Imagine the head of Cava’s PR department is having some weird conversations tonight www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u... (gift link)
Senior Political Editor at TIME Magazine. Background in economics and TX politics. Formerly New York Times, Texas Tribune. Dad. #washingtondc @nytimes.com Signal: @amanbatheja.46
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Imagine the head of Cava’s PR department is having some weird conversations tonight www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u... (gift link)
Trump’s EO on H-1B visas has thrown the tech industry into chaos overnight I just published an email Google sent H-1B employees yesterday warning them to not leave the US / to return by midnight tonight sources.news/p/heres-goog...
“I just wanted to let you know they’re denying it,” Brandon remembered the officer saying about his request to resign. “Do they know my wife passed?” “No, I told them that.” “Dude,” Brandon said. “That’s, like, sick cold.” “I know,” the officer said. “I’m just the middle man.” wapo.st/3Vo59En
The above map is from this story, which I highly recommend
Fascinated by this WaPo map showing where federal workers make up big parts of the total workforce
“Every indication so far is that this was one guy who did one really bad thing because he found Kirk’s ideology personally offensive” —person familiar with federal investigation into Kirk’s killing to NBC
Assuming CDC formally adopts ACIP's recommendations, CVS tells me it will provide Covid vaccines without a prescription in all 50 states and won't require even self-attestation of a qualifying condition — "it’s up to the individual patient." No confirmation from Walgreens or Walmart yet.
Very good reporting/analysis from @tvmojoe.bsky.social on KImmel/Disney/ABC that provides real answers to many of the "Why don't they just..." questions. www.vulture.com/article/bob-...
“Jimmy Fallon did open his first Tonight Show after the news broke with jokes about the suspension and kind words for Kimmel…What was striking about his monologue, though, was how carefully he couched his criticisms of a colleague’s silencing.” — @judyberman.bsky.social time.com/7318971/jimm...
Photojournalism by the Tribune's @staceywescott.bsky.social
"The deadlock leaves Congress and the federal government in limbo. Both chambers are about to leave Washington for a recess pegged to Rosh Hashanah...While the Senate is set to return on the eve of the Sept. 30 deadline, the House is not scheduled to return until Oct. 1." time.com/7318900/hous...
The bill House Republicans just passed to avert a shutdown includes language allowing Washington, D.C. to resume spending its own local funds, after they passed a law in March that created a $1 billion hole in the city’s budget time.com/7318900/hous...
NEW: The U.S.’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Congo isn’t following the normal playbook, infectious disease leaders say. “We need to be very clear-eyed that the ability to control this and contain it regionally is diminished,” one said. www.notus.org/health-scien...
Trump in his Inauguration speech: “I will immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.” Trump yesterday, on networks that cover him too negatively: “I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.” time.com/7318666/jimm...
“During his Inaugural address, Trump vowed to ‘immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.’“ time.com/7318666/jimm...
Texas just became the fifth state to make ivermectin — a drug used mostly to treat livestock for parasites in the U.S. — available to residents without a prescription www.texastribune.org/2025/08/27/t...
How Tiffany Trump’s Instagram Posts Led Us to an Oil Magnate’s Megayacht, via @nytimes.com
Incredible detail from Deadline: Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which debuted in 2003, “was born out of the network’s cancellation of Bill Maher‘s Politically Incorrect in 2002 after the…host rebuked accusations that the 9/11 terrorists were ‘cowards.’” deadline.com/2025/09/jimm...
“As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald." (Gift link) www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Bloomberg: “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once agreed to occupy two different houses as his ‘principal residence’ at the same time, mortgage documents show — the same kind of contradictory pledges that President Donald Trump has been using to try to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook”
Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...
“Raul Cortez, an immigrant from El Salvador, said his 7-year-old son has grown deeply afraid of police….A few moments later, his son caught sight of an idling police car. His eyes widened.” apnews.com/article/immi...
“US TikTok users would be asked to shift to the new app.” So every US TikTok user starts over with zero followers?
Joe Botello, 37, was startled awake early Tuesday when federal immigration agents busted through the door of his suburban Elgin home. He was put into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle and questioned about his immigration status. He's a U.S. citizen. chicago.suntimes.com/live/2025/09...
