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A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administration on “election integrity.” In a text to one of the officials, the consultant, Jeff Small, indicated he was acting on a request from Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. In a phone call with another clerk, Small said he was coordinating with the White House and the Justice Department to “implement” an elections executive order signed by President Donald Trump, recalled Justin Grantham, the top election official in Fremont County. Grantham and Carly Koppes, who oversees elections in Weld County in northern Colorado, told CNN that Small made a specific request: Would they give a third party access to their election equipment? Both declined. “Not only is that a hard no, I mean, you’re not even going to breathe on my equipment,” Koppes said. The outreach to the Colorado clerks is just one of a flurry of recent federal actions launched by the Trump administration and groups aligned with the president. While the White House distanced itself from Small, Trump and his allies are collecting vast amounts of voter data and working to change the ground rules for next year’s midterms, often by invoking federal government authority. Next year’s midterms hold enormous stakes for Trump and his opposition. Democrats need to net just three seats in the US House in 2026 to flip control of the chamber from Republicans. A Democratic-led House could block Trump’s legislative agenda and launch investigations of the president in the second half of his second term. Samantha Tarazi, CEO of the nonprofit Voting Rights Lab, which has closely tracked state developments, said she believes Trump is gearing up “to use the power of his office to interfere in the 2026 election.” “What started as an unconstitutional executive order — marching orders for state action regardless of its fate in court — has grown into a full federal mobilization to seize power over our elections,” she said. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said Trump is “fighting for election integrity” and will keep doing so “despite Democrat objections that reveal their disdain for commonsense safeguards like verifying citizenship.” “Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our Constitutional Republic, and we’re confident in securing an ultimate victory in the courtroom,” he said in an email. Aggressive moves to remake the boardRestricting who can access election machines and sensitive voting software has grown even more important to election officials in recent years following voting system breaches in states such as Colorado and Georgia. Trump allies had sought access to machines to find evidence that could back up the president’s claim that widespread fraud marred the 2020 election. But election watchdogs and some Democratic election officials say activity by Trump and aligned groups since his return to the White House has raised fears of a broader effort to reshape elections. President Donald Trump holds an executive order, at the White House, in Washington, DC, on March 25. - Evelyn Hockstein/ReutersRecent actions by the administration and its allies include: Trump signing an executive order in March that sought to force states to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and take “enforcement action” against states that accept mail ballots after Election Day. Federal judges have blocked parts of the executive order, noting that the power to regulate elections rests with the states and Congress, not the president. The Republican National Committee pushing to obtain voter registration records from states. On the day Trump signed the executive order, the RNC sent records requests to 48 states and Washington, DC, seeking information on how they maintain voter registration lists. And the RNC has sued New Jersey – home to a closely watched gubernatorial race this fall – alleging officials there have failed to respond to its requests for voter data and documents related to voting machine audits. A spokesperson for New Jersey’s elections division declined to comment on the litigation. The Justice Department asking more than a dozen states in recent weeks to provide voter lists, explain their procedures for removing potential ineligible voters from their rolls or discuss entering into information-sharing agreements to help the agency root out election fraud. The demands range from seeking copies of voting rolls in political battlegrounds such as Michigan to a broad request in Colorado to provide election records as far back as 2020. Republicans in Texas undertaking a rare mid-decade redistricting, following entreaties from Trump. A map released Wednesday by GOP lawmakers who control the state legislature aims to take over five additional Democratic seats, which would to give the GOP the edge in 30 of the state’s 38 congressional districts. The Republican-controlled House in April approving the SAVE Act, which mirrors parts of Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The proposed legislation also would make it a crime for election officials to mistakenly register someone to vote who has not provided proof of citizenship. Critics note that it’s already illegal for noncitizens to cast ballots in federal elections and say requiring proof of citizenship could disenfranchise eligible voters who lack the needed documents or changed their name through marriage. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, on February 5. - Alex Brandon/AP/FileTo justify the redistricting in his state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cited a letter from Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, that challenged the legality of four existing congressional districts. Dhillon said in a statement: “Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections.” She said the agency “has a statutory mandate to enforce our federal voting rights laws, and ensuring the voting public’s confidence in the integrity of our elections is a top priority of this administration.” Trump has been blunt about his partisan goals in Texas, and he has suggested that other GOP-controlled states should pursue their own redistricting efforts – a move that threatens to set off an all-out redistricting war this year with Democrats in California and other Democrat-led states. The administration’s recent actions have unsettled some election officials, who have endured years of threats and harassment following the 2020 election and the conspiracy theories about election fraud that flourished in its aftermath. Election officials “are surfing on quicksand,” said David Becker, executive director and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research and a former DOJ voting rights attorney. “They don’t know what the executive order means, if it has any meaning whatsoever,” he said. “They don’t know if they will be investigated just for having done their jobs. They don’t know if the vast power of the federal government is going to be weaponized against them. They don’t know if the Department of Justice is going to be suing them.” A recent survey of 858 local election officials by the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s Law School bears that out. It found more than half of local election officials – 59% – say they are concerned about political leaders engaging in efforts to interfere with how election officials do their jobs. And 46% said they were concerned about politically motivated investigations of their work or that of their fellow election officials. The fight over voting machines in ColoradoA man fills out his ballot after registering to vote at Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 3, 2020. The church served as a location where voters could register, drop off completed ballots or fill out a ballot in person. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette via AP) - Forrest Czarnecki/The Gazette/AP/FileIn early July, as previously reported by The Washington Post and media outlets in Colorado, Republican election clerks began receiving calls and texts from Small. Small, who has worked for Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert and for the US Interior Department during Trump’s first term, now is a principal with a Denver public affairs firm. County officials interviewed by CNN said Small told them he was reaching out specifically to Republican clerks in blue states in a push to help advance Trump’s executive order. Grantham, the election clerk in Fremont County, said Small’s outreach to only Republican officials was an early red flag during their conversation. Another concern arose, he said, when Small mentioned gaining access to the county’s election equipment. “My response was, ‘I didn’t believe that the president had the authority in the Constitution to write executive orders to affect elections and that until the Supreme Court found that he could, I would not let anybody access my voting equipment.” CNN reached out to Small, and his attorney, Suzanne Taheri, responded to CNN’s inquiry. In a text, Taheri said Small’s outreach “supported efforts by allies in the administration to encourage officials to participate in President Trump’s election security executive order.” He undertook the activity “on a volunteer basis, during his own free time, while on paternity leave,” she added. Neither Small nor Taheri answered questions about who exactly in the administration asked him to contact the clerks. The White House distanced itself from Small’s actions in a statement. “Jeff Small does not speak for the White House nor was he ever authorized to do official business on behalf of the White House,” a White House spokesperson said in an email to CNN. Miller did not respond to CNN requests for comment. The impact on local election officialsIn Colorado, election officials say, there is heightened sensitivity around who can access election equipment, after the high-profile prosecution of former Mesa County elections clerk, Tina Peters. She became a celebrity among pro-Trump activists who have advanced false claims that voting machines had been rigged to flip votes from Trump to then-candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Many state laws set strict security standards for voting machines to prevent tampering with elections. Colorado has specifically barred third parties from accessing election equipment. Former Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters looks on during her sentencing for her election interference case at the Mesa County District Court on October 3, 2024, in Grand Junction, Colorado. - Larry Robinson/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel/AP/FileLast year, a judge sentenced Peters to nine years in prison after she was convicted on state charges for her role in a breach of her county’s election system as part of an unsuccessful hunt for fraud. Trump and his administration have taken up Peters’ cause, however. Earlier this year, the Justice Department said it was reviewing her case as part of a broad mandate from Trump to counter prosecutions it said were aimed at “inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice.” And in a social media post in May, the president weighed in personally, calling Peters an “innocent Political Prisoner” and directing the Justice Department to “to take all necessary action to help secure” her release. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told CNN that her office has provided recent voter data to the Justice Department that’s generally available to the public. But she said she declined to comply with a request related to records from the 2020 election because the federal government has no “legal basis” to seek it. Federal law only requires the preservation of election data in federal races for 22 months. Griswold, a Democrat, said Trump’s recent actions demonstrate the president “is using the power of the federal government to undermine American elections and undermine voter confidence in them.” In Colorado, a state Trump lost in all three of his White House bids, tensions over election administration remain high. Koppes, the Republican clerk of Weld County, said she faced so many threats for her outspoken defense of the 2020 election results – and her county’s use of Dominion Voting machines – that she began to vary her routes to and from work, a practice she continues today. Crane, the head of the clerk’s association, said it took a “lot of courage” for county clerks to rebuff the recent overtures, given the climate of suspicion and harassment that still persists. He noted that an elections office in southern Colorado housing Dominion machines was firebombed recently. No one was injured in the after-hours incident. “The threats against election officials are very real,” he added. 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A self-described “proud Islamophobe” and “pro-white nationalism” influencer is one of the most influential people in the Trump White House — despite not actually working for the administration. And she’s brought a particularly odious form of cancel culture to President Donald Trump’s second term that’s led to well over a dozen White House and federal employees recently fired for wrongthink. Laura Loomer, 32, is known as much for her overt racism as her peddling of evidence-free conspiracy theories — such as 9/11 was an “inside job,” the Parkland high school shooting was staged, and Ohio was being overrun by “cannibalistic Haitians” who were “eating people’s pets.” Loomer has been described by many news outlets as a personal friend and confidant of Trump’s, and she’s fond of bragging about the “scalps” she’s collected, referring to the former White House and federal employees she successfully targeted for firing. James Risen, writing in The Guardian, noted that Loomer’s critics insist “she has just been taking credit for moves that Trump was already planning,” but added that “Trump himself has said he takes her seriously, so it may be more accurate to describe her as Trump’s de facto national security adviser.” Loomer has also referred to herself as Trump’s “loyalty enforcer,” and she has just added a few more “scalps” to her collection. The Daily Wire — a right-wing partisan site co-founded by MAGA pundit Ben Shapiro — reported that National Security Agency general counsel April Falcon Doss had previously worked for Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., on the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak called her a “transparently partisan activist who has written publicly about her opposition to Trump.” As evidence, Rosiak cited Doss’ call “for Trump to be permanently banned from social media for staging an ‘insurrection.’” Loomer told The New York Times that she “reposted a tweet that exposed her last week and flagged it for the right people.” Doss was fired last week. Another civil servant recently “Loomer’d” is Jen Easterly, a former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), who had her job offer to serve as the distinguished chair of the Military Academy at West Point’s social sciences department rescinded by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. Loomer earlier this week called Easterly’s job offer a “vetting crisis” and later boasted that “All Biden holdovers must be removed from the Trump admin.” Loomer has taken credit for at least a dozen other “scalps” for “disloyalty” — including federal prosecutors, directors and aides on the National Security Council and even Trump’s original surgeon general nominee, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, because of her support for the Covid vaccines that Trump helped bring into existence in his first term. But one of the most striking Loomer-influenced cancellations is the resignation of Dr. Vinay Prasad from his roles as the Food and Drug Administration’s head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and chief medical and scientific officer. Prasad — an acolyte of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who made a name for himself during the Covid pandemic by blasting the FDA and other health agencies on social media, podcasts and his blog — was only on the job a little more than two months. But he made his MAHA mark when he overrode the FDA’s vaccine experts’ recommendations on two Covid vaccines, which led directly to the FDA announcing its plan to only recommend Covid shots for people over 65 or with high-risk health conditions. But Prasad was not spared from MAGA cancel culture, after Loomer dug up some old podcast clips where Prasad was critical of Trump. In a classic case of people supporting the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party being shocked that the leopards subsequently ate their faces, the MAGA-friendly and cancel culture-obsessed Free Press (where Prasad has been a contributing writer) published an editorial decrying Loomer’s “shameful smear campaign against our honorable, decent friend.” Loomer told Politico that she expects “hundreds” more to be purged for disloyalty to the dear leader. And Loomer is soliciting snitches via an anonymous tip line. “I’m happy to take people’s tips about disloyal appointees, disloyal staffers and Biden holdovers,” Loomer said. “And I guess you could say that my tip line has come to serve as a form of therapy for Trump administration officials who want to expose their colleagues who should not be in the positions that they’re in.” We’re a little more than one-eighth of the way through the second Trump administration, and one of its defining features is that it is led by astoundingly unqualified people whose raison d’etat is ruthlessly enforcing ideological orthodoxy and slavish devotion to the president, rather than the country and the Constitution. And whether you previously worked for people Trump doesn’t like, or you told the objective truth about Trump’s attempted self-coup, or even if you previously criticized him before turning MAGA sycophant, your job is not safe from being eliminated at the behest of a person who during the 2024 election made comments about Vice President Kamala Harris that were so unimpeachably racist they even drew rebukes from loyal Trumpists JD Vance and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump’s election was widely seen as a rebuke against the excesses of left-wing cancel culture. But the Loomering of the federal government shows we probably haven’t seen the worst of MAGA cancel culture yet. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

