Top Items:
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Donald ❤️ Jeffrey — Caution: I'm going to avoid euphemism and reproduce images from the Epstein birthday book because I want everyone to see Jeffrey Epstein through the eyes of the people who knew him best. — Also: You're getting a bonus Secret pod today. Probably around 1:30.
Discussion:
The Dean's Report
RELATED:
New York Times:
In Epstein's ‘Birthday Book,’ a Celebration of His Lecherous Exploits — The book containing 50th birthday tributes to Jeffrey Epstein was released on Monday by the House Oversight Committee. — One friend compared him to the main character in Ernest Hemingway's “The Old Man and the Sea …
Discussion:
Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Washington Post, Boston.com, Spitfire News, The Sun, Plain Dealer, New York Magazine and El País
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Can Trump Deflate the Epstein Scandal? — Suppose that you work for the Trump White House and the boss calls you in with a special request: He wants stronger pushback against the attempts to keep the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in the headlines. — What might you offer him?
Ramon Antonio Vargas / The Guardian:
Photo of novelty check suggests Epstein ‘sold’ Trump a woman for $22,500
Discussion:
New Republic, Politico, New York Times and Axios
NBC News:
Trump calls Epstein birthday letter a ‘dead issue’
Trump calls Epstein birthday letter a ‘dead issue’
Discussion:
Politico, The Bulwark, Media Matters for America, Washington Post, The Hill, NewsMax.com, Salon, Reason, The Parnas Perspective, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, New Republic, Deadline, HuffPost, Daily Kos, Rolling Stone, Bloomberg, Deseret News, Mediaite, The Independent, Palm Beach Post, Al Jazeera, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, Advocate, Daily Mail, The Mahablog, Raw Story, PoliticusUSA, PolitiFact, New York Sun and The Wrap
Garrett M. Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
ICE is Eating the Soul of America — Four things that show ICE increasingly considers itself outside the law … A big part of this newsletter is trying to mark the moments when America changes — when today is different from before. — A big change happened yesterday …
Discussion:
NBC News and Mercury News
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Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Government Wants to See Your Papers — And the Supreme Court decides that the Fourth Amendment might not be for everyone. … This kind of behavior by government officials is now legal in the United States. — Yesterday, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court allowed ICE officials …
Discussion:
The Contrarian
Gino Fanelli / WXXI News:
ICE agents in the Park Ave neighborhood spark large-scale protest — Federal immigration agents were seemingly forced to retreat from a roofing job site Tuesday in the Park Avenue neighborhood after being confronted by more than 100 protesters. — The group shouted “shame” and “Gestapo …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Raw Story, Block Club Chicago, Teen Vogue, Washington Examiner and Daily Kos
Matthew Cunningham-Cook / American Prospect:
DHS Claims Videotaping ICE Raids Is ‘Violence’
DHS Claims Videotaping ICE Raids Is ‘Violence’
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to withhold $4 billion in foreign aid — Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order that blocks a lower court ruling while the Supreme Court decides how to proceed in the case. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, Michigan Advance, Reuters, The Daily Caller and The Independent
RELATED:
Politico:
John Roberts allows Trump to withhold foreign-aid funds approved by Congress — for now
Discussion:
Associated Press and Law & Crime
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Chief Justice Roberts Lets Trump Block Foreign Aid for Now
Chief Justice Roberts Lets Trump Block Foreign Aid for Now
Discussion:
The Hill
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Chief Justice Roberts keeps in place Trump funding freeze that threatens billions in foreign aid
Chief Justice Roberts keeps in place Trump funding freeze that threatens billions in foreign aid
Discussion:
New York Post, Fox News, Salon, Axios, Townhall, Raw Story, MSNBC, The Guardian and The Gateway Pundit
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Fired CDC director who clashed with RFK Jr. set to testify in Senate — The hearing would give Susan Monarez a high-profile opportunity to respond to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claims about her ethics and their conversations about vaccines. — Just now — Susan Monarez is set to testify …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, Axios and Washington Examiner
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Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
Vaccine Injuries, Violent Video Games, and Infertility Challenge: RFK Jr. Releases New MAHA ‘Strategy’ Report for Children
Discussion:
Fox News, Associated Press, STAT, Politico and The Gateway Pundit
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services the Commissioner of Food and Drugs — In 1962, the Congress vested the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to regulate prescription drug advertising. These advertisements can mislead the public about the risks and benefits …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Vogue, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com, Tampa Free Press, The Gateway Pundit and Scripps News
RELATED:
CNN:
Oliver North marries Fawn Hall, his document-shredding secretary at the center of Iran-Contra scandal — Two key figures in the Iran-Contra affair quietly married last month, nearly 40 years after the scandal rocked US politics and President Ronald Reagan's administration.
