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Nuclear deal that would permit uranium enrichment by Saudi Arabia in limbo awaiting Trump admin sign off

The Trump administration has tentatively agreed to allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium without enacting international safeguards intended to prevent nuclear weapons development, according to sources familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by CNN.

Jul 18 • 6:30 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Ranking Member Markey, Senator Hirono Reject Trump’s SBA Policy Proposal that Harms Underserved Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Letter (PDF) (Washington, July 17) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) submitted a comment letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) opposing a proposed rule change by Trump’s SBA to the 8(a) Business Development Program that would harm underserved small business owners and entrepreneurs. The 8(a) Business Development Program was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to level the playing field for small business owners and entrepreneurs who have faced discrimination in starting and operating their businesses. The SBA’s proposed change ignores the existence of historic discrimination that minority and underserved small businesses have faced and continue to face. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “SBA’s proposed rule ignores present-day barriers that entrepreneurs from minority and underserved communities face. Discrimination is not dead; minority entrepreneurs continue to face reduced access to contracting opportunities and capital, as well as racial threats and targeting, including unequal treatment, refusal by others to work with minority-owned firms, being called racial slurs, and bias in the workplace. These barriers lead to wide underutilization of, and less revenue for, minority-owned businesses compared to majority-owned businesses, as supported by decades of disparity studies. The proposed rule diminishes the history of systemic racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States by claiming that remedies for discrimination create discrimination in and of themselves.” The lawmakers continued, “The program has always been open to anyone who can prove they have experienced prejudice or cultural bias in education, employment, entrepreneurship, and other facets of our society. Nonetheless SBA has moved forward with the proposed rule. It lacks a reasoned basis, purporting that the federal government has discriminated against White Americans, but offering no substantive qualitative or quantitative data or research in support. If the examples provided in the proposed rule are the only basis for what constitutes discrimination to the agency, they are woefully insufficient. The final rule must provide strong evidence that there is discrimination against White individuals and show how the rule is narrowly tailored to address it. The record remains devoid of evidence of discrimination against White individuals on the basis of race.” Ranking Member Markey is fighting to protect federal programs that address historic discrimination against small business owners from minority and underserved communities, and for a small business agenda that ensures economic opportunity for all. In June, Ranking Member Markey released a statement condemning the SBA’s proposed changes to the 8(a) Business Development Program. Also in June, Ranking Markey released a new report highlighting Trump’s drastic reduction in federal contracting dollars awarded to American small businesses, including minority-owned small businesses. In February, Ranking Member Markey, alongside Senators Hirono and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), introduced the Strengthening Place-based Access, Resources, and Knowledge (SPARK) Act to spur entrepreneurship and increase access to capital and resources for underserved entrepreneurs nationwide. Ranking Member Markey previously held a field hearing in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to discuss how government and the private sector can come together to make entrepreneurship more accessible for underserved communities. Earlier in February, Ranking Member Markey secured funding with the Appropriations Committee for Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE Chapters, and Veterans Business Outreach Centers and provisions to rein in the Administration’s attempts to eliminate programs that support women, veterans, and underserved entrepreneurs. In January, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to oppose rule changes that would gut protections against discriminatory lending practices that harm small businesses. In December 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler expressing significant concerns with the SBA’s overly burdensome request and unclear guidance for extensive financial documentation over the holidays, as a part of their sweeping attempts to dismantle the 8(a) Business Development Program. In July and December 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent letters to the SBA Administrator demanding answers about the Trump administration’s efforts to limit economic opportunity for American entrepreneurs, including immigrants. In May 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the SBA Administrator rejecting President Trump’s FY 2026 budget proposal and calling on SBA to immediately release funding for the entrepreneurial development programs, which include programs like the Women’s Business Centers and the Veteran’s Business Development Centers that support underserved small business owners. In April 2025, Ranking Member Markey introduced the New Start Act of 2025 to establish a five-year pilot program providing grants to support entrepreneurial development training for currently or formerly incarcerated individuals. In February 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent letters to the SBA Administrator and Government Accountability Office (GAO) condemning President Trump’s war on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and asking how the SBA intends to implement Trump’s anti-DEIA executive orders. ###

Jul 17 • 5:23 PM EDT • Business • sbc.senate.gov

Trump administration races to rebuild tariff wall knocked down by Supreme Court

The U.S. Treasury last year swelled with revenue from President Donald Trump’s double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country on earth. But the money dried up after the Supreme Court struck down the biggest and boldest of Trump’s tariffs in February. The question now is: Can the president’s trade team make good on its promise to replace the lost revenue?

