Top Items:
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell:
Update from Senator Mitch McConnell and the Office of the Attending Physician — WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Office of the Attending Physician released the following today: — “I'm still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Post, Washington Post, NewsMax.com, Staff Stories, One America News Network, UPI, The Guardian, Blaze Media and The Gateway Pundit
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Politico:
Inside Congress Live — Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Monday that he will remain in rehab as he continues to recover from a June fall that left him briefly unconscious. In a statement, McConnell shared that he is “working hard” to return to a full schedule but remains in “intense physical therapy.”
Discussion:
HuffPost, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Newsweek, The Daily Caller and NewsMax.com
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
McConnell releases health update, saying he's not ready to return to work yet
Discussion:
Associated Press, RedState, TMZ.com, Straight Arrow, Bloomberg, WNYW-TV, New Republic, Townhall, MS NOW, Raw Story, ABC News, Scripps News, The Independent and Joe.My.God.
NOTUS:
'I've Done More for You Than Your Parents' — Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for July 27, 2026.
'I've Done More for You Than Your Parents' — Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for July 27, 2026.
Discussion:
CBS News
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
McConnell Extends Senate Leave, Will Miss State Picnic
McConnell Extends Senate Leave, Will Miss State Picnic
Discussion:
New York Magazine, The Hill, Fox News, Forbes, Legal Insurrection, TMZ.com, The Daily Wire, Raw Story and CNBC
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
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John Fetterman / Washington Post:
Now I see the truth about the filibuster — The 60-vote Senate rule forces compromise. Democrats were wrong to attack it. — John Fetterman, a Democrat, is a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. — It's not often you hear someone in D.C. admit they were wrong, let alone horribly wrong …
Discussion:
Washington Times, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner and The Hill
Natalie Hausmann / Democracy Docket:
Thune rejects Trump's calls to nix the filibuster and Senate recess
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Washington Times
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Some GOP senators say they will vote to cancel recess over SAVE America Act
Some GOP senators say they will vote to cancel recess over SAVE America Act
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Post, Politico, The Daily Caller, PJ Media, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, NOTUS, Joe.My.God., New Republic and Democracy Docket
Mark Gongloff / Bloomberg:
The Ellisons Discover the Hard Way That Trump Is the Anti-Midas — There's a thesis that everything President Donald Trump touches eventually goes bad. The USFL. Knicks-Spurs Game 3. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Oracle Corp. co-founder and Chairman Larry Ellison and his son …
John Ismay / New York Times:
Iran War Enters 6th Month and a Period of Greater Uncertainty — Here is a rundown of the major events of the war, as both sides consider their next moves. — Soon after the war began on Feb. 28, President Trump declared that Iran was “totally defeated and wants a deal.”
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
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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, NewsMax.com, The Independent, Raw Story, New Republic and CNN
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:
New York Magazine, Election Law Blog and Raw Story
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:
Reuters, New Republic, Staff Stories, Raw Story and The Hill
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Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump tries to sell an economy voters aren't buying
Trump tries to sell an economy voters aren't buying
Discussion:
Washington Post, Semafor and Raw Story
Emily Wilson / London Review of Books:
An Uncomplicated Man — Christopher Nolan's $250 million action movie version of Homer's ancient Greek poem is an entertaining way to hide from the high temperatures for a few hours. Nolan's trademark jumps and twists in the narrative structure are relatively easy to follow …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Rolling Stone, NextDraft, World of Reel, New York Times and The Atlantic
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
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Jeremy B. White / Politico:
DOJ moves to drop case against California labor leader — The U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop its final charge against a California labor leader who protested immigration enforcement, the latest setback for the Trump administration's efforts to punish people who resist its deportation agenda.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, The Independent and Courthouse News Service
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.
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Examiner, New York Times, CBS News, NBC News, SPD Blotter, One America News Network, Townhall, Deseret News, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Breitbart, TMZ.com, Straight Arrow, Blaze Media, TheGrio, Associated Press, Daily Mail, KTLA, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Post Millennial, Metro.co.uk, UPI, RTÉ, Los Angeles Times, MS NOW and The Gateway Pundit
Quispe López / Advocate:
After Trump meltdown, Cracker Barrel bends the knee and replaces CEO — This story originally appeared on Them. — After a completely nonsensical MAGA meltdown over a supposedly “woke” rebrand last year, the current CEO of Cracker Barrel is being replaced.
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:
Straight Arrow and New Republic
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 …
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:
Newsweek, Wonkette, The Independent, Raw Story, The Parnas Perspective and New Republic
Lindsay Whitehurst / Associated Press:
Trump administration urges Supreme Court to allow order targeting mail-in voting before midterms — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting.
Russ Bynum / Associated Press:
Secret Service agent charged with felonies in beatings police say were fraternity hazing — A U.S. Secret Service agent and two other men have been arrested and charged with violent felonies in the Miami area, where authorities say they committed brutal beatings as part of a fraternity hazing ritual …
Discussion:
TheGrio, New York Times, RealClearPolitics, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit and Joe.My.God.
Jared Malsin / Wall Street Journal:
Two Wars Converge in the Caspian Sea as Ukraine Hits Iranian Supply Line to Russia — Tehran threatens retaliation for long-range drone strikes — ISTANBUL—Ukrainian drones have hit military-supply lines connecting Russia and Iran through the Caspian Sea, exploiting a new front in two increasingly intertwined wars.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, UPI, Washington Examiner, CNBC and RedState
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:
Advocate, The Independent, Reason and Raw Story
John Bartlett / The Guardian:
Pinochet-era soldier jailed for killing folk singer Víctor Jara 53 years ago — Nelson Haase Mazzei was sentenced for murdering Jara in 2023, but fled from authorities in Chile — More than 50 years after the murder of the Chilean folk singer Víctor Jara …
Associated Press:
Andrew and Tristan Tate to remain in jail until next extradition hearing — Social media influencers fighting against extradition to UK where they face rape, sexual assault and other allegations — Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in jail at least two more weeks until …
Discussion:
Reuters, Courthouse News Service, Forbes, The Hill and Associated Press
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, New York Magazine, twitchy.com, Washington Examiner, Gothamist, WNYW-TV, The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and New York Times
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:
The Hill, Washington Examiner and Election Law Blog
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 …
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, Breitbart, Newsbusters, The Daily Wire, New York Post, Daily Mail, The Federalist, Washington Times, Ace of Spades HQ, Tell Me How This Ends, Legal Insurrection, The Daily Caller, Townhall, Blaze Media, twitchy.com, California Globe, Instapundit, The Hollywood Reporter, The Gateway Pundit, The Maine Wire, RedState and NewsMax.com
Mike Baker / New York Times:
Man Convicted in Idaho College Killings Seeks to Take Back Guilty Plea — In an interview from prison, Bryan Kohberger said he had filed a petition to reopen the case. He blamed his guilty plea on ‘false promises’ and wrong information. — The criminology student convicted last year …
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, Townhall, UPI, Daily Mail, RedState, The Wrap, TMZ.com, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, One America News Network, The Post Millennial, NewsMax.com and WNYW-TV
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 …
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.

