Top Items:
New York Times:
Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims — The social media giant settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and agreed to make major changes to its products over claims its platforms endangered children.
Discussion:
CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Axios, American Prospect, The Hill, Variety, FOX 26 Houston, The Capitolist, The Register, The Verge, Semafor, NewsNation, NOTUS, Deseret News, New Republic, New York Magazine, The Wrap, CalMatters, KQED, JURIST, NextDraft, Reuters, TechCrunch, Biometric Update, Mississippi Today, CBS News, UPI, The Information, KTLA, Deadline, Politico, MS NOW, Bloomberg, National Legal …, The Sun and National Politics, more at Techmeme »
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Diana Novak Jones / Reuters:
Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement over social media harms to children — Meta Platforms (META.O) agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims by states across the U.S. that the company designed those platforms to addict children …
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
The bizarre roots of Trump's trade war on Canada — LONDON, Ontario — President Donald Trump seems dead set on escalating his trade war with Canada. And no one is really sure why. — On Monday, Trump threatened another round of 50 percent tariffs on top of the ones he just implemented …
Discussion:
Public Notice, CBC News, Alternet.org and Global News
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Lauren Aratani / The Guardian:
Wiped out: US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada — Paper products among hardest-hit sectors after trade negotiations broke down, with 25-50% tariffs estimated — Using the bathroom or having a cry is about to become more expensive for North Americans as the US …
Associated Press:
Democratic states file new lawsuit seeking to block Trump's order limiting mail voting in midterms — Democratic-controlled states on Wednesday filed another lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to limit mail voting in this year's midterm elections.
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, NOTUS, Federal Register, MS NOW, Fox News, HotAir, Washington Post, New York Post, PBS NewsHour, The Independent, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NewsMax.com, KSTP-TV, Bloomberg, CBS News, Biometric Update, Mercury News, Votebeat, The Colorado Sun and Capital B News
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Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket:
Judge lifts second block on Trump's mail voting order, clears way for legal fight on constitutionality — A federal judge in Massachusetts lifted restrictions preventing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from implementing President Donald Trump's anti-mail voting executive order.
Discussion:
NBC News, CNBC and NewsMax.com
Avery Lotz / Axios:
States renew fight against Trump's mail-in voting rule
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Hill, ABC News, The Daily Caller, UPI, Forbes, RedState, Truthout, Tangle, State of California, Los Angeles Times, The Post Millennial, 77 WABC and New York Times
Sophie Brams / The Hill:
Federal judge lifts nationwide block on mail-in voting restrictions
Federal judge lifts nationwide block on mail-in voting restrictions
Discussion:
Politico, twitchy.com, MS NOW, Townhall, NPR, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Wire
TMZ.com:
Actor Tim Curry Dead at 80 — Tim Curry — the legendary film and TV actor best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” — has died ... TMZ has learned. — Sources tell TMZ the actor — who had been plagued with serious health issues …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, KTLA, One America News Network, NewsNation and The Hill
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Bruce Weber / New York Times:
Tim Curry, Star of ‘Rocky Horror’ and Much More, Dies at 80 … Tim Curry in 1974, the year he starred in the premiere American production of “The Rocky Horror Show” in Los Angeles.Evening Standard/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images — Tim Curry, the British-born actor whose gift …
Discussion:
HuffPost and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Washington Post:
Before Hegseth fired him, top general was advised to drop Kid Rock probe — Gen. Randy George appeared troubled by the encounter with Gen. Chris LaNeve, the Army's No. 2 officer now favored for the service's top job, people familiar with the matter told The Post. — Summary
Discussion:
The Independent, TMZ.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Breaking Defense, Stars & Stripes, Adam Kinzinger, MS NOW, The Bulwark, Wonkette, New Republic and Forbes
Arek Sarkissian / Politico:
Amid deadly Pennsylvania outbreak, Kennedy blames Biden for decline in measles vax rates — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy on Wednesday said CDC workers have been unable to confirm measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania before blaming the nationwide decline in measles vaccinations on the Biden administration.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Joe.My.God. and New Republic
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MS NOW:
Troops fighting against Iran and alleged drug smugglers say they are being asked to violate international law — Organizations that help service members apply to leave the military as conscientious objectors are seeing a large increase in concerns over U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats and targets inside Iran.