Jul 17 • 5:23 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies

The Trump administration terminated dozens of health research grants this week, telling grantees it is shifting priorities to issues like the “overmedication of children” and autism, according to a prominent research organization. The cuts hit projects at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, many of them multiyear awards that had already been indefinitely delayed. At least 67 […]

Jul 17 • 4:14 PM EDT • Health • rollcall.com

China warns of reciprocal countermeasures after U.S. shortens foreign journalist visas

The Trump administration announced Thursday it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and prompting China to warn of possible reciprocal countermeasures.

Jul 17 • 1:25 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Trump regulator orders Kalshi to defy Michigan court – escalating battle over prediction markets

The Trump administration took an extraordinary step this week to escalate its nationwide efforts to prevent states from regulating prediction markets, where users can trade on real-world events like sports, politics and pop culture.

Jul 17 • 11:52 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Insurers Hedge on Trump-Backed Pledge To Improve Denials Process

By Lauren Sausser and Renuka Rayasam | KFF Health News One year after the Trump administration announced that dozens of health insurers had signed a six-part pledge promising to reduce barriers to doctor-recommended care, some insurers now say they won’t implement all the promised initiatives.

Jul 17 • 10:36 AM EDT • Health • usnews.com

China warns of reciprocal countermeasures after US shortens foreign journalist visas

The Trump administration is drastically shortening visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. The new rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security limits visas to 240 days, down from

Jul 17 • 5:56 AM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com

Insurers Hedge on Trump-Backed Pledge To Improve Denials Process

Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary commitment by dozens of insurers to improve a process called prior authorization, which often requires patients or their doctors to seek approval before proceeding with treatment. Less than one year later, some insurers chose not to sign the pledge’s update.