Before New York City mayoral primary winner Zohran Mamdani made a splash, another big-city Democratic mayoral candidate with progressive bona fides unexpectedly burst onto the national political scene. Two years later, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s tenure has captured so much negative attention (dubbed “America’s Worst Mayor” by The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board) that Mamdani’s campaign has taken note. Mamdani’s camp is tracking Johnson’s challenges and trying to avoid repeating Second City missteps, according to a person close to both Mamdani’s and Johnson’s teams. Johnson isn’t the only progressive major-city mayor in the country, and his troubles wouldn’t automatically translate to ideological allies. Mamdani himself has “repeatedly cited” another progressive mayor as a role model, as The Boston Globe noted: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. But Johnson’s tenure in Chicago does serve as a useful early warning system for some of the issues Mamdani could confront in New York, whether in a multiway general election or as mayor, if he wins in November. Chicago Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, a strong campaign ally who has also criticized some of the mayor’s early decisions, noted how critics often trot out the word “socialism” to cast blame on Johnson for long-standing issues facing the city. It’s a phenomenon, she added, that Mamdani could similarly face. “People make this a bad word. People make this into something that it is not. Let’s just call all of this what it is: This is the way the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor, because they get us fighting on s--- that just does not even matter,” she said. Johnson was a county commissioner, schoolteacher and union organizer when he leapfrogged far more battle-tested candidates to clinch the city’s mayoralty. While Mamdani knocked out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in New York City, before Cuomo began a third-party run, Johnson eliminated incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot from contention with his rise. Johnson, who does not call himself a democratic socialist but believes in many of the same principles as Mamdani, was swept into office by a coalition underpinned by the powerful Chicago Teachers Union and the city’s Black and brown voters. He vowed to unite fractured coalitions and lift up the most vulnerable. He represented change, and his strong roots in the community as an activist, a parent and a resident of a neighborhood that struggles with crime gave hope around new efforts toward equality across a city long deeply segregated by race and income. The young, energetic activist with a passion for fighting wealth inequality and lifting up the city’s left-behind neighborhoods entered office with much promise. But it hasn’t gone well since then. “They lost the plot,” the person close to both Mamdani’s and Johnson’s teams said of Johnson’s tenure. The person noted that while both Johnson and Mamdani have specific visions, they said Mamdani is “pragmatic and he wants to succeed” but described Johnson as unbending at times. One of the most significant missteps, the person said, was whom Johnson brought into his administration, adding: “Staffing is very important. You need professionals who can execute your vision. Those may not be the same people who ran your campaign.” One of Mamdani’s recent communications hires comes with deep experience. Dora Pekec, who once served as a campaign manager for Chicago Alderman Bill Conway, also worked with House Majority PAC before heading communications for Brad Lander in his New York mayoral run. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio also recently suggested staffers under his administration would be ripe for picking. It was a point that Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., also underscored. Garcia was among those who lost in the first round of Chicago’s 2023 mayoral election. “When progressives run for high office it’s critical to be ready to govern,” Garcia wrote in a text message. “Governing entails striking a balance between promises made (ideals) and making the wheels of government turn. Need to assemble a team that understands your priorities and deliver services, keep relationships with stakeholders especially a base while expanding through engagement. Intergovernmental relationships need to be really keen.” “Experience in developing and executing plans is most important. This applies to Johnson and when Mamdani is elected,” he continued. Agendas and obstaclesWhile attempting to make headway on his agenda, Johnson was confronted with a rash of challenges facing Chicago, and his popularity began to slide. With some exceptions, observers say it was less about Johnson pushing far-left policies and more about the mayor’s confrontational style, his struggles to communicate and his inability to forge alliances with state and federal officials. Even as he made headway in the areas of public safety and mental health, Johnson grew entrenched in battles big and small, cultivating an air of drama over his City Hall. While Johnson eschewed criticism during his campaign that he would be owned by the teachers union, those concerns persisted. He did hammer out a teachers contract without a disruption to the school year — no small feat — but it proved to be a bad-tempered and messy ordeal that could bring lasting political reprisal. He went to war with and fired a popular schools CEO, and also saw the resignations of the entire board of education, which Johnson had appointed. Johnson almost immediately saw his coalition splinter over an influx of migrants whom Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bused into Chicago without warning. Like other major cities at the time, Chicago grappled with how to adequately house families vying for legal status. The city clashed with its own residents, including in neighborhoods of color, with much of the political backlash affecting Johnson. He and Gov. JB Pritzker, a fellow Democrat, share a frosty relationship at best. He locked horns with his city council over major policy decisions. He broke a campaign promise by seeking a $300 million property tax increase then suffered the humiliation of a 50-0 council defeat. William Daley, the son of longtime Mayor Richard J. Daley and brother of longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, said Johnson’s troubles at least partially stem from lacking experience in managing an expansive budget and overseeing tens of thousands of employees. He predicted that, if elected, the 33-year-old Mamdani could face similar political troubles as Johnson. “It’s a very tough job if you’ve never been in politics or in a job that manages something big,” Daley said, noting his brother’s prior experience before his mayorship. “Rich had eight years as state’s attorney. … He had that experience for eight years — running something. It’s not an easy task for these people who have never run anything.” Johnson’s predecessors had their own shortcomings, from public corruption to massive civil rights failures, relentless crime and poor fiscal management that still haunts the city today. In 2008, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley sold the city’s parking meters to private investors for a staggering 75 years, trading billions of dollars in future revenue to plug a budget hole for a one-time payment. Taylor, the Chicago City Council member, said that while Johnson “made some rookie mistakes” he is unfairly getting the brunt of the blame for mistakes shared by predecessors. “You think in 22 months we have dug a $1.5 billion hole?” she said of those blaming Johnson. “The math ain’t mathing.” New beginningsPolitically, things have potential to look up for Johnson. Trump has sicced his Department of Justice on the mayor to investigate his hiring practices after Johnson had discussed hiring Black individuals for key positions. Johnson fired back that his hiring reflected the country and the city, while Trump’s hiring reflected a “country club.” It caught on in conservative circles, with cable news hosts bashing Johnson just as they had done with Lightfoot. In an interview, she said Mamdani could expect the same. Lightfoot often hit back, and that brought its own repercussions. “It’s hard to fight against the guy who’s got the biggest megaphone in the world,” Lightfoot said. “Many of us who were Black women, like me in Chicago, like Muriel Bowser in D.C., like Keisha Lance Bottoms in Atlanta, when he mentioned us by name in a disparaging way, candidly, the death threats went through the roof.” Moving into the second half of his term, Johnson can point to public safety as one of his biggest achievements. Observers largely applaud his choice of Superintendent Larry Snelling to lead the police department, as well as policies the mayor has put into place, like boosting mental health services, restructuring the detectives bureau and backing violence intervention methods. The number of murders in the city has fallen for two consecutive years, and Chicago could be on pace to reach the mayor’s goal of having fewer than 500 homicides this year for the first time in a decade. “Mayor Johnson’s primary focus over his first two years in office has been on driving down violent crime in Chicago. Since taking office, Chicago has seen historic reductions in crime and violence under the Johnson administration’s holistic approach,” a spokesperson from Johnson’s office said in a statement, citing a 33% drop in homicides in the first six months of 2025 and a 38% drop in shootings in that same period. It also boasted of having the highest homicide clearance rate in more than a decade. As far as Johnson’s poll numbers, “the narrative that Mayor Johnson is unpopular has been constructed by a small number of well-funded political organizations opposed to the Mayor’s progressive agenda,” the statement said. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs may not be long for this world. An 11-judge en banc panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit appeared deeply skeptical Thursday of the Trump administration’s argument that it can use a congressional statute, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), to impose expansive tariffs. You might be asking why we’re talking about a statute when the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to regulate interstate commerce, including the imposition of tariffs. It’s because for almost a century, Congress has regularly ceded its authority to the president. It began in 1934, in the middle of the Great Depression, when Congress passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act, which gave the president the authority to unilaterally negotiate trade agreements and make certain changes to domestic tariff rates. Over the next few decades, Congress continued to cede more of its authority to the executive branch. In 1977, Congress passed the IEEPA, which has never been used by a president to impose tariffs. In fact, the IEEPA authorizes the president to impose sanctions when there is an “unusual and extraordinary threat.” Challengers in two separate cases, one brought by small businesses and another brought by 12 Democratic-led states, sued the Trump administration, arguing that the IEEPA doesn’t give Trump the power to unilaterally impose these tariffs. The question of whether Congress gave the president the power to impose tariffs via the IEEPA brings up important issues related to the nondelegation doctrine and the major questions doctrine. The nondelegation doctrine dictates that Congress cannot give too much of its constitutionally granted duties to the executive branch. It’s not clear, based on the nondelegation doctrine, that Congress could have given Trump the power to impose tariffs under the IEEPA even if it wanted to. But it doesn’t appear that it wanted to. There’s a good argument to be made here that when Congress passed the IEEPA, it meant to provide the president with the power to impose sanctions, like asset freezes, to respond to national economic emergencies. This is quite different from the power to restructure domestic economic policy by imposing tariffs. Under the major questions doctrine, the Supreme Court has said that Congress must provide crystal-clear authorization before giving an executive agency the power to decide an issue of national significance. Here, challengers have a compelling argument that when Congress passed the IEEPA, it did not give the president the specific guidance needed to unilaterally impose tariffs. It is also rational to conclude that a structural trade imbalance does not qualify, as the Trump administration claims it does, as an “unusual and extraordinary threat.” The challengers have persuasively argued that a chronic trade deficit is not the same as a national economic emergency. For all these reasons, this may be the Trump administration’s second time losing its argument that it has the power under the IEEPA to impose these tariffs. At the end of May, the U.S. Court of International Trade held, among other things, that the IEEPA did not “delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President.” The Trump administration appealed that decision. The 11-member en banc panel considering this case appeared particularly concerned about the government’s maximalist view of executive authority. Again, the Trump administration faces specific hurdles here. To win, it has to convince the judges that Congress properly delegated its power and gave the specific guidance necessary to allow not just this president, but any president, the power to carry out economic policy via the imposition of sweeping tariffs. This case feels destined for the Supreme Court, where a conservative supermajority that has generally been protective of executive power will decide whether that power includes the ability for any president to set economic and international trade policy without a coequal branch. This is not the moment for the courts to undermine constitutional structures. The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to regulate interstate commerce. We should now allow the executive to usurp that or any other power it doesn’t have. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