Discussion:
New Republic
Raquel Coronell Uribe / NBC News:
Judge strikes down Texas ban on drag shows, tells people offended by them 'just don't go' — The federal judge, who cited Dolly Parton in his ruling, found that the state law violated the First Amendment. — A federal judge in Texas struck down a 2023 state law Tuesday that sought to restrict drag shows …
Discussion:
NewsNation, USA Today, HuffPost, The Texas Tribune, ACLU of Texas, Reason, NewsMax.com, KUT Radio …, Newsweek, Fox News, Breitbart, TMZ.com, Washington Examiner, LGBTQ Nation, Political.org, The Hill, NOTUS, Townhall, UPI and Joe.My.God.
Angie Orellana Hernandez / NOTUS:
Pentagon Claims Hegseth's Afghanistan Withdrawal Probe Found ‘Hidden’ Files — The chairman of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's panel reviewing the deadly 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan claimed on Wednesday it found “hidden” documents about the military operation in a safe.
Discussion:
Politico, NewsMax.com and RedState
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Politico:
Appeals court rejects Rep. McIver's challenge to charges for alleged assaults at ICE facility — Rep. LaMonica McIver is not immune from prosecution for her contact with ICE officials during a heated scrum at New Jersey's Delaney Hall detention facility, even though it occurred during …
Discussion:
Ace of Spades HQ and The Gateway Pundit
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Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
Appeals court declines to toss McIver case as panel splits on selective prosecution claims
Appeals court declines to toss McIver case as panel splits on selective prosecution claims
Discussion:
MS NOW, Washington Examiner, CourtListener, Washington Post, twitchy.com, RedState, Fox News, All Rise News, The Post Millennial, The Guardian, Roll Call, emptywheel and Political.org
Leo Sands / New York Times:
Deadly Nepal Flood May Have Been Caused by Ice Snapping Off Glacier, Scientists Say — An initial assessment of satellite imagery suggests an “ice avalanche” from a high-altitude glacier sent a giant cascade into the valley below. — The deadly flooding in Nepal on Wednesday was likely set off …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Reuters and Associated Press
RELATED:
Associated Press:
At least 8 killed and hundreds missing after avalanche triggers deadly flash floods in Nepal
At least 8 killed and hundreds missing after avalanche triggers deadly flash floods in Nepal
Discussion:
Reuters, ABC News, Associated Press, New York Post, Washington Examiner, South China Morning Post, The Daily Wire, The National, The Sun, Fox News, The Kathmandu Post, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times, Deseret News, The Korea Herald, The Daily Caller, Metro.co.uk, RTÉ, Al Jazeera, France 24, CBS News, Political.org, RedState, Straight Arrow, UPI, New York Times and The Japan Times
New York Times:
Judge Sides With Texas Over Minnesota on Extradition of ICE Agent — The two states have waged an unusual court battle over the agent facing charges over a shooting in Minneapolis. The agent could be released from jail on Thursday. — A federal judge on Wednesday sided with Texas …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Scripps News, Associated Press, Joe.My.God., FOX 26 Houston, KSTP-TV and LifeNews.com
Wall Street Journal:
The Connections That Turned a Precocious Teen Into the Fallen ‘Nostradamus of AI’ — A 24-year-old investor was hailed as a visionary and attracted billions—before turning into Wall Street's latest cautionary tale — For the past few years, at happy hours and dinner parties in San Francisco …
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Reason, more at Techmeme »
Nancy Cook / Bloomberg:
Republicans' Unusual Midterm Convention Is a Political Gamble — Will spotlighting Trump's record help Republicans win over the swing voters they need to retain control of the House and Senate? … Risky Party — Republicans are gearing up for a party in the coming weeks that will require …
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Peter D'Abrosca / Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: State Dept reveals Portland Antifa connection to Hamas, Iran's IRGC in sweeping terror action — Marco Rubio says Autistici/Inventati built encrypted digital tools used by Rose City Antifa, Hamas and other violent groups — EXCLUSIVE: A State Department memo reveals …
Discussion:
The Post Millennial, Townhall, Human Events, Political.org, Jewish Insider, RedState and The Daily Wire
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Jonathan Martin / Politico:
A Pork Tenderloin, a State Fair and Democrats' Best Shot at Iowa in Decades … So I won't say that Iowa is tops because I don't want to alienate Minnesota, Ohio and, lord knows, Texas. And, no, I'm not ignoring you, New York — I know Syracuse is host to the granddaddy of them all.
