Murdochs Start to Sour on DeSantis: ‘They Can Smell a Loser’  —  The conservative media kingmakers' preferred candidate to knock off Donald Trump is not meeting expectations, and the family's patriarch is getting tired of waiting … But in recent weeks, the Murdochs have grown increasingly displeased …

Indictment of Gal Luft, Called Key Witness by GOP, Clouds Biden Probe  —  Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging him with acting as an illegal agent of China  —  WASHINGTON—A man cited by Republicans as a potential key witness in their investigations of the Biden family …

Milan Kundera, Author of ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being,’ Has Died  —  Milan Kundera, whose dissident writings in communist Czechoslovakia transformed him into an exiled satirist of totalitarianism, has died in Paris at the age of 94, Czech media said Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin to headline third party No Labels event in New Hampshire next week in push to give Americans a candidate other than Biden or Trump  — Manchin will be in New Hampshire on Monday, July 17th with No Labels  — Group holding an event as it seeks …

Hollywood Studios' WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall  —  EXCLUSIVE: Regardless of whether SAG-AFTRA goes on strike this week, the studios have no intention of sitting down with the Writers Guild for several more months.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville relents and says white nationalists are racist  —  Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), facing a barrage of criticism over a Monday night television interview in which he refused to say white nationalists are racists, relented Tuesday afternoon, acknowledging to reporters on Capitol Hill that they in fact are.

Lawyers with supreme court business paid Clarence Thomas aide via Venmo  —  Payments to Rajan Vasisht, an aide from 2019-21, underscore ties between the justice and lawyers who argue cases in front of him  —  Several lawyers who have had business before the supreme court …

Executed Russian sub commander may have been tracked on a fitness app  —  As with any news coming out of Russia, there's almost no telling what is true and what is not.  What we do know for certain is that a former Naval officer and sub commander who Ukraine had accused of war crimes was killed …

McCarthy defends Marjorie Taylor Greene amid Freedom Caucus drama  —  Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) backed up Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) following news that she's been voted out of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. … - “I think Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the best members we have …

F.T.C.'s Lina Khan Faces Fresh Questions After Microsoft Ruling  —  Lina Khan has said a fear of defeat should not deter the agency from suing big tech companies.  But after Microsoft won a ruling this week, her critics say that strategy is flawed.  —  Reporting from Washington

A Glass House for Elon Musk Sparks Internal Tesla Probe  —  Plans for Tesla's secret ‘Project 42’ called for an unusual-looking glass structure in the Austin, Texas, area  —  AUSTIN, Texas—Inside Tesla , it was known as “Project 42,” and the plans called for a dramatic glass-walled building …

Thiel, Brock & a Gutter Oppo Campaign for Our Times  —  When Peter Thiel emerged as the right's potential heir to Sheldon Adelson during the '22 midterms, a highly connected Democratic operative launched a guerilla opposition research campaign to chill his political influence.

DOJ no longer believes Trump should have immunity from E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit  —  The Justice Department has reversed course and said it no longer believes that Donald Trump should be entitled to immunity for his response to E. Jean Carroll's accusation of sexual assault …

Tax prep companies shared private taxpayer data with Google and Meta for years, congressional probe finds  —  Some of the nation's largest tax-prep companies have spent years sharing Americans' sensitive financial data with tech titans including Meta and Google in a potential violation of federal law …

U.S. Government Emails Hacked in Suspected Chinese Espionage Campaign  —  Hack is seen as part of a suspected cyber-espionage campaign to access data in sensitive computer networks  —  Hackers linked to China breached email accounts at more than two dozen organizations including …

Inflation eased further in June as economy slowly cools  —  But the Federal Reserve isn't ready to declare victory yet, especially since not every source of inflation is fading at the same time or with the same momentum  —  A year after inflation soared to the highest level in four decades …

Owner bans some LGBTQ customers from Michigan hair salon over pronouns.  ‘Not welcome’  —  The owner of a Michigan hair salon said she is refusing service to some members of the LGBTQ+ community.  —  Christine Geiger, who owns Studio 8 Hair Lab in Traverse City, said in a Facebook post …

Trump Lashes Out at Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa  —  The former president snubbed one influential Iowa leader and attacked another, testing his immunity to traditional political pitfalls in a crucial state.  —  Iowa may be the most important state on Donald J. Trump's early 2024 political calendar …

Roseanne Barr Screams at Piers Morgan That Zelensky Isn't a ‘Good’ Jew  —  The controversy-courting comic was back at it this week when she yelled that Ukraine is full of Nazis while dismissing the Ukrainian president's Jewish heritage.  —  Roseanne Barr is back at it.

Farmers Insurance pulls out of Florida, affecting 100,000 policies  —  Farmers Insurance said Tuesday that it will no longer offer coverage in Florida, ending home, auto and others policies in the state in a move that will affect tens of thousands of residents.

McCarthy raises $62.5 million for House GOP  —  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised $21.7 million in the second quarter in 2023 through his joint fundraising committee, the McCarthy Victory Fund, bringing the total amount he raised this cycle to $62.5 million.

Iowa Republicans pass a new 6-week abortion ban  —  Passage capped a marathon one-day special legislative session.  It now goes to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.  —  Iowa Republicans passed a bill late Tuesday to ban most abortions after six weeks — a restrictive measure …

House GOP election bill expands dark money and curtails D.C. autonomy  —  House Republicans have unveiled a bill that would open up the spigots of dark money nationwide and make voting more difficult, especially in D.C. What they are calling the American Confidence in Elections Act integrates …

How False History Is Used to Justify Discrimination Against Asian Americans  —  The Civil Rights Movement didn't pave the way for Asian American success in America.  A Jewish immigration activist did.  —  On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) …

McCarthy summons GOP factions to counter threat of a new conservative rebellion  —  But several hard-right Republicans left the speaker's meeting less than satisfied, with several must-pass bills hanging in the balance.  —  Speaker Kevin McCarthy is working furiously to prevent another House floor takeover …

Leslie Van Houten, follower of cult leader Charles Manson, released from California prison  —  Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten walked out of a California prison Tuesday after serving 53 years of a life sentence for her participation in two infamous murders.

Boiling the Ocean  —  Between record-setting heat and warming ocean water, this summer feels like the start of an unsettling new era.  —  Did you think it would all happen this fast?  The heat domes, the thousand-year floods, the apocalyptic wildfires, that horrific orange sky?

Rough Days for Biden, Rougher Days for Trump  —  One man wants to govern.  The other wants to dodge prosecution.  —  WAS LAST WEEK “hellish” for President Joe Biden?  Is he in for a cruel summer, filled with setbacks, scandal and calls for him to step aside because he's too old?  On the contrary.