Director Gareth Edwards Won’t Return for JURASSIC WORLD 5
- Gareth Edwards will no longer direct the sequel to his film Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Universal will soon start looking for a new director.
- David Koepp of the original Jurassic Park has written a new script for part five.
- Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey are expected to return.
The fifth movie in the Jurassic World series, or eighth in the overall Jurassic Park franchise, has hit a snag. According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Gareth Edwards, who directed Jurassic World: Rebirth, will not return for a sequel. Apparently, the Godzilla and Rogue One director had creative differences with the studio. And so the search is now on for a new director to take over. The last film got middling reviews, but was no slouch at the box office, making $869 million worldwide. Folks just can’t get enough of those rampaging dinosaurs, it seems.
Universal Pictures
Universal started work on another sequel after Rebirth cleaned up at the box office in 2025, with returning screenwriter David Koepp. He famously wrote the original Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, and Rebirth was his return to the franchise. Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey from the previous installment are all expected to return. No word yet on Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard’s possible returns. Although it feels like their character’s stories are pretty much concluded. Then again, the original Jurassic Park trio’s stories were pretty much done, too. And they still brought them back for Jurassic World: Dominion.
As of right now, we do not know what the storyline for this new Jurassic World film might entail. The last movie presented a world where dinosaurs could not live in the rest of the human world. And as a result, they quickly died out as soon as they returned. They could only be found once again on a remote island. So in some way or another, the fifth Jurassic World movie will have to take place on Île Saint-Hubert. This was the offsite laboratory for the corporation InGen. That’s where all the action went down last time. Right now, the new Jurassic World sequel doesn’t have a release date.
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Top 10 ways to volunteer in Santa Cruz County this August
By Shawn Peterson, Executive Director, Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County
At the Volunteer Center, our mission is simple: connect people for good. As I step into the role of Executive Director, I am deeply honored to help lead and strengthen our community’s long-standing spirit of neighbors helping neighbors.
Taking the helm of this organization means standing on the shoulders of giants. I want to recognize the extraordinary legacy of Karen Delaney, whose 44 years of visionary leadership transformed the Volunteer Center into a national model for civic engagement. And, to our remarkable volunteers, donors, and 300+ partner agencies: thank you for being the true heartbeat of Santa Cruz County.
So whether you have five minutes or five days a week, I invite you to join me and our community in service today: explore our Top 10 featured volunteer opportunities for August below or visit scvolunteercenter.org to find your volunteer match.
- Become a Volunteer Literacy Tutor
Empower an adult neighbor by helping them learn to read, write, or speak English. Join an upcoming Zoom orientation to get started—no prior teaching experience required! Learn More + Sign Up Here! - Support Local Community Radio at KBCZ Music Fest
Celebrate 10 years on the air with KBCZ 89.3 FM! Join the crew at Garrahan Park in Boulder Creek on Saturday, August 29th. Volunteers are needed for stage hands, admission, setup/breakdown, parking, and concessions. All volunteers receive free full-day event admission. Sign Up Here! - Walk to End Alzheimer’s: Help with logistics and walk alongside families raising awareness. Register Here
- Historic Beach Hill Tour Guide: Lead walking tours showcasing coastal Santa Cruz history. Become a Guide
- San Lorenzo Valley Museum Docent: Guide school field trips and share local heritage with kids. Volunteer Here
- Elephant Seal Tour Leader at Año Nuevo: Share local wildlife wonders with visitors. Lead Tours
- Capitola Historical Museum Docent: Welcome visitors and keep beach town history alive. Join as a Docent
- Library Advisory Council of Teens: Help local youth shape library programs and advocate for peers. Sign Up
- Support Group Childcare Volunteer: Provide safe care for kids while parents attend support groups. Help Families
- Youth League Soccer Coach: Teach teamwork and outdoor sports skills to local youth. Coach Today
Volunteer at the KBCZ 89.3 FM Music Fest on Saturday, August 29th at Garrahan Park, and stay to dance to the roots-rock sounds of headliners The Coffis Brothers! Volunteers receive free full-day admission. Credit: Bethany Johanna
With gratitude,
Shawn Peterson, MSML
Executive Director
Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County
About the Volunteer Center
At the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, we connect people for good because meaningful service is the heart of a strong, vibrant community and a healthy, happy life.
