Top Items:
Rolling Stone:
Trump's Military Crackdowns Are Only Going to Get Worse — L.A. and D.C. are only the beginning, as the president's team has been drawing up plans to unleash federal forces in other Democratic strongholds — President Donald Trump has expanded his military campaign against the United States …
Discussion:
WUSA, PBS NewsHour, CBS News, NewsNation, Chicago Tribune, New Republic, The Guardian and Truthout
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Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Trump's brownshirts deploy in DC — Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers. Become one 👇 — 🚨 Subscribe to PN 🚨 — If it wasn't Big Balls almost getting carjacked, Donald Trump would have figured out a different excuse for deploying the National Guard in Washington DC.
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsNation, Washington Post, The Guardian, ClearanceJobs, Associated Press, Scripps News, WTTG-TV, The Independent, Raw Story, Democracy Docket, The Status Kuo, Fox News, Washington Examiner, PJ Media, The Intercept, Mississippi Free Press, MSNBC, The City, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Republic and Daily Kos
Associated Press:
U.S. national debt reaches a record $37 trillion, the Treasury Department reports
Discussion:
The Independent, Associated Press and Fortune
Ashley Ahn / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: National Guard Begins Arriving on D.C. Streets
Trump Administration Live Updates: National Guard Begins Arriving on D.C. Streets
Discussion:
Today's Edition Newsletter, The Hill, Associated Press, Fox News, Washington Post, The Independent, CBS News, Plain Dealer, Blaze Media, WTTG-TV and The Guardian
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump Deploys National Guard for D.C. Crime but Called Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Very Special’
Trump Deploys National Guard for D.C. Crime but Called Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Very Special’
Discussion:
Newsbusters, Townhall, NewsMax.com, The Colorado Sun, Plain Dealer, The Independent, MSNBC, Mediaite, The Hill, Fox News, RedState, Blaze Media and Washington Examiner
New York Times:
White House Announces Comprehensive Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions — The Trump administration is giving museums 120 days to replace “divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions.” — The Trump administration said on Tuesday …
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Meridith McGraw / Wall Street Journal:
White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump's Historical Vision — Top White House officials will scrutinize exhibitions, internal processes, collections and artist grants ahead of America's 250th anniversary — The White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review …
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of Smithsonian Exhibitions and Materials — The Honorable Lonnie G. Bunch III — We wish to begin by expressing our appreciation for the brief tour you gave us recently of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Diane Ravitch's blog, Fox News, RedState, Axios, Washington Post, NPR, UPI, KVIA-TV, CBS News, The National Pulse, Politico, ABC News, NOTUS and CNBC
NBC News:
White House reviewing Smithsonian exhibits to make sure they align with Trump's vision — The president signed an executive order this year ordering the removal of “improper ideology” from the museum system. — The White House is conducting an expansive review of the Smithsonian's museum exhibitions …
Discussion:
USA Today and The Independent
Eva Corlett / The Guardian:
New Zealand woman and six-year-old son detained for three weeks by Ice in US enduring ‘terrifying’ ordeal — A New Zealand woman who is being held at a US immigration centre with her six-year-old son after they were detained crossing the Canada-US border, is being wrongly “treated like a criminal”, according to her friend and advocate.
Discussion:
MyNorthwest.com
Punchbowl News:
8/13/25 ☀️ AM: … The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has another bruising nomination fight on its hands. … If confirmed, Antoni would replace Erika McEntarfer, who was fired by Trump following significant downward revisions in the prior jobs report.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Mediaite and Crooks and Liars
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New York Times:
Trump's Pick of E.J. Antoni as BLS Leader Criticized by the Right and the Left
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, Associated Press, Vox, Financial Times, The Daily Beast, Axios, New Republic, Raw Story, HuffPost, Fox Business, Politico, Bloomberg, UPI, Truthout, CBS News, NewsMax.com, Fortune, Newsweek, Townhall, ABC News, Breitbart, Robert Reich, Mediaite, Roll Call, The Daily Caller, NPR, NBC News, NOTUS, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, KVIA-TV, The Hill and The Gateway Pundit
Paul Kiernan / Wall Street Journal:
The Partisan Economist Trump Wants to Oversee the Nation's Data
The Partisan Economist Trump Wants to Oversee the Nation's Data
Discussion:
Slow Boring, Salon, Newsweek, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, GovExec.com, The Hill, Axios, CNN, Washington Times, New Republic, The Daily Signal, MSNBC, HuffPost, Reuters and UPI
Politico:
Playbook: Laura Loomer's next target — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco — On today's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk about Laura Loomer's new campaign against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s orbit, geopolitical jockeying ahead of the Trump-Putin summit …
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NBC News:
Trump and Vance will meet virtually with Zelenskyy and European leaders tomorrow
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, New York Times, ABC News, Axios, Associated Press, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera, Semafor, The Independent, Political Wire and Breitbart
Jessie Blaeser / Politico:
Just how much has DOGE exaggerated its numbers? Now we have receipts. … The Trump administration's claim that it is saving billions of dollars through DOGE-related cuts to federal contracts is drastically exaggerated, according to a new POLITICO analysis of public data and federal spending records.
Discussion:
South Shore Press
Tom Abrahams / ABC13:
Texas Democrats to return home for second special session, ABC13 sources confirm — After breaking quorum, Texas House Democrats will return to the Lone Star State for another special session, according to sources. — AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) — ABC13 has confirmed with multiple sources that House Democrats will return to Texas.
