Articles & Videos

A procedural vote on the National Defense Authorization Act failed to pass the House Tuesday, in no small part because the SAVE America Act was attached to it.The lower chamber voted 198–224 to reject the rule, with 14 Republicans joining Democrats to oppose the last-minute addition of Donald Trump’s voter restriction bill to the proposed Pentagon budget.Representatives Tim Burchett, Eric Burlison, Eli Crane, Randy Fine, Andy Harris, Anna Paulina Luna, Max Miller, Chip Roy, Keith Self, Victoria Spartz, Mike Turner, Thomas Massie, and Lauren Boebert all voted “no.” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise switched his vote, as well, but only so that Republicans could readdress the matter in future.The stalled NDAA vote is a major blow to leaders of both parties, who have historically passed the defense spending package with minimal partisan objections. But the wide rejection also illustrates the low level of support behind the SAVE America Act, despite repeated insistence from the White House that it needs to be turned into law.Since Trump lost the 2020 election, he and his allies have amped up their base over contrived claims of voter fraud, a statistical nonissue in U.S. elections. Trump has worked overtime to force his unpopular election reform proposals through the legislature, throwing confirmation hearings and bipartisan bill signings to the wayside while demanding Republicans prioritize passing the SAVE America Act.The backlash to the bill—which was introduced months ago—has been grave, so much so that it gummed up efforts to fund Homeland Security for several months. Republicans eventually had to bail on the package to end the congressional gridlock.Trump has nonetheless opted to make it a legislative priority once again, effectively paralyzing the House for another week. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that the lower chamber would work on the matter for another day and a half and try to hold another vote by the end of the week.

President Trump wants a master list of every foreign intelligence target, including potential recruits and people that U.S. agencies suspect are spies.The New York Times reports that the White House, through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has asked federal intelligence agencies to turn over these names, alarming officials who fear that it would compromise operations or be misused. So far, senior counterintelligence staff at the CIA and FBI have resisted the demands, according to the Times.Intel officials also can’t agree on how to create, maintain, and secure the list. Trump’s new acting director, Bill Pulte, has no intelligence experience, causing FBI and CIA staff to worry about how he’d handle such a document. And the relationship between the ODNI, FBI, and CIA has gotten worse thanks to former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who pushed Trump’s false claims of election fraud and cut the office’s staff.Even creating such a list could jeopardize operation security, as it would put sensitive information that is normally compartmentalized into one place. It could also compromise long-term investigations and operations. Some of the targets on these lists are carefully protected even within federal agencies, with many staff not having access to their identities.An official from Pulte’s office told the Times that it was only trying to follow National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, the administration’s national security strategy targeting supposed anti-American activity on the left. That official said compiling a list of intelligence assets and targets would help with collaboration and information sharing.As a Trump loyalist, Pulte is likely to closely follow the president’s orders. Under Gabbard, Trump used the ODNI, which is supposed to focus on foreign intelligence, to investigate nonexistent fraud from the 2020 presidential election and other elections where Trump didn’t like the results. What does he want with a full list of intelligence targets? Does he think there could be some foreign connection to elections, or does he have some misguided or odious foreign policy plans?

Australia has launched what could become a landmark investigation into allegations that Israeli forces assaulted Australian citizens after intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, raising new questions about accountability among Israel’s closest allies. Flotilla volunteer Anny Mokotow delivers a firsthand account of the interception and detention, describing degrading treatment, limited food and water, […]

The former commander of US forces in the Pacific argued that trends in military technology now favor Taipei and the US, its main backer.

Rescue efforts in Venezuela continue as thousands of people remain missing — trapped under the rubble of flattened homes and buildings nearly a week after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated the capital, Caracas, and the nearby city of La Guaira. Rescue teams are desperately searching for survivors, with Venezuelan health officials saying Monday that over 1,700 people are confirmed dead. The toll is expected to rise dramatically as the window for finding survivors closes. In the face of the wreckage, “we’re seeing also a lot of solidarity from the Venezuelan people” who are sharing space and resources with those displaced by the quakes, says Beatriz Ochoa, Latin America head of advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Looking ahead, “We will need to transition to more medium- and longer-term solutions, so that people can have affordable housing and a more dignified place to sleep and to be able to rebuild their lives,” says Ochoa, calling for more international support.

The World Cup is bringing visitors and AI-driven surveillance systems, but only one of those is certain to leave when the games are done.

Iranian Officials Deny Trump’s Claims of High-Level Talks in Doha, Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 8, Including 2 Children, as Smotrich Calls for Gaza Settlements, Rights Group Says Israel Is Killing Palestinian Children in West Bank at Fastest Rate Since 1967, More Than 130 Venezuelans Recently Deported from U.S. Feared Dead in La Guaira Earthquakes, Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow After Russian Attacks on Ukraine Kill 8, SCOTUS to Allow the President to Fire Independent Agency Heads, Except at the Federal Reserve, Divided Supreme Court Upholds Grace Periods for Mail-In Ballots Postmarked by Election Day, SCOTUS Rules Cellphone Location Data Is Protected by the Fourth Amendment, SCOTUS Declines to Hear Trump’s Appeal of $5 Million Sex Abuse and Defamation Case, Supreme Court Will Consider Arizona Laws Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote, DSA-Backed Insurgents Target Democratic Incumbents as Colorado Holds Primaries, New York City Council Employee with TPS Released from Newark ICE Jail After 5 Months, Trump Bought Stock in Taser Company Before ICE Announced $220 Million Contract, New York Mayor Mamdani Closes Part of Rikers Island Jail

“No one’s particularly keen to die.”