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8:30 AM ET, August 31, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
CNN:
US strikes Iranian rocket launchers, marking first attack in a month  —  The Middle East Federal agencies US military Donald Trump  —  The US military on Sunday struck Iran's Larak Island, where forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with mines into the Strait of Hormuz …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
US strikes Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in first military action in weeks  —  U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months.
Reuters:
Trump posts AI video of Iran's Kharg in ‘smithereens’, no evidence of attack  —  U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video clip that he said was Iran's oil hub Kharg Island being blown to smithereens, hours after the two countries traded attacks for the first time since July.
Reuters:
US strikes Iranian launchers on Larak island amid strait of Hormuz tensions
Discussion: Task & Purpose, MishTalk and France 24
Washington Post:
Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles … The Pentagon has secretly installed several conservative military veterans with large online followings in government roles, declining to disclose their assignments as they amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's viewpoints …
Discussion: NOTUS, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite
New York Times:
‘The Least Transparent Midterm’: How Dark Money Is Washing Over the 2026 Election  —  At least $1 billion from anonymous donors is flowing into the midterm elections.  Dark money is not new, but it now permeates nearly every major contest.  —  In Michigan and Minnesota …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Democrats want the midterms to be about Trump.  He does, too.  —  As Republicans fight to hold Congress, Trump and his allies are spending money and political capital to keep him at the center of the campaign.  —  Summary  —  For vulnerable politicians, the safest place …
NBC News:
Meet the Press - August 30, 2026
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Desperate to appear strong, Trump shows pathetic weakness  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  Remember “Sharpiegate,” a relatively inconsequential but uncommonly stupid episode from Trump's first term?
RELATED:
Kaia Hubbard / CBS News:
Google updates maps to show “Lake America” in U.S. after Trump executive order directing name change
New York Times:
More Mail Ballots Are Arriving Late This Cycle, and They're Getting Tossed  —  State officials say they worry about the Postal Service's ability to deliver votes this fall.  They are urging voters to mail their ballots early or use drop boxes so their votes count.
RELATED:
Adora Brown / NOTUS:
Election Officials Brace for Chaos Over Trump's Mail-in Ballot Rule  —  Election officials in nearly half the states are warning the courts that implementing the U.S. Postal Service's new mail ballot rule would cause significant turmoil in their plans for the midterm elections …
Eli Okun / Politico:
The mail ballot mess
Discussion: Tallahassee Democrat and Votebeat
Max Boot / Washington Post:
Hegseth's purges are endangering national security  —  The Iran quagmire wouldn't have happened under Trump's first-term military leaders.  —  It was obvious from the start that appointing Pete Hegseth — a former Fox News weekend host — as secretary of defense was a spectacularly bad idea …
Discussion: Drezner's World
New York Times:
These Generals Fought for Israel.  Now They See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat.  —  A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support.
Politico:
Poll: Working class voters are still up for grabs  —  Republicans and Democrats are fighting over working class voters.  Americans don't believe the rhetoric.  —  Fifty-five percent of Americans think politicians are just trying to win votes when they say they will help the working class …
Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
Trump's deals in Africa could cut U.S. health aid by more than half, analysis shows  —  The planned reductions — targeting programs that combat the spread of deadly diseases — coincide with an administration push to make developing nations spend more.  —  Summary
Gillian Brockell / American Prospect:
‘What America Did to Me Is Wrong’: Inside One of the Largest Third-Country Removal Flights So Far  —  On July 31, an estimated 71 detainees were expelled to various countries on a hellish flight to Africa.  Many were then illegally returned to their home countries.
Calen Razor / Politico:
Johnson faces pressure to cut out early  —  Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:  — Lawmakers jockey for E&C spots  — Military widows caught in bill brawl  — Moulton comes for climate mantle  —  The House is back in session, but it might be a short one.
Kelsey Brugger / Politico:
The midterms are months away.  Members are already jockeying for seats on this powerful panel.  —  Lawmakers can spend years trying to land seats on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Several could finally get their chance in the next Congress.
Marc Champion / Bloomberg:
Trump Is Copying Putin's Losing Playbook With Canada  —  It sometimes feels as though the Trump administration gets its worldview and foreign policy ideas from a Kremlin School of International Relations course taught by Vladimir Putin — though at a CliffsNotes level that fails to consider how those strategies played out.
New York Times:
Nonstop Russian Drones Make for Dangerous New Phase of War in Kyiv  —  The nearly constant air raids, a shift from years of largely overnight attacks, have left residents exhausted and on edge.  —  Russia has turned to a terrifying new tactic in its assaults on Ukraine …
Discussion: Reuters and Associated Press
Politico:
Netanyahu son evacuated from US over threat  —  Israel's Shin Bet security agency says it urgently evacuated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's oldest son from the United States due to a threat against him.  —  In a brief statement obtained Sunday, the Shin Bet confirmed there had been a “significant threat” to Yair Netanyahu.
Discussion: Associated Press and Al Jazeera
 
 
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 More Items: 
Stanley Widianto / Reuters:
Indonesian activists hail ruling to strike down ban on insulting government, but question impact
Discussion: Bloomberg
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Massachusetts 2026 Poll: Sen. Markey Holds Commanding Lead Over Rep. Moulton in Democratic Primary
Carl Campanile / New York Post:
RNC chair claims Dem majority in Congress will put antisemites in power: ‘Direct threat to the Jewish community’
Discussion: NewsMax.com
CBS News:
Transcript: Rep. John James on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Aug. 30, 2026
Discussion: The Hill and NewsMax.com
Marcia Dunn / Associated Press:
NASA's newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe
 Earlier Items: 
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Sen. Ted Cruz calls for elections in Venezuela to proceed ‘rapidly’
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Annie Lowrey on the Time Tax
CNN:
Trump calls for NBC's Kristen Welker to face ‘rebuke or punishment’ from the FCC
Rebecca F. Elliott / New York Times:
Trump Says Venezuelan Oil Will Refill U.S. Stockpiles, but It's Not So Simple
Politico:
USDA cyclospora research projects shelved amid funding cuts and relocations
Discussion: Wired and Reuters
 

 
From Mediagazer:

David Gilmour / Mediaite:
Conservative WaPo columnist Marc Thiessen calls for the “traitor” source who leaked classified info behind his own newspaper's reporting to be “prosecuted”

Suhauna Hussain / Los Angeles Times:
California State Assembly passes a bill to create tax credits for local news organizations based on journalist headcount; the bill awaits Senate approval

Wendy Lee / Los Angeles Times:
Sources: Google approached Disney, Universal, and other studios to license characters and films for its AI tools, but legal and union concerns stalled deals

 
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