Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
2:00 PM ET, August 3, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Blanche Gives G.O.P. Senators Written Assurances on Trump's I.R.S. Deal  —  Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general has been held up over concerns about a planned $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies and the president's immunity from tax scrutiny.  —  Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general …
RELATED:
Jeremy Roebuck / Washington Post:
Blanche formally rescinds plan for ‘weaponization’ fund, in deal to advance AG nomination  —  Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) had threatened to vote against Todd Blanche's nomination if their concerns were not addressed.  —  Acting attorney general Todd Blanche issued …
Chris Marquette / Politico:
Cornyn, Tillis confirm they will vote for Blanche  —  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has a clear path to the Senate Judiciary Committee advancing his nomination to the permanent job after two GOP holdouts confirmed Monday they would vote for him.  The statement from Sens. John Cornyn …
Discussion: Fox News and Legal Insurrection
Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
Trump Gets To Keep Tax Immunity Under DOJ Deal With Republican Senators  —  The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” might be dead, but President Donald Trump still gets out of paying any back taxes he might have owed.  —  WASHINGTON ― Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has rescinded …
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Faux Deal Ends Faux Fight Over Blanche Nomination  —  Wet Noodle Award: Cornyn and Tillis  —  Trump is Lucy.  GOP senators are the football.  D.C. political reporters are Charlie Brown.  —  For a decade now, the illusion that Republican senators in whole or in part would rise …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:   GOP Sheep to the Midterm Slaughter
Andrew Pantazi / Axios:
Blanche kills Trump fund but leaves legal loose ends
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Republicans see Trump as a growing political liability
Discussion: Raw Story
CNN:
Exclusive: US military asks troops for ‘creative and unconventional’ ideas to punish Iran  —  The Middle East Donald Trump Federal agencies US military  —  The request from a senior officer at the US military command carrying out President Donald Trump's war with Iran came in an email: We need ideas.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Iran Says No Current Talks With U.S. After Trump Cites Progress on the Strait of Hormuz  —  President Trump cited progress in the negotiations when canceling a threatened attack on Iran over the weekend.  Iran said there were no current talks with the United States.
Caitlin Doornbos / New York Post:
Trump rips ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ Iran for denying peace talks after he scrapped weekend strike plans
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
The right-wing bubble seals in the GOP with Max Miller  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  “The left-wing media already has a narrative,” Ohio Rep. Max Miller declared Sunday morning in a livestream on X.
RELATED:
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Max Miller, Accused of Abuse, Is Not Stepping Aside.  Here's What We Know.  —  The Ohio Republican who is seeking a third term defiantly denied domestic abuse allegations ahead of a deadline to replace him on the ballot.  —  Representative Max Miller, the Ohio Republican whose re-election campaign …
New York Times:
Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops' Fate … Capt. Kai Proce before his separation board hearing at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June.Kate Warren for The New York Times  —  She had lost 26 of her last 27 cases, a string of defeats and disappointments unlike anything she had experienced in her legal career.
NBC News:
Senate leaders reach a deal to avert a shutdown before the 2026 elections  —  The deal was struck by Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the leaders on the Appropriations Committee.  It would keep the government open until Dec. 11.
Discussion: New York Post and UPI
RELATED:
Riley Beggin / Washington Post:
Senate Republicans join in rebuking White House over science funding
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
Spending bill blocks Trump plan to politicize grants
Discussion: STAT, Roll Call and Politico
Liam Knox / Bloomberg:
McMahon Asks US Colleges to Pledge Campus Reforms by End of 2026  —  Education Secretary Linda McMahon is sending a letter Monday to the leaders of US universities asking them to commit to a slate of campus reforms by the end of 2026 in the Trump administration's latest effort to overhaul higher education.
RELATED:
Rebecca Carballo / Politico:
Trump administration asks colleges to commit to education overhaul
Discussion: New York Times
Justin Fox / Bloomberg:
The New York-ification of Media Keeps Growing, Warts and All  —  Why has New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani become nationally prominent so quickly?  Part of it has to do with his bold and controversial policy proposals, his undeniable political skills and his wholehearted embrace of social media.
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Democrats strongly favored to take the House, Senate tilts Democratic in our new election forecast (crosspost)  —  Our brand-new election forecast for the 2026 congressional midterms puts Democrats at above even odds to take control of both chambers  —  Today's the day we've all been waiting for.
Discussion: FiftyPlusOne and Blue Virginia
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Author of Democrats' 2024 Autopsy Says Party Left Out Key Chapter  —  A dispute over the chapter between the author and the Democratic National Committee has added to the party's turmoil as it tries to look forward, not backward.  —  TIMES EXCLUSIVE  —  A dispute over the chapter between …