Discussion:
New York Post, al.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Jen Rice / Democracy Docket:
Missouri House Sends GOP Gerrymander to the Senate — The Missouri House in a 90-65 vote approved a Republican congressional gerrymander, advancing the map to the Senate as part of a national plan to try to rig the 2026 election by eliminating Democratic seats in Congress.
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS News, NPR, CNN, Newsweek, Talking Points Memo, New Republic, Roll Call, The Hill, UPI, Washington Post and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Republicans Shrug at Epstein Birthday Sketch Apparently Signed by Trump
Discussion:
Salon, Meidas+, New Republic, The Bulwark and Raw Story
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Trump and Johnson likely doomed in effort to stop Epstein files vote
Trump and Johnson likely doomed in effort to stop Epstein files vote
Discussion:
New York Times, New Republic, Salon, Raw Story and The Daily Signal
Associated Press:
Man faces federal charge in killing of Ukrainian woman on Charlotte train — The Justice Department on Tuesday charged a man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month with a federal crime that could carry the death penalty.
Discussion:
CNN, CBS News, Reuters, Washington Times, Townhall, New York Times, KSTP-TV, Newsweek, Mediaite, twitchy.com and Blaze Media
RELATED:
New York Times:
Israeli Strike Targets Hamas Leadership in Qatar, a Gaza War Mediator — The Gulf nation of Qatar has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire in the conflict. The attack threatened to destabilize those peace efforts. — Israel targeted senior members of Hamas's leadership in a strike on Tuesday in Qatar …
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, CBS News, Al Jazeera, The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, The Washington Free Beacon, The Hill, CNN, Slate, Algemeiner.com, Washington Post, israelhayom.com, KSTP-TV, Mediaite, NewsMax.com, BizPac Review, Middle East Monitor, The Daily Caller, Atlantic Council, Defense One and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
White House rebukes Israel over strike on Hamas in Qatar
Discussion:
Reuters, Axios, The Daily Caller, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, National Review, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish Insider, Mediaite and WTOP News
Josef Federman / Associated Press:
Israel says it targets Hamas leadership in Qatar's capital as blast heard in Doha
Israel says it targets Hamas leadership in Qatar's capital as blast heard in Doha
Discussion:
Axios, BBC, The Free Press, NBC News, Reuters, New York Times, The Hill, The Guardian, NPR, Vox, CBC News, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, New York Post, CNN, PBS NewsHour, WTOP News, Deseret News, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Pressenza, The Daily Signal, Jerusalem Post, The Atlantic, KSTP-TV, Washington Times, Associated Press, The Forward, Bloomberg, New York Sun, Zeteo, Jewish Insider, Middle East Monitor, Raw Story, Jewish, Fox News, Breitbart, Daily Mail, Lawyers, Guns & Money, NewsMax.com, Truthout, israelhayom.com, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Intercept, Novara Media, UPI, Mediaite, Algemeiner.com, CNBC, ABC News, The War Zone, Responsible Statecraft, The Gateway Pundit, Drop Site News, Foreign Policy, American Greatness, HotAir, The Sun, New Republic and Politico
Rusty Surette / KBTX-TV:
A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum — The Department of Justice has also acknowledged the situation and said it would be investigating — COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A Texas A&M professor under fire by university, state, and federal leaders is under investigation …
Discussion:
The Texas Tribune, Advocate, LGBTQ Nation and OutsideTheBeltway
Lindsay Whitehurst / Associated Press:
Supreme Court to quickly consider if President Donald Trump has power to impose sweeping tariffs — The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted an unusually quick hearing on whether President Donald Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs under federal law.
