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2:15 PM ET, August 12, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
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
RELATED:
Garrett Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
The Five Scandals Within the “Air Force One” Scandal  —  Donald Trump, a Catering Truck, and the Qatari “Air Force One” represent a Russian Nesting Doll of Scandal and Corruption … I sometimes believe that the Trump administration's parade of horribles has left me unable to be surprised any more …
Discussion: The Independent
Ewan Palmer / The Daily Beast:
Trump Chooses Blonde Aide Over Stephen Miller in Escape Plot  —  ESSENTIALS ONLY  —  Now we know who the president really cares about, and it doesn't make for pretty reading for a lot of his senior officials.  —  Donald Trump made sure he brought his favorite White House aide …
Discussion: New Republic and The Independent
Peter Baker / New York Times:
With Trump Secretly Evacuated, Imperiled Air Force One Became a Flying Decoy
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Why the elaborate ruse Trump used in Turkey isn't like other secret presidential trips
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Rubio, Bessent took decoy Air Force One, Hegseth flew on secret flight with Trump
Discussion: UPI, The Hill and RedState
New York Times:
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.
RELATED:
Joey Cappelletti / Associated Press:
Forget left vs. center. Democratic voters are making clear they just want change
Discussion: Newsweek and Politico
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Hold Republicans Responsible for the Iran Disaster
Discussion: MS NOW, Reason and Fox News
Theodoric Meyer / Washington Post:
Takeaways from the primaries in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Connecticut
Holly Otterbein / Axios:
Socialist fever breaks: Takeaways from Crowley's win
Sarah Davis / The Hill:
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 …
RELATED:
Praveena Somasundaram / Washington Post:
Minnesota is first state to set all-female matchups for the biggest races  —  Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya are running for Senate, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) and state House Speaker Lisa Demuth are running for governor.  —  Minnesotans on Tuesday selected …
Khaya Himmelman / Talking Points Memo:
Trump-Backed Election Denier Mike Lindell Loses Minnesota GOP Gubernatorial Primary
Natalie Oliverio / Military Times:
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.
RELATED:
Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:   USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment - reports
Washington Post:
Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington  —  Unlike typical grand juries, those designated special focus on a single case or related cases and can issue a report following their investigation.  —  The Justice Department has convened a special grand jury in Washington …
RELATED:
Aaron Parnas / MeidasTouch:
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 …
Discussion: New York Sun
Washington Post:
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
New York Times:
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 …
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
Nicholas Casey / New York Times:
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.
RELATED:
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:   No ID, No Money, No Way Out: DHS Deports a Man to a Country He Doesn't Know
Ramona Shelburne / ESPN:
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 …
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
The Iran War is a Whole New Level of Quagmire for the US … No one seems to have a solid strategy to win the war in Iran.  —  The situation is reminiscent of the darkest days of the Iraq war, in the mid-2000s, when the U.S. seemed unable to pull that country back from insurgency and civil war.
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Iran Takes More Robust Military Stance With US Talks Frozen
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Jesse Coburn / ProPublica:
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.
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 …
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
It's Black Voters, Stupid.  And Thank God for That.  —  Hey guys: If you missed Jasmine's Triad last week, go back and give it a read.  It's so good.  —  Her thesis is that while “woke” eventually grew into an amorphous oppressive blob—if you like Thanksgiving or don't like bike lanes …
Emily Mae / CBS News:
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.
Ryan King / New York Post:
Maine Senate swap-in Troy Jackson once joked 'I would've ran as a communist'  —  WASHINGTON — Talk about waving a red flag.  —  Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson once joked that he could have run for office as a full-blown communist, while attempting to rationalize to voters why he started off as a Republican.
Discussion: The Daily Wire and The Maine Wire
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. and Ukrainian Forces Went Head-to-Head in an Exercise.  Ukraine's Drones Won.  —  Battlefield drill shows U.S. military hasn't fully absorbed lessons of Russia's war  —  U.S. Army troops faced off against Ukrainian drone operators at a military exercise in Germany earlier this year.
Cuneyt Dil / Axios:
Scoop: Take a look at Trump's Kennedy Center renovation plans  —  President Trump's Kennedy Center renovation would polish its Carrara marble facade, remodel its grand halls and theaters, and likely send marquee events offsite over the next few years, according to 180 pages of plans first obtained by Axios.
Discussion: NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God.
Alec Hernandez / Politico:
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Sarah N. Lynch / CBS News:
U.S. charges 11 for alleged sham marriage scheme to help Chinese nationals gain green cards
Discussion: New York Post and Washington Times
David Sivak / Washington Examiner:
Fetterman pledges not to campaign against Republican Dave McCormick
Discussion: The Hill and Breitbart
Bianca Quilantan / Politico:
The student loan debt fight no one saw coming
Discussion: The Hill and Newsweek
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Top Trump administration officials being dispatched to Iowa to help campaign for Republicans, sources say
 Earlier Items: 
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app
Scott W. Patton / Washington Examiner:
Trump has a ‘big stick’ in Iran. He forgot to bring a brain
Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg:
Trump Seeks Immediate Halt to Judge's Penalties in IRS Case
Christopher Whitaker / Liberal Currents:
Congress Needs Its Tech Experts Back
Wall Street Journal:
New York City Launches Sweeping Investigation Into Polymarket and Kalshi
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Josh Sisco / Bloomberg:
Xavier Becerra, the frontrunner in California's governor race, says a settlement in the state AG's Paramount-WBD lawsuit would be the best outcome

Bernard Condon / Associated Press:
Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Intercept sue Trump after Trump Media & Technology offered a subscription service for faster access to Trump's posts

Corbin Bolies / Variety:
Suno adds music rights company BMG as its latest licensing partner as it prepares new models powered by licensed work, following a similar deal with WMG

 
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