Jul 17 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kffhealthnews.org

Sports without politics is a fantasy and the World Cup proves it

From ancient Greece to Nazi Germany, sport and politics have long been intertwined. Nevertheless, we still imagine that international sport can be kept above the fray and serve as a neutral arena where nations compete on merit alone. In this article, diplomacy scholar Geoffrey Allen Pigman argues the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows this is a dangerous illusion. When international sport is left entirely to revenue-maximizing private bodies like FIFA, it doesn't escape politics, but rather surrenders to its worst expressions. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics fast approaching, the IOC must decide whether to learn that lesson or repeat the same mistakes. The largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup ever draws toward its climactic conclusion amidst a swirl of controversy. Team members, staff, fans, and spectators have been denied their right to enter the United States to participate, and US President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to overturn a referee’s call that Trump believed disadvantaged the US national team. It is a moment to step back and reflect on what the purposes of international sport mega-events like the World Cup, and international sport more broadly, are, and what they should be. Does international sport serve public purposes? Is there a public interest? Or is it primarily a private endeavor organized by commercial enterprises to entertain the global public (and generate profit in the process), which is occasionally used by governments and leaders for raisons d’etat? Central to the idea of sport is the principle of fair play, which in the international context demands that games be free from political interference. However, it is impossible to separate sport from politics, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. The most positive political use of international sport through the millennia has been to facilitate diplomacy. The use of international sport for diplomatic objectives has existed since at least the time of the ancient Olympic Games, around which was instituted the custom of the Ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, between participating states to facilitate fair competition and diplomatic achievements by ensuring that participants could travel safely to the Olympiad. In his seminal work On Diplomacy (1987), diplomacy scholar James Der Derian characterized the objectives of diplomacy as overcoming alienation and mediating estrangement between governments and between peoples. One increasingly important diplomatic tool in the technology-infused media environment over the past century has been public diplomacy, under which governments and non-state diplomatic actors (e.g. transnational corporations) communicate to global publics about their international policy objectives and to shape their global brand image. Political scientist Michał Kobierecki, in his important book Sports Diplomacy (2020), views sports diplomacy as falling broadly within the ambit of public diplomacy, as international sport intimately involves the participation of global publics as spectators and consumers of global media. Diplomacy scholar Stuart Murray and this author, in a 2013 article, distinguish between international sport used for diplomatic purposes and international sport-as-diplomacy, which encompasses the range of diplomacy that occurs as teams and competitors, spectators and fans, and government officials all converge for international sporting events like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Diplomacy scholar H.E. Chehabi, in a 2001 article on US-Iran sports diplomacy, describes the interaction between spectators and fans at international sporting events as “people-to-people diplomacy,” in which relationships develop independently of governments and their objectives. Diplomacy by the aforementioned definitions is often unsuccessful. Moreover, all too often the tools of diplomacy may be employed by governments and other actors to thwart or oppose the objectives of diplomacy as characterized by Der Derian. Governments routinely use the tools of public diplomacy to disseminate propaganda, spreading misinformation in the attempt to deceive global publics about their objectives and to create misleading impressions about their brand identity. Within sports diplomacy, the term “sportswashing” has been coined recently to describe how governments invest in and promote international sport to create positive global public impressions of their nations and, in doing so, to distract the global public from their deficient records in areas such as human rights and democratic governance. Murray, in his 2018 book Sports Diplomacy: Origins, Theory and Practice, introduces the concept of sports anti-diplomacy, wherein governments intentionally use international sport to advance aggressive and nationalistic objectives. Obvious historical examples include Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify his Third Reich and the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras football “war.” SUGGESTED READING The beautiful game made ugly By Emily Ryall FIFA argues that it is and seeks to be apolitical in its stewardship of international Association Football (soccer). FIFA policies governing bids to host the World Cup require uninhibited and non-discriminatory access for players, team staff, and spectators of all participating countries to host nations and venues. It became clear soon after Trump returned to power in the United States in January 2025 that Trump’s political intentions and objectives to limit non-US citizens from living and working in the United States and, in numerous cases, even visiting the country, would collide with FIFA’s host nation policies. Beginning soon after the start of the second Trump administration, US federal authorities imposed restrictions on entry to the United States of citizens of between 20 and 40 countries for any purpose, with only limited exceptions. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting non-US citizens in the United States, including persons with and without legal status, holding them in jails, concentration camps, and other detention facilities until they were deported to their home or third countries, where they faced substantive risks to their personal safety. