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Iranians remain convinced that Trump, not them, has the most to lose in a widening war

Iranians remain convinced that Trump, not them, has the most to lose in a widening war

The New York Times reports: When President Trump appeared to back down once again from a threatened military escalation against Tehran, he offered fresh fodder to the narrative Iranian officials are eager to promote: They are not the ones who fear war — Mr. Trump is. Iran’s leadership believes it has found the world’s Achilles’ heel. With the help of regional militia allies, Tehran spent the past week underscoring its ability to threaten several of the world’s most critical energy…

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Laura Loomer’s Ukraine reversal: ‘I feel like I’ve changed global policy’

Laura Loomer’s Ukraine reversal: ‘I feel like I’ve changed global policy’

The Washington Post reports: Laura Loomer, the controversial but influential pro-Trump blogger, arrived in Kyiv on July 19, with only a few meetings lined up and, in her telling, no agenda other than seeing the war-torn country for herself. Ten days later, she returned to Florida as one of MAGA’s most prominent advocates for Ukraine. Along the way, a person who not long ago was a sharp critic of Kyiv made international headlines as she interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky…

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Documents Blanche released to ease path to confirmation are not legally binding

Documents Blanche released to ease path to confirmation are not legally binding

The New York Times reports: A pair of documents issued by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, that narrow or dissolve aspects of a deal to resolve President Trump’s lawsuit against the I.R.S. have met the demands of two Republican holdouts. Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas refused to support Mr. Blanche’s nomination unless he committed in writing to dropping a $1.8 billion fund funneling taxpayer money to the president’s allies and putting stricter limits…

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The shame of the American Jewish establishment

The shame of the American Jewish establishment

Peter Beinart writes: At the end of 2015, soon after taking over as CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt brought the organization’s leadership to Georgia and Alabama. The journey constituted a kind of homage to the ADL’s role in the civil rights movement. In an essay about the trip, Greenblatt noted that in 1965, his predecessor, Benjamin Epstein, had summoned the ADL’s top staff to Selma, where they joined Martin Luther King Jr. in one of…

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She protested ICE raids. Then federal agents showed up at her door

She protested ICE raids. Then federal agents showed up at her door

NPR reports: Early one morning this June, Treasure Thoreson was drinking coffee on her couch in Minneapolis when she heard a knock at the front door. “I go and I see a woman standing there in office clothes, but with a Homeland Security vest over the top. And I see six more agents standing in my front yard,” Thoreson told NPR. “She said, ‘We have a warrant for your arrest, for conspiracy.’” Thoreson, a special education teacher, was still in…

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On the precipice of world war

On the precipice of world war

David French writes: The only thing worse than President Trump starting an unconstitutional war is President Trump losing control of that war. On Wednesday, NBC News reported that Trump “erupted” at members of his national security team over the Iran War. According to the report, his advisers can’t agree on a path forward. But how could they? Every path to victory risks dangerous escalation, while continuing the present course risks strategic defeat. This was always the most likely outcome. The…

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CentCom (like the rest of the world) relies on Truth Social to track Trump’s wavering mind

CentCom (like the rest of the world) relies on Truth Social to track Trump’s wavering mind

The Times of Israel reports: Late Saturday, Trump said Iran had agreed to open the strait and announced that he had called off a major attack on the Islamic Republic, adding that Israel was on board. Tehran denied there was a deal. According to Channel 12, Israel was to be part of the attack, which was called off about 24 hours before it was set to begin, and only learned that it would not be carried out after Trump published…

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Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money laundering probe

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money laundering probe

Reuters reports: Capital One Financial, hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close ‌the Trump Organization’s bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss ​the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking — or denying services on religious or…

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Trump defectors join forces to launch a new political ‘movement’

Trump defectors join forces to launch a new political ‘movement’

The Daily Beast reports: More trouble is brewing for Republicans in the midterm elections as a crew of high-profile Donald Trump defectors announced they’re joining forces to launch a new political “movement” to oppose the current president and his supporters. Trump “betrayed us all,” former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted on X Saturday, alongside a photo of the newly organized Trump opposition team meeting in Tucker Carlson’s hunting lodge-like Maine home. “We said no more foreign wars and we…

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Data center companies discover that secrecy doesn’t set the stage for public support

Data center companies discover that secrecy doesn’t set the stage for public support

Politico reports: The companies that build and run data centers are on the losing end of a populist backlash — and they’re struggling to respond. Fears that the server-packed data hubs will drive up electricity prices, deplete water supplies and gobble farmland have prompted people across the country to pack meetings of zoning boards and county commissions to oppose the projects, while fueling calls from leaders in both parties for state or national moratoriums. That opposition has become a rising…

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Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn

Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn

The Guardian reports: Britain could face shortages of certain foods after punishing drought in parts of England, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned as a heatwave was forecast to continue into next week. The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts for eight regions of England, with temperatures set to rise above 30C in parts of the country. UKHSA said rising temperatures may increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups. Farms across the country were affected…

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The Ceuta incident has, predictably, been exploited by boosters of the far right

The Ceuta incident has, predictably, been exploited by boosters of the far right

Anne Applebaum writes: Mostly young, mostly male Moroccans crawling onto beaches, climbing hills, scaling walls, jumping over fences, surging past police in order to get into Europe: The photographs and videos that emerged from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, on July 29 and 30 looked very much like migrant-terror videos, deliberately designed to be broadcast by the international far right. So closely did this incident resemble the “invasion” that MAGA and its European friends have long said is…

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GOP staffers say the party has a ‘groyper’ problem — ‘a generation of rabid, incompetent idiots’

GOP staffers say the party has a ‘groyper’ problem — ‘a generation of rabid, incompetent idiots’

Politico reports: The grownups are worried. In group chats and at happy hours, some GOP veterans fret about the rising generation of young staffers in their party. The recurring complaint: The pipeline that feeds young conservative talent into government jobs is defective — if not broken. This isn’t just the standard middle-aged lament that the kids aren’t all right. It’s a criticism aimed at institutions like the Heritage Foundation that purport to identify and train the party’s future governing class….

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