An I.R.S. audit revenue has plummeted under Trump, a watchdog has found. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/b... Who is avoiding tax audits? Wealthy people, $700 billion worth. They don't worry about the IRS criminal division, while your taxes are automatically deducted. Easily scam. They win. Dupes pay.

IRS Audit Revenue Has Plummeted Under Trump, Watchdog Finds

The I.R.S. lost roughly a quarter of its employees since President Trump took office, hampering the agency’s ability to conduct audits.

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Finance chiefs from the world’s wealthiest nations are meeting at a challenging moment. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/b... Trump sucks up to Putin again. European leaders object. Who isn't alarmed? Republican members of Congress.

Europe Protests as U.S. Invites Russian Minister to G20 Finance Meeting

The meeting, which China and Russia are attending, is focused on the ongoing economic shock from the war in Iran, which has driven up oil prices globally.

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Moonrise over north Seattle

'Zero doubt': The story of WA's 100% accurate mail-in election www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news... A near tie and a meticulous recount, proves once again that Washington’s 100% mail-in voting is 100% accurate. The public knows it, the GOP knows it, and we’d dare you to test it.

‘Zero doubt’: The story of WA’s 100% accurate mail-in election

President Donald Trump and the Republicans keep maligning mail-in voting, saying it's slipshod and corrupt. But one such local election just got a perfect score, Danny Westneat writes.

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Lettuce parasite is a boon for some WA farmers www.seattletimes.com/business/let... Anyone who buys big brand lettuce today is risking the Trump Trots. The FDA layoffs and deregulation of food safety is a boon for diarrhea, not you, and it can be fatal. Washingtonians buy locally with caution.

Lettuce parasite is a boon for some WA farmers

The scare over produce safety has led 6.5 million households nationwide to stop purchasing produce from supermarkets.

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Meet the Megadonors Who Have Poured $1.2 Billion Into the Midterms www.nytimes.com/interactive/... Billionaires rule. If you love AI dominance, a crypto bubble, and oligarchs, well, this is your thing. If not, you might join the movement for a constitutional amendment to end Citizens United evils.

Meet the Megadonors Who Have Poured $1.2 Billion Into the Midterms

The leaderboard of the top 20 donors is dominated by the tech industry and ultrawealthy Republicans.

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Six Months In, Iran’s Regime Stands, U.S. Goals Remain Unmet www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/w... Trump started a war and more than lost it. Don’t blame the American or Iranian people, that onus falls on MAGA GOP and the Iranian regime. The term “economic outcast” applies to both of them.

Six Months In, Iran Appears Stronger and U.S. Goals Unclear

Trump’s replacement of a military war with a heightened economic one is not expected to alter Iran’s strategy, while further impoverishing its people.

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The Fed governor Lisa Cook issues a defense against Trump’s attempted ouster. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/b... The Fed is one of the few protections against Trump totally ruining the economy. Lisa Cook is a member and a black woman. So the GOP concocts ridiculous charges against her. Go figure.

Lisa Cook Hits Back at Trump’s Latest Attempt to Oust Her as Fed Governor

Lisa D. Cook hit back at President Trump’s allegations that she had committed mortgage fraud.

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Nothing changes yet with the Supreme Court's order on elections. But it could open door to 'chaos' www.seattletimes.com/nation-world... At a minimum the Supreme Court majority has hampered the November election with chaos. Given the majority’s silence, we must speculate on their motives.

Nothing changes yet with the Supreme Court’s order on elections. But it could open door to ‘chaos’

The Supreme Court decision clearing one obstacle to the enactment of Trump's order on mail voting may not mean the order takes effect for November's elections.

seattletimes.com

British Leader Arrives in Ukraine for Independence Day as Russia Amps Up Warnings www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/w... This is courage. British PM Andy Burnham stands up to Russian aggression. Trump cowers to Putin and focuses on his ballroom. None of us want war, but Russia is the invader. Buck up.