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, in an effort to ensure the most successful and lucrative World Cup in history, engaged diplomatically with President Trump in an attempt to facilitate entry to the US for World Cup participants. Infantino did all in his power to ingratiate himself with Trump, to the extent of creating a FIFA “Peace Prize,” which he awarded to Trump in December 2025 at a ceremony in the then Trump-controlled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the World Cup draw. The prize was an ersatz consolation for someone who aspired in vain to win the rather more prestigious and well-known Nobel Peace Prize. And in the run-up to the World Cup, conditions became worse. In February 2026, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war of aggression against Iran, illegal under international law, under the false pretence that Iran’s government was preparing to attack the United States and Israel. During the US aerial bombardment of Iran, US planes bombed Azadi Stadium, the facility where Iran’s national football team trained. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, it was clear that Infantino’s efforts had been for naught: the Trump administration would not adhere to FIFA policies governing access to World Cup host nations. World Cup referee Omar Artan, a citizen of Somalia, was denied a US visa to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup. Trump’s government only granted US visas to Iran’s football team ten days before they were scheduled to arrive for the tournament. Numerous members of the support staff for Iran’s team were denied US visas. Iran’s team, which had been scheduled to train in Arizona, was directed to shift its training site to Tijuana, Mexico, notwithstanding that all three of their group stage matches took place at US venues. The US Department of Homeland Security only permitted the Iranian team to enter the US on the day before each scheduled match and then to return to Mexico immediately after playing. Members of Iraq’s and Switzerland’s football teams were delayed for hours by US officials at the US border, and an Iraqi team photographer was refused entry. Spectators and fans from Haïti and Iran were denied entry to the United States altogether. A large number of fans from a range of countries had their applications for US visas rejected. There were multiple off-ramps through which participants could have avoided the negative consequences of Trump’s decisions for the 2026 World Cup. Once it was clear that the Trump government intended to violate the established expectations for World Cup hosts, FIFA could have shifted the matches scheduled to take place in the United States to Mexico and Canada. The three nations were already designated as co-hosts, and host cities and venues had been selected. Once it was clear that FIFA, governed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s dependent and dysfunctional relationship with Trump, would never consider this option on its own, it fell to the national football federations to act. The national federations, particularly some combination of federations of the leading contenders (France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, England, Germany, etc.), could have refused to participate under the US-imposed conditions or, at the least, demanded an ironclad agreement with the Trump government that FIFA policies on access would be respected. ___ International sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. ___ Why did neither FIFA nor the national football federations act to protect the interests of players, team staff, referees, fans, and spectators? In essence, the relentless engines of capitalism prevailed over norm observance, ethics, and fair play. The revenue interests of FIFA, sponsors, global media, and host cities won out. FIFA’s managers viewed hosting another World Cup principally in the United States as a veritable pot of gold for FIFA and its collaborators. FIFA has estimated its own revenue over the 2023-26 budget cycle, which includes the 2026 World Cup, at $13 billion, revised up from an initial projection of $11 billion, and 72% higher than the previous revenue cycle. Of that total, FIFA is estimated to have generated $8.9 billion from the Cup itself in revenue from TV rights ($3.92 billion), sponsorships ($2.69 billion), ticket sales ($3.1 billion), licensing rights, and other sources. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that the World Cup will contribute over $40 billion to global GDP, including nearly $14 billion in direct visitor spending in the three host countries (but principally in the United States, which hosted the lion’s share of the matches). The FIFA World Cup is now reportedly “the single most lucrative recurring commercial property in global sport.” And yet, notwithstanding the Trump government’s uses of the World Cup for sports anti-diplomacy, and the climate of anxiety that this created for participants and spectators, diplomacy that did not depend upon governments was able to thrive at the World Cup. Examples of successful people-to-people diplomacy were legion, as citizens of towns and cities across the States, as well as in Mexico and Canada, welcomed team members, their families and supporters, to training sites across North America. Fans of different teams joined together in person in stadiums for matches, at watch parties and bars, and at welcome events sponsored by host cities. The joy and camaraderie shared between the citizenry of Boston and Scotland’s “Tartan Army” of fans is but one example of how the “Beautiful Game” brings people together. Friendships forged across continents are likely to endure well beyond the Cup final. Even those achievements cannot be seen as unalloyed, however. As South African football fan Byron Pillay commented to Al Jazeera, “Football is called the Beautiful Game for a reason, for its ability to unite people. But it’s hard to believe in that magic with the politics and war rhetoric off the field of play, especially when one of the tournament hosts is central to that.” Ultimately, the experience of the 2026 FIFA World Cup illustrates that, as international sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. As long as there is the possibility of diplomatic progress in mediating estrangement between governments or between peoples, there is a broad and overarching public interest in international sport. Likewise, as it would be difficult to put on an international sport mega-event without international sporting organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), global media firms, and companies purchasing sponsorships, public and private interests in international sport must coexist, most likely somewhere on a shifting spectrum between partnership and rivalry or cross purposes. As the World Cup wraps up, the IOC needs to consider its lessons before the scheduled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they want to avoid a media-hyped Trump version of the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees need to set conditions on and make demands of Trump’s government with clearly articulated consequences for non-compliance, up to and including cancellation of the Games. Time is running out for the IOC, as unlike with the FIFA World Cup, there is no at-the-ready alternate venue for Los Angeles.