Discussion:
The Bulwark, The Guardian, Wide World of News and The Hill
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Susan Page / USA Today:
Even Iowa? Trump's troubles tighten races for Senate, governor
Even Iowa? Trump's troubles tighten races for Senate, governor
Discussion:
The Hill
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Poll: New low for Trump on prices and foreign policy, now net negative on border security — This article reports results from the August 2026 Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll. A methodology description is included at the end of this article. You can find toplines for this as well as …
Discussion:
Democracy Docket
Adam Bonica / On Data and Democracy:
The Bulwark Killed an Investigation into Political Fundraising Spam After Its Publisher Took the Consultants' Side — This is a story about the Democratic Party captured by its consultants, and about what happens when the pro-democracy press is asked to say so.
Johanna Alonso / Inside Higher Ed:
New Student Visas Dropped 23% in 2025 — Countries impacted by Trump's travel ban are among those with the fewest student visas issued in 2025, though China and India, typically the two largest suppliers of international students to the U.S., were also hit hard.
Discussion:
State of California and OutsideTheBeltway
Adam Kovac / Yahoo News:
In a 2023 interview, Trump's new FDA pick laid out a vision for ‘conservative-based’ science — In a 2023 podcast interview, Heidi Overton called for the creation of “alternate systems” for publishing research that would back conservative policy — President Donald Trump's nominee to lead …
Jenna Monnin / NOTUS:
GOP Governor Candidate Plans to Ask for ICE Agents at Polling Places — Maine gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles said he plans to ask White House border czar Tom Homan to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Maine polling stations this election season.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Maine Democratic Party, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo and Centralmaine.com
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
The 2026 elections are thinning the ranks of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus — The band of rebellious conservatives has watched its members leave to run for higher office or lose their primaries, as others face political dangers on the horizon. — The ranks of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus …
Carlos Lozada / New York Times:
A Question for the Formerly Woke: What Exactly Do You Regret? — There is a difference between changing your mind and shifting your tactics, between evolving in your views and abandoning them because they've become unpopular or politically perilous. — When Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez …
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Examiner and Fox News
Garrett Downs / CNBC:
Republicans are dismissing affordability. That could be a problem in November … Voters are worried about the cost of living. Comments from the GOP this week are not likely to console them. — President Donald Trump, in a Wednesday interview, said that the word “affordability” was “devised” by Democrats to disparage him.
Discussion:
New Republic, The Independent and Newsweek
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
Blanche rips Philadelphia district attorney over promise to blow up White House ballroom — Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday ripped into the Philadelphia district attorney for suggesting that the White House ballroom would be blown to bits while noting that he was entitled to a piece of the shrapnel as a keepsake.
Discussion:
Fox News, Townhall, The Independent, HotAir, American Greatness, The Daily Wire, Louder With Crowder, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God.
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda — In effort to prime chatbots to make pro-Israel arguments the site published 124 reports, over 560,000 words in nine days, Guardian analysis shows — A pro-Israel messaging website badged with the name …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Jonathan Cohn / The Bulwark:
This Cancer Breakthrough Has Scientists Cheering—and Crying — They know RFK Jr. and Donald Trump are destroying the research ecosystem that made it possible. — FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, an up-and-coming oncology researcher in Boston named Catherine Wu had a hunch.
Discussion:
Esquire and Lawyers, Guns & Money