Jaime Slaughter-Acey was in a state of shock and anger when she learned that her National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study on birth outcomes in Black families was cancelled this spring. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill associate professor in epidemiology said that she felt like “the rug was pulled out from under us” when the university called her to share the news. The termination notice said that the study no longer met the agency’s priorities and didn’t promise to increase life expectancy. “It was heartbreaking,” Slaughter-Acey told the Guardian, “and honestly, infuriating given the high rates of maternal and infant mortality in this country.” The cancellation came as the Trump administration terminated 1,902 NIH grants totalling more than $4.4bn between his January inauguration and the end of July, according to Grant Witness data. NIH followed guidance from the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and Trump’s executive orders to cut costs. Additionally, in April, the Trump administration let go of a majority of the staff at the federal Division of Reproductive Health, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) office that collects data on maternal experiences. It also surveils pregnancy-related deaths in an effort to reduce infant mortality and improve health outcomes for mothers and their children. Related: ‘A scary time to be a scientist’: how medical research cuts will hurt the maternal mortality crisis Slaughter-Acey’s several-year study funded by a more than $2.4m NIH grant aimed to look at how social and biological factors affect outcomes for more than 500 Black women in Detroit. The grant termination froze the team’s more than $581,000 remaining funding. Through blood samples and surveys of Black mothers and grandmothers, Slaughter-Acey and her team aimed to understand if social environments accelerated how bodies physiologically age, otherwise known as biological ageing, which may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes for Black women. She said that the research is “designed to tell us how social environment and the pathways that social environment affects us physiologically, to then increase this risk that Black moms and Black babies have with respect to pregnancy”. While most studies that look at racism only focus on one point in time, Slaughter-Acey said that hers was “the first study to comprehensively examine how exposure to structural, cultural and intergenerational racism throughout a Black woman’s life impacts her epigenome and her child’s birth outcomes.” It was also innovative because Black women are underrepresented in epigenomic studies, a field where researchers look at how environment and behavior impacts a person’s genes, said Slaughter-Acey, due to medical mistrust and experiences of racism in the healthcare system. ‘When science is silenced, communities suffer’The NIH-grant cancellation in late March followed the release of data from the CDC revealing that Black women were the only race or ethnic group who didn’t experience a decline in deaths from pregnancy related causes in 2023. Out of every 100,000 live births, 50.3 Black mothers died, compared with 14.5 deaths for white people, 12.4 for Latinos and 10.7 for Asians. The NIH didn’t respond to a request for comment. Slaughter-Acey fears that the grant-cancellation signals that research and efforts to close the maternal death gap are at risk of coming to a standstill under the Trump administration. Other NIH grants that have been terminated include one that looked at prenatal exposure to public drinking water contaminants and a study that analyzed why women of color die of cervical cancer at a disproportionate rate. On Thursday, the Trump administration froze UCLA research grants from federal agencies including NIH and the National Science Foundation totaling nearly $200m, accusing the university of antisemitism and discrimination in admissions. “It’s part of a larger pattern of political interference in science that puts the health of all people at risk, especially vulnerable populations,” Slaughter-Acey said. The study “is about understanding the root causes of poor maternal and infant health in this country – something that affects all of us, regardless of race or background. When science is silenced, communities suffer”. Still, Slaughter-Acey and her team are hopeful that the study will continue for years to come as they search for alternative funding sources, including donations. On Slaughter-Acey’s LinkedIn page, she called upon her followers to donate to the University of North Carolina Department of Epidemiology, and to include a note that they support Slaughter-Acey’s work, or the name of the study, “LIFE-2”. “The voices of these 500 plus moms and babies should not die or be silenced with the termination of this grant,” she told the Guardian. The pull in funding “is an example of erasure of black mothers and infants”. There has been some temporary relief. This June, Slaughter-Acey’s team received short-term funding from Michigan State University to continue their study over the next few months. Now nearly 600 moms are enrolled in the study, but without additional funding, it will probably pause again at the end of the year. ‘We need research that reflects Black women’s experiences’The nearly 600 women who have joined the study were recruited from local delivery hospitals in Detroit, Michigan, in the day or two following childbirth. Slaughter-Acey chose Detroit since she completed her post-doc at the University of Michigan, where she researched the influence of social environments on Black maternal health. Participants for her study, which began in 2021, completed a post-delivery survey where they answered questions about social determinants of health including housing and food insecurity throughout their life. Along with collecting their blood through a finger prick, researchers also collect the babies’ and mothers’ birth certificates from the state health department as well as the mothers’ blood that was collected at birth and stored in a biobank. About 20% of the babies’ grandmothers are also participating in the study by answering questions about the social environment during their pregnancies and their daughters’ early childhoods. The multilevel data collection allows the researchers to create “this robust and triangulated dataset that includes social determinants of health, like information about food and housing insecurity”, Slaughter-Acey said. “It’s capturing a more holistic view than what’s been captured previously for moms in terms of maternal and infant health.” After the moms are discharged from the hospital, the researchers also follow up with a majority of the women eight to 10 weeks after they give birth to ask about their adjustment to motherhood, whether they’ve received support for breastfeeding, a postpartum healthcare visit, or if they’ve experienced discrimination from their healthcare providers. At the time of the funding termination, the research team was in the process of creating a 12-month postpartum checkup with the mothers to help define maternal thriving. “When we are talking about maternal morbidity and mortality, we’re defining maternal health by the absence of disease, by mom not dying, by mom not having a severe morbidity,” Slaughter-Acey said. “But the field in general does not have a good understanding or even definition of, ‘what does maternal thriving look like?’ And we need to get past this conversation of maternal survival, and move to thriving.” More than two years of funding remained in the NIH grant, during which her team had planned to recruit more mothers and to conduct data analysis. They also aimed to create a website for participants to read about the study’s findings. Related: Consent decrees force schools to desegregate. The Trump administration is striking them down But the data that the team has analyzed thus far has revealed that mothers with a lot of adverse childhood experiences were more likely to have conflict with the father of the child. The finding, Slaughter-Acey said, “underscores the importance of understanding how the social environment influences relationship dynamics and maybe perinatal outcomes. We know that social support is key during pregnancy”. The team also found that one in five study participants experienced housing insecurity during their pregnancy, a factor that she said greatly affects perinatal health and is rarely documented in hospital records. They also created a tool to measure racial microagressions from healthcare providers and in the mothers’ everyday life, since many in the cohort said that they experienced harmful interactions that Slaughter-Acey said may explain why they felt unsupported. For Slaughter-Acey, the study findings “highlight how structural inequities – across housing, healthcare, and personal history – intersect to shape maternal and infant outcomes. And they underscore why we need research that listens to and reflects the full complexity of Black women’s experiences.” NIH research funding will probably continue to take a hit under the Trump administration. A new Trump administration policy requiring that multiyear grants be paid upfront lowers the odds that a research proposal will be accepted. As a result, university labs may close.

When Donald Trump pledged to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison as a detention center for immigrants and violent offenders, the idea was met with contempt and mockery. San Francisco leaders have called it Trump’s “stupidest idea yet” and threatened to cut off the island’s sewage and garbage services if the president acts on his carceral ambitions. But for the Indigenous people of the San Francisco Bay Area, the idea was more than just laughable. It was an affront to their identity, and an attempt to erase the island’s history as a site of Indigenous resistance. After the federal prison shut down in 1963, the island took on a second life as the scene of one of the most important acts of Native American resistance in modern history. Between November 1969 and June 1971, Indigenous activists occupied Alcatraz for 19 months, demanding rights and resources for Native people. Now, as Trump appears set on pushing ahead despite the extraordinary costs and logistical hurdles, tribal members are fighting to preserve a history that is still little-known beyond Indigenous circles. Related: A hard cell? Alcatraz tourists dismiss Trump’s ‘insane’ plan to revive it as a prison Alcatraz has always loomed large for April McGill. Growing up in Mishewal Wappo territory in California’s Sonoma county, McGill, who is a member of the Yuki and Wappo tribes, frequently heard stories from the veterans of the occupation who lived in her community. Her aunt even babysat the children of Richard and Annie Oakes, who led the movement. When she moved to San Francisco as a teenager, the island’s shadow grew – especially as McGill, who is now executive director of the city’s American Indian cultural center, became increasingly involved in activism herself, and learned about the pivotal role the occupation played in maintaining Native sovereignty in California and nationwide. “It holds a really personal, deep place to me,” McGill said. “It symbolizes so much of our history.” McGill and other Indigenous leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area were appalled when the Trump administration confirmed its plans to reopen the island, even sending a delegation out to tour the shuttered facilities in July. Beyond erasing the historical significance the island holds for Native peoples, McGill says that the notion of using the site to pursue the president’s anti-immigrant agenda hearkens back to the state’s history of violence against Indigenous groups – and that any actions the administration takes will be met with pushback from the community. “[They want to use it as a] place to commit inhumane violence against people who are here trying to escape violence,” McGill said. “It’s very retraumatizing. It wasn’t that long ago that we were violently displaced and put in camps. We see this as a repeat of that history.” Most of these criticisms of Trump’s plan focuses on the cost of refurbishing the site, which was shuttered more than 60 years ago – instead becoming a historical landmark and tourist destination run by the National Parks Service since 1972 – precisely because the infrastructure had become too expensive to maintain. Estimates put the cost of modernizing the facility at as much as $2bn, to which San Francisco’s Mayor Daniel Lurie responded that the city “could use that funding to keep our streets safe and clean”. But for Indigenous leaders, the proposal’s audacity goes beyond its hefty price tag. According to Virginia Hedrick, executive director of the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health, Trump’s aims undermine Alcatraz’s status as a “beacon of resistance” for Indigenous people in California and nationwide. That’s because the 1969 occupation was more than a symbolic act of defiance – it spurred meaningful changes in federal policy with regards to Native sovereignty and support for tribal nations. “What came out of the occupation were tangible things,” Hedrick said, pointing to the development of California’s Indian health delivery system, which she says was floundering before protesters on Alcatraz demanded better healthcare. “This movement was about honoring the treaties, making the federal government make good on its promises.” It was in response to the occupation that President Richard Nixon shifted the federal policy on Native treaties from “termination” to one of “self-determination” for Native peoples, echoed the writer and film-maker Julian Brave NoiseCat, who grew up in the Bay Area and descends from British Columbia’s Tsq’escen and Lil’Wat First Nations. As a teenager, NoiseCat spent Thursday evenings at East Oakland’s Intertribal Friendship House practicing powwow drum and dance. At the end of the night, he said, participants would gather and sing the American Indian Movement song. “We would sing that song to carry forward the movement that had begun at Alcatraz and that endures to this day,” he said. To NoiseCat and others, the lack of acknowledgment of these histories in current discussions about Alcatraz’s future illuminates broader issues of Indigenous erasure. “For me, Alcatraz represents the starting point of the Native rights movement,” he said, calling the occupation the “Montgomery bus boycott of Indigenous rights”, in reference to the seminal civil rights protest. That erasure extends to discussions of how federal dollars could be better spent. Core goals of the Alcatraz occupation included establishing an Indigenous cultural center and college, explained McGill. Today, the cultural center she runs can’t afford a brick-and-mortar homebase in San Francisco, forcing it to operate virtually. “Give that money to American Indian people so that we can have a cultural center, so we can create housing,” she said, adding that Indigenous people have among the highest rates of homelessness, health disparities, and incarceration in San Francisco. “And yet, we’re always the last at the table,” she said. For Hedrick, a member of California’s Yurok tribe, that repeated dismissal is “par for the course” considering the Ohlone people – the tribe indigenous to the lands of the Bay Area, including the island of Alcatraz – remain federally unrecognized. “The federal government is proposing rebuilding, resurrecting a prison, estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, while continuing to overlook the Ohlone people,” Hedrick said. “That is complete Indigenous erasure right there.” Hedrick is committed to ensuring that the Indigenous ties to Alcatraz are central to the island’s public perception. She makes a point of visiting the island at least a few times every year to teach about the American Indian Movement. And she emphasizes that the island is home to important cultural events, including a sunrise gathering that takes place every October for Indigenous Peoples Day. She says that if the administration moves forward with reopening the island as a prison, the community is prepared to fight back. “We’ll see communities gather again,” she said. “We have attorneys, we movement-building organizations in California who will organize and work in lockstep. “We’ve come a long way.”