Jul 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • iai.tv

Latest on the Trump administration as president readies to deliver primetime speech

Jul 16 • 11:58 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

White House Faces Stiff Pushback on Subjecting Grants to Political Review

Academics, city leaders and congressional lawmakers number among the thousands to urge the Trump administration to reconsider a plan to assert more control over grants.

Jul 16 • 11:01 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought a series of once-unthinkable public-health proposals to the highest levels of the Trump administration.

Jul 16 • 7:00 AM EDT • Health • cnn.com

Poll: Costs Are the Top Health Care Issue for Voters in the Midterms, But Fraud Tops Republicans' List As Trump Administration Pushes Crackdown

Health care costs top the list of voters’ health care priorities for the midterm elections, though more than half of Republican voters say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss the issue of fraud in government health programs, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares of voters see fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid than in federal health programs. The smallest share of voters sees fraud in the ACA marketplaces.

Jul 16 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kff.org

Vance says Trump administration ‘screwed up’ communications around Epstein files

Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration “absolutely screwed up the comms” around the Jeffrey Epstein files and should have released everything immediately, while insisting the administration was not trying to conceal information.

Jul 15 • 7:24 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Trump administration 'screwed up' Epstein files communication, Vance says

During a lengthy podcast interview with Joe Rogan released Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance pointed largely to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who infamously stated that an alleged “client list” of Epstein’s was “sitting on my desk right now.”

Jul 15 • 5:21 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Blanche confronts questioning of deal for Trump at confirmation hearing

Blanche insisted the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" was "not moving forward." But lawmakers raised concerns the Trump administration has yet to commit in writing that the fund is dead.

Jul 15 • 4:21 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Science Is Under Attack. But Scientists Are Speaking Up

On May 29, 2026, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a revision to the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (“the OMB rule”) that would put much of science in the U.S. under the thumb of the Trump administration. How? By giving political appointees unprecedented p

Jul 15 • 3:31 PM EDT • Science • blog.ucs.org

Greenland institute halts new collaborations with the US

The Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in public research funding and fired government scientists.

Jul 15 • 1:24 PM EDT • Science • euronews.com

Trump’s Section 122 Tariffs Have Delivered Nothing for American Businesses, Workers, or Communities

The Trump administration’s short-term Section 122 tariffs, which are due to expire next week, have not delivered a single policy win.

Jul 15 • 9:01 AM EDT • Business • americanprogress.org

Trump administration scales back immigration crackdown after ICE shootings

The administration is again retreating from some aggressive actions, but Republicans expect Democrats to expand calls to “abolish ICE.”

Jul 15 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Trump’s continuing war on science

I have written before about the Trump administration’s headlong rush to adopt regulations that stifle dissent and force conformity to its ideological bent.

Jul 14 • 8:45 PM EDT • Science • juneauindependent.com

Trump administration orders ICE to suspend most vehicle stops after deadly shootings

The suspension is not absolute and there's room for exceptions when executing a criminal warrant or working with partner agencies.

Jul 14 • 4:23 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Health Brief: The $10M contraceptive mess

Plus: The Trump administration deepens its push into psychedelic medicine.

Jul 14 • 4:09 PM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

Pro-Palestinian protester sues Trump administration, citing KKK Act

Mahmoud Khalil alleges private groups, including the conservative Heritage Foundation, and public leaders conspired to persecute him.

Jul 14 • 3:40 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Trump administration claims healthcare fraud crackdown has saved taxpayers $5.56B in six months

A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General shows most of the money comes from a small number of huge cases, where the federal government was able to reclaim hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds being abused by criminal defendants.

Jul 14 • 8:08 AM EDT • Health • healthexec.com

How a Promising Navy Drone Boat Program Got Mired in Politics

Navy acquisition reforms upended a $2.1 billion contract competition. When it was over, several companies with ties to the Trump administration had made the cut.

Jul 14 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Oregon, 14 other states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts

Fifteen states including Oregon and Washington sued the Trump administration to block funding cuts to a $1 billion program that helps school districts hire and train more mental health professionals.

Jul 13 • 5:25 PM EDT • Health • opb.org

CBO is looking at how fighting health care fraud could help GOP boost defense spending - Live Updates

House GOP lawmakers are searching for savings to help fund their latest spending package, and want CBO to examine the Trump administration's fraud crackdown.

