Top Items:
Alexander Ward / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Thought Opening the Strait of Hormuz Was Imminent. Iran Had Other Plans. — Tehran's new demands for major concessions come days after the White House had signaled a deal to clear commercial passage was within reach — WASHINGTON—For weeks, President Trump had been laying …
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Barak Ravid / Axios:
Trump to Axios: “We are low keying it” with Iran — President Trump signaled on Sunday that he's prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount — as opposed to ordering a new military offensive — even as the country continues to defy the U.S. … But in an interview with Axios, he did not make any new military threats.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Reuters, HuffPost, Washington Times, New York Times, Israpundit and The Times of Israel
Robert Tait / The Guardian:
Bluster and backdown have turned Iran war into Trump's own Groundhog Day
Bluster and backdown have turned Iran war into Trump's own Groundhog Day
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Times and Los Angeles Times
Andrew Pantazi / Axios:
Max Miller stays in as GOP replacement window closes — Rep. Max Miller appeared to let a crucial Saturday withdrawal cutoff pass in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, effectively closing Republicans' last practical window to replace the embattled incumbent on the November ballot.
RELATED:
Alexei Koseff / Washington Post:
Window closes for Ohio GOP to replace Rep. Max Miller on the ballot
Window closes for Ohio GOP to replace Rep. Max Miller on the ballot
Emily Davies / New York Times:
Max Miller, Republican Accused of Abuse, Won't Drop Out, Spokeswoman Says
Max Miller, Republican Accused of Abuse, Won't Drop Out, Spokeswoman Says
Discussion:
MS NOW and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Russ Buettner / New York Times:
Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags … Guren “Bobby” Zhou, top left, with Zach Witkoff, right, in a private suite at the World Cup final match on July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J.Vincent Alban for The New York Times — During the World Cup soccer final in New Jersey last month …
ABC News:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opens up about decision to freeze her eggs — She said the ‘current political environment’ contributed to her decision. — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., appears on ABC News' “This Week” on Aug. 9, 2026. — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. …
Discussion:
Washington Post, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, New York Times, New York Post, The Daily Wire, The Hill and The Post Millennial
RELATED:
Juhi Doshi / ABC News:
Ocasio-Cortez says a ‘generational tidal wave’ of millennial voters is reshaping the electorate
Andrew Pantazi / Axios:
AOC is leaving her 2028 options open
AOC is leaving her 2028 options open
Discussion:
NBC News, CNBC, Washington Examiner, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, TMZ.com, Jacobin and The Hill
Politico:
The Trump admin offered sick Medicaid patients a 1-year lifeline. These red states are rejecting it. — Democrats say the Trump administration's new Medicaid work requirements — especially the narrow definition of who can get an exemption for medical reasons — are way too harsh.
Politico:
Trump and the GOP have a new bogeyman — President Donald Trump has a new boogeyman — and as the president might say, he's right out of central casting. — Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan's divisive Democratic Senate primary last week enables Trump and Republicans to juice the base …
Discussion:
NOTUS and The Guardian
Liset Cruz / Politico:
‘Work boots and Subarus’: Local officials say the backlash against Flock cameras is becoming bipartisan — Communities across the U.S. are cutting ties with Flock Safety, one of the country's leading producers of license plate readers and other surveillance systems, over concerns around mass surveillance …
Discussion:
The Hill
Aaron Boxerman / New York Times:
Netanyahu Rejects Trump's Plan to Disarm Hamas — President Trump's Board of Peace announced an agreement last month that aimed at Hamas giving up its weapons alongside an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. — The Israeli government has rejected a 15-point plan backed by the Trump administration aimed …
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Caller, UPI, Washington Times, France 24, Middle East Monitor, Al Jazeera and Toledo Blade
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Tim Balk / New York Times:
Obama and El-Sayed Spoke to Discuss Unity After Ugly Michigan Primary — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed's call with the former president comes as he tries to win over wary Democrats in Michigan's high-stakes Senate race. — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed spoke by phone with former President Barack Obama on Friday …
Discussion:
NBC News, Associated Press, The Hill, RedState and The Gateway Pundit
Tara Suter / The Hill:
Trump posts examples of alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism amid push for Pirro to revisit decision — President Trump on Saturday posted photos of alleged vandalism to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool amid a push for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro to revisit …
Discussion:
The Independent
Beth Reinhard / New York Times:
Michigan Senate Candidate, a Former Trump Critic, Shifts Toward Election Skepticism — Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, has suggested that further scrutiny of the 2020 election was warranted and that voting irregularities sank his first Senate bid two years ago.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post and The Detroit News
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
In Confirming Blanche, Senators Endorse a Justice Dept. Under Trump's Sway — Time and again, Todd Blanche has made it clear that he believes President Trump possesses a nearly limitless right to directly control the actions of the Justice Department. — The three lame-duck Republican senators …
Discussion:
TheGrio, News Talk 105.9, Associated Press, Mercury News, Breitbart and Fox News
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Sherif Tarek / Bloomberg:
Syria Says Russian Mediterranean Bases to Shift to Joint Control — Syria said two Russian bases in the country will be turned into joint training centers after the two sides agreed to redefine the role of the facilities that have given Moscow a military presence on the Mediterranean.
Discussion:
The Times of Israel, France 24, Middle East Monitor and Al Jazeera
Annie Karni / New York Times:
A Democrat Sounds the Alarm on Christian Nationalism in Congress — Representative Jared Huffman of California, the only self-declared “humanist” in Congress, writes in a new book that the separation of church and state is in grave danger. — Representative Jared Huffman, Democrat of California …
Discussion:
Blaze Media
Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Hold on Republicans Tested in Race to Replace Lindsey Graham — Rush to succeed the late senator on South Carolina's ballot will test the durability of the president's endorsement — CHARLESTON, S.C.—In her lone debate performance, Sen. Darline Graham invoked President Trump's name …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, NBC News and The Independent

