Politics

They Paid It Anyway

Washington calls it “improper payments.” A private firm would call it grounds for termination.

Mapped in Plain Sight: DataRepublican's NoBlogs Explorer

Days after Washington hit the Italian host behind NoBlogs with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist sanction, DataRepublican turned its public archive into a searchable map — reigniting a fight over doxing fears and free speech.

Trump Announces Deal for US Control of 65B Barrels of Venezuelan Oil

Trump called it "the biggest oil deal in world history." But within 48 hours, U.S. officials, Venezuela's own president, and competing news reports had already given three different accounts of how it actually works.

California's 'Stop Nick Shirley Act' Signed Amid First Amendment Fight

California's new "Stop Nick Shirley Act" bars publishing an immigration worker's info with intent to threaten them — but critics warn even legitimate fraud investigators could face costly lawsuits before ever proving their intent was clean.

Judge Weighs Bail for Tate Brothers Fighting UK Extradition

Andrew and Tristan Tate appeared in a Miami courtroom for the first time since July, fighting extradition to the UK on rape and trafficking charges while a judge weighs bail.

Milo Yiannopoulos Detained by ICE at New Orleans Airport

Milo Yiannopoulos, who once called for ICE checkpoints in supermarkets, was detained by ICE himself at a New Orleans airport — held in Louisiana, awaiting deportation after a missed hearing.

FBI, DOJ Dismantle Chinese Hacking Platforms After 8-Year Run

An eight-year Chinese state-sponsored hacking operation targeting NASA, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Senate has been dismantled — and the same group scanned a U.S. election system as recently as June.

Meta Pays Up to $18B After Its Own Docs Showed What It Really Knew

Meta says it's spent a decade protecting kids online. Its own internal documents, whistleblower testimony and court filings tell a different story.

Secret Service confirms it's investigating Iranian threat against Barron Trump — as agency also faces its own internal leak probe

Iranian state TV aired a video threatening the president's youngest son with a purported $10 million bounty. Meanwhile, the agency protecting him is dealing with its own leak investigation — a separate story worth watching.

Flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border kills at least 270; hundreds still missing

A glacier collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed a flash flood that has killed at least 270 people and left hundreds of tourists and pilgrims from over 30 countries missing.

Flock Safety CEO Calls for ‘Compromise’ on Privacy: The Cost of Trading Liberty for Safety

Flock's CEO says privacy and safety require "compromise." History suggests liberty rarely comes back once it's traded away.

Dolly Parton, country music's rhinestone queen, dies at 80

The Queen of Country, whose songs and generosity made her one of America's most beloved icons, has died at 80. A look back at her life, her legacy and the world's reaction.

DOJ plans record 1,000 election monitors for midterms; Democrats warn of intimidation

The DOJ is quadrupling its election-monitor deployment for the midterms, and Democrats say it could intimidate voters. One reporter who's done the job says the biggest threat it poses is boredom.

Supreme Court clears path for Trump mail-ballot restrictions ahead of midterms

Path created for restrictions on mail in ballots prior to the midterm elections

Economic D-Day

The Trump administration unveils what it calls the largest financial offensive ever aimed at a single country, as Iran threatens to shut down the Strait of Hormuz entirely.

‘Not a Trap’: State Department Official Releases Her Own Documents After Researcher Alleges Setup

A public dispute between a Trump-appointed Under Secretary of State and a prominent independent researcher has split reaction even within their own political camp.

$40 Trillion Debt. $400 Billion Stolen. Almost Nothing Recovered

"The national debt just hit $40 trillion. Watchdogs say billions in COVID fraud were preventable — and most still hasn't been recovered."

The City Pays 6-to-1 for Campaign Cash — While Millions in Homeless Funds Sit Unspent

Mayor Karen Bass's reelection ad touting the city's donation-matching program went viral for the wrong reasons. The program itself has been on the books since 1990.

Same FBI, Same Era, Opposite Treatment: A Month of Declassified Files Tells One Story

A secret operation discrediting the bureau's own Biden corruption sources.

Iran Offers $30,000 Bounty for Killing or Capturing U.S. Soldiers — Doubled for Women

Army chief announces reward — doubled for women — as U.S.-Iran ceasefire formally expires with no renewal and tensions high over the Strait of Hormuz.

A Growing, Bipartisan Chorus Says Flock Cameras Violate the Fourth Amendment

A retired colonel's blunt claim joins a bipartisan wave of lawmakers arguing Flock's license-plate cameras violate the Fourth Amendment.

SPLC The Watchdog Allegedly Funded What It Was Watching

A federal indictment alleges the SPLC's own intelligence director secretly funneled donor money to the KKK and neo-Nazi leaders it claimed to be fighting — including a romantic partner embedded in a hate group, paid for nearly two decades.

A Resurfaced Clip, an Unconfirmed Date, and a Political Commentator's Rising Profile

A widely circulated clip attributed to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has reignited scrutiny of his past remarks, just as he's become a fixture on the Democratic campaign trail. Here's what's confirmed, what isn't, and the pattern it fits into.

Senate Leaves for Recess After SAVE Act Photo ID Vote Fails — Will Trump Force Them Back?

