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Jordan becomes a new focus in the U.S.-Iran war

Jordan becomes a new focus in the U.S.-Iran war

The New York Times reports: The Iranian attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing on Friday was the fourth in five days on U.S. forces in Jordan, multiple American officials said. Taken together, the attacks have wounded dozens of U.S. service members and damaged a number of helicopters. The flurry of attacks and the losses they have caused are a sign that Iranian forces not only still have ample missile stocks but have also become…

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Interview: Zohran Mamdani knows he has political capital. He intends to spend it

Interview: Zohran Mamdani knows he has political capital. He intends to spend it

  Lulu Garcia-Navarro: Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City is riding high. In an era when the public is sour on politics, recent polls show him actually becoming more popular among New Yorkers. It’s fair to say that some of that is vibes: As the Knicks won the N.B.A. championship, Mamdani became one of the team’s main hype men, basking in the reflected glow of their victory; the World Cup has been a raging success with New York City…

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Mamdani says he may still order Netanyahu’s arrest

Mamdani says he may still order Netanyahu’s arrest

The New York Times reports: Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration was still discussing whether to arrest the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, if he comes to New York City as expected for the U.N. General Assembly in September. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mr. Mamdani told Lulu Garcia-Navarro this week on “The Interview,” a New York Times show, referring to the home of the United Nations’ International Court of Justice. “He’s a war criminal…

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Trump’s rhetoric is more dangerous than voting machine flaws, experts say

Trump’s rhetoric is more dangerous than voting machine flaws, experts say

Politico reports: Election officials are warning that President Donald Trump’s assertion that America’s voting machines aren’t safe is far more dangerous than the vulnerabilities he highlighted in his Thursday night address. Flaws in electronic voting machines have been well-documented for more than a decade by researchers, and states have poured money into bolstering security. Still, none have ever been exploited by malicious actors to successfully change the outcome of an election. Now officials are worried that Trump’s latest comments —…

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Murkowski slams door shut on supporting SAVE America Act

Murkowski slams door shut on supporting SAVE America Act

Democracy Docket reports: If there were any Republican hopes that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) might change her mind to vote for the SAVE America Act, she made it clear in no uncertain terms that she will never. “While I support the bill’s core tenets—ensuring that only American citizens vote and requiring identification when voting—I remain opposed to it,” wrote Murkowski in a Wall St. Journal op-ed, not even 24 hours after President Donald Trump made a deceitful plea for the…

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A mitochondrial theory of mind

A mitochondrial theory of mind

Rachel Nuwer writes: It was 9 a.m. on a Thursday, and Martin Picard was watching his blood flow from an IV in his arm through a hole in the wall. He was sitting on a twin bed in a claustrophobic chamber less than a shoulder’s width from a stainless steel sink and porcelain toilet. Every hour over 24 hours, including while he slept, a nurse channeled blood from his arm to a research team next door; at each time point,…

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State election chiefs condemn Trump’s long-debunked election lies

State election chiefs condemn Trump’s long-debunked election lies

Democracy Docket reports: State election officials widely condemned President Donald Trump’s Thursday night speech, which pushed debunked election lies alleging foreign interference in the 2020 election. Many election chiefs gathered in Rapid City, South Dakota this week for a conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to discuss preparations for the midterm elections. When Trump delivered his address to the nation, the secretaries attended a dinner at Mount Rushmore. “When he casts doubt on elections, it is…

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Trump widens propaganda campaign to undermine U.S. electoral system

Trump widens propaganda campaign to undermine U.S. electoral system

The New York Times reports: When President Trump tried to undermine and overturn the election results in 2020, he ran into stiff pushback — not just in the courts, but from many officials in his own government. He made sure there would be little room for such dissent when he returned to the White House. Those seeking to join Mr. Trump’s second administration had to pass a key litmus test: Did they believe the 2020 election was stolen from Mr….

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Germany warns U.S. against election interference with MAGA-aligned grants scheme

Germany warns U.S. against election interference with MAGA-aligned grants scheme

The Guardian reports: Friedrich Merz has warned Donald Trump’s administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced a scheme to fund Maga-aligned causes in Europe. The German chancellor was responding to a US initiative offering grants of up to $3m (£2.2m) for European charities, thinktanks and individuals. The funding will be for those seeking to “address national sovereignty, migration, censorship and lawfare challenges in line with shared political philosophy, law and our common western civilizational heritage”….

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Todd Blanche’s accidental honesty

Todd Blanche’s accidental honesty

Quinta Jurecic writes: The most stunning exchange of Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to serve as attorney general came in response to an amiable question. Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana, a Republican who appears favorably inclined toward Blanche, asked the nominee whether he considered himself to be the president’s friend. Blanche, who is currently leading the Justice Department in an interim role, responded: “I’m his lawyer.” Then, perhaps, realizing his mistake, he corrected himself. “Was his lawyer,” he said. “And now…

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Why Rubio wants to ‘dismantle’ the international criminal court

Why Rubio wants to ‘dismantle’ the international criminal court

Kenneth Roth writes: With the pointless war of choice in Iran going poorly, the Trump administration has declared a virtual war on the international criminal court (ICC). Secretary of state, Marco Rubio, vowed on Monday to “dismantle” the court as a supposed threat to US sovereignty. His rationale is laced with sophistry. The administration’s real goal is to secure impunity for war crimes, even those committed on the territory of ICC member states. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed and…

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Hegseth testosterone screenings indicative of ‘homoeroticism,’ says House Democrat

Hegseth testosterone screenings indicative of ‘homoeroticism,’ says House Democrat

The Hill reports: Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) on Thursday said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s testosterone screening requirement for U.S. service members is indicative of “homoeroticism.” Hegseth announced this week that the Pentagon will give the screenings to service members 30 years and older, regardless of gender. Should treatment be recommended following the test, they will have the choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy. “I think it’s indicative of the fact that there are so many people in this administration that…

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‘Climate free fall’: Why the biggest risk to our economies is yet to be recognized

‘Climate free fall’: Why the biggest risk to our economies is yet to be recognized

Anders Levermann writes: I have studied climate tipping points for more than 20 years, and I’m increasingly concerned that scientists have overlooked the most dangerous aspect of these for societies. The potential collapse of major parts of the Earth system — from ice sheets to ocean circulations — will profoundly alter the warming planet and tip it irreversibly into a different state. But the greatest risks might not lie at that endpoint. How we get there — how the tipping…

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Former DOJ pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer, fired by Blanche, says he places ‘Trump interests ahead’ of country

Former DOJ pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer, fired by Blanche, says he places ‘Trump interests ahead’ of country

  A former pardon attorney at the Department of Justice said Todd Blanche fired her after his appointment as deputy attorney general. Elizabeth Oyer said he did so after she refused to “rubber stamp a political favor for a friend of the president” as well as restoring gun rights for a convicted domestic abuser, too. “Mr. Blanche has repeatedly placed President Trump’s interest ahead of the interests of the country,” Oyer said.