For 60 years, Santa Cruz County has trusted the Volunteer Center to help people connect for good, turning compassion into belonging and lasting impact. Our vision is a community where giving is the way of life — where everyone’s gifts matter, kindness is celebrated, and together we build a stronger, healthier, more connected community where everyone thrives.
Learn more at scvolunteercenter.org
The post Top 10 ways to volunteer in Santa Cruz County this August appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.
OpenAI’s new AI smart speaker will reportedly sell for between $300-$400
What Is the White House Hiding in Its Minerals Deals?
Today, the consumer protection watchdog group Public Citizen released a report detailing the Trump administration’s secretive web of critical minerals deals around the world. The report, exclusively shared with Mother Jones, shows that the number of deals the administration has publicly claimed to have does not match up with the number of countries known to have signed these agreements. The researchers also detail the many ways these deals can exploit countries experiencing violent conflict—and the ways they might enrich the President’s backers.
“This is now a huge web of deals that are being negotiated behind closed doors without any public scrutiny or oversight,” said Melinda St. Louis, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch research group. “Even the things they are announcing, the numbers don’t add up.”
It’s clear that Donald Trump and his administration are fixated on critical minerals— things like cobalt, lithium, and graphite, used for purposes as wide-ranging as building batteries or building missiles. “It’s really striking just how much President Trump is personally involved in this,” St. Louis said. Trump has released 12 executive orders related to critical minerals since the start of his second term, and the country has signed on to a bevy of trade agreements related to critical minerals. But, according to Public Citizen’s research, there’s no publicly available database of what exactly all those agreements are, which countries are involved, or who might be profiting. And many of these moves, based on executive orders, don’t require congressional approval.
“The most complete information available is from a February 2026 State Department fact sheet that stated that at least 38 international critical minerals agreements have been completed or were pending at that time,” today’s report says. But that fact sheet only names eleven of the countries involved, meaning 27 are unaccounted for. Public Citizen’s review of available documents was only able to confirm the existence of some of those agreements. “Less than half of the memoranda of understanding announced have been made fully public, only two of which were released by the US government,” they wrote. The rest are only public because the other country involved publicized them.
The Biden administration prioritized trade deals for critical minerals—like one signed with Japan—with the justification that securing resources for the green transition was a priority. “Now of course under the Trump administration, even the pretext of a clean energy transition is not even part of this. It’s really to seize these minerals for AI, military dominance, et cetera,” St. Louis said. In particular, the president is interested in military dominance over China.
“Trump and his acolytes all use this very apocalyptic language, that it’s about our security, that it’s about the future of Western Civilization,” Nghia Nguyen, a lead author on the report, said. “I think that says a lot about why the government is throwing so much into it.” Report after report says that military contractors are being pressured to limit their reliance on trade with China for weapons components, and the US government is now seeking out those same minerals wherever they can find them.
Sometimes, Trump’s own family members might profit. A group of American investors including two of the president’s sons got access to a massive untapped reserve of Kazakhstan’s tungsten (a mineral widely used in missile warheads, fighter jets, and computer chips) through a government-brokered deal. And agreements with other countries are even more exploitative. The Trump administration’s “minerals for security” deals with Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo sign over portions of those countries’ mining sectors to US actors as they experience active conflict.
The US deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo may have even been a pretext to make the country amend its constitution. “In practice, the deal gives sweeping financial and regulatory incentives to U.S. mining companies and grants the U.S. government unprecedented control over Congolese mineral resources,” the Public Citizen report says. “These are binding agreements devoid of meaningful labor, human rights, or environmental safeguards.” And in Zambia, as the New York TImes reported, the State Department has considered making medical aid contingent on a $2 billion critical minerals deal.
