Aman Batheja
@amanbatheja.bsky.social
Senior Political Editor at TIME Magazine. Background in economics and TX politics. Formerly New York Times, Texas Tribune. Dad. #washingtondc @nytimes.com Signal: @amanbatheja.46
AP just called the race, declaring Abdul El-Sayed the winner time.com/article/2026...
Abdul El-Sayed Wins Michigan Senate Primary in Big Win For Progressives
It’s a narrow but major victory for the Democrats’ insurgent progressive wing, though Republicans viewed El-Sayed as easier to defeat than Haley Stevens.
time.com
Per Playbook: "One Democratic operative close to El-Sayed was so confident earlier on Tuesday that they predicted the race would be called 'almost immediately.'" NBC has called the race and El-Sayed declared victory. But AP—widely seen as the gold standard for election calling—has not done so yet.
"After All That, Ken Griffin Is Not Leaving New York" -- www.curbed.com/article/ken-...
After All That, Ken Griffin Is Not Leaving New York
The hedge-fund CEO made a big to-do about Mamdani’s pied-à-terre message but in the end is sticking to his 350 Park headquarters.
curbed.com
"Between April 2022 and the end of last month, AIPAC funded 109 TV and digital ads in American elections, according to a New York Times analysis. But only six of those ads refer to Israel." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Inside the Spending of AIPAC, One of the U.S.'s Largest Super PACs
The lobbying group has more than doubled its spending on political campaigns, while rarely mentioning Israel. It has placed a large financial bet on today’s Michigan Senate primary.
nytimes.com
A SpaceX rocket is hours away from crashing into the moon. This was not planned. The rocket is expected to make impact on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 2:35 a.m. ET time.com/article/2026...
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon. Here's Everything You Need to Know
The Aug. 5 impact is not the first time something has crashed into the moon.
time.com
New: ICE recently spent over a billion dollars buying two private prisons that they were already using as detention centers. Officials with the two biggest private prison companies say they expect more such deals are coming.
Why ICE Is Quietly Buying Up Private Detention Centers
The Trump Administration's efforts to quickly expand how many migrants it can hold at once has cost billions of dollars.
time.com
How would Michigan Senate GOP hopeful Mike Rogers vote on Trump's tariffs? “I don’t know.” Weaponization fund? “I’m not talking about any of that stuff. I don’t care. I mean, I care.” Iran war? He's heard “hardly anything” from voters. www.semafor.com/article/08/0...
Exclusive: Rogers tries for a tricky ‘change’ election
As Michigan Democrats fracture over their Senate primary, the presumptive Republican nominee hopes to run against a state government he won’t be joining.
semafor.com
Monday's front page of the fires in Spokane, Washington. Photos by Brian Plonka, Tyler Tjomsland and Kathy Plonka. Design by Chris Soprych. Map by Molly Quinn. Amazing work by my colleagues there in Spokane.
BASH: I want you to use your bully pulpit to tells parents who have not vaccinated their kids that they should vaccine their kids for measles. Will you do that? Look into the camera RFK Jr: I'll say it right now. Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles.
NEW: Q: "The life issue is just, like, my voting issue...If you could clone Justice Kavanaugh, would you do it?" Susan Collins: "I would vote for him again, yes, if that's what you're asking." #MEpolitics
She Voted for a Justice Who Overturned Roe. Now it Haunts Her on the Trail.
Senator Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights, endorsed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court. It has emerged as a major issue in her campaign for re-election.
nytimes.com
Trump Backtracks On Ukraine Patriot Pledge https://politicalwire.com/2026/07/31/trump-backtracks-on-ukraine-patriot-pledge/
“The program will showcase how to prepare healthy meals for less than $5 a serving whenever possible, according to HHS. For the first episode…RFK Jr will cook up a recipe for Crispy Salmon Cakes with Apple, White Bean & Green Salad.”
Exclusive: RFK Jr. hosting a new cooking show with celebrity chefs
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an exclusive interview, says he will be 'reintroducing' Americans to cooking again in a new series.
usatoday.com
From a sit-down with TIME, Delcy Rodriguez refuses to say whether María Machado can ever run for office in Venezuela: “We have to move on to a new political era." “So the answer is no?” "My answer is that there will be a political moment when coexistence and peaceful coexistence will be possible"
How Delcy Rodríguez Went From Maduro Loyalist to Trump Proxy
In a rare interview, the acting president of Venezuela insists that she is not surrendering Venezuelan sovereignty but opening the country’s economy in the best interests of its people
time.com
New: The White House has summoned nearly two dozen Republican Senators to pressure them directly to end the filibuster. “According to a senior Republican aide on the Hill, 15 of the 20 who took the meetings told the White House staff directly that they were a hard no”
John Thune Isn’t Bowing to Trump’s Pressure: ‘Show Me How This Ends’
A standoff over the restrictive voting bill Trump is pushing has left nerves raw at the Capitol, with even the typically staid Thune showing signs of frustration.
time.com
“I’d never seen anything like this…There one slogan that translates as: ‘The real truth is bitter. Modi is a pimp.’ To see a 17-year-old saying this in a culture like India, where the very young are sort of deferential, is remarkable.”
