Dalmia: Welcome to Zooming In, .  You and I go back a long way.

GOP senator blocks bill to stop Trump from demolishing Kennedy Center  —  The bipartisan effort to ban the demolition of presidential memorials was thwarted in the Senate by an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).  —  Loading...  A bipartisan effort to ban the demolition of presidential memorials …

Tennessee to execute a woman for first time in over 200 years  —  Christa Pike was convicted in a brutal 1995 killing committed when she was 18.  Advocates pushing for her life to be spared point to abuse she suffered as a child.  —  SummaryLoading...  A Tennessee woman scheduled …

How Trump's sweeping changes are remaking Washington  —  June 3, 2025. Sept. 1, 2026.  —  President Donald Trump has focused on remaking Washington in his second term, from blades of grass on the White House lawn to new monuments around the city.  —  He regularly directs the presidential helicopter …

Trump administration ban on $1B in Canadian imports goes into effect  —  President Trump's ban on nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian goods went into effect Tuesday, marking the latest salvo in a trade war between the U.S. and its longtime ally to the north.

What's Gone Wrong For the GOP  —  And some speculation about why.  —  A two-part item today: I'm looking again at the state of the election, focused this time mainly on the Senate, and then shifting to some first thoughts about why things have gone so badly so far for Republicans.

Anthropic's IPO prospectus shows sweeping AI vision, surging costs  —  Anthropic is making a massive bet that AI will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.  —  But the cost to get there will be staggering.

Trump Administration Launches AI Tool Aimed at Streamlining Government Online Services  —  America.gov website will test the administration's ambitions to improve online experience for citizens  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has built a tool powered by artificial intelligence …

Americans Are Growing More Pessimistic About the Economy  —  Americans' confidence in the economy sank to the lowest level in more than a decade this month as prices remain elevated and wages stagnate amid the ongoing Iran war.  —  The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence …

Rubio says foreign actor was ‘clearly’ behind suspected RAF Fairford plot  —  US secretary of state, who offered no evidence for claims, also says many people ‘disturbed’ that five suspects released on bail  —  A counter-terrorism operation near RAF Fairford in the UK was mired in confusion …

Rubio says Cuba has ‘already fallen’: ‘It is a failed state’  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Cuba has “already fallen” and is a “failed state” as tensions rise between the U.S. and island nation.  —  “Well, the truth is Cuba has already fallen,” Rubio told Fox News's Sean Hannity.

Here's What Could Happen if Democrats Win in November  —  Plus, RFK Jr.'s plan to get Americans to eat healthily hits White House resistance, and Iran is losing its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz  —  Good morning.  This is the second in a two-part series where we explore what could happen …

Three deaths, three states, 24 hours: one day in ICE's quiet but ‘gruesome’ surge  —  These men in Maine, Georgia and Florida shared no ties - until they became casualties in the latest phase of Trump's anti-immigration campaign  —  It was 7am on 13 July this year.

Schumer slams data center bill as ‘ineffectual participation trophy’  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday slammed a bill that would force states to consider standards to mitigate data centers' power price impacts as an “ineffectual participation trophy.”

Mamdani Increases City Funds to Thwart Hate Crimes, Antisemitism  —  Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a multimillion dollar effort to combat hate crimes in New York City, acknowledging an increase in antisemitism that has unsettled many Jewish New Yorkers and stirred criticism of the mayor's pointed rhetoric about Israel.

Newsom signs bills pushing back on Trump's immigration agenda  — 5 min Click here to listen to this article  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a raft of bills designed to push back on the Trump administration's immigration enforcement in California, including bans on electric shock gloves …

Why Democrats Should Stop Using the Phrase “Culture Wars”  —  Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, who is surprisingly close in polls against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, attributes that strong standing to her campaign strategy.  She says her secret sauce is avoiding the “culture wars.”