A federal judge’s ruling last week to maintain a sweeping nationwide ban on Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order highlights the dizzying legal battle that has defined the administration’s opening months, with courts issuing dozens of such sweeping orders to systematically halt abrasive elements of the president’s agenda. US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston rejected Trump administration arguments to narrow his nationwide injunction, a court order that prohibits the federal government from enforcing a law or policy against anyone across the nation, and not just the people who filed the legal challenge. His decision represents just one case in a broader pattern of judicial resistance to Trump administration actions. Courts have issued an estimated 35 nationwide injunctions against various Trump executive orders and policy changes from his inauguration until the supreme court intervened on 27 June, according to a Guardian analysis of court records and Congressional Research Service data. There’s no standard legal definition for a nationwide injunction, so it is not possible to provide a single definitive count, but the roughly 35 orders during Trump’s second term have halted a broad range of policies, from the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship to restrictions on federal funding for diversity programs and changes to refugee resettlement. In June, the supreme court significantly limited courts’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions, which fundamentally reshaped how opponents can challenge executive overreach and dismantled what some legal experts viewed as the most potent weapon against sweeping presidential policies. Without nationwide injunctions, challengers largely have to now pursue slower class-action lawsuits or file multiple suits across jurisdictions to achieve the same blocking effect, although the supreme court left the possibility for exceptions in some cases like Sorokin’s ruling, which found that nationwide relief was necessary to protect Americans from harm. “President Trump’s illegal abuses of power have created widespread harm for Americans across the country including farmers, students, working families and retirees that demanded a national response,” said Donald Sherman, deputy director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “The supreme court’s decision has certainly made it more complex to challenge President Trump’s lawless executive actions and put an unnecessary strain on judicial resources, but legal advocates and concerned citizens will not be deterred from holding the administration accountable in court.” During Trump’s first presidency, federal courts issued at least 64 nationwide injunctions against his administration, compared with 12 under Barack Obama’s eight-year presidency and just six under George W Bush’s two terms. InteractiveThe White House has praised the supreme court’s June order, saying “low-level activist judges have been exploiting their positions” to deliberately cut down Trump’s policy agenda. Those injunctions were issued by courts in mostly Democratic-leaning states and jurisdictions, including Washington DC, California, Rhode Island, Maryland, Texas, Massachusetts, New York and others, according to a Guardian analysis. Harvard Law Review research from Trump’s first term found that 92.2% of nationwide injunctions came from Democratic-appointed judges, while 100% of similar injunctions against Biden came from Republican-appointed judges. The Guardian analysis of the 35 nationwide injunctions issued during the first six months of the Trump administration demonstrates the types of policies that had been blocked by courts using this tool. Immigration enforcement and citizenship changes have prompted at least eight major nationwide injunctions, including in the landmark birthright citizenship case, cases targeting refugee program defunding and deportation accelerations. Federal funding policies have generated a wave of litigation, with at least six injunctions stopping various funding freezes and restrictions, stemming from suits filed by groups including the National Council of Nonprofits targeting funding freezes, and on targeting National Institutes of Health grants by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Policies on diversity, equity and inclusion and civil rights face numerous legal challenges and have resulted in nationwide injunctions in at least five cases, including a suit by the National Association of Diversity Officers fighting restrictions under Trump’s executive orders. At least two cases stemming from military service requirements stopped by nationwide injunctions fall into the same category, while federal agency restructuring has prompted suits from multiple state governments and federal employee unions and ended with nationwide injunctions. Some injunctions focused on executive overreach and legal targeting, while additional injunctions stopped emergency tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and restrictions on law firms that previously opposed Trump policies. “Since the moment President Trump took office, low-level activist judges have been exploiting their positions to kneecap the agenda on which he was overwhelmingly elected,” the White House said in a statement after the supreme court’s ruling in June. “In fact, of the 40 nationwide injunctions filed against President Trump’s executive actions in his second term, 35 of them came from just five far-left jurisdictions: California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, and the District of Columbia.” InteractiveThe Guardian has not been able to identify 40 nationwide injunctions independently. The White House and the Department of Justice have not responded to requests for comment on which injunctions they have on their list. The justice department has reportedly faced difficulties defending the volume of Trump’s executive orders, with lawyers struggling to answer judicial questions and correct the record in court, prompting the justice department to seek rapid transfers of attorneys to the division handling Trump policy defenses. The administration is also believed to be testing traditional presidential deference, the longstanding practice where courts generally defer to executive authority for national security and foreign affairs as it defends aggressive immigration, trade and economic policies, while taking the unprecedented step of suing federal judges who issue blocking orders. Legal challenges have also targeted more specific policies, prompting nationwide injunctions in cases targeting restrictions on gender-affirming care in federal prisons, changes to passport gender markers and federal employment terminations affecting thousands of workers. Following the supreme court decision in Trump v Casa in June, courts are now prohibited from issuing nationwide injunctions against presidential policies. But there is an exception, which comes when a judge decides it is the only way to fully protect the people bringing the lawsuit, like in the case of the birthright citizenship challenge. The White House said: “Now, the Trump Administration can promptly proceed with critical action to save the country – like ending birthright citizenship, ceasing sanctuary city funding, suspending refugee resettlement, freezing unnecessary funding, stopping taxpayers from funding transgender surgeries, and much more.” But some legal experts aren’t so sure on the long-term impact of the supreme court’s restrictions on nationwide injunctions just yet. “I think it remains to be seen how the practical consequences of the supreme court’s decision shake out,” said Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and former Obama-appointed US attorney. “Several of the justices suggested that class actions would provide a mechanism to block lawless executive orders and prevent irreparable harm, but, of course, class actions can be cumbersome and slower than a simple temporary restraining order. “We will need to see how lower courts address the supreme court’s exception where necessary,” McQuade said. For those in the crosshairs of Trump’s policies – like undocumented immigrants facing deportation and non-profits losing federal funding – the harm could be measured in weeks or months. The supreme court’s decision hasn’t eliminated legal challenges to presidential power, but it has fundamentally altered their speed and scope.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republicans move to redraw legislative maps in red states to pad their narrow House majority in Washington, some Democrats are rethinking their embrace of a nonpartisan approach to line-drawing that now complicates their party's ability to hit back before next year's midterm elections. In many Democratic-controlled states, independent commissions rather than the state legislature handle redistricting, the normally-once-a-decade task of adjusting congressional and legislative districts so their populations are equal. Parties in the majority can exploit that process to shape their lawmakers’ districts so they are almost guaranteed reelection. The commission model limits parties’ ability to game the system, leading to more competitive districts. Not all redistricting commissions were created at Democrats’ insistence. And, like Republicans, the party has exploited line-drawing for its own gain in the handful of states where it controls the process. But unlike Republicans, many Democratic Party leaders have embraced the nonpartisan model. That means Democrats have fewer options to match Republicans, who are redrawing the U.S. House map in Texas at President Donald Trump’s urging to carve out as many asfive new winnable seats for the GOP. That could be enough to prevent Democrats from winning back the majority next year. Democrats have threatened payback. During a gathering Friday in Wisconsin of Democratic governors, several of them said they wanted to retaliate because the stakes are so high. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who has pushed for a nonpartisan redistricting commission in his state, said Democrats must “do whatever we can” to counter the Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps. “When you have a gun against your head, you’ve got to do something,” he said. Despite the ambitious talk, Democrats largely have their hands tied. Democratic states have limited ability to redistrict for political edge California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he and the Democratic-controlled Legislature will try to redraw his state’s congressional map. But they would need to repeal or defy the 2008 ballot measure creating an independent redistricting commission. Voters extended its authority to congressional districts two years later. Newsom supported the constitutional amendment at the time, when he was mayor of San Francisco. The Texas redistricting, which is expected to pass the Legislature next week, led him to modify that position. “We can act holier than thou, we can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be, or we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment,” Newsom said earlier this month. In New York, which also has a commission, the state constitution bars another map this decade. Democrats have moved for a change, but that could not happen until 2027 at the earliest, and then only with voter approval. In other states where Democrats control the governor's office and legislature, including Colorado and Washington, the party has backed independent commissions that cannot redraw, let alone rig, maps in the middle of the decade. Democrats say ‘foundations of our democracy’ at stake When the redistricting cycle kicked off in 2021, after the last census, independent commissions were in charge of drawing 95 House seats that otherwise would have been drawn by Democrats, but only 13 that would have been created by Republicans. In a marker of the shift among Democrats, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who heads the party’s redistricting effort and has called repeatedly for a more nonpartisan approach, seemed to bless his party’s long shot efforts to overrule their commissions. “We do not oppose – on a temporary basis – responsible, responsive actions to ensure that the foundations of our democracy are not permanently eroded,” Holder said in a statement last week. In states where they weren’t checked by commissions, Democrats have redistricted just as ruthlessly as Republicans. In Illinois, they drew a map that gave them a 14-3 advantage in the congressional delegation. In New Mexico, they tweaked the map so they control all three House seats. In Nevada, they held three of its four seats in November despite Donald Trump winning the state. Even in states where they have a lopsided advantage, Democrats are exploring ways to maximize it. On Friday, Maryland's House Majority Leader, Democratic Del. David Moon, said he would introduce legislation to trigger redrawing of the congressional lines if Texas moves forward. Democrats hold seven of the state's eight congressional seats. “We can’t have one state, especially a very large state, constantly trying to one-up and alter the course of congressional control while the other states sit idly by," he said. Commissions promote ‘fair representation,’ advocates say Advocates of a nonpartisan model are alarmed by the shift among Democrats. They say the party would redistrict just as aggressively as the GOP if not held in check, depriving voters of a voice in districts whose winners would essentially be selected in advance by political leaders. “We’re very desperate — we’re looking for any port in a storm,” said Emily Eby French, Common Cause’s Texas director. “This Democratic tit for tat redistricting seems like a port but it’s not a port. It’s a jagged rock with a bunch of sirens on them.” The group’s director of redistricting, Dan Vicuña, said using redistricting for partisan advantage — known as gerrymandering — is highly unpopular with the public: “This is about fair representation for communities." Politicians used to shy away from discussing it openly, but that has changed in today’s polarized environment. Trump earlier this month told reporters about his hopes of netting five additional GOP seats in Texas and more out of other Republican-controlled states. He has urged new maps in GOP-controlled states such as Indiana and Missouri, while Ohio Republicans are poised to reshape political lines after neutralizing a push to create an independent redistricting commission. Democrats are divided over how to respond to Texas In a sign of the party’s divide, Democrats have continued to push for a national redistricting panel that would remove partisanship from the process, even as some call for retaliation against Republicans in defiance of state limitations. “No unilateral disarmament till both sides are following the law,” said Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, like Newsom a possible 2028 presidential contender, wrote on X. Gallego's post came a day before his Democratic colleagues gathered to announce they were reintroducing a bill to create the national commission. An identical bill died in 2022 when it couldn't overcome Republican objections despite Democrats controlling Congress and the presidency. It has no chance now that the GOP is in charge of both branches. Sen. Chris Murphy, another potential 2028 contender, didn’t express regret over past reforms that have implemented independent redistricting boards in Democratic states, saying the party "should never apologize for being for the right thing.” But he added that Republicans “are operating outside of the box right now and we can’t stay inside the box.” “If they’re changing districts in the middle of the 10-year cycle, we have to do the same thing,” he said. That approach, however, hasn’t caught on across the party. “We shouldn’t stoop to their tactics,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said. “It’s an ideal that we have accurate and fair representation. We can’t abandon it just because Republicans try to manipulate and distort it.” ___ Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed to this report.

University of California leaders face a difficult choice after the U.S. Department of Justice said this week that UCLA had violated the civil rights of Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests and federal agencies on Wednesday suspended more than $300 million in research grants to the school. Do they agree to a costly settlement, potentially incurring the anger of taxpayers, politicians and campus communities in a deep-blue state that’s largely opposed to President Trump and his battle to remake higher education? Or do they go to court, entering a protracted legal fight and possibly inviting further debilitating federal actions against the nation’s premier public university system, which has until now carefully avoided head-on conflicts with the White House? Read more: UCLA violated Jewish students’ civil rights with ‘deliberate indifference,’ feds say Leaders of the University of California, including its systemwide president, James B. Milliken; UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk and UC’s 24-member Board of Regents — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is an ex-officio member — have just days to decide. What led to the conflictIn findings issued Tuesday, U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and the Justice Department said UCLA would pay a "heavy price” for acting with "deliberate indifference" to the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students who complained of antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023. That's when Hamas attacked Israel, which led to Israel’s war in Gaza and the pro-Palestinian student encampment on Royce Quad. The Justice Department gave UC — which oversees federal legal matters for UCLA and nine other campuses — a week to respond to the allegations of antisemitism. It wrote that "unless there is reasonable certainty that we can reach an agreement" to "ensure that the hostile environment is eliminated and reasonable steps are taken to prevent its recurrence," the department would sue by Sept. 2. A day after the Justice Department disclosed its findings, the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and other federal agencies said they were suspending hundreds of grants to UCLA researchers. A letter from the NSF cited the university's alleged "discrimination" in admissions and failure to "promote a research environment free of antisemitism." A Department of Energy letter cutting off grants on clean energy and nuclear power plants made similar accusations, adding that "UCLA discriminates against and endangers women by allowing men in women's sports and private women-only spaces." Initial data shared with The Times on Thursday night showed the cuts to be at least $200 million. On Friday, additional information shared by UC and federal officials pointed to the number being greater than $300 million — more than a quarter of UCLA's $1.1 billion in annual federal funding and contracts. UCLA has not released a total number. In a campuswide message Thursday, Frenk, the UCLA chancellor, called the government's moves "deeply disappointing." "This far-reaching penalty of defunding life-saving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination," Frenk said. In a statement to The Times Friday, an official from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, said it would "not fund institutions that promote antisemitism. We will use every tool we have to ensure institutions follow the law." An NSF spokesperson also confirmed the UCLA cuts, saying Friday that the university is no longer in "alignment with current NSF priorities." A Department of Energy spokesperson also verified the cuts but did not elaborate outside of pointing to the department's letter to UCLA. Read more: Columbia University agrees to pay more than $220 million in deal with Trump to restore federal funding What comes nextThe Times spoke to more than a dozen current and former senior UC leaders in addition to higher education experts about the rapid deliberations taking place this week, which for the first time have drawn a major public university system into the orbit of a White House that has largely focused its ire on Ivy League schools. Trump has accused universities of being too liberal, illegally recruiting for diversity in ways that hurt white and Asian American students and faculty, and being overly tolerant of pro-Palestinian students who he labels as antisemites aligned with Hamas. Universities, including UCLA, have largely denied the accusations, although school officials have admitted that they under-delivered in responding to Jewish student concerns. In the last two years, encampments took over small portions of campuses, and, as a result, were blamed for denying campus access to pro-Israel Jews. In a major payout announced Tuesday — before the Justice Department's findings — UCLA said it would dole out $6.45 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by three Jewish students and a medical school professor who alleged the university violated their civil rights and enabled antisemitism during the pro-Palestinian encampment in 2024. About $2.3 million will be donated to eight groups that work with Jewish communities, including the Anti-Defamation League, Chabad and Hillel. Another $320,000 will be directed to a UCLA initiative to combat antisemitism, and the rest of the funds will go toward legal fees. Through spokespersons, Frenk and Milliken declined interviews on what next steps UCLA might take. Friday was Milliken's first day on the job after the long-planned departure of former UC President Michael V. Drake, who will return to teaching and research. But in public remarks this week, Newsom said he was "reviewing" the Justice Department's findings and that UC would be "responsive." The governor, who spoke during an event at the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento County on Thursday, said he had a meeting with Drake scheduled that day to discuss the Trump administration's charges. Newsom did not respond specifically to a question from The Times about whether UC would settle with Trump. "We're reviewing the details of the DOJ's latest and then that deadline on Tuesday," the governor said. "So we'll be responsive." In a statement Friday, Newsom said, "Freezing critical research funding for UCLA — dollars that were going to study invasive diseases, cure cancer, and build new defense technologies — makes our country less safe. It is a cruel manipulation to use Jewish students’ real concerns about antisemitism on campus as an excuse to cut millions of dollars in grants that were being used to make all Americans safer and healthier." What insiders saySenior UCLA and UC leaders, who spoke on background because they were not authorized to discuss legal decisions, said the university has been bracing for this moment for months. The university and individual campuses are under multiple federal investigations into alleged use of race in admissions, employment discrimination against Jews, and civil rights complaints from Jewish students. At the same time, leaders said, they were hoping the multimillion-dollar settlement with Jewish students would buy them time. "It backfired," said one senior administrator at UCLA, reflecting the sense of whiplash felt among many who were interviewed. "Within hours of announcing our settlement, the DOJ was on our back." Other senior UC officials said the system was considering suing Trump. It has already sued various federal agencies or filed briefs in support of lawsuits over widespread grant cuts affecting all major U.S. universities. UC itself, however, has not directly challenged the president's platform of aggressively punishing elite schools for alleged discrimination. It's unclear if a suit or settlement could wipe out all remaining investigations. Mark Yudof, a former UC president who led the system from 2008 to 2013, said he felt the Trump administration was targeting a public university as a way to "make a statement" about the president's higher education aims going beyond Ivy League institutions. "But this is not Columbia," Yudof said, referring to the $221-million settlement the New York campus recently reached with the White House to resolve investigations over alleged antisemitism amid its response to pro-Palestinian protests. On Wednesday, Brown University also came to a $50-million agreement with the White House. The Brown payment will go toward Rhode Island workforce development programs. Harvard is also negotiating a deal with the government over similar accusations regarding antisemitism. "The University of California is much more complex," said Yudof, who lives in Florida and also led the University of Texas and University of Minnesota. "For one, an issue that may affect UCLA is not going to affect UC Merced or UC Riverside. But do you come to an agreement on all campuses? If there is a settlement payment, does it affect all campuses, depending on the cost?" George Blumenthal, a former chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, said he "just can't see UC making the kind of deal that Columbia did or that Harvard contemplates. Committing public funds to Washington to the tune of tens or hundreds of million dollars strikes me as politically untenable in California." Pro-Palestinian UCLA groups said they don't agree with the premise of negotiations. They point out that many protesters in last year's encampment were Jewish and argue that the protest — the focus of federal complaints — was not antisemitic. "We reject this cynical weaponization of antisemitism, and the misinformation campaign spinning calls for Palestinian freedom as antisemitic. We must name this for what it is: a thinly-veiled attempt to punish supporters of Palestinian freedom, and to advance the long-standing conservative goal of dismantling higher education," said a statement from Graeme Blair, a UCLA associate professor of political science, on behalf of UCLA Faculty for Justice in Palestine. The bigger pictureHigher education experts say UC's decision would set a national precedent. The university's finances include more than $50 billion in operating revenues, $180 billion in investments — including endowment, retirement, and working capital portfolios — and smaller campus-level endowments. The funds support facilities across the state, including multiple academic health centers, investment properties and campuses, as well as tens of thousands of former employees enrolled in retirement plans. Dozens of public campuses across the U.S. are under investigation or pressure from the White House to atone for alleged wrongdoing to Jewish students or to change admissions, scholarship programs and protest rules and more. But UC has long been a standard-bearer, including in academic and protest freedoms. "If you are Trump, your target of Harvard or Brown is much easier — a snooty elite — than a public, even a UCLA or Berkeley," said Rick Hess, an education expert with the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Kenneth Marcus, who served as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Education Department during Trump's first term, said there would be benefits for UCLA and the UC system to enter into a "systemwide agreement that would enable everybody to put this behind themselves." The Justice Department's Tuesday letter said it was investigating all campuses but only issuing findings of violations so far at UCLA. Marcus, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said a systemwide agreement would "provide the federal government with assurances that the regents are making changes across the board." Staff writer Taryn Luna in Sacramento contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Shortly after meeting with Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney, Todd Blanche, in his role as deputy attorney general, sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has been moved to a lower security prison, an exceptionally rare transfer for someone convicted of her crimes. Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, is among Democrats demanding answers, and talks with Jen Psaki.

