“The scope of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems has grown to include at least seven states and may be far wider, officials and experts warned, as the authorities raced to safeguard the nation’s water supply against an assault that increasingly appeared to be the work of Iran,” the New York Times reports. “While there were […]

“A freelance reporter has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter,” the New York Times reports. “The subpoena, which has not been previously disclosed, […]

“President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he would ‘push hard’ to enact legislation that would offer payouts to people ‘badly treated’ by the Obama and Biden administrations, his latest threat to resurrect the controversial fund,” the Washington Post reports. Said Trump: “It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it […]

The Atlantic: “Wisconsin has been the nation’s most closely divided state for a quarter century. Since 2000, only one presidential candidate—Barack Obama, twice—has carried the state by more than a single percentage point. But despite its status as a battleground, America’s Dairyland has never been a bastion of milquetoast moderation. Wisconsin has produced both a […]

“President Trump is seriously considering launching attacks against energy targets in Iran in the next few days, but hasn’t given final orders to do it, a U.S. official told Axios on Friday,” Axios reports. “A new U.S. bombing campaign in Iran against energy and infrastructure targets would be aimed at trying to get the Iranians […]

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live. We discuss Trump’s deepening war with Iran and how inflation and an economic slowdown threatens Republicans in the midterms. Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more. If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

“When President Donald Trump helped orchestrate Darline Graham’s appointment to finish Sen. Lindsey Graham’s term, many Republicans in South Carolina saw it as a fitting tribute to her late brother,” CNN reports. “But four days later, following Trump’s announcement that he wanted Graham to run for a six-year term, their feelings quickly flipped.” “The president’s […]

“Days after the completion this month of a $14 million renovation, the shallow water in the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool had more algae in it than at any recorded point in the month of June for at least five years, according to a specialized analysis of satellite data,” the Washington Post reports. NOTUS: Trump administration […]

“The top U.S. general in Europe privately warned the Pentagon this week that he lacks sufficient naval forces to continue protecting Israel from incoming ballistic missiles, officials said, illustrating how the ongoing Iran war has imposed constraints on the military,” the Washington Post reports.

“Kuwait said that Iranian forces had launched a wave of drone attacks at its shores early Saturday, as the Middle East braced for a possible escalation in fighting after President Trump said he was preparing to hit Iran ‘very hard,'” the New York Times reports. “Kuwait’s military said that it had detected and destroyed multiple […]

“Late one night last August, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, was at his summer residence two hours west of Helsinki when his phone rang. On the other end of the line was President Trump, calling with a request,” the New York Times reports. “He wanted to buy a fleet of massive ships designed to […]

“To America’s allies, President Trump’s war in Iran, now in its sixth month, seems headed for a strategic defeat,” the New York Times reports. “They worry that the inability of the United States to turn military superiority into a sustainably changed Iran has displayed a vulnerability that Russia and China will welcome. In addition, Mr. […]

“The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee ​has scheduled an ‌executive business meeting for Tuesday to ​consider the ​nomination of Todd Blanche ⁠to be ​U.S. attorney general, according ​to the committee’s website,” Reuters reports. ”Blanche’s nomination has been stalled ​after a ​standoff with fellow Republicans over ‌a ⁠plan by President Donald Trump for $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund […]

“Ukraine rolled out the red carpet for Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who frequently speaks to President Trump,” the New York Times reports. “She sat down for about 40 minutes last week with President Volodymyr Zelensky, conducted the first interview with Ukraine’s new acting defense minister, dined with the country’s chief rabbi and got a […]

“A tanker near Oman reported being struck overnight, with another saying it saw an explosion nearby as Iran warned Washington that the U.S. military’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would result in the closure of key shipping routes,” CNBC reports. “Separately, Kuwait said its air defenses confronted hostile drone attacks by Iran.”

“The Trump administration is preparing a major rollback of federal requirements for Head Start, a change that supporters of the child care program fear could gut its longstanding antipoverty mission,” the New York Times reports. “The proposed changes would remove most of Head Start’s 133 pages of requirements for math and literacy curriculums, class sizes, […]

“Democratic Socialists of America revamped its platform ahead of a national summit this weekend in Chicago, shifting some official positions on immigration and democracy, as Republicans try to cast the entire Democratic Party in its mold ahead of the midterms,” Semafor reports.

“President Donald Trump filed an appeal Friday in hopes of reinstating his controversial ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, which has drawn criticism from lawmakers in both parties and derailed the confirmation process for his attorney general pick, Todd Blanche,” NOTUS reports.

“A top Federal Reserve official has warned this week’s sell-off in U.S. Treasuries is a signal that the central bank must earn its ‘credibility’ on fighting inflation by backing up its rhetoric with interest rate rises,” the Financial Times reports. Said St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem: “Mr Market spoke this week, and I took […]

“Federal prosecutors have moved to dismiss the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn, saying instead that damage to the pool was ‘the result of botched installation and not vandalism,'” NPR reports. CNN: Justice Department admits Reflecting Pool renovation was flawed, drops case against former Olympian.

“Hunter Biden said on a podcast episode published this week that he believed his father, former President Joe Biden was unknowingly suffering from cancer during the disastrous debate performance that led to the end of his 2024 presidential campaign,” the New York Times reports. Said Biden: “He looked blank. And what do I attribute that […]

“President Donald Trump on Friday held what the administration said was the first televised Cabinet meeting at Camp David, assembling his deputies at the secure wooded retreat to tout the administration’s accomplishments,” the Washington Post reports. “But the rural Maryland setting, long used by presidents for sensitive private meetings or as a tranquil escape, swiftly […]

“President Donald Trump said Friday that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for so-called victims of government abuse is ‘dead’ – as much as he’d like it not to be,” Politico reports. Said Trump: “It’s dead, but you know, I wish it weren’t … I’d like to see them compensated.” Associated Press: Trump says settlement fund […]

“Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that the United States should consider expanding the Supreme Court to be made up of 13 justices, a popular idea among Democrats who have increasingly pushed for court reform,” CNN reports. Said Harris: “We need to revisit the point of expanding the court to 13 justices like we […]

“Kevin Warsh is considering reducing the number of regularly scheduled meetings at which the Federal Reserve sets interest rates, a potentially seismic move that would mark the most significant change in how the central bank operates in years,” the New York Times reports. “The Federal Reserve’s 12-person policy committee meets eight times a year and […]

“Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is unsure whether Rep. Max Miller should stay on the ballot in his House district after Miller was accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife — who is also the senator’s daughter,” NOTUS reports. Said Moreno: “I don’t know.” CBS News: Miller denies domestic abuse allegations amid calls for investigation.

“President Trump said Friday that he doesn’t blame Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for blocking the nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general because he’s doing it as retaliation for Trump supporting his opponent,” NewsNation reports. Said Trump: “This is being done by a senator, and I don’t really blame him to be honest with you. […]

“The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday that it has settled a case involving former Rep. George Santos, who was facing an insider trading investigation by the Justice Department for betting on his own attendance to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year,” NOTUS reports. “Santos has agreed to pay a […]

“Lawyers for President Trump said on Friday they would appeal a recent order from a judge casting doubt on the legitimacy of a $1.8 billion fund and extraordinary personal tax protections that emerged from a deal to drop his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service,” the New York Times reports. “The notice of appeal, filed […]

“Higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve this week would have put the central bank in a better position to tackle elevated inflation, the three officials who voted against the latest policy decision said on Friday,” the New York Times reports.