“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic leadership team announced Tuesday night that the party would probe Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) and Jared Golden (D-ME) for siding with Republicans on a key rule vote on Tuesday,” Punchbowl News reports. “This is a major step for Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic […]

“Iranian hackers have targeted not only U.S. water systems but also America’s telecommunications, energy and other infrastructure in recent weeks,” NBC News reports. “The attempted cyberattacks have focused on automated systems connected to the internet and so far have not been successful. But they underscore Iran’s readiness to retaliate against the U.S. beyond its interests […]

“Top aides to President Donald Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November’s midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, a strategy that is already under strain ​as the United States and Iran resume their back-and-forth attacks,” Reuters reports. “White House officials will consider ramping up military action after the November […]

Aaron Blake: “President Donald Trump has dropped another clunker in the laps of his fellow Republicans in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections.” “His new trade war with Canada and his related move to change the name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ are the latest in a series of unpopular actions.” “In fact, […]

“The powerful Teamsters union is backing Republican candidates in the 2026 election cycle even after members have voted to support their Democrat opponents,” The Guardian reports. “The 1.3 million-strong union’s president, Sean O’Brien, angered many members and union leaders in 2024 when he became the first union president to speak at the Republican national convention.”

“Chevron plans to significantly expand its operations in Venezuela, the U.S. oil giant said on Wednesday, taking yet another step to broaden the U.S. sphere of influence in the South American country,” the New York Times reports. “The Houston-based company, already Venezuela’s largest private oil producer, said it would more than double its production in […]

“As President Donald Trump’s war with Iran drags on, a growing number of House Republicans are sounding the alarm about top-level turnover at the Pentagon — with some of the GOP’s most prominent national security voices openly criticizing the recent departures,” MS NOW reports. Mediaite: Trump reportedly “expressed concern” over Hegseth’s Army purge in private […]

“Donald Trump returned to the White House promising to get the United States’ financial house in order by slashing the scope of the federal government, ending costly ‘forever wars’ and spurring economic growth to tame spiraling deficits,” Reuters reports. “Instead, the national debt has surged past $40 trillion in the first 19 ​months of his […]

“On August 8, former Representative Eric Swalwell boarded a United Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Washington, D.C. He didn’t know it, but federal agents were watching him throughout the nine-hour trip,” The Atlantic reports. “The FBI had asked the Federal Air Marshal Service to covertly monitor Swalwell on board and to watch him use […]

“Iran retaliated against new U.S. strikes overnight, launching missiles and drones toward U.S. positions in the region in defiance of President Donald Trump’s warning Tuesday that such actions would see Iran ‘hit again at a much harder and higher level,’” the Washington Post reports. ”The overnight attacks came after U.S. forces launched a new round […]

“The count of Americans who believe that corruption is widespread in government is at its highest point in the last 20 years,” Semafor reports. “Almost nine in 10 Americans say that government corruption is widespread, according to new Gallup polling, an increase of 10 percentage points in the last year.”

“President Donald Trump has said he was puzzled when aides told him he could build a massive new White House ballroom without seeking approval,” the Washington Post reports. Said Trump: “Sir, this is the White House, you’re the president of the United States. You can do anything you want.” ”The president has spent his second […]

“The Pentagon has entered a period of profound institutional turmoil, as a crisis of leadership at home converges with a crisis of capacity abroad,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: Six months into the Iran war, Pete Hegseth presides over a Pentagon with fewer senior leaders, fewer critical weapons and less public accountability than at any […]

“Trump administration efforts to force change in the handling of election ballots may be facing a bigger hurdle than the cross-country court challenges and resistance: Election officials insist it is simply too late for them to even try to comply with the proposed rules,” CNN reports. “In court filings and interviews with CNN, election officials […]

“Republicans have a simple strategy for how to campaign against a slate of independent candidates running for Senate seats in red states: Take every opportunity to tie them to Democrats,” NOTUS reports. “In Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho and Montana, Republican Senate candidates are running against independents who have held the Democratic Party at arm’s length […]

“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team announced they are eyeing punishment for two House Democrats who bucked their party Tuesday,” Politico reports. “Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Jared Golden of Maine broke with leadership to advance a key procedural vote that revived Republicans’ legislative agenda. The incredibly rare crossing of […]

“President Donald Trump has a vision for next week’s GOP convention in Dallas: a televised spectacle putting Republican candidates in front of midterm voters and top party donors just two months before the Election Day — with Trump himself headlining the show,” Politico reports. ”But a Politico survey of more than 70 GOP candidates and […]

“President Donald Trump expressed frustration at the Iranian people on Tuesday night, asking why they are not rebelling against their government,” Mediaite reports. Said Trump: “I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our […]

“Rep. Stephen Lynch has defeated a younger, more progressive primary challenger, in the highest-profile test remaining for House incumbents after a turbulent primary season,” NBC News reports. “The 71-year-old incumbent won renomination over Patrick Roath, a 39-year-old former aide to former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. With his win, Lynch staved off an attempt to add […]

“U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived here to host global economic officials in the Blue Ridge Mountains, fresh off the breakdown of trade talks with Canada, currency and bond-market interventions, and President Trump’s renewed economic threats against Iran,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Two days later, the G-20 finance ministers’ gathering comes to a close […]

The Economist: “A year and a half ago, few would have wagered that Pete Hegseth would consolidate power at the Pentagon. Narrowly confirmed by the Senate amid allegations of financial mismanagement in prior jobs and heavy drinking, which Mr Hegseth denied, the former Fox News weekend host and voluble culture warrior appeared badly underqualified and […]

“The G20 finance ministers failed to agree on a joint statement after China objected to several provisions, including language addressing huge trade surpluses and countries’ reliance on exports for growth,” Axios reports. “China was the lone holdout, with the other 19 members backing the language — a sign of widening concern over the pressure that […]

“A super PAC working to reelect Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is plowing $1.1 million into an ad campaign attacking Democrat Troy Jackson for supporting state legislation that allows transgender women to be housed in women’s prisons,” Axios reports. “The ad is the latest example of Republicans using visceral attacks on transgender policies to draw sharp […]

“Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is projected to win the often-bitter Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA),” the Boston Globe reports.

“Joe Biden will attend the New York ceremony on Sept. 11 commemorating the 25th anniversary of the most lethal terrorist attacks in U.S. history, filling out the group of former presidents to attend the event,” the New York Times reports.

“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation follows a strained relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and repeated warnings to the White House, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about what has been described as Hegseth’s widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers,” ABC News reports. “Driscoll also warned the White House about unprecedented efforts […]

“President Trump said he’s nominating Navy veteran Hung Cao to become the service’s top civilian leader, a job that has been vacant since spring when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed John Phelan out of the job,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Tuesday’s Democratic primaries in Massachusetts are likely to determine who will represent the state in Washington next year,” the New York Times reports. “The state is so Democratic that its primaries are usually more consequential than general elections in congressional races. The state’s last Republican House members left office after the 1996 elections. Scott Brown, […]

“House Democrats were left stunned and pointing fingers Tuesday after a pair of centrist lawmakers unexpectedly helped Republican leadership pass a key procedural vote,” Axios reports. “The result underscored how little control House Democratic leadership enjoys over some of its more independent-minded members even at crucial moments.” “The two centrists, Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and […]

“Apple has changed the label on Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,'” Axios reports. “Apple is the second major digital map provider to make the switch. Google did so over the weekend — at least for those in the United States.”