The Jeffrey Epstein files saga at times all but ground Capitol Hill to a halt last month — driving a wedge between Republicans in the House as Democrats went on offense to press President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to release more investigative material. But since returning to their districts for summer recess, lawmakers aren’t hearing much about Epstein at public town hall meetings they’ve hosted so far. The debate that’s dominated Washington in recent weeks didn’t come up at all in some town halls Republican and Democratic House members have held — including a raucous event Thursday hosted by Wisconsin GOP Rep. Bryan Steil and two more mild-mannered affairs held by Wyoming Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman. During others, it’s been the topic of just one or two questions. In Wisconsin on Thursday, Rep. Mark Pocan — a Democrat who hosted a town hall in Prairie du Chien, in neighboring Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s district — brought up Epstein himself, as part of a response to a question about whether Trump might declare martial law and cancel elections. “It’s a step too far to say you’re going to release something and then say, ‘No, there’s nothing there to look at,’” he said. Only one questioner raised the topic of Epstein — and she did so to call it a distraction. Pocan kept his comments focused largely on the Republican tax and cuts spending bill that Trump signed into law on July Fourth — repeatedly warning that cuts to Medicaid could gut Wisconsin’s public health insurance programs and force the state to spend tax dollars filling holes left by the federal government. Rep. Mark Pocan holds a town hall in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on Thursday. - WISCThe Democratic congressman said afterward that’s why he mostly avoided talking about Epstein. “I keep it to economics. I’m an economic, progressive populist. I think that’s how most people make decisions when they go to elections. That’s how Donald Trump won the election. That’s why Donald Trump’s doing poor in the polls,” he said. The woman who’d brought up Epstein, Krista Brown, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mother from Viroqua, said she has bigger concerns than Epstein — such as whether steep cuts in staffing at the Department of Education will delay action on a Title IX complaint she’d submitted on behalf of her children, or whether National Weather Service offices will be staffed. “It has more to do with the things that people need as a foundation than it does about arguing over things that the administration wants us to spend our oxygen on. I’m just not interested in that,” Brown said. “When you live rural, you care about who’s going to plow your goddamn roads — when it’s going to get plowed, if the buses can get through, how cold it is, if the weather’s going to be reported,” she said. “That’s what matters. And the rest is just going to float away, because pretty soon it’s going to get so hard in real life that there’s not even going to be time to talk about that.” The relative lack of focus on Epstein at town halls reflects the broader priorities of Americans. A recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that the economy and immigration-related concerns are the issues Americans consider most important. The poll also found increased Democratic attention to government spending, concerns about separation of powers and the rule of law, and Trump himself. The amount of information the federal government has released on the Epstein case was an issue that didn’t rise to prominence, with just one respondent mentioning it as the most important problem. Still, even if Epstein isn’t Americans’ top priority, half of respondents said they are dissatisfied with the amount of information released about the Epstein case after the Justice Department released a memo saying there is no evidence the convicted sex offender kept a so-called client list or was murdered. That includes 56% of Democrats, 52% of independents and 40% of Republicans. Democrats, in search of an advantage against Trump and administration officials who pledged prior to taking office to release Epstein-related files, have sought to force the issue. In the Senate this week, ahead of its own recess, Democrats are using an arcane procedural tool to try to force the Justice Department to release all of the files related to Epstein, including audio, video and any other relevant documents. Republican leadership, meanwhile, is eager to stay away from the topic of Epstein. House Speaker Mike Johnson cut legislative business short and sent members home early last week to avoid being forced to hold votes on releasing Epstein-related files. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm, encouraged House Republicans in a memo to use the August recess to focus on selling Trump’s agenda. “With the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law just a few weeks ago, this is a critical opportunity to continue to define how this legislation will help every voter and push back on Democrat fearmongering,” the NRCC memo said. Some House Republicans who have held town halls have been asked about the Epstein files. Utah GOP Rep. Mike Kennedy compared the unreleased Epstein files to “a festering oil-infected wound with pus underneath” in response to a question about whether he would vote in favor of releasing the documents during a virtual town hall last week. Kennedy pledged to push for “full transparency” in the matter and that he would “vote immediately to get all that released,” permitted that the identities of victims are concealed. As Republican Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina fielded questions at a telephone town hall last week, one caller shared his “outrage” over the Epstein files – asking why the House adjourned “when this hasn’t been dealt with.” “If there’s a group of pedophiles out there who are just getting away with it, this is an outrage, and I don’t care who they are. I don’t care if they’re the president of the United States,” the caller said. Timmons responded that “there is evil in this world, and we have to protect the innocent, so we need to get to the bottom of it.” “The president and the attorney general are doing the work necessary to release all of the information,” he said. “The Republican Congress should not be attacking the president,” the GOP lawmaker said. “The president has earned our trust, has earned the right for us to defer to him on issues at the executive branch.” But other issues have dominated town halls so far this summer — including the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill,” border security and deportations and federal funding cuts. At a Hageman town hall earlier this week, Jane Sanderson, 75, of Worland, who voted for the congresswoman, asked her why the Department of Government Efficiency’s spending cuts hadn’t put a dent in the United States’ national debt. Timmons, the South Carolina congressman, was asked about health care, tariffs and aviation safety. Trump’s golf habits came up as often as Epstein. At the same time Pocan held court in Prairie du Chien, Steil, a three-hour drive away in Elkhorn, was accused of doing Trump’s bidding too frequently. “President Trump seems to run Southeast Wisconsin through you,” one audience member told him. Rep. Bryan Steil holds a listening session in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on Thursday. - WTMJSteil faced criticism over the Trump administration’s treatment of undocumented immigrants. He was shouted down as he defended Trump’s implementation of tariffs on imports from a host of trading partners. And the town hall ended amid shouting after he began to answer a question about starvation in Gaza — an issue that is splintering the right, as Trump pushes Israel to address the humanitarian crisis as its military actions there continue. “To me, the easy answer to address this crisis is for Hamas to surrender and release the hostages. That ends the war tomorrow,” Steil said, in a comment that was met with a mix of cheers and shouts of disagreement. “Israel was unfairly, unjustly attacked, their civilians were killed and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.” CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Sarah Davis, Jenna Monnin and Betul Tuncer contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

After the federal government put out a jobs report Donald Trump didn't like, he moved to fire the person in charge of those reports. Meanwhile Wall Street saw a big sell-off on the heels of Trump's new tariffs as troubling signs add up for the Trump economy. Akayla Gardner, Ron Insana, and Natasha Sarin join Antonia Hylton on The 11th Hour.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Friday night to uphold a lower court’s temporary order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Monday afternoon at which the federal government asked the court to overturn a temporary restraining order issued July 12 by Judge Maame E. Frimpong, arguing it hindered their enforcement of immigration law. Immigrant advocacy groups filed suit last month accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The lawsuit included three detained immigrants and two U.S. citizens as plaintiffs. In her order, Frimpong said there was a “mountain of evidence” that federal immigration enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. She wrote the government cannot use factors such as apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someone’s occupation as the only basis for reasonable suspicion to detain someone. The Los Angeles region has been a battleground with the Trump administration over its aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for several weeks. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms, many who have lived in the country for decades. Among the plaintiffs is Los Angeles resident Brian Gavidia, who was shown in a video taken by a friend June 13 being seized by federal agents as he yells, “I was born here in the states, East LA bro!” They want to “send us back to a world where a U.S. citizen ... can be grabbed, slammed against a fence and have his phone and ID taken from him just because he was working at a tow yard in a Latino neighborhood,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney Mohammad Tajsar told the court. The federal government argued that it hadn’t been given enough time to collect and present evidence in the lawsuit, given that it was filed shortly before the July 4 holiday and a hearing was held the following week. “It’s a very serious thing to say that multiple federal government agencies have a policy of violating the Constitution,” attorney Jacob Roth said. He also argued that the lower court’s order was too broad, and that immigrant advocates did not present enough evidence to prove that the government had an official policy of stopping people without reasonable suspicion. He referred to the four factors of race, language, presence at a location, and occupation that were listed in the temporary restraining order, saying the court should not be able to ban the government from using them at all. He also argued that the order was unclear on what exactly is permissible under law. “Legally, I think it’s appropriate to use the factors for reasonable suspicion,” Roth said The judges sharply questioned the government over their arguments. “No one has suggested that you cannot consider these factors at all,” Judge Jennifer Sung said. However, those factors alone only form a “broad profile” and don’t satisfy the reasonable suspicion standard to stop someone, she said. Sung, a Biden appointee, said that in an area like Los Angeles, where Latinos make up as much as half the population, those factors “cannot possibly weed out those who have undocumented status and those who have documented legal status.” She also asked: “What is the harm to being told not to do something that you claim you’re already not doing?”

