Top Items:
Associated Press:
Appeals court rules Trump must get approval from Congress on ballroom, ordering halt to construction — An appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress to build his proposed White House ballroom, saying construction must stop.
Discussion:
The Wrap
RELATED:
Mike Scarcella / Reuters:
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 …
Politico:
Appeals court blocks Trump's White House ballroom renovation
Discussion:
MS NOW, NPR, NOTUS, CBS News, The Daily Caller, The Independent and New Republic
New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Appeals Panel Blocks Ballroom Project, Setting Up Likely Supreme Court Fight
Trump Administration Live Updates: Appeals Panel Blocks Ballroom Project, Setting Up Likely Supreme Court Fight
Discussion:
Reason and The Independent
Jeff Mason / Bloomberg:
Trump Vows Supreme Court Appeal of White House Ballroom Defeat
Trump Vows Supreme Court Appeal of White House Ballroom Defeat
Discussion:
Axios, Deadline, CNN, PoliticusUSA, Fox News, Associated Press, Blaze Media, The Daily Wire, RTÉ, Breitbart, NBC News, ProtoThema English, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, UPI, RedState, E&E News, France 24, Forbes, MS NOW, One America News Network, Courthouse News Service and FOX 13 Seattle
ABC News:
Trump moving forward with attempt to fire Lisa Cook after Supreme Court setback: Sources — The White House demanded she respond to allegations within three weeks. — Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, Alexander Mallin, and Steven Portnoy — Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook participates …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, MS NOW, Axios, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg, NPR, The Guardian, KIFI-TV, Fox Business, NewsMax.com, Staff Stories and Law.com
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Restarts Battle to Fire Sitting Fed Governor — The Trump administration, rebuffed by the Supreme Court in its first attempt to fire Lisa D. Cook, sent the Federal Reserve governor a letter saying it was “considering” removing her from the job. — President Trump opened a new front …
Discussion:
Associated Press and Joe.My.God.
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
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.
Discussion:
Financial Times, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Deseret News, RTÉ, MS NOW, Fox Business, Deadline and The American Conservative
RELATED:
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, a sudden reversal in what had been an otherwise solid labor market
Lydia DePillis / New York Times:
Live Updates: U.S. Hiring Slumps, a Worrying Sign for the Economy
Live Updates: U.S. Hiring Slumps, a Worrying Sign for the Economy
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Post, NPR, DCCC, Al Jazeera, Townhall, The Hill, One America News Network, Breitbart, Courthouse News Service, Washington Times, Joe.My.God. and Semafor
Sam Sutton / Politico:
‘Weaker than we thought’: Jobs surprise deals setback for GOP in elections
‘Weaker than we thought’: Jobs surprise deals setback for GOP in elections
Discussion:
Scripps News, Staff Stories, Newsbusters, CoinDesk, KIFI-TV, New Republic and CNBC
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Lawyers, Guns & Money, MS NOW, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, Mock Paper Scissors, The Hill, KIFI-TV, The Independent and New Republic
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Catherine Rampell / The Bulwark:
Senate Voting to Give Trump a Tariff Nuke — A bill supposedly aimed at Russia is really an unprecedented new tariff power grab—yet prominent Democrats are backing it. — DONALD TRUMP HAS SPENT the past year and a half bending every obscure trade law until it snapped, alienating global allies and jacking up costs for Americans.
Nicholas Grossman / MS NOW:
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 …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, HotAir, Reuters, Stars & Stripes and The Japan Times
RELATED:
Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
CNN, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Scott MacFarlane Reports, The Daily Wire, Bloomberg, The Hill, Axios, The Federalist, New York Sun, RedState, NewsMax.com, The Guardian, MeidasTouch, NPR, UPI, The Independent, CBS News, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Fox News, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, Associated Press and Townhall
RELATED:
New York Times:
Cassidy Will Back Blanche, Salvaging His Confirmation
Discussion:
RealClearPolitics, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, NOTUS, The Hill, Tangle and CBS News
Politico:
Blanche wins votes for Senate confirmation
Blanche wins votes for Senate confirmation
Discussion:
NOTUS, The Contrarian, CBS News, Washington Post, Bloomberg, CNBC, One America News Network, MS NOW, Fox News, Breitbart, New York Magazine, Townhall, New York Post, New York Sun, The Guardian, RedState, Axios, Courthouse News Service, The Fucking News, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, The Daily Caller, Straight Arrow, The Hill, E&E News, New Republic and Political Wire
Tim Balk / New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal and The Daily Wire
RELATED:
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Schumer Forges Ahead in Fight for Senate, Despite Setbacks
Schumer Forges Ahead in Fight for Senate, Despite Setbacks
Discussion:
Semafor and New York Post
Politico:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New Republic, E&E News, Althouse and emptywheel
FiftyPlusOne:
Affordability concerns are even more important to voters than in 2024 — Inflation continues to dominate the issue landscape, and drag down the president — FiftyPlusOne, Cooper Burton, and Mary Radcliffe … In May, the average price of gas nationwide hit $4.48.
