ICE is not welcome here.

Surprise, surprise: Mitch McConnell's staff are still staying silent on his health as they continue to earn their six-figure salaries.

McConnell's $226K Gatekeeper Hightails It From Health Questions

Surprise, surprise: the senator’s staff is silent on his health.

thedailybeast.com

@hcrichardson.bsky.social has a good point- Why are US tax dollars going to prop up Elon Musk when Musk is openly trying to usurp our Democracy? open.substack.com/live-stream/...

LIVE NOW: Scott MacFarlane | American Conversations

Heather Cox Richardson on Substack

open.substack.com

The Trump administration just approved a request for disaster assistance for communities in Central & Eastern Washington impacted by the devastating wildfires in the area. Yesterday, my Washington delegation colleagues & I urged the administration to approve these critical resources.

I strongly condemn this decision and will work to maintain Medicare Part D.

Yet another horrific health care decision by the Trump administration. Almost 25 million Americans will be rolled off Medicare Part D plans, jeopardizing the prescription drug access for seniors across the country. This program is needed to support beneficiaries and keep them healthy.

The Trump administration is ending a Medicare drug subsidy program. Here's how it could affect costs

Millions of older adults on Medicare prescription drug coverage could face higher monthly costs in 2027.

apnews.com

How it started / How it’s going The greatest geopolitical disaster & failure of any president in the history of the Republic

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 19h ago

This has to be a Pulitzer finalist. @gettyimages.com

Don’t. Print. Lies. (Or. Unsubstantiated. Armchair. Psychology.) In. The. Newspapers.

Larry Glickman@larryglickman.bsky.social · 9h ago

Yet another story framed around Trump’s supposed anger rather than his incompetence. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/u...

Every judge that is receiving a lifetime appointment here is signaling that they are pretty flexible when it comes to defending American democracy donmoynihan.substack.com/p/scenes-fro...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2h ago

BLUMENTHAL: Judge Cronan, you're already on the district court. Who won the 2020 election? CRONAN: Joseph Biden received the majority of electoral votes B: You have nothing to lose. You have a lifetime appointment, and yet you're unwilling to state the simple fact that Biden won the 2020 election

This is an astounding loss for the US if it comes to fruition. One of the biggest strategic losses the US has ever endured—perhaps biggest?—and all from a war the US chose to start for no reason, illegally.

Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 3h ago

Iran and Oman have reportedly agreed that all ships transiting Hormuz have to go through an Iran-controlled corridor, and are finalizing tolls of 3, 5, or 7%. This would close off the path outside Iranian waters the US encouraged ships to use during the MOU, then started bombing again to keep open.

Last weekend drove across Memorial Bridge for first time in months. Numbers suggest what a gargantuan waste this is. But until you see it in person, hard to grasp how completely amateurish, cheesy, lower-tier-casino it looks. Sort of like that notorious redo of 'Ecce Homo' in Spain in 2012.

BrooklynDad_Defiant!@mmpadellan.bsky.social · yesterday

If this obscenely gaudy gold shit doesn't piss you off, you're not even paying attention.

Credulous headine and framing: sigh. To its credit, story itself points out that basically every week or so Trump & Co try to juice the market with one of these "just around the corner" chimeras. www.cnbc.com/2026/08/04/b...

Very interesting graf near bottom of latest NYT story on MAGA efforts to bend universities to its will, as if they were GOP Senators or the SCOTUS Six. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u... Reminder number five zillion: Except for GOP Senators thinking of a lobbying future, appeasement never pays off.

Class act by Stephens. Important that she got it out so quickly right after such a close raise. (Close race always leaves the #2 in "What if???" territory, but for "healing the party" purposes far preferable to a blowout that would leavee one side more embittered and embarrassed.)

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 4h ago

A gracious concession: “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. He is a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander. I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election…

You could think, this Hawaii Supreme Court justice should mind his own business. Or you can recognize how bad the situation must be for him to have devoted a share of a decision to warning about the U.S. Supreme Court's hard-right turn.

A Blistering Critique of the Roberts Court, From Hawaii’s Supreme Court

In an extraordinary opinion, the state justices accuse the SCOTUS majority of undermining democracy.

lnk.thebulwark.com

SHOUT OUT to Mike Luckovich: one of the all-time great political cartoonists. 🏆 With corporate media doing such a poor job in these most perilous of times, his work is more vital than ever! THANK YOU @mluckovich.bsky.social!!! 🙏

BOOKER: Let me make this easy. Be a man. Yes or no -- did Joe Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: ... the Congress certifie-- BOOKER: There you go. Stop! Can you please tell me yes or no, did President Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: The Congress certified-- B: You are showing cowardice.

The allocated funding seeks to accelerate Israel's control of historical landmarks across the occupied West Bank.

Israel approves $37m to seize more than 70 occupied West Bank sites

The allocated funding seeks to accelerate Israel's control of historical landmarks across the occupied West Bank.

aljazeera.com

Stolen valor. The American Legion, VFW, DAV, IAVA, etc., shouldn't tolerate it and they should demand its removal.

Adam Kinzinger@adamkinzinger.substack.com · 20h ago

This is a man who has a hard time looking in the mirror

A magical view from the rocks above Shark Reef, Lopez Island.

"He has become detached from reality—and that detachment is extremely dangerous." @radiofreetom.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Trump’s Irrationality Is Dangerous

The president’s recent rant is a sign of serious dysfunction in the Oval Office.

theatlantic.com

This from a guy who never served in the military. Note that he views himself as having far more awards and decorations than Patton or MacArthur. He wears pilot wings. He's nuts. His fantasies are dangerous.

The war in Iran has shown that Trump’s inability to perceive reality has become truly dangerous. Iran is a disaster, but Trump’s irrationality could create other, even more perilous situations. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Trump’s Irrationality Is Dangerous

The president’s recent rant is a sign of serious dysfunction in the Oval Office.

theatlantic.com

The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon's munitions stockpile is "dangerously low," according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. https://cnn.it/4yZ1UWn

Republicans held a hearing on Medicaid fraud today, so I asked a top health expert: what bill delivered the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history?   Yep. Trump's Big Ugly Bill.   Seems to me like the biggest Medicaid theft actually happened last year in Congress.

You could grow a spine and do your damn jobs.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday

Cornyn: "There's nothing we could do to rein in the president"

DOJ is now 0-20 in cases to obtain state voter files. Here is the list: Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Illinois Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin

Whitehouse: "Next we get to this crooked slush fund Trump family tax amnesty scam. We've got these two new pieces of paper. One signed only by Blanche, one not signed by anybody. Neither of which has any legal effect whatsoever. They are decorative. Can you trust Todd Blanche? I do not."

Whitehouse: "The last Q I'm left with is what's left of this committee? What's left when we don't demand straight answers? How many times has this DOJ been asked what became of the $50k the FBI reported it handed to Homan? ... our Republican colleagues see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil"

Several New England states are among the 25 that sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February. on.nbcboston.com/0RpGqjg

25 states sue over Trump's new tariffs, calling them 'pretext' to replace his old ones

The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.

on.nbcboston.com