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ABC News:
Texas Democrats to return after governor ends special session that included redistricting, sources say
Texas Democrats to return after governor ends special session that included redistricting, sources say
Discussion:
Associated Press, Pluribus News, twitchy.com, Bloomberg, One America News Network, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, HotAir, Fox News, Houston Public Media, New York Sun, The Hill, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Texas Tribune, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, Washington Times, KHOU-TV and Washington Post
Associated Press:
Mexico transfers 26 cartel figures wanted by US authorities in deal with Trump administration — Mexico sent 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States Tuesday in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks smuggling drugs across the border.
Discussion:
Axios, UPI, New York Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Post Millennial, New York Times, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, Washington Examiner and NewsNation
RELATED:
Brie Stimson / Fox News:
Mexico to extradite 26 top cartel leaders to US in Trump administration deal
Mexico to extradite 26 top cartel leaders to US in Trump administration deal
Discussion:
Reuters and Al Jazeera
David Edwards / Raw Story:
Ghislaine Maxwell cleared to leave prison on work release: report — Convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has reportedly been cleared to leave prison on work release. — Podcast host Allison Gill obtained information about Maxwell's security score, sex offender waiver …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, HuffPost and The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali
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New York Times:
Russia Is Suspected to Be Behind Breach of Federal Court Filing System — Federal officials are scrambling to assess the damage and address flaws in a sprawling, heavily used computer system long known to have vulnerabilities. — Investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, Politico, The Verge, Reuters, TechCrunch and NewsMax.com, more at Techmeme »
Jo Yurcaba / NBC News:
Minnesota teen says server forced her to prove her gender in restaurant bathroom — The 18-year-old high school student alleged the server would not let her exit the Buffalo Wild Wings restroom until she unzipped her hoodie and showed she had breasts. — A Minnesota teen filed a charge …
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation and Raw Story
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not — By the close of business Wednesday, Trump administration official Kari Lake must explain to a federal judge how she intends to ensure that Voice of America fulfills its congressional mandate to serve as a consistently reliable …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Atlantic, Lawyers, Guns & Money and American Greatness, more at Mediagazer »
Eric He / Politico:
Judge orders Trump administration to partially restore UCLA research funding … The UC Board of Regents held an emergency meeting Monday on the proposal, President Donald Trump's latest attempt to force higher education institutions to pay steep penalties for what the White House calls civil rights violations.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, New York Times and CalMatters
Analisa Novak / CBS News:
Dana White says UFC will host first-ever White House fight on July 4: “It is definitely going to happen” — The Ultimate Fighting Championship will stage a historic fight at the White House on July 4, 2026, marking America's 250th birthday with what would be the first professional mixed …
Farrah Tomazin / The Daily Beast:
White House Wants Big Balls to Get Same Medal as Rosa Parks — BALLS UP! — The move would appeal to Trump's MAGA base. — An ex-DOGE staffer known as “Big Balls” could end up receiving the highest civilian honor in the United States, placing him in the company of luminaries such as Rosa Parks …
Discussion:
The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, Crooks and Liars, The Independent, The Hill, Townhall, Raw Story, Mediaite, Newsweek and al.com
Bloomberg:
Bessent Urges Fed to Lower Rates by 150 Basis Points or More — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made his most explicit call yet for the Federal Reserve to execute a cycle of interest-rate cuts, suggesting the central bank's benchmark ought to be at least 1.5 percentage points lower than it is now.
Discussion:
Fortune and NewsMax.com
Siena Research Institute:
Hochul Approval & Favorability Ratings Up a Little; Hochul Lead Over Stefanik In 2026 Race Falls to 14 Points, 45-31%, from 23 Points, 47-24%, in June; Voters Say if Stefanik Runs & Is Elected Gov, It Would Be Bad for NY,49-37% — If BBB Cuts Federal $ to NY, 36% Say Reduce Services, 24% …
Linda Qiu / New York Times:
Fact-Checking Trump's False and Misleading Claims About Crime in D.C. — The president cited a number of false and misleading claims about homicides and youth crime in the nation's capital. — President Trump cast the nation's capital as overwhelmed by record-breaking levels of violent crime …
Discussion:
HotAir, PBS NewsHour, Governor of California and PolitiFact
Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
Trump official tells census workers Congress has final say over the count, not Trump — Less than a week after President Trump said he has ordered a “new” census," the cabinet official who oversees the Census Bureau acknowledged Tuesday that Congress, not the president …
Discussion:
The Hill
Sophie Kiderlin / CNBC:
In pictures: ‘Stop Trump’ protesters target JD Vance's UK summer trip — Cotswolds locals protested U.S. Vice President JD Vance's summer UK trip with a ‘Vance not welcome party.’ … JD Vance's U.K. trip has caused a stir, with locals staging a ‘Vance not welcome party’ on Tuesday …
Discussion:
Fox News, Financial Times, Reuters and Daily Mail
Rick Hasen / Election Law Blog:
Supreme Court Fast-Tracks Potential Demolition of Section 2 of Voting Rights Act by Setting Argument October 15 in Louisiana Case, Possibly in Time to Affect 2026 Midterm Elections — We know the Supreme Court dallied a long time in setting the Louisiana case for reargument …
Discussion:
Democracy Docket
Jeanine Pirro / Washington Post:
The fight to make D.C. safe and beautiful — These three laws are detrimental to public safety and to my ability to fight crime. — Just now — Jeanine Pirro is the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. — My job is to prosecute crime and ensure that people who live in and visit our nation's capital are safe.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and NewsNation
Jennifer Scholtes / Politico:
Chris Murphy goes all in on funding bill boycott as Dems seek bipartisanship … “Every single day, there's new evidence that our democracy is falling, and you've got to take stands. You have to take fights,” Murphy explained. “I just worry — every time that we go along with these appropriations bills …