“In seeking to encourage mining, the Trump administration is prioritizing speed over corporate accountability and ethical safeguards,” the researchers wrote.
Trump’s new ‘do raises hairy questions about his health
President Donald Trump took the stage in Las Vegas for a rally Wednesday night, but online chatter focused on what was happening atop his head rather than what he was saying. Doing what they do best, internet denizens noticed that Trump’s hair was looking particularly full and, well … they definitely ran with it. “Is Trump rocking a wig, or what the hell is going on here?
PVUSD board votes to rename Cesar Chavez Middle School to Central Coast Middle School
Following abuse allegations against farmworker and civil rights activist Cesar Chávez, Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s governing board voted to rename his namesake Watsonville middle school Central Coast Middle School — a move that preserves its CCMS acronym and keeps rebranding costs under $25,000.
Your table awaits: Exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to be seen by thousands
Warner Bros. Confirms Fifth MATRIX Movie, But Who Will Star?
- The Matrix franchise is moving forward with a new director, Drew Goddard.
- Goddard wrote Cabin in the Woods and adapted The Martian and Project Hail Mary for the screen.
- Former Matrix director Lana Wachowski is listed as a producer.
Rolling Stone ranks The Matrix at number ten out of 150 of the “Best Sci-Fi Movies” for “radical political messaging, kick-ass action sequences and a brilliant premise.” Though I assume I speak for everyone when I say that the original will always be the fan favorite, the writers have managed to keep the beloved dystopian world alive for almost 30 years after the original came out.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed in a letter to shareholders that it is working on the “next installment of The Matrix.” No further information was provided about the movie’s plot or cast.
The most pressing question is whether or not Keanu Reeves will reprise his iconic role as Neo. In a 2021 interview with Empire, Reeves said: “If [Lana Wachowski] invites me again, I’m in.”
Lana Wachowski served as a director on the original trilogy alongside her sister, Lily, and it became their breakout project as a filmmaking duo. Then, Lana moved forward as the sole director of the most recent The Matrix: Resurrection in 2021. Now, the sisters are passing the torch along to Drew Goddard in both direction and writing, but Lana will reportedly be a producer. Lana’s involvement could be a good sign pointing to a return for Reeves.
Goddard will be writing and directing the newest movie. Goddard was responsible for adapting both The Martian and Project Hail Mary for the screen, and Cabin in the Woods was his original project. He has experience writing sci-fi, horror, and even superhero content, on the writing team for Daredevil and The Defenders.
After the declining box office numbers of the movies following the original in 1999, I, for one, am interested to see if this fifth installment could change the tide and be a good sequel. But we will have to wait until we get more information on the premise and, most importantly, the cast.
The post Warner Bros. Confirms Fifth MATRIX Movie, But Who Will Star? appeared first on Nerdist.
Terrible GOP Senate nominees are making Republicans go blue
Right-wing strategists have been warning that Republican voters may not just stay home in the 2026 midterms, but they might actually vote Democratic in response to growing frustration with President Donald Trump’s broken campaign promises. Even non-MAGA Republicans have been signalling that they might jump ship and vote Democratic this fall, which could cost Republicans their majority in both…
SPIDER-MAN Director Plans To Expand Upon SHANG-CHI Post-Credit Scene
- Director Destin Daniel Cretton lamented at the untapped potential of Shang-Chi, specifically his movie’s post-credits scene.
- The scene introduced the mystery of the rings’ origin.
- Cretton said that if things had been different, “we would have had two sequels already.” So what does this mean for the potential upcoming MCU reset?
Almost five years after Shang-Chi came out, Marvel fans still haven’t found any answers as to what the post-credits scene could mean for the universe. In a recent interview with The Wrap, director Destin Daniel Cretton said that he does have plans to follow up on the scene.
