Close aides, but no Cabinet officials, joined Trump in airport catering truck  —  The president was accompanied by the White House deputy chief of staff, his executive assistant and the director of Oval Office operations, according to a U.S. official.  —  Summary

A Stunning Upset in Wisconsin Shows the Limits of the Left  —  Francesca Hong's defeat in the Democratic primary for governor defied expectations and may have shown the democratic socialist wave cannot reach beyond urban centers.  —  The Democratic establishment finally struck back at the surging populist left.

Pirro Quietly Convenes Rare Special Grand Jury in DC, Fueling Fears of a Trump Prosecution Weapon  —  According to exclusive reporting from the Washington Post, the Justice Department has quietly convened a special grand jury in Washington, D.C., a rare legal tool that could give federal prosecutors …

Sources: Josh Kushner, Bob Iger to buy Lakers for $12.5B  —  The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price, multiple sources told ESPN.  —  The businessmen were involved in the expansion process in Las Vegas, but in a stunning turn …

Darline Graham faces an uphill battle in South Carolina Senate runoff  —  Notching a first-place primary finish with an endorsement from President Donald Trump seems like a surefire path to victory in a deep-red state — unless you're headed into a GOP runoff in South Carolina in 2026.

They Spoke English, Wore U.S. Flags and Attacked Fishermen.  Who Were They?  —  Ecuadorean crews plying the waters of the Pacific have been targeted by a mysterious outfit equipped with drones.  Some sailors appear to have lost their lives.  —  Far out in the Pacific Ocean …

He Was Deported to a Country He'd Never Heard of.  He May Never Go Free. … Roberto Mosquera in detention in Eswatini.  —  As he stepped out of the American military cargo plane, Roberto Mosquera still couldn't tell where he was or why he had been taken there.

Lindell alleges voting irregularities, refuses to concede  —  My Pillow founder Mike Lindell is refusing to concede in Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary, alleging irregularities in the vote totals.  —  The businessman, who is backed by President Trump, lost to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa DeMuth …

Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction  —  The price tag is much larger than what has been previously reported, according to a Post review of confidential contracts, and taxpayers would cover most of it.  —  Summary … Fountain  —  Fountain

ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks  —  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals.  —  ICE plans to spend up to $20 million …

Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say  —  Annabelle Loma has spoken with her husband only a few times since he attempted to jump overboard from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during his current deployment.

Siena Poll Of Likely New York State Voters: Hochul 49%, Blakeman 39%  — Voters Say Hochul Better on Increasing Affordable Housing By 16 Points & Making Prices More Affordable by 7 Points; She Narrowly Leads on Keeping NYers Safe, Developing NY's Energy Future & Addressing Undocumented Immigrants Living in NY

JD Vance asked Ukraine to halt strikes on tankers using Russian port  —  Washington alarmed by Kyiv's campaign on vessels collecting Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk  —  Ukraine has halted an intense campaign of drone strikes on oil tankers using a critical Black Sea port after a request …

Trump Seeks Immediate Halt to Judge's Penalties in IRS Case  —  President Donald Trump has asked a federal appeals court to pause a judge's order imposing sanctions on him and his lawyers for how they handled his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service while he appeals that ruling.

Fighter jets intercept civilian plane over Geneva, Ohio, where Trump attended teen athletic event  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Fighter jets intercepted a civilian plane that was flying through restricted airspace Tuesday over Geneva, Ohio, where President Trump was attending a teen athletic event, military officials said.

Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing  —  Reporting Highlights  — Ready, Fire, Aim: In a rushed process exempted from normal rules, the Army hired General Dynamics, which brought on a Turkish subcontractor with little vetting, to make artillery shells.

Transcript: Trump Blurts Out Vile Plot to Rig Midterms as GOP Unnerved  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 12 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.

Top House Judiciary Democrat escalates scrutiny of Paramount merger in new letter  —  House Democrats are ramping up their scrutiny of Paramount Skydance's bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery — and previewing their plans to crack down on the merger if they win the majority next year.