Top Items:
Zach Montague / New York Times:
Judge Once Again Blocks Mail-In Ballot Rules — The ruling arrived before the Supreme Court could decide whether to intervene but appeared certain to set off yet another round of appeals. — A federal judge in Boston ruled for the third time on Friday that the Trump administration's plans …
Discussion:
Politico, The Japan Times, The Guardian, Forbes, Axios, MS NOW, The Gateway Pundit, NOTUS, Alternet.org, CBS News, The Hill, UPI and NPR
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Democracy Docket:
In major win for voters, judge blocks Trump's mail voting restrictions for midterms — A federal judge in Massachusetts barred the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Friday from advancing new mail voting restrictions that, if carried out, could leave vast numbers of people unable to cast a ballot by mail this fall.
Discussion:
MS NOW
Associated Press:
Federal judge extends block on Trump executive order seeking to limit mail voting in the midterms
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, American Greatness, WTOP News, The Daily Wire, New York Times, The Independent, France 24, NBC News and CNN
Alexandra Hutzler / Democracy Docket:
Justice Department immediately asks First Circuit to revive anti-mail voting order halted by judge
Justice Department immediately asks First Circuit to revive anti-mail voting order halted by judge
Discussion:
JusttheNews.com, All Rise News, NBC News and Law Dork
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
USPS opens internal probe into whistleblower's mail voting claims, Dems say
USPS opens internal probe into whistleblower's mail voting claims, Dems say
Discussion:
CBS News
Associated Press:
Missouri asks US Supreme Court to allow use of new Trump-backed congressional districts in midterms — Missouri appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to allow the use of new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump in the fast-approaching midterm election.
Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite, NBC News, STLPR, Los Angeles Times, MS NOW, Associated Press, CBS News, WTOP News, Democracy Docket and Wall Street Journal
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Malcolm Ferguson / New Republic:
Trump Spirals After Missouri Supreme Court Hands Him Massive Loss — President Donald Trump crashed out on Thursday night after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down Republican redistricting efforts ahead of midterm elections—changing the House map after the primary and before November in an unprecedented move.
Discussion:
WTOP News, American Prospect, The Daily Wire, UPI, Associated Press, The Hill, Mediaite, Fox News, Legal Insurrection, MS NOW, NOTUS and OutsideTheBeltway
Eli McKown-Dawson / Silver Bulletin:
Democrats just got one seat closer to retaking the House
Democrats just got one seat closer to retaking the House
Discussion:
Capital B News, Democracy Docket, Pluribus News, Washington Post, Roll Call, Newsweek, emptywheel, RedState and The Gateway Pundit
New York Times:
In Major Leak Hunt, Pentagon Gives Polygraph Tests to Joint Staff Members — About 50 people were tested, an unparalleled inquiry that comes in the wake of news reports about the war with Iran and the U.S. military's diminished stocks of munitions. — U.S. government investigators have taken …
Discussion:
CBS News, The Wrap, Joe.My.God., emptywheel, Al Jazeera, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, NewsMax.com, Alternet.org, Mediaite and Salon, more at Mediagazer »
CNN:
Musk has started spending money to help Ken Paxton. Will it help change the course of the Texas Senate race? — PACs Congressional news Senate election US elections — For months, Texas Republicans have anxiously awaited the arrival of national resources to help boost Ken Paxton, one of the GOP's most vulnerable Senate candidates.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, [your]NEWS, The Texas Tribune, American Greatness, NewsMax.com and Scripps News
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Kellen Browning / New York Times:
Fake Version of Republican Midterm Convention Website Redirects to Epstein Files
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Mediaite, FOX 26 Houston, Al Jazeera and Washington Examiner
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump says he will spend some, not all, super PAC money on midterms
Trump says he will spend some, not all, super PAC money on midterms
Discussion:
MS NOW, Reuters, NewsMax.com, CBS News, New York Times, CNBC, NOTUS and Mediaite
Cleve R. Wootson Jr / Washington Post:
Melania Trump will not attend the Republican midterm convention
Melania Trump will not attend the Republican midterm convention
Discussion:
The Hill, Fort Worth Report, Washington Examiner and The Independent
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Fox News abruptly parts ways with scandal-tarred star Maria Bartiromo — Fox News abruptly announced Thursday that it is parting ways with longtime host Maria Bartiromo, whose close ties to President Trump helped propel her ratings but also ultimately unraveled her Fox career.
Discussion:
USA Today, NewsMax.com, Slate, The Hollywood Reporter, Blaze Media, MS NOW, Daily Mail, The Nation, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God., The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Adam Kinzinger, New Republic, The Independent, The Post Millennial, Wonkette, New York Post, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Forbes and [your]NEWS, more at Mediagazer »
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Politico:
Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes staffers over CBS interview — WASHINGTON — A federal judge refused Friday to block the Pentagon from firing three Stars and Stripes staff members who claim they were illegally disciplined for speaking out about the military news outlet's need …
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian, The Hill, IJR News, Stars & Stripes, NewsMax.com, MS NOW, Courthouse News Service and CBS News, more at Mediagazer »
Reuters:
Putin's envoy Dmitriev to meet Witkoff, Kushner upon their arrival in Moscow, sources say — Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet U.S. special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Moscow on Saturday, two people familiar with the upcoming visit told Reuters.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Scripps News, New York Times, [your]NEWS, CBS News, France 24, CNN, Al Jazeera, The Japan Times, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, Politico, The Hill and The Moscow Times
Aamer Madhani / Associated Press:
Trump calls Iran conflict ‘small potatoes’ and defends Vance's position that it's not a ‘war’ — President Donald Trump on Friday said the conflict in Iran is “small potatoes” as he defended Vice President JD Vance for asserting that months of on-and-off attacks in the Middle East are not a “war.”
