“The Republican congressman Ryan Mackenzie has been accused of embellishing his résumé with private sector experience in real estate sales amid an acrimonious showdown over his Pennsylvania seat,” The Guardian reports. “Mackenzie, who has previously been accused of lying about his age on Tinder, ‘was a real estate salesperson licensed in PA,’ according to his […]

“National Democrats and Republicans are pressuring local TV stations to respond in opposite ways to a new federal court ruling on political ad rates,” Axios reports. “How they respond will have a major impact on the fight for control of Congress by deciding which party’s ad money goes further in the final stretch of the […]

“CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to Moscow this week was preceded by fresh U.S. intelligence indicating that the Kremlin sees the United States as weakened by the Iran war, offering Russia an opportunity to escalate action against American interests and allies in Europe,” the Washington Post reports.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is demanding answers from Apple after the company received nearly $2.2 billion in tariff refunds. Wrote Warren: “This amounts to a multi-billion dollar windfall, which could still grow if more of your refund petitions are granted.” Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn […]

“Three journalists at the federally funded but independent Stars and Stripes news organization sued the government on Thursday, claiming that the Pentagon fired them in retaliation for writing about the worsening conditions inside a Navy aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East,” the New York Times reports. “The journalists accused the government of violating their […]

“Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration ‘misappropriated’ $10 million in taxpayer money by diverting it to a charity tied to his wife, according to a leaked Florida grand jury report that took a sharply critical view of the dealings,” the New York Times reports.

“A federal judge on Thursday sharply questioned the Kennedy Center’s plans to add President Donald Trump’s name back to its building in coming weeks and expressed frustration that it could happen before he decides whether the move is legal,” CNN reports.

“The U.S. is in talks with Venezuela to take a large stake in its oil fields, a dramatic move by the Trump administration to extend its influence on the post-Maduro government and the nation’s vast energy reserves,” Bloomberg reports. “Negotiators from both countries are discussing the plan, according to people familiar with the matter who […]

“President Trump’s playbook for reshaping America’s elections targets who appears on voter rolls, how ballots move through the mail, who monitors polling places and where congressional lines are drawn,” Axios reports. “The effort leaves virtually no part of the election system untouched.” “Voting-rights experts say the churn is designed to sow confusion, deter turnout and […]

“Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has accepted invitations to four debates ahead of November’s election in a state that has become crucial to each party’s potential path to power in the Senate,” the Washington Post reports. “Her Democratic rival, Troy Jackson, has not yet agreed to appear at the debates, which would all be hosted by […]

“When CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Russia’s top spy chief this week, he asked that Moscow not share intelligence with Iran,” NBC News reports. “Sergey Naryshkin, the chief of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, told Ratcliffe that his country is not providing intelligence to Iran.”

“President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario ‘Lake America,’ then joked that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could be next,” Fox News reports. Said Trump: “So if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll […]

“Former President Barack Obama will headline a fundraiser for House Democrats on Sept. 10 in New York with Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, as Democrats try to restock their political war chest before the final sprint to the fall midterm elections,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Obama is set to attend a reception […]

“The Secret Service put its chief spokesman and two other non-law enforcement employees on administrative leave in a misconduct investigation, the agency said,” the Washington Post reports.

“Venezuela’s National Assembly advanced a plan to restart the selection of Supreme Court justices, potentially marking one of the first concrete results of U.S.-backed political talks aimed at rebuilding democratic institutions,” Bloomberg reports.

“Federal investigators said the temporary relocation of Marine One’s landing zone due to White House construction was a factor in a safety incident earlier this month involving the military helicopter carrying President Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “On Aug. 4, Marine One took off from the White House, bound for Joint Base Andrews in […]

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth favors Sean Parnell to become the next Army secretary, but the Pentagon spokesperson would probably face a tough path to Senate confirmation,” NOTUS reports.

“Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) expressed concern Wednesday over how election observers from the U.S. Justice Department observed the state’s primaries last week, saying it was ‘aggressive’ and ‘irregular,'” NBC News reports. Said Gordon: “It sounded like the behavior of the observers was a bit aggressive. It just was irregular and I have asked the […]

“President Donald Trump said he does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will attack NATO members, as tensions rise in Europe over Moscow targeting countries that supply weapons and money to Ukraine,” Bloomberg reports. “The president’s comments follow a rare trip by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Russia for meetings on Tuesday, though it remains […]

“President Donald Trump announced he was moving to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, escalating his clash with Canada after trade negotiations between the two nations collapsed,” Bloomberg reports. NOTUS: What Trump’s “Gulf of America” tells us about “Lake America.”

“After raging against a key tool in President Donald Trump’s economic arsenal, Senate Democrats quietly green-lit the authority before they left Washington, D.C,” Fox News reports. “Democrats have bashed Trump’s use of tariffs since they were first floated during his campaign in 2024, and have taken every chance to challenge and push back against duties […]

“Russia imposed sharp spending restrictions after an April liquidity crisis exposed the mounting costs of its war in Ukraine,” Bloomberg reports. “A tight austerity regime was introduced after Finance Minister Anton Siluanov warned Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin that there wouldn’t be enough cash that month to make all the necessary payments on time, as the […]

“With control of the Senate hanging in the balance, President Trump is heading to Houston on Friday to raise money to help a Republican ally who has been struggling,” the New York Times reports. “The Republican National Committee is holding a fund-raiser for Ken Paxton, the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general who is running for Senate. […]

“The Trump administration plans to step up deportation flights to Haiti as soon as this week, a move intended to more quickly expel thousands of Haitians whose legal status expired this summer with the end of a humanitarian program,” the New York Times reports.

“A Republican push to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci for contempt of Congress has stalled as the Trump administration questions whether the legal approach supports an indictment by the Justice Department,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Three weeks after a GOP-led Senate committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, some administration officials are skeptical […]

“A coalition of more than 600 historic preservation groups, architectural associations, Tribal governments and other organizations is urging Congress to block President Donald Trump’s efforts to weaken or evade laws intended to protect historic sites,” the Washington Post reports. “Members of the new coalition say they are seeking to safeguard sites in every congressional district […]

“The Trump administration’s top trade negotiator suggested the U.S. ought to consider banning some Canadian goods, injecting another threat into a trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa,” Bloomberg reports.

“Embattled North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards sent a 23-page letter to his colleagues defending himself against sexual harassment allegations that led to his decision to not run for reelection in November,” NOTUS reports. Wrote Edwards: “Friendship is not misconduct. Generosity is not misconduct. Social interaction is not misconduct. Caring deeply about colleagues who have become […]

“A former staffer for Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) shared images in June and July on his X account of a swastika and one that depicts himself in Ku Klux Klan robes,” the Washington Post reports. “The images follow other controversial actions and rhetoric from former Collins staffers and other Collins associates that have dogged his […]

Wall Street Journal: “The air war between Russia and Ukraine has entered a new phase. With expanded aerial arsenals and inadequate air defenses, both sides are bludgeoning each other in a bare-knuckle fight that is causing a widening swath of destruction and a rising civilian toll.”