Reuters reports: The White House is scrutinizing layoff plans by federal agencies in an effort to limit further court challenges after the Supreme Court cleared the way for a sweeping downsizing of the government workforce, according to two senior White House officials with knowledge of the matter. The White House Counsel’s Office and the Office of Personnel Management are coordinating …

The New York Times reports: When Missouri voters were asked last year whether they wanted to increase the minimum wage and require employers to provide paid sick leave, 58 percent of them said yes. Not long after that vote, the Republicans who control the state government mobilized to unwind those changes. On Thursday, Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, signed into law …

Florida Politics reports: Five Democratic lawmakers are suing and asking the Florida Supreme Court for access into the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility after they said they were blocked from entering to inspect the conditions. “The denial of unannounced access to the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ was blatantly unconstitutional,” reads a lawsuit filed by Sens. Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith and …

Axios reports: Under pressure from worried farmers and hotel owners, the Trump administration is launching a program to streamline issuing visas for temporary, migrant workers to try to make sure fruits get picked, meat is packed and lodgings are cleaned. President Trump’s immigration crackdown has put his administration between a MAGA rock and a special-interest hard place. Farmers who rely …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump was struck with ridicule on Thursday evening after the White House posted an image of the president as Superman. “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP,” wrote the official White House social media account, attached to an edited image of Trump flying as Superman. “Guess the Epstein list is your kryptonite, …

UPI reports: A federal appeals court has sided with the jury that found President Donald Trump liable of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and of lying about the assault. The three-judge Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued its mandate Thursday, affirming the May 2023 Manhattan jury’s unanimous decision that Trump had sexually abused Carroll in a …

“Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses. We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1. “Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States …

Defense News reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced sweeping changes to the way the Pentagon buys and fields uncrewed air systems, or UAS, with a goal of establishing “UAS domain dominance” by 2027. Hegseth announced the policy changes in a video recorded on the Pentagon’s front lawn. With Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” playing in the background, a quadcopter delivered …

The Daily Beast reports: Donald Trump has angrily threatened to end the careers of Republicans foolhardy enough to oppose his cuts to PBS and NPR. The president‘s threat Thursday night on Truth Social came as the Senate approaches a deadline of July 18 to approve $9.4 billion in DOGE-inspired cuts included in a package of spending cuts, which the House …

The Associated Press reports: A prominent Georgia Republican was running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 300 investors of at least $140 million, federal officials alleged in a complaint filed Thursday. The civil lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said First Liberty Building and Loan, controlled by Brant Frost IV, lied to investors about its business of making high-interest …

The Washington Post reports: For months, President Donald Trump and his homeland security secretary have said the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be eliminated. But as the president heads to Texas to view the impact of last week’s deadly floods, administration officials say abolishing the agency outright is not on the agenda. A senior White House official told The Washington …

The New York Times reports: The State Department formally notified employees on Thursday that it was about to begin layoffs as part of a consolidation plan that department officials say will reduce bureaucratic bloat but that critics call a shortsighted blow to American diplomacy. In an internal message sent to State Department workers on Thursday, Michael J. Rigas, the deputy …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States would apply a 35% tariff to all imports from Canada beginning next month, reviving tensions with a major trade partner that had largely dissipated in recent weeks. “Instead of working with the United States, Canada retaliated with its own Tariffs,” Trump wrote in the letter shared on Truth …

Variety reports: At long last, Larry David is returning to HBO…again. Variety has learned exclusively that the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator and star has re-teamed with the premium cabler on a sketch comedy limited series about American history. David is writing the series with Jeff Schaffer, who was the showrunner, executive producer, and frequent director on “Curb.” David will also …

The Hill reports: Lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Thursday said he knows the list of names in the Jeffrey Epstein files regarding alleged clients in his international sex trafficking ring. “I know the names of the individuals. I know why they’re being suppressed. I know who’s suppressing them,” Dershowitz said during an appearance on “The Sean Spicer Show.” “But I’m bound …

Axios reports: Multiple governors say they’re being increasingly pushed to scrounge for disaster recovery money without the support they traditionally rely on from the federal government. The president has the sole power to issue disaster declarations, but states are finding emergencies that would usually qualify for federal assistance are being slow-walked or denied in recent months. In April, the Trump …

“I’m heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I’m in there. If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie…full stop. The statistics around what happens to gay men in …

Gay City News reports: More than one million people identify as LGBTQIA+ in New York State and the community’s population has continued to rise, according to the results of a New York State Department of Health survey featuring statistics about the share of LGBTQ people who live in the state. About 8.2% of New York State’s population identifies as lesbian, …

The New York Times reports: Typically, the F.B.I. has turned to polygraph tests to sniff out employees who might have betrayed their country or shown they cannot be trusted with secrets. Since Kash Patel took office as the director of the F.B.I., the bureau has significantly stepped up the use of the lie-detector test, at times subjecting personnel to a …

Politico reports: Senate Republicans are bracing for another one of their colleagues to possibly call it quits: Joni Ernst. Asked about the senator’s 2026 plans, Ernst spokesperson Palmer Brigham declined to say definitively that she would run again: “Senator Ernst is focused on her work delivering for Iowans in the Senate to make Washington ‘squeal,’ making President Trump’s historic tax …