A narrower photo-ID vote came four votes short Friday, GOP senators remain split on the broader SAVE America Act, and conservative commentators are pushing Trump to invoke a constitutional power no president has ever actually used.

Federal Judge Clears Path for Trump Administration to End TPS Protections for 350,000 Haitians

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration can proceed with ending Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals, clearing a legal hurdle that had paused the policy.

Declassified Memos Show FBI Investigated Whether Trump Was a 'Russian Asset' After Firing Comey

Newly declassified FBI memos show the bureau opened a criminal counterintelligence probe into President Trump himself just a week after he fired James Comey, released today by White House Transparency Task Force chairman John Solomon.

Jack Smith Agrees to Public Testimony After DOJ Referral Over Phone Records Probe

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith agrees to public Senate testimony this fall, following a DOJ referral over allegations tied to his investigation's phone-records collection from dozens of lawmakers.

Senate Committee Set to Vote Thursday on Holding Fauci in Contempt of Congress

Dek: Senate committee votes Thursday on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, after the former COVID response chief invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times — Paul argues his pardon nullifies that protection.

Campaign volunteers hand out marked ballots near Dearborn polling place

UPDATE: Trump Calls Iran 'Unbelievably Duplicitous' After Tehran Denies Monday Talks

UPDATE Iran called off any negotiations

600 Structures Destroyed as Wildfires Rage Uncontained Near Spokane

Three fast-moving fires merged into a single complex over the weekend, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate and pushing Spokane's air quality into 'very unhealthy' territory.

Coordinated Cyberattacks Hit Water Systems Across at Least Seven States; Trump Rejects Iran Theory, Blames Minnesota 'Incompetence'

More than 30 Minnesota water utilities and nine in Michigan were targeted in a coordinated attack on industrial control systems last week. Federal officials suspect Iran-linked hackers. The president says he doesn't.

Family Keeps Politics Out of Memorial for Queens Soldier Killed in Iranian Attack; Mamdani Not Called to Speak

Sgt. Angel Rampersad's family chose unity over politics for her Ozone Park memorial — leaving Mayor Zohran Mamdani, seated in the fourth row with a prepared eulogy in hand, off the program entirely.

9/11 Families Petition to Keep Mamdani Away from 25th Anniversary Ceremonies

Organizers say more than 40,000 have signed — though they admit the count of actual victims' family members is an estimate, not a verified list.

No Jewish Lawyers on Mamdani's 18-Member Judicial Advisory Panel

A coalition of Jewish bar associations says the panel breaks with past practice — the mayor says he never asked anyone's religion.

Fauci Pleads the Fifth

Dr. Fauci pleads the 5th Amendment.

Poll Shows Talarico Leading Paxton in Texas Senate Race

Talarico leading in the polls

The 10-Year Citizenship Integrity Audit

A scoped, due-process-protected path to cleaner voter rolls — at a fraction of the cost of a full historical review

Could Zohran Mamdani Actually Be Denaturalized? Here's What the Law Says

Legal analysis on Mamdani's denaturalization

Two States, Same Question: How Many Non-Citizens Are Actually on the Voter Rolls?

New findings out of Michigan and Pennsylvania are reigniting the SAVE Act fight in Washington — even as a separate, exhaustive Utah review found almost nothing at all.

Trump Signals Possible “Massive” Escalation Amid 13th Night of Strikes on Iran

War with Iran to escalate

She Ran a 'News' Site for Her City's Chinese-American Community. Beijing Was Reportedly Writing the Copy.

Eileen Wang resigned as mayor of Arcadia, California, after admitting she took direction from Chinese government officials before taking office — a case that shows how little scrutiny most local candidates actually get.

Gov. Sherrill: NJ DMV Glitch Registered 6,600 Noncitizens [VIDEO]

Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced an independent investigation and vendor replacement after a Motor Vehicle Commission software glitch mistakenly added 6,600 noncitizens to voter rolls.

GOP Split Over Farm Worker Bill

Dozens of House Republicans Back Measure Critics Call De Facto Amnesty

Houthis Declare Maritime Embargo on Saudi Arabia, Prompting Oil Tanker Reroutes in Red Sea

Houthis Declare Maritime Embargo

King of the Playground: Mayor Zohran Mamdani Vows to Arrest Foreign Leaders

Mamdani vowed to arrest Netanyahu when he goes to New York

U.S. College Students Trail Global Peers in Basic Literacy, Despite Record K-12 Spending

College students are Trailing Globally

Anthropic CEO Donates $1 Million to AI Safety Super PAC

Dario Amodei, chief executive of AI company Anthropic, contributed $1 million to a political action committee focused on AI safety issues.

Grassley Drops Bombshell: Jack Smith’s Team Snooped on Congress Texts Without Required Filter Review

Sen. Chuck Grassley releases documents showing Special Counsel investigators bypassed protocols designed to protect lawmakers’ constitutional privileges in the 2020 election probe.

DOJ Consistency Under Scrutiny from Obama to Biden to Trump

IRS Targeting of Conservatives to Catholic Memos and School Board Parents

Senate Republicans Accuse Jack Smith of Reviewing Lawmakers’ Texts Despite Testimony

Jack Smith may have lied during his congressional testimony

Mayor Mamdani Explains Rape Report Rise Amid Backlash

Rise in Rape reports