WSJ on emerging TikTok deal: "Existing users in the U.S. would be asked to shift to a new app, which TikTok has built and is testing, people familiar with the matter said." Algorithm would be recreated in US using tech licensed from TikTok parent ByteDance www.wsj.com/tech/details...
Kash Patel testified the bureau has ‘no credible information’ Epstein trafficked victims to others time.com/7317646/kash...
"In the last five years, 81 people have been killed by political violence in the United States. Right-wing terrorists account for over half of those murders, some 54%, according to research by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Islamists account for 21%, and left-wingers for 22%."
The second best Robert Redford gif
Congratulations fellas, we’ve all moved one spot up on the world’s most handsome man rankings
The actual best Robert Redford gif
Reminder that this gif is Robert Redford from 1972 in a Sydney Pollack movie called Jeremiah Johnson
“The latest orders include removing information at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park in W. Virginia…where the abolitionist John Brown led a raid seeking to arm slaves for a revolt…Staff flagged more than 30 signs…that highlight information potentially in violation of Trump’s policy.“
Trump is about to become the first US President to receive a formal second state visit from the UK. Neither Obama nor Bush got such an honor when they visited in their second terms. Brits are hoping the spectacle will smooth ties with Trump at a delicate diplomatic moment time.com/7317411/trum...
JD Vance and Stephen Miller vowed to crackdown on "festering violence" from the "far left" on Charlie Kirk's show Miller: "Unfocused anger or blind rage is not productive. But focused anger...directed for a just cause is one of the most important agents of change in human history”
Man, it's going to be HI-larious when that Boys & Girls Club total hits zero. Will we then go into negative numbers, with the kids running up a tab? Thrilling!
“The crowd, which was largely white, sang ‘Keir Starmer’s a wanker’ to the tune of Seven Nation Army” www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
I was told it means messing up a play 🤷♂️
8 year old kids playing soccer in a park. One keeps urging another to “not sell it” with the ball. When a kid messes up a shot, one will yell “you sold it!” Google tells me this slang has been around a while but first I’ve heard it. This concludes me I-am-very-very-old update.
"The findings appear to be based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which contains unverified reports of side effects or bad experiences with vaccines submitted by anyone." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Why Larry Ellison got to be the world’s richest person for a day: “Ellison owns so much Oracle stock, his net worth swings up and down along with the share price. That’s why his worth catapulted past Elon this week—only to return back to around $376 billion a day later.” time.com/7316518/larr...
"At the vigil, a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln called for peace and national healing, tearing up while giving a short speech that he simultaneously live-steamed on his iPhone.” www.wired.com/story/a-vigi...
Charlie Kirk three weeks ago to TIME’s Eric Cortellessa: . “If J.D. wants to run, he has my full support,” Kirk said. “I will do everything in my power to make him President. Row one, day one.” time.com/7316280/char...
That's from TIME’s new cover story, which warns, "His killing could become not just a tragedy but a catalyst—an event that radicalizes ever more Americans” time.com/7316280/char...
Charlie Kirk three weeks ago to TIME’s Eric Cortellessa: . “If J.D. wants to run, he has my full support,” Kirk said. “I will do everything in my power to make him President. Row one, day one.” time.com/7316280/char...
Deseret News: Charlie Kirk was shot at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Wednesday. Bystanders report seeing Kirk shot near his neck during a Q&A with students. www.deseret.com/utah/2025/09...
The DC folk hero who threw a sandwich at a CBP officer was arraigned in federal court today on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a federal agent. He pleaded not guilty. Jury selection slated to start Nov 3. Yes, it’s looking like this will actually go to trial. Incredible.
LAWSUIT INCOMING: FBI leaders fired by Director Kash Patel — including Brian Driscoll and Steve Jensen — have filed some kind of action against the Patel and the bureau. Details TK
“Lower courts are repeatedly finding that Trump has exceeded his powers as President under the Constitution. Federal courts ruled that most of his tariffs are illegal, that he violated a law prohibiting the use of soldiers for law enforcement inside the U.S.” time.com/7315812/trum...
New: 3 pillars of Trump’s power—tariffs, deportations and sending military into U.S. cities—are all being tested as lower courts have ruled he’s overstepping. Now those cases are headed to the Supreme Court. time.com/7315812/trum...
Kamala Harris on the Biden White House: “Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well.”