UK Prime Minister Burnham Arrives in Ukraine as Russia Amps Up Warnings

In his first foreign trip since taking office, Prime Minister Andy Burnham affirmed support for Kyiv despite new warnings from Moscow of consequences for doing so.

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We're No. 1 — for corporate tax breaks Amazon paid 1.4 % in federal income taxes and Microsoft 2.4 %. How does that compare with your rate? And get this, Microsoft paid more to foreign governments. Oops, the Republicans meant to say “America last”. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

We’re No. 1 — for corporate tax breaks

The largest corporate tax break in history was just scored by a local company. The break is so big, the company is paying more to foreign governments than to our own.

seattletimes.com

Not surprisingly, teaching young people civic pride has become toxic to the Republican Party. University voter registration, once normal, is now risky. The GOP is very afraid of young people voting because, well, they've pretty much damaged their futures. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/o...

Opinion | What Does the Trump Administration Have Against the 26th Amendment?

American democracy and American higher education are inextricable.

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Bond Sell-Off Sends Borrowing Costs to Highest Level Since 2007 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/b... Donald Trump is driving us off a cliff. The Republican Party has no brakes. If people don't install a solid Democratic majority in Congress this fall, people in the red states will suffer more the most.

Bond Sell-Off Sends Borrowing Costs to Highest Level Since 2007

Yields on the 30-year U.S. Treasury and government bonds across the world rose to multiyear highs as investors fret about inflation, deficits and A.I. spending.

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Trump’s Broken Promises, in 11 Charts www.nytimes.com/interactive/... The simplest way to grade an elected official is campaign promises versus results. Trump’s failures are astounding. Read this comparison. It quotes him and runs the numbers. Quite soberly. Grade: F-minus

Opinion | Trump’s Economic Record Doesn’t Come Close to His Campaign Promises

The president likes to boast about the “greatest economy we’ve ever had.” His record falls far short.

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U.S. debt set to hit $40 trillion months earlier than expected The Republican Party is bankrupting the U.S., having long ago abandoned fiscal responsibility. We didn’t overspend on services. The wealthiest got tax breaks, and the tariffs were unconstitutional.

Whose side is Donald Trump on? A serious question. He sided with Vladimir Putin in bullying Vlodymyr Zelenskyy. Now he's praising Kim Jong Un of North Korea while halting military exercises with South Korea. A Manchurian Candidate or, to be accurate, a useful idiot. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08...

Trump Administration Live Updates: President Orders Reduction of Military Exercises With South Korea, a Key Ally

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As China Pushes to Expand in Asia, Trump Focuses on Iran www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/u... A”gift to China”. Trump cedes ground in Asia with his impetuous Iran war and trade policies, his dismantling of U.S. assets. A “colossal failure”.

As China Pushes to Expand in Asia, Trump Focuses on Iran

Asian allies are beginning to wonder whether the United States would or could defend them in a war.

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How Cyclospora Evaded the U.S. Food Safety System to Sicken Thousands www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/h... Avoid lettuce. Check the source of all produce. Trump crippled food inspection and slowed the response to outbreaks. No relief in sight. Don’t get the Donald Trump sh.ts.

How Cyclospora Evaded the U.S. Food Safety System to Sicken Thousands

The Trump administration delayed a rule last year that could have sped up the effort to pinpoint the source of the contamination. Critics charge that food safety oversight has eroded overall.

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Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money Trial www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/u... Genuine fraud is ignored, the country’s economy slows, corruption grows, and the Justice Department dedicates itself to an ex-con’s vengeance tour. And we pay the bill with our tax dollars.

Prosecutors Examined Firm With Tie to Judge in Trump Hush Money Trial

The U.S. attorney in Chicago subpoenaed a fund-raising firm that had been co-owned by the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who conducted the trial that led to Donald Trump’s felony conviction.

