Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh discussed the prevalence of executive actions while speaking at a the Eighth Circuit judicial conference on Thursday. ... Read full Story
U.S. Border Patrol reports July 2024 as lowest month for southwest border apprehensions with 4,399 total, down from December 2023 record high of 249,785. ... Read full Story
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A federal judge ruled against Trump administration plans to end protections from deportation for citizens of Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras, barring their removal while the case continues. San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson agreed the plaintiffs had shown there was sufficient racial animus behind the decision and that the Trump administration had failed to... ... Read full Story
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President Trump fumed at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday morning, urging the central bank board to wrest control from him after he opted again to not lower interest rates this week. “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell, a stubborn MORON, must substantially lower interest rates, NOW. IF HE CONTINUES TO REFUSE, THE BOARD SHOULD ASSUME... ... Read full Story
The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History removed an exhibit this month referencing President Trump’s two impeachments, according to the institution’s spokesperson — drawing fire from Democratic Party lawmakers. The decision, part of an internal content review the museum agreed to participate in, came after facing pressure from the Trump administration to axe its... ... Read full Story
Republican lawmakers target Washington, D.C., noncitizen voting rights following 2024 election participation by approximately 400 noncitizens in the nation's capital. ... Read full Story
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said early Friday he is “disappointed” by President Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on his country to 35 percent but left open the door for a potential trade deal. After weeks of negotiations with America’s northern neighbor, Trump decided to ratchet up levies on the country alongside sweeping new tariffs... ... Read full Story
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announces sweeping immigration policy changes, including tougher naturalization tests and stricter oversight of H-1B visa program. ... Read full Story
Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized state-level education control as a nonpartisan priority, citing diverse needs across Republican and Democratic states. ... Read full Story
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump urged Republicans to vote the opposite way that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine does ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2025 is:
palimpsest \PAL-imp-sest\ noun
Palimpsest in its original use refers to writing material (such as a parchment manuscript) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased; the underlying text is said to be “in palimpsest.” Palimpsest in extended use refers to something that has usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.
// Scholars believe the motive for making palimpsests was often economic—reusing parchment was cheaper than preparing a new skin.
// The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest.
“My aim was to trace the course of … the Aqua Marcia, built between 144 and 140 B.C. by Julius Caesar’s ancestor Quintus Marcius Rex. … The original tuff arches carried the Marcia across a steep ravine. Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles.” — David Laskin, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Did you know?
Long ago, writing surfaces were so highly valued that they were often used more than once. Palimpsest in its original use referred to an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. (The word is from the Greek palimpsēstos, meaning “scraped again.”) Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn’t completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word palimpsest can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers apparent beneath the surface.