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Friday slammed the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for a series of reports on job growth he deemed inaccurate. The longtime Trump adviser said the BLS had an “unsettling pattern” of presenting the public with the wrong information. “The BLS doesn’t seem to be able to get that jobs number right. This has been going on for over a year,” Navarro said during a Friday appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “It’s either incompetence or political interference, either way ahead, roll today, and that’s appropriate, because this simply isn’t right,” he told anchor Blake Burman. The BLS reported that 73,000 jobs were created last month after correcting May’s report to reflect the creation of 19,000 jobs compared to an initial report of 144,000. The Bureau also corrected the number from June to 14,000 job adds after an initial report of 147,000. President Trump on Thursday fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, alleging she inflated job reports for the Biden administration ahead of the 2024 election. He said she “faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory.” “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes,” Trump in a Friday Truth Social post. Navarro told Burman on Friday that Trump’s move was “healthy.” The BLS did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. The bureau often revises jobs report, but the scale of Friday’s changes surprised experts. Navarro, in his Friday interview, said the revisions cost the Fed much needed inflationary cuts, which held rates steady on Wednesday. “It’s is that if we had gotten that data when, when we should have got that data, the Federal Reserve yesterday would have lowered interest rates by at least 50 basis points. So you think so kind of incompetence or political no question about it,” Navarro told Burman. “I mean, look, you had three months that were two months that revised significantly downward, one which was lower than expectations. I mean, the Fed, that’s a completely different picture. I mean, there was a strong case for a 50 day there’s an overwhelming case for a 50 basis point cut,” he added. Trump and his allies have pushed Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates to reset the economy for months. The president has threatened to fire Powell who has refused to shift course under pressure. “The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting ‘Kamala’ elected – How did that work out?” Trump wrote on Friday. “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell should also be put ‘out to pasture.; Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he added. Later in the day, he walked back his stance when Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty asked if the Fed chair would remain in place for now during an interview. “Well, it’s very disruptive if you fire,” he told him. “So, I would say most likely, yeah.” Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

School (in)Security is our biweekly briefing on the latest school safety news, vetted by Mark Keierleber. Subscribe here. In a battle over undocumented students’ access to public schooling — and, frankly, their futures — the Trump administration agreed this week to pause new federal rules designed to bar immigrants from Head Start and other education programs. My colleague Jo Napolitano reports the reprieve, through Sept. 3, applies in 20 states and Washington, D.C., after state attorneys general sued to stop new rules designed to give undocumented preschoolers and other immigrant students the boot. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert. F. Kennedy Jr. visits a Head Start program on May 21 to promote healthy eating. On July 10, he issued a directive barring undocumented students from the federally funded early education program. (Facebook/HeadStart.gov)Those regulations could end up restricting educational opportunities for the youngest learners. But as Jo explains in her newest analysis, it’s just one part of a multifaceted approach to bar undocumented students from learning from cradle to career. Read Jo’s full analysis — and learn how the changes could undercut the chance immigrant youth get for a better life. In the newsMore on Trump’s immigration crackdown: In Arizona, unaccompanied minors are facing immigration judges alone — without help from lawyers — after the administration cut off access to funding for their defense. A court order has restored the money temporarily through September. | Arizona Republic The Trump administration instructed federal agents to give detained migrant teenagers the option of voluntarily returning to their home countries instead of being confined in government-overseen shelters. | CBS News Attorneys for immigrant children say youth and families are being detained in “prison-like” facilities even as the administration seeks to terminate rules that mandate basic safety and sanitary conditions for children. | CBS News The Denver school district says fear of federal immigration enforcement led to a surge in student absences. A review of attendance data by The Denver Gazette suggests a more nuanced picture. | The Denver Gazette Undocumented students who attended K-12 schools in the U.S. last year before getting deported share their stories. | USA Today Sign-up for the School (in)Security newsletter.Get the most critical news and information about students' rights, safety and well-being delivered straight to your inbox. Penny Schwinn, who was in line to be the Education Department’s second in command, has dropped out of consideration following critiques of her conservative bona fides, including for past support of campus equity initiatives. | The 74 ‘Trampling upon women’s rights’: The Oregon Department of Education is the latest agency to come under federal investigation over allegations the state allows transgender students to compete in women’s sports. | Oregon Public Broadcasting New Education Department guidance encourages the use of federal money to expand artificial intelligence in classrooms, which the agency said has “the potential to revolutionize” schools. | Education Week The Trump administration’s “AI Action Plan” comes after the Senate failed to pass rules in the “big, beautiful” tax-and-spending bill designed to prevent states from regulating AI. Instead, Trump’s guidance directs the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate state regulations and block any “AI-related federal funding” to any states with rules deemed “burdensome.” | The White House How a 45-second TikTok video portraying a campus shooting — created by middle school cheerleaders — led to criminal charges. | ProPublica A phishing campaign has taken advantage of mass layoffs at the Education Department by mimicking a portal maintained by the agency to manage grants and federal education funding. | DarkReading Drones are being pitched as the next big thing to thwart school shootings — but district leaders are balking at the million-dollar price tag. | WCTV ‘Critical gaps’: An inspector general report in Washington, D.C., uncovered flaws in the city school system’s gun violence prevention efforts, including a backlog on repairs to security equipment. | The Washington Post Wisconsin schools are installing controversial license plate readers that have been used by law enforcement to track down undocumented immigrants. | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ICYMI @The74Sierra Rios and her daughter Nevaeh (Sierra Rios)For Decades, the Feds Were the Last, Best Hope for Special Ed Kids. What Happens Now? A Student’s View: Cell Phone Bans Won’t Fix Education Report: ‘A Mixed Picture’ in Pandemic Recovery for American Children Emotional SupportChompers gonna chomp. Photo credit: Bev Weintraub

Since Ghislaine Maxwell met with federal prosecutors last week, the imprisoned British socialite’s legal team has portrayed her as a beacon of truth willing to discuss all matters related to her child sex-trafficking co-conspirator Jeffrey Epstein’s many crimes. “Ghislaine answered every single question asked of her over the last day and a half. She answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability,” attorney David Oscar Markus told reporters. “She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question.” Maxwell’s highly unusual two-day sit-down with the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche – who served as Donald Trump’s criminal defense attorney before working for his justice department – came as the US president tiptoes through a political minefield related to Epstein and his own social links to the disgraced former financier. But Blanche’s meeting – held amid rumors and denials of a pardon for Maxwell shortly before her sudden move on Friday to a Texas prison – did not just show Trump’s flagging efforts at damage control over the Epstein scandal. Maxwell is simultaneously pursuing several other strategies to be freed from her 20-year federal prison sentence. Related: Ghislaine Maxwell is talking – but what can she tell and can she be believed? And, some experts believe, Maxwell’s ultimate aim is probably not really revealing the whole truth and everything she knows about Epstein, Trump and other powerful figures. Instead, it is all about earning her freedom. Maxwell’s team is pushing the US supreme court to consider her appeal, which contends that she was shielded from prosecution in Epstein’s controversial 2007 plea agreement – an argument that has been opposed by the same justice department that has now met with her. Maxwell is also trying to make the most of a congressional subpoena, threatening to invoke her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination unless she is given immunity. Her legal team has also suggested clemency – which Trump could grant immediately. This broad-spectrum approach, which several longtime defense attorneys said represented sound legal strategy, has prompted skepticism about whether any discussions reflect an actual desire to reveal truth. More, Maxwell’s track record of alleged lying undermines whatever truths Trump officials claim they want to reveal in highly publicized meetings. “If I were representing her, I would be doing exactly the same thing. The supreme court petition has virtually no chance of success. The issues raised are not novel or of general relevance to other cases,” said Ron Kuby, a longtime defense attorney whose practice focuses on civil rights. Kuby told the Guardian that the supreme court agrees to take on “only the smallest fraction” of petitions. “Filing a supreme court petition is akin to playing the lotto, you can’t win unless you play, but your likelihood of winning is slim, so it’s a last-ditch effort that defendants use when they have enough money for full due process.” The parallel strategy of actively pursuing clemency with the Trump administration is sound because Trump could commute her sentence or issue a pardon, Kuby said. “Because these are all federal convictions, he can let her out of jail tomorrow,” he added. As for why Maxwell would seem willing to shed light on Epstein despite a low likelihood of a positive outcome, “she has nothing to lose. “The question isn’t ‘why would she meet with them’? She’ll do anything for people who can help with this,” Kuby said. Related: Ghislaine Maxwell is not a victim. And if she is pardoned, it won’t be for the sake of justice | Arwa Mahdawi Eric Faddis, a trial attorney and founding partner of the Colorado firm Varner Faddis, voiced similar sentiments about Maxwell’s strategy. “For anyone who’s been sentenced to 20 years in prison, it would behoove them to explore all potential avenues to try and better their legal position, and it looks like that’s what Maxwell is doing here,” Faddis said. Other legal experts agree. “Maxwell’s attorneys are doing everything they can to keep her out of prison,” said John Day, a former prosecutor in New Mexico who founded the John Day Law Office. The Epstein controversy swirling around Trump may prove an excellent opportunity that few could have foreseen. “This is a moment in time that wasn’t there before, where she suddenly has an opening to try to get a change in her situation,” Day said. “Up until the Epstein case resurfaced and the Epstein-Trump issues came to the forefront of people’s attention, Maxwell was just doing her time. “Suddenly, she is trying to make the case that she has information, and she has information that’s worth trading for, and she’s hoping, her lawyers are hoping, that somehow someone is going to decide that it’s worth giving her a break.” Should Maxwell receive any favorable outcome, it might do little to promote truth and much to foment uncertainty. “If there is some kind of a deal that came out of the nine hours that Todd Blanche met with her, then any information that comes out of that is always going to be seen in the context of ‘what was the deal?’” Day said. Indeed, Trump’s handling of the Epstein files has done little but sow doubt. The Trump justice department released a memo insisting there was no Epstein client list, and decided not to release extensive case files, despite his campaign promise to do so. This backtracking on releasing documents helped fan the flames of controversy that came after the publication of a Wall Street Journal article claiming that Trump contributed a “bawdy” letter to a birthday present for Epstein – compiled by Maxwell. Shortly after the story ran, Trump announced that he had directed his justice department to request the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in Epstein and Maxwell’s criminal cases. This purported push for transparency, vis-a-vis Bondi’s request for unsealing, does not appear to have quelled backlash against Trump. The Wall Street Journal on 23 July reported that Bondi told Trump his name appeared in the Epstein files on multiple occasions. Epstein, whom prosecutors stated abused girls as young as 14, had long enjoyed the company of numerous high-profile men in his circle – among them Trump and Britain’s Prince Andrew. Epstein killed himself in jail awaiting trial six years ago. Trump’s camp has insisted that a pardon is not in the works, with a senior administration official saying: “No leniency is being given or discussed. That’s just false. The president himself has said that clemency for Maxwell is not something he is even thinking about at this time.” But at other times, Trump’s comments on the issue have raised eyebrows, with him saying: “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.” He has also remarked: “Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it” and that “Right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.” Top congressional Republicans are toeing the line when it comes to the idea of potential presidential relief, including the House speaker, Mike Johnson. “Well, I mean, obviously that’s a decision of the president,” Johnson said on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “I won’t get in front of him. That’s not my lane.” The political benefit for Trump from a pardon – however unlikely – remains nearly nil, as it would do little to support his prior claims about wanting the truth revealed. “The giant problem here – although what we have seen is that people are capable of believing all kinds of things if Trump says they are true – I don’t think there’s anything that Ghislaine Maxwell can say that will put any of this to rest,” Kuby said. “Certainly, the optics of giving an actual convicted child [abuser] clemency does not easily align with the right wing’s purported concern about child abuse.”

It's almost here. A new Costco location is about to open in Florida, one of several in the works. The popular warehouse chain where you can buy cases of snacks and sundries, boxes of baked goods, fresh fruit, meats and cheese, new eyeglasses or hearing aids, prescriptions, gasoline, tires and even cars is having a grand opening in The Villages on Aug. 6. It's part of the company's plans to open 25-30 new locations every year, generally split evenly between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Other openings in August include new stores in Texas, Nevada, Washington, Quebec, Ontario, and Mexico. Don't expect a lot of partying, though. Doors to the new warehouses open and shopping starts right away. "Costco Grand Openings are always exciting and busy for our teams and communities," a Costco spokesperson told The Daily Commercial. "Because of this high level of excitement, we do not have any festivities, and the ribbon cutting is a very concise and quick process." Here's what to know. Where is the new Costco in Florida?The Villages Costco will be at 675 Tatonka Terrace in the Buffalo Ridge Shopping Plaza next to County Road 466. It will encompass 162,000 square feet, including a 2,000-square-foot liquor store. Plans include 700 parking spaces and a gas station with 32 fuel pumps. The Villages, the largest adult community in the United States, spreads across Sumter, Lake and Marion counties and six ZIP codes and was named the nation's fastest-growing metro area according to the most recent U.S. Census data and the safest place to live in Florida. Pepsi is out. Costco bringing back Coca-Cola to Florida food courts. What about the hot dogs? When is the Costco in The Villages opening?Doors open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Normal hours will be: Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Sunday: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. A new Costco can be seen under construction in The Villages on June 14, 2025.What time does Costco open for executive members?As of the end of June, executive members get to go inside and shop an hour earlier on weekday and Sunday mornings and an extra half-hour earlier on Saturdays. Do you have to be a member to shop at Costco?Yes, most of the time. There are two levels of membership: Gold Star membership: $65 a year, includes two cards for you and someone in your household Executive membership: $130 a year, includes two membership cards, 2% back on eligible purchases (up to $1,250), discounts on select services, and now early entry and a monthly $10 credit for orders of $150 placed through the company's "Same-Day" service or Instacart Business memberships are also available for the same prices, with the option of allowing buyers to purchase for resale and add additional people to the account for $65 each. According to the spokesperson, the new Villages Costco will offer a membership incentive to new members signing up for the first time or for people whose memberships have been expired for at least 18 months. The offer will be on the website before opening, although a time frame has not been announced. Memberships are not required to buy Costco Pharmacy prescriptions online or in-store; non-members can get eye exams but can't buy glasses or contacts. Anyone can shop at costco.com, but there is a 5% surcharge for non-members and some items are limited to members only. You can also shop without a membership if you have a Shop Card, a prepaid Costco gift card which must be purchased by a member. Costco not the only discount store opening in AugustIf you like discount pricing but don't have room for bulk purchases, the no-frills grocery chain Aldi is spreading quickly across the state. Two locations just opened July 31 in Port Orange and St. Cloud, and on Aug. 14 there will be grand openings in Bushnell, Jacksonville, Lehigh Acres, New Port Richey, Orlando and Tampa, according to the company's website. Where can I find a Costco near me in Florida?As of Aug. 1, there are 35 Costco locations in Florida, including the new one in The Villages. You can see the list here. The last one opened in Stuart in April. Another new Costco is reportedly coming to Sanford, and talks are in the works for more potential spots, including Port St. Lucie, Pensacola and Miami. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Costco location opening in The Villages in Florida in August

