Lisa Murkowski says she will oppose Blanche, endangering his confirmation  —  Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination is on the brink after Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday that she would oppose confirming him.  The Alaska Republican said in a statement that she did not believe Blanche …

Trump says voters are mad at other Republicans, not him, as midterms approach  —  President Donald Trump said voters may seek to punish Republicans — but not him — in the November midterm elections, as GOP lawmakers sweat that affordability concerns and the war in Iran could mean Democrats flip the House and perhaps even the Senate.

US appeals court blocks Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project  —  A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader …

U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July  —  The U.S. economy saw an unexpected declined in jobs during July while the unemployment rate edged lower, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday in a snapshot that showed a slowing employment picture.

Iran's Hormuz deal with Oman has Trump poised for the big surrender  —  Iran and Oman are reportedly finalizing a deal to control the Strait of Hormuz, charging ships fees for passage, and potentially blocking ships from “hostile countries.”  Trump resumed bombing in early July to prevent Iran …

Rep. Andy Ogles loses his Republican primary in Tennessee  —  Ogles lost despite having President Donald Trump's endorsement, NBC News projects.  Former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher will be the GOP nominee.  —  Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has lost his Republican primary …

Trump rolls out orders intended to narrow birthright citizenship and target ‘birth tourism’  —  The two executive orders come just over a month after the Supreme Court overturned Trump's attempt to end ‘birthright citizenship.’  —  President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders intended …

Transcript: Angry Trump Unravels as Humiliating New Iran Leaks Hit  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 7 episode of The Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

Jeanine Pirro berated Doug Burgum.  But Interior staffers have been angry at him for months.  —  Interior Department staffers were optimistic after Doug Burgum was confirmed to lead the agency in 2025, believing he had strong executive experience as governor of energy-rich North Dakota who led successful tech startups and businesses.

Retail gas stations touted by Trump racked up penalties in New Jersey  —  The operator behind at least six of the mysterious Freedom Fuel discount gas stations had faced a stream of nearly 200 penalties in New Jersey before President Donald Trump touted the network last month, according to state records POLITICO reviewed.

Eric Swalwell & Katie Miller: Former Cross-Party Fling Provides Leverage in DOJ Fang Fang File Drop, Per Sources  —  Sources Say Swalwell's Team Raised Weaponization Concerns Over Past Relationship to Block Fang Fang File Drop … According to information provided to Sources Say News …

Lying Liars Lie to Each Other Too  —  There is no longer a presumption of regularity  —  Lately Donald Trump has been raging against several of his own appointees.  He has publicly raged against the attorney for DC Jeannine Pirro, for admitting that the failure of the Reflecting Pool was due …

Abdul El-Sayed Talks About His Victory, Chuck Schumer and His Mom … Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who won a divisive Democratic Senate primary this week in the crucial swing state of Michigan with an unabashedly progressive message, has been flooded with calls from leaders of the party establishment he challenged during his campaign.

Exclusive: GOP plans socialism telethon at midterm convention  —  Republicans plan to use their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas next month to mount a sweeping, made-for-prime-time case that Democrats have become captive to their activist left, Axios has learned.

Primary and General Electorates Are Very Different  —  We are so, so close to being free of 2026 primary season.  I strongly prefer general elections, because the thing I care most about is beating Republicans.  And I hate the infighting.  —  As we collectively try to refocus on winning in November …

How the Reflecting Pool Came to Mirror Trump's Washington  —  A hospitality manager for the Trump Organization traveled to Las Vegas to find a solution to problems at a national landmark.  This is the untold back story of the fallout.  —  TIMES INVESTIGATION

Trump's firings of federal officials set stage for next test of presidential power  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Washington — The Supreme Court just over a month ago expanded presidential power when it struck down removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission …

Trump loses 21 straight court battles for state voter rolls as midterms near  —  The Trump administration's streak of courtroom defeats in its effort to obtain state voter rolls reached 21 this year when a judge ruled this week that states are not required to share the records with the federal government.

This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature  —  Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes.  Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.  —  For the first time, scientists have used artificial intelligence …

Trump Administration to Pay German Firm $1.2 Billion to Cancel Wind Leases  —  It was the fifth such deal struck by the administration to get companies to drop offshore wind projects.  —  The Trump administration will pay the German energy firm RWE $1.22 billion to abandon plans …

Don Lemon seeks dismissal of criminal civil rights charges, claiming vindictive prosecution  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Former CNN anchor Don Lemon asked a federal judge in Minnesota to dismiss criminal civil rights charges against him on Friday, saying he is being unlawfully targeted for vindictive prosecution.