Jul 13 • 5:13 PM EDT • Health • politico.com

The Biggest Threat to Women's Sports Isn't Trans Athletes. It's the Trump Administration's Failure to Uphold Title IX's Promise of Equal Opportunity.

While the Trump administration performs protection and lets unresolved cases pile up, athletes and their lawyers are actually enforcing Title IX and expanding athletic opportunities for women and girls.

Jul 13 • 5:00 PM EDT • Sports • msmagazine.com

The Quintessential Trump-era Politician

In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Jul 13 • 4:19 PM EDT • Politics • anneapplebaum.substack.com

US outbreak of parasite causing ‘watery diarrhea’ rises to more than 2,800 cases

Outbreak comes a year after Trump administration cut funding for state and local health departments

Jul 13 • 2:24 PM EDT • Health • theguardian.com

‘The end of American science as we know it.’ White House funding plan sparks alarm

A Trump administration proposal would vastly expand political oversight of federal grants. Critics say it threatens “science as we know it.”

Jul 13 • 11:23 AM EDT • Science • san.com

New polling shows Talarico leads Paxton among Hispanic business owners

Among the reasons are the Trump administration’s increasingly unpopular deportation practices and the rising cost of living.

Jul 12 • 5:06 PM EDT • Business • ms.now

Is the US trying to make scientists’ work so difficult that they simply give up?

New Trump administration rules would undermine longstanding research practices. It’s death by a thousand cuts

Jul 11 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • theguardian.com

Trump administration subpoenas Times journalists who reported security concerns around new Air Force One

Four New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding a Qatari-gifted jet serving as the new Air Force One have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department, the news outlet reported Friday.

Jul 11 • 6:24 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

‘Outrage’: Community and research allies blast Trump plan to politicize U.S. grants

The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a sprawling overhaul of a rule establishing the framework for federal financial assistance that would set up Trump and future presidents to politicize federal grantmaking, shifting grantmaking power to administration appointees and seizing broad latitude for the executive branch in the financial aid process. Wide-ranging opponents of the Trump administration proposal say it would tee up federal agencies to dismiss community needs and congressional intent on a partisan basis as they decide discretionary federal awards – with billions of dollars at stake.

Jul 11 • 5:45 AM EDT • Politics • wvgazettemail.com

A wave of young Miami Cubans disagrees with abuela about politics in the Trump era

As Donald Trump touts his Miami support, a surprisingly large number of younger Cubans and Cuban Americans recoil at the Trump administration’s tactics.

Jul 11 • 5:30 AM EDT • Politics • miamiherald.com

CA joins lawsuit against Trump’s cutting school mental health services funding

Attorney General Rob Bonta opposes Trump administration’s attempt to cut $200 million in grant money from high-need schools.

Jul 10 • 7:08 PM EDT • Health • sacbee.com

15 states sue Trump administration to block school mental health funding cuts

Fifteen states on Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led states and the U.S. Department of Education over a mental health grant program that Congress established following the 2018 school shooting at Marjory […]

Jul 10 • 4:57 PM EDT • Health • stateline.org

Trump Administration Taps Climate Science Critic to Oversee National Climate Assessment

Matthew M. Wielicki has criticized the scientific consensus on global warming as alarmist. Now he’ll oversee a major federal report on the topic.

Jul 10 • 2:07 PM EDT • Science • nytimes.com

OMB’s plan to increase political control of science faces stiff opposition on Capitol Hill

The Trump administration has a fight on its hands as it pushes forward with a plan to exert greater political control over government funding of science. To access this subscriber-only content please log in or subscribe.If your institution has a site license, log in with IP-login or register for a sponsored account.**Not all site licenses […]

Jul 10 • 10:46 AM EDT • Science • cancerletter.com

USDA lowers beef export sales by 90% amid growing doubts over data

The U.S. Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported ​beef export sales for late June on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency's data after staffing losses as ‌part of the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government.

Jul 9 • 5:17 PM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Proposed rule could gut American science, Penn researcher warns

The Trump administration is seeking not only to cut research funding, but to give political appointees veto power over how and what kinds of scientific study are permissible.

