Kevin Bogardus

🧐 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-approval-rating-sinks-40-lowest-his-term-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2025-07-29/

POLITICO Pro: Top Senate Ag Republican 'disappointed' USDA didn’t consult Congress before reorganization Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) wants to hold a hearing to understand the reasoning behind USDA's decision to close D.C.-area buildings and relocate employees.

Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said he’s “disappointed” Congress was not consulted before USDA announced its sweeping reorganization plan.

He also said he wants to hold a hearing to hear more from USDA officials about their reasoning.

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

July 2025 Political cartoons from the desk of Matt Wuerker

Congress takes a knee

www.politico.com/cartoons/202...

Still have some questions specifically about the process of submitting payment requests -- would love to hear from you if that's you in the last month or so 👇

Researchers! If you've successfully received any NIH grant payments within the last month or two (or you're *supposed* to be receiving payments) -- I have a quick question for you. DM or Signal: @chelseaeharvey.01

Steel plant in Vance’s hometown trades clean future for more coal The Middletown, Ohio, plant was set to receive $500 million to make "green" steel. Then its CEO embraced President Donald Trump.

The Ohio steel plant that lifted JD Vance's family out of poverty was set to become the future of a dying US industry, a global model of decarbonization and modernization. Under Trump, that plan was scrapped and it's now doubling down on "beautiful coal." www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

In an email to staff today, the New York Times announced that it is ending its New York Times for Kids monthly print section.

🧐 https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-faces-difficult-road-ahead-it-hopes-robotaxis-will-offset-declining-sales-2025-07-24/

Great report from Brian on how Politico's journalists are taking the lead in a larger industry-wide fight over AI in the newsroom.

I broke the story about their legal fight with management back in May, for additional context: www.wired.com/story/politi...

The struggle over AI in journalism is escalating Politico journalists are taking on management for using AI products that risk damaging their reputation and replacing their work. Their fight is emblematic of an embattled industry.

During two of the year's biggest news events, Politico reporters watched in surprise as management installed an AI bot atop the homepage—openly violating a deal with staff. It promptly made embarrassing errors and violated editorial standards. No corrections were issued.

For sale or lease: NASA satellites, slightly used Government spacecraft would be available for purchase under a plan being discussed by the Trump administration.

Today from @scottpwaldman.bsky.social on the Trump administration's idea to sell or lease out NASA satellites: www.eenews.net/articles/for...

For sale or lease: NASA satellites, slightly used Government spacecraft would be available for purchase under a plan being discussed by the Trump administration.

NEW: Senior NASA officials considering selling or leasing satellites already in orbit. Billions of $ already spent to send probes into space, savings are minimal. Trump WH focused on satellites producing climate data, but they provide weather and other essential data. www.eenews.net/articles/for...

There's also this famous drawing from 2019 😅

Trump administration taking new steps to block wind and solar projects, undisclosed memo says The directive puts these renewable energy projects under heightened scrutiny at Interior in a move that could slow approvals and construction.

NEW: Interior is now requiring all decision points for solar and wind projects on federal land to get Sec. Burgum’s sign-off. The move brings heightened scrutiny to renewable projects that could slow them down.

w/ Josh Siegel

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

🧐 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-approval-immigration-falls-lowest-level-his-term-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2025-07-16/

Maurene Comey, daughter of James Comey, is fired from her job as a federal prosecutor Comey, who had worked in the U.S. attorney’s office for nearly a decade, prosecuted both Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

BREAKING: Justice Department fires SDNY federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, who played key role prosecuting Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, per @eorden www.politico.com/news/2025/07/16/maurene-comey-fired-doj-00458921

Thom Tillis isn’t mad — but he is prepared to tangle with the ‘disrespectful’ The North Carolina Republican senator sat down with Semafor to discuss his pre-retirement conversation with Trump and his views on his leverage now.

“If somebody wants to know why I’m not running, it’s because some bonehead told [Trump] to post something and pretend like that was going to affect me ... It affected me in a way that said: ‘I’m done with this bullshit.’

www.semafor.com/article/07/1...

POLITICO Pro: USDA axes most funding for rural business centers that help farms The money for 12 Regional Food Business Centers, which serve thousands of businesses, has been frozen since January.

NEW FROM ME:

USDA is terminating business development centers that served rural farm and food businesses, providing workforce development and technical training.

USDA provided the 12 Rural Food Business Centers with hundreds of millions in funding but payments have been on ice since January.

AI Weather Forecasts Missed the Texas Floods. Cuts to Weather Research Won’t Help The Trump administration wants to reduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget by $2.2 billion, eliminating research that might help advance AI weather models

Today's story, republished in SciAm:
Most AI weather models aren't very good yet at predicting local extreme weather. But they're showing promise - and experts say NOAA needs more investment in these tools, which Trump cuts threaten to stymie. www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-w...

How Steve Hasker plotted an AI course for Thomson Reuters Hasker estimates that his team will have $10 billion in “dry powder” to deploy for AI deals by 2027, in additions to the ones the company has already struck.

🎙️ "A media company now valued at $90 billion — roughly five times the market capitalization of News Corp and 10 times that of The New York Times" https://www.semafor.com/article/07/10/2025/how-steve-hasker-plotted-an-ai-course-for-thomson-reuters

UPDATE: DOJ Ethic director Tirrell posts his termination letter on LinkedIn. Says his oath “did not come with the caveat that I need only support the Constitution when it is easy or convenient.”

Bondi Fires Her Personal Ethics Chief as DOJ Purge Continues Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics adviser, removing the Justice Department’s top official responsible for counseling the most senior political appointees, according to two peopl...

Scoop: Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics chief, Joseph Tirrell. Without explanation, she removes DOJ's career ethics office director who advised the most senior political appointees (such as Todd Blanche, Kash Patel) on conflicts. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Never fear, I went to FOIA.gov

There's always a way

#FOIA4eva

I've been trying the FBI's #FOIA web portal since yesterday and I keep getting this screen

Fun times

#FOIA4eva

TODAY: PEN Guild heads to arbitration over POLITICO’s contract-breaking use of AI. This fight could set the standard for how AI is used in newsrooms across the country.

✍️ Sign our petition and help us go into arbitration with full support: bit.ly/PENGuild

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in th...

It’s a wrap on another week

www.politico.com/gallery/2025...

Tell POLITICO Management: AI should work with journalists, not against us! Last year, PEN Guild members ratified a groundbreaking first contract that included some of the strongest provisions in the industry around artificial intelligence. These protections not only gave uni...

The journalists @eenews.bsky.social and @politico.com want AI to work with us, not against us.

That's why @pen-guild.bsky.social is heading into arbitration this week to enforce our contract!

Sign here to show your support

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ai...

A month after getting permission, NWS still hasn’t posted help wanted ads Amid the Texas floods and a month into hurricane season, significant vacancies exist across the National Weather Service.

1/ ICYMI yesterday, from my colleague Danny Cusick: NOAA said over a month ago that it would fill 126 open positions at the NWS (since the start of the year, NWS has lost around 600 staffers). They still haven't advertised the jobs.

www.eenews.net/articles/a-m...

Oops, quote-posted the wrong post before. Here's the story now also up in SciAm:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/texa...

Texas starved fund meant to reduce flood risk The state has identified more than $50 billion in flood control needs. But lawmakers have devoted just $1.4 billion to address them.

And today by Mike Lee (+Tom Frank + small contrib from me): TX has done little to address its flood risks, and prob can't expect much help from the federal govt. The state has identified $54 billion in flood control needs, but devoted just $1.4 billion to address them. www.eenews.net/articles/tex...