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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.
Taco Bell has a diarrhea problem
Taco Bell has been the shining star of the fast-food business for several years. But now the company is contending with a restaurant’s worst nightmare: an explosive diarrhea outbreak.
After ‘Heated Rivalry’ mania, a very adult ‘Heartstopper’ is here
(CNN) — It takes less than 10 minutes of watching the new “Heartstopper Forever” movie on Netflix to realize this is not the same tenderhearted romance to which audiences were
Trump’s devoted base is really shrinking now
Few factors have loomed over American politics for the past decade like President Donald Trump’s sway over his base.
Epstein survivor: Meeting with Attorney General Nominee Todd Blanche was ‘compulsive…he was forced to meet with us today’
5 takeaways from Trump’s primetime speech on elections
President Donald Trump’s primetime address from the White House on Thursday night didn’t make huge news.
GOP leaders forced to abandon signature veterans benefits bill amid intra-party dispute
Speaker Mike Johnson suffered another humiliating political defeat at the hands of his own party on Thursday when he was forced to abandon plans to pass a veterans’ benefits bill designed to be one of the GOP’s big legislative wins before the midterms.
Truth Social will sell Wall Street quicker access to posts
Truth Social will sell Wall Street firms quicker access to market-moving posts from President Donald Trump, the company said on Thursday.
Fetterman lays out ‘red line’ over leaving Democratic Party: Israel
Sen. John Fetterman bluntly warned on Thursday that he would leave the Democratic Party if it adopts an anti-Israel policy — one of his most direct threats yet amid the first-term Pennsylvanian’s intensifying battle with progressives over the direction of their party.
Merck’s cholesterol pill gets US FDA approval
Merck said on Thursday the U.S. FDA has approved its cholesterol pill, the first of its kind to receive the health regulator’s nod, bolstering the drugmaker’s efforts to diversify beyond its blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda.
Pluto flyby mission wakes up after long sleep nearly 6 billion miles from Earth
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft recently came out of hibernation to continue its journey through an unexplored part of the solar system.
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.
One of the world’s most prominent hospitals is testing how AI can revolutionize health care
Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s most well-known hospital systems, is using AI in hopes of improving patient care and, ultimately, saving lives.
Rubio to convene meeting on ‘far-left political terrorism’ with representatives from 65 countries
Facing what Secretary of State Marco Rubio will describe as a “resurgence” of “far left political terrorism,” according to a State Department official, Rubio will convene diplomats from around the world in Washington on Thursday to discuss a response.
Trump’s address is likely to cast new cloud over midterm elections
President Donald Trump has passed up multiple chances to explain to Americans how his latest escalation will win the war in Iran or how he’ll alleviate their perpetually high costs for groceries, housing and fuel.
NewsNight panel reacts to viewer comment about Trump’s ICE operations
NewsNight viewers are welcomed to join the debate via CNN.com. One viewer says: “people elected trump for more deportations but not by any means… Especially violent means.” The NewsNight panel responds.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on initially dismissing claims by Platner accuser
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.
Meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home contains ‘extraterrestrial’ amino acids
A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024 is a rare, primitive space rock containing evidence of ancient water.
Fireball over New York City was a rare meteorite containing evidence of extraterrestrial water
A meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024 is a rare, primitive space rock containing evidence of ancient water.
Over 100 Democrats vote to block billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, reflecting growing schism in party
More than 100 Democrats voted to block billions of dollars in military aid to Israel — an ultimately unsuccessful effort that highlighted the growing division in their party on the issue.
Trump weighing options for expanding military operations in Iran
President Donald Trump has been receiving options for expanding the military operation in Iran, according to people familiar with the matter, including during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday.
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?
Trump’s foreign policy is to try to get America paid
Analysis: President Donald Trump ran for office promising to put America First. He has governed with an eye toward getting America paid.
Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.”
The House voted to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Here’s what’s next
The US House on Tuesday voted in strong bipartisan fashion to enact year-round Daylight Saving Time across the country. But the measure’s fate in the Senate remains far from certain.
Former Obama White House attorney says ‘it was a mistake’ to deal with Epstein and she regrets it
Former Obama White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler said she regrets interacting with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and believes now it was a mistake, according to opening remarks she delivered to House committee investigators as part of a closed-door interview.
