memeorandum: DMFI pauses endorsements of nine House Democrats who voted against aid to Israel (Matthew Kassel/Jewish Insider)

2:25 PM ET, July 27, 2026

Top Items:

Jeffrey Toobin / New York Times:

What's the Worst Thing Trump Can Do in the Midterms? — There's a macabre parlor game obsessing many Democrats. Because they assume that President Trump will be unconstrained by law, ethics, tradition and precedent in trying to preserve the Republican majorities in Congress …

Discussion: Election Law Blog and Raw Story

Riya Misra / Politico:

Fetterman says Democrats were ‘horribly wrong’ to try eliminating Senate filibuster — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is backpedaling on his previous calls to eliminate the filibuster in the Senate — which is a critical bulwark against “a fill-in-the-blank government with new laws …

Discussion: Democracy Docket, NewsMax.com and Courthouse News Service

Jordain Carney / Politico:

Trump tells Thune to keep Senate in session to pass SAVE America Act — President Donald Trump ramped up pressure Monday on Majority Leader John Thune, telling him to keep the Senate in session until a GOP election bill passes. “John Thune should not allow the United States Senate …

Discussion: Fox News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Townhall, Breitbart, RedState, New York Post, The Hill, Roll Call, Election Law Blog, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and The Independent

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Some GOP senators say they will vote to cancel recess over SAVE America Act

Discussion: NOTUS, PJ Media, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God., New Republic and Democracy Docket

John Fetterman / Washington Post:
Now I see the truth about the filibuster — The 60-vote Senate rule forces compromise.

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Politico:
Capitol agenda: Thune tries to focus as Trump fumes

Discussion: Semafor, Washington Examiner and The Hill

Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
GOP Sen. John Kennedy warns John Thune ‘being too cautious’ as Trump agenda hangs in the balance

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Forbes and The Hill

Washington Post:

Deadly U.S. boat strikes have failed to curb cocaine supply, Pentagon and DEA officials say — The president says Operation Southern Spear has virtually ended drug trafficking by sea. Pentagon and DEA analysts have concluded otherwise. — Summary — The Trump administration's deadly …

Discussion: MS NOW, The Independent, Raw Story, New Republic and CNN

Margaret Sullivan / American Crisis:

The predictable disgrace of the White House Correspondents Dinner — The insults. The lies. The extremely unfunny attempts at humor. — The lack of respect for the role of the free press. The lack of respect for the U.S. Constitution, which forbids a Trump run for president in 2028.

Discussion: The Guardian

Jem Bartholomew / Columbia Journalism Review:

A Tale of Two Speeches — The press's responsible handling of Trump's incoherent speech about US election integrity contrasted starkly with Friday's farcical WHCA dinner. — Ever since Donald Trump thudded onto the national political stage, the press has had a difficult time handling the frequency …

Discussion: Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

McConnell releases health update, saying he's not ready to return to work yet — McConnell has missed the last 38 votes on the Senate floor since his June 14 hospitalization. He said he's undergoing “intense physical therapy” but didn't offer a timeline for his return.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, New York Times, Straight Arrow, Bloomberg, MS NOW, ABC News, Scripps News, The Guardian, WNYW-TV, Townhall, TMZ.com, Raw Story, The Independent and Joe.My.God.

Kevin Freking / Associated Press:
McConnell remains in rehab and says he'll miss key Kentucky political event

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, New York Post, CNBC, Legal Insurrection, New Republic, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Wire and Raw Story

New Republic:

The Real Reason Elon Musk Keeps Insisting DOGE Cuts Killed “Zero” Kids — “Zero died because of DOGE. Zero. Point. Zero.” — That remarkable claim is from Elon Musk's interview last week with The Economist, in which he reiterated one of his favorite new claims …

Discussion: Truthout

Gene Johnson / Associated Press:

Multiple people shot as gunfire erupts near Seattle's iconic Space Needle, police say — Police arrested one suspect and were looking for another after gunfire erupted at a crowded food festival beneath Seattle's Space Needle, leaving three people dead and four others injured, including a toddler.

New York Times:

Congress Budgeted Billions for Big Transit Projects. Trump Isn't Spending It. — For decades, the federal government has funneled big-ticket grants to local communities to help them take on ambitious construction projects to expand public transit. The grants, sometimes in the billions of dollars …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

GOP senators warn confidence in Hegseth eroding as Iran war drags on — Republican senators say that confidence is waning in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership of the U.S. armed forces as the war with Iran drags on without an end in sight. — They are also warning that the success …

Discussion: Wonkette, The Parnas Perspective, The Independent, Raw Story and New Republic

CNN:

Trump administration demands hospitals share emergency room records — A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation's biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records …

Discussion: New Republic

Bernie Becker / Politico:

Poll: Even Trump voters aren't very impressed by the GOP's tax overhaul — Congressional Republicans have a political problem with their signature legislative achievement of the second Trump era: People don't know about it. — A new POLITICO Poll finds that nearly half of Americans …

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, New Republic, Raw Story and Staff Stories

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Trump to Axios: I'm ready for “strong military action” if Iran talks fail — President Trump told Axios on Monday that he decided to pause U.S. strikes on Iran in order to give negotiations another chance, but stressed that he could order a return to expanded military operations if diplomacy fails.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Jerusalem Post, Townhall, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com, Straight Arrow, Joe.My.God. and Eschaton

Washington Post:

Police vetted dubious allegation only after Buttigieg was separated from children — The Michigan attorney general's office is investigating how the accusation that prompted the ex-Cabinet secretary's separation from his 4-year-old twins was handled. — Summary

Discussion: Reason and Raw Story

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Taxpayers spend about $2 billion annually on Medicaid for Amazon and Walmart employees — American taxpayers are spending billions every year providing Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands of employees of Amazon and Walmart, a new analysis by Popular Information reveals.

