Top Items:
Tara Copp / Washington Post:
National Guard troops deployed in D.C. add sanitation, landscaping duties — Service members say they're glad to help the National Park Service. But some question if trash removal and groundskeeping are an appropriate use of the military. — Just now — The August air was crisp Tuesday …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
D.C. judges and grand jurors push back on Trump policing surge — A federal grand jury refused three times to indict a woman accused of assaulting an FBI agent as magistrate judges questioned tactics in other arrests. — President Donald Trump's surge of federal law enforcement on the streets …
Discussion:
Civil Discourse … and CNN
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
U.S. Transportation Department plans to take over D.C.'s Union Station
U.S. Transportation Department plans to take over D.C.'s Union Station
Discussion:
Axios
New York Times:
Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent — It was a sharp rebuke to the prosecutors who are dealing with the fallout from President Trump's move to send National Guard troops and federal agents into Washington. — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday …
Discussion:
MSNBC
Wall Street Journal:
What if Trump Runs the Federal Reserve? — His firing of Lisa Cook shows he wants to put monetary policy under his personal control. He may succeed, but the country will live to regret it. — President Trump has long wanted to control the Federal Reserve, and on Monday night he made his power play by firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook.
RELATED:
Greg Ip / Wall Street Journal:
Get Ready for the End of Fed Independence — Markets haven't yet grappled with the implications of the president having control over the central bank — The market response to President Trump's Monday attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor was relatively subdued. — Don't let that fool you.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse, Foreign Policy and WTOP News
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Furious Trump's Firing of Fed's Lisa Cook May Be About to Backfire — To execute his authoritarian takeover, President Donald Trump requires the devoted service of willing accomplices. He needs loyalists in strategic positions who will bend or break the law to carry out his designs …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, UPI, Media Matters for America and Washington Post
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump Again Escalates Power Grabs in Bid to Fire Fed Member
Trump Again Escalates Power Grabs in Bid to Fire Fed Member
Discussion:
The Hill, CNBC, Associated Press, CNN, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, Vox, CBS News, Forbes, RedState, Fortune, NOTUS, Townhall, WTOP News, NewsNation, Salon and HotAir
John Cassidy / New Yorker:
The Enormous Stakes of Trump's Effort to Fire the Fed Governor Lisa Cook
The Enormous Stakes of Trump's Effort to Fire the Fed Governor Lisa Cook
Discussion:
National Review, The Hill, naked capitalism, Mock Paper Scissors and Washington Post
David Nir / The Downballot:
Iowa Democrats win massive upset to break GOP supermajority — Iowa Democrat Catelin Drey won a major upset on Tuesday night, flipping a deep-red seat in the state Senate and breaking the GOP's supermajority in the chamber. — Drey defeated Republican Christopher Prosch by a wide 55-45 margin …
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Stephen Gruber-Miller / Des Moines Register:
Democrat Catelin Drey wins Iowa Senate special election, breaking Republican supermajority — Democrat Catelin Drey has pulled off a victory in a special election for the Iowa Senate, flipping a Republican-held seat and breaking the GOP's supermajority in the chamber for the first time in three years.
Discussion:
NBC News, New Republic, The Hill, UPI, The Downballot and Democrats
Zoë Richards / NBC News:
Democrats break GOP supermajority in Iowa Senate by flipping Republican seat in special election
Democrats break GOP supermajority in Iowa Senate by flipping Republican seat in special election
Discussion:
ABC News, MSNBC, WTTG-TV, Iowa Starting Line and The Hill
New York Times:
Denmark Summons U.S. Envoy Over Espionage Allegations — It's the latest twist in the Greenland drama. President Trump wants the island, but Denmark refuses to hand it over. — Denmark summoned the head of the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday after allegations emerged that three Americans …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Hill, Reuters, CBS News, WTOP News, Bloomberg and The European Conservative
RELATED:
Richard Connor / Associated Press:
Denmark summons US envoy over Greenland reports — Denmark has summoned the US head of mission in Copenhagen over alleged covert US influence efforts in Greenland. The move comes after US President Donald Trump said he wanted the island — and even hinted at using force.
Associated Press:
Denmark summons US envoy after report of Americans carrying out influence operations in Greenland — Denmark's foreign minister had the top U.S. diplomat in the country summoned for talks after the main national broadcaster reported Wednesday that at least three people with connections …
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, Politico, Fox News, Washington Times, WTOP News, The Independent, Al Jazeera and The European Conservative
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Deploy National Guard to Chicago? Trump Says He Has ‘The Right to Do Anything I Want to Do.’ — President Trump, who has sent the military into Los Angeles and Washington, has targeted states and cities governed by Democrats. — President Trump declared on Tuesday that he had unlimited power …
Discussion:
HuffPost, PinkNews, Townhall, Chicago Sun Times, ABC7, Axios, Salon, NewsNation, CNN, New Republic, Mediaite, NewsMax.com and Capitol News Illinois
RELATED:
Jason Lange / Reuters:
Just 38% of Americans support Trump's use of troops to police DC, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds — Few Americans outside President Donald Trump's Republican Party support his deployment of National Guard troops to police the streets of Washington, D.C., according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Discussion:
MSNBC
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Handling crime a strength for Trump as many in US see a ‘major problem’ in big cities: AP-NORC poll — As armed National Guard troops patrol the nation's capital as part of an unprecedented federal takeover of Washington's police department, handling crime is now a relative strength …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, twitchy.com, Fox News and WTOP News
Katie Rogers / New York Times:
Trump Plays Reality Television Host at Cabinet Meeting That Lasts Hours — As hours ticked by, President Trump played reality television host — “This has never been done before!” — as his cabinet members offered praise. It was a glimpse of how he runs his presidency.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
The Bulwark:
All the President's ‘Butt Snorkelers’
Discussion:
New York Post, Raw Story and Politico
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
In 3-hour televised Cabinet meeting, Trump soaks up flattery
In 3-hour televised Cabinet meeting, Trump soaks up flattery
Discussion:
CBS News, Rolling Stone and Washington Times
Brianna Sacks / Washington Post:
FEMA employees put on leave after criticizing Trump administration in open letter — About 180 current and former FEMA staffers sent a letter on Monday to members of Congress and other officials protesting the agency's leadership and direction. — The Trump administration placed …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, CNN, UPI, Mediaite, Raw Story, Axios, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Independent, Forbes, CBS News, The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali and HuffPost
Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Trump extends control over Washington by taking management of Union Station away from Amtrak — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that his department is taking management of Union Station, the main transportation hub in Washington, away from Amtrak …
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC News, Fox Business, Daily Mail, WTTG-TV, NewsMax.com and WTOP News
RELATED:
Sri Taylor / Bloomberg:
Trump Administration to Reclaim Control of DC's Union Station
Trump Administration to Reclaim Control of DC's Union Station
Discussion:
Washington Times
Alex Thompson / Axios:
Scoop: Democrats weigh mini-convention before 2026 midterms — Senior Democratic officials want to hold a rare national convention before the 2026 midterms to showcase candidates and emerging leaders of the party, people familiar with the conversations tell Axios.