Marvel Studios
The scene took place right after the movie ended, showing Shang-Chi and Katie, with Wong’s help, trying to figure out the origin of the Ten Rings. They look to Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner for help, and Marvel says she doesn’t think they are from outer space—at least nowhere she knows of. However, Banner tells them the rings also aren’t made of any metal from Earth.
Nerdist posted a video explaining the scene’s significance, see that below:
Nerdist’s own Dan Casey noted that in the Marvel comics, the rings are of an alien origin, coming from the Makluans, a shapeshifting race. Casey theorized that maybe Captain Marvel has just never encountered said aliens, Makluan or not.
Cretton seemed to feel bad about leaving the audience on a cliffhanger, and with questions that six years later remain unanswered.
“I do think it’s frustrating when these things are left out in the open, and you never see them,” said Cretton. “And Shang-Chi is one of those. It’s still hanging out there. I have every intention of answering the question.”
With a clip of Shang-Chi fighting Gambit appearing in the official Doomsday trailer, it seems that although the upcoming movie may not answer the question, Shang-Chi is still definitely on Marvel’s radar.
Cretton wistfully mentioned his desire to make more Shang-Chi content, but his inability to do so given the studio’s current state.
“I feel like if Marvel was where it was before, we would have had maybe two sequels already. Who knows?”
That said, with the looming threat of a potential MCU reset, it seems unlikely the question will find resolution in the form of a feature-length sequel. All we know is that there is a lot of untapped comic potential when it comes to the ring-bearing character.
The post SPIDER-MAN Director Plans To Expand Upon SHANG-CHI Post-Credit Scene appeared first on Nerdist.
Vogue just gave another nod of approval to the tech world
GOP senator praises Trump’s ethics—yes, really
Republican patsy Sen. Tim Scott appeared on Fox Business to push the Digital Market Asset Clarity Act—a huge crypto deregulation bill that threatens to legally enshrine the weak oversight and poor consumer protections of cryptocurrency markets. “Let’s remind ourselves President Trump has done something no other president in the history of our country said ‘yes’ to,” Scott said…
Democratic Party Is Thousands in Debt on D.C. Headquarters
The Democratic National Committee is blaming a late property tax bill on a procedural issue, the latest in a sequence of blunders from the party’s executive leadership.
The DNC owes the District of Columbia more than $300,000 in property taxes, interest and penalties on its flagship headquarters in Washington, D.C., accruing debt over six months. The building itself is valued at $12.1 million.
“The processing issue resulted from standard fraud prevention practices, and we are promptly addressing it,” DNC spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg told USA Today.
Tax records show a $147,000 bill—with $23,000 in late fees—from February 17, with a due date of March 31. The records show someone from the DNC making a property tax payment of $166,700 on July 23, only to have it declined. And on Tuesday, the DNC received a penalty for nonsufficient funds. In total, the organization owed D.C. $313,000 as of Thursday.
This news comes at a time of internal dysfunction at the DNC, as calls for Chairman Ken Martin’s resignation grow louder as the committee is already $18.5 million in debt, still reeling from both a New York Times report detailing a paranoia-driven, phone-throwing outburst by Martin in July, as well as news of a staffer being scammed out of nearly $29,000 by an email from someone pretending to be Martin. It really couldn’t get much worse, especially with massively consequential midterm elections less than three months away. This recent string of events does not inspire hope.
“The question is not whether or not Ken should go,” Leaders We Deserve President David Hogg told The New Republic late last month. “The question is how much longer can we afford to keep him, because this is not sustainable.”
DISNEY WORLDBUILDERS Is a Fun Documentary With One Obvious Issue (Review)
- Disney Worldbuilders is a good documentary from Leslie Iwerks that would have made an even better TV show.
- The doc fails when it stops focusing on Disney creatives and instead focuses on promoting Bob Iger’s legacy.
- Despite its problems, it’s still a must-watch for Disney fans.
