Top Items:
Carol Leonnig / MS NOW:
Vance's security detail ‘fed up’ with hastily arranged personal and family travel requests — On Thursday last week, Secret Service agents groused among themselves as they prepared to deliver another perk to Vice President JD Vance's family: join a military helicopter crew to fly his young son to his golf lesson.
Discussion:
The Independent and Raw Story
Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members' testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to keep troops on the “leading edge of lethality.”
Discussion:
HuffPost, Breitbart, New York Post, Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, NBC News, Stars & Stripes, Truthout, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, New Republic and Raw Story
RELATED:
New York Times:
Hegseth Plans to Screen All Troops, Including Women, for Low Testosterone — Pete Hegseth, as defense secretary, has sought to cultivate an image as a manosphere-friendly leader. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday a new mandatory screening program to test …
Hannah Parry / Newsweek:
Hegseth Announces New Required Pentagon Testosterone Tests: Who It Impacts — Prefer Newsweek on Google — to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon will begin requiring annual testosterone deficiency screenings …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Mock Paper Scissors, RedState, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Eschaton
Marina Dunbar / The Guardian:
Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency
Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency
Discussion:
HuffPost, Dean Blundell and The Daily Wire
Marina Dunbar / The Guardian:
New $1 coin featuring Trump in production at US Mint, treasury says — Coin commemorating 250th anniversary will be released this fall and marks first time a living president appears on currency — The treasury department announced on Wednesday that the US Mint has started producing …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, ABC News, Axios, The Hill, Blaze Media, Scripps News, The Jim Acosta Show, CBS News and Washington Examiner
RELATED:
Emilio Perez Ibarguen / Politico:
US Mint to begin producing $1 coins featuring Trump
Discussion:
New Republic, The Preamble, HotAir, LGBTQ Nation, The Post Millennial, RedState, Dean Blundell, UPI, NewsMax.com, Wall Street Journal and Breitbart
Maegan Vazquez / Washington Post:
U.S. Mint to produce $1 coin with Trump's face on it, treasury secretary says
U.S. Mint to produce $1 coin with Trump's face on it, treasury secretary says
Discussion:
Forbes and The Independent
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
In seismic shift, more than 100 House Democrats vote to end Israel aid — Nearly half of House Democrats voted to cut off aid to Israel Wednesday, underscoring a seismic shift in political support for the longtime U.S. ally. — The amendment to a State Department spending bill …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, Axios, The Times of Israel, Newsweek, Jewish Insider, Military.com, CBS News, Abdul for U.S. Senate, Washington Post, NBC News, The Hill, Bloomberg, CT Mirror, The Daily Wire, Salon, NewsMax.com, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Washington Times, Responsible Statecraft, New Republic, Truthout and Sludge
Chris Stein / The Guardian:
House Republicans resurrect Save America Act by adding it to spending bill — Effort is latest attempt to pass bill that seeks to ban mail-in ballots and imposes voter identification requirements — House Republicans on Wednesday made another attempt to answer Donald Trump's demand …
Discussion:
ABC News
RELATED:
Sudiksha Kochi / The Hill:
House passes State Department funding bill for fiscal year 2027
House passes State Department funding bill for fiscal year 2027
Discussion:
The Post Millennial, Roll Call, RedState, NewsMax.com and The Daily Caller
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
China surpasses U.S. in global favorability, poll finds — China is now viewed more favorably than the U.S. in most of the 36 countries surveyed by the Pew Research Center, according to a new report spanning six continents. … - It's the first time in some 20 years of Pew global opinion polls …
RELATED:
Jeremy Scahill / Drop Site News:
Iran Sent Message to JD Vance Warning that Kushner and Witkoff Were “Abusing” Their Inside Access to Negotiations — Drop Site's journalism is free to read because thousands of readers choose to fund it. If our work matters to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today.
Discussion:
New Republic and Raw Story
Matthew Daly / Associated Press:
Drained Reflecting Pool reveals Trump's ‘American flag blue’ liner is now closer to gray — The newly drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's bottom surface has noticeably faded since it was lined with a protective coating in a color President Donald Trump called “American flag blue” this spring.
Discussion:
New Republic, Forbes and Raw Story
CNN:
Exclusive: Officials asked to turn over phones at the White House as Wiles, Patel lead intensifying leak probe — Chief of staff Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump's closest aide, and FBI Director Kash Patel helped personally orchestrate a sprawling investigation last week at the White House aimed …
Discussion:
New York Times, KVIA-TV, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, Salon and Talking Points Memo
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
David and Larry Ellison Sued by Paramount Investor Over Alleged Trump Side Deal — The lawsuit claims that the Ellisons illegally promised to overhaul CNN as the administration looks to reshape media. The complaint follows a coalition of state attorneys general, the Writers Guild of America …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Deadline, NewsMax.com, Variety, The Wrap and MS NOW, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Autonomy News:
Trump's Attorney General Nominee Just Opened the Door to a National Abortion Ban — Under questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche committed to reviewing Biden-era guidance on the Comstock Act. … At the very end of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's Wednesday …
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
New York Times Files Motion to Quash Subpoenas of Its Journalists — The Justice Department is seeking to compel grand jury testimony as part of an investigation into Times reporting on the president's new Air Force One jet. — The New York Times filed a motion on Wednesday to quash subpoenas issued …
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg, The Wrap and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »
NOTUS:
Rep. Fine Vows to Vote Against House Rules Over Feud With Trump Adviser — A social media spat between Fine and outsider White House adviser Alex Bruesewitz could cut into Republicans' already thin House majority. — Copy — Rep. Randy Fine has told White House officials he plans …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Justin Papp / CNBC:
Trump's pick to head national intelligence, Jay Clayton, won't tell senators Biden won the 2020 election … Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, refused to say Joe Biden won the 2020 election, claimed not to know his predecessor Tulsi Gabbard took part …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, Associated Press, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, UPI, The Hill, Raw Story, New York Sun, SpyTalk, MS NOW, PoliticusUSA, Washington Examiner, Democracy Docket, Washington Times, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Newsweek, Reuters, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Bloomberg, CBS News, New Republic, HotAir, Ace of Spades HQ, Mediaite, Politico and Election Law Blog
RELATED:
Noah Robertson / Washington Post:
Trump intel pick Jay Clayton questioned about election security, journalist subpoenas
Trump intel pick Jay Clayton questioned about election security, journalist subpoenas
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, CyberScoop, HuffPost, The Hill, Dean Blundell, CBS News, The Intercept, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Fox News, MS NOW, ABC News, Military.com, Washington Examiner, Election Law Blog, OutsideTheBeltway, New York Times and NBC News, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Biesecker / Associated Press:
Report: Detainees at ICE facility in Texas report frequent beatings and other human rights abuses — Dozens of people held at a sprawling Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas say they were either beaten by guards or witnessed others being beaten, according to a new report issued by legal and human rights advocates.
