Senate votes to overturn Biden's student loan relief program  —  Biden has said he'll veto the measure, but his loan forgiveness program faces its true test at the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule on a challenge to the plan this month.  —  The Senate voted largely along party lines Thursday …

Ron DeSantis praised Anthony Fauci for Covid response in spring 2020 for ‘really doing a good job’  —  Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is attacking former President Donald Trump for “turning the country over to [Dr. Anthony] Fauci in March 2020” but DeSantis was praising …

AI-Controlled Drone Goes Rogue, Kills Human Operator in USAF Simulated Test  —  The Air Force's Chief of AI Test and Operations said “it killed the operator because that person was keeping it from accomplishing its objective.”  —  An AI-enabled drone killed its human operator …

Recording of Trump Underscores Growing Evidence in Documents Case  —  A conversation in which the former president is said to have acknowledged that he could not declassify a sensitive document could undercut a defense he has offered.  —  The revelation that federal prosecutors have a recording …

Trump Loses NHGOP Rep's Endorsement to DeSantis Over Treatment of Fox News Host  —  Donald Trump's treatment of his former spokesperson, Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany, has cost him the support of a New Hampshire GOP state representative.  And, NHGOP insiders say, the repercussions …

In a deep red Florida county, a student-teacher revolt shames the right  —  By now, it's obvious that the reactionary culture warriors who want to reshape American education are inspiring a serious liberal counter-mobilization in response.  Remarkably, this backlash to the backlash …

Former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey weighs U.S. Senate bid  —  Former Los Angeles Dodgers icon Steve Garvey is considering running for the open U.S. Senate seat in California as a Republican, a move that would immediately upend the 2024 race, according to several GOP state party insiders …

Is Joe Manchin's Pipeline a Big Deal?  —  If there's one climate policy you're likely to hear about in the debt ceiling deal, it's the Mountain Valley Pipeline.  —  The 304-mile pipeline, which will link West Virginia's booming gas fields to the East Coast and Texas, essentially received automatic approval under the bipartisan deal.

Trump Ally Roger Stone Admits on Hot Mic He Makes Up Stories to Bend Trump to His Will  —  Roger Stone got candid about his influence over Donald Trump by explaining how he psychologically maneuvers the former president into saying whatever he wants him to say.

Unions are relieved as the Supreme Court leaves the right to strike intact  —  The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed a victory to business interests in a labor dispute, but the win was more of a whimper than a roar.  —  By an 8-to-1 vote, the high court ruled against unionized truck drivers …

When the Neighbors Don't Share Your Vision (and That Vision Involves ‘Transformers’ Statues)  —  A professor decorated a sidewalk in Georgetown with 10-foot sculptures of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.  The well-heeled locals were not pleased.  —  Reporting from Georgetown in Washington, D.C.

J6 Unmasked: Security footage shows Pelosi evacuating Hollywood-style from Capitol as daughter films  —  Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has described having to evacuate a riotous Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as traumatic.  But Capitol Police security footage obtained by Just the News shows …

Months of distrust inside Trump legal team led to top lawyer's departure  —  Exclusive: Two Trump lawyers considered a ‘murder-suicide pact’ where one would resign if the other was fired  —  Donald Trump's legal team for months has weathered deep distrust and interpersonal conflict …

Meta threatens news ban in California over bill requiring it to share ad revenue  —  Facebook parent Meta Platforms is threatening to ban users in California from sharing news on its website if the state passes a bill that would require online platforms to pay fees to news publishers.

Scoop: Hunter Biden lawyer deposes laptop shop owner  —  Hunter Biden's lawyer on Wednesday deposed John Paul Mac Isaac, the Delaware computer repair shop owner who says Biden left behind a laptop in 2019 that later became public, according to two people familiar with the deposition.

Pentagon buying Starlink dishes for Ukraine after funding dispute with SpaceX  —  DoD confirms deal months after Musk said he'd “keep funding Ukraine for free.”  —  The US Defense Department confirmed today that it is buying Starlink satellite broadband service for use in Ukraine.

With Hannah Gadsby's 'It's Pablo-matic,' the Joke's on the Brooklyn Museum  —  The Australian comedian turns curator in a show about Picasso's complicated legacy.  But it's women artists the exhibition really shortchanges.  —  If you studied art history or another of the humanities in the 1990s or 2000s …

Russia says thousands of iPhones were hacked, blames U.S. and Apple  —  Apple denied the charge and Russia cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab said it did not have enough data to blame any government  —  Russia's Federal Security Service said Monday that several thousand iPhones in the country …

'I don't want reality': Senator's gaffe draws laughs during hearing  —  Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) misspoke during a Senate hearing, drawing laughter from the audience.  Source: CNN

“An Attempt to Fool Voters”: Ohio GOP Sets Up Vote To Weaken Direct Democracy  —  Republicans rushed an Aug. 8 election to change the rules for constitutional amendment referendums in advance of a potential fall vote on abortion.  —  An abortion rights protest outside the Ohio statehouse (Flickr/ Paul Becker/Becker1999)

Republicans are spending millions on turnout operations that are deeply flawed, insiders say  —  “That's why we're losing elections,” one Republican field veteran said of the conservative canvassing apparatus.  “Nobody wants to admit it.”  —  A few weeks before last fall's midterm elections …

Elon Musk's new Twitter pronoun rule invites bullying, LGBTQ groups say  —  The tech billionaire said Thursday that he would allow Twitter users to freely misgender people on the social media site including through pronoun usage.  —  LGBTQ advocates criticized Elon Musk on Thursday …

Yet another home insurance giant quietly stops writing new policies in California  —  Allstate has stopped writing new homeowner, condominium and commercial insurance policies in California, the company confirmed to The Chronicle.  —  The insurer, the fourth largest property …

Ron DeSantis loses his temper with a reporter: ‘Are you blind?’  —  The Florida governor became agitated when a reporter asked him why he wasn't taking questions from New Hampshire voters.  —  LACONIA, N.H. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at a reporter — twice barking “Are you blind?”

There's Unsettling New Evidence About William Rehnquist's Views on Segregation  —  This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate's coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June.  We're working to change the way the media covers the Supreme Court.  Join us!

New details of Jeffrey Epstein's death and the frantic aftermath revealed in records obtained by AP  —  Two weeks before ending his life, Jeffrey Epstein sat in the corner of his Manhattan jail cell with his hands over his ears, desperate to muffle the sound of a toilet that wouldn't stop running.

Bill Cosby faces new sexual assault lawsuits after states extend statutes of limitations  —  Former Playboy model Victoria Valentino has publicly accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1969, and accusers in Nevada are planning legal action thanks to “look back window” laws.

Ron DeSantis fires back at NAACP over travel advisory, education and shootings  —  In an attempt to make the case for Florida, the GOP governor said that Black children in Baltimore and Chicago “have a better chance of getting shot than getting a first-class education.”