Top Items:
Ann E. Marimow / New York Times:
Chief Justice Declines to Halt Trump's White House Ballroom Construction, for Now — The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project has grown in size and scope, with the president's lawyers saying it is intertwined with the renovation of an underground military bunker.
RELATED:
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump ballroom construction to continue — Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay that allows work to proceed while the court as a whole considers next steps.
Discussion:
The Hill, Scripps News, ABC News, RedState, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, Political.org, The Independent and Fox News
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Can Keep Building Ballroom While Supreme Court Weighs Appeal — Temporary order from high court gives justices more time to deliberate — WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Friday said President Trump can keep building his White House ballroom for now, as the justices continue weighing …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Guardian, CBS News, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Deadline, STAT, WTOP News and Toledo Blade
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Trump Threatens Suit Over Report He Doesn't Like, Aiming to Intimidate a Critic — It was the latest example of President Trump's bid to use the legal system against those who voice unflattering facts and opinions generally protected by the First Amendment.
Discussion:
NOTUS, The Hill, MS NOW, NewsMax.com and The Independent
Washington Post:
Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders who criticized DOD's interference — The Defense Department earlier this year railed against the publication, which has long enjoyed editorial independence, as “woke.” — Summary — The Pentagon on Friday fired the publisher and the editor …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Jocelyn Noveck / Associated Press:
Stars and Stripes editor says he has been fired for insubordination after doing interview — The Pentagon on Friday fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, as well as its publisher and a reporter, the editor said. He said he was dismissed for insubordination after an interview …
Discussion:
CBS News, Fox News, MS NOW and The Guardian
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Attacks Bar Association's Power to Accredit Law Schools — The move escalates a feud with the nation's premier legal organization — The Trump administration is opening a new front in its campaign to remake higher education: threatening the American Bar Association's power to accredit law schools.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Federalist, New Republic, NewsMax.com and Mock Paper Scissors
RELATED:
Tom Schaller / Public Notice:
“Travel with Natalie” — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 👱♀️ Subscribe to PN 👱♀️ — Donald Trump is easily triggered. That's hardly news. — He's temperamental and emotional …
Discussion:
LifeNews.com, The Atlantic and The Cross Section
RELATED:
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
Your New Senator Is a Total Lightweight. She's Perfect. — There's been lots of reporting lately about the breathlessly fawning personal letters Natalie Harp habitually writes to her boss. Last night, the Daily Beast released two of them in full—and they're so, so much creepier than advertised.
Discussion:
CNN
David Gardner / The Daily Beast:
Natalie Harp's Intimate Letters to Trump Revealed in Full
Natalie Harp's Intimate Letters to Trump Revealed in Full
Discussion:
NOTUS, TMZ.com, Rolling Stone, The Nation, MS NOW, Mercury News, LGBTQ Nation, The Wrap, Daily Kos, Straight Arrow, The Independent, The New World, The Guardian, New Republic, HuffPost and KQTV-TV
Paul Krugman:
Scott Bessent Fails to Gaslight the Market — What doth it profit a man if he sell his soul and can't even manipulate the 30-year? — Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, isn't the worst member of Trump's cabinet. I mean, he has to compete with the likes of Pete Hegseth.
