“The Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation to impose sanctions against Russia and Iran after months of fits and starts, with the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham providing the final push,” NBC News reports. “The 61-page legislation, re-named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, in honor of the bill’s […]

“President Donald Trump reiterated his preference for lower interest rates but acknowledged it is not the central bank chief’s decision alone, taking a much softer tone than the sharp criticisms he threw at Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh’s predecessor,” Bloomberg reports. Said Trump: “It’s up to him a little bit, but not completely. And he’s […]

“President Donald Trump is moving forward with his attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve over unproven allegations of mortgage fraud, in a move that is likely to spark a new legal battle over the independence of the central bank,” ABC News reports.

“The Trump administration this week sparked enthusiasm that the U.S. and Iran could soon strike a deal on the Strait of Hormuz, driving down oil prices and sending stocks soaring — only for no deal to emerge,” CNBC reports. “If that sounds familiar, it may be because President Donald Trump has claimed dozens of times […]

“Democratic turnout for House primaries in a majority-Black Tennessee county surged to the highest level in a decade, the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black voters across the South,” the Washington Post reports.

“In the weeks leading up to the U.S. war with Iran, President Trump cheered on the Iranian protesters rising up against their government, telling them that they should ‘save the names of the killers and abusers’ and that he would come to their aid,” the New York Times reports. He promised: “HELP IS ON ITS […]

“A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking a full, unredacted copy of D.C.’s voter registration data, marking another defeat for the Trump administration in its aggressive attempts to scour states’ voter rolls over claims of fraud and undocumented immigrants casting ballots,” NOTUS reports.

“President Trump cannot continue building the ballroom he planned as a replacement to the East Wing of the White House without explicit approval from Congress, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday,” the New York Times reports. “The ruling, by judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, dealt […]

“The Supreme Court just over a month ago expanded presidential power when it struck down removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission, clearing the way for the president to fire members of certain independent boards and commissions at-will,” CBS News reports. “But as the high court considered the legality of Congress’ efforts to […]

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently told Congress that the U.S. government has spent an estimated $37.5 billion to date on the Iran war and requested an additional $67 billion in emergency funding,” Mother Jones reports. “But there are several hidden costs that don’t factor into Hegseth’s accounting—ones that the rest of us are actually paying.” […]

“Hillary Clinton blasted President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the White House in an interview posted Friday, telling podcast host Kara Swisher that Trump’s ‘tackied up’ decor is ‘reminiscent’ of dictator Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Iraq,” CNN reports. Said Clinton: “It’s sad to me — it’s sad that it’s so tackied up, and it’s a reflection […]

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“I know more about grass than any human being, I think, anywhere in the world.” — President Trump, quoted by the Associated Press.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as the next Attorney General.  Cassidy was the deciding vote.

“A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East ​Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential ‌authority,” Reuters reports.

At first glance, Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) new book, How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents, looks like it might be a genuine act of political courage. In an era when few Republicans are willing to challenge Donald Trump, a senator writing about the costs of standing up to a president sounds refreshingly unusual. Join […]

“President Donald Trump said voters may seek to punish Republicans — but not him — in the November midterm elections, as GOP lawmakers sweat that affordability concerns and the war in Iran could mean Democrats flip the House and perhaps even the Senate,” Politico reports. Said Trump: “They’re angry at Republicans. But they’re not angry […]

“The operator behind at least six of the mysterious Freedom Fuel discount gas stations had faced a stream of nearly 200 penalties in New Jersey before President Donald Trump touted the network last month,” Politico reports. “The penalties pertaining to safety and environmental violations laid out in New Jersey public records raise questions about how […]

“Former CNN anchor Don Lemon asked a federal judge in Minnesota to dismiss criminal civil rights charges against him on Friday, saying he is being unlawfully targeted for vindictive prosecution,” CBS News reports.

“I know that it was a bitter end to this very long primary, but I also know that Haley brings the best of herself to her work. She is one of the most committed public servants that you’ll ever meet. She loves democracy like I love democracy, and whatever differences that we might have had […]

Julia Azari: “We might be approaching peak electability season. Traditionally, there’s a bit of a lull before the general election campaigns really kick off, and there are a few more primaries to go. Abdul El-Sayed won the primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, and Francesca Hong seems likely to win the Democratic nomination for governor […]

“Mitch McConnell’s D.C. home has drawn plenty of eyeballs during his mysterious weeks-long absence… and it turns out there really was a Senator living there the whole time — just not Mitch,” TMZ reports. It appears Sen. Thom Tillis “has been renting a carriage house on McConnell’s property after selling his condo in March — […]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced early this morning that she will oppose Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, leaving the nomination with virtually no margin for error. With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) still absent from the Senate while recovering from a fall, Blanche can afford to lose only one more Republican vote.  And Sen. Bill […]

“President Donald Trump declined to back Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for a second term as Republican leader in the chamber, saying he did not want to discuss the matter, in an interview that aired on Friday,” NewsNation reports.   Said Trump: “I don’t want to get into that necessarily. I get along with […]

“President Donald Trump complimented House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as a ‘nice guy’ whom he could ‘probably get along with very well’ ahead of midterm elections that could see the Democrat become Speaker,” Mediaite reports.

“The U.S. lost 23,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said Friday, an unexpected decline, and springtime job gains were revised sharply lower,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Corey Lewandowski is down, but not out,” the New York Post reports. “President Trump’s rough-and-tumble former campaign manager took a hit when Trump fired Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary in March, ending Lewandowski’s position as a special government employee with its access and perks.” “But the 52-year-old is working on engineering a return from […]

“Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 U.S. embassy hostage crisis,” The Guardian reports. “For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge […]

“Interior Department staffers were optimistic after Doug Burgum was confirmed to lead the agency in 2025, believing he had strong executive experience as governor of energy-rich North Dakota who led successful tech startups and businesses,” Politico reports. “But since he took over at Interior last year, that hope has been replaced by confusion and concern […]

A new Texas A&M Bush School poll shows James Talarico (D) up by four points over Ken Paxton (R), 47% to 43%. In the gubernatorial race, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) leads by just one point over Gina Hinojosa (D), 46% to 45%.