Tara

This piece lays out all the reasons AI is ill-suited for historical work — getting facts wrong, relying on existing sources only, churning out banal claims in bland prose, etc — and then asserts we’ll all just have to use it anyway.

Yeah, no.

A bar graph showing steadily accumulating new sanctions until Trump comes into office.

Senators @shaheen.senate.gov and @warren.senate.gov roll out report showing how Trump has let up pressure on Russia.

www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

Among the things we are going to look back on and realize we needed to do to help stave off authoritarianism was DC statehood. Lots of regrets when you lose a democracy, but this will be one of the big ones for us.

not everything that's wrong in the U.S. is the direct descendent of chattel slavery, but the resemblance to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, which paid commissioners $10 for rendering alleged fugitives to the south and $5 if they found the evidence is insufficient, is kind of hard to ignore

"The president is asking the US Senate to place this bigoted zealot in charge."

John Harwood writes about Trump’s nominee for head of Office of Special Counsel — an agency to protect federal employees who report fraud and abuse within the government.

Read now: zeteo.com/p/who-is-pau...

#NumbersDay

Why Memory Hole the Biden-Harris Successes?  | Washington Monthly Democrats have an odd history of throwing out the good and the bad when it comes to their presidents. They shouldn’t repeat that mistake.

By @billscher.bsky.social: Why Memory Hole the Biden-Harris Successes?
Democrats have an odd history of throwing out the good and the bad when it comes to their presidents. They shouldn’t repeat that mistake.

‘If They Get Away With It in Texas,’ You're Next. Democrats Sound the Alarm on Racist Redistricting Fight. Texas Democrats have a message for all American voters: You’re in the redistricting fight, whether you know it or not.

Texas Dems have a message for American voters: You’re in the redistricting fight, whether you know it or not.

A redistricting bill in Texas, introduced at Trump's demand, would disenfranchise minorities — and could spur retaliatory redistricting across the nation.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/08/05/t...

More than 40 arrested at protest against Gaza war at Trump hotel in New York Protest led by Jewish American group IfNotNow demands White House pressure Israel to let more aid into territory

The safety and freedom of Palestinians & Israelis, of Muslims & Jews, is bound up together. There is no military solution.

Netanyahu to propose full reoccupation of Gaza, Israeli media report The plan will involve a complete takeover of Gaza, but reportedly faces opposition from military chiefs.

Netanyahu to propose full reoccupation of Gaza, Israeli media report

Insanity from the Trump-Vance-Kennedy anti-science administration.

We are closer to the precipice than people realize. Remember, Cornyn is asking *Kash Patel* and *Dan Bongino* to arrest Democrats. How long until other Rs start asking for Ds to be arrested in other contexts? How long do norms hold at the FBI?

Researchers Are Resurrecting Billion-Dollar Disaster Tool Trump Killed Nonprofit Climate Central has hired the scientist behind a key database of costly weather disasters to rebuild it.

Scoop: The U.S. billion-dollar disaster database is set to return this fall over at @climatecentral.org. They've hired the former NOAA scientist who ran the project for 10+ years www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Elon Musk’s Worst Nightmare About DOGE Is Starting to Come True Federal agencies are starting to admit that DOGE’s policies were trash.

The White House has finally decided some of its DOGE-directed firings were a mistake.

The National Weather Service has received permission to hire hundreds back—including 126 “front-line mission critical” personnel whose need became especially apparent in the wake of Texas' floods. trib.al/fXR3w2X

Murdoch to provide Trump health updates in deal to delay Epstein case deposition President Donald Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch over a Wall Street Journal article about a birthday letter Trump allegedly sent Jeffrey Epstein.

Rupert Murdoch now has to provide regular health updates to the President of the United States in exchange for delaying his deposition, all because he allowed his newspaper to do journalism about said President.

Hamed AleazizNicholas Nehamas By Hamed Aleaziz and Nicholas Nehamas Aug. 5, 2025, 4:51 p.m. ET On Tuesday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced in an internal email that it would offer cash bonuses to agents for deporting people quickly, an incentive meant to motivate the staff to speed up President Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Less than four hours later, the agency abruptly canceled what was supposed to be a 30-day pilot program. “PLEASE DISREGARD,” Liana J. Castano, an official in ICE’s field operations division, said in a follow-up email to agency offices around the country.

🚨WHOA. According to @haleaziz.bsky.social, the Trump admin was actually going to implement the ICE "bounties" it has repeatedly said were false, offering $200 per arrest leading to a rapid deportation — and only walked the plan back after the New York Times got a copy of the memo.

I also didn’t hear outrage when Mike Johnson decided to clock out early, saying Congress wasn’t in session because he didn’t want to vote on releasing the Epstein files.

If you’re going to blast people for bailing on their jobs, at least be equal opportunity about it.

And Karen of the Court had the absolute nerve to come for Justice Jackson. *spits*

He fled Boko Haram and helped build an award-winning restaurant. Now he’s facing deportation. Paul Dama left Nigeria after being kidnapped in 2018. His detention feels like "a second kidnapping," says his sister.

Paul Dama left Nigeria after being kidnapped in 2018. His detention by ICE now feels like “a second kidnapping,” says his sister.

“I felt like someone just sucked my blood, my air. Like, how do you live?"

Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot reallocate billions meant for disaster mitigation A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from reallocating more than $4 billion meant to help communities protect against natural disasters. U.S.

BREAKING: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from reallocating $4 billion meant to help communities protect against natural disasters.

bit.ly/4fnEWih

This is VERY illegal.

"In 2028, the Olympics is bringing back our national pastime, baseball. Wow! That's great" -- Trump is surprised by the information he's reading from the teleprompter

The Sunrise Movement gave Biden and Trump identical grades of F.

The mask is off on full authoritarianism. Texas is using the coercive arm of the state to forcibly move elected officials so you can change the rules.

Trump gets presented with medals from the 1984 Olympics, then says, "can I say I won them athletically?"

These illegal grant terminations have had widespread negative impacts, even on those whose grants have not (yet) been terminated. Along with the devastating financial impact, they’ve caused instability, fear, and anxiety among the people trying to advance medicine and science.

I'm not sure 65-69% of Americans would agree the sun is hot and night is dark, but they apparently agree on this:

Americans who say Trump is "very" or "somewhat dishonest" =
69%

Americans who say Trump is "very" or "somewhat corrupt" = 65%

www.umass.edu/news/article...

Netanyahu attacks his top general as he runs out of scapegoats for Gaza failure ***

THAT's a headline: www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Comer issues subpoenas for DOJ’s Epstein files, depositions with former officials The House Oversight Committee chair was required to send the subpoenas after a Democratic-led subcommittee vote in July.

The House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas for the DOJ’s Epstein files and depositions with former officials.

The committee chair was required to send the subpoenas after a Democratic-led subcommittee vote in July.