Kamala Harris: “When Republicans mischaracterized my role as ‘border czar,’ no one in the White House comms team helped me to effectively push back and explain what I had really been tasked to do, nor to highlight any of the progress I had achieved.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Kamala Harris: “‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.’ We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized. Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego”
The first MAHA report from May mentioned ultra-processed foods 40+ times and blamed them for a child health crisis. The just-released follow-up action plan mentions ultra-processed foods once—in a pledge to try to develop a definition for them. time.com/7315789/maha...
New: White House continues to insist the Epstein birthday letter is a forgery—but they are stopping short of declaring them outright fabrications “I did not say the documents are a hoax," Karoline Leavitt told reporters time.com/7315735/trum...
“One D.C. police officer said ICE agents stand behind them while making traffic stops. As police ask for registration, license and proof of insurance to make sure someone can legally drive, the agents ‘are using that information to determine immigration status,’ the officer said.”
“In one of the video clips circulated Monday, Welsh can be heard asking the student, ‘What do you expect us to do? Fire her?’ When the student replies, ‘Yes,’Welsh responds, ‘Well, that’s not happening.’” www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/t...
Congress has the Epstein birthday card from Donald Trump www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
"While past administrations have certainly changed subsidies and tightened or loosened regulatory requirements, targeting projects with active construction represents an unprecedented level of regulatory uncertainty that threatens the foundation of how major infrastructure gets built in America"
NOTUS: RFK Jr. Touted a CDC Biosurveillance Program That Doesn’t Appear to Exist Yet www.notus.org/health-scien...
Can Mike Johnson win the day on the Epstein files? time.com/7315190/jeff...
“US Open broadcasters have been asked not to show any negative crowd reactions to Donald Trump at Sunday’s men’s final.” Email sent to broadcasters asks “to refrain from showing any disruptions or reactions in response to the president’s attendance in any capacity.”
“the immutable fact is that Kennedy still has Trump’s confidence. This is the kind of performance Trump likes. Their shared disbelief in science and disrespect for expertise unites them. It’s only an added bonus that Kennedy showed contempt to lawmakers.” time.com/7314644/rfk-...
“The report is expected to suggest other potential causes of autism and suggest further study of potential causes, people familiar with the matter said. It is unclear if the report will mention vaccines” www.wsj.com/health/healt...
“In an apparent effort to minimize the potential shaky job numbers ahead of Friday’s report…Trump told the press the ‘real numbers’ would not arrive until next year.” “I think you’ll see job numbers that are going to be absolutely incredible,” Trump said Thursday time.com/7314881/jobs...
“Despite bipartisan frustration with Kennedy’s tenure, nothing is going to dislodge him. The government faces an end-of-month funding deadline but there are no serious plans by Democrats or Republicans in Congress to tie RFK Jr. or the nation’s vaccines policies to keeping the dollars flowing.”
Trump this morning: "Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!"
New: After caving during the last shutdown fight in March, Democrats in Congress say they are prepared to fight this time and that healthcare will be the battlefield time.com/7314714/cong...
“Despite bipartisan frustration with Kennedy’s tenure, nothing is going to dislodge him. The government faces an end-of-month funding deadline but there are no serious plans by Democrats or Republicans in Congress to tie RFK Jr. or the nation’s vaccines policies to keeping the dollars flowing.”
New: Senators Chose to Yell at RFK Jr. Instead of Using Their Power to Stop Him Analysis from Philip Elliott on today's hearing time.com/7314644/rfk-...
New: After caving during the last shutdown fight in March, Democrats in Congress say they are prepared to fight this time and that healthcare will be the battlefield time.com/7314714/cong...
Texas just passed "the most financially punitive bathroom bill in the country." Schools, universities and other public institutions covered would face $25,000 for their first violation and $125,000 for any subsequent ones. www.texastribune.org/2025/08/28/t...
Interesting color in the administration's motion to SCOTUS to expedite the tariffs case from Treasury Sec. Bessent, who says the appeals court ruling on Friday against Trump's tariffs is already impacting trade talks: "World leaders are ... walking away from or delaying negotiations," he says.
This is a brilliant way to use speech or debate clause protections.
