“President Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month,” Politico reports. ”Emails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages of documents submitted to FEMA by three states — New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island — provide new details about […]

New York Times: “More than 1,100 pages long and dating from 2019 to 2022, Dr. Fauci’s diary reads like a black comedy of manners in which a 79-year-old social-climbing scientist becomes the face of the government’s response to a pandemic and then the toast of the town — the toast of this town. As the […]

New York Times: “One of the most surprising outcomes from a whiplash year of tariffs may be that China has emerged in a position of relative strength, with significantly lower tariffs than last year. The Trump administration last week imposed a new tariff rate on Chinese exports of 12.5 percent, similar to rates for dozens […]

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pulled off a feat Tuesday that seemed impossible a year ago: convincing Washington that Kyiv can win the war,” Politico reports. ”Unlike Zelenskyy’s tortured Oval Office visit in February 2025, he left a meeting with President Donald Trump in high spirits. And he capped off the trip with another victory, watching […]

“It sounds like something that James Bond would use: a gadget that self-destructs if it falls into the wrong hands. But it’s actually an open-source operating system that can be downloaded onto Android phones,” the New York Times reports. “Federal prosecutors in Atlanta are bringing an obstruction charge against a U.S. citizen who gave customs […]

“The United States and Saudi Arabia said they had carried out joint strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq early Wednesday local time, and the Iranian military said that it had fired missiles at American military targets in the Middle East,” the New York Times reports.

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune has one of the toughest jobs in Washington. It could get even harder next year,” Axios reports. “Thune is one of the few Republicans in Washington who’s managed to say ‘no’ to President Trump and still keep his job. But the Senate leader could enter the next Congress with diminished […]

“A one-on-one matchup between Republican Kurt Alme and independent Seth Bodnar in Montana’s Senate race is looking less likely,” Semafor reports. “The Montana Secretary of State’s office tells Semafor that there’s no wiggle room if Democratic Senate candidate Alani Bankhead drops out of the race in the next two weeks.” Said a spokesperson for Montana […]

“President Donald Trump recently pardoned a major Republican donor three days after the man — a key figure in the Jack Abramoff fraud and lobbying scandal — made a political donation to Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), who’s facing one of the nation’s most contested House races,” NOTUS reports.

“In a massive show of bipartisanship, 86 senators voted to move forward with a Russia and Iran sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham,” Axios reports. “The vote came hours after senators gathered to honor Graham’s memory, and immediately following a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”

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“President Donald Trump has endorsed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) to run for re-election to her late brother’s Senate seat, but that hasn’t dissuaded eleven other Republican contenders from throwing their hats in the ring,” Mediaite reports.

Jonathan Lemire: “President Trump has mused about being the most powerful man in history. He has started wars and remade his nation’s economic and strategic relationships with the world. He has demanded, and largely received, total obedience from his party. He has dominated the national discourse like no president has before, and he’s tried to […]

“When the first of the Three Amigos died, the service at Washington National Cathedral felt like a repudiation of President Trump, who was not invited and not welcome. When the last of the amigos departed this life, the service felt like an affirmation of Mr. Trump, who was not only invited but led the tributes,” […]

“President Trump’s lawyers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the $83.3 million defamation judgment he was ordered to pay to E. Jean Carroll,” Axios reports.

“Marcye Scott, the daughter of the late Rep. David Scott, and fellow Democrat Everton Blair advanced to a runoff Tuesday in the Georgia special election to fill the final months of the longtime congressman’s term in the House,” NBC News reports. “The two candidates finished atop a five-candidate, all-party special primary election for Georgia’s 13th […]

“Iran launched a surprise ballistic-missile attack on American forces in the Middle East, the U.S. military said, marking a violent escalation after four days without strikes from either side,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “All of the Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted, the U.S. military said, without saying where the attack was targeted.”

“The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, on Tuesday to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies, installing a longtime ally of the president into a top national security post that has waned in significance during the second Trump administration,” the New York Times reports. “The vote, 51 to 47, was along party lines. […]

“A sordid, yearslong family drama involving two powerful Republican members of Congress from Ohio and allegations of domestic abuse is threatening to put a fairly safe GOP. House seat at risk in an already challenging midterm election year for the party,” the New York Times reports. “Representative Max Miller, a second-term Republican representing northeast Ohio […]

“The Trump administration intends to end a subsidy program that helped lower costs for Medicare drug plans, a move that could potentially raise monthly costs for older adults,” Bloomberg reports. “At issue are billions in subsidies intended to help control premiums for Medicare Part D coverage, which helps seniors pay for prescription drugs.”

“The Trump administration has begun arresting foreign citizens with expired U.S. visas as they travel through airports, including spouses of Americans — a tactic that opens up a vast new pool of people for deportation,” the New York Times reports. “Immigration agents in plain clothes have whisked away targets at check-in counters and arrival gates, […]

Rolling Stone: “Lindsey Graham was laid to rest today, and at least one of his many mourners marked the occasion by getting in a little nap. In several clips of the funeral, Donald Trump was seen openly drifting off in his seat, eyes and head drooping down as the dulcet tones of a political ally’s […]

“Boeing spent another quarter in the red as it poured more resources into developing new presidential jets and accelerating production of commercial planes,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The U.S. manufacturer said fast-tracking work on the modified 747-8 jets that will some day serve as Air Force One will cost an additional $280 million, the […]

President Trump’s net approval rating has fallen to a record-low 25 points underwater, with just 35% approving of his job performance and 60% disapproving, The Economist reports. 

“Former President Barack Obama will hold a fund-raiser in late August for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a fresh sign that Democrats intend to continue their aggressive push to gerrymander congressional districts ahead of the 2028 election,” the New York Times reports.

“Democrats across the country agree that their new primary map will redraw the road to their party’s 2028 presidential nomination. But, as they look to what’s widely expected to be a crowded and competitive contest, no one is quite sure what turns it will take,” the New York Times reports. “Instead of Iowa and New […]

“The Pentagon is taking steps to rename a South Carolina military base after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham,” NOTUS reports.

“A thief scammed the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee out of nearly $29,000 last year, according to interviews with committee officials and previously unreported federal records,” NOTUS reports. “In February 2025, an unknown party sent a fraudulent email to a committee staffer pretending to be Chairman Ken Martin, a DNC official familiar with the matter confirmed […]

“The Trump administration is proposing a way for space companies to skip environmental reviews,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Transportation officials on Tuesday disclosed a plan that would allow the Federal Aviation Administration to waive requirements under environmental laws and regulations as it permits commercial rocket sites, launches and spacecraft reentries.”

“Federal politicians would be barred from using campaign contributions to fight or settle sexual misconduct allegations under a bill announced Tuesday by two House members from opposite sides of the political spectrum,” the Washington Post reports. “The proposal, from Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), aims to further shape the debate over […]