Earlier this year, Leslie Iwerks’ Disneyland Handcrafted left me wanting more in the best way. My only issue is that it wasn’t longer. That is also true in her newest Mouse House release Disney Worldbuilders. It spotlights some of Disney’s best storytellers as they share their own personal history, what brought them to the company, and what it meant for them to see their work go from the screen to the parks. Those parts of the film—which makes up the majority of the 58 minute runtime—are what makes it a must-watch for Disney fans. However, this doc is just way too short. There so much untapped potential that it should have been a series, like Iwerks’ superb The Imagineering Story show.
And somehow, Disney Worldbuilders will also leave you wanting less. Because while the good outweighs the bad, too often it feels like a commercial that’s selling us on Bob Iger’s legacy.
Disney Worldbuilders primarily consists of a series of shorts segments. Each focuses on a different writer, director, or movie executive. Each saw their on-screen work become part of Disney’s theme parks. Those portions are genuinely fascinating. At times they are even genuinely emotional. They pull back the curtain by combining each person’s personal and professional histories. They also show how their own past and love for Disney contributed to their creative process and success before showing the feeling of having their projects manifest in ways they never expected. Disney Worldbuilders isn’t about the creation of theme park lands or rides. It’s about what it’s like to have your idea literally come to life in the real world.
That’s also why there’s so much more untapped potential here. There’s very little to nothing about the actual work WDI did in turning onscreen worlds into actual places. Imagineers aren’t part of this documentary, not even as a part of the titular worldbuilders’ experience. So while what we do get from the creative side is fantastic, it’s impossible not to wish we got a full series of entire episodes of each instead.
Disney
That frustration is fully on display during the James Cameron portion. Hearing him talk about how a vivid dream became Avatar decades later is enthralling for anyone who cares about making something. But then hearing him mention in passing how he walked through the construction of Animal Kingdom’s Pandora ten times, and that he worked with Imagineer legend Joe Rohde, without then learning exactly how Cameron influenced the area’s construction is frustrating. I could have watched a 90-minute documentary on his involvement alone instead of the nine minutes we do get.
The same is true of the segment with Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter. He’s written and directed some of the studio’s best, most beloved, and most popular films. I loved his segment and wanted to spend way more time with him. I’m not even sure how much, if any, influence he had on the many Pixar rides and lands you’ll find in Disney parks around the world. I felt the same way with every creative person who gets their own segment. That includes The Mandalorian‘s Jon Favreau (whose involvement is the most tenuous, though still fascinating). I couldn’t get enough of Frozen‘s Jennifer Lee, who provides the most emotional moment of the doc. And seeing Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige inside DCA’s Avengers Land was worthy of its own hour.
Disney
These abridged segments create the feeling that this documentary is a highlight reel cut together from a TV show. It’s good and worth watching if you love Disney movies and/or the theme parks. But there’s so much more I wish had been included.
What I wish I could cut entirely are the segments about former Disney CEO Bob Iger, especially the two that bookend the documentary. One of the things that has made Iwerks’ previous Disney+ releases so good is that, despite being made on conjunction with Disney, they never felt like promotional pieces. Unfortunately that’s exactly what the overly glazing portions highlighting Iger’s legacy come across as. The same is true when he appears as a talking head during the doc, reflecting on his own successes multiple times.
Disney
The Iger sections, which mainly point out his acquisition of popular IPs, feel like they’re there to promote him rather than entertain viewers. They feel like the kind of video a sports team would make hyping up their player to MVP voters. Sure, maybe that player deserves to win the award. But there’s a difference between a journalist saying so and his own team. Disneyland Handcrafted and The Imagineering Story never came close to crossing the line between documentary and advertisement. Being able to pull that off so deftly before makes it even more jarring when Iwerks fails to do that now.
Fortunately, it’s not enough to invalidate the great parts of Disney Worldbuilders. I enjoyed hearing from Disney’s best storytellers way more than I disliked watching the Bob Iger legacy commercials that kept getting in the way.
