Jeffries Calls For 'Dramatic Supreme Court Reform'House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) backed major changes to the Supreme Court during an interview on Thursday, signaling that Democrats could focus on the issue if they retake the House majority this fall. “In my view, dramatic Supreme Court reform is necessary,” Jeffries said when asked about the subject at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta. “...There’s a variety of different options that are on the table. And I think that we can’t foreclose any single one of them.”Jeffries added that he deferred to House Judiciary Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), to navigate the possibilities, but emphasized that reforms were required given the types of decisions that conservative justices have issued. “The conservative right-wing majority on the Supreme Court has become, you know, basically a subsidiary of the MAGA Republican Party,” Jeffries said, adding, “they don’t have the credibility.”AOC Says It's 'Pretty Funny' Conservatives Are Freaking Out Over Her Egg FreezingRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she finds it “pretty funny” that some people are freaking out over her decision to freeze her eggs and share her experience online. Speaking in a video posted Thursday, the Democrat specifically called out political commentator Allie Beth Stuckey for accusing her of “glamorizing the lie that women can have it all.” Stuckey was among a number of conservatives who have taken to the internet in recent days to bash Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to freeze her eggs at 36. “Can you believe that?” she said, referencing Stuckey’s comments. “I find it very funny because the way of life that conservatives are trying to push out there, which is to marry young and have lots of kids at a young age, that is no threat to me.”But, Ocasio-Cortez also discussed the positive responses she has seen, describing it as “incredibly overwhelming.”“I see people completely independent of what I’m sharing help each other and say ‘I went through this, too,’” she said. “And people are asking each other questions and realizing that you’re not alone.”Blanche Gives Speech To DOJ That’s Undermined By Past ActionsNewly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche gave remarks on Thursday that marked a sharp contrast from past statements and actions he’s taken as a top official at the Justice Department. In his remarks, Blanche pledged to focus on the DOJ’s “core mission” of “uphold[ing] the rule of law fairly and impartially” and to embrace disagreement among staff at the agency. “We will always respect the role of the judiciary,” Blanche added. “We will not engage in or stand for any sort of performative attacks that undermine the institutions that we are sworn to uphold.”Members of Justice Connection, a group of DOJ alums, noted that the agency’s recent track record severely undermined his statements. During Trump’s second term, the DOJ has fired staff who previously worked on classified documents and election interference cases against the president. Additionally, Blanche hasn’t been shy about calling out “rogue activist judges” and supporting an indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, one of Trump’s perceived political enemies. “Attorney General Blanche’s platitudes will only resonate if his actions start matching his words,” Justice Connection executive director Stacey Young said in a statement.Platner To Speak At Maine Labor Day Rally After Ending Scandal-Ridden CampaignFormer Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, who suspended his campaign last month in the face of sexual assault allegations, is expected to speak at a Labor Day event next month ― and his accusers are not pleased.Platner is slated to speak at the “Labor Day Rally for Labor” event on Sept. 7 in Ellsworth, Maine, The Bangor Daily News first reported Thursday.World War Two Memorial In Washington Vandalized With Bubbles And GraffitiReuters reports:The World War Two memorial in Washington was vandalized with bubbly soap and graffiti on Thursday, prompting vows from the U.S. government to find the perpetrator.The fountain bubbled over with suds and someone painted “Clean hands Dirty $” on one surface, splattering the area with paint.Dedicated in 2004, the memorial features 56 granite pillars around the edge of an elliptical plaza on the National Mall as a monument to the 400,000 Americans who died and 16 million who served in the armed forces during the conflict, according to the National Parks Service.“The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated,” the Interior Department, which oversees the National Parks Service, said in a statement. “Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act.”The Friends of the National WWII Memorial, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the memorial, called the vandalism “unacceptable,” saying the memorial was a “sacred place of remembrance.”“There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism,” the Friends said in a statement.The U.S. role in World War Two is largely a matter of national pride and unity even in highly polarizing times, though many Americans still debate whether the U.S. should have dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to end the war.The vandalism comes as President Donald Trump has launched a personal and sometimes politically divisive campaign to alter memorials around Washington.(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Vista, California;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Shri Navaratnam)Jury Selected For Trial Of Ex-Gang Leader Accused Of Ordering Tupac’s KillingA jury of 6 men and 10 women was selected Thursday to hear the case against an ex-gang leader accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s killing nearly 30 years ago in one of hip-hop’s most pivotal moments.Opening statements at the murder trial in Las Vegas are expected to begin Monday.Read more from The Associated Press: 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.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.See All Updates