MOTHER JONES – Politics | Politics & Government

On July 4, tragedy struck Texas. A flash flood cresting at more than 20 feet killed at least 70 people across six counties in central Texas, according to reports. Most of the damage was concentrated in Kerr County, a region about 125 miles west of Austin. There, the dead include 21 children and 11 who reportedly remain missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian children’s summer camp in the unincorporated community of Hunt. Videos and images show homes destroyed, trees downed, and muddy waters flooding streets. On Sunday morning, Trump announced he had signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, which unlocks federal funding and resources to support the emergency response and longer-term recovery. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) has said that more than 800 people have been saved so far, but dozens reportedly remain missing. People at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls in Hunt, Texas,… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The US Environmental Protection Agency placed 139 employees on administrative leave Thursday, an agency spokesperson confirmed, after they signed a “Stand Up for Science” petition using their official titles and EPA positions.  The affected employees received an email, shared with Inside Climate News, informing them that they are on leave through July 17, pending an investigation into whether they used work time or resources when signing the petition. The email emphasizes that “this is not a disciplinary action.” One employee, who asked not to be named, said they signed the petition “on a Sunday on my own device.” “I’d be shocked if anyone used work resources,” the employee went on. “We’ve taken ethics training and are aware of the law.” While the employees are on leave, they are prohibited from using government equipment,… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.

After leaving DC, with his business empire suffering, his relationship with President Donald Trump fractured, and his DOGE efforts deemed broadly unpopular, Elon Musk is not quietly retreating to his Texas compound of pronatalists’ dreams. Instead, he announced on Saturday in a post on X that he will launch a new, third political party called the America Party. “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk wrote. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” The announcement came a day after Trump’s former top adviser and the world’s richest man teased the potential launch, polling his X followers on whether they wanted the new party; the results show that out of approximately 1.25 million respondents, 65 percent said yes. Musk told followers in other posts that he plans to launch the party… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.

The massive piece of legislation to which President Donald Trump has just attached his legacy allocates $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement over the next four years—including $45 billion to expand the detention of immigrants to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations. It will make ICE the best-funded federal law enforcement agency in American history, with more money than the federal prison system, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration combined. What will that mean, practically speaking? I turned to former officials who have run large prison systems, as well as attorneys who specialize in immigrant detention, to understand the logistical concerns with expanding a detention system so quickly. Hugh Hurwitz was acting director of the Bureau of Prisons during part of Trump’s first term, managing 122 facilities and some 170,000 incarcerated people nationwide. Martin Horn was secretary of corrections for Pennsylvania in the late 1990s… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. They are vital pollinators who come out at night, but now moths have emerged into the bright light of day as co-creators of a new piece of music—composed using the insects’ own flight data. Ellie Wilson composed Moth x Human in a protected habitat on Parsonage Down in Salisbury, Wiltshire. She assigned each of the 80 resident moth species a different sound, which was triggered when it landed on her monitor. Around the automated melody created by the moths, she composed music for live violin, cello, trombone, piano, and synths. Wilson will be interviewed and the piece performed twice, at London’s Southbank Centre this weekend as part of the New Music Biennial. “I wanted to compose a piece of music that was, in part, created by the insects themselves,” said Wilson. “The moths randomly created… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.