Conservatives took a victory lap after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it was closing its doors Friday after President Donald Trump and the GOP-led Congress cut its federal funding last month. "PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. exclaimed on X. "The days of the American people being forced to fund biased political outlets ARE OVER." "Proud to lead the rescissions package President Trump signed to finally pull the plug on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., wrote. "$1.1B returned to taxpayers. No more public dollars for partisan propaganda. Republicans are ending wasteful spending and putting America First." Prominent Liberals And Media Figures Declare Cuts To Pbs, Npr A ‘Perilous Moment’ Republicans on Capitol Hill took a victory lap after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that provides taxpayer money to NPR and PBS, announced it is shutting down after losing its federal funding."I exposed that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting failed to vet editorial standards at NPR, PBS, and other ‘news’ outlets before handing over millions of tax dollars for blatantly biased partisan propaganda. Bye bye bye," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, reacted with musical note and nail painting emojis. "NPR and PBS are free to continue their biased programming. But not with your tax dollars. That’s done," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, similarly wrote. Read On The Fox News App "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting—the scheme bureaucrats used to funnel taxpayer money to NPR and PBS—will soon be no more," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., touted. "That’s great news for every American who doesn’t want their tax dollars funding left-wing opinion journalism EVER again." Rural Npr Stations ‘Disappointed,’ Determined To Survive After Rescission Package Eliminates Federal Funding "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, has announced it will be shutting down after the BBB cut its half-a-billion-dollar budget. Bye-bye!" Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk wrote. "Amazing Friday news — Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down. Credit to Trump for finally being willing to do what other Republicans were too afraid to do," National Review editor Philip Klein tipped his hat to the president. President Donald Trump kept his campaign promise to defund NPR and PBS after Republicans spent decades saying they would.In a press release Friday, the CPB said it would begin "an orderly wind-down of its operations" as a result of the recissions package passed by Republicans and signed into law by Trump last month. "For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country," CPB said in its statement. "Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community." Click Here For The Latest Media And Culture News CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said "we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations" despite efforts to salvage funding for public media. CPB employees were informed that most of their positions would conclude at the close of the fiscal year at the end of September. "Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country," Harrison said in her statement. "We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people." President and CEO of National Public Radio Katherine Maher (L) and President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service Paula Kerger are sworn in before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.For decades, Republicans campaigned on ending federal funding for public media, which had been allocated from the CPB to NPR and PBS. In recent years, NPR and PBS have been in the crosshairs of Trump and GOP lawmakers over allegations of political bias, which NPR and PBS leadership have vehemently denied. NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger staunchly defended their media organizations while testifying on Capitol Hill in March. Both faced tough questions from Republicans over past allegations of bias and promoting far-left ideologies. Original article source: GOP lawmakers, conservatives rejoice as Corporation for Public Broadcasting announces closure

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Ohio dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday. New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 5,150 in the week ending July 26, down from 5,227 the week before, the Labor Department said. U.S. unemployment claims rose to 218,000 last week, up 1,000 claims from 217,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis. Vermont saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 110.0%. Kentucky, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 78.8%. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor's weekly unemployment insurance claims report. This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Unemployment claims in Ohio declined last week

Looking for a meteor or an asteroid? If you're in Delaware, that may be a challenge, according to a new study from The Action Network. The study says the probability of spotting a meteor or asteroid in Delaware is 0.42% – the lowest of any state. The Action Network has analyzed sky visibility, elevation, historical meteor activity, and astronomical infrastructure to compile a ranked list of the best states for witnessing celestial events. Where to retire: 9 best Delaware towns to 'comfortably retire' in, named by WorldAtlas. What do you think? Why is Delaware bad for spotting meteors or asteroids?The First State has three factors working against it. Delaware has no Bortle 1, 2 or 3 sites and only six Bortle 4 zones. Delaware is flat with its average elevation at 60 feet – the lowest in the nation. Delaware has only one observatory, which means there are limited chances for guided celestial observation. What is the Bortle scale?The Bortle scale measures the amount of light pollution in the night sky. The higher the amount of light pollution, the less likely you are to see celestial objects like meteors, asteroids and stars. The scale has nine levels. The lower the level, the lower the level of light pollution. Delaware doesn't have any level 1, 2 or 3 areas in the state and a few level 4 areas, meaning light pollution will keep you from seeing celestial objects. What are the worst places to view meteors, asteroids?Here are the 10 worst places to see celestial bodies, according to The Action Network's study: Delaware – 0.42% chance New Jersey – 0.64% chance Mississippi – 0.68% chance Kentucky – 0.79% chance Maryland – 0.84% chance Vermont – 0.85% chance Louisiana – 0.91% chance North Dakota – 0.97% chance Connecticut – 1.00% chance South Carolina – 1.04% chance Where are the 10 best places to to view meteors, asteroids?Here are the 10 best spots for skywatching if you're planning a vacation. California – 6.68% chance Colorado – 4.45% chance Oregon – 4.4% chance Utah – 4.21% chance New Mexico – 3.81% chance Arizona – 3.5% chance Nevada – 3.17% chance Alaska – 2.94 % chance Idaho – 2.85% chance Michigan – 2.81% chance This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: WIll you see a meteor in Delaware?

If you’re hiking or camping in the East Bay or Mother Lode over the next few months, get ready for what could be the experience — or fright — of a lifetime. In California's Calaveras County, the Tri-Valley and across the United States, in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, tens of thousands of tarantulas will be crawling out of their burrows in search of females — making for a fascinating, if a little creepy — display of the wonders of nature. It’s tarantula mating season. “If you’re lucky enough you can sometimes see them in hordes crossing the roads at certain times of the year,” said Dan McCamish, a senior environmental scientist with California State Parks. Planning a trip to the lake? World Atlas reveals California’s most snake-infested lakes His advice? Leave them alone. "It’s a wild animal — it doesn’t want to be picked up and loved and hugged,” he said. “In general the species is very docile, but if you were to handle one they could bite you.” While the idea of thousands of hairy, baseball-sized spiders picking their way through parks and campgrounds might give many people the heebie-jeebies, in general these misunderstood, wandering arachnids are simply young males in search of love. And if they wander into your tent, they didn’t mean to. A male blonde tarantula crosses a road in southern Colorado while searching for a mate.“In truth they’re gentle, ecologically valuable animals,” said McCamish. “Mostly they’re interested in escaping from confrontations — especially with something they know could squish them.” Here’s what to know about tarantulas during their mating season. Where in the US do tarantulas live?Tarantulas prefer dry climates and primarily live in Western and Southwestern states with arid and semi-arid habitats. They are prevalent in Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. In the California Tri-Valley, the critters can be found in outdoor recreation areas at Mount Diablo State Park, Del Valle Regional Park, and Sunol Regional Wilderness, according to Visit Tri-Valley California. But they're in other places as well. South Florida has the Mexican red rump and the Texas brown can be found in Oklahoma and Missouri. There are 29 described individual species of tarantulas in the United States. Common species include the desert blonde tarantula and the Texas brown (though Texas has 14 tarantula species). In Arizona, there's even a variety with a fiery-red abdomen. A California ebony tarantula in California in 2022. The males of the species are much more visible in the fall when they begin wandering in search of a mate.When are you likely to see tarantulas in the wild?Tarantulas live in these areas year-round, but they mostly keep to themselves and their nests in the ground, so hikers and campers don’t see a lot of them. “As with most things that live in the desert in the summer, they’re generally nocturnal,” McCamish said. “So unless you’re out in the middle of the night, which I don’t recommend for safety purposes, you likely won’t see them.” Then in fall, September, October, November, the weather starts to shift. “They generally wait for the first fall seasonal rain — they really respond to the late summer warmth and the increase in moisture,” he said. “They’re typically out from late evening into early dawn,” he said. “That’s when visitors tend to see them,” said McCamish. “The males are the ones you’ll see crawling around. If you come upon a tarantula out in the wild and it’s wandering about, it’s likely a male. If you come upon one that’s sitting in its burrow or on top of a hole, it’s likely a female waiting for males to mate with,” he said. Why don't we see tarantulas at other times of the year?Both males and females retreat to their burrows in the winter, where they enter a kind of torpor that isn’t true hibernation. In the spring they begin hunting again, though not far from their shelters. The arachnids build webs nears their burrows where they capture insects, beetles, grasshoppers and smaller spiders for food. “They’re ambush hunters. The females weave a web around the hole to their burrow that’s sensitive to the touch. If an insect comes across it, the spider pounces and kills it with their fangs,” he said. The males also go out to hunt on foot. However, this tends to happen late at night when the desert comes alive — and humans aren’t typically out, which is why most desert visitors never see them. The short, harsh reality of a male tarantula's lifeMale and female tarantulas live very different lives. Females stay near their burrows, hunting, feeding and growing and can live for up to 20 to 25 years. Males, not so much. Once they’re hatched, they create burrows and spend a few years, generally no more than five, slowly growing, molting several times as they do. When they are ready to go out to find a mate in the cool fall, they leave their burrows and begin wandering, sniffing the air for female pheromones. The females come out of their burrows at night, staying nearby as they wait for the males. If the male finds a female, and she accepts him, they will mate. But it’s a brief moment of happiness for the male. “The harsh reality is that generally after the male breeds, it passes away,” McCamish said. Often, the female will eat her mate, though not always. It depends on whether she fed before mating or has an ample food supply. If the male doesn’t find a mate, it can potentially burrow back in for another year, but this depends on its molting schedule — if the male spider needs to molt again after it becomes sexually viable, it may die because it cannot molt a second time. "Generally, once the male has emerged, if it is unsuccessful in finding a mate during the season, it will likely die due to exhaustion," he said. Here's why you shouldn't kill tarantulasIf you see a tarantula, leave it alone. It plays an important part in nature. These large, hairy spiders contribute to ecological balance, acting as insect control — they are slow, patient ambush predators that regulate biodiversity. Their burrows improve soil aeration and water filtration, especially in the desert during flooding events. And after they abandon their burrows, they become refuges for other animals including lizards, insects and other small mammals, McCamish said. They’re also an excellent midlevel ecological stabilizer that tells biologists at a glance if an ecosystem is healthy. “If there are tarantulas living somewhere, you can generally assume the habitat is functioning,” McCamish said. What eats tarantulas?Tarantulas may look terrifying as they make their leggy way across the landscape, but they’re nowhere near the top of the food chain. They can be food for foxes, coyotes, snakes, owls and skunks — one reason they lay low except when the mating imperative sends them out into a dangerous world. There’s also a rather gruesome fate that can await them — an encounter with a tarantula hawk wasp. These are large wasps, an inch or two long, that have bright orange wings and sound like a Cessna airplane engine if they fly by your ear, said McCamish. “Their sting has been compared to ... the second or third worst sting of any insect in the world,” he said. The sting isn't the worst of it for tarantulas. “They land on their back and then bite the tarantula to paralyze it. Then they lay their eggs inside it, turning the spider’s body into a living food source once the larva hatch,” McCamish said. Are tarantulas dangerous?Tarantulas don’t want to interact with humans any more than most humans want to interact with them. “No native tarantulas in the United States pose a serious threat to humans,” McCamish said. The only caveat is if someone has had serious reactions to spider bites in the past. In reality, the danger only comes when people try to pick them up or play with them, or if they get in the way of a male and female mating. Because they’re naturally timid, observing them from a few feet away is fine. “If it starts coming towards you, give it some space. It might be defending its eggs, or you might have interrupted a mating ritual between a male and female,” he said. Touching a tarantula can be painful because they have tiny barbed hairs on their abdomen called urticating hairs. “They can actually flick those hairs off their back feet like darts,” he said. If they get on your skin – or worse your eye if you picked it up to look more closely – it could cause irritation. How do you convince a tarantula to go away?During mating season, it’s not uncommon for a tarantula to wander into campsites or tents, McCamish said. To gently and safely encourage it to be on its way, the best method is to find a stick and give it a “light tickle” on its abdomen to get it to move away. “Just give it a light boop on the base of its abdomen and generally they’ll move in that direction,” he said. If the tarantula has come into contact with your clothing, bedding or a pillow, it’s not a bad idea to wipe it down or even take duct tape and dab it on the surface to remove any of the irritating hairs that might have stuck. Tarantulas can jump as much as two feetThere is one thing to be aware of — these spiders can jump as much as a foot or two, and they can get into trees. “They’re ambush predators, after all,” McCamish said. “Just because they’re ground dwelling creatures that doesn’t mean they don’t climb bushes or trees.” Stay informed and connected: Sign up for our alerts to receive the latest updates on important news. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Tarantula hordes to emerge for mating season in Calif. East Bay, Lode