Discussion:
Drezner's World, Axios, CNBC and Forbes
Scott MacFarlane Reports:
EXCLUSIVE: Committee Review Finds Trump Pardons Have Cost Crime Victims $1.7 Billion and Enriched Trump Allies — President Trump's “get out of jail free” cards for convicted crooks are actually costing crime victims a fortune. — A scathing new investigation by Democrats …
Discussion:
The Post Millennial and The Parnas Perspective
RELATED:
House Committee on the Judiciary:
New Judiciary Democrats Report Exposes MAGA's Cash-for-Clemency Racket Which Gives Unrepentant Criminals a New Lease on Life and Leaves Victims in the Dust — Report Reveals Sprawling Network of Trump Insiders and Influence Brokers Have Helped Wealthy Criminals Secure Pardons from Trump …
Discussion:
New Republic
Associated Press:
Live updates: Supreme Court chief justice allows White House ballroom renovation to continue for now — Key White House ally leaving to help with midterms — Trump says Ed Martin, a key ally who has pushed the president's claims of election fraud, is leaving his administration to help …
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:
Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
Trump Says Controversial US Attorney Ed Martin to Leave Role
Trump Says Controversial US Attorney Ed Martin to Leave Role
Discussion:
New York Post, Washington Examiner and The Gateway Pundit
Torrie Herrington / NOTUS:
Mark Sanford Makes an Endorsement in South Carolina Senate Race — Mark Sanford, who previously served as both a congressman and the governor of South Carolina, endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman in the Republican primary for the state's U.S. Senate seat. — Sanford, a Republican …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times and Jewish Insider
RELATED:
Sarah Davis / The Hill:
Sanford backs Norman over Graham in South Carolina Senate runoff: ‘Stakes are simply too high’
Sanford backs Norman over Graham in South Carolina Senate runoff: ‘Stakes are simply too high’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Politico, NewsMax.com, Political.org and UPI
Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
Colorado GOP Gov Nominee Claims to Have Battled ‘Demons’ With ‘Reptilian’ Eyes — Victor Marx was deep in the jungle and crippled by a fever when he was attacked. — The self-described “high-risk missionary” and Republican gubernatorial nominee in Colorado claims he traveled to Myanmar to train …
Associated Press:
Court slashes $50M judgment against Infowars' Alex Jones over falsely calling school shooting a hoax — A Texas court has slashed the $50 million judgment to $1.5 million against Infowars founder Alex Jones over falsely calling 2012 school shooting a hoax. The ruling does not affect …
Discussion:
MS NOW, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit and Political.org
Jalen Beckford / Politico:
Former acting US attorney found dead in San Diego federal office building — Former twice acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California Andrew Haden was found dead this week in the downtown San Diego federal building that houses the prosecutors' office, officials confirmed Friday.
Discussion:
New York Post, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, Times of San Diego, TMZ.com, Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune
Brian Beutler / Off Message:
This Is How Democrats Talk Themselves Out Of Wielding Power — Every party wants to win as many elections as possible. But a supermajority can not be a prerequisite for democratic renewal in America. — Let's peer into a future where Democrats come to power in 2029 with a governing trifecta.
Brady Knox / Washington Examiner:
Buttigieg heads to South Carolina as Trump tries to patch up Graham Nordone's debate gaffe — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is headed to South Carolina to shore up the Democrats' chances in the Senate special election, as the party sees an opening following Darline Graham Nordone's debate gaffe.
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. to Boost Beef Imports to Address High Prices, Trump Says — President says he will temporarily allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported into the U.S. without paying higher tariffs — President Trump announced a plan to temporarily allow more foreign beef imports …
Ben Meiselas / Meidas+:
Friday Afternoon News Updates: All Hat, Foreign Cattle - 8/21/26 — It's Friday, August 21. Here's your midday update. — Before I get into the news, a quick reminder that today's episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast with me and my brothers is out now! Some folks have said they've …
Angie Orellana Hernandez / NOTUS:
Log Cabin Republicans Officially Drop the ‘T’ From LGBT — Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest group representing gay conservatives and their allies, will no longer advocate for transgender rights, a senior leader for the organization announced in a column Thursday.
Discussion:
Townhall and LGBTQ Nation
Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Exclusive: Trump DOJ appears to have hired lawyer convicted of hacking election sites to check ‘integrity’ — A Florida lawyer who pleaded guilty after illegally accessing government election websites appears to have joined President Donald Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) …
John Authers / Bloomberg:
Bessent Must Envy When the Grownups Were in Charge — Even if they ultimately couldn't tame the deficit, bipartisanship beats an ‘insanity premium.’ — There are many reasons why the bond market makes a difficult topic for conversation. It's extremely complicated and based around counterintuitive mathematics that many find opaque.
