The Huffington Post reports: Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to confirm Joe Kent, a conspiracy theorist with alarming ties to white nationalists and far-right groups, to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent was confirmed, 52-44. Every Republican but one, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted for him.Every Democrat present opposed him. A former CIA paramilitary officer and twice-failed congressional candidate …

The New York Times reports: A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred the Trump administration from imposing penalties on two law professors over their involvement with the International Criminal Court, finding that the threat violated their First Amendment rights. In a 22-page opinion, Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York concluded …

Mediaite reports: Alan Dershowitz said he is suing a Martha’s Vineyard food vendor who refused to serve the former Harvard Law professor pierogi because of his politics. Dershowitz, a former Democrat who represented President Donald Trump in the first impeachment trial, has frequently lamented his pariah status on Martha’s Vineyard, the posh vacation spot for the wealthy and often liberal. …

404 Media reports: Spotify is requiring users in the UK to verify they’re over 18 to view “certain age restricted content,” and users are reporting seeing a popup on Spotify to verify their ages following the enactment of the UK’s Online Safety Act last week, which forced platforms to verify the ages of everyone who tries to access certain kinds …

“Scott Adams — I haven’t mentioned him in a while, he made a great insight. Trump realizes that if a problem doesn’t go away, you simply monetize it. So, if we can’t stop this war, a war that we’re sending arms to, well, let’s get paid. You know, global trade, often times not that fair to us, let’s throw a …

The Daily Beast reports: A fervent Trump supporter who said that he was casting his 2024 vote to fight child trafficking is now being charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Scott Soucek of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was arrested on July 24 and accused of accessing hundreds of child pornography images through a file-sharing system. Soucek isn’t just a …

Variety reports: FCC Chairman Brendan Carr informed Comcast on Tuesday that he has launched an investigation into the company’s relations with its NBC affiliates, days after President Trump called for the network to be held “accountable” for favoring the Democratic Party and threatened to revoke broadcast licenses. In a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Carr argued that the national …

“Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years. The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote — Very much …

CBS News reports: Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri joined Democrats Wednesday to advance legislation that would ban members of Congress from buying, selling or owning individual stocks. “I practice what I preach,” Hawley said in an awkward exchange with fellow Republicans on the panel. “I don’t have individual stocks, I don’t trade in stocks. I’m not a billionaire, unlike …

CTV News reports: Canada plans to recognize the state of Palestine at the next session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday. Carney made the comments on Parliament Hill, alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, following a meeting of his cabinet to discuss the state of trade negotiations with the U.S. and the …

Breitbart reports: Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Texas physician known for treating thousands of COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, joined fellow physicians Dr. Simone Gold, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, and other experts in front of the United States Supreme Court to demand accountability from those who mandated vaccines and censored opposing voices. The demonstration fell on the fifth anniversary of …

“They’re a cost, they’re a tax. And it’s something that will elevate the prices of things that you tariff. So if you put a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum, the people who buy steel and aluminum inevitably are going to pay more. I don’t think there’s enough votes to rein in executive authority. It’s funny how when there’s a …

The Advance reports: Vice President JD Vance faced a grilling from social media users on Wednesday after posting about California’s congressional district map. In a post on X, Vance wrote that the “gerrymander in California is outrageous.” Texas Republicans on Wednesday unveiled their new U.S. House map, which would follow through on President Donald Trump’s goal of adding more winnable …

Axios reports: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Senate Democrats announced Wednesday that they’ll use an obscure federal law known as the “Rule of Five” in an attempt to force the Justice Department to release more documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. “Today’s letter matters,” Schumer said. “It’s not a stunt, it’s not symbolic. It’s a formal …

CBS News reports: Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the U.S. have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump signed executive actions on Wednesday implementing a crippling 50% tariff on Brazil as well as a 50% tariff on certain copper products, the White House said, in the latest escalation of his administration’s aggressive trade war. Trump had previously threatened to impose the 50% tariff on Brazil effective August 1 in a letter he sent …

The New York Times reports: Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year, she announced Wednesday, forgoing another campaign after losing last year’s presidential election. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,” Ms. Harris said in a statement. “I look forward to getting back out and listening …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. Trump is expected to deliver remarks on the initiative Wednesday afternoon. The event is …

Via press release from the DNC: We already know that Trump’s billionaire-first budget is the largest cut to health care in history — all to give massive tax handouts to the ultrarich — and now, his administration is admitting that the “Trump Accounts” included in the bill will be how they go after Social Security. Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott …

CBS News reports: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it’s keeping its benchmark interest rate unchanged, marking a continuation of its “wait-and-see” strategy this year, as it monitors the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on consumer prices. The central bank on Wednesday said it would maintain the federal funds rate at its current range of 4.25% to 4.5%. The …