Trump Admin's Deadly Strikes On Alleged Drug Ships Haven’t Reduced Cocaine Supply: ReportThe U.S. military’s deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels have done little to curb the supply of cocaine in the U.S., according to a Washington Post report, which cited an analysis by the Drug Enforcement Administration, a closed-door congressional briefing and interviews with current and former U.S. officials. The DEA analysis reportedly found that cocaine supply and pricing in the U.S. have not been “noticeably affected” even as President Donald Trump has claimed that the strikes significantly reduced maritime drug trafficking. The White House, meanwhile, defended the strikes and echoed claims about their efficacy. “These measures have not only eliminated narcoterrorists themselves, but also discouraged bad actors from trying to smuggle drugs into our country should they meet the same deadly fate,” spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Post. “President Trump is using every tool at his disposal to save lives from the scourge of illicit narcotics, and any suggestion that these efforts have not been effective are laughable.”Read more from The Washington Post: Latest Live UpdatesGov. Beshear Calls On McConnell To Provide Proof Of His Ability To ServeKentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) on Monday demanded more transparency from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who hasn’t been seen in public since his hospitalization in mid-June. “As Governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign,” Beshear wrote in a new letter, which was obtained by CNN. Earlier in the day, McConnell’s office issued a statement which noted that he was completing “intense physical therapy” and wouldn’t be able to attend an upcoming event. Additionally, the Office of the Attending Physician said McConnell was continuing to recover from a fall and had not been “medically cleared” to leave the rehab facility. That statement was accompanied by a photo of McConnell and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. While the senator’s office has issued a handful of written statements, McConnell has not addressed the public in person for weeks, fueling concerns and speculation about his condition. “I am addressing this letter to Senator McConnell under the assumption that he is capable of reading and responding verbally, and not incapacitated by means of consciousness or cognition,” Beshear wrote. “If the Senator is unable to respond for either of those or other conditions, consider this letter a demand for his Senate staff to be honest and transparent with the people of Kentucky.”McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more from CNN: Authorities Relied On Dubious Allegation To Separate Buttigieg, Children: WaPoMichigan authorities separated former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg from his 4-year-old twins last month based on a dubious allegation that came from someone officials later described as potentially “mentally unstable,” according to a Washington Post report, which cited police records. The Michigan Attorney General’s office is now investigating how the false allegation was handled.Read more from The Washington Post: Key MomentTrump Calls On SCOTUS To Allow His Executive Order Targeting Mail-In VotingPresident Donald Trump on Monday petitioned the Supreme Court to allow for the implementation of his March executive order targeting mail-in voting, despite it being blocked in lower courts in 23 states and Washington, D.C. Executive Order 14399 is a continuation of Trump’s campaign to rewrite history by alleging widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election that he lost to former President Joe Biden. His order would require the establishment of a “state citizenship list” comprised of the names of people eligible to vote by mail. The U.S. Postal Service would be barred from sending ballots to individuals who are not on the list. Any state election officials who do not abide by the order could be federally prosecuted.States have argued that the Constitution places the states and Congress in charge of elections. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the order doesn’t affect the states.“The executive order is an intra-branch directive from the president to his subordinates — which, of its own force, does not change anything at all about elections in any state,” Sauer said in the appeal to the Court. “It does not require the states to do (or refrain from doing) anything at all.”The ongoing legal battle is occurring just ahead of midterm elections this fall.Texas Congressman Under Investigation By House Ethics CommitteeRep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. He joins a growing list of lawmakers the agency is probing.The committee announced Monday it was investigating Gooden, but did not provide additional details. The panel will determine a course of action on or before Nov. 9, it said. The committee announced in May it was investigating Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) for alleged sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Rep Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is also being investigated by the agency for alleged sexual misconduct with a staff member. HuffPost has reached out to Gooden’s office for comment. AIPAC Takes Center Stage At Michigan Democratic Senate DebateCampaign finance was a heated topic in Monday’s debate between Michigan Democratic Senate candidates Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.Stevens was asked about the reported $30 million that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) donated to her campaign and whether her constituents should be concerned. “I don’t think there’s much difference between super PACs going in for Abdul or super PACs going in for me,” Stevens said, referring to the Fighting For Michigan PAC that has backed El-Sayed. “We have a problem with finance campaign reform in this country.” El-Sayed pointed to Stevens’ recent vote against a House bill that would have stripped Israel of $3 billion in U.S. aid. “The difference between us is $46 million of AIPAC spending,” he said. “They’ve set a record to help elect my opponent because they know she’ll be a reliable vote.” Senate Paves The Way For Final Vote On Trump’s Intelligence PickThe Senate on Monday voted 51-43 to advance the nomination of Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.The procedural vote, which took place along party lines, sets up a final confirmation vote for Clayton that could take place as soon as Tuesday. A former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Clayton has faced fierce Democratic opposition since his Senate confirmation hearing, when he refused to say that former President Joe Biden had won the 2020 election. New Bridge Linking U.S., Canada Opens Amid Trade DisputesA major new bridge linking Canada and the U.S. at Detroit opened Monday to trucks, cars and other vehicles, the climax of a yearslong project that lately had been bruised a bit by international politics.Descendants of Gordie Howe, the hockey legend whose name is on the bridge, were among the first to cross over the Detroit River, which separates the Motor City from Windsor, Ontario. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., rode a motorcycle, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drove a Ford Mustang with the top down.Read more from The Associated Press:Judge: D4vd Must Stand Trial In Killing, Dismemberment Of TeenA judge ruled Monday that there is enough evidence to put singer D4vd on trial in the killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez after authorities said she had threatened to expose their relationship and crater his career.Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo decided the evidence prosecutors presented at a preliminary hearing that spanned five days provided probable cause for a trial on charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.Read more from The Associated Press:Republican Rep Running For Michigan Governor Claims Trump Won State 3 TimesRep. John James (R-Mich.) incorrectly claimed that President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 election.“Well, thanks, Mr. President for coming back to Michigan, where you’ve won three times,” James said at an event in Milford on Monday, echoing Trump’s baseless conspiracy theory that he beat former President Joe Biden in 2020. “We very much appreciate your leadership.” Trump won Michigan in the 2016 and 2024 elections, but Biden defeated him in 2020. Trump has endorsed James, who has represented Michigan’s 10th congressional district since 2023, in his current bid to become governor. It Sure Sounds Like Someone Just Called Trump A ‘Pedophile Protector’ AgainPresident Donald Trump is in Milford, Mich., this afternoon delivering remarks at General Motors, and it sure sounds like someone interrupted his speech to call him a “pedophile protector.”The repeated chirp came as Trump claimed his tariffs have brought back American manufacturing.“Pedophile protector!” someone off-camera seemed to yell, repeating the taunt a handful of times.The interjection is a reference to Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and the efforts the Trump Justice Department has taken to cover it up in defiance of a congressional mandate.Incredibly this is now the second time an American autoworker has called Trump a “pedophile protector” to his face.In January, a worker at a Ford plant in Dearborn, Mich., did the same. Trump responded by giving him the middle finder and mouthing the words “fuck you” at him.See All Updates