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Trump Dismisses Reports About Dire Conditions Aboard U.S. Aircraft Carrier www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/u... Let the American sailors eat (stale) cake. President Bone Spurs says they'd stay out there longer if he had his way.

Trump Dismisses Reports About Dire Conditions Aboard U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln

Asked whether the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln had gone on too long, the president said its deployment had lasted “not nearly long enough.”

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The myth persists that the Republicans have been greatly concerned about the deficit. It isn't true. Republican administrations have expanded the deficit more than Democrats. Republicans talk fiscal responsibility then cut taxes for the rich. Truth is that they don't want to pay their way.

Little Thefts, Big Charges: Trump’s Justice Dept. Targets Lesser Fraud www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/u... Trump Administration’s anti fraud operation is a fraud. Going after a food vendor and ignoring or pardoning the big time scammers. The numbers don’t lie, the cases opened are down since Biden.

Trump’s Justice Dept. Targets Smaller Fraud Cases

As the Trump administration drops charges against corporations and the wealthy, it is also taking aim at small-scale fraud cases, including against the operator of a weathered food truck in California...

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They said they would build AI safely. Then it went rogue. AI systems “running wild”. Incidents, increasingly common, that could be dangerous to your bank accounts, privacy, and health. Irresponsible oversight . Some experts say AI development should be stalled or halted.

Live Updates: U.S. Hiring Slumps, a Worrying Sign for the Economy www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08... Stagflation. Everything slowing except inflation: The economy, work force, hiring, jobs, wage increases, and confidence. Voting for Project 2025 in 2024 was moronic. Doing so this fall? You tell me…

Jobs Report Live Updates: U.S. Job Market Shrinks Unexpectedly

Employers shed 23,000 jobs in July, and gains in previous months were revised down sharply, in a downbeat report that suggests the labor market is weaker than previously believed.

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The Democrats are debating everything that really matters … and today at the White House they bicker over Trump’s bogus felony charges against a man who touched a piece of the Reflecting Pool’s lining. Substance versus brainless corruption. That’s the heart of it, your choice in the 2026 midterms.

In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u... The Reflecting Pool case reflects a shift in power. The corrupted Justice Department can no longer indict anyone for anything and get away with it. The public now needs disbarments by bar associations.

In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, blamed shoddy construction, contradicting President Trump’s pet theory. Mr. Trump said he disagreed “100%” with her.

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Uninsured Patients Rise Sharply, Hospitals Report, Citing Obamacare Cuts www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/b... The numbers don’t lie. Republicans have cut off healthcare and made it more expensive for everyone. Hospitals are in trouble. They planned this. You will be voting for your life in November.

After Obamacare Cuts, Hospitals Are Treating More Uninsured Patients

More people who lost coverage after congressional Republicans ended enhanced federal subsidies are now seeking care in emergency rooms and unable to pay bills.

nytimes.com

U.S. Economic Growth Slowed in the Second Quarter www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/b... Candidate Trump promised “historic” growth during his 2024 campaign. The numbers today tell the truth. A “chug along economy” is the most optimistic prognosis. I think we’re in a fragile AI bubble. Stagflation too?

U.S. GDP Growth Slowed in Second Quarter of 2026

Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.5 percent annual rate over the past three months, as war in the Middle East shook energy prices and supply chains.

nytimes.com

Today, an NYT reporter dished on Fauci’s diary like a Hollywood gossiper, while noting briefly that “many” of the entries dealt with the 24/7 efforts to fight the disease. Yes, Fauci mused on his sudden fame. Who wouldn’t? But I want to know more about the serious material in Fauci’s diary.

Whatever Sen. Rand Paul intends, he will likely make the next pandemic worse. The genesis of COVID-19 is a worthy topic, but it requires science not a schoolyard vendetta. This outbreak of revenge accompanies a dismantling of our CDC by the Republicans. That’s a real peril. Vote and vaccinate.