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5:00 PM ET, August 21, 2026

memeorandum

 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:
New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Chief Justice Allows White House Ballroom Construction While Full Court Considers the Issue  —  What We're Covering Today  — White House Ballroom: The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed President Trump to continue construction of a White House ballroom.
Discussion: KQTV-TV
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.
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 …
Associated Press:
Supreme Court chief justice allows work on Trump's $400M White House ballroom to continue for now
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: MS NOW, NewsMax.com and New Republic
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 …
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.
RELATED:
Politico:
Trump administration recommends stripping American Bar Association of law school oversight authority
Discussion: Above the Law
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
RELATED:
David Gardner / The Daily Beast:
Natalie Harp's Intimate Letters to Trump Revealed in Full
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 …
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
Discussion: New Republic
RELATED:
Rena Rowe / Washington Examiner:   Texas judge wipes $50 million judgment against Alex Jones in Sandy Hook case
Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
Trump Says Controversial US Attorney Ed Martin to Leave Role  —  President Donald Trump said Ed Martin, a senior Justice Department official, was leaving his post in the administration, the latest in a series of high-profile departures ahead of November's midterm elections.
RELATED:
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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.
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.
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.
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 …
Jacques Billeaud / Associated Press:
Arizona AG declines to charge Gov. Katie Hobbs over pay-to-play allegations  —  State prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs over allegations that she took part in a pay-to-play scheme with a group home company that received a rate increase from the state …
Discussion: MS NOW
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 …
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 …
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 …
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
New York Times:
Prison Firm Donated to Trump's PAC After ICE Gave It $165 Million a Year in Contracts  —  The GEO Group has profited from the administration's mass deportation campaign.  A subsidiary donated more than $1.4 million to the president's super PAC last month.  —  A private prison company donated …
Discussion: The Lever
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.
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.
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 …
Cooper Burton / FiftyPlusOne:
Rural and suburban voters haven't looked this Democratic since 2018  —  Plus, polls on social security, corruption, and the most popular sporting activities.  —  Cooper Burton, Mary Radcliffe, and FiftyPlusOne … For decades, Republicans have built their congressional strength on support …
Discussion: Townhall and The Status Kuo
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 …
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.
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 …
Justin Papp / CNBC:
As GOP warns data centers put Ohio Senate seat at risk, Husted defends energy policy … Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, defended President Donald Trump's energy and economic agenda on Friday during an appearance at a southwestern Ohio steel mill with Vice President JD Vance, as Republicans warn …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Exclusive: Trump DOJ appears to have hired lawyer convicted of hacking election sites to check ‘integrity’
Discussion: MS NOW and 77 WABC
Reuters:
US plans $725 million payment towards its large UN debt
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Pentagon says more than 750 US service members wounded in Iran war
Discussion: Stars & Stripes and NewsMax.com
Rachel Treisman / NPR:
What to know about this weekend's IndyCar race on the National Mall
Brady Knox / Washington Examiner:
Buttigieg heads to South Carolina as Trump tries to patch up Graham Nordone's debate gaffe
Discussion: Politico, LGBTQ Nation and NewsMax.com
 Earlier Items: 
Adeel Hassan / New York Times:
U.S. Citizen Who Deleted Phone's Data Says His Prosecution Puts Privacy at Risk
Greg Greene / New Republic:
Natalie Harp Should Concern Everyone—I Should Know, I Once Had Her Job
New York Times:
How Harvard's Epic Fight With Trump Is Costing the University
New York Times:
The Message Behind Trump's Threats of ‘Economic Warfare’ Against Iran
New York Times:
First U.S. Deportees Arrive in Liberia, and Liberians Want Explanations
Dustin Gardiner / Politico:
Progressive Aisha Wahab wins Eric Swalwell's former House seat