FBI raids former Rep. Eric Swalwell's home, seizes devices in probe tied to sexual assault claims  —  Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part …

Trump aide Natalie Harp worked at the White House without security clearance for a year  —  The close aide to the president, known to filter much of the information reaching the commander-in-chief, ultimately relented in recent months after pressure from White House staff.

North Korea fires barrage of missiles toward the sea after dismissing overture from Trump  —  North Korea launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward the sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, a day after the North shrugged off a U.S. decision to scale back military drills …

USS George Washington arrives in Middle East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln  —  USS George Washington arrived in the U.S. Central Command theater on Wednesday and is transiting the Arabian Sea, the combatant command said Thursday.  —  Washington will relieve USS Abraham Lincoln as part of a regularly scheduled deployment.

Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Drones  —  The stalled operation, code-named “M&Ms,” sought to isolate Russian elites and force Vladimir Putin to negotiate a truce.  —  Early this year, Ukrainian officials came to President Volodymyr Zelensky with a risky new plan to end the war with Russia.

Religious groups ask judge to consider contempt over undercover ICE operation  —  Religious groups are asking a federal judge to consider holding Department of Homeland Security officials in contempt after an undercover agent inadvertently dropped a recording device inside a Minnesota church …

Under Trump, Protected Wild Horses Are Going to Slaughter  —  A legal loophole allows the government to sell mustangs on the cheap, stripping them of protections and clearing their path to destruction.  —  About 73,000 wild horses roam federal public lands in the American West.

Two Years Ago, They Revered Trump; Now, They Ridicule and Revile Him  —  Donald Trump has lost his war in reality and virtual reality, not only with Iran but also in the arena where he thought he was the eternal master, in image and myth.  He has lost it on land, sea, and air—and in thin air.

More than 150 Polymarket wallets may have traded on military secrets, research finds  —  More than 150 wallets on Polymarket International may have traded on inside U.S. military information, attracting copycat bets and raising concerns that the market could broadcast signals exploitable …

'It's Bonkers': Jennifer Hegseth's Hands-On Role in Her Husband's Pentagon  —  After an 18-year career at Fox News, she is now her husband's most influential adviser and de facto producer, shaping the job like no Pentagon spouse has before.  —  There has never been a Pentagon spouse quite like Jennifer Hegseth.

Florida Dems scramble to regroup after Nixon upset  —  MIAMI — Progressive Angie Nixon's stunning upset in Florida's Senate race has many Democrats in the state spiraling.  —  The Jacksonville lawmaker's primary victory on Tuesday night over retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman jolted a state few thought would hold any surprises.

August 2026 National Poll: Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot by Eight Points; Rubio Outperforms Vance on 2028 Ballot Tests  —  Home Polls August 2026 National Poll: Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot by Eight Points; Rubio Outperforms Vance on 2028 Ballot Tests

GOP senator places hold on Trump nominees over wetlands policy  —  Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer (N.D.) is placing a hold on all future Trump nominees over the administration's approach to wetlands.  —  In a statement shared with The Hill, Cramer expressed disappointment that the administration …

Stars and Stripes publisher announces departure with a parting shot at Pentagon  —  An active-duty Navy captain was placed in leadership ahead of the publisher's resignation, sparking fears that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might gain control of the newspaper prized for its independence.  —  Summary

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes aim at Muslim washing stations in airports  —  Legal experts dispute Abbott's claims that the ritual washing stations are discriminatory, with some saying his attack fits a pattern of anti-Muslim actions and rhetoric.  —  Summary

The Dollar, the Dopamine, and JD Vance  —  Before we start: Earlier this week Tim talked about a family currently being held in an American internment camp in Texas.  Freddys Padilla Revilla, Edgarianny Cortez Gervis, and their 7-year-old daughter came to America from Venezuela legally.

Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting  —  A highly unusual Census Bureau report that President Trump is using to reup dubious claims of widespread illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens has ties to a Trump-aligned think tank, NPR has learned.

ActBlue co-founder pleads Fifth Amendment in closed-door House GOP grilling  —  FIRST ON FOX: ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his closed-door deposition before three key House committees, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

How Republican Politicians and Conservative Judges Work Together to Preserve Capital Punishment  —  Public opposition to the death penalty is growing.  But more people are being executed.  —  The American criminal legal system recently marked a grim milestone: On August 13 …

Poll: Tight race for US Senate between Cotton, Shoffner  —  Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner holds a slim lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, but the race is within the statewide survey's margin of error of 4.7%.  —  The new Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll …

Michael Cohen addresses backlash over his Trump interview: ‘We forgave’  —  “The good times don't cease to have existed because the bad times came afterward,” Cohen wrote about the man he once called a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”  —  Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer turned nemesis …

Elon Musk Is Expected to Point His Money Machine at Texas Politics  —  Sources tell WIRED that Elon Musk is expected to spend up to $200 million in the midterms.  It could be a big boost for GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who's struggled to raise cash.  —  Elon Musk is expected to spend big …

If you made $1 million a day, it would take nearly 110,000 years to pay off $40 trillion  —  This is the Aug, 20, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter.  Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.

Bonus 244: Minnesota v. Abbott  —  Governor Abbott is refusing to comply with a demand to extradite an ICE officer under criminal indictment in Minnesota.  He has no legal leg to stand on, but may instead be trying to run out the clock.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Interstate extradition is supposed to be boring.

Florida school board at the center of culture wars loses conservative majority  —  Democrats say the flip indicates voters want education to move on from political fights over social issues, while conservatives point to their wins.  —  Summary  —  A Florida school board that was at the epicenter …

Democrats' view of Trump's first term improves in retrospect, poll finds  —  Recent ratings of the state of American democracy in 2020 rose by eight points compared with surveys of Democrats that year.  —  Democrats have a rosier view of the state of American democracy during President Donald Trump's …

Crypto bank part-owned by Trump family offers depositors way to ‘gain favor’ with White House, experts say  —  Democrats have called World Liberty Trust Company a stark example of corruption but officials claim there is no insider dealing  —  Two fundamentals underpin the business model …

US long-term bonds slide as Bessent intervention fails to soothe investors  —  Yield on 30-year Treasuries rises despite move to ‘at least double’ purchases of securities  —  US long-term government bonds were hit with a fresh wave of selling on Thursday as Treasury secretary Scott Bessent's intervention …

JD Vance Thinks You Are Not Christian Enough  —  JD Vance doesn't think our nation is Christian enough to be truly free.  Your faithlessness has broken the social compact, and now it is time for the government to seize greater control.  —  If I had to distill many of our most important economic …