Discussion:
Reason, Reuters, Scripps News, Human Rights Watch, KVIA-TV and Raw Story
James LaPorta / CBS News:
Senior defense officials looking at Cuba military options — Add CBS News on Google — Washington — As the U.S.-Iran war restarts following the collapse of the weeks-long ceasefire, senior Pentagon officials are also quietly eyeing another flashpoint much closer to home: Cuba.
Discussion:
Reuters and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Vaughn Hillyard / MS NOW:
In Arizona, the McCain name is now raising money for a Democrat — Cindy and Jimmy McCain's support for Gov. Katie Hobbs underscores the state's drift away from the party their family long defined. — Cindy and her son Jimmy McCain will host a fundraiser on behalf of Gov. Katie Hobbs in September …
The Atlantic:
Inside Trump's Reversal on ICE — Attacks from immigration hard-liners had the president worried about looking weak. — President Trump woke up this morning with an urgent message for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deployed on U.S. streets: They were to pay no mind to the internal memo …
Discussion:
Reason, Centralmaine.com, Reuters, American Greatness, Associated Press, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Mother Jones, Houston Public Media, CNN, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, New York Sun, The Hill, Washington Post, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Washington Times, One America News Network, The Guardian, Forbes and CBS News
Safeguard Defenders:
RSF and Safeguard Defenders urge Thailand to halt forcible return of Chinese journalist Bai Zhaodong to China — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Safeguard Defenders urgently call on Thai authorities to refrain from deporting detained prominent Chinese journalist Bai Zhaodong to China.
Discussion:
Reuters
J. David Goodman / New York Times:
F.B.I. Searches for Drugs in Van Involved in Houston ICE Shooting — Federal investigators believe illegal drugs were inside the vehicle, though the immigration agents involved in the encounter do not appear to have known that. — The F.B.I. is investigating whether drugs were inside a van …
Discussion:
KVIA-TV, The Portland Press Herald and Houston Public Media
ProPublica:
FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots — The FBI has explored using artificial intelligence to assess the validity of signatures on tens of thousands of mail-in ballot envelopes seized from Fulton County, Georgia, the latest push …
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Trump to allege Chinese meddling in U.S. elections in primetime speech, sources say — Add CBS News on Google — Part of President Trump's speech Thursday night is expected to touch on previously unreported alleged Chinese meddling in U.S. elections, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Townhall, Al Jazeera, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News and TheGrio
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Leans Toward Expanding U.S. Military Operations in Iran — While preferring diplomacy, Trump was briefed this week on options, including use of ground troops and bombing Pickaxe Mountain — WASHINGTON—President Trump is leaning toward expanding U.S. military operations in Iran …
Politico:
Judge handling challenge to Trump immigration halt cites exceptions for World Cup visas — A federal judge said Wednesday that President Donald Trump's policy facilitating visas for participants in the ongoing World Cup soccer tournament undercuts the administration's claims …
Victor Nava / New York Post:
JD Vance tells Joe Rogan Israel wants to keep Iran war going ‘indefinitely,’ Trump admin ‘screwed up’ on Epstein files — Vice President JD Vance asserted in a bombshell interview with Joe Rogan that some in the Israeli government want to derail US negotiations with Iran to keep the war going …
Discussion:
CNN, Newsweek, Raw Story, The Forward, The Guardian, The Daily Wire, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Boston.com, NBC News, Politico, Daily Mail, The Wrap, The Hill, TMZ.com, Axios, The Daily Signal, NOTUS, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit and Forbes
Tara Suter / The Hill:
Nearly half of Americans think Iran war will go on for a year or beyond from now: Poll — Close to half of Americans believe the Iran war will stretch a year or beyond from now, according to a new poll, as tensions reignite between Washington and Tehran. — In a poll from The Economist/YouGov …
Discussion:
NewsNation
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
EXCLUSIVE: Trump DOJ's Top ‘Antifa’ Prosecutor Marched With Crowd on Jan. 6 — It was not known publicly that a federal prosecutor marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6. He was appointed this year to run a national task force targeting alleged left-wing political violence.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Justice Connection
Kellen Browning / New York Times:
G.O.P. Appears to Boost Socialist's Primary Campaign for Wisconsin Governor — Republicans seem to view Francesca Hong as their weakest opponent in a general election. They are spending $2.2 million in an apparent attempt to aid her primary campaign. — A super PAC tied to Republicans …
Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Pentagon panel to study 2021 COVID vaccine mandate — The Pentagon on Wednesday announced it will convene a panel to study the “decisions, coordination, planning, and execution” of the military's 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a rule that led to the dismissal or departure of more than 8,700 service members.
