Ranjana Natarajan

Automakers urge Trump not to impose tariffs on factory robots, machinery A group representing nearly all major automakers on Wednesday urged the administration of President Donald Trump not to impose tariffs on factory robots and machinery.

Automakers urge Trump not to impose tariffs on factory robots, machinery reut.rs/4o3Q5s7

Gold inches down as dollar firms, focus on US inflation data Gold prices edged lower on Thursday, weighed down by a firmer dollar as investors looked forward to key U.S. inflation data due later this week for more cues on the interest rate path.

Gold inches down as dollar firms, focus on US inflation data reut.rs/47DQJXi

Basically all US policy is at this point about indulging Trump’s irrational obsessions, petty grudges, and corrupt grifts, and then taking secondary and tertiary measures to mask the consequences of those policies.

Mike Johnson doesn't know sh*t

The changing face of the ninth circuit really on display in all the senior judges who joined the dissent

Carla and Bartley are retirees in Eugene, Oregon. Their insurance company notified them that their health insurance premiums are going from $443 per month to $2224 per month because Republicans have f... TikTok video by Ron Wyden

These videos of shocked and shattered people contenting with what their healthcare costs would be without the subsidy are moving and enraging www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMHHSVFb/

Even if the Trump administration pledged tomorrow to stop strangling the goose that lays the golden eggs (the American higher education system, which has been the envy of the world since the mid-20th century), the reverberations of the damage they have already done will be felt for decades.

....and shall treat UVA as eligible for grants, funding, contracts, and awards on the same basis as other universities, and no less favorable than hose available to any other university (highlighted text)

Second and more important, read Paragraph 8.

The gov't agrees, for now (until it sours on UVA and cancels the agreement), to "treat UVA as eligible for grants, funding, contracts, and awards on the same basis as other universities, and no less favorable than hose available to any other university"

So, all that is terrible. Where's my glimmer of hope?

In two places.

First, what's not here. Compared to Columbia or Brown, UVA is paying nothing. $0. That's small progress, but I think it's progress: the government's demands in its campaign against universities seem to be shrinking, not growing.

2. Does the Constitution require that “whole number of persons in each state” be used to apportion Congressional seats? Yes, this text is found in the Fourteenth Amendment, Section 2. 13. Can noncitizens be excluded from Census counts for the purposes of apportioning Congressional seats? The Census Bureau’s important work, including the Decennial Census, focuses on providing high-quality data for a range of users and purposes. If confirmed, my focus will be on supporting the Census Bureau’s commitment to the accuracy and integrity of this data.

NEW: Joyce Meyer, President Trump’s nominee for the next commerce undersecretary to oversee the Census Bureau, avoids directly answering whether non-US citizens can be excluded from what 14th Amendment says must include "whole number of persons in each state"
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...

🚨 NEW: The Trump DOJ has filed its friend-of-the-court brief in the Louisiana case challenging the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act.

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

Certiorari "before judgment" is how #SCOTUS takes up a full appeal *before* the intermediate federal courts have heard it.

It used to be exceedingly rare. For instance, there wasn't a *single* grant of such expedited review b/w August 2004 & February 2019.

This is the *23rd* such grant since then.

#BREAKING: Over dissents from Justices Sotomayor, Kagan & Jackson, #SCOTUS grants a stay in the Slaughter case (allowing President Trump to remove the last Dem member of the FTC), *and* grants certiorari "before judgment" to decide whether to formally overrule its 1935 ruling in Humphrey's Executor.

Phang: Part of the reason the FBI has been showing this level of dysfunction is evidenced by the lawsuit filed yesterday by former FBI officials—what it shows is that the FBI has basically been hollowed out…

Black US colleges restrict campus activity after threats Some U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) went into lockdown on Thursday after they received reports of threats against them that were probed by authorities, the educational institutions said.

Black US colleges restrict campus activity after threats reut.rs/4phIpmT

Newsom v. Trump — Federalization of the National Guard (CA) - States United Democracy Center

Retired generals agree: our military shouldn’t be used for domestic law enforcement or as political pawns. Thank you to the leaders at @vetvoicefoundation.bsky.social for speaking up and to the @statesunited.org team for an excellent brief.
statesunited.org/resources/ne...