Disney Worldbuilders ⭐ (3.5 of 5)
Disney Worldbuilders premieres on Disney+ on August 20, 2026.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You might even say he’s a Nerdist Worldbuilder. (But you don’t have to.) You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post DISNEY WORLDBUILDERS Is a Fun Documentary With One Obvious Issue (Review) appeared first on Nerdist.
How do Republicans plan to win in Michigan? Be as racist as possible.
The field in Michigan’s open-seat Senate contest is officially set, with former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers set to face off against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. And Republicans have already revealed how they plan to flip the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters: Appeal to voters’ inner racists. Rogers and the National Republican Senatorial Committee already released ads…
Rinse and repeat
A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | Trump’s Iran plan: Make a ‘deal,’ threaten war crimes…
Will This Bill Save Social Security, or Kill It?
Editor’s Note: Welcome to The TNR Blue Book. It’s our new daily newsletter that covers Congress and much more, but with a distinctly TNR twist: Our focus will be strictly on Democrats, liberal and progressive groups, and the fight to take back power and save democracy. Every morning, you’ll get a rundown of late-breaking news, what Democrats on Capitol Hill are thinking, quick hits on what you need to know nationally, the latest on what’s coming out of the think tanks and activist groups, short interviews with progressive newsmakers and authors, and more (including some humor and political trivia!). There’s nothing else out there like it.
Sign up and get this newsletter for free.
Inside Washington
Will this bill save Social Security, or kill it?
A new piece of legislation aims to avert a Social Security crisis by fast-tracking a solution before cuts are imminent. But Democrats are torn: Some say, far from saving the program, the bill could give Republicans an opening to raise the retirement age or cut benefits.
The bipartisan bill, dubbed the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone, or PROMISE, Act, calls for the nonpartisan Social Security Advisory Board, or SSAB, to come up with a legislative framework to keep Social Security solvent for at least 50 more years. The act, which senators debated in a Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday, also requires the House and Senate to debate, amend, and vote on the bill on a condensed timeline, with just 100 hours of floor time allotted for it.
Critics like Senator Bernie Sanders say there’s insufficient oversight of the SSAB drafting process and that the tight voting timeline means a lame-duck Congress could be deciding the future of Social Security. “Social Security is the most important program facing the American people, and we need a serious way forward,” Sanders told The New Republic. “I don’t think a serious way forward is having folks who have either been defeated for election or who are retiring making the key decisions.”
Senator Tim Kaine, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said he understands the desire to start this process when there isn’t a Republican governing trifecta, but that there’s a downside to further delay. “If you wait until it’s right up against the deadline, you traumatize a lot of people who think maybe [Congress] won’t come up with a solution,” he said. “So our goal is to start the discussion earlier.”
A report released by the Social Security Board of Trustees in early June found that the Social Security Trust Fund will only be able to cover 78 percent of benefits in 2032, which means that without congressional action, Americans who receive Social Security benefits will see theirs reduced by 22 percent. Based on the average benefit of $2,071 per month, that would amount to a monthly cut of $450. More than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. One estimate suggests that this cut could push more than three million seniors and people with disabilities into poverty.
Some progressive senators suggested Wednesday that the impending cliff is all the more reason to have a freshly elected Congress address the issue directly, rather than relying on the SSAB to determine the path forward.
Sanders pointed to his own proposal for Social Security, as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren’s, as potentially the best paths forward. Both Sanders and Warren support lifting the cap on taxable income to generate more revenue for Social Security. Currently, the Social Security payroll tax only applies to the first $184,500 workers earn. Someone who makes $60,000 per year, for example, will pay 6.2 percent of every dollar they earn into Social Security. Someone who makes $500,000, though, will only pay that 6.2 percent tax on the first $184,500 of their income. Warren suggests eliminating the cap altogether, and Sanders wants to subject all income over $250,000 to the payroll tax.
“If you’re a nurse or an electrician, you pay taxes with every paycheck. If you’re a billionaire and you’re good with your accountant and you know your lawyer, you can pay little or nothing; that’s not right,” explained Senator Ron Wyden, who started his career as the co-founder of Oregon’s Gray Panthers, an advocacy organization for the elderly.
