politics

The U.S. economy shed jobs in July, yet the unemployment rate improved — an unusual pairing that points to a worrying story unfolding behind the numbers for some economists.

That’s because even as the U.S. economy lost jobs, American workers left the labor market faster.

Mom's basement might be the answer.

When George W. Bush wrote an essay this year about another president named George, he avoided mentioning the one named Donald.

So did Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The three ex-presidents joined a roster of historians and authors in contributing to the In Pursuit project, a 250th-anniversary series that had each writer produce an essay about a president or first lady.

Though the project was explicitly designed to transcend today’s politics, some of its essays nevertheless reflect anxieties that are flaring in the era of President Donald Trump over the use of power, the health of the democracy and the integrity of the presidency.

Late last week, federal authorities issued a stern warning saying “malicious cyber actors” were targeting water and wastewater facilities in at least seven states across the US. Minnesota appeared to be the hardest hit with 30 of its water systems hit by cyber-attacks, leading to disruptions in the state’s water supply.

The problems ranged from low-pressure water flow in people’s homes to some utilities announcing boil-water notices. But there have been no reports of drinking water contamination.

“These threat actors are targeting water entities of all sizes,” the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) said in a statement last Thursday.

The agency highlighted the fact that critical infrastructure systems can be especially vulnerable to cyber-attacks in the digital age. Much of the problem stemmed from water facilities’ connection to the internet, which made it possible for hackers to infiltrate, change passwords and lock out operators. To mitigate continued disturbances, the agency advised utilities to take their systems offline and switch to manual mode.

The culprit of the coordinated attack is suspected to be Iran, according to officials across the government who have spoken anonymously to various news outlets. Tehran has reportedly stepped up its cyber-attacks on the US since the war began nearly six months ago, but so far has only had nominal success. While the FBI announced that it opened an investigation into the hack, it stopped short of putting the responsibility on Iran.

Donald Trump, however, has said the attack is Minnesota’s fault.

“I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting last Friday at Camp David in Maryland, without providing evidence to support his claims. “I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota … Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota.”

Todd Blanche is confirmed as attorney general, Stephen Miller is backing a new birthright citizenship executive order, and Judge Emily Marks won't dismiss the SPLC indictment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators headed for the exits in the predawn hours Saturday, ending for now a crushing standoff over President Donald Trump’s demands that they stay in session to pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill before the summer recess.

While they wrapped up many key priorities in the overnight votes, advancing Trump’s SAVE America Act was not among them.

Instead, Republican senators who had brought the chamber to a standstill spoke to Trump late in the evening about an alternative plan: They would try again to approve elements of the voting bill as part of a broader GOP budget package to fund the Iran war and replenish the Pentagon when they return to work in September.

LONDON (AP) — Former U.S. President Joe Biden ’s prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain, even as he continues to speak out on public issues, his son Hunter said in an interview.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC broadcast late on Friday, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father’s condition, describing it as very sad to watch.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” he said. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.”

President Donald Trump has continued to demonstrate signs of worsening mental "decline," according to one professional psychologist, who detailed the latest "red flags" in a new video.

Dr. John Paul Garrison is a licensed forensic and clinical psychologist who specializes in body language. He is also a content creator who has released numerous videos giving his professional insight into the tells for cognitive decline that he has seen Trump exhibiting during public appearances or addresses.

In his latest video, he dug into two recent appearances by Trump, one at an event in Las Vegas and another in the Oval Office, which he said were full of further signs of his worsening condition.

"Over the past several months, I've been frequently analyzing President Trump's behavior because it has gotten more erratic," Garrison explained. "It's gotten more unusual, and we're seeing more neurological hiccups. As I've mentioned for months now, it appears that there are neurological changes from President Trump. Whether it's post-stroke or something else, we have seen distinct changes. The reason this matters so much, and the reason that I'm covering it so much, is that I believe we are seeing this play out on the world stage. I think it is affecting his judgment. I think that it is affecting his ability to make decisions, and it certainly is affecting his behavior, and I'm going to show you in what ways that it affects his behavior."

Paywall removed: https://archive.is/xQoh5

Time and again, Todd Blanche has made it clear that he believes President Trump possesses a nearly limitless right to directly control the actions of the Justice Department.

‘Forest management alone cannot address the hotter, drier conditions that are making fires more intense … — that requires confronting the underlying crisis.’

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Senator Chuck Grassley mourned his decades-long cleaning companion, writing on social media: “GOOD BYE BETH. U hv been a real workhorse.”

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