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, Associated Press, New York Times, NPR, Al Jazeera, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Times, KSTP-TV, Washington Times and Fox Business
RELATED:
Justin Jouvenal / Washington Post:
Supreme Court to weigh legality of Trump's tariffs in key economic case
Supreme Court to weigh legality of Trump's tariffs in key economic case
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, Deseret News, CBS News and SCOTUSblog
Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Democrats Narrow Gap in House After Victory in Virginia Special Election — James Walkinshaw will fill a seat left open by the death of his former boss, Gerald Connolly, and shrink the Republicans' majority in the chamber. — A Northern Virginia Democrat coasted to victory in a special election …
Discussion:
NBC News, Fox News, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, The Hill, CBS News, Roll Call, Associated Press, WTTG-TV and WTOP News
RELATED:
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Democrats add 1 more vote in Congress after Virginia special election
Democrats add 1 more vote in Congress after Virginia special election
Discussion:
Blue Virginia and Associated Press
New York Times:
Fears Return for L.A. Immigrants After Supreme Court Allows Raids to Resume … “With this decision, we lost confidence in the courts,” Roberto Cordero said in East Los Angeles.Alex Welsh for The New York Times — For much of the summer, undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles region …
Discussion:
Townhall, OutsideTheBeltway and The Independent
RELATED:
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court again gives no explanation in ruling for Trump, this time on immigration
Supreme Court again gives no explanation in ruling for Trump, this time on immigration
Discussion:
The Hill
Politico:
'He's a nut': Hill Republicans sour on Trump housing official Bill Pulte … “I think he's a nut,” one House Republican said of Pulte. (Like others in this story, the lawmaker was granted anonymity to speak candidly about sensitive dynamics within the Trump administration.)
New York Times:
Mamdani Holds Huge Lead in Mayor's Race, Times/Siena Poll Finds — Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in the New York City mayoral race, is way ahead of his three rivals, but his lead would diminish considerably if the field shrank to a two-man race. — Zohran Mamdani has opened …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Daily News, The Liberal Patriot, NBC News, Siena Research Institute, RedState, Fox News, Daily Kos, The Texas Tribune, The Hill, Virginia Political Newsletter, New York Magazine, The Forward, Deseret News, BizPac Review, Truthout, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Townhall, New York Sun, New Republic, No More Mister Nice Blog and Tampa Free Press
Anna Bower / Lawfare:
The Judicial Learning Curve — District court judges watch each other struggle with the Trump administration—and adapt. — annabower.bsky.social — Meet The Authors … Around 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, a supervisor at the Compass Connections children's shelter …
Discussion:
NOTUS
New York Times:
Gabbard Retracted Intelligence Report on Venezuela — The report, which remains classified, described work by Richard Grenell, a former top intelligence official in the Trump administration. — Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, took the unusual step of ordering …
Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and challenger Josh Kraft advance to one-on-one general election — The incumbent and her Democratic challenger finished first and second in Tuesday's primary election, NBC News projects. — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and challenger Josh Kraft will move …
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Boston Herald, WBUR, New York Times and Boston.com
Robert Draper / New York Times:
Nick Fuentes: A White Nationalist Problem for the Right — For years, conservatives hoped that the notorious white nationalist would go away. Instead, Mr. Fuentes has gained more traction, even while opposing the president. — For years, conservatives hoped that the notorious white nationalist would go away.
Anthony L. Fisher / MSNBC:
Trump is taking America down a slippery slope where the military can kill anyone — The president ordered the killings of suspected drug smugglers without due process and has used increasingly violent rhetoric about sending troops to U.S. cities. — President Donald Trump …
The Guardian:
The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich — Five-month investigation reveals how four members of one family were shot and killed in a single day and highlights a pattern in which Israeli troops target unarmed civilians — Daniel Raab shows no hesitation …


