curated citations to news sources
We Hold Truths
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Jennifer Rubin: What now?
It is time…
The worst piece of legislation since the Slave Fugitive Act passed 175 years ago rips a gash in the social safety net, delivers the largest transfer of wealth to the rich in memory, and supercharges a violent, reckless, and cruel deportation machine—one which approves of “spending tens of billions of dollars to expand the unconstitutional kidnapping, trafficking, and confinement of people who’ve committed no crime,” as Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren put it. …
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It is time to stop berating House and Senate Democrats for not “doing enough.” They did everything humanly possible to oppose the bill, pressure and shame Republicans, educate the public, and unify their ranks. …
…It is time to focus instead on the MAGA culprits. …
…It is time to tie every Republican incumbent on the ballot to the monstrous human results of the bill. …
…It is time to change the contours of the electorate. Mass mobilization in protests, marches and rallies must draw in not just the already-committed but the never-before-engaged. Donald Trump voters who insist they “Never voted for this” must be allowed to return to the pro-democracy, pro-decency coalition. (Difficult as it may be, Democrats would be wise to hold dear the story of the prodigal son.)
…It is time to focus on gubernatorial and state legislative elections in New Jersey and Virginia this year, where Democratic women with stellar credentials face off against MAGA Republicans who have wrapped their arms around Donald Trump.
…It is time.
(Jennifer Rubin more…)Bulwark: Trump Probably Can’t Believe How Easy It’s Been
He’s becoming a more effective bully, and no one is getting in his way.
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Atlantic: Take Off the Mask, ICE
The federal government should prohibit the wearing of masks by ICE agents and require them to properly identify themselves.
(Atlantic more…)
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LAWdork: The Fourth in Beyoncé’s America, where the message was bright and clear
(LAWdork more…)
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – July 6, 2025
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All five living former directors of the NWS warned in May that the cuts “[leave] the nation’s official weather forecasting entity at a significant deficit…just as we head into the busiest time for severe storm predictions like tornadoes and hurricanes…. Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”But former NWS officials maintain the forecasts were as accurate as possible and noted the storm escalated abruptly. They told Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times that the problem appeared to be that NWS had lost the staffers who would typically communicate with local authorities to spread the word of dangerous conditions. Molly Taft at Wired confirmed that NWS published flash flood warnings but safety officials didn’t send out public warnings until hours later.
Meanwhile, Kerr County’s most senior elected official, Judge Rob Kelly, focused on local officials, telling Flavelle that the county did not have a warning system because such systems are expensive and “[t]axpayers won’t pay for it.”
Officials will continue to examine the crisis in Texas but, coming as it did after so many deep cuts to government, it has opened up questions about the public cost of those cuts. Project 2025 called for breaking up and downsizing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, claiming its six main offices—including the National Weather Service—“form a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity,” by which it meant the fossil fuel industry.
CNN’s Andrew Freedman, Emma Tucker, and Mary Gilbert note that several NWS offices across the country are so understaffed they can no longer operate around the clock, and many are no longer able to launch the weather balloons that provide critical data. The journalists also note that the Trump administration’s 2026 budget calls for eliminating “all of NOAA’s weather and climate research labs along with institutes jointly run with universities around the country.”
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)NY Times: Officials Feared Flood Risk to Youth Camps but Rejected Warning System
Kerr County had discussed buying such things as water gauges and sirens after previous flood disasters. But as with many rural Texas counties, cost was an issue.
(NY Times more…)
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Washington Post: U.S. measles cases reach 33-year record high as outbreaks spread
Johns Hopkins University data reflects the public health reversal in defeating the vaccine-preventable disease since measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.
(Washington Post more…)
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David Lat: Judicial Notice (07.06.25): Diddy Or Didn’t He
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The racketeering and sex-trafficking counts were by far the most serious charges in the five-count indictment against Combs; had he been convicted of them, he could have faced life in prison. So one can understand why Combs reacted jubilantly to the three “not guilty” announcements, by pumping his fist, dropping to his knees, and holding his hands up in a prayer gesture toward the jurors.
…… As for why Combs couldn’t have been prosecuted for domestic violence or battery, the videotaped attack on Cassie took place in March 2016, but the videotape didn’t become public until May 2024—placing it beyond the statute of limitations.
…But some former federal prosecutors, including Elie Honig of CNN and Ken White of Serious Trouble, suggested that the government might have overcharged the case by making it a racketeering prosecution under the RICO Act. Intended to target complex criminal organizations like Mafia families, RICO stands for “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations,” not “Rich Individuals with Copious Operatives” (who are really good at making travel arrangements and stockpiling baby oil).
Looking ahead to sentencing, how much time could Combs end up serving on the Mann Act violations? His sentencing guidelines range is 21 to 27 months, according to the defense, or 51 to 63 months, according to the prosecution. And while the guidelines aren’t binding, Judge Arun Subramanian (S.D.N.Y.) doesn’t seem inclined to go easy on Diddy, who has already spent 10 months behind bars awaiting trial; in denying his lawyers’ post-verdict motion for release on bail, Judge Subramanian cited the defendant’s “disregard for the rule of law” and “propensity for violence.” …
(David Lat more…)
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Daily Beast: Musk Leads Right-Wing Meltdown Over Trump Administration’s Epstein Review
CROSSING OFF THE LIST
The president’s former first buddy lashed out after the DOJ and FBI concluded Epstein’s notorious client list doesn’t exist.
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Borowitz: Americans Favor Work Requirements for Billionaires Receiving Tax Cuts
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties