Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr was asked about Stephen Colbert, whose show was canceled in what many view as a craven concession to appease President Donald Trump, during an appearance on CNBC Friday. “They have such a storied history, and it's sort of sad to see what's happening to Colbert. They obviously can't get it done. They're not making money over there. But I think they need a course correction. And frankly, I think, you know, the media industry across this country needs a course correction,” he said. x x YouTube Video Carr was on the show to discuss approving a multibillion-dollar merger between Paramount and Skydance, which came just weeks after the media giant paid Trump $16 million to settle his frivolous lawsuit—a lawsuit that was mocked by “South Park,” a Paramount-distributed show.  Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic-appointed FCC commissioner, castigated Paramount’s “months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration.”  When asked about her statement condemning the obvious bribe and violation of the First Amendment, Carr responded, “I think it's time for a change.” x x YouTube Video While CBS claimed that Colbert’s late night show was canceled for financial reasons, it’s been widely criticized as disingenuous. And as Carr defends President Donald Trump ’s war on the First Amendment as an effort to combat “bias” against the right, his actions prove otherwise.

A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | CBS cancels Trump critic Colbert's 'Late Show'—and faces sharp blowback

Lee Zeldin might be dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency bit by bit, but at least he’s making gas cans great again. The EPA administrator announced Friday that he had made an official plea to gas-can manufacturers, begging them to change their spout designs.  “Gas cans used to POUR gas. Now they just DRIBBLE like a child's sippy cup. The Trump EPA’s message to gas can makers: VENT THE DARN CAN and let it FLOW BABY FLOW!” he wrote on X. In a memo sent to can manufacturers, Zeldin’s EPA encouraged the designers to stop making cans in compliance with a 2009 EPA standard that was meant to cut down on the release of harmful greenhouse gases.  On one hand, the frustration among consumers using gas cans seems to be more than just among a sparse few. However, as Zeldin wages public battles with plastic cans, he has also been wreaking havoc on his environmental colleagues. Last week, Zeldin announced his plans to shut down the scientific research arm of the EPA.  «Under President Trump's leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while powering the great American comeback,» Zeldin said in a statement. «This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.» A sign protesting emissions from oil and gas stands across from Lybrook Elementary School, in Counselor, New Mexico, Navajo Nation, on March 11. Zeldin’s plan is to shutter the Office of Research and Development, which oversees studies into the harms of toxic chemicals, wildfires, climate change, drinking-water pollutants, and more. And less oversight and public awareness is just what the chemical industry wants. All of this fits into Zeldin’s other work since taking on his role at the EPA.  Since January, he has cut the workforce, including scientists and researchers, and pulled critical research grants across the country. And as he seeks to hamper the EPA’s ability to do its job, he has also made it easier for companies to bypass regulations as well. From no longer collecting most greenhouse-gas data to allowing companies to opt out of regulations by emailing in their requests, Zeldin has been hard at work.  After all, it was his initial plan to “driv[e] a dagger” through the heart of “climate-change religion.” And now the world gets to suffer from that wound.

Even in an era where every new presidential executive order is a body blow, President Donald Trump’s “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” is particularly awful. Ostensibly about “making America safe again and ending homelessness,” per the ever-mendacious White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, it’s nothing but criminalizing homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.  And, like so many things in the Trump era, the right-wing justices on the Supreme Court cleared the way for this cruelty.  The first part of the order purports to be about “restoring civil commitment,” which is nothing but a call for mass institutionalization of people experiencing substance use issues or a mental health crisis. Civil commitment has never gone away, so there’s nothing to be restored as such.  Every state has laws providing for involuntary commitment, but those generally have far higher barriers to entry than those preferred by conservatives. What this boils down to is that right-wingers haven’t yet managed to figure out a way to arrest and imprison people simply based on their diagnoses, so they need a different approach. The approach here is just to demand that states lock people up anyway, albeit under the guise of “civil” commitment.  But what to do with people who aren’t suffering an acute mental health crisis but are unhoused? How can Trump impose some sort of cruel incarceration on them as well? Well, by trying to force states and cities to criminalize urban camping, “loitering,” and “squatting.” The latter two are inflammatory terms meant to make it sound nefarious that the unhoused get to be out in public, standing around. xTrump on homelessness: «Tents -- I'm getting rid of them right now. You can't do that, especially in Washington DC. I talk to the mayor about it all the time. I said, 'you gotta get rid of the tents.' When leaders come to see me to make a trade deal & there's tents outside the WH, you can't have it»[image or embed]— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM And here’s where the Supreme Court comes in. In 2024, the court decided Grants Pass v. Johnson. There, the conservative majority ruled that cities could impose criminal penalties on people sleeping or camping in public places, even if there were not enough available shelter beds. As repugnant as that decision was, it obviously couldn’t force states or municipalities to adopt those criminal penalties, and executive orders aren’t law, as much as Trump wants them to be. Additionally, those orders really, really, really can’t bind states thanks to that whole federalism/Tenth Amendment thing on which our democracy is theoretically still based.  Never fear, though. The order has a solution. For grants from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, or Transportation, priority will be given to states and municipalities that adopt policies making it easier to arrest the unhoused.  That approach is unforgivable on its face, but it’s also bad policy. Any pretense that the administration cares about anything except cruelty is belied by the fact that it has already slashed billions from programs that help people.  Conservatives loathe “Housing First” policies, which prioritize getting people into secure and sustainable housing where things like treatment options are available, but not mandated. Instead, they want people forced into a cycle of forced treatment and incarceration, their vision of the appropriate “punishment” for poverty. Housing First efforts result in better results for the whole community by providing housing stability.  Conservatives also hate harm reduction efforts, which focus on lessening the harmful effects of substance use with efforts like providing fentanyl test strips or clean needles. Exposing people with substance use disorders to as much danger as possible should not be a viable policy position, but it is one held by a majority of conservatives. The executive order is a permission slip to stigmatize and incarcerate people rather than helping.  But hey, wait, conservatives love the troops, right? Surely they want to make sure that struggling vets get housing? Not so much. They’ve slashed programs that help vets pay for housing. And while Trump made a big splash demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs  house 6,000 unhoused veterans in West Los Angeles by the end of his term, there are no real details or money attached to making that happen. Also, good luck with that, given that overall cuts to the VA will help grind that agency’s effectiveness to a halt.  Always money for cruelty, never for compassion. It’s the hallmark of the Trump era.

Disgraced former GOP Rep. George Santos of New York reported to federal prison Friday to begin his sentence of more than seven years. He pleaded guilty in April to a series of fraud schemes ranging from wire fraud to aggravated identity theft. But if you thought he would go quietly, think again. In true Santos fashion, he’s spent the past few weeks making the rounds on podcasts—including Tucker Carlson’s—posting lengthy farewells on social media, and sending cameo videos to fans for more than $300 each. On Wednesday, he posted a clip on X of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” complete with the line, “And now the end is near / and so I face the final curtain.”  Then on Thursday, Santos wrote a rhinestone-studded goodbye on X. Santos arrives at federal court for his sentencing on April 25. “Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed. From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days,” he wrote. “To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press. I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.” Later that evening, he hosted a final 90-minute X Spaces call, which at one point had more than 800 listeners, according to ABC News. When asked about the possibility of a presidential pardon, Santos replied, “The only person that could answer that question is, you know, whoever the President of the United States is—in this case, President Donald Trump.” He also got emotional during the stream, thanking his supporters, getting choked up, and insisting that he wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.  “Make better choices, be smarter than me, that’s for sure. I’ve made a string of shit choices in my life and for that, I’m sorry,” he said. “We built common ground through trust and transparency, and I wouldn't have done it any other way.” Ginger Gaetz, wife of disgraced former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was among those who called in to wish Santos well. And he got in a few final jabs, calling his sentence excessive. “There's something to be said about the prison industrial complex, by the way. They’re selling fucking Twinkies for $5,” he said. “I mean, they have to be making banging profits. I mean, I’m thinking maybe when I get out of prison, I open a prison.”  Santos while still a representative He also joked about bad advice he’s received—like fighting the biggest guy on the inside—and said he planned to bring only a notepad, a Bible from his grandmother, and a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. He added that he hopes to teach civics while behind bars. Santos rose to fame in 2022 after flipping a House seat on Long Island. But by 2023, the lies had caught up with him. Reporters uncovered discrepancies in his résumé and campaign filings, while prosecutors alleged he had defrauded donors, misused funds, and stolen identities to rack up fraudulent charges. He was ultimately expelled from the House in December 2023, becoming the sixth member in history to face such a punishment. He pleaded guilty before trial to 23 counts—including fraud, money laundering, and false statements—and he was sentenced to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $600,000 in restitution and forfeitures.  Santos closed his X Spaces stream by urging people to come together across political divides. “I hope you all keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing, which is keeping each other honest and engaging in very much needed discourse,” he said. “We are in a time in our [lives] where we need to come closer as humans and not further.” Even in his final moments of freedom, Santos didn’t shy away from settling scores—or playing the tragic star of his own political cabaret.

A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | Trump thinks Obama slander will dull furor over Epstein files

A union representative for the employees is objecting to a survey in which the workers must now disclose if they signed the declaration at work using EPA computers, calling the survey an improper “investigatory tool.” By Lisa Sorg for Inside Climate News The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the administrative leave of 160 employees as part of its investigation into workers who used their official titles and positions last month in signing a petition objecting to the agency’s policies, Inside Climate News has confirmed. The employees were scheduled to return to work July 18, but the new date is Aug. 4, a worker on administrative leave said. The worker asked not to be named because they are concerned about further retaliation. In an email dated July 16, the EPA required the affected employees to complete an online survey by 5 p.m. the next day. The survey asks whether they signed the petition, “a declaration of dissent,” on EPA time and whether they did so using government-issued equipment, according to screenshots of agency emails shared with Inside Climate News. “Failure to comply with this instruction and participate in this investigation and/or any lack of candor in your responses may result in discipline up to and including removal from federal service,” one email says. Related | EPA workers write open letter warning of Trump's devastating impact The EPA also announced July 16 that it plans to close its scientific arm, the Office of Research and Development. There are several ORD facilities throughout the U.S., including Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, where scientists study a range of environmental issues: the public health effects of chemical exposure, the atmospheric conditions that transport chemicals through the air and national security responses to environmental emergencies and their cleanup. Such a move had already been proposed, and it was among the concerns listed in the petition that EPA employees signed. Transferring ORD scientists to regulatory program offices “will make EPA science more vulnerable to political interference,” the petition reads, and “the gutting of staff and science” underway at the agency “will threaten the health of all Americans.” The EPA employee who talked to Inside Climate News said they signed the declaration of dissent at home and on their personal device. “I was sitting on my couch at night, and I read the letter,” the employee said. “I thought, ‘This is really well-written. I agree with all the points.’” The employee said they take ethics training every year, “so I feel like I know what I’m allowed to do and not allowed to do. I signed it because I thought it was really important.” Holly Wilson, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3347, based in Durham, N.C., said the union opposes the survey because it bypasses the employees’ rights to have legal union representation present during an investigation. “They’re being put on administrative leave for investigatory purposes,” Wilson said. “The survey was an investigatory tool.” The EPA also sent an email to affected employees instructing them to turn on their laptops if they had them at home. The email did not provide a reason for the directive. However, turning on the laptops could allow the agency to access them remotely, the EPA employee said. More than 200 EPA workers, including some retirees, and environmental advocates signed the petition, addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and members of Congress. The document criticized the administration’s policies for “undermining the public trust” by issuing misleading statements in press releases, such as referring to EPA grants as “green slush funds” and praising “clean coal as beautiful.” The petition also accuses the administration of “ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters,” most notably regarding mercury and greenhouse gases. The EPA is among several federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health in early June and more recently NASA, whose employees have filed letters of dissent to their respective administrators. The EPA originally reported that it had placed 139 employees on leave. In some cases, employees signed the petition using only their initials. Related | Trump’s EPA plans to stop collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from most polluters However, Wilson said the agency placed additional workers on leave as recently as last week. Yet in some instances, the EPA has placed people on leave who did not sign the petition, Wilson said, because they had initials or partial names that were similar or matched someone who did. “It’s purposely disruptive,” Wilson said. An agency spokesperson did not explain the increase or answer direct questions about the extension. Instead, the spokesperson issued a statement: “The EPA has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats using their agency position and title to unlawfully undermine, sabotage, and undercut the will of the American public that was clearly expressed at the ballot box last November.”

The ICEBlock app is a game-changer. Allowing users to report ICE activity on a crowdsourced and anonymous—though this cannot be fully guaranteed—platform, the app is like Waze but for immigration enforcement. According to its creator Joshua Aaron, ICEBlock stores no personal data, offers no way to trace users, and deletes sightings after 4 hours. It’s iOS-only for now, but it delivers real-time alerts for ICE activity within a 5-mile radius—increasingly crucial in a country where ICE agents now routinely violate civil liberties and due process. This is the kind of tool that terrifies authoritarians. And as Apple blogger John Gruber notes, the Trump administration will almost certainly come after it. Protesters against ICE gather in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Apple has a poor track record in moments like this. When the Chinese Communist Party demanded the takedown of a pro-democracy app in Hong Kong, Apple caved. That precedent—combined with recent capitulations from U.S. media companies and even Columbia University—should set off alarms. If any tech company has the financial and legal muscle to defend its users’ First Amendment rights, it’s Apple. But this will be a test. Still, an iOS-only tool leaves out the majority of impacted users. Immigrant communities overwhelmingly use Android phones—for obvious financial reasons. The immigrant-focused publication Saber es Poder surveyed its users in 2022 and found that 72% use Android, while just 27% use iPhones.  So if we’re serious about defending civil rights in immigrant communities, we need an Android version. Though the developers of ICEBlock explain why Android’s inadequate privacy protections prevent them from expanding for now.  Another option would be a web-based tool, which would entirely circumvent any app store crackdown. In this era of Trumpist authoritarianism and corporate complicity, it’s clear we can’t rely on gatekeepers. Tools like ICEBlock are vital resistance infrastructure. The next battle may not be fought in the courts, but in the app stores.

There is no doubt that the American public is pissed off about Donald Trump’s cover-up around the Epstein files—and his most loyal Republican minions are feeling the wrath.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was called a “pedophile” by a heckler during a press conference in Manatee County on Thursday. DeSantis was talking about the death of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan when a man stood up and shouted “Alligator Alcatraz, that’s your fucking legacy.” The protester was referring to the human rights disaster masquerading as a state-run immigration detention center that DeSantis eagerly built and funded at Trump’s request. “You bowed down to a fucking pedophile. You’re a fucking pedophile,” the man continued as security escorted him from the room. “Donald Trump and all of you are fucking Nazis.” x x YouTube Video Republicans are working hard to deflect attention from Trump’s failure to deliver the long-promised Epstein files. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson even started Congress’ summer break early to delay any vote on the matter until at least September. Right-wing news outlets are, in turn, running around like a chicken with its feathers on fire looking to latch on to any other conspiracy theory they can find so that the Epstein scandal blows over. Related | Trump and cronies are giddy to trample human rights at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is debasing herself in order to concoct the biggest nothingburger distraction in recent memory. She is alleging that former President Barack Obama orchestrated a vast conspiracy to undermine Trump that goes back almost a decade.  But despite all of their desperate efforts, that has not stopped the ongoing news cycle from linking Trump to his old buddy Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide while awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking women and underage girls. And Trump’s eager Republican enablers are deservedly feeling the fallout—just like DeSantis did on Thursday. 

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants Elon Musk’s companies to “thrive”—a sharp turnabout just one day after the White House expressed doubt about whether Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, should continue receiving government contracts. “Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon’s companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!”  It was the latest twist in the Trump-Musk rollercoaster—one that’s swung between public threats and awkward praise since their breakup in June.  Just a day earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Trump wanted xAI to get federal contracts. “I don’t think so, no,” she replied. Leavitt added that she’d check with the president about possibly canceling existing deals, including one between the Department of Defense and xAI that is worth up to $200 million. It wasn’t just xAI under scrutiny. Reuters reported earlier this week that the administration is exploring alternatives to Musk’s SpaceX for work on the Golden Dome missile defense system—another sign that Musk’s hold on federal funds may be slipping. A person protesting Elon Musk's actions in the Trump administration holds a sign outside a Tesla showroom in Seattle on Feb. 13. This wouldn’t be the first time Trump has threatened to pull the plug. Back in June, he floated the idea of gutting Musk’s funding entirely. “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted online. He also took a swipe at Musk’s political ambitions earlier this month, calling his newly launched political party, the “America Party,” “ridiculous.” (He’s not wrong there.) “It’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump told reporters. “We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion.” Now Trump may be walking it all back. His latest Truth Social post came just days after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department had told Trump he was mentioned in the Epstein files—something Musk had publicly claimed during their spat. Since The Journal’s report, Musk hasn’t mentioned it again. The timing didn’t go unnoticed. Trump’s administration is already facing heat over its handling of Epstein-related documents, and Musk has been a loud amplifier of the controversy. The two have been trading shots since late May, when Musk’s stint as a special government employee ended and he quickly began slamming Trump’s tax-and-spending agenda. Things escalated quickly—Musk accused Trump of ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump responded by threatening to cut Musk’s contracts and subsidies. Before the fallout, Musk wasn’t just an ally—he was also at the helm of Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, and he’d pumped hundreds of millions into Trump’s reelection campaign. In March, Trump even promoted Teslas from the White House lawn like a QVC host, urging Americans to buy Musk’s cars. He even bought one—though after their fallout, he claimed he was considering tossing it. Still, if Musk was hoping for a win, Thursday didn’t bring it. According to Axios, Tesla shares dropped 9% in mid-morning trading after the company reported weak earnings and warned that Trump’s tax bill could hurt future results. Also, on a Wednesday earnings call, Musk predicted Tesla would face “a few rough quarters” due to rising tariffs and other factors. Now the ball’s in Musk’s court: Does he accept the olive branch—or strike again?

A cartoon by Clay Jones. Related | Not today, brother: Trump-loving Hulk Hogan booed at WWE event

A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. The worst person you know just filed the worst abortion lawsuit in Texas The arguments are nonsense, but that doesn’t matter when the courts are stuffed with conservatives eager to ban abortion. Sorry, kids: Trump's tariffs are coming for your Halloween candy His tariffs are truly ruining everything. Fox News in crisis mode over Epstein bombshell Leave it to Fox News to always cover for Dear Leader. Cartoon: Why power hates humor It’s the best-kept secret weapon. 'South Park' dresses down Trump in shocking PSA You’ll truly have to see it to believe it. GOP senators push Obama conspiracy to hide Trump’s Epstein scandal This is one seriously far-fetched distraction. Columbia caves to Trump, setting dangerous precedent for higher ed How far the great (institutions) have fallen. 'That's bullsh-t': Pete Buttigieg slams Trump’s anti-DEI crusade Mayor Pete tells it like it is. Click here to see more cartoons.

As it turns out, no amount of ass-kissing could save beleaguered New York City Mayor Eric Adams from President Donald Trump’s wrath.  Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that the Department of Justice is suing the Big Apple and its mayor for protecting immigrants. This is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed against cities which the feds claim are obstructing immigration enforcement. “The Department of Justice is suing New York City and Mayor Eric Adams for continuing to obstruct law enforcement with sanctuary city policies,” she wrote via X. “If New York’s leaders won’t step up to protect their citizens, we will.” All of this follows the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent in the Bronx over the weekend. Two undocumented immigrants were taken into custody for shooting the agent during what appeared to be an attempted robbery. Despite the tragedy, he is expected to survive. And while Adams basically opened the door to the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans earlier this year in an attempt to avoid his own corruption scandal, that doesn’t seem to be good enough for Trump’s team any longer.  Even flirting with a party switch to join them on the GOP side wasn’t enough to keep Adams out of the hot seat.  Related | Trump's team throws NYC Mayor Eric Adams under the bus Now, despite numerous one-on-one meetings between Adams and so-called border czar Tom Homan, he and his city are facing a 37-page lawsuit.  Homan stood alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Monday as she accused Adams during a press conference of “protecting criminals who go out and murder, rape, rob.” Of course, the Trump administration’s overstepping of power when it comes to sanctuary cities seems to be commonplace these days.  Just last month, they were activating thousands of National Guard members and deploying hundreds of active-duty Marines to Los Angeles not only to quell protests by shooting at journalists, but to assist in snatching up undocumented immigrants.  Then again, the administration’s stance, according to the lawsuit, is that if you just let these violent and masked immigration agents do their job, no one will get hurt—except immigrants.

GOP Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri appeared on CNN with Kasie Hunt Tuesday, and it was certainly something to behold.  When asked if he would consider using his position as House Ways and Means Committee chair to investigate Jeffrey Epstein, Smith pretended like the very idea was absurd. “Well, you may use subpoena powers at any point,” he replied. “That is not a common thing that I have utilized within the Ways and Means Committee. But if I felt like that it was a priority for Americans, then of course.” “But you did use subpoena power with Hunter Biden,” Hunt said. “Exactly. We have the authority to use it, but that is the only time that I have used it,” he responded. “Epstein is not the priority of the everyday American who's working 9 to 5, just trying to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their cars.” x x YouTube Video A couple of years ago, Smith used that same subpoena power in one of the many dead ends in the GOP’s quixotic search for proof of a Biden crime family—a crusade that Republicans like House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer refuse to abandon. Congressional Republicans are scrambling to shut down for summer break, dancing around questions about why—after years of vowing to release the Epstein files—they have suddenly decided it’s “not a priority.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is reportedly demanding answers from right-wing billionaire Elon Musk after his AI chatbot, Grok, repeatedly parroted antisemitic hate speech on X, his social media site. Led by Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the lawmakers slammed Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, for failing to prevent Grok from spitting out hate speech, including Holocaust denial, praise for Adolf Hitler, and use of the antisemitic meme “every damn time,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios. “xAI’s failure to take reasonable measures to mitigate against its AI models from engaging in hate speech is reckless, unacceptable, and antisemitic,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, which they sent on Tuesday. But the antisemitism scandal is only one of Grok’s many ugly episodes recently.  Just days after that firestorm erupted online, Grok rolled out two animated characters who pushed users into sexually explicit and violent conversations. One, a flirty anime woman named Ani, promised to make users’ lives “sexier.” The other, a red panda named Bad Rudi, insulted users with vulgar language and tried to recruit them into a gang. Musk has become so affiliated with far-right extremism that Americans took to protesting his Tesla vehicle dealerships, like this one in Decatur, Georgia, in March. According to NBC News, Bad Rudi said it wanted to bomb banks, spike a town’s water supply with hot sauce and glitter, spike baby formula with liquor, and kill billionaires, among other chaos. In other encounters, it reportedly claimed inspiration from a notorious Russian anarchist. Musk brushed it off, saying, “Just wanted to do a soft launch to make sure things are stable and working well.” Meanwhile, the backlash to Grok’s antisemitic speech has only intensified. Musk admitted earlier this month that Grok was “too eager to please and be manipulated,” and Grok’s X account claimed that xAI had since taken steps to prevent hate speech from making it onto X. “We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts. Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X,” the chatbot’s account posted on July 8. But that’s not reassuring to lawmakers. Their letter tells Musk to explain how Grok’s antisemitic responses made it past internal testing, and whether any red flags were raised before its latest updates were deployed. So far, more than a dozen lawmakers have signed on, including Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Reps. Dan Goldman of New York and Chris Smith, a Republican. The timing of the letter is striking: It lands just as xAI secured a Pentagon contract worth up to $200 million. It also hits as Musk announces plans to develop a kid-friendly version of Grok, after the adult version went so well. And while Musk has floated the idea of being done with the federal government—especially after his public falling-out with President Donald Trump and sliding Tesla sales—he’s clearly not out of the political arena.  Lawmakers are deep in debates over how to regulate AI. But Grok’s behavior, paired with Musk’s willingness to personally steer how his chatbot answers controversial questions, is adding urgency—and ethical red flags—to the conversation. Musk may dream of building an empire on his own terms. But for now, the federal government isn’t done with him. And with Grok’s growing list of scandals, it looks like they have plenty of reasons not to be.

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A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. ICE is paying retirees big bucks to come back and terrorize immigrants It takes a heartless person and a lot of money to do this awful job. Senate candidate shows Democrats how to run on Trump’s Epstein scandal Sometimes you just have to be direct. White House offers new shiny objects to distract from Epstein scandal From assassination files to Hillary Clinton’s email investigation, Trump is willing to try anything. Trump's tariffs are wrecking this key industry Big Auto is losing billions. Cartoon: Can't touch this Trump just can’t escape. Top House Republican will never stop investigating Biden Rep. James Comer is a dog with a bone when it comes to Biden. ‘Border czar’ makes ridiculous excuse for ICE goons acting like Nazis Sure, rhetoric is the real problem here. Trump team fails to get lax sentence for cop involved in Breonna Taylor raid For once, justice is (kind of) served. Here’s how Trump wants to weaponize the DOJ next When in doubt, use a conspiracy theory. FEMA official quits after Trump cuts hobble Texas flood response Cuts to federal agencies are doing more and more damage. Click here to see more cartoons.