RELATED:
Natasha Korecki / NBC News:
Democrats prepare to set their 2028 presidential nominating calendar
Democrats prepare to set their 2028 presidential nominating calendar
Discussion:
The Hill
Stephanie Ramirez / WTTG-TV:
National Guard members activated for DC federal takeover seen picking-up trash — National Guard members were seen picking up trash near the White House Tuesday morning. — Officials say it's part of a broader beautification mission tied to the federal “D.C. Takeover.”
Discussion:
Fox News and The Independent
RELATED:
Maxine Joselow / New York Times:
FEMA Suspends Staff Who Signed a Letter Criticizing Trump — Justice Dept. Broadens Inquiry Into Key Players in Russia Investigation — Deploy Troops to Chicago? Trump Says He Can ‘Do Anything I Want to Do.’ — 2 MIN READ — A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Heatmap News
Taylor Lorenz / Wired:
A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers — An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
DOGE accused of copying entire Social Security database to insecure cloud system … A Social Security Administration (SSA) official alleged in a whistleblower disclosure that DOGE officials created “a live copy of the country's Social Security information in a cloud environment that circumvents oversight.”
Discussion:
NewsNation, Washington Post, NPR, NBC News, Associated Press, Government Accountability …, TechCrunch, Newsweek, UPI, HuffPost, The Independent, Raw Story, Federal News Network, The Register, Washington Examiner, The Hill, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, Forbes, Mediaite and NewsMax.com, more at Techmeme »
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Trump Has Forced Out Nearly 10% Of The Federal Workforce — “We're seeing the arson of our government,” warned Max Stier of Partnership for Public Service, which has been tracking people's lost jobs since January. — WASHINGTON - More than 199,000 federal workers have left their jobs …
Claudia Sahm / Bloomberg:
The Fed Shouldn't Take the Political Bait — The central bank can't win a fight with the White House, but it can and should do a better job explaining its role. — President Donald Trump's attempt to remove Lisa Cook as a governor of the Federal Reserve is a brazen escalation …
The Economist:
Have foreign tourists really avoided America this year? — Our analysis of whether the country is losing its international appeal among holidaymakers — America has rarely been out of the headlines this year. The world has watched as the Trump administration has slashed government departments …
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
All the Things Trump Thinks He Owns — The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It is the property of the United States — of the American people. The president is a temporary resident whose claim on the building lasts only as long as his time in office, which is set by the Constitution.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
ProPublica:
The Leader of Trump's Assault on Higher Education Has a Troubled Legal and Financial History — Co-published with The Chronicle of Higher Education — A Mixed Track Record: Civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, who leads Trump's antisemitism task force, has had a legal career marred by client disputes and scathing judicial rebukes.
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Chairman Trump's Great Grift Forward — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one 👇 — Millions of Americans voted for Donald Trump multiple times because they thought that because of his experience in business, he must understand the American economy — and know how to make it work.
Taylor Herzlich / New York Post:
Cracker Barrel reverses course on new logo, brings back ‘Old Timer’ after fan backlash: ‘We said we would listen’ — Cracker Barrel said it's scrapping a redesign of the folksy restaurant chain's logo following a backlash over a “woke” rebranding campaign that was even joined by President Trump.
Discussion:
Washington Post, HotAir, Fox Business, IJR, Fox News, Rolling Stone, One America News Network, Raw Story, Axios, RedState, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, CNBC, Washington Times, Forbes, New York Daily News and Newsweek
Politico:
Trump privately presses top Indiana Republicans to redistrict during White House meeting … “It feels like the tide is starting to turn as Indiana Republican legislators are starting to understand they can deliver a huge win that Trump and his team will not forget,” said one Hoosier Republican who was in the lager meeting.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, The Indianapolis Star, Indiana Public Media, CNN, ABC7, Chicago Sun Times, Semafor, NewsMax.com, Daily Kos, Grabien, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Politico:
Lewandowski's veto power over DHS contracts frustrates admin officials: ‘Corey is part of the problem’ … The second FEMA official described Lewandowski's authority at the agency most responsible for carrying out Trump's mass deportation plan as “insane,” saying his role has impeded FEMA operations through …
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Atlantic