New TIME cover just dropped: The Forgotten Crisis in Sudan “Relief organizations estimate that the Trump Administration’s slashing of USAID has shuttered 4 of every 5 emergency food kitchens catering to displaced Sudanese.” time.com/7313600/suda...
🚨EXCLUSIVE: Federal judges tell NBC News the Supreme Court has got to do a better job of explaining emergency rulings, with frequent decisions in favor of Trump at least appearing to validate harsh criticism of the judiciary at a time of rising threats: www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
White House official says it considers any House Republicans supporting the Epstein discharge petition as committing “a very hostile act.” So far, the petition has four Rs: Massie, MTG, Boebert and Mace. time.com/7314260/epst...
Gallup: Nationally, hybrid work trends are stable, with "only minor shifts since the post-pandemic era began." The one exception is D.C. "In Washington, the hybrid era is over...46% of federal government workers are fully on-site, more than double the national average (21%)."
Speaker Mike Johnson told TIME this summer he wouldn't stop a stock trading ban from reaching the House floor "if there's solid support." He also said he fears a stock ban would become "a big deterrent for qualified candidates to run for Congress" time.com/7313049/cong...
Ro Khanna at a press conference with Epstein victims says he and Massie need just two more signatures to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files
From here: www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
A wild list of names being thrown around as potential contenders for Jerry Nadler's seat in the center of Manhattan
“It is extraordinarily rare for a grand jury to balk at returning an indictment, but it has happened at least seven times in five cases” in just the last month, all in DC federal court
Key detail from Google monopoly case: “Judge Mehta wrote in his ruling that the emergence of generative A.I. ‘changed the course of this case.’” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/t...
After Years of Boasting About His Health, Trump Faces Questions He Can’t Shake time.com/7314050/trum...
Trump just said that viral video of something being dropped out of a White House video must be A.I because you can't open windows in the White House. TIME asked this morning about the video and was told by a White House official the video reflected maintenance work being done by a contractor
New: Congress has reached a make-or-break moment on banning members from trading individual stocks. There’s newfound momentum in both chambers to get a stock ban to Trump, who has signaled he would sign it. A look here at the obstacles and what’s in the competing bills time.com/7313049/cong...
"A video posted online on Monday of a black bag being heaved out of the White House showed maintenance work being done by a contractor, according to a White House official." time.com/7313902/whit...
Speaker Mike Johnson told TIME this summer he wouldn't stop a stock trading ban from reaching the House floor "if there's solid support." He also said he fears a stock ban would become "a big deterrent for qualified candidates to run for Congress" time.com/7313049/cong...
“In fact, police records show, nobody has been murdered since at least 2017 on the block where Mr. Johnson lived in Washington. And his home was not burned, though his next-door neighbor’s house was “intentionally set” on fire, according to the [fire department].” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/b...
New: Congress has reached a make-or-break moment on banning members from trading individual stocks. There’s newfound momentum in both chambers to get a stock ban to Trump, who has signaled he would sign it. A look here at the obstacles and what’s in the competing bills time.com/7313049/cong...
New public art spotted at a playground in Northwest DC
I feel like a lot of people on here didn’t know that his weekend schedule is usually empty which means he is going to play golf.
A Wisconsin judge will resign Feb. 1, but won’t face criminal charges after jailing a man during a probation hearing for an unrelated financial dispute in December 2021. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/08/wisc... (via @tomkertschernews.bsky.social)
An invite-only summit with folks from top AI companies convened to talk how AI will impact society. Among their conclusions: “AI is likely to exacerbate increasing wealth and income inequality within countries, worsening economic conditions for many working and middle-class people and families”
Next week it'll be September. So far no sign of Republicans standing up to Trump in any meaningful way.
Amid Chaos at CDC, White House Stands With RFK Jr.’s Decision to Fire Director time.com/7313058/cdc-...
“Neighbors gathered outside and began yelling at the police to leave. Blocks away, as word spread, an assistant principal waiting to greet students sprinted to the scene.” apnews.com/article/wash...
“Hours after the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monarez was no longer the director, her lawyers responded with a fiery statement saying she has not resigned or been fired.” They accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of ‘“putting millions of American lives at risk”
A State Dept official, in response to questions about whether the U.S. is encouraging a pro-secessionist movement in Greenland: “We have no comment to provide on the actions of private U.S. citizens in Greenland" time.com/7312624/gree...