Emily Badger / New York Times:
Park Service Finds Trump's Arch Could Detract From Dozens of Historic Places  —  The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and Arlington Cemetery.  —  President Trump's proposed 250-foot-tall triumphal arch would change the skyline of Washington to such an extent …
Kellen Browning / New York Times:
How Democratic Socialists Are Wrestling With Their Next Moves  —  After notching primary victories, D.S.A. members in Chicago debated whether socialist candidates should be free to distance themselves from goals like abolishing prisons as they chase more seats this fall.
Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, RedState and Fox News
Kate Santaliz / Axios:
Exclusive: DOJ says it never investigated Rep. Luna over insider trading  —  The Justice Department told Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) that it has never investigated her over allegations that she shared insider information about President Trump's vice presidential pick before it became public, Axios has learned.
Jessica Nix / Bloomberg:
Two People Die From Illness Traced to US Parasite Outbreak  —  Two people have died in Michigan from the severe diarrhea-causing parasite that has sickened thousands across the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  —  Both people had underlying health conditions, the agency said in a statement Monday.
Paul Krugman:
How China Won the Iran War  —  Trump has shattered American power, and Beijing is picking up the pieces  —  Make America Great Again?  Hah.  Donald Trump has weakened us with astonishing speed.  Under his “leadership” America's influence, reputation and credibility have peeled away like the liner in the Reflecting Pool.
Discussion: Reason
Fortune:
Careful what you bid for: The Ellisons' Paramount/WBD deal is slipping toward a costly legal and financial cliff  —  David Ellison finally got the “yes” he wanted.  After eight rejections, a hostile tender offer, a Delaware lawsuit, and a bidding war that Netflix declined to escalate …
Martin Austermuhle / NOTUS:
Let's Talk About the Massive Parking Garage Trump Wants to Build at Dulles  —  It won't exactly be the eighth wonder of the world, but it will be big — like, Guinness World Records big.  —  That's what President Donald Trump promised last week when he unveiled plans to build a parking garage …
Discussion: Joe.My.God.
Tyler Katzenberger / Politico:
States sue to shield anti-poverty program data from DHS  —  SACRAMENTO, California — Democratic officials from 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration Monday to block the Department of Homeland Security from viewing personal details about millions of people receiving anti-poverty aid.
Hell Gate:
Eric Adams Is Selling Data Centers in Wisconsin Now  —  The former mayor had a wild weekend, and other links to start your day. … He recently told the Real Deal that he'd be working as a “business development consultant” for several “real estate-related technology companies,” …
Fox News:
FIRST ON FOX: Trump to open direct line with military families in ground-up readiness push  —  The commission, chaired by Jennifer Hegseth, will advise on childcare, employment, housing and healthcare for families  —  FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order …
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Politico:
MAGA vs. Mullin  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Monday morning, we're back with a MAGA world dispatch on the movement's latest displeasure with the Trump administration.  Refresh the X app and get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...
Corey G. Johnson / ProPublica:
FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount  —  Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to review megamergers involving Paramount.
Discussion: The Wrap
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 2:00 PM ET, August 3, 2026.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 See Also: 
memeorandum: site main
memeorandum River: reverse chronological memeorandum
memeorandum Mobile: for phones
memeorandum Leaderboard: memeorandum's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
memeorandum RSS feed
memeorandum on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Trump's Meddling in Justice Dept. Causes Problems of His Own Making
Julianne McShane / MS NOW:
Federal workers sue over rule barring gender-affirming care coverage
Discussion: The Guardian
Chris Nesi / New York Post:
Hero civilian who fired back at In-N-Out shooter trained in self defense after witnessing another mass shooting
Chris Boccia / ABC News:
Kaine says US boat strikes likely killed people ‘not involved in narcotrafficking’: ‘Murder victims’
 Earlier Items: 
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
How a fringe idea about race took over the Supreme Court
Ariana Baio / The Independent:
Trump denigrates fellow golfers as lacking ‘talent’ as he boasts about winning trophy on his own course
Politico:
Inside Ashley Moody's very cautious Senate campaign in Florida
Discussion: Raw Story
Jamie Stengle / Associated Press:
Kay Granger, first Republican woman from Texas to serve in the House, has died at age 83
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
The North American box office records its biggest weekend ever with ~$430M in total, driven by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey

Terrence O'Brien / The Verge:
A bootleg of Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day remained on X for over seven hours, reaching 5.9M+ accounts and receiving 143K+ likes before being removed

Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Sources: former 60 Minutes EP Bill Owens seeks ~$50M to launch a rival news series with Scott Pelley and other fired staffers; a source close to Owens denies it

 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page