“The massive expenditure of U.S. munitions in the Middle East is increasingly worrying Asian allies and frustrating Pentagon officials overseeing the Indo-Pacific, who fear that the prolonged war with Iran could undermine U.S. readiness for a conflict with China as it continues to step up military pressure across the region,” the Washington Post reports.

“A year after President Trump set out to rewire global trade in America’s favor, the biggest winner has turned out to be Vietnam,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “For the first half of this year, federal data shows Vietnam’s trade surplus with the U.S. hit $114 billion, ahead of semiconductor hub, Taiwan, Mexico, and even […]

“Former leaders of the National Archives — which preserves and protects the nation’s most important documents — are urging a federal appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s effort to ignore the Presidential Records Act, a decades old law that requires presidents save all official records from their time in office,” CNN reports. “Six archivists, […]

“Secret Service communications director Anthony Guglielmi has been placed on leave,” NBC News reports. “The news comes as a Secret Service spokesperson revealed that three officials who are not law enforcement personnel were put on leave pending an investigation into potential misconduct.” New York Post: Three Secret Service honchos put on leave, face misconduct probe […]

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed put more distance between himself and Hasan Piker on Wednesday night, telling Semafor in an interview that he has ‘no plans’ to campaign with the controversial streamer.

President Trump declared “Mission Accomplished” in Iran on Truth Social.

“The surprise visit by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency to Moscow this week was to deliver a warning to Russia not to attack NATO countries,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The trip was spy-agency chief John Ratcliffe’s first publicly known visit to the Russian capital. It followed new U.S. intelligence assessments, that Russian […]

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has rejoined the Democratic Socialists of America after not renewing her membership for seven years, amid speculation that she might run for president in 2028,” The Guardian reports. “The 36-year-old New York representative and one of the country’s most prominent democratic socialists renewed her membership in the group’s national organization after reports emerged […]

“President Donald Trump took aim at Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) on Wednesday, declaring the congressman ‘ruined his career’ by endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) over him in the 2024 Republican presidential primary,” Mediaite reports.

“A military judge ruled Wednesday that the man accused of being the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks will stand trial starting in June 2028,” NBC News reports. “Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be prosecuted alongside others suspected of conspiring in the attacks: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.” “Mohammed is accused […]

“A federal judge denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a contempt of Congress indictment against Steve Bannon, saying the U.S. Justice Department didn’t justify dropping the case after the former White House aide had been convicted and served four months in prison,” Bloomberg reports.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission is dropping its case against a former Republican congressman who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in June after a 2023 insider trading conviction,” Bloomberg reports. “The regulator filed a motion this week to dismiss the civil claims against Stephen Buyer, who had been accused of using confidential information to […]

“The State Department on Wednesday designated three groups based in Europe, including two that advocate Palestinian rights, as transnational terrorist organizations,” the New York Times reports. “The move is part of the Trump administration’s fight against what it calls a ‘resurgence of far-left political terrorism’ worldwide, a focus that many security experts say is disproportionate.”

“Pressure is growing on House GOP leaders to allow a floor vote before the midterms on legislation designed to shield their constituents from the costs associated with data centers, with an increasing number of Republicans worried that mounting opposition to the energy-sucking facilities could hurt them at the polls,” Politico reports.

“Companies that do business with Canada, and the lawmakers who represent them, are ramping up their lobbying for carveouts from new U.S. tariffs on Canada,” Semafor reports.

“Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro blamed U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for sowing distrust in vaccines as the state confronts a widening measles outbreak that has killed two people and infected hundreds of others,” Bloomberg reports. “Shapiro said Kennedy’s rhetoric and efforts to reshape federal public health policy had contributed to confusion about vaccines […]

CNBC: “President Donald Trump, in a Wednesday interview, said that the word ‘affordability’ was ‘devised’ by Democrats to disparage him. The Republican National Committee sent out a fundraising text attributed to Vice President JD Vance that said groceries ‘cost what they cost.’ And Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) who won the nomination for a full Senate […]

“Republicans are gearing up for a party in the coming weeks that will require an unusually delicate dance to make it a success,” Bloomberg reports. “The GOP will hold an unprecedented midterm ‘convention’ in September, hoping to draw enthusiastic supporters to Dallas to celebrate their party and their standard bearer, President Donald Trump, with one […]

A Maryland judge ruled that Maryland lawmakers “failed to follow state election law in putting a proposed congressional redistricting amendment before voters, and ordered it blocked from the November ballot,” Baltimore Sun reports.

“Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, has launched an investigation into Flock Safety’s national surveillance network and is demanding to know who has access to the personal data of Americans captured on Flock cameras,” NewsNation reports.

“The chairman of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s panel reviewing the deadly 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan claimed on Wednesday it found ‘hidden’ documents about the military operation in a safe,” NOTUS reports. “Sean Parnell, who also serves as the Pentagon’s spokesperson, made the statement in a video tribute on the fifth anniversary of Abbey Gate, a […]

“Gregg Phillips, an election denier who once claimed he teleported to a Waffle House, says he is still working in the Trump administration, after he was reportedly removed from his influential role overseeing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s emergency response efforts in June,” Wired reports.

“Several Trump administration initiatives unveiled this week to restrict legal immigration — including a worldwide immigrant visa appointment pause and the cancellation of tourism and business visas — will harm the economy and workforce, experts say,” the Washington Post reports. Wall Street Journal: The Trump administration pauses immigrant visa applications.

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “The open Texas Senate race moves to Toss-up, as state Rep. James Talarico (D) leads in polls more often than not against state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who will need a rescue operation from national Republicans.” “Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), though much better-positioned than Paxton, is no longer in a […]

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the use of automated-license plate readers has gotten ‘out of control,’ as debates continue across the country over Flock Safety’s AI-enabled cameras,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Said DeSantis: “No one’s been stronger on law enforcement than me—but I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.”

“A federal judge on Wednesday allowed President Donald Trump, at least temporarily, to move forward with his effort to exert federal control over mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections,” NBC News reports. “The decision by Boston-based U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to lift an injunction that applied nationwide follows a Supreme Court decision […]

“President Donald Trump maintained his firm stance amid the ongoing U.S.-Canada trade war on Wednesday, repeating his claims that Canada is one of ‘the worst countries’ in the world to deal with and that they have taken ‘advantage’ of the U.S. during a radio interview with conservative host Glenn Beck,” ABC News reports.

“U.S. allies are privately warning that the Strait of Hormuz is still likely mined, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. Navy has completely removed and detonated explosives laid by Iran,” Bloomberg reports.

“The ranks of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus are depleting in the 2026 elections,” NBC News reports. “The primary season has already been harsh for the group of a few dozen rebellious conservatives, with more political dangers ahead in the coming months.”

Dan Pfeiffer: “I hoped that Darline Graham would lose last night’s South Carolina primary. Graham, who was appointed to fill out the last few months of her brother Lindsey’s term, is now running for the Republican nomination for a full six-year term.” “Donald Trump had urged the South Carolina governor to appoint Graham and then […]