Don't look now, but Ghislaine Maxwell's time in federal prison for aiding and abetting accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein could be cut short. In an effort to distract from the fact that President Donald Trump is refusing to release all of the files the government possesses about Epstein, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Department of Justice to speak with his known accomplice Maxwell to see if she has any information that implicates third parties, as Epstein died by suicide while in custody before going to trial. Maxwell has a whole lot to gain in this situation. The former British socialite is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for helping Epstein carry out “heinous crimes against children,” as the Department of Justice said in 2022 when she was sentenced for “conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor.”  That means Trump—who wished Maxwell «well» in 2020 after she was arrested for her role in Epstein's sex-trafficking schemes—has the power to pardon her and set her free.  And that gives Maxwell motive to tell federal prosecutors lies that could exculpate Trump from Epstein's sordid deeds. Related | White House offers new shiny objects to distract from Epstein scandal «The Epstein files don’t have an incentive to lie for a coverup. A convicted sex trafficker in search of a pardon does,» New York University law professor Ryan Goodman wrote in a post on X. «The dead giveaway: DOJ can simply release all the Epstein files, but refuses.» Even more fishy is the fact that the person who will meet with Maxwell to interview her is Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—who served as Trump's defense attorney during his numerous federal indictments that have now been corruptly dismissed. «Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?» Blanche wrote in a post on X. «At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits.» The fact that Trump's former criminal defense attorney is meeting with Maxwell should also give everyone pause, as Blanche would likely put Trump's best interests over the truth. «Any meeting between Blanche, DOJ, or any other Trump representative, on the one hand, and Ghislaine Maxwell and her attorneys or other representatives, on the other, should be audiovisually recorded. Full stop,» George Conway, a lawyer and frequent Trump critic, wrote in a post on X, adding that the situation «reeks of corruption.» Even if Maxwell isn’t pardoned, the Trump administration’s announcement that it will interview her is just another attempt to distract the public from the fact that the government is not releasing more information about the Epstein case. It feeds into speculation that Trump—who was friends with Epstein and took trips with the accused sex trafficker on multiple occasions—is worried about being implicated by the documents. Already, Bondi has sought to change the subject from the Epstein files by releasing hundreds of thousands of documents relating to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, as well as the probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails. In an Oval Office appearance, Trump also said he is going to go after former President Barack Obama for “treason” over the Russia investigation—an insane and authoritarian declaration, as even Trump’s own Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw a Senate investigation that found that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election. But the biggest sign yet that Trump is worried about what’s contained in the Epstein files is that he is now calling the scandal the “Epstein hoax”—his favorite way to claim that something that will make him look bad is fake. Ultimately, the Epstein files scandal is not going away. And how Trump and his cronies handle Maxwell could fuel the flames even further.

A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. Related | Trump goons take another step toward creating a secret police force

Around 230 Venezuelans deported to and imprisoned in El Salvador’s brutal CECOT prison are being sent to Caracas, Venezuela, Daily Kos can confirm.  In exchange, Venezuela will release five U.S. citizens and five U.S. permanent residents into custody of the American government, according to Reuters, which was the first to report the news through government sources.  “This nightmare is finally coming to an end. Unbelievable,” Gris Vogt, a San Francisco-based education specialist for the blind who has spent the past four months assisting families of the imprisoned men, told Daily Kos.  Since March, Vogt has worked with families in Venezuela, serving as a lifeline for their access to the American Civil Liberties Union and helping them communicate across the geopolitical gaps of Venezuela, El Salvador, and the U.S.  At least one planeload of prisoners arrived in Caracas on Friday afternoon, she told Daily Kos. “I’m happy for them, I’m happy for everybody,” she said.  x x YouTube Video On March 15, President Donald Trump deported 238 Venezuelan immigrants to the notoriously abusive CECOT prison on the flimsy claims that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang.  However, the most concrete proof that the administration has provided is that the people had tattoos that officials claimed were affiliated with the gang. Experts have cast doubt on the reliability of using tattoos to gauge gang affiliation, though. Additionally, the vast majority of the original 238 deported Venezuelan migrants have no criminal record, according to “60 Minutes.” While around 230 Venezuelans are to be sent to their home country, the U.S. has deported over 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador. It is unclear which men will be sent to Venezuela and who will stay. Some of those deported to CECOT do have criminal histories, and it's possible they will remain in that prison.  Daily Kos has reached out to government officials for comment but did not immediately hear back.  As for other Venezuelan inmates without criminal convictions, their family members have been waiting months for this day to come.