The downside of making Daylight Saving Time permanent
One of the most famous quotes about politics is Otto von Bismarck’s observation that it’s the “art of the possible.”
FTO designation exposes compliance gaps in Brazil’s entertainment sector
Following a domestic money-laundering probe that linked funk artists to Brazilian criminal groups and the subsequent US designation of two cartels as terrorist organisations, Brazilian legal practitioners tell Latin Lawyer they are updating sanctions-screening systems for entertainment-industry clients, reassessing their own onboarding processes for artists and producers and reaching out to Mexican peers for guidance on managing the fallout.
Gold ‘Iran war participation trophy’ appears in DC for Trump
A protest group called The Secret Handshake placed a 10-foot-tall gold trophy on the National Mall for President Trump. In a press release, the group said the trophy is intended for de-escalating the ongoing conflict through “positive reinforcement.”
The Trump team’s worst predictions about the Iran war
Over the last four and a half months, President Donald Trump and those around him have confidently made predictions that quickly fell apart.
Dozens of New York cooling towers test positive for Legionnaires’ bacteria as outbreak reaches 60 cases
New York City is managing a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases on the Upper East Side that officials believe is tied to bacteria found in cooling towers. Towers on 76 buildings on the Upper East Side have tested positive for the bacteria, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Tuesday.
Takeaways from Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s first congressional testimony
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh on Tuesday offered his most detailed account yet of the sweeping changes he’s ushering in at America’s central bank and the philosophy behind them.
House to vote Tuesday on bill to enact year-round Daylight Saving Time
The US House will vote Tuesday on a measure to enact year-round Daylight Saving Time across the country, springing Congress forward into an issue that has long stumped lawmakers and spurred impassioned pleas by parents, farmers and others with sharply divergent views.
Astronomers detect sugar in interstellar space for the first time
Astronomers have detected a natural sugar found in raspberries in clouds of interstellar dust and gas near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Killings of three British politicians in a decade shine light on febrile political mood
For the third time in a little over a decade, British lawmakers stood up one-by-one in Parliament on Monday, paid tribute to a slain politician, and echoed each other’s fears about the rising tide of violence in politics.
Iran plays by Trump’s rules to deepen his war dilemma
Iran seems to be playing Donald Trump at his own game.
Soccer, not just American football, may affect long-term brain health, study suggests
As the World Cup nears its final, a new study raises questions about whether long-term soccer head impacts could affect brain health.
CNN duped by fake Calif. politician during Mitch McConnell coverage
The fake politician said McConnell is "so sharp."
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
Trump backs Russia sanctions package spearheaded by Graham
President Donald Trump will support the passage of a bipartisan Russia sanctions package that was spearheaded by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a White House official told CNN on Monday.
Judge: Trump sought to ‘manipulate the judicial process’ with his IRS lawsuit and attempted $1.8B fund
A federal judge Monday said a controversial lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the IRS sought to “manipulate the judicial process” and that he acted in bad faith in bringing it.
Trump says Graham’s sister should be appointed to his seat
President Trump says he recommended to South Carolina’s governor that Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister be appointed to serve in the late lawmaker’s seat after he suddenly died over the weekend.
A chance encounter led to one of the largest T. rexes ever found. Now, it could be ‘lost to science’
A large T. rex skeleton nicknamed ‘Gus’ is on track to break auction records, and highlight one of paleontology’s biggest predicaments.
A chance encounter led to one of the largest T. rexes ever found. Now, it could be ‘lost to science’
A large T. rex skeleton nicknamed ‘Gus’ is on track to break auction records, and highlight one of paleontology’s biggest predicaments.
VFW cartoon showing veterans facing a firing squad sparks calls for an investigation
A cartoon depicting a firing squad of bureaucrats and media with rifles aimed at US veterans has prompted a powerful congressman to call for an investigation into one of America’s oldest veterans advocacy groups, stoking a debate over free speech for political satire.
$11-billion ‘wellness island’ is being built in Abu Dhabi
Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi is a development of homes that promises future residents a coastal neighborhood that will enhance their physical and mental wellbeing.
Sam Neill, star of ‘Jurassic Park,’ has died, family says
(CNN) — Legendary New Zealand actor Sam Neill died Monday in Sydney, Australia at age 78, his family said in a statement.
Graham’s death highlights a power shift and a new question: What’s coming next in Washington?
