NEW: Republicans tried to get Missourians to effectively kill direct democracy and ballot initiatives. Last night, Missourians literally laughed in their face — rejecting the measure by a massive 80% to 20%. Here’s what to know:

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

boltsmag.org

Let's not lose sight of how abnormal this is. Trump is demanding prosecutions over Reflecting Pool fiasco even though his own DOJ has shown conclusively it isn't supported by facts or law. On the pod, @barbmcquade.bsky.social is brilliant on the bigger stakes here: newrepublic.com/article/2139...

Trump’s Fury at Reflecting Pool Mess Darkens as Damning New Leaks Hit

As Trump’s effort to jail people over his failed renovation starts looking even worse, a former federal prosecutor explains why this corruption of DOJ is so dangerous—and how to fight back.

newrepublic.com

I feel like the soul of the democratic party has decided that moderation is for the birds. And good for us.

Clark county is basically all in where the amendment was rejected 2-1. Trump won this county by 60 points. This awful power grab looks pretty dead.

Dave Goldberg (he/him)@drdavegoldberg.bsky.social · 22h ago

Holy moley. Those early Missouri Amendment 4 results! (The one that basically would allow only republicans to initiate ballot initiatives) 85-15 against with 6% in. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Holy moley. Those early Missouri Amendment 4 results! (The one that basically would allow only republicans to initiate ballot initiatives) 85-15 against with 6% in. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Missouri Amendment 4 Election Results 2026: Modify Amendment Approval Requirements (Free Access)

Get live results and maps from the 2026 Missouri general election.

nytimes.com

Yes!!!!!

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 24h ago

Julian Beaudion, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Dakota, will withdraw from the race, clearing the path for a one-on-one contest between independent Brian Bengs and incumbent Republican Mike Rounds.

The same old Susan Collins charade. As soon as a controversial nominee or a bill has enough votes to pass, she announces she will vote no when it doesn’t matter. She never casts a deciding vote against Trump. Now she will claim this shows how she is so “independent.”

Judge Jeanine says farewell. m.youtube.com/watch?v=TEbt...

Weekend Update: Jeanine Pirro on the Mexico–United States Border - SNL

YouTube video by Saturday Night Live

m.youtube.com

Really been amazing throughout the process how “should the attorney general be a former personal attorney to the president who has overseen a bunch of failed political prosecutions” just does not matter at all to the entire GOP caucus.

Matthew Gertz@mattgertz.bsky.social · 2d ago

You’d have to be a fool and/or desperate to get to yes to accept this, so it’ll probably be enough to get him confirmed. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...

thehill.com/homenews/adm... Part of? How is that remotely acceptable? Well, have fun voting for him, Collins.

Live updates: Deal to end part of Trump’s IRS settlement clears Blanche’s confirmation path

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination, a path smoothed on Sunday by a deal reached with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “…

thehill.com

[Homer sits backwards on a chair] let me tell you about ANOTHER giant brute who was being beaten by Nobody

sure, mister president, excellent idea, make the midterms about whether you and your corrupt family get permanent immunity from paying taxes

Trump threatens to pull Todd Blanche’s AG nomination until after GOP holdouts leave office

The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination over objections from Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

nbcnews.com

In case there was any ambiguity about Susan Collins’s bona fides, she had no problem voting for James Clayton, Trump’s absolutely unqualified pick for DNI.

Elon Musk, Royal Society Fellow SHAME @royalsociety.org

Mr Elon Musk FRS | Royal Society Fellow

Elon Musk is the CEO and co-founder of SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and The Boring Company.As lead designer at SpaceX, Elon oversees the development of rockets a...

royalsociety.org

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · last wk.

When Elon Musk says "zero" children died in Africa from his DOGE cuts, he really means zero children died who are *worthy of any concern.* It's vile coded signaling to his global fascist audience. From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism: newrepublic.com/article/2135...

This is my lane (research on health aid) @faineg.bsky.social is right: Bremmer’s take is ghoulish My *guess* is that Bremmer is perhaps hinting that health financing should be a national government responsibility, & no govt should rely on external financing (aid) But he is not being honest here 🧵

Faine Greenwood@faineg.bsky.social · 2w ago

Fuck you, Ian Bremmer, you abject ghoul.

Thank you, Maine. In 101 days, we will defeat Susan Collins and reclaim our Senate seat. Let’s get to work.

Question to constitutional lawyers: When Colorado deemed Trump to have incited insurrection and disqualified him from the ballot in 2023, the Supreme Court said no. What is the mechanism for disqualifying him from the ballot under the 22nd? It's not just automatic.

BREAKING NYT: Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states "based solely" on whether they backed Trump in the 2024 election.

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

Hey, what if the alphabet were: RAHBQCDWYUIEFLMNSXGJKOPTVZ ? Then the phonetic spelling of each letter would also be in alphabetical order.

Here's my latest at the 50+1 blog: Despite some tightening in the generic ballot, Democrats are still heavy House favorites and lead or are tied in 6 GOP-held Senate seats, making them nearly even odds to take it, too. Jackson at +2 in Maine. blog.fiftyplusone.news/p/fiftypluso...

Trump is giving nuclear weapons to the same country that attacked us on 9/11. What could possibly go wrong?

Serious question: How many of you would actually consume Matt Y's work organically if you weren't being fed outrage about how terrible he is? The only thing that seems to make him remotely relevant is his rage bait.

It's deeply upsetting to realize that this summer would have been Martin Blank's 40th high school reuinion.

Maine Senate poll (UNH) Troy Jackson 49% Susan Collins 46% scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcont...

Not gonna lie, the ad for Abdul Al-Sayed with his grandparents is just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

That's why I concentrated this article on weaponized incompetence. ICE is being built by Stephen Miller and Markwayne Mullin in the image of the SS. Their goals are genocidal, in the sense that they see non-white people as a scourge to be purged, not as people. www.salon.com/2026/07/13/n...

New ICE boss, same old lies

A fatal ICE shooting in Houston shows Markwayne Mullin is just a male Kristi Noem

salon.com

m.youtube.com/watch?v=442N...

Halfback Passes To The Center

YouTube video by AreaEightyNine

m.youtube.com

BREAKING NYT: Federal agents around the country were told in recent days that the FBI would no longer investigate confrontations with immigration agents — cases that sometimes yield evidence that could be used to prosecute DHS agents implicated in violent encounters.

Federal Agents Were Told FBI Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations

Senior officials deny such a change is in the works, despite guidance shared with agents around the country in recent days.

nytimes.com