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Independent, UPI, Newsbusters, Al Jazeera, GB News, NBC News, Metro.co.uk, Los Angeles Times, Daily Mail, PBS NewsHour, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Mediaite, NewsMax.com, CBS News, CNN, Salon, Bloomberg, Reuters and Gulf News
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Veterans make emergency request to block construction of Trump's arch — The administration is seeking to render the project a “fait accompli” by moving quickly, the veterans' lawyers argued Friday. — Three Vietnam War veterans on Friday asked a federal judge to prevent work …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Newsbusters, Forbes and The Post Millennial
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Rachel Treisman / NPR:
Trump's arch may break ground without final approval. Veterans are trying to stop it
Trump's arch may break ground without final approval. Veterans are trying to stop it
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Kos, Pen Strokes, Scripps News, Straight Arrow, UPI, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Politico, CBS News, Bloomberg and NOTUS
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Tetris Owner Denounces Trump White House Clone of Game — Responding to Build the Wall, an apparent copy of the retro video game, the Tetris Company said “we take copyright infringement very seriously.” — The Tetris Company, the company that owns the rights to the classic video game …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Guardian, GB News, NewsMax.com, twitchy.com, The Hill, ABC News, Alternet.org, Courthouse News Service, Variety, The Verge, The Japan Times, New Republic, Mediaite, CNN and Palm Beach Post
New York Times:
Gallup Polls Show Democrats Outnumber Republicans Ahead of 2026 Midterm Elections — Data from Gallup shows that Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have their largest advantage over Republicans since 2008. — The share of Americans who associate themselves with the Democratic Party …
Discussion:
Alternet.org
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Judge weighs how to dismiss Reflecting Pool vandalism charge against Olympian … A Washington judge on Friday said he will rule quickly on whether to dismiss a now-discredited indictment charging former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with prejudice …
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com and National Politics
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Adam Klasfeld / All Rise News:
Trump DOJ says it's not probing David Hearn—but might ‘10 minutes from now’
Trump DOJ says it's not probing David Hearn—but might ‘10 minutes from now’
Discussion:
The Independent
Washington Post:
ChatGPT bans campaigns from using AI to make ads. They're doing it anyway. — A Post review found 39 campaigns that disclosed payments to AI companies, but consultants say many more do it and don't disclose it. — Summary — Artificial intelligence has subtly entered the machinery …
Washington Post:
Republican House candidates tone down Trump on their campaign websites — Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes. — Why did Mike Beltran, a Republican trying to unseat Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida), first decide to run for public office?
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Former Staff Members Threaten to Expose Fetterman's Internal Messages — The former aides started a social media account they said would publicize Senator John Fetterman's communications, following a report detailing the Democrat's disdain for doing his job.
Discussion:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, MS NOW, Fox News and New York Magazine
Mallory Wilson / The Hill:
Trump reveals Brazil, Argentina involved in controversial beef deal — President Trump said Friday that tariff-free imported beef will be coming from Brazil and Argentina, among other places, as his administration works to alleviate stubbornly high prices. — “It's coming from Argentina.
Discussion:
American Greatness and UPI
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Gavin J. Quinton / NOTUS:
Trump Signs Order to Help Ranchers Bypass USDA-Inspected Processing Facilities
Trump Signs Order to Help Ranchers Bypass USDA-Inspected Processing Facilities
Discussion:
The White House, [your]NEWS, One America News Network, NewsMax.com, NewsNation, Breitbart and Joe.My.God.
Ron Filipkowski / Meidas+:
The 75 Most Corrupt Things Trump Did in 2026 — So far. — ... This is a list of the 75 most corrupt things Trump did in 2026. These are not all of the corrupt things. There were many more, all of which I chronicled throughout the year in my daily column ‘Today in Politics.’ I was planning to list 100.
Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:
The mystery behind an audio clip that helped upend a Senate race — Artificial intelligence tools increasingly allow political actors to fool voters — and help candidates cast doubt on reality. — Summary — Late last month, left-wing firebrand Hasan Piker showed his Twitch viewers …
Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
Federal ‘Bureal’ of Investigation: Kash Patel Posts Embarrassing Slop Video About How Much the FBI Loves AI — Is anybody checking this stuff for accuracy over there? — FBI Director Kash Patel is not known as the most competent guy around. And a video he posted to X on Thursday isn't going to help that reputation.
New York Times:
Looking Back on the Summer of High MAGA in Trump's Washington … When the history of this time is written, it may be observed that the United States of America celebrated its 250th anniversary with one, big Donald Trump-themed party in the nation's capital that lasted for one whole summer.
ABC News:
Missouri Republican candidate allegedly tried to plant drugs on primary opponent: Investigators — The state GOP has called on Thomas Christopher Ross to withdraw from the race. — Thomas Ross booking photo. — Joplin Municipal Jail — A Republican candidate for a Missouri State House seat …
Discussion:
Blaze Media, NBC News, Washington Post, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit and FOX 32 Chicago
Jacob Wendler / Politico:
Senate aide's lobbying side gig raises ethics questions — FIRST IN PI — A senior staffer for Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) has quietly worked as a lobbyist for Meta and other high-profile clients — an unusual agreement that experts say raises questions about ethics and possible conflicts of interest …
