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4:05 PM ET, August 20, 2025

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 Top Items: 
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Trump Uses Legal Threats to Push Federal Reserve Member To Resign  —  One trademark of an authoritarian regime is the use of the legal system to target political opponents and forgive friends.  This has the effect of undermining our basic conception of the law as a set of rules that is fairly and consistently applied.
RELATED:
Neil Irwin / Axios:
Trump housing regulator accuses Fed governor Cook of mortgage fraud  —  Federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte accused Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud and referred her for criminal prosecution. … - She took out a mortgage on a house in Michigan represented …
Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
Trump Presses Fed's Cook to Quit After Mortgage Fraud Allegation  —  President Donald Trump called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign after a staunch ally called for an investigation of the board member's mortgages, intensifying his campaign on the central bank.
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Trump says Fed Governor Lisa Cook ‘must resign’ after William Pulte alleges mortgage fraud
Discussion: Axios and Daily Kos
Associated Press:
Both parties expect a GOP map in Texas to clear a big hurdle in a national fight over redistricting  —  Both parties expected Republicans to win an early round Wednesday in a growing national redistricting battle by pushing a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats past its biggest obstacle in the Texas Legislature.
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Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket:
Texas Democrat Threatened With ‘Felony’ During Press Call  —  As the Texas House of Representatives prepared to vote on a mid-decade redistricting to give President Donald Trump the five more safe Republican seats he demanded, Democrats rallied the troops.  —  The Democratic National Committee …
Alex Thompson / Axios:
Exclusive: Newsom pollster sees big support for California redistricting
Discussion: New Jersey Online
New York Times:
The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis  —  The party is bleeding support beyond the ballot box, a new analysis shows.  —  Florida has had a significant shift of registered voters in the Republican direction, a remarkable inversion that explains the state's transformation …
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Ali Bianco / Politico:
Playbook PM: Why neither party can bank on Latino voters
Discussion: CBS News
Politico:
Playbook: How Gavin Newsom took over your X feed  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco  —  On this morning's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk through Gavin Newsom's new Trumpian approach to social media, the latest in the diplomatic scramble over Ukraine …
RELATED:
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
National Guard Troops in Washington Stick to Tourist Areas
Discussion: Defense One
Washington Post:
JD Vance and Pete Hegseth visit National Guard troops amid DC protests over Trump's crackdown
Washington Post:
Most D.C. residents oppose Trump's city police takeover, poll finds  —  Though crime continues to be a concern, most residents don't think Trump's actions will make D.C. safer, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.  —  Washington, D.C., residents overwhelmingly oppose President …
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Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Pirro's office won't pursue gun charges over carrying rifles, shotguns  —  D.C.'s top prosecutor said her office would continue charging violent crimes and firearms trafficking that involve those weapons.  —  Federal prosecutors in D.C. have been instructed not to seek felony charges …
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David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Pushes White Nationalist Agenda Across Multiple Fronts
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
Maya Goldman / Axios:
HHS workers accuse RFK Jr. of stoking violence against them  —  More than 750 current and former federal health workers on Wednesday accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of contributing to harassment and violence against government employees they said manifested itself in the Aug. 8 attack on CDC's Atlanta headquarters.
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Washington Post:
Hegseth's expansive security requirements tax Army protective unit  —  The agency tasked with protecting Defense Department leaders is under significant strain, and the secretary's atypical needs are becoming untenable, officials say.  —  Just now  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's …
Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
Trump's Tactics Mean Many International Students Won't Make It to Campus  —  Students from some countries won't make it to class this fall because of President Trump's travel ban.  Others can't get visa appointments.  Some are simply scared.  Universities are panicking.
Discussion: Boston.com and MeidasTouch News
Brian Schwartz / Wall Street Journal:
Elon Musk Pledged to Start a Political Party.  He Is Already Pumping the Brakes.  —  The billionaire has sought to maintain ties with JD Vance, a potential heir to Trump's MAGA political movement  —  The billionaire Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party …
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Lara Jakes / New York Times:
Preparations for a Move on Gaza City Have Started, Israel's Military Says  —  Troops have reached the city's outskirts, an Israeli official said, adding that more reservists are being asked to report for duty to cover for other soldiers who will be involved in going into Gaza City.
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Anat Peled / Wall Street Journal:
Israel to Call Up 60,000 Reservists for Gaza City Invasion
CNN:
Judge rejects Trump administration request to release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents  —  A federal judge said he would not unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein - rejecting the Justice Department's request to make them public.
RELATED:
Larry Neumeister / Associated Press:
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
Paul Krugman:
ICEing the U.S. Economy  —  Mass deportations will hurt more than people realize  —  Donald Trump has been able to convert Immigration and Customs Enforcement (and Customs and Border Protection, which is effectively part of the same operation) into a huge secret police force …
Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:
Trump Says Smithsonian Focuses Too Much on ‘How Bad Slavery Was’  —  The remark, made as the president has ordered a wide-ranging review of museum exhibits, added to his pattern of minimizing Black history.  —  President Trump accused the Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday of focusing too much on …
Sharon Lerner / ProPublica:
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism.  Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.  — Slashed Autism Funding: RFK Jr. promised to identify the causes of autism but has eliminated parts of his agency actively investigating them and has cut millions in funding for autism research.
Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner and WBUR
Pooja Salhotra / New York Times:
Judge Halts Texas' Law Mandating the Ten Commandments in School  —  The state law had said public schools would have to display the Ten Commandments in a “conspicuous” location in every classroom in Texas by Sept. 1.  —  A federal judge in Texas temporarily halted on Wednesday a state law …
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
White House Rages at Rocker Who Dissed Trump's ‘Vulgar’ Oval Office  —  B*TTHURT  —  Donald's decor is full of “splendor and significance,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast.  —  The Trump administration has clapped back at Grammy-winning musician Jack …
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Dan Bongino's babysitter  —  Public Notice is reader funded.  Support us by becoming a paid subscriber 👇  —  🕵️ Subscribe to PN 🕵️  —  On Monday, the Trump administration announced that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will be appointed …
Discussion: The Hill and Kansas City Star
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Government Staffing Cuts Have Fueled an Ant-Smuggling Boom  —  “It's getting out of hand,” one seller says.  “They realize the US market is a gold mine.”  —  It's hard to keep track of all the ways that the United States has changed since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
Tal Axelrod / Axios:
MAGA erupts after Israeli official charged in child sex ring flees U.S. … - Alexandrovich posted a $10,000 bail without appearing before a judge and quickly fled to Israel, raising questions about why his passport was not confiscated.  — Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told …
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Hillary Clinton predicts SCOTUS will eventually overturn same-sex marriage  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted that the Supreme Court will “do to gay marriage what they did to abortion” and send it back to states to decide. … While the court could surprise legal experts …
Discussion: The Hill and Washington Times
Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:
N.S.A.'s Acting Director Tried to Save Top Scientist From Purge  —  Vinh Nguyen, an expert in artificial intelligence and advanced mathematics, was among the current and former officials whose security clearances were revoked by the president.  —  The acting director of the National Security Agency tried …
Nathaniel Meyersohn / CNN:
Target's CEO is stepping down as customers turn away  —  Video Ad Feedback  —  Why customers turned away from Target  —  Why customers turned away from Target  —  JFK Jr. explains his magazine's controversial Cindy Crawford cover  —  This three-Michelin-starred chef opened a restaurant in a Singapore car factory
Richard L. Hasen / New York Times:
Would You Trust This Man With Your Elections?  —  With Republicans potentially losing their current seven-vote majority in the House in next year's midterm elections (or, less likely, their six-vote majority in the Senate), President Trump has been sending clear signals of his intent to interfere …
William J. Burns / The Atlantic:
A Letter to America's Discarded Public Servants  —  You all deserved better.  —  Dear colleagues,  —  For three and a half decades as a career diplomat, I walked across the lobby of the State Department countless times—inspired by the Stars and Stripes and humbled by the names of patriots etched into our memorial wall.
Adam Bonica / On Data and Democracy:
Spam PACs Raise Money by Deceiving Seniors  —  One 89-year-old woman made 7,532 donations totaling $68,666  —  In a recent article, I broke down how the spam PACs flooding our phones and inboxes spend exorbitant amounts on fundraising and consulting fees.  The kind of Democratic fundraising …
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Trump bought more than $100 million in bonds since January, filings show  —  The purchases could let the president make money off companies and local entities that could be affected by his agenda.  —  President Donald Trump has purchased at least $103 million worth of corporate …
Discussion: CNBC, UPI and Bloomberg
New York Times:
More Adams Associates and Supporters Are Said to Face Corruption Charges  —  Among those expected to surrender in the coming days are Mayor Eric Adams's closest adviser and a friend whom the mayor installed in a powerful city position.  —  Several associates and supporters of Mayor Eric Adams …
Perry Bacon / New Republic:
The Democratic Establishment's Shunning of Mamdani Is Disqualifying  —  In the weeks after he won the 2021 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, Eric Adams was enthusiastically embraced by the party's establishment.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posed for a picture with Adams and described herself as …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Politico:
‘Heartbreaking’ transportation cuts hit home in GOP districts
Discussion: KAJ-TV and Raw Story
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard / Telegraph:
European rearmament is pushing Trump into irrelevance on Ukraine
Matt Burgess / Wired:
Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High
Discussion: TechCrunch
Jeremy B. White / Politico:
California Common Cause advisory board members quit in gerrymandering fallout
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Cara Lombardo / Wall Street Journal:
Bill Ackman's New Pet Project Is a School That Embraces AI and Rejects DEI
 Earlier Items: 
Janan Ganesh / Financial Times:
Trump's ambiguity is the worst of all worlds
Axios:
Companies can't hold the line on prices much longer
Discussion: Wired and Newsweek
Amanda Friedman / Politico:
RFK Jr. attacks pediatricians' group over vaccine recommendations
Molly Taft / Wired:
FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address
Discussion: The Independent
Matthew Mpoke Bigg / New York Times:
Trump Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Hero’ and Adds: ‘I Guess I Am, Too’