Hot Mic Zuck: “I wasn’t sure what number you wanted to go with!”

Exclusive: Bill Pulte accused Fed Governor Lisa Cook of fraud. His relatives filed housing claims similar to hers Close relatives of the federal official who has accused a Federal Reserve governor of improperly claiming primary residence on two properties have declared the same status on two homes in two different states, public records show.

Every accusation is a confession www.reuters.com/world/us/bil...

Everything's on the table.

Republicans are using every method they can, whether it's cheating or breaking the law.

We've got to do everything we can to stand up and fight back — we're not sitting around and complaining from the sidelines when we have the ability to stop them.

"This is like two football teams coming out of the locker room at halftime, and the team that's ahead says they want to change the rules in the second half to make sure they stay ahead. It's cheating plain and simple." @jamestalarico.bsky.social talks Texas redistricting with @samsteindc.bsky.social

Putin Widens Effort to Control Russia’s Internet The introduction of a state-approved messaging app has raised fears that Russia could be preparing to block WhatsApp and Telegram.

Russia is escalating its efforts to curtail online freedom, taking new steps toward a draconian state-controlled internet. The authorities are cracking down on workarounds that Russians have been using for access to foreign apps and banned content.

Harmeet Dhillon repost on X: Nick Sortor & @nicksortor S... Follow BREAKING: Stephen Miller CONFIRMS the statute of limitations have NOT run out for those behind the Russia Collusion Hoax "There must be consequences," @StephenM said Drag them ALL in!

Harmeet Dhillon, a senior DOJ official, reposted a TV clip in which Stephen Miller accuses James Comey of lying to Congress and conspiring to cover up the “Russia collusion hoax.”

Another example of a DOJ official publicly promoting claims about uncharged individuals under active investigation.

More on Trump’s nominee to lead the office investigating Jack Smith:

➡️ He said that the descendants of slaves should pay reparations to the descendants of slave owners

➡️ He urged Congress to make J6 a national holiday

➡️ He called for Trump’s birthday to be made a national holiday (“MAGA Day”)

the voting rights act is, in its entirety, obviously constitutional under the 15th amendment, which gives congress broad and proactive authority to stop racial discrimination in voting. and you know it is obviously constitutional because roberts has had to invent entire new doctrines to gut it.

Texas Republicans' new congressional map has been put on the floor calendar for tomorrow Monday, August 4. #txlege

In Texas, a major search effort is being led by the father of a flood victim In Kerr County, Thad Heartfield is leading nearly 100 volunteers searching for flood victims. For him, this mission is personal. His son and three of his son's friends disappeared in the flood.

In Kerr County, Thad Heartfield is leading nearly 100 volunteers searching for flood victims. For him, this mission is personal. His son and three of his son's friends disappeared in the flood.

Here’s Your Cheat Sheet for Vaccine Recommendations Backed by Science These graphics will guide you through science-based vaccine guidelines for children and adults

Vaccination schedules on the CDC website have already started changing under RFK Jr. So we published a guide to the evidence-based vaccine recommendations in place *before* all 17 members of the advisory panel were abruptly dismissed by the new admin. www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-... 🧪

'They're Not Breathing': Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowdin...

NEW: A WIRED investigation of 911 calls placed from ICE detention sites across the US show a system inundated by life-threatening crises, delayed treatment, and overcrowding.

By me & @dmehro.bsky.social. Free to read:

Plot showing Rising Number of U.S. Households Are Headed by Married Same-Sex Couples

A rising number of U.S. households are headed by married same-sex couples. Yet, same-sex married couples represent a very small share of all married couples – just 1.3% in 2023.
www.pewresearch.org/...

Rising Number of U.S. Households Are Headed by Married Same-Sex Couples The number of households headed by same-sex couples in the U.S. has risen steadily, but they represent a small share of all married couples.

Substantial shares of same-sex married couples live in all four regions of the United States, but are more likely to live in the West and the Northeast than different-sex couples. Meanwhile, different-sex couples are more likely to live in the South and the Midwest.
www.pewresearch.org/...