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:
Axios, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, American Prospect, NOTUS, MS NOW, Politico, CNBC, The Information, New York Magazine, Forbes, The San Francisco Standard, Reuters, Deadline, Associated Press, NPR, CalMatters, TechCrunch, Variety, The Wrap, KTLA, Bloomberg, Deseret News, The Sun, The Verge, National Legal … and CBS News, 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 …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, TMZ.com, Wired, Reuters, Political.org, Joe.My.God. and Stanford Law School, more at Mediagazer »
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:
Forbes, Adam Kinzinger, New York Times, Wonkette, New Republic, Joe.My.God., NBC News and Alternet.org
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 …
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Washington Post
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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:
Global News, National Review, UAW, The Hub, MPR News, Washington Examiner, Alternet.org, RTÉ and The Hill
Politico:
Republicans were already nervous about November. Then Trump restarted his trade war. — Republicans were already struggling to defuse simmering voter frustrations over the cost of living ahead of the midterms. Then President Donald Trump rekindled his trade wars.
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Mark It Down!
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Trump shitposts fail to win support for Canadian trade war
Trump shitposts fail to win support for Canadian trade war
Discussion:
NPR, The Hill, The Spectator, LAist, The Daily Wire and New York Times
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Today's Big Question: Why Was the CIA Director in Moscow Yesterday? — Is peace about to break out in Ukraine? Is the war about to expand to encompass the Strait of Hormuz? Is John Ratcliffe being careful to make sure the windows are secure in Moscow? — So many questions, and so far …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Moscow Times, UPI, Axios, The Parnas Perspective, The Spectator, Breitbart, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Japan Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, RedState, BBC, Political.org, Joe.My.God., Euronews, Fox News, Daily Mail, New Republic, France 24, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Semafor, CBS News, Washington Examiner and The American Conservative
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New York Times:
Even as Trump's Standing Slips, He Slingshots a Political Novice to Victory — After facing low approval ratings and endorsement setbacks, the president made a show of force in lifting Darline Graham to the Republican nomination for Senate in South Carolina.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CBS News, The Hill, Bloomberg and The Daily Caller
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Bridget Bowman / NBC News:
Democratic socialists notch another win in the Oklahoma Senate primary runoff
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill, NewsMax.com, New York Times and Palm Beach Post
The Atlantic:
Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record
Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record
Discussion:
Alternet.org, Eschaton, NOTUS, The Independent and Joe.My.God.
Kathleen Hunter / Axios:
Darline Graham wins South Carolina GOP Senate runoff
Darline Graham wins South Carolina GOP Senate runoff
Discussion:
New York Magazine, CBS News, NBC News, American Greatness, Roll Call, Reuters, NOTUS, Politico, NPR, Fox News and Washington Post
Kaia Hubbard / CBS News:
Sen. Darline Graham projected to win runoff in South Carolina GOP Senate primary, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman
Sen. Darline Graham projected to win runoff in South Carolina GOP Senate primary, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman
Discussion:
CNBC, Straight Arrow, New York Times, NBC News, The Daily Caller, National Politics, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, One America News Network, The Independent, Breitbart, RedState, NewsMax.com, New York Post, Fox News, Political.org, HotAir, Blaze Media, New Republic, New Yorker, Daily Mail, The Contrarian, The Guardian, Semafor, NOTUS and Scripps News
Avery Lotz / Axios:
States renew fight against Trump's mail-in voting rule … Now, the states are hoping their timing is right to kneecap the plan ahead of the midterms. — The ruling didn't weigh the merits of Trump's order, which critics warn would expand federal power over state-run elections.
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Perry Stein / Washington Post:
Lawyers gear up as Trump administration threatens election officials with arrest
Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:
Trump's Efforts to Sow Election Doubts Get Boost from Initial Court Order
Trump's Efforts to Sow Election Doubts Get Boost from Initial Court Order
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, Votebeat, The Bulwark, Democracy Docket, LAist, twitchy.com, Slate, TheGrio, Newsweek, The Independent, The Dean's Report, Balls and Strikes, Breitbart and CNN
Susan Page / USA Today:
Even Iowa? Trump's troubles tighten races for Senate, governor — Even in Iowa, Republican candidates for the Senate and governorship are now locked in tight races, a new Suffolk University poll finds − thanks in part to dissatisfaction with Donald Trump in a state he carried in three presidential elections.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Kanishka Singh / Reuters:
Trump administration issues pause on visa appointments for applicants worldwide — President Donald Trump's administration has issued a pause on visa appointments for applicants around the world during an ongoing immigration crackdown by the U.S. government in the Republican leader's second term in the White House.
