Top Items:
New York Times:
U.S. Military's Boat Strikes Planning Takes On New Significance — The details could raise questions about who was responsible for a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 — the commander who ordered it or the defense secretary. — Before the Trump administration began attacking people suspected …
Discussion:
Raw Story, DNYUZ, Straight Arrow News and Talking Points Memo
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord — The relationship between the Pentagon chief and military leader had been deteriorating since Trump's inauguration — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shocked official Washington in mid-October when he announced that the four-star head …
Discussion:
The Independent and Mediaite
Politico:
Playbook: The case for the defense — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro — On today's Playbook Podcast: Jack and Dasha discuss the future of under-fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ... and why for Donald Trump, affordability is still the hardest word.
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Pentagon knew boat attack left survivors but still launched a follow-on strike, AP sources say
Pentagon knew boat attack left survivors but still launched a follow-on strike, AP sources say
Discussion:
Washington Times, Reason, Esquire and New York Times
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
Real Reason for Pentagon Pete Commander's Shock Retirement Revealed
Noah Robertson / Washington Post:
Republicans begin to tighten the screws on Hegseth's Pentagon
Republicans begin to tighten the screws on Hegseth's Pentagon
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo and CBS News
Maegan Vazquez / Washington Post:
The shifting responses of Hegseth, Trump and others on the lethal boat strikes
The shifting responses of Hegseth, Trump and others on the lethal boat strikes
Discussion:
The Bulwark, The Guardian, Blaze Media, CNN, Axios, New Republic, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Mediaite, DCReport.org and Christian Science Monitor
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Republican Anger Erupts at Johnson as Party Frets About Future … Representative Elise Stefanik of New York called Speaker Mike Johnson a habitual liar. — Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina has told people she is so frustrated with the Louisiana Republican and sick of the way he has run …
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, Letters from an American, Fox News, DNYUZ, The Independent, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and NOTUS
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Axios:
Scoop: Johnson blindsided by Trump's Cuellar pardon
Discussion:
NOTUS, Forbes, CBS News, MS NOW, CNN, Daily Caller News Foundation, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, The Texas Tribune, Washington Post, Fox News, Deseret News, Joe.My.God., The Hill, WTTG-TV, Politico, New York Magazine, Roll Call, Washington Times, Heartland Signal, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Straight Arrow News, New York Daily News, KHOU-TV, The Daily Wire, New York Post, IJR, The Daily Caller, KVIA-TV, WTOP News, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, DNYUZ, The Floridian, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New Jersey Online
Kadia Goba / Washington Post:
Stefanik spars with GOP House speaker as she seeks GOP nod for N.Y. governor
Stefanik spars with GOP House speaker as she seeks GOP nod for N.Y. governor
Discussion:
MS NOW
NBC News:
Live updates: Trump says he would release video of Sept. 2 boat strikes; Democrats release new images and videos from Epstein's private island
Live updates: Trump says he would release video of Sept. 2 boat strikes; Democrats release new images and videos from Epstein's private island
Discussion:
Megyn Kelly, HuffPost, The Independent, NOTUS, KARE-TV, Washington Examiner, DNYUZ, The Guardian, NewsNation, Straight Arrow News, PBS NewsHour, UPI, MS NOW, Scripps News, Alternet.org and NewsMax.com
CNN:
Exclusive: Watchdog finds Hegseth risked endangering troops by sharing sensitive war plans on Signal, sources say — Pete Hegseth Federal agencies US military — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information, which could have endangered American troops …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Gizmodo, Washington Examiner, DNYUZ, Politico, Media Matters for America, The Hill, The Guardian, CBS News, New Republic, New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Mediaite, Reuters, KVIA-TV, al.com, The Independent, ABC News and The Parnas Perspective
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The Atlantic:
Hegseth Risked Endangering Troops With Signal Messages
Discussion:
Washington Post, NPR, MS NOW, DNYUZ, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, CBS News, New Republic and Straight Arrow News
New York Times:
Pentagon Watchdog Finds Hegseth's Signal Chat Risked Endangering U.S. Troops
Pentagon Watchdog Finds Hegseth's Signal Chat Risked Endangering U.S. Troops
Discussion:
The Dispatch, Semafor, CBS News, DNYUZ, Bloomberg, Alternet.org and WTOP News
Wall Street Journal:
Survivors of Boat Strike Were Actively Continuing Drug Mission, Admiral to Tell Lawmakers — Commander of September attack to provide account of his role for the first time in closed briefing — WASHINGTON—Two survivors of a Sept. 2 U.S. strike on a boat in the Caribbean were killed …
Discussion:
NBC News, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and The Independent
Punchbowl News:
