Watch U.S. Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify before Congress and follow more live updates below:Justices Kagan, Barrett Appear Before Congress Seeking Increased Security FundsJustices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett have started their testimony before Congress about the Supreme Court’s request for a multi-million dollar budget increase.It’s the first time since 2019 that a sitting Supreme Court justice has appeared before Congress. The budget request comes amid a rise in threats against justices, their families, and other federal judges.Latest Live UpdatesBarrett Says There's 'A Lot Of Coordination' With Local Security At Events For JusticesJustice Amy Coney Barrett explained how local law enforcement works with the Supreme Court’s police force when the justices travel for speaking events.“At a high level, when we are appearing, say at a university, there’s a lot of coordination between the university security staff and our security staff,” Barrett said. “The same is true whenever we’re at an event with local police, there’s coordination with local law enforcement authorities. And when we are interacting with other entities within the judiciary – lower courts or at circuit conferences – then there is a lot of coordination with the Marshall service.”Barrett spoke alongside Justice Elena Kagan during congressional testimony on Tuesday to ask for an increase in security funding for the justices.Jutices Confronted With Court’s Lack Of Any Binding Ethics AgreementRep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) asked Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan whether they thought it was time for the Supreme Court to adopt a binding ethics agreement that would make following the rules “a requirement” instead of “a suggestion.”The Supreme Court adopted a nonbinding code of ethics in 2023 in response to a series of damning reports about lavish trips and other gifts accepted by, among others, Justice Clarence Thomas.Barrett noted the court is not permitted to accept gifts from litigants before the court.Kagan agreed that the status quo was insufficient.“I think we should work hard to try to figure out some enforcement system,” Kagan said.But she noted that doing so is “extremely difficult,” given that the public likely would not want enforcement to be controlled by either the executive branch or the legislative branch. One idea — having respected, retired judges helm an enforcement committee — has “some pros, some cons,” Kagan said. She called the whole ethics situation “an open question.”Warren Buffett Snubs Gates Foundation Amid Epstein FurorBillionaire Warren Buffett stopped donating money to the Gates Foundation after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates became engulfed in the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman announced Tuesday he will donate about $6 billion to four foundations connected to his own family as he revealed details of his annual mid-year giveaway. The philanthropic organization founded by Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, was not mentioned.The snub is notable since Buffett has handed more than $47 billion of his conglomerate’s stock to the Gates Foundation since 2006, when he began giving away his fortune.CNBC said Buffett is scheduled to give the channel an exclusive interview on his charitable donations on Wednesday morning.Gates apologized to foundation staff for his ties to the late convicted sex offender following the Department of Justice’s release of files about Epstein.Last month, Gates admitted to Congress he first met Epstein in 2011, three years after the disgraced New York financier’s conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Gates said he had subsequent meetings with Epstein to potentially help raise money for charitable causes. He denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.The relationship ended by December 2014.Justice Barrett Recalls Son, 12, Asking Why She Needed A Bulletproof Vest Amid ThreatsJustice Amy Coney Barrett stressed the need for enhanced security for the court by recalling a time when she was sent home with a bulletproof vest by her security team, which her then 12-year-old son saw and questioned.“I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children of what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,” she said.The incident came around the time of the 2022 leak of a draft majority opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade, she said.Barrett also discussed being a victim of swatting at her home about six weeks ago, during which her teenage son came face-to-face with law enforcement.Federal judges have also continued to receive threatening anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes. These deliveries use the name of the late son of New Jersey Judge Esther Salas, who was fatally shot in 2020, Barrett said.Elena Kagan Remembers Lindsey Graham Ahead Of TestimonyJustice Elena Kagan began her opening remarks in Tuesday’s congressional testimony with a tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). She is seated alongside Justice Amy Coney Barrett before a House appropriations panel. “I wish to express