Top Items:
Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
We need the truth about Trump's alleged ‘ballroom’ — Do rich guys have to ruin everything? Apparently so. There came a time about 15 years ago when my soccer obsession got to the point where I felt I needed to pick an English Premier League team to root for, in addition to the U.S. national teams and the Union.
Discussion:
PBS NewsHour
RELATED:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy — In response to a threat against the jet last month, the president was clandestinely removed in a catering container. But the plane was sent into the skies anyway with government employees and reporters onboard.
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Reuters, NBC News and The Independent
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Why the elaborate ruse Trump used in Turkey isn't like other secret presidential trips — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a recent summit in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat.
New York Times:
See How Trump's Secret Air Force One Swap Unfolded — The extraordinary subterfuge was aimed at protecting an American president who has been in Iran's cross hairs for years. — President Trump boarded Air Force One on July 8 as a ruse. — On the final day of the NATO summit in Turkey …
Discussion:
New Republic, The Hill, Slate, Breitbart, NBC News and The Independent
Margaret Hartmann / New York Magazine:
Trump Used Air Force One Passengers As Decoys, Saved Himself — At first glance, reports that President Trump secretly slipped off Air Force One in a catering truck to thwart an Iranian assassination threat sound like a blockbuster political thriller come to life.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Axios, CBS News, Newsbusters, The Hill, The Dean's Report, ABC News, Staff Stories, The Times of Israel, Washington Times, NBC News, RedState, Mock Paper Scissors, MS NOW, Associated Press, The Japan Times, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Wire, HotAir, Esquire, Metro.co.uk, The Parnas Perspective, Scripps News, emptywheel, Legal Insurrection, Daily Mail, The Independent, Wonkette, Joe.My.God. and Eschaton
The Guardian:
Trump's Air Force One deception faces scrutiny over ‘decoy’ passengers
Discussion:
Bloomberg, NBC News, Fox News, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Reporter breaks 26-year silence on briefing that preceded Clinton's plane swap
Reporter breaks 26-year silence on briefing that preceded Clinton's plane swap
Discussion:
NOTUS, New York Times, Townhall, CNN and The Independent
New York Times:
Iran Said to Have Known Details of Trump's Stay at NATO Summit
Iran Said to Have Known Details of Trump's Stay at NATO Summit
Discussion:
The Wrap, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, Straight Arrow and Townhall
Ryan J. Foley / Associated Press:
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, The Guardian and Patterico's Pontifications
Wall Street Journal:
White House Asks Justice Department to Consider New Reflecting-Pool Prosecution — Officials asked the department whether it is possible to bring new charge against Olympic canoeist after U.S. attorney dropped case — WASHINGTON—White House officials have asked the Justice Department …
Discussion:
Fox News, Vox, Washington Examiner, Reuters, The Atlantic, CBS News, Crooked Media, MS NOW, NOTUS, The Independent, NewsMax.com, NextDraft, MeidasTouch, emptywheel, New Republic and Forbes
RELATED:
Sam Levine / The Guardian:
White House pushes DoJ to revive reflecting pool case against Olympian
White House pushes DoJ to revive reflecting pool case against Olympian
Discussion:
Washington Post, MS NOW and NewsMax.com
Todd Spangler / Variety:
David Ellison Says He'll Pull Paramount Out of California Starting Oct. 1 if States Refuse to Negotiate Settlement in Antitrust Suit … And, in a move seemingly aimed at gaining leverage in the showdown, he's prepared to start moving Paramount out of California as soon as October unless …
RELATED:
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
Paramount lawyer says company ‘happy to cooperate’ as Democrats vow crackdown on merger
Discussion:
The Wrap, Deadline, Joe.My.God., NewsMax.com and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Melanie Mason / Politico:
Bonta: Paramount ‘eager’ for a settlement
Bonta: Paramount ‘eager’ for a settlement
Discussion:
Variety, New York Post, Al Jazeera, Deadline, The San Francisco Standard and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »
NBC News:
Minnesota Governor Primary Results 2026 — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is retiring, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the heavy favorite for their party's nomination. The Republican primary includes Trump ally Mike Lindell, the former MyPillow CEO, as well as state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and other candidates.
Discussion:
Scripps News, New York Post, Fox News, CBS News, Forbes, Breitbart, Axios, Newsweek, NPR, New York Times, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, MinnPost, The Hill and MPR News
RELATED:
New York Times:
How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled — The Iranian strikes that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan show how quickly Iran's war-fighting skills have evolved, as the Pentagon runs low on interceptors. — During five intense days last month, Iran launched waves …
Discussion:
The Hill, 19FortyFive, NewsMax.com, Breaking Defense and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Maryam Tahmasebi / The Nation:
One Woman's Message From the Hell of ICE Detention — My husband, son, and I have been locked up for months—despite being permanent residents with no criminal record. It is an unendurable, unending nightmare. — Pocket — My name is Maryam Tahmasebi, and I am a professor of psychology …
Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg:
Judge Widens Block on Trump Mail-in Voting Plan for Midterms — A federal judge in Boston entered a nationwide order blocking the US Postal Service from carrying out President Donald Trump's directives to overhaul mail-in voting policies before the November midterm elections …
Discussion:
Reuters, ACLU, NPR, Civil Discourse … and The Hill
RELATED:
TMZ.com:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Splits From Fiancé Riley Roberts — AOC SPLIT FROM LONGTIME FIANCÉ Before Frozen Egg Plan — There's a reason Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez isn't mentioning her fiancé Riley Roberts when she talks about freezing her eggs ... TMZ has confirmed they broke up.