Discussion: The Portland Tribune and MS NOW, more at Mediagazer »

Allison Kiehl / Chicago Tribune:

Illinois woman with green card has been detained by ICE for 12 months. Her daughters plead for her release. — Beata Siemionkowicz spent her first night in Kentucky's Campbell County Detention Center in a cell with black mold covering the air vents and dead bedbugs lingering in the room's corners.

Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:

The 2026 House Map is No More Favorable to Republicans than the 2018 Map was — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — Republicans made the House map better for themselves compared to the 2024 map by winning this cycle's expansive redistricting fight. — However, comparing this year's map …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Election Law Blog

New York Times:

How Meta Got Everything It Wanted in a Secret Louisiana Data Center Deal — A Times examination details how the Silicon Valley giant used private talks with local officials to start a project big enough to cover nearly six square miles. — A Louisiana state legislative committee …

more at Techmeme »

J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch:

Trump Shares Video Predicting Midterm Meltdown, Chaos, Third Term — The Truth Social post promotes an investment newsletter claiming the Trump administration is secretly preparing prosecutions of his political opponents — President Donald Trump used his Truth Social account early Monday …

Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:

Fauci expressed disillusionment with ‘rambling, crazy’ Trump in journal — Former top US health official wrote about challenging interactions with publicity-fixated Trump during Covid — Diary entries released by a Republican senator in an attempt to damage Anthony Fauci also show …

Discussion: Fox News

Elizabeth Williamson / New York Times:

Trump Gutted the Kennedy Center. A Tour Guide Wants You to See It Anyway. — In a dogged demonstration of love for a Washington institution, Sandy Weiswasser is among a few dozen volunteers still showing dwindling visitors a hollowed-out building. — Sandy Weiswasser has been guiding tours …

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Raw Story

Joseph Choi / The Hill:

Fauci diary entries: ‘Press is going wild with me’ — Former chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci was keenly aware of the media's interest in him early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, and considered some of the attention “flattering,” according to diary entries released by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Discussion: Fox News, New York Post, Ace of Spades HQ, The Federalist, Tell Me How This Ends, Legal Insurrection, Instapundit, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Townhall, The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com, The Maine Wire, The Daily Wire, NewsMax.com and RedState

Alex Nitzberg / Fox News:

Acting Director of National Intelligence announces 4th wave of layoffs — William Pulte described the ODNI cuts as ‘a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs’ — Acting Director of National Intelligence William Pulte announced Sunday that his office has completed a fourth batch of layoffs.

Discussion: The Hill, MS NOW, RedState, One America News Network, NewsMax.com and Washington Examiner

Alex Thompson / Axios:

2028 Democratic power rankings, right now … She is far ahead of every other contender with Black voters, still the most important voting bloc in a Democratic primary. Her allies argue that no one else is as prepared for a national campaign. She was a better candidate in 2024 than in 2020 …

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

Comey asks judge to dismiss Trump ‘seashells’ case citing lack of ‘true threat’ … Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. — CNBC Councils — Join the CNBC Panel — News Tips — Got a confidential news tip?

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Associated Press, CBS News, Democracy Docket, UPI, Forbes and The Independent

Rob Taub / The Hill:

Compounded GLP-1 drugs creating concern among doctors and FDA — (NewsNation) — The growing availability of compounded GLP-1 weight-loss drugs has prompted warnings from doctors and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. — Last month, the FDA issued 25 warning letters to telehealth companies …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Carter Schroppe / Washington Examiner:

John Kennedy says Trump should not ‘cut and run’ in Iran — Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said Sunday the United States should not “cut and run” in its conflict with Iran and admonished Democrats who believe President Donald Trump should negotiate with Tehran to end the monthslong conflict.

Discussion: MS NOW, HuffPost, Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, The Hill, CBS News and NewsMax.com

Anthony Izaguirre / Associated Press:

Mamdani plans to offer 30% discount on meat and produce at city-owned grocery stores — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to open a slate of government-owned grocery stores stirred up critics who roasted the idea as the democratic socialist's first step toward creating communist bread lines in the city.

Discussion: City of New York, Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and New York Times

Chris Livesay / CBS News:

Berlin Pride attack suspect raised red flags, group says, amid questions about prior release from prison despite ISIS ties — Add CBS News on Google — The suspect in the Berlin LGBTQ+ Pride parade attack, who officials said was known to have ties to ISIS, was about to be disqualified …

Addy Bink / The Hill:

Dozens sickened across 17 states in salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs: What to know — (NEXSTAR) - Salmonella cases across 17 states have been linked to millions of recalled eggs, though federal investigators say other sources may be to blame. — Nearly 1.6 million cartons …

Discussion: Palm Beach Post and Joe.My.God.

Deena Zaru / ABC News:

Trump ramps up attacks against Smithsonian in executive action ordering new signage outside exhibits — The new order comes after a scathing White House report, criticizing the museum. — The Smithsonian Museum of American History is pictured on the National Mall in Washington, April 3, 2019.

Discussion: America, America and Washington Post