Discussion:
New York Times
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Justice Samuel Alito: ‘Practical Originalism’ and Its Facile Critics — He explains his interpretive method and defends it against a hostile biographer—and his high-school English teacher. — Washington — Reports of his end have been greatly exaggerated: “Justice Samuel Alito …
RELATED:
Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:
Alito Tells WSJ He's ‘Here for Another Term’ on Supreme Court
Alito Tells WSJ He's ‘Here for Another Term’ on Supreme Court
Discussion:
Political Wire
Ryan J. Foley / Associated Press:
ICE will release body camera video only when seen in the agency's ‘best interests,’ policy says — Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving to equip officers with body cameras in the next two months but the agency's policy gives it broad control over what footage will be made public …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, The Independent and Wall Street Journal
Josh Blackman / Reason:
Trump Calls Roberts's Bluff With New Executive Order On Birthright Citizenship — I am, slowly but surely, making my way through the end of the October 2025 term. I've already published my take on Wolford and Hemani. I've recently completed my essay on Slaughter and Cook, which should appear in Law & Liberty next week.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Signs Executive Orders Targeting Birthright Citizenship
Trump Signs Executive Orders Targeting Birthright Citizenship
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Associated Press, ABC News, The Maine Wire, Staff Stories, Reason, New York Times, RTÉ, CBS News, Newsbusters, Townhall, BBC, The Guardian, NPR, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Courthouse News Service, HuffPost, The Japan Times, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Fox News, The Hill, Washington Post, MS NOW, Politico and Washington Examiner
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
I've Got The Proof. This Is The Worst Member of Trump's Cabinet — SUPERBAD — The Secretary of Defense has managed to do so much damage to American strength in so little time. — OPINION — Hegseth must go. — Every era has its great conundrums that great minds struggle with.
Discussion:
New Republic and Bloomberg
New Republic:
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.
Robert Jimison / New York Times:
Senate Passes Sanctions Bill Targeting Russia and Iran — The legislation was championed by Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican whose sudden death last month helped spur quick action on it. — The Senate passed a sweeping new package of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran on Friday …
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, The Hill, Bloomberg, NOTUS, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Deseret News
RELATED:
New York Times:
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
Discussion:
The Hill, NextDraft, MS NOW and The Independent
Jake Spring / Washington Post:
Court deals setback to Trump's war on wind as Pentagon is ordered to review projects — The Defense Department stopped processing national security reviews of wind projects in May, despite a law demanding they be completed in 75 days. — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Pentagon …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, Ars Technica, HotAir, Canary Media, New York Times, NOTUS, Washington Times and E&E News
Henri Astier / BBC:
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign defence pact — Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a joint defence agreement, saying an attack on one of them would be seen as an attack on all three. — The pact was announced at a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman …
Discussion:
Reuters, Financial Times, Foreign Policy, CBS News, UPI, New York Times, Jewish Insider, Agence France-Presse, KIFI-TV, Legal Insurrection, Middle East Monitor, Business Insider, Washington Times, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, The American Conservative, France 24, Semafor and NewsMax.com
Juliegrace Brufke / Sources Say News:
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 …
Discussion:
Wonkette
Amrith Ramkumar / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration to Award $2 Billion to Battery, Materials Companies — Deals add to Pentagon funding spree to reduce U.S. dependence on China — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has agreed to provide more than $2 billion in funding for companies producing batteries and critical minerals …
Politico:
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.
Discussion:
New York Sun, Washington Post and The White House