Republicans on edge about 2026 — Republicans were already antsy about the midterms. Then the Tennessee special election happened. — Republican Matt Van Epps beat Democrat Aftyn Behn by nine points in a seat Trump won overwhelmingly in 2024, stoking fears that the GOP may be in for a brutal 2026.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Message Box, Roll Call, Decision Desk HQ, Washington Examiner, DNYUZ, New Jersey Online, Washington Times, Associated Press, Axios, Bloomberg and MS NOW
RELATED:
Aishvarya Kavi / New York Times:
Trump Renames Institute of Peace for Himself — Workers installed Mr. Trump's name to a Washington building on Wednesday, thrusting the institute back into the spotlight as it is set to host the signing of a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, New Republic, The Hill, The Independent, DNYUZ, Fox News, Reuters, NOTUS, Axios, Bloomberg and New York Post
RELATED:
Lucy Campbell / The Guardian:
Trump says he will repeal Biden-era fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks — Move marks president's latest effort to dismantle pollution regulations and support for cleaner-running vehicles — Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is repealing the Biden-era federal fuel economy standards …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Returns to Gasoline as Fuel of Choice for Cars, Gutting Biden's Climate Policy
Discussion:
Reuters, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Deseret News, Politico, IJR, The Hill and KDFX-TV
Mary Cunningham / CBS News:
Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards set under Biden
Trump administration moves to roll back fuel economy standards set under Biden
Discussion:
Gizmodo, The White House, Fox Business, Breitbart, RedState, The Hill, The Japan Times, Electrek, Governor of California, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, ABC News, CT Mirror and Common Dreams
CNN:
Trump pardons former top entertainment executive who was charged by his own Justice Department — Federal agencies Donald Trump — President Donald Trump issued a “full and unconditional pardon” for Oak View Group co-founder Tim Leiweke, who was indicted by the president's own Justice Department earlier …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., New York Times, The Independent, Bloomberg, KDFX-TV, NBC News, Raw Story, The Guardian, Variety, Washington Examiner, Fox News, DNYUZ and Alternet.org
RELATED:
Aaron Pellish / Politico:
Trump pardons real estate developer indicted under his own DOJ
Trump pardons real estate developer indicted under his own DOJ
Discussion:
Fox Business, The Wrap, NOTUS, Deadline, NewsMax.com, PBS NewsHour and KDFX-TV
Politico:
‘Some of you are probably fine with it’: Newsom confronts business elite on Trump … Speaking between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, Newsom repeatedly pivoted his interview responses toward Trump. He bemoaned the Trump administration's deployment …
Discussion:
Raw Story and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Ben Penn / Bloomberg Law:
FBI Seeks ‘Seditious Conspiracy’ Probe of Democratic Lawmakers — FBI headquarters is pressuring the bureau's domestic terrorism agents to open a seditious conspiracy investigation into six Democratic lawmakers who advised military service members to defy unlawful orders, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:
Amazon explores cutting ties with USPS, building its own delivery network — Amazon has long been the Postal Service's top customer, providing more than $6 billion in annual revenue to the agency in 2025. — Just now … Bogage has covered the Postal Service since 2020.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, GeekWire and Quartz, more at Techmeme »
Ken Dilanian / MS NOW:
Prosecutors expected to seek re-indictment of Letitia James this week — The mortgage fraud case was just dismissed on the grounds that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed to her position — but the DOJ isn't done yet. — Federal prosecutors are expected to seek to re-indict …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News
Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Press Firms About Trump Ballroom Donations — Lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ask if Nvidia, Apple, Meta and others made donations in exchange for favorable treatment — WASHINGTON—Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats are pressing the leaders of Nvidia, Apple …
Discussion:
DNYUZ
Rachel Roubein / Washington Post:
A dozen former FDA commissioners condemn plan to tighten vaccine approvals — In the New England Journal of Medicine, the former leaders wrote they were “deeply concerned” at how the top vaccine regulator is raising the bar for approvals. — just now
Discussion:
New York Times, STAT, Axios, Associated Press, The Hill, KDFX-TV, Bloomberg, The Lever and Joe.My.God.
Erik Wemple / New York Times:
New York Times Sues Pentagon Over First Amendment Rights — The company said in a lawsuit that the Defense Department's new reporting restrictions infringed on the constitutional rights of journalists. — The New York Times sued the Pentagon on Thursday, arguing that the Defense Department infringed …
Discussion:
CNN, The Wrap, The Guardian, Raw Story, DNYUZ and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Ece Yildirim / Gizmodo:
Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business — Alex Karp vows to use his “whole influence” on immigration and defense policy. — READING TIME 3 MINUTES — Read Later Read Later — Palantir CEO and Trump ally Alex Karp is no stranger to controversial (troll-ish even) comments.
Discussion:
Fortune, DNYUZ, Fox Business, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
Courtenay Brown / Axios:
Main Street bust threatens the entire economy — Economic pain is mounting quickly for America's small businesses, raising the chances of a Main Street recession despite an AI-powered growth boom. … The dynamic is not new, but the divide is getting bigger, faster.
Discussion:
CNBC, The Hill, Washington Times, KVIA-TV and UPI


