Judge Slaps Down Trump Administration's Antisemitism Suit Against HarvardA federal judge in Boston dismissed on Thursday a lawsuit filed by the U.S. government earlier this year accusing Harvard University of antisemitism, marking an unsuccessful attempt by the Trump administration to force a $1 billion settlement with the school.The Trump administration filed its lawsuit in March alleging the university engaged in ongoing civil rights violations by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students, citing mostly incidents from the 2023-2024 school year when pro-Palestinian student protests swept campuses across the country. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns said that the administration did not adequately prove failures by the university after telling Harvard in June 2025 that it was failing to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on race, color and national origin.“Without diminishing any concern arising from these occurrences, the court finds them, singly and collectively, to be too isolated and episodic to support a plausible inference that any institutionalized noncompliance with Title VI persists at Harvard to this day,” Stearns wrote in the ruling.Instagram Debuts New Illegible LogoThe social media platform formerly known as Instagram now wants to be known as [squints eyes] Instagzam?A new, updated logo for the company was revealed Wednesday. In place of the familiar, loopy cursive, Instagwam has taken a more modern approach — while also kinda/sorta keeping cursive lettering.“The wordmark at the top of the app hasn’t changed in 10 years, so it was time for a refresh,” Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri wrote in a post Thursday. “Cleaner and more modern, with references to the original and the simplicity and craft that’s always made it Instagram.”Dem Senator Calls For Oversight Visit To USS Lincoln After Reports Of Dire ConditionsSen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is calling for an oversight visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln following several reports of sailors and Marines living in poor conditions.“I’m pushing for an official, bipartisan oversight visit to the USS Lincoln,” Gallego posted on X Thursday. “It’s clear Donald Trump, who avoided active duty himself, couldn’t care less about the health and safety our service members.”The Lincoln began its deployment on Nov. 21 and was expected to return in May. But after President Donald Trump started a war with Iran in February, the Lincoln has remained in the region to support combat operations, with no return date set.Families of several sailors have said food has been scarce on the ship, and basic supplies like toothpaste and soap are running low. The mental health crisis is reportedly so bad that there have been instances of sailors attempting to jump overboard.U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports on Thursday, saying conditions on the carrier have been “completely misrepresented.”“Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth said. Gallego is calling on Congress to “do its job and hold this administration accountable.”Federal Grand Jury Returns Hate Crime Indictment In Stabbing Of Muslim ManU.S. prosecutors announced on Wednesday a hate crime indictment by a federal grand jury against ‌a man who police said had stabbed a Muslim person multiple times in mid-July because of the victim’s religion.Peter Larsen, 48, of Orem, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury “for the federal hate crime of willfully causing bodily injury to a victim because of his actual or perceived religion” in a July stabbing at the Valley Fair Mall in Utah’s West Valley City, the Justice Department said in a statement.Read more, via Reuters:Luigi Mangione Expected To Plead Guilty Friday In Federal Case: ReportLuigi Mangione, the 28-year-old accused of gunning down a healthcare CEO in Manhattan, is expected to plead guilty in federal court on Friday, according to The New York Times.Mangione is expected to plead guilty to stalking charges in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, according to the Times.Mangione also faces a separate state murder case, and was in court Tuesday for his last pretrial hearing before jury selection is set to begin Sept. 8.It’s still unclear how a possible guilty plea in his federal case could impact his state trial.Hegseth Says Reports About Poor Conditions Aboard Carrier Are MisrepresentedU.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said reports about poor conditions aboard aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East were “completely misrepresented.”“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls - it’s incredible,” he told reporters during a visit to Panama.The USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East in January. The U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran in late February.Read more at Reuters:South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Endorses Darline Graham For SenateSouth Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette endorsed Darline Graham for U.S. Senate, saying her opponent plays “political games.”“Ralph Norman may have a conservative record, but after 20+ years in office, South Carolinians deserve more than talk, they deserve results,” Evette wrote Thursday on X. “Too often, Ralph has put political games and his own agenda ahead of delivering for the President and the American people. Voter turnout is critical in a runoff. Join me in voting for Darline Graham on August 25th!”She said during Graham’s “short time in the Senate” she has shown “she is willing to act,” including supporting ending the filibuster, something her late brother Lindsey Graham didn’t support. Rare Hurricane Watch Issued For Big Island Of HawaiiThe National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for the Big Island of Hawaii, with Tropical Storm Lala expected to steadily strengthen and potentially make landfall on Saturday.The storm is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches across much of Hawaii, while some areas could be inundated by up to 20 inches.While plenty of storms have come close to the island chain, NOAA’s historical hurricane database shows only two hurricanes have made landfall: Hurricane Dot in 1959 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992.Congo’s Fastest-Growing Ebola Outbreak Reaches A New ProvinceCongo’s Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province after a death was recorded in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Thursday.Kaseya said the man had traveled from Isiro in Haut-Uele province to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died.Read more from The Associated Press:CNN’s Scott Jennings Reportedly Favored To Replace Karoline LeavittThe Daily Beast reported Thursday that CNN’s Scott Jennings, who reliably hawks the Trump administration’s line in scandal after scandal, is being eyed as a replacement for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.Leavitt announced Wednesday that she’s stepping down from the role to spend more time with her young children.Pressed Wednesday evening on the possibility of taking the job, Jennings told his CNN colleagues that he did not know if he would get it.“But I’ll tell you this, Karoline Leavitt has been the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years at least,” he said, before going on to suggest the nearly $1 billion President Donald Trump is reportedly spending on White House renovations is not so unusual.Read more here. 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