Discussion:
The Maine Wire, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Mercury News, New Republic and Foreign Policy
Asawin Suebsaeng / Zeteo:
First Draft: ⬇️ Trump Advisers Worry He Could ‘Sink to the High 20s’ — The president's favorability has somehow stayed above 30% in the polls but economic pain and policy paralysis mean allies fear worse. Still, Trump would rather focus on setting the DOJ on his enemies.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
New York Times Loses Defamation Lawsuit in Alabama — A 2023 article incorrectly reported that a University of Alabama basketball player was at the scene of a deadly shooting. A jury awarded $9.25 million in damages. — An Alabama jury determined on Thursday that The New York Times defamed …
Discussion:
HotAir, RedState, Tuscaloosa News, The Daily Caller, Deseret News, Political.org, NewsMax.com, Washington Post, Reason, Fox News and The Daily Wire, more at Mediagazer »
Youri Benadjaoud / ABC News:
At least 55 sickened in salmonella, E. coli outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouts — At least four people have been hospitalized, health officials said. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shown in Atlanta. — At least 55 people have been sickened in a salmonella …
Discussion:
Political.org, Daily Mail, Breitbart, Associated Press, KSTP-TV, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul and CBS News
Rachel Maddow / MS NOW:
Charter plane crash kills 8 near remote radar site in western Alaska, military says — A statement from the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center did not provide details on the specific work the individuals were doing. — A charter aircraft carrying eight people crashed at a remote radar site …
Discussion:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Deseret News, One America News Network, Straight Arrow, The Daily Wire, KQTV-TV, WTTG-TV, The Daily Caller, Stars & Stripes, KTLA, CBS News, The Hill, The Sun, Fox News, Political.org, Al Jazeera, Metro.co.uk, UPI and Reuters
New York Times:
N.Y. State Senator's Former Aides Say She Double-Billed for Travel — For years, Jessica Ramos used campaign money to pay for hotels and Amtrak tickets while also receiving state payments for travel, records and interviews show. — A prominent New York state senator, Jessica Ramos …
Reuters:
US plans $725 million payment towards its large UN debt — The Trump administration has started the process to transfer $725 million to the United Nations, a congressional notification seen by Reuters showed, a move aid experts said was a welcome step towards paying billions in dues owed.
Christopher Wiggins / Advocate:
New Jersey shields abortion and gender-affirming care from out-of-state investigations — New Jersey has drawn a legal line around its doctors, patients and families. — Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Thursday signed an extensive shield law protecting people who provide …
Discussion:
LifeNews.com, Townhall, Washington Examiner, NorthJersey.com, The Gateway Pundit and The Post Millennial
Bret Devereaux / Foreign Policy:
The U.S. Is Learning the Wrong Lessons in Iran — Tactical excellence can never salvage strategic incompetence. — Although the conflict in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz is far from over, analysts are already rushing to declare what lessons should be learned from it.
Christopher Tremoglie / Washington Examiner:
White, liberal female Lindsay Clancy supporters are proving why men are right to want to remain single — Last summer, I went out on a date with a woman, a dame, if you would, to a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. We had amazing seats, saw an amazing game, and the Phillies won.
Discussion:
National Review
Morgan Phillips / Fox News:
Trump to transform spaceflight from spectacle to status quo targeting 3 launches per day — New White House policy directs agencies to expand launch pads, airspace corridors and reentry infrastructure for satellites — The Trump administration's new space policy aims to ramp up U.S. space traffic …
Discussion:
Washington Times and SPACE.com
Igor Bobic / NOTUS:
Democrats Are Getting More Bullish About Taking the Senate — Democrats see signs of growing momentum in the battle for the Senate, and they're increasingly optimistic they can expand the map into traditionally red territory ahead of November's midterm elections.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, The Hill, Bloomberg, Newsweek, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Iowa Starting Line and Axios