What Next for India’s Cockroach Movement?
India’s Cockroach Movement came out of nowhere to become a formidable political force in just a few weeks. TIME speaks with Indian writer and historian Mukul Kesavan about what comes next.
time.com
Rep. Jason Crow is not a household name, but his stature is growing on Capitol Hill. He was one of the Democrats who Trump called treasonous for shooting a video about defying illegal orders. If Democrats win back the House, Crow will likely get some of the credit time.com/article/2026...
Rep. Jason Crow's Road From Paratrooper to Power Player
When he's not facing death threats, he's helping House Democrats recruit candidates for the midterms
time.com
Rep. Jason Crow is not a household name, but his stature is growing on Capitol Hill. He was one of the Democrats who Trump called treasonous for shooting a video about defying illegal orders. If Democrats win back the House, Crow will likely get some of the credit time.com/article/2026...
Rep. Jason Crow's Road From Paratrooper to Power Player
When he's not facing death threats, he's helping House Democrats recruit candidates for the midterms
time.com
Wild AP story on how seriously Ukrainian officials took Laura Loomer’s visit to Ukraine “Laura is very powerful and she’s very authoritative in the U.S…I believe that her visit will have a huge impact on relations with the U.S. administration,” says Ukraine’s deputy prime minister
Exclusive: In a Ukrainian bomb shelter, Laura Loomer explains shift on Russia’s war
Laura Loomer became infamous for spreading conspiracy theories online. Now, as she travels across Ukraine to see the damage inflicted by Russia in its yearslong war, she wants to admit that she fell f...
apnews.com
“The government spent hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase equipment needed to train pilots to fly the 747-8 plane so quickly, on top of the approximately $400 million cost of the upgrades that the administration has publicly acknowledged.“ www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/u...
Inside the Rushed Effort to Get Trump His New Air Force One
A New York Times investigation found that President Trump’s push to speed delivery of the aircraft led to ballooning costs and trade-offs in safety features.
nytimes.com
Operation Get Lebron James on the Cover of Philadelphia Magazine has commenced
Bradford Pearson@bradfordpearson.bsky.social · 2w agocars up and down my block are all honking, people are screaming "LEBRON JAMES IS A SIXER" this is baffling and insane
Homicide rates in DC likely dropping to historic lows not seen since 1900, report says
Homicide rates in DC likely dropping to historic lows not seen since 1900, report says - WTOP News
Homicide rates in major U.S. cities have likely fallen to lows last seen at the turn of the last century, with a D.C. decline said to be “steeper” than elsewhere.
wtop.com
An FDA committee just ignored staff advice, voting to recommend two peptides be made more available. “Many of the voting members on the committee consult with or are employed by companies that could promote or dispense peptides. Usually, these FDA panels are composed of academics and researchers.”
An FDA Committee Just Voted in Favor of Peptides—Despite the Agency's Opposition
The group met on July 24 to vote on whether compounding pharmacies could legally dispense certain peptides.
time.com
Troy Jackson shares Graham Platner’s progressive ideology but none of his charisma or eloquence. A bizarre answer he gave at a recent debate illustrates concerns some Democrats have about his prospects against Susan Collins
Debate Moment Captures Democrats' Troy Jackson Jitters
Jackson shares Graham Platner’s ideology but none of his charisma
time.com
"A little-known court tasked with handling highly sensitive deportation cases against alleged alien terrorists has laid dormant since its 1996 creation" “But this month, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court sprung to life"
Trump has activated a secretive court for deporting ‘alien terrorists.’ Here’s what to know | CNN Politics
The court gives the government enormous latitude to keep secret – including from the person it is trying to deport – its reasons for believing an immigrant is a terrorist.
cnn.com
Troy Jackson shares Graham Platner’s progressive ideology but none of his charisma or eloquence. A bizarre answer he gave at a recent debate illustrates concerns some Democrats have about his prospects against Susan Collins
Debate Moment Captures Democrats' Troy Jackson Jitters
Jackson shares Graham Platner’s ideology but none of his charisma
time.com
A surprisingly riveting read. Worth your time
Sam Fortier@sam4tr.bsky.social · 2w agoWas a national civics competition for high-school kids ... Rigged? Biased? Botched? I followed one family through Trump's patriotic contest and found a remarkable story about our age of suspicion. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/national/ame...
The Economist previews an extensive interview with Elon Musk going up tomorrow
A surprisingly riveting read. Worth your time
Sam Fortier@sam4tr.bsky.social · 2w agoWas a national civics competition for high-school kids ... Rigged? Biased? Botched? I followed one family through Trump's patriotic contest and found a remarkable story about our age of suspicion. For @notus.com: www.notus.org/national/ame...
Mayor Zohran Mamdani notably refuses to say when exactly he was informed by his lawyers that NYC doesn't have the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I have answered the question," he says (he didn't).