the entire court’s condolences to his sister, the rest of his family, his many friends and colleagues here in the House and the Senate and elsewhere, on behalf of the entire court,” Kagan said.She went on to note that Graham’s somewhat personal exchange with her during her confirmation hearings — a story about Christmas that Kagan did not choose to share again — apparently helped seal some votes on her behalf.Vance Reportedly Blows Off House GOP To Appear On Rogan's PodcastVice President JD Vance will reportedly record an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast on Tuesday — the day he was supposed to be meeting House Republicans.The vice president was slated to speak to GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill and urge them to reopen the floor to push forward President Donald Trump’s agenda.Instead, according to Politico, Vance is set to chat with the comedian-turned-podcaster in Austin, Texas, presumably as part of a media tour to promote the vice president’s new book.Taco Bell Probed Over Link To Summer’s Explosive Diarrhea Illness: ReportState and federal investigators are investigating a possible link between Taco Bell and an outbreak of a parasitic gastrointestinal illness, according to The Washington Post.More than 30 states are dealing with a surge in cases of cyclosporiasis, which has symptoms including loud and explosive diarrhea. The outbreak has put more than 80 people in the hospital.On Monday, officials in Michigan announced that lettuce or salad greens may be the source of the illness as it faces more than 2,500 cases.According to The Washington Post, the Taco Bell probe by authorities comes after signs at several of the chains locations in Michigan last week warned customers they were “currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.”The newspaper did not specify whether Michigan is exploring the possible Taco Bell link.The chain did not respond to the outlet’s “multiple” requests for comment.Read more at The Washington Post:Google DeepMind Co-Founder Calls For AI Watchdog Over Fears Of Nuclear, Bio RisksDemis Hassabis, the co-founder and CEO of Google’s DeepMind AI research lab, is calling for the creation of a U.S.-initiated AI watchdog group as the technology’s capabilities rapidly advance, along with untold global risks.“What we collectively do now will determine how the next phase of civilisation unfolds,” Hassabis wrote in a Substack article published Tuesday. Speaking to Axios, Hassabis said he has been working to gain support for such a group, including with world leaders and fellow AI researchers. "The noises I've been hearing are very positive," he told Axios.In his article, Hassabis urges the creation of a “starting point” for what would become international standards. It would help prevent, fight and address cybersecurity issues, including nuclear and bio risks.“On the horizon, we will need robust safeguards to maintain control of increasingly agentic, recursively self-improving systems - and tackle unknown issues that will only become clearer over time,” he wrote.Separately, more than 200 economists and AI researchers signed a letter published Monday that urgently calls for enhanced research on AI's economic impacts, and for work to ensure it "complements human capabilities and benefits society."The letter, "We Must Act Now: A Statement on AI’s Transformation of the Economy," warns of the world being wholly unprepared for the radical economic transformations of AI.Lindsey Graham's Sister To Be Sworn In Tuesday To Fill His Senate SeatDarline Graham Nordone, the sister of Lindsey Graham, is scheduled to be sworn in to the U.S. Senate at 2:30 p.m. ET Tuesday to finish the remainder of her late brother’s term.South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to the seat on Monday. She is expected to serve until Jan. 3, 2027.Graham, a Republican representing South Carolina, died suddenly in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night after an aortic dissection stemming from chronic cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary report from the medical examiner. He was 71.According to state law, a special primary must be held by Aug. 11 to replace Graham as the nominee on the ballot for the November midterm elections. Early voting for that primary will be held Aug. 5-7. If no candidate wins outright, a runoff will take place two weeks after that, on Aug. 25. The winner of that primary will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. New York Times Subpoenas Could Complicate Jay Clayton’s ConfirmationA lot of senators were relieved when President Donald Trump nominated Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, since his prosecutor background made him more qualified for the job than Bill Pulte, the Trump loyalist temporarily holding the position who has made clear he's willing to serve as the president's attack dog.However, the Justice Department's recent subpoenas against New York Times reporters — authorized by Clayton, but apparently produced at the demand of the White House and an embarrassed Trump — suggest Clayton harbors a similar willingness to act on presidential demands for revenge.Read more here:See All Updates