Jul 9 • 10:01 AM EDT • Science • inquirer.com

Will federal changes to research funding promote ‘accountability’ or politicize science?

A retired Brown University professor says the Trump administration is weakening a system that relies on subject-matter experts to judge scientific merit.

Jul 9 • 5:00 AM EDT • Science • wgbh.org

Trump Administration Removes, Then Restores, Ocean Science Instruments

PROVINCETOWN — After the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the “Saving the OOI Act” on June 17, the Trump administration backed off its plan to dismantle a $386-million ocean monitoring system […]

Jul 8 • 7:57 PM EDT • Science • provincetownindependent.org

Trump administration pursues more durable changes to science policy after setbacks in court

The White House has proposed sweeping changes to the bedrock regulation undergirding all federal contracts, empowering the executive branch to direct research, terminate grants, and external scientific reviews.

Jul 8 • 4:30 AM EDT • Science • statnews.com

Reflecting Pool being drained – again – as Trump administration tries once more to fix landmark

Crews began draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.

Jul 7 • 9:22 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Trump admin reimposes oil sanctions after Iran strikes ships near Strait of Hormuz

The Trump administration is reimposing sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

Jul 7 • 3:27 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Exclusive: Trump admin says it has abandoned plans for new Tubman $20 bill

The Trump administration has dropped a 10-year-old plan to put the face of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, Spectrum News has learned.

Jul 6 • 6:09 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Trump administration denies disaster declaration for record R.I. blizzard

The state’s Democratic congressional delegation criticizes President Trump for politicizing disaster aid, telling him, “You chose to leave Rhode Islanders out in the cold.”

Jul 6 • 4:30 PM EDT • Politics • bostonglobe.com

New disease threats follow Trump administration's health program cuts

The Trump administration has cut investments in programs and agencies that prevent, track, and respond to health hazards.

Jul 6 • 2:30 PM EDT • Health • alaskabeacon.com

Opinion | Trade Uncertainty Is Bad for Business

The Trump administration’s failure to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada pact in its current form is a gift to lobbyists and will discourage investment.

Jul 6 • 2:14 PM EDT • Business • wsj.com

White House Blasts Smithsonian History Exhibits For 'Radical' Activism

A new Trump administration report singles out references to 'Hamilton,' drag queens and Mickey Mouse.

Jul 6 • 11:21 AM EDT • Entertainment • deadline.com

Trump Administration Rolls Back Dozens of Gun Regulations

Critics say the administration is weakening public safety. Proponents say regulations would be where they were before President Joseph R. Biden took office.

Jul 5 • 5:01 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Top general fired by Trump administration criticizes use of military for political missions

The former top US general whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired last year offered a sharp criticism of the Trump administration in an op-ed published Friday, pointing to its political use of the military, such as deploying troops to clamp down on crime in major cities.

Jul 3 • 10:45 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

As ACA enrollment falls by millions, Trump administration and policy gurus disagree on why

Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollment has declined by 3 million people. The Trump administration points to fraud controls. Policy experts point to cost.

Jul 3 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • cnbc.com

Democrats demand HHS reinstate cancelled teen pregnancy prevention grants

Democrats across both chambers of Congress are demanding the Trump administration reinstate tens of millions of dollars in teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) grants that were suddenly cancelled last w…

Jul 2 • 3:13 PM EDT • Health • thehill.com

Opinion | Trump administration move poses an existential threat to science

"The new threat can be found in the 412-page proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget," two professors emeriti write. "It seeks to put all federal funding decisions, for science and non-science, in the hands of political appointees with no expertise."

Jul 2 • 2:30 PM EDT • Science • startribune.com

Court Stops USDA From Enforcing Funding Conditions Tied to DEI, Women’s Sports

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to withhold funding from states and grant recipients that have not confirmed their compliance with Trump administration policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), “gender ideology,” women’s and girls’ sports, and immigration.

Jul 2 • 1:38 PM EDT • Sports • ogletree.com

Trump administration’s $46 billion 'smart wall' races ahead

The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades.