Removing the cap while providing benefit credit for those earnings could raise an additional $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years, according to one estimate. That revenue would close nearly half of the 75-year funding gap.
Progressives like Sanders and Warren also worry that the SSAB, left to its own devices, might propose policies like raising the retirement age, privatizing the program, or reducing cost-of-living adjustments.
“We have very different approaches to resolving the upcoming Social Security cliff, and Republicans more than once have tried to put together commissions, hoping that Democrats will give them cover for their preferred solution: cutting the benefits. I won’t be a partner to that,” Warren said.
The AARP, whose executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, Nancy LeaMond, testified in the Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday, seems to agree with progressives on this. “Your legislation would require an unelected, four-member Advisory Board to put together a 50-year solvency plan in just over a month, with little time for deliberation and limited public input,” LeaMond wrote in a July letter opposing the bill. “If they are unsuccessful, any two members of Congress could force votes on their plans in just a few weeks.” She likewise criticized the prospect of “fast-tracked floor debates in the lame-duck session of Congress, just after the November elections, when departing Members are completely unaccountable to voters.”
Sanders sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to Democrats on Monday expressing the same concerns.
Kaine noted on Wednesday that the bill still provides opportunity for amendments and floor debate. “If it’s not getting 60 votes, it ain’t happening. So that means we’re all going to get to have our input,” he said. “I view the PROMISE Act as the jump ball. Somebody’s got to throw the jump ball up to start the game.”
—Emma Janssen
Outside Washington
Does Doug Jones have a shot in Alabama?
Amid all the primaries coverage this week, you may have missed the remarkable finding that Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville—a 2020 election denier with a history of Islamophobic and racist remarks—is leading Democrat Doug Jones by only 49–41 in the Alabama governor’s race, despite 56 percent of respondents in that poll identifying as Republican. Granted, it was a weird news item: Those numbers were pulled from a poll funded by a national school-choice advocacy group called the “yes. every kid. foundation.” that was aiming to showcase the potential political payoff of supporting school choice. But when Tuberville and Jones last faced off, in the 2020 Senate race, Tuberville beat Jones by 20 points. So in that context—and given that there hasn’t been much polling on this race so far—the poll was guaranteed to make headlines. “If you’re a Democrat, I’m Lloyd Christmas telling you there’s a chance,” wrote Josh Moon at the Alabama Political Reporter on Wednesday, noting that this poll was conducted before Tuberville alienated a bunch of people with “scorched earth” comments against Social Security and in favor of data centers. “And if you’re a Republican supporting Tuberville,” Moon added, “I’m telling you that you’ve still got a two-score lead, but the other team is at the goal line and your quarterback keeps throwing interceptions.”
Elsewhere:
- CalMatters reporter Rachel Becker explains, for laypeople, why the ongoing policy negotiations over Colorado River water usage are so very complicated—and why neither the “rough parameters” released by Trump’s Interior Department last week nor the cuts that will be announced “any day” now are going to meet the urgent need for a long-term, comprehensive plan. “Building anything to store, move, or make more water typically takes decades and billions of dollars. Without longer-term certainty about how states will share the river’s water supply among 40 million people, millions of acres of agriculture, and two states in Mexico—cities and irrigation providers are struggling to plan how to close the gaps,” writes Becker.
- Big news for avocado fans and both hobbyist and professional plant breeders: Scientists have finally identified the gene that determines when during the day the trees open their female flowers versus their male ones—a daily sex-change ritual each avocado plant performs that’s been puzzling scientists for over a century.