The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham and the long hospitalization of former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are poignant reminders that time conquers even political careers marked by great power and ubiquity.
McConnell says he was hospitalized last month after a fall
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Sunday announced, after weeks of speculation, why he had been hospitalized and away from Capital Hill.
Your health insurance costs could spike next year
Early filings from 77 health insurers indicate that monthly insurance premiums could increase by 10% to 20% in 2027.
After a year of tariffs, automakers are still resistant to moving production to the US
Toyota announced last week it would do something other automakers have been reluctant to do – shift some production from Mexico to the United States.
Lindsey Graham’s death will shake the Senate and November election. Here’s what comes next
The sudden death of influential Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham will have implications for legislative business in the Senate and the November election. Here’s what we know about what comes next.
‘Islamic Republic of Japan’: Trump’s verbal flubs are piling up
President Donald Trump has not been charitable about politicians’ verbal gaffes. He’s got his own increasing collection.
It was supposed to be Trump’s big legislative achievement. It could be a weapon for Democrats to win in the midterms
One year after passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, it no longer seems like the easy win for Republicans to run on in November.
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after sudden illness
(CNN) — US Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has died “from a brief and sudden illness,” a spokesperson for his office told CNN.
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after sudden illness
US Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has died “from a brief and sudden illness,” a spokesperson for his office told CNN.
Brain impacts on former elite soccer players may worsen mental health and focus in midlife
Soccer headers could be a problem later for some. As early as midlife, former elite players have reported worse anxiety, depression and focus, a new study finds.
Trump’s DC beautification push navigates troubled waters
At a ceremony in front of the iconic cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top US officials touted President Donald Trump’s efforts to make the city “safe and beautiful.”
Democrats warn of a Trump election takeover. What’s really happening?
Democrats are reaching DEFCON 1 levels of alarm about President Donald Trump’s efforts to influence the coming election.
Inside the culture that makes Norway so good at sports
Norway’s impressive run at the World Cup is yet another reminder that they’ve got this whole sport thing figured out.
Michigan Democrats are angry at their party. Abdul El-Sayed thinks he knows why
Key Democratic establishment figures believe Abdul El-Sayed will blow the party’s chances of holding onto a critical Senate seat this fall. He is out to prove them wrong — and to show that they misunderstand what voters really crave.
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.
Populist politicians on the right and left take a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook
The world’s modern populists are discovering a common trait that seems to serve them more than the voters they claim to champion.
PA’s top election official: Trump actions show “concerning” pattern of “reducing federal support for elections”
Bipartisan senators announce agreement with Trump administration on Russia sanctions
Bipartisan senators announced an agreement with the Trump administration on Friday to move ahead with an updated Russia sanctions package, but it remains unclear if President Donald Trump will directly back the bill’s passage.
Trump says the Iran ceasefire is ‘OVER.’ What now?
The Iran war has apparently entered a new phase. But the president isn’t being clear about what that means.
Can a pro-Israel Jewish Democrat be the party’s 2028 nominee? Hear what progressive House candidate Brad Lander thinks
Trump says he won’t sign housing bill that’s set to become law at midnight
President Donald Trump said Friday that he will not sign a bipartisan housing bill, which is set to become law at midnight even without his signature, as he digs in on controversial federal elections overhaul legislation.
Elon Musk’s plans refer to an idea conceived in the 1960s. What is the Kardashev scale?
A Soviet astronomer in the 1960s proposed a scale to classify hypothetical alien civilizations. Here’s why the framework is still coming up today.
McConnell was loaded into ambulance on a stretcher, according to eyewitness and new video
Emergency responders took Sen. Mitch McConnell to an ambulance on a stretcher after being called to his home last month for a report of an unconscious person, according to new video of the incident and an eyewitness account.
Hegseth pushes for action after sailors appear to flout his beard policy
As the US-Iran war risked reigniting in recent weeks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded a Navy ship for what was supposed to be a routine visit with sailors.
Maine Democrat: Graham Platner causing “distrust” by delaying formal exit
Trump fires Election Assistance Commission leaders
The White House on Thursday fired the leadership of the federal agency that provides funding and security guidance to election officials, according to sources familiar with the matter and an email reviewed by CNN — a move that’s already raising alarm bells among election officials about federal interference ahead of the midterms.
Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, sources say
Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, two sources familiar with matter told CNN.