With Florida being two months into the Atlantic hurricane season, preparations could be underway for some individuals. Buying a new generator, making sure batteries are stocked up, or stocking up on insect repellent are some things on shopping lists. Fortunately for Floridia residents and vistiors, it just got slightly cheaper. Starting Aug. 1, certain items for hurricane preparation will be exempt from sales tax permanently. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's fiscal 2025-26 budget on June 30, eliminating the previous two-week sales tax holiday on emergency supplies. The new sales tax exemptions start Aug. 1, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. What is tax-free for hurricane supplies in Florida 2025?Under the new budget signed by DeSantis, a permanent sales tax exemption will be implemented for specific disaster supplies. The elimination of the sales tax on hurricane supplies starts on Aug. 1. The permanent sales tax exemptions on emergency supplies replace the shorter sales tax holidays residents have been used to. Among the items that always will be exempt from sales taxes — beginning Aug. 1 — are: Batteries AA AAA C D 6-volt 9-volt Portable generators capable of producing 10,000 running watts or less Waterproof tarps, but they must be 1,000 square feet or less Portable gas cans that have a capacity of five gallons or less Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits Smoke detectors or smoke alarms electrical or battery-operated device listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory Carbon monoxide detectors Must produce a distinct audible alarm Must meet the requirements of and is approved by the Florida Building Commission Fire extinguishers that meet certain requirements, including: Portable Manually operated Can be rechargeable or nonrechargeable U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets Sunscreen Excludes cosmetics or other products that are not primarily intended to absorb, reflect, or scatter ultraviolet radiation Insect repellent Bottled water, first aid kits, and many food items purchased at the grocery store are already tax-free. Bicycle helmets will also be tax-free. Previously, only youth bicycle helmets were exempt from sales tax. Beginning Aug. 1, all bicycle helmets will be exempt. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season: What to know about forecasts, emergency alerts DIY kit: Hurricane season emergency essentials include canned foods, medicines, makeshift toilet What are the months of hurricane season?The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. While the 2025 season is predicted to be above normal, as of July 31, there have been three named storms, with none threatening Florida or the United States. The next named storm in the Atlantic basin will be Dexter. What months are the worst for hurricanes?The season peaks around mid-August and late October because the waters in the equatorial Atlantic and Gulf get warm enough to help support tropical wave development. Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at [email protected], 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: What is tax-free for hurricane supplies in Florida? Hurricane season

Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance ignores his life. The legendary labor leader, who was the hard-charging former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, had a quiet, hidden place where he could kick back and relax with his family away from the intense public spotlight. Hoffa's sanctuary was an unassuming wooden house and compound on the shore of Lake Orion, 38 miles north of Detroit. It was Hoffa's beloved getaway where he spent decades with his wife Josephine, daughter Barbara and son James, granddaughter Barbara and grandsons David and Geoffrey, and assorted family and friends. But it is also the place he left on the afternoon of July 30th, 1975, to head to a meeting that resulted in his tragic disappearance. Jimmy Hoffa’s Son: Who Killed My Dad, Why, And What It Did To My Family The James R. Hoffa home, a modest-looking two-story frame building on the shore of Lake Orion, about forty miles north of Detroit."He loved this place," said Hoffa's son James. "When he came home, he was just Dad." This summer, Fox Nation visited the house with Mr. Hoffa and his son David, as part of our series "Riddle, The Search for James R. Hoffa." The last two episodes of the series highlight the role the lake house played in the family. Read On The Fox News App The Hoffas sold the house in 1986, but, strangely, it remains much as it was during the summer of 1975 today, so many years later. Jimmy Hoffa's big wood console TV set still sits in the living room.Jimmy Hoffa's furniture is still in it. His wood-paneled console TV still sits in the living room where he watched it. The only books on the shelf were from 1975, the year he vanished. His copy of the 1975 "Who's Who in America," which of course lists him, rests alongside his copies of "The Celebrity Register" and "Men of Achievement." The old green shag wall-to-wall carpet was still underfoot in the living room. Jimmy Hoffa's carved wooden Totem Pole still stands overlooking the lake. Even his white and orange garden tractor, a 3415 H Simplicity, that he used to mow his own lawn remains in the backyard. Jimmy Hoffa used this garden tractor to mow his own lawn. It is still there."As busy as he was, he was a good father, and he always found time for his family, and he was a good family man," said James. He said his father did his own home repairs, built parts of the house and grounds himself, cleared trees and brush and did his own yardwork. "He was a working man all the way," he said. This summer promises a new life for the Hoffa house. It was bought by Susan and John Hagen, who plan to renovate it and are appreciative and respectful of its unique history. "We knew the house was Jimmy Hoffa's summer estate when we saw it for the first time," John Hagen told Fox Nation. "We were the only ones who wanted to restore the property. Everyone else wanted to tear it down." Jimmy Hoffa's Family Calls On Trump To Release Fbi Files He said their intention is to "preserve a bit of history." After the closing, they decided to learn all they could about the famous previous owner. "We started to appreciate the significance and what an important person Jimmy Hoffa was to the labor workers of his time. He was one of those rare people who make a huge impact on the world, and to keep that property of the local community has become very important to us. Even though the property is not listed as an historical site, it does have much historical significance, and we feel our role is to be the caretaker of the property and to preserve it to the best of our abilities," he said. The Hagens have started a Facebook page, "Hoffa House Renovations," that will document their effort. Their page even includes photos of our Fox Nation visit. The page already shows their work, such as repainting Hoffa's handmade totem pole in its original colors, taking down walls, uncovering long hidden patios and even Hoffa's wooden picnic tables. James P. Hoffa reminiscing with Eric Shawn about his boyhood summers spent at the lake."The property needs a lot of work, so it made sense to share the progress with everyone. We have had messages from people all over the country, who have stated they are enjoying seeing the home the Hoffa's loved so much." The Hagens have their work cut out for them. The house and grounds are in disrepair, with large areas grown over and neglected. But the couple is ready as John was a builder/carpenter for 40 years, so he is ready. "Our plans for the house are to restore the carriage house back to its former glory. The foundation is sinking on one side, so we may have to tear it down and rebuild it," he said. "There is a very large concrete patio that was uncovered next to the house. The stone bar-b-q that is on the patio is in need of serious repair. I will be taking it totally apart and putting it back together." Jimmy Hoffa built his kitchen. Journalist Jerry Stanecki said Hoffa boasted about it, saying, "What do you think? He did it himself.""The house will be redone inside and out," he said. "The outside will look exactly as it did 50 years ago, complete with the 8-inch white siding and new windows in all the locations. The house inside will be updated to look like 2025." "The new owners are really good," said Hoffa's son James. "They will do a good job." The Hagens are also uncovering special reminders of the Hoffa family's presence. A summer day at the lake house as Hoffa's wife Josephine embraces her husband.A faint outline of "JO" was visibly written in the cement stairs leading up from the lake, for Hoffa's wife Josephine. The stone seawall that Hoffa built by hand with his son James, remains as strong as ever. "We did it together," boasts Hoffa's son, James. "I worked with him on that. My hands would be raw, and his hands were raw, but we did it together." The Hagens met Hoffa's son and one of his grandsons, David, when we visited the house. Jimmy Hoffa with his family at his lake house. His son, James P. Hoffa is on the left along with Jimmy's grandsons David, Geoffrey and family."Hearing the wonderful stories about Jimmy Hoffa gave us a unique insight of the human side of the Hoffa story. Jimmy Hoffa was a family man and loved his family," John said. "As I listened to James P. Hoffa, I thought to myself, I hope my kids have great memories of bringing their kids to my house, like he does. There is an obvious strong family bond with the Hoffas." The Hoffa family loved the house, and it is clear that the Hagen family will carry that on in the spirit of the illustrious former owner. Watch all eight episodes of "Riddle: The Search for James R. Hoffa," now streaming on Fox Nation. The latest episodes, 7 and 8, "The Only Way To Stop Him Was To Kill Him," and "The Hoffa Legacy," include the story of the lake house. Original article source: A peek inside Jimmy Hoffa's lake house hideaway

Katelyn Zach, a Springfield "community organizer and advocate for working families," announced Friday, Aug. 1 she will campaign as a Democrat for a Missouri House District in Springfield currently held by Rep. Melanie Stinnett. Stinnett, a Republican, was first elected to Missouri House District 133 in 2022, beating Democratic candidate Amy Blansit by about 400 votes, a margin of about 5 percentage points. Challenged in 2024 by Democrat Derrick Nowlin, Stinnett was reelected with more than 56% of the vote. She announced earlier this year she plans to run in 2026 for Senate District 30, currently held by term-limited state Sen. Lincoln Hough. In her campaign announcement Aug. 1, Zach, who has worked as a legislative assistant in the state capitol, said she wants to "bring bold, compassionate leadership to Jefferson City, and to flip a seat that’s been out of touch with the needs of Missourians for far too long." “I’m running because I believe every Missourian deserves a safe home, a great public school, access to affordable healthcare, and the freedom to make decisions about their own body,” Zach said. “The people of Springfield are done being ignored by politicians whose only goal is climbing the ladder in Jefferson City. We’re ready to build a future where everyone, not just the well-connected, gets a fair shot.” District 133 covers parts of central and southwest Springfield, generally west of Campbell Avenue between Chestnut Expressway and James River Freeway. Zach, who attended college in Springfield, said her campaign is focused on people, from youth and working families to small businesses, with the goal of "defending public education and reproductive rights to addressing the housing crisis and fighting for common-sense gun safety laws." More: Despite 2024 losses, Crystal Quade among women encouraging others to run for office “I’m here to represent every voice in our community, no matter your political party or background,” Zach said in the release. “I believe in leading with empathy, listening first, and fighting for solutions that actually help people.” Her campaign committee, Citizens for Katelyn Zach, lists former state representative and Democratic candidate for governor Crystal Quade as treasurer. She has candidate sites on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Democrat Katelyn Zach announces run for Missouri House District 133

Michigan nature lovers can visit one of the state's National Park Service venues free in celebration of Great American Outdoors Day. Several of the venues can be found around Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The park service is offering its next free entrance day on Aug. 4 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act's passage, according to the NPS website. If you can't make it to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore or Isle Royale National Park this week, keep an eye on the calendar because more free entry days will be coming up before 2025 is over. Here's what to know. When is the next free entry day?The next free entry day to National Park Service sites is on Great American Outdoors Day, Aug. 4, 2025. How can you visit NPS sites for free?You can visit National Park Service sites across Michigan free of charge on the free entry day. While the day's typical entrance fee will be waived, activities may require fees such as reservations. Regular park entrance fees can be found on the NPS website. What is the Great American Outdoors Act?The Great American Outdoors Act is a law that invests in protecting and sustaining public lands and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The law also funds infrastructure improvements and expanded outdoor recreation at national parks, per the National Park Service. The law established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund for overdue maintenance needs and authorized funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, per the Department of the Interior. When was the Great American Outdoors Act passed?The Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Aug. 4, 2020, per the NPS and U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management. Where are Michigan's NPS sites?Here are Michigan's National Park Service sites: Isle Royale National Park encompasses all of Isle Royale in Lake Superior. One of the nation's least-visited parks, the rugged islands offer opportunities for backpacking, hiking, boating, paddling and diving. Entry passes usually are required. Keweenaw National Historic Park encompasses both public and private sites throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula and features heritage sites from the area's copper mining history. It is headquartered in Calumet; check with individual sites regarding entry fees. North Country National Scenic Trail spans eight states, including more than 1,100 miles in Michigan through urban and rural areas in the upper and lower peninsulas. There is no entry fee. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore features the sandstone cliffs along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula from Munising to Grand Marais, along with sand dunes, inland lakes, deep forests, waterfalls, beaches and wild shoreline. There are opportunities for camping, hiking, sightseeing and more. Entry passes usually are required. River Raisin National Battlefield Park in Monroe honors the history of the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath. There are opportunities to visit historical sites, a museum, walking and biking trails, kayaking and more. There is no entry fee. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the shores of Lake Michigan features miles of sand beach, lush forests, clear inland lakes, unique flora and fauna, towering bluffs, an island lighthouse, coastal villages, picturesque farmsteads and more. Entry passes usually are required. What is the National Park Service?The U.S. National Park Service is a federal government agency that manages national parks, monuments, lakeshores and preserves throughout the United States. When are the remaining free entry days in 2025?The National Park Service will offer free entry to the public on the following days: National Public Lands Day: Sept. 27 Veterans Day: Nov. 11 Contact Jenna Prestininzi: [email protected]. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: National parks to offer free admission on Great American Outdoors Day