—Heather Souvaine Horn
The Ideas Factory
The Roosevelt Institute drops a new policy brief on “The Economics of the Last and Next Social Security Reform,” arguing that the typical thesis about Social Security’s insolvency—”people live longer and have fewer kids, ergo, Social Security is running out of money”—is flawed. “Social Security is a reflection of, and is supported by, the strength of the economy,” economist Kathryn Anne Edwards argues in the brief. “Who is working, how much they earn, how healthy they are, and how much they save matter more than the head count. People could live longer, have fewer kids, and have a solvent Social Security if workers earned enough money.”
The Open Markets Institute has filed an amicus brief in the Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google, arguing against a court ruling that allows Google to continue “pay[ing] companies such as Apple and browser developers to make Google Search the default search engine.” Brief author and OMI policy counsel Tara Pincock said in the organization’s press release, “If the court allows those payments to continue, the remedy will leave the monopoly largely intact.”
It’s becoming increasingly clear that voters’ views on Trump’s economic policies—particularly the inflationary effects of the war on Iran, as well as the never-ending array of arbitrary tariffs—are going to be a major factor in the November midterms. Pew Research’s recent findings on this were pretty stark: In the first six months of the year, the number of respondents saying they expected the economy to improve in the next year sank from 31 percent to 23 percent. Democrats have thought the economy and Trump’s handling of it was terrible throughout, so the big takeaway was how much of this is being “driven by a shift among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.” The share of that demographic rating the economy highly has fallen from 49 percent to 41 percent, and the percentage of them saying that Trump’s policies are to blame has risen from 18 percent to 28 percent.
—Heather Souvaine Horn
In Closing
Here’s Why That’s B.S.
Did Jeanine Pirro have any other choice?
Trump is furious with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping the nonsensical Reflecting Pool “vandalism” case. But this wasn’t a principled stand. Watch TNR’s Edie Olmsted explain the story, here.
Political Trivia Question of the Day
As the anniversary of Richard Nixon’s resignation approaches (it’s next Sunday), we’ll toss out a couple Watergate-related questions. Today, the easier one: What was the name of Nixon’s secretary who acknowledged that she “accidentally” erased up to 18.5 minutes of a taped Oval Office conversation between Nixon and aide H.R. Haldeman? (Sign up for The Blue Book to find the answer in tomorrow’s newsletter.)
MAGA Senator Blows His Lid Over “Degenerate Sociopath” Max Miller
MAGAworld is unloading on Ohio Representative Max Miller.
Senator Tim Sheehy tore into the Trump-backed congressman on Thursday, deriding him as a “degenerate sociopath.”
“What kind of person would treat their daughter this way?” Sheehy wrote on X, referring to a recent incident in which Miller allegedly withheld his child’s favorite toy, seemingly out of spite. “This guy is clearly a degenerate sociopath.”
“Max should step aside and seek help,” Sheehy continued. “Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump.”
Miller stands accused of physically abusing his ex-wife and two-year-old child. Court filings and police reports detail incidents in which Miller allegedly threw his ex-wife against a wall, tossed scalding water on her, and held a gun to her head. Medical records submitted during the couple’s custody dispute also cited several injuries to their young daughter, including a broken collarbone that allegedly occurred during Miller’s care.
Stephanie Grisham, who briefly served as a White House press secretary during Donald Trump’s first term and dated Miller between 2019 and 2020, has also accused him of physical abuse.
The charges have made Miller a remarkably unpopular person, tanking his odds at the polls. Nonetheless, he has refused to back down, insisting on staying in the race through the November election.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Miller told CNN Wednesday.
Trump has similarly refused to peel back his endorsement for the second-term MAGA lawmaker. On Monday, Trump insisted to reporters that Miller is a “good person.”
“I mean I always thought he was a very good person. And I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said. “It’s accusations, and I’m going to let them figure that out.”
That’s sparked some high tension between Miller and his ultra-conservative colleagues, who are also fretting over the possibility of losing their congressional majority.
There seem to be three possible options for the contentious Ohio race: Miller withdraws himself to make way for a new nominee (which he must do by Saturday), or the Ohio Republican Party certifies a replacement nominee, which they would need to do by Monday. Otherwise, Miller will stay on the ballot.