Washington’s Quiet Work

The American Revolution was won by dramatic deeds, but also by decidedly undramatic efforts.

The Atlantic

Tesla hit with $243 million in damages after jury finds its Autopilot feature contributed to fatal crash

The verdict follows a three-week trial that threw a spotlight on how Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have marketed their driver-assistance software.

NBC News

Senate heads home with no deal to speed confirmations as irate Trump tells Schumer to ‘go to hell’

The Senate left Washington Saturday night for its monthlong August recess without a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can “GO TO HELL!”

Without a deal in hand, Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules when they return in September to speed up the pace of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to move quickly as Democrats blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any fast unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that can take several days per nominee.

AP News

The Banal Provocation of Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans

The American Eagle campaign, with its presentation of Americana as a zombie slop of mustangs, denim, and good genes, is lowest-common-denominator stuff.

The New Yorker

How BL and Yuri Helped Me Face My Sexuality

I am thirty-six years old, a mom and soon-to-be divorcee. I am in the midst of saying goodbye to my fourteen-year marriage and finally embracing my queer self. As I look towards my future, I can’t help looking back on how I got here and the ways in which BL and Yuri helped me come to terms with not only my sexuality, but figuring out what I want from sex.

Anime Feminist

Trump And Miller Compel Colleges Not To Enroll International Students

The Trump administration is using rules, policies and formal agreements to compel and discourage U.S. universities from enrolling international students. A controversial immigration clause in the administration’s agreement with Columbia University represents the latest move to decrease international student enrollment. Settlements with other schools could soon follow. Despite what economists and educators view as the benefits of international students, Trump officials, led by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, appear determined to reduce the number of international students who enter and remain in the United States to work.

Forbes

‘They Roll Right Over’: Many Democrats Call Their Party Weak and Ineffective, AP-NORC Poll Finds

About 15% described it using words like “weak,” or “apathetic,” while an additional 10% believe it is broadly “ineffective” or “disorganized.”

Bucks County Beacon

Democrats work to transcend weak party brand by exploiting Trump’s problems

Voters “are absolutely frustrated with the dysfunction, the chaos that they see in Washington, D.C. And they want strong representatives who are going to stand up for them,” DelBene said.

DelBene suggested more than a dozen House Democrats were able to win last year even as Trump carried their districts “because we had people who were talking directly to voters, who were talking about the issues that matter.”

NBC News

8 Things to Know About New Research on Earth’s Rapid Drying and the Loss of Its Groundwater

Decades of NASA satellite data reveal how quickly the planet’s underground stores of fresh water have been depleted and how their use is contributing to rising sea levels. Here are the key takeaways.

ProPublica

‘Dehumanizing’: Inside the Broadview ICE facility where immigrants sleep on cold concrete

The west suburban processing center is designed to hold people for no more than 12 hours before transferring them to a formal immigration detention facility. It has no beds, let alone any covers, Chavez said. They were not offered showers or hot food. No toothbrushes or feminine products. And certainly, Chavez recalled, those detained had no answers from immigration authorities about what would happen next.

An investigation by the Chicago Tribune found that immigration detainees such as Chavez have been held for days at the processing center, a two-story building that is designed as a temporary way station until detainees can be transferred to jails out of state. For busier periods in June, data shows the typical detainee was held two or three days — far longer than the five or so hours typical in years past.

Chicago Tribune

Every Scientific Empire Comes to an End

America’s run as the premier techno-superpower may be over.

The Atlantic

These women faith leaders protest mass deportations through prayer outside LA’s detention center

‘Godmothers of the Disappeared’ sing and pray for those detained by federal immigration agents, hoping the vigils will help educate the public

The Press-Enterprise

Trump’s Domestic Use of Military Set to Get Worse, Leaked Memo Shows

A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by TNR signals top-level discussions about a potential escalation of the Pentagon’s domestic anti-immigration role, and lays out new details.

The New Republic

Trump’s Chilling Retribution Campaign Poses a Grave Threat to Democracy

The use by Trump of the massive resources of federal law enforcement against his political opponents threatens fair elections and aims to intimidate public officials out of using their positions to hold Trump accountable. As such, it represents perhaps his most chilling move yet to undermine democracy.

Democracy Docket

Americans Say No As Terrified ICE Agents Flee from Angry Citizens

“It’s gonna be like this every f*cking day you’re coming. Every day, anytime you try to kidnap people, we are gonna be here!” a rapid responder yelled at fleeing ICE agents in Kansas.

The Daily

‘Knives out’: Switzerland descends into blame game after US tariff shock

President Karin Keller-Sutter under fire for failed trade talks with Trump administration

Financial Times

Israeli Actions Have Pushed Gaza to ‘Worst-Case Scenario of Famine,’ Food Crisis Experts Warn

The “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” the leading international authority on food crises said in a new alert Tuesday, predicting “widespread death” without immediate action.

Mississippi Free Press

‘God understands us’: Inside a Nigerian church where deaf people find faith and community

It is like any other church in Nigeria ‘s megacity of Lagos. A lectern faces rows of plastic chairs. A biblical quote is written on a beam above. There is a music section, with a set of drums. Sash-wearing church wardens move around to enforce order.

AP News

American Nurse Who Tried to Save “No Other Land” Activist Was Detained and Deported by Israel

Americans on the scene who tried to help Palestinians said Israeli authorities detained them — all as settler attackers roamed free.

The Intercept

‘You will be seeds of hope,’ Pope Leo tells young people at Jubilee Mass

Young people, he said, “are the sign that a different world is possible: a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.”

America

Tony Blair’s think tank given £200 million by tech billionaire

Larry Ellison, the Oracle founder, is bankrolling the former PM’s think tank, which advises on global healthcare and government reform

The Sunday Times