Trump pushing his way into the soccer celebration is normal-level ugly, but Trump doing it while the top NYT headline is about US troops dying is, to me, a good deal uglier.

If he actually wanted to help build a better California, he’d pay the tax.

Russian losses per 19/07/26 reported by the Ukrainian general staff. +1520 men +5 tanks +7 ACVs +92 artillery +4 MLRS +3 AD systems +1858 UAVs +13 GRCs +1 cruise missile

I cross-referenced my database of candidates against credible voter fraud cases. GOP politicians are implicated at 50x–38,000x the general public's rate. Yet even if every American voted with the integrity of a GOP candidate, it still wouldn't come close to justifying making voting one iota harder.

Some of the effects (like the cuts to scientific research) will not even be felt for a few years. All the new drugs and treatment breakthroughs coming out now? Those were years in the making.

Just like it says in the constitution

"DHS agents have shot at least 22 people just since the start of Trump's second term. Six of these shootings have been fatal." Utterly damning stuff here from beginning to end. These really are Trump's death squads.

An Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. forces has died from an allergic reaction while in ICE custody, one day after he was detained for deportation proceedings, his death certificate shows. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

"If the fighting does stop, rather than congratulating themselves, Ukraine, Europe, and the United States should stay focused on Putin’s will to divide and conquer. It might well be the reason Russia entertains a cease-fire in the first place." www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/putin...

Wildfire survivors call fire-prediction markets “morally reprehensible” and worry they could increase the risk of arson. www.wired.com/story/predic...

An incredible euphemism here for “the government is doing illegal discrimination”

At some point, not knowing = choosing not to care.

Officers shooting a man, running away from law enforcement, who is not a target of law enforcement, and who poses no threat to law enforcement, is murder. Federal officers do not have the power to commit summary executions because they are aggrieved.

"Now the United States is no longer the leader [of NATO], who can step up to do that?" Watch the full conversation with NATO expert James Goldgeier at McFaul's World: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/live-with-...

Authorities say ICE shot and killed a person this morning in Maine. www.wmtw.com/article/signific...

London’s clean-air charges are saving people’s lives. A study of central London found that emergency hospital admissions fell after the city began charging older, more polluting vehicles to enter the centre (starting with the dirtiest vehicles in 2017.) buff.ly/15MZpu4 #ShareGoodNewsToo

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was murdered by ICE. His three sons called him “El mundo entero” — the whole world. They watched as their whole world died in a video posted on Facebook. Lorenzo was our neighbor and fellow Texan. He deserves justice.

Vance: “We have all the cards.” As preposterous as when they said Zelensky had none. Constant nonsense and a weak foreign policy.

Piece says Putin faces costs to end war without “an agreement giving him some of what he wanted at the outset.” An agreement would likely leave him w/ de facto control over occupied territory, lifting of sanctions+ a promise on no Ukraine in NATO. He has wanted war www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/w...

We've long said that when the government claims it needs to investigate journalists to protect national security, it really means its own reputational security. This is as clear an example as you can get.

It is genuinely heartbreaking to see all of the people losing SNAP benefits. In West Virginia, 14,000 SNAP participants have lost their benefits. In Arizona, it’s 500,000. That’s not a typo. Half a million people in AZ no longer have nutrition assistance. Republicans strike again.

ICE did a Kavanaugh stop, murdered a guy, lied about it, threatened to deport the witnesses, and the FBI is running a coverup and smear campaign. Do I have that right?

I enjoyed discussing these and other NATO issues today with @mcfaulmike.bsky.social on Substack live: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/live-with-...

One challenge many of these analyses miss is that while Europe can and will contribute more, NATO will no longer have a single leader. Allies could accept US leadership, and US did the role well. Without US leading, there’s no country that can play that role. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/w...

NATO doesn’t have to have a summit every year. Annual summits are a recent development. Please wait until 2029 to have the next one www.wsj.com/world/nato-s...

Bombing Iran to get out of the mess caused by bombing Iran. The best time to worry about the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was when deciding whether or not to launch an illegal and unnecessary war in the first place.

Please join The Consortium of Universities for Global Health on July 10 at 9am PT for an emergency panel, "Cessation of Torture & Immediate Release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya from Israeli Detention," featuring CISAC's Ruth Gibson & Tom Dannenbaum. Learn more & register: cugh.org/events/webin...

BREAKING: in May 2026, *every single one* of the 599 refugees admitted in the U.S. were white South Africans. In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 6,665 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November 2025), and nobody else. For reference, the U.S. admitted 100,060 refugees in 2024.

Donald Trump is once again openly bragging about his own corruption.

The next generation of scientists will be a smaller cohort because of the policies of this administration: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/u...

Europe needs Ukraine

Only 5 days after, the last massive Russian Blitz attack on Kyiv and Ukraine, another one looks to be coming: Launches of Kalibr cruise missiles (video) reported, cruise missiles fired from Tu-95 bombers, threat of ballistic missile launches, and drones airborne as usual.

🔥 UAVs attacked energy facilities in the occupied Lugansk region. + BAVOVNA in Melitopol and Sevastopol

What happens when Crimea can't function at all?

My latest contribution in advance of the NATO #AnkaraSummit. A big thank you to the excellent series editor, Antonio Missiroli, and glad to join fellow contributors. “Ankara and NATO 3.0: A Time of Reckoning?” for ISPI. www.ispionline.it/en/publicati...

1/ I'm starting the holiday weekend off with some good vibes. I’m not giving bad news any headspace right now, so let's pause and celebrate some public health wins that have happened recently!

More than 52,500 people took shelter from Russian missiles in Kyiv's metro overnight,including nearly 4,500 children "It was one of the highest numbers recorded since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion,"Kyiv Metro spokesperson,Oksana Nykyforuk,said 📹alina.voronina.av/kate_gvrl/TSN/kulchyk_

"Europe’s weak position increases Ukraine’s value. The more the United States retreats, the more Europe needs Ukraine, and the more justified Ukraine’s demand for something in return, such as full EU accession, becomes." Absolutely correct. foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/29/e...

The grift starts at the top.

Reminder: ISA 2027 Research Workshop Grant proposals and Scholar Award Panel submissions are due TODAY! buff.ly/LoS2ZJY

NEW from me: Americans are set to lose nearly $250B gambling this year—a record high, up more than 60% since 2019—and that's before counting unofficial betting via prediction markets or crypto Can anything stop America's gambling boom? 🧵

It‘s just insane to me that a sitting president has made MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS peddling fucking fairy dust with no intrinsic value beyond his stature and power AS president, and it’s not treated as the biggest corruption scandal in American history.

"The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though in the past, Mr. Trump has noted that he is exempt from federal conflict of interest laws." The corruption is never surprising but it is staggering. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/u...

European Commission advises Ukraine to develop European-gauge railway for connections with EU #Ukraine

Ukrainian drones out in force again tonight in two broad directions:SE and NE. Loud explosions heard in Sevastopol and Simferopol, in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea, Crimean Wind Telegram channel reports. Drones look to be bypassing Moscow for targets deeper in fascist Russia.

Around 400 Ukrainian drones are attacking Russian regions right now, DroneBomber reports. Biggest activity over occupied Crimea as air alerts sound across the peninsula. Many drones also hitting Krasnodar and Rostov regions, some breaking through to northern areas.

This would be awful in any case but it’s even worse because everything he does is so ugly.