Researchers report the existence of an undisclosed network comprising hundreds of X accounts that utilize artificial intelligence to automatically offer supportive replies to conservatives, focusing on praise for Trump administration officials.

However, as the MAGA community remains divided over the administration’s approach to files connected to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, these accounts have produced inconsistent messaging. This has exposed the AI-driven nature of the accounts by delivering conflicting statements regarding the issue.

Monitored for NBC News by Alethea, a social media analytics company, alongside Clemson University researchers, the network includes over 400 identified bot accounts, although experts believe the total could be substantially higher. These accounts consistently commend prominent Trump supporters, especially highlighting backing for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

As often is the case with bot accounts, those viewed by NBC News tended to have only a few dozen followers, and their posts rarely get many views. But a large audience does not appear to be the point. Their effectiveness, if they have any, is in the hope that they contribute to a partisan echo chamber, and that en masse they can “massage perceptions,” said Darren Linvill, the director of Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub, which studies online disinformation campaigns.

“They’re not really there to get engagement. They’re there to just be occasionally seen in those replies,” Linvill told NBC News.

• What comes next in the Epstein saga: The Justice Department said unsealing grand jury transcripts related to Epstein’s case is necessary given “longstanding and legitimate” public interest in the case, but the move could create legal and ethical challenges.

Politics in brief

• Across the aisle: The last vestige of the decades-old bipartisan funding process is at risk of dying, as the Republican-led Congress shifts to a partisan approach and party-line votes.
• What happens in Vegas? When it comes to President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” few places could be impacted more significantly than Nevada — one of the country’s most closely divided swing states.
• Rebrand demand: The president wants Washington’s football franchise and Cleveland’s baseball team to revert to their former names, both of which were changed amid national discussions about institutions and teams dropping logos and names considered racist.

Driver shot after he intentionally plowed into crowd outside L.A. nightclub, police say

A man was dragged from his car by enraged bystanders and shot after he plowed a vehicle into a crowd outside a nightclub in Los Angeles, leaving seven people critically injured and at least 23 others hurt, police say.

Videos showed the moments after the car rammed into the busy street early Saturday morning. Multiple people could be seen bloodied and on the ground, some screaming. Others could be seen running away from the scene. A woman who had blood running down one of her legs said she couldn’t feel either of them.

The incident appears to have been intentional, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the situation said the suspect was kicked out of the venue for being intoxicated and disruptive.

Police said they arrested the driver, Fernando Ramirez, 29, who was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently hospitalized and has not been booked into jail, the LAPD said.

Forget twisters. These storm chasers are after a sneakier hazard: Hail.

A team of about 70 researchers, armed with high-tech sensors and specially outfitted vehicles, set out across the nation this spring and summer to chase dozens of thunderstorms, hoping to unravel the remaining mysteries of how hail forms, whether hail storms are getting bigger in a warming climate and how to prevent damage.

The federally funded project, known as ICECHIP, is the first comprehensive field study of hail in four decades. It’s meant to fill in critical gaps in hail forecasting capabilities: connecting a storm’s complex, internal dynamics to the amount and the size of hail it will produce. That data could help modelers develop better predictors of storm damage, as well as aid in developing building materials, like roofing, that can stand up to hailstones.

Caffeine pouches take off among teens

The use of caffeine pouches among teens is still relatively rare, but some experts and educators have concerns that that could soon change as teen-friendly marketing spreads on social media, with some explicitly promoting the product to students.

The pillow-shaped pouches, which can contain more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, are placed between the lip and gums to quickly deliver a hands-free hit of caffeine. Caffeine pouch startup Wip and its competitors are pitching them as a convenient, portable and affordable alternative to caffeinated drinks.

Rob van Dam, a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, voiced concerns about the potency of some pouches on the market, particularly for consumers who are not used to them.

“It may be a bit different than coffee,” he said. “It may hit faster, and you may overdose, in a way, more quickly.”

Scottie Scheffler wins the British Open to move one step closer to a Grand Slam

Scottie Scheffler won his first British Open title, now giving him three of golf’s four majors.

Scheffler, who closed with a 3-under 68 for a four-shot victory, already won the PGA Championship by five shots this year. He won the Masters last year by four shots and the Masters in 2022 by three shots.

This is the second straight year a player has won two majors, after Xander Schauffele won the PGA Championship and British Open last year.

“I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,” said Schauffele, who tied for seventh.

Notable quote

A loose network of first responders, volunteers and good Samaritans have fanned out across Kerr County to help reunite Texans with the cherished belongings, family heirlooms and everyday household knickknacks that were swept away when floods ripped through the region over Fourth of July weekend, killing more than 130 people.

In case you missed it

• Data company Astronomer said its CEO has resigned, days after a “kiss cam” at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts showed a man and a woman embracing each other before running off and becoming one of the most viral moments of the year.
• Pope Leo XIV spoke of his “deep sorrow” and called for an end to the “barbarity of war” in the wake of the shelling of the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza.
• The nation’s largest wildfire this year has burned over 95,740 acres, fire officials in central Oregon said, as ground crews made progress to partially contain a blaze that could still intensify to become a so-called megafire.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold another round of peace talks, and that he wanted to speed up negotiations for a ceasefire.
• A boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam during a sightseeing excursion, killing 37 people, state media reported.
• The players warmed up for Saturday night’s WNBA All-Star Game in shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us,” a demonstration that comes after the players and the league failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
• Katy Perry nearly fell on top of audience members while performing midair at a concert in San Francisco, after a fake giant butterfly she was riding above the crowd fell by several feet.