Top Items:
Hannah Rabinowitz / CNN:
Blanche confirmed as attorney general at a Justice Department shaped to serve Trump — Donald Trump Federal agencies Trump appointments — Todd Blanche, who risked his career as a prestigious member of New York's legal establishment to keep Donald Trump out of jail, was confirmed on Saturday as the attorney general.
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Jordain Carney / Politico:
Republicans face likely year-end test after punting Trump spending bill — A sweeping party-line spending bill demanded by President Donald Trump is at risk of being put on hold until after November's election, after Senate Republicans failed to muster support before departing for August recess.
Discussion:
Fox News, Roll Call, Washington Examiner and NewsMax.com
Associated Press:
Todd Blanche narrowly confirmed as Trump's attorney general in overnight vote — The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday morning, cementing President Donald Trump's former personal attorney's command of a Justice Department the Republican president has sought to bend to his will.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Scripps News, France 24, RedState, Washington Times, Newsweek, The Maine Wire, CBS News, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, CNN, Joe.My.God., Wall Street Journal, Slate, The Japan Times, NewsMax.com, Breitbart, Forbes, The Independent, Fox News, New York Post, MS NOW, NOTUS, Blaze Media, Courthouse News Service, NPR, Bloomberg, New Republic and KIFI-TV
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Senate confirms Todd Blanche as attorney general
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Independent, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Scripps News, NewsMax.com and MeidasTouch
Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Senators head for the exits without meeting Trump's demands for voting bill
Senators head for the exits without meeting Trump's demands for voting bill
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Axios, One America News Network, Democracy Docket, Washington Post, E&E News and The Gateway Pundit
Faris Tanyos / CBS News:
Senate approves bill to fund government into December, but House support remains uncertain
Senate approves bill to fund government into December, but House support remains uncertain
Jasper Goodman / Politico:
Crypto faces a setback in the Senate
Crypto faces a setback in the Senate
Discussion:
Roll Call, NewsMax.com, NOTUS, CoinDesk and MS NOW, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Trump says he'll bring ballroom fight to Supreme Court after lower court halts work — An appeals court ruled earlier Friday that construction must stop until Congress authorizes the project. The ballroom is among the president's top priorities for this term. — Just now — Summary
Discussion:
Salon, Staff Stories, Adam Kinzinger, Reason, Blaze Media and SCOTUSblog
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NBC News:
Appeals court blocks Trump's White House ballroom construction
Discussion:
Associated Press, All Rise News, The Preamble, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MS NOW and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
Jeff Mason / Bloomberg:
Trump Vows Supreme Court Appeal of White House Ballroom Defeat
Trump Vows Supreme Court Appeal of White House Ballroom Defeat
Discussion:
The Maine Wire, PoliticusUSA, Axios, Deadline, CNN, JURIST, Washington Times, CNBC, HotAir, Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, New York Sun, Legal Insurrection, The Japan Times, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, RTÉ, Breitbart, Fox News, One America News Network, E&E News, ProtoThema English, UPI, RedState, France 24, PBS NewsHour, Forbes, Washington Examiner, MPR News, Courthouse News Service, CBS News, The Wrap and FOX 13 Seattle
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:
TheGrio, NOTUS, MS NOW, Axios, CNBC, New Republic, Joe.My.God. and Law.com
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ABC News:
Trump moving forward with attempt to fire Lisa Cook after Supreme Court setback: Sources
Discussion:
Scripps News, Reuters, Al Jazeera, NOTUS, UPI, SCOTUSblog, The Hill, NPR, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, KIFI-TV, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Fox Business, Staff Stories, CBS News and NewsMax.com
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump won't let the Supreme Court have the last word
Trump won't let the Supreme Court have the last word
Discussion:
Reason, Catholic World Report, National Review, The Federalist, The Maine Wire, Above the Law, CBS News, El País, New York Times, RTÉ, News Talk 105.9, New York Times, Staff Stories, Israpundit, twitchy.com, The Japan Times, USA Today, RedState, Courthouse News Service, Associated Press and Al Jazeera
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 …
Discussion:
UPI, Breitbart, Newsweek, Associated Press, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, KIFI-TV, Bloomberg, MS NOW, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Political Wire
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Emilio Perez Ibarguen / Politico:
Alito bats down retirement rumors: 'Obviously I'm here for another term'
Alito bats down retirement rumors: 'Obviously I'm here for another term'
Discussion:
Townhall
Tom Burgis / The Guardian:
Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill — Island's government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling — An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite …
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Who Are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys? I'm No Longer Sure. — When I joined this newspaper as a columnist, 17 years ago, Barack Obama was still enjoying the flush of first-term popularity. In both political and cultural circles, there was vaulting confidence that his fusion of social liberalism …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Marcus Weisgerber / Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth Strips Security Clearance From Biden's Air Force Secretary — Frank Kendall, accused of leaking sensitive information, is latest former defense official to lose access to classified information — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revoked the security clearance of a former high-ranking …
Discussion:
CBS News, New York Post, The Hill, Newsweek and Fox News
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Zachary Cohen / CNN:
Trump's top general is ‘looking for an off-ramp’ from Iran war as US military options remain limited, sources say — Over the last few weeks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately made clear to other top Trump advisers that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran …
Discussion:
emptywheel, The Independent and Middle East Monitor
Vera Bergengruen / Wall Street Journal:
The Cyberattack That Brought a Distant War to Small-Town Minnesota — The water system in Braham was one of dozens affected after federal agencies warned Iran-linked hackers could target U.S. infrastructure — At 8:42 a.m. on July 27, a public works operator was carrying out his daily check …
Bloomberg:
Trump's Homegrown Solar Push Risks Widening Green Divide — President Donald Trump's latest move to shun foreign solar power equipment is part of his effort to rebuild US manufacturing clout. It may simultaneously exacerbate the fast-widening green technology split between the US and the rest of the world.
Discussion:
Canary Media, The Guardian, Heatmap News, NewsMax.com, E&E News, UPI and New York Times
Nathan Rennolds / Associated Press:
Unidentified drone explodes in Bulgaria, close to major gas pipeline — Bulgaria's prime minister said both Bulgarian and Romanian authorities had failed to pick up the drone as it made its way through their respective airspace. — An as yet unidentified drone exploded in Bulgaria on Saturday …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg and Al Jazeera
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:
Bloomberg
ABC News:
A top US general in Europe abruptly removed from command — The circumstances surrounding his removal remain unclear. — Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps presents a coin to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jesus Arce Calderon during V Corps' Best Squad Competition awards ceremony at Grafenwohr, Germany, June 11, 2026.
Discussion:
Task & Purpose, The Hill and Joe.My.God.
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Intel Links Russia to Explosive Drone at German Airport — American intelligence had already suggested Putin could test NATO's resolve with a limited incursion in the coming years — An explosive-laden drone discovered at an airport in Germany this week likely belongs to the Russian government …
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN, Washington Examiner, The Hill, HotAir, CBS News, Fox News, Washington Post, Straight Arrow, NewsMax.com and Ars Technica
Politico:
How the solar industry helped take down Ogles — With help from Daniel Barnes and Daniel Lippman — An aggressive new PAC backed by renewable energy supporters notched a major win last night by helping unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) despite President Donald Trump's vocal support, our colleague Timothy Cama reports.
Discussion:
E&E News, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit
Tim Balk / New York Times:
After a Poisonous Primary, Michigan Democrats Promise to Get Along — The party is racing to get behind Dr. Abdul El-Sayed after a Senate primary that was “spirited,” as Pete Buttigieg diplomatically put it at a unity rally on Friday night, but tensions remain.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico, Washington Examiner, Fox News and The Hill
Washington Post:
Voter turnout surges in Tennessee after Black-majority district is erased — High Democratic turnout for House primaries in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, is the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black Southern voters. — Summary — Democratic turnout for House primaries …
Discussion:
TheGrio
Michael Gold / New York Times:
Lindsey Graham Loved to Gab With Reporters. His Sister Won't. — Senator Darline Graham, who took her brother's place after his death and is now seeking to succeed him, has mostly declined to answer questions from reporters at the Capitol. — After Senator Lindsey Graham died last month …
Annelise Hanson / NBC News:
House turnover jumps as incumbents lose primaries at the highest rate in decades — Nine House members have lost primaries in 2026, and another 62 members are not seeking re-election, shaking up the chamber. — Nine House incumbents have now lost their primaries in 2026 …
Discussion:
The Tennessean, MS NOW, Staff Stories, Newsweek, Washington Examiner and Roll Call
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Is Increasingly Frustrated With His Homeland Security Secretary — While president has complained about Markwayne Mullin, an administration official says Trump has no plans to fire him — WASHINGTON—President Trump is growing increasingly frustrated with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin …
Discussion:
KIFI-TV