Jul 2 • 10:48 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Trump administration’s $46 billion 'smart wall' races ahead

The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades.

Jul 2 • 10:48 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

OpenAI proposes 5% stake to Trump administration to ease Washington pressure: report

Trump said in June that the U.S. taking an ownership stake in AI giants would be "a beautiful thing" and make American public "partners in this revolution."

Jul 2 • 12:41 AM EDT • Politics • cnbc.com

OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake, FT reports

OpenAI has discussed ‌giving a 5% stake to the U.S. government, ​the Financial Times ​reported on Thursday.

Jul 2 • 12:27 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Laid off federal scientists keep maps and data visuals online with crowdfunded money

Federal employees axed during waves of cuts by the Trump administration have fought back against the dismantling of a key climate science website.

Jul 1 • 7:58 PM EDT • Science • latimes.com

Arkansas business conditions index rises in June

The broad Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index ticked higher in June despite a rising number of manufacturing job losses, higher prices, and negative impacts from Trump Administration tariff policies....

Jul 1 • 6:52 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net

Trump's actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn

For decades, disabled people have fought for their rights to go to school and live alongside peers without disabilities — rights that some fear could be losing ground under the Trump administration.

Jul 1 • 5:20 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Ex-CIA Director John Brennan sues the Trump administration, demanding it preserve records of investigations into him

Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations that he says are targeting him for “what amounts to phantom criminal conduct.”

Jul 1 • 4:57 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Former CIA Director John Brennan sues Trump administration

Jul 1 • 4:38 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Trump Health Cuts Spark Concerns Over ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria

Scientists say deadly beach bacteria are expanding just as the Trump administration scales back disease-monitoring programs.

Jul 1 • 12:59 PM EDT • Health • thedailybeast.com

Smart voices in tech react to return of Anthropic's Fable and Mythos

Anthropic restores Fable 5 AI model after the Trump administration lifted export controls. Here's what people in tech are saying about the saga.

Jul 1 • 7:15 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Trump administration ends $1.2M in federal grants for Wisconsin teen health programs

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services notified funding recipients on Saturday that the federal government had abruptly terminated a $1.2 million annual Teen Pregnancy Prevention grant, according to a letter shared with Wisconsin Public Radio.

Jul 1 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • wpr.org

Affordable Healthcare Emerges as a Voter Priority in Purple Nevada

The Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid and SNAP may complicate Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo’s reelection chances.

Jul 1 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kffhealthnews.org

Enrollment in Affordable Care Act health plans drops by 3M, HHS data reveals

The Trump administration said the reduction can be attributed to a cleanup of fraud, waste and abuse, but the real reason extends back to enhanced subsidies put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jul 1 • 12:46 AM EDT • Health • healthexec.com

Trump administration lifts Claude Mythos 5, Fable 5 export restrictions after Anthropic works with government

The Commerce Department lifted export restrictions on Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 after a review, clearing the models for wider access

Jun 30 • 8:44 PM EDT • Business • foxbusiness.com

Trump administration suspends funding for New York's Medicaid fraud unit over low performance

The funding suspension is part of the Republican administration's broader anti-fraud actions in the healthcare sector.

Jun 30 • 4:52 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Trump administration suspends funding for New York's Medicaid fraud unit

The move is the second suspension of a state Medicaid fraud unit this year by the Republican Trump administration.

Jun 30 • 3:18 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

What is a quantum computer good for? Absolutely nothing

The Trump administration wants a useful quantum computer in two years. Microsoft wants one in three. Independent researchers cry hype.

Jun 30 • 12:00 PM EDT • Science • theverge.com

Supreme Court rules states can restrict transgender athletes’ sports participation in schools

The decision marks another legal setback for transgender youth as the Trump administration and Republican-led state legislatures have advanced policies limiting transgender rights.

Jun 30 • 11:12 AM EDT • Sports • chalkbeat.org

Trump administration puts religious freedom at heart of US health policy

Critics say the new focus could reshape LGBTQ+ healthcare, abortion access and vaccine policy

Jun 30 • 11:01 AM EDT • Health • theguardian.com