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.
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:
Reason, more at Techmeme »
James Downie / MS NOW:
Trump can't stop sabotaging his own economy — “Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?” an exasperated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a press conference Monday, while introducing new sanctions against Iran. Bessent may think that's still a self-evidently ridiculous question.
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Political.org
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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:
Washington Examiner, KUT Radio …, The Texas Tribune, Townhall, PinkNews, UPI, Joe.My.God. and FOX 26 Houston
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Poll: New low for Trump on prices and foreign policy, now net negative on border security — The president lost his last positive issue, and the gap between strong disapproval and strong approval is now nearly 3-to-1 (50% vs 17%) … On Aug. 13, the Department of Homeland Security announced …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, YouGov and The Philadelphia Inquirer
ProPublica:
The Costly Blunders in the Army's $533 Million Fiasco — The U.S. Army paid General Dynamics $533 million for an artillery factory that failed to produce a single usable shell. — Instead of efficient, state-of-the-art production lines, half a billion dollars in taxpayer funding paid …
US Department of Justice:
Justice Department and FBI Seize Platforms Operated and Used by China State-Sponsored Hackers to Target U.S. Critical Infrastructure — For Immediate Release — The Justice Department and FBI announced court-authorized domain seizures today to deny malicious cyber actors access …
Discussion:
Reuters, more at Techmeme »
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 …
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.
Holmes Lybrand / CNN:
3 Secret Service officials placed on leave amid misconduct investigation — Three Secret Service officials, including the agency's director of communications, have been placed on leave as an investigation into potential misconduct unfolds, a source familiar with the decision told CNN.
Matthew Choi / Washington Post:
In Texas Senate race, Talarico seeks depositions that could damage Paxton — Democrat James Talarico has leaned into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's past legal scandals to try to win over moderate Republicans. — Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is looking …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Associated Press, Townhall, Newsweek, FOX 26 Houston and Washington Examiner
Leo Shane III / Politico:
Pentagon claims to have found ‘hidden’ files on final days of the Afghanistan war — Pentagon officials on Wednesday claimed they have uncovered classified documents that were “hidden away in safes where they would not be found” that shed new light on the chaotic end to the U.S. war …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Jeffrey Dastin / Reuters:
Bill Gates, alarmed by AI, has policy ideas he wants to discuss with China's Xi — Bill Gates is looking to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year, eager to propose global efforts to mitigate the growing risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Semafor and The Independent, more at Techmeme »
Ian Duncan / Washington Post:
Wisconsin prosecutor declines to charge Musk in election bribery investigation — The tech titan last year had offered voters a chance at a $1 million prize. — A Wisconsin prosecutor said Tuesday that he would not bring charges against Elon Musk over allegations of bribery tied to his support …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Politico, Associated Press, Votebeat, WBAY-TV, Washington Examiner, The Independent and The Hill
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump administration violated court order on mail-voting rules, judge says — A Massachusetts judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration violated a nationwide injunction by finalizing a rule that would significantly overhaul mail voting if allowed to take effect.
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
It Was Inevitable That Trump Would Come to This — To commit lèse-majesté was, and in some places still is, to commit an offense against dignity of the crown. — The basic idea was that under a monarch, and especially an absolute monarch, the integrity of the state rested …
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Politico:
Taxing the rich cracks open the Democratic coalition — Blue-state Democrats are raring to tax the ultra-rich. They're also fighting over just how far to go. — A fervor for squeezing more from billionaires has swept through the party's coastal bastions as elected officials and allies …
Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
'It doesn't get any easier. It just gets different': Abbey Gate gold star families think about legacy on five-year anniversary — Five years ago, 13 families had their worst nightmares realized and forever became known as the Abbey Gate gold star families.
Discussion:
RedState, NewsMax.com and The Gateway Pundit