Discussion:
Townhall, Daily Mail, New York Post, RedState, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit and The Post Millennial
Nicholas Johnston / Axios:
Robot book club — AI has become my reading buddy as I've plowed through my summer book list, helping me keep track of plots and characters, unpack themes, and make sense of wordy, old prose. — Why it matters: The way many of us actually read books — a few pages before bed …
Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
‘Fireworks suck’: Removed El-Sayed videos urged getting rid of the 4th of July tradition, raised replacing 2nd Amendment — Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed once asked his YouTube viewers whether Americans could “PLEASE” find another way to celebrate the Fourth of July …
Dustin Gardiner / Politico:
Pelosi: Those who knew of Biden's decline ‘should have acted’ — SACRAMENTO, California — Nancy Pelosi said those close to Joe Biden during his reelection campaign should have shared what they knew about his mental acuity — and confirmed she had private conversations with him about her polling concerns.
Discussion:
New York Post, RedState, The Wrap and The Gateway Pundit
Kevin Robillard / HuffPost:
The Socialist Threatening A 15-Year-Long Political Comeback — The state party establishment fears Democrats are throwing away a once-in-a-generation chance at a trifecta. — Wisconsin Democrats are on the precipice of completing a 15-year comeback from the political wilderness.
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, State Affairs and Wall Street Journal
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Pete Hegseth's Pentagon picks raise questions over Trump family business ties — Two advisers have links to a venture fund co-investing in US defense companies that benefit from federal spending — Pete Hegseth's appointments to a key Pentagon advisory body include two men with ties …
Jeff Stein / NOTUS:
A Group of Centrist Senators Sees a Window to Overhaul Social Security — A group of eight centrist senators is attempting to compel Congress to revamp Social Security, in what many in Washington see as the first real effort at overhauling the government's biggest program in more than a decade.
Discussion:
Esquire, The Independent and NewsMax.com
Talking Points Memo:
READ: A New Draft Rule for the Census Seeks Sweeping Changes to How Political Power Is Allocated — TPM is publishing the Trump administration's plan for changes to political apportionment and Census data collection. — The Trump administration is planning to dramatically reshape the data …
Discussion:
Staff Stories
Mack Liederman / New York Times:
Son-in-Law of Sean Duffy Wins G.O.P. House Primary in Northern Wisconsin — Michael Alfonso, 26, had the support of the transportation secretary and an endorsement from President Trump. — Michael Alfonso, 26, clinched the Republican nomination for Wisconsin's Seventh Congressional District …
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, WPR, NewsMax.com, Politico and Associated Press
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Former Hartford mayor ousts Larson in Connecticut House primary — Luke Bronin, the former Democratic mayor of Hartford, Conn., is projected to defeat incumbent Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and will advance to the November general election, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).
Discussion:
NBC News, CBS News, New York Times, Axios, Fox News, Breitbart, NOTUS, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, CT Mirror, Boston.com, The Haitian Times and Associated Press
Julia Mueller / The Hill:
Graham, Norman advance to runoff in South Carolina GOP primary for Senate — The race to replace late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on the November ballot is projected to head to an Aug. 25 runoff, according to Decision Desk HQ, with Sen. Darline Graham (R) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R) duking it out for the nomination.
Discussion:
NBC News, CBS News, Axios, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Townhall, Forbes, Roll Call, Reuters, The Times of Israel, UPI, NOTUS, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Washington Times, Newsweek, Fox News, CNBC, NPR, RedState, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, The Post Millennial, Scripps News, New York Magazine, New Yorker, ABC News, Associated Press, Semafor and MS NOW
American Prospect:
Mamdani's Taking On Amazon. His Opponent? Chuck Schumer's Daughter. — Amazon's chief lobbyist fighting a delivery worker protection bill in New York City recently endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani is Jessica Schumer, the daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) …
Discussion:
City of New York, Townhall, Legal Insurrection, Daily Mail, New York Times and New York Post
Andrew Solender / Axios:
The Democratic money machine is coming for Max Miller — Democrats have gone from treating Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) as a best-case-scenario target to a genuinely vulnerable incumbent whose downfall is worth a real investment. … - Phil Gardner, a spokesperson for the centrist Blue Dog Action Fund …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Newsweek, The Independent, Roll Call, MS NOW, Mock Paper Scissors and Washington Post
Dharna Noor / The Guardian:
Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since joining supreme court, analysis shows — Critics argue US high court justice should recuse himself from upcoming fossil fuel firms' climate accountability case — Democracy, climate and justice is supported by
Discussion:
New Republic and Mother Jones
Matt Taibbi / Racket News:
Cliché Alert: Return of the “Beer Test” — The New York Times reverts to old form, thanks to a blue-party schism. — Had a chuckle reading the New York Times story this morning about Nebraska Independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, whose interesting take on the two traditional parties is, “I think they both kind of suck.”
Discussion:
HotAir, RedState, Althouse and New York Times


