Close Trump aides — but no Cabinet officials — made secret catering truck move  —  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.

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 …

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.

Inflation fell to 3.4% in July, easing a bit of pressure on Fed  —  Inflation fell one-tenth of a percentage point in July to 3.4%, a decline that comes as the Federal Reserve considers whether to raise interest rates in the coming months.  —  The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the update to the consumer price index on Wednesday.

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.

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 …

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 …

Congress Needs Its Tech Experts Back … While DOGE had wound down and scattered their alumni throughout the government long before then, the nation is still dealing with the consequences of their arson and ransacking of the federal government.  Office of Management and Budget director …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Trump brushes off reporter question about running for third term in 2028: ‘The law is very strong’  —  President Donald Trump dismissed a question Tuesday night from a reporter about the possibility of him running for a third term in 2028, saying “the law is very strong.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Splits From Fiancé Riley Roberts  —  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.  —  AOC and Riley actually split roughly two years ago …

Siena: Hochul has 10-point lead over Blakeman in first poll of likely voters  —  ALBANY, New York — Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman by 10 points in a Siena University poll released Wednesday morning, the first major poll of likely voters this election cycle.

Polymarket let users bet on wildfires.  Lawmakers warn that could spur arson.  —  Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) said “you never want to encourage the obscene act of starting a fire.”  —  Summary  —  As wildfires rushed down the hills surrounding Los Angeles in January 2025 …