Top Items:
Jay Willis / Balls and Strikes:
Let's Unpack Sam Alito's Unhinged Dissent In the Supreme Court Mail In Voting Case — For Alito and Thomas, there is no greater injustice than Donald Trump not getting what he wants, when he wants it. — For months, President Donald Trump has been coping with his myriad failures …
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Josh Blackman / Reason:
Trump Goes Postal On Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett — Last night, I wrote a post titled, “Chief Justice Roberts Goes Postal on Trump's USPS Rule.” In candor, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, and for Trump to go postal on SCOTUS. It came this morning. The Truth Social entry is long:
Discussion:
Reuters, CNBC, MS NOW, The Independent, Axios, PoliticusUSA, The Daily Wire, RedState, Newsweek, The Hill and New Republic
Steve Vladeck / One First:
250. What We Learned from USPS v. California — By now, you've probably seen the headlines—that the Supreme Court on Monday night denied the Trump administration's application for a stay in U.S. Postal Service v. California, thereby leaving intact district court injunctions that will effectively prevent …
NBC News:
Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board votes to close venue for renovations — The board made the move after finding the center is “unsafe” and “hazardous” — President Donald Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted Tuesday to immediately shutter the performing arts center …
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, JusttheNews.com, Deadline, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, RedState, Breitbart, Straight Arrow, The Wrap, All Rise News, New Republic, USA Today, NPR, Joe.My.God., abc7NY, Truthout, Forbes and Reuters
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New York Times:
Trump Fights Back After Judge Says Name Must Stay Off Kennedy Center — President Trump threatened to cancel a $257 million renovation of the performing arts venue if the judge's ban was not overturned. — A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts …
Washington Post:
Kennedy Center board votes to close venue as judge bars adding Trump's name — Earlier Tuesday, a federal judge again halted an effort to recognize Trump on the center's exterior. — Summary — Leaders of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted Tuesday to close the venue …
CNN:
Kennedy Center board votes to close for renovations after chaotic call with Trump
Discussion:
Variety, The Washington Sun, Business Insider, CBS News, Roll Call, Al Jazeera, Forbes, Scripps News, Politico, New Republic and The Hill
Sydney Carruth / MS NOW:
Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board votes to shutter building
Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board votes to shutter building
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, Trump's Truth, The Independent, New Republic, Mediaite and Forbes
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Trump considered dangerous, corrupt by majority in new poll — A slight majority of registered voters describe President Trump as corrupt and dangerous, a recent poll found, while just 14% say he isn't divisive. … - Those words were followed by “out-of-touch” (47%), “cruel” (46%) and “bold” (45%).
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
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New York Times:
Democrats Gain Edge as Trump Drags Down G.O.P., New Poll Finds — Even some Republicans are losing faith in Trump's economy, a New York Times/Siena poll found, and Democrats were favored on the top issues as the sprint to the midterms gets underway. — With fewer than 50 days until the midterms …
Discussion:
Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, American Prospect, Daily Kos, Newsweek, The Bulwark, Axios, MS NOW, Mediaite and No More Mister Nice Blog
Natalie Allison / Washington Post:
Republicans have soured on the economy, poll finds — Less than a third of Republican voters said the economy is better than a year before, the poll found. — As President Donald Trump struggles to gain back support for his handling of the economy, he is facing significant frustration …
Discussion:
New York Times, Newsweek and The Hill
Edith Olmsted / New Republic:
“Are You Ready to Shut Up?!”: Kash Patel Hearing Goes off the Rails — Senator Chuck Grassley had an explosive outburst at Senator Cory Booker Tuesday, after the Democratic lawmaker grilled FBI Director Kash Patel over his incompetence. — Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Joe.My.God., The Hill, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
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Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
Kash Patel Won't Rule Out Sending Armed Federal Agents to the Polls
Discussion:
GovExec.com, New York Times, Democracy Docket, Roll Call, The Washington Sun, RedState, PBS NewsHour, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and CBS News
Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
FBI Director Kash Patel clashes with Democrats at oversight hearing
FBI Director Kash Patel clashes with Democrats at oversight hearing
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Hill and Washington Examiner
Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
GOP senator presses Patel on FBI policy change: ‘Why would you get into bestiality?’
GOP senator presses Patel on FBI policy change: ‘Why would you get into bestiality?’
Sarah N. Lynch / CBS News:
Patel defends lowering hiring standards related to prostitution, bestiality
Patel defends lowering hiring standards related to prostitution, bestiality
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Ariana Baio / The Guardian:
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality
Discussion:
Forbes, Wired, KTVZ-TV, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, The Hill, TMZ.com, Washington Examiner, WTOP News, The Independent, New Republic and CBS News
Lara Seligman / Wall Street Journal:
Pentagon Seeks Fit Troops for Upcoming Hegseth Speech — September event will take place at the Pentagon and include lower-ranking officers, enlisted servicemembers — The Pentagon is asking commanders to nominate troops to attend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's “State of the Force” …
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The Hill:
Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Tuesday launched an effort to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, citing the Pentagon's military actions against Iran. — Massie, a frequent critic of President Trump, accused Hegseth of launching an illegal war that was not approved by Congress.
Discussion:
Bloomberg Government, MS NOW, Axios, Washington Examiner, NPR, Reuters, New Republic, The Washington Sun, Washington Post, Fox News, Stars & Stripes, New York Post, RedState, Truthout, Straight Arrow, The Guardian, Reason, The American Conservative, Newsweek, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, Daily Caller News Foundation and Mediaite
Alexei Koseff / Washington Post:
Democrats help turn back Trump impeachment resolution
Democrats help turn back Trump impeachment resolution
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Mediaite and NRCC
David Yaffe-Bellany / New York Times:
Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry — The landmark legislation, known as the Clarity Act, stalled in the Senate as Democrats raised concerns about President Trump's personal investments in crypto. — A sweeping bill that would create business-friendly rules …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Axios, CBS News, Fox News, NPR, The Intercept, CoinDesk, The Daily Caller, Politico, The Block, Zeteo and Reuters
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New York Post:
Chilling new details about Trump shooter Thomas Crooks revealed in bombshell FBI docs: emotionless since birth — President Trump's would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was born without making a sound on Sept. 20, 2003, a trait that would follow him right up to the end of his short life …
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Kaelan Deese / Washington Examiner:
Patel fends off questions about his personal travel and leisure
Discussion:
New York Post, New Republic, twitchy.com, Reuters and The Hill
Casey He / Politico:
Trump says Wray should ‘pay a price’ for Butler probe
Trump says Wray should ‘pay a price’ for Butler probe
Discussion:
New York Post, ABC News, Breitbart, American Greatness, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, Trump's Truth, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, Mediaite and The Independent
Ben Binday / Washington Post:
This blue state is the midterms' surprising new Senate battleground — The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its rating of New Hampshire's Senate race from ‘Lean Democratic’ to ‘Toss Up.’ — New Hampshire has emerged as a surprise battleground for control of the Senate ahead of the midterms …
Discussion:
Mediaite
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Helen Huiskes / The Hill:
Cook Political Report shifts New Hampshire toward Republican Sununu
Cook Political Report shifts New Hampshire toward Republican Sununu
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and NewsMax.com
Riley Beggin / Washington Post:
Iran war cost $38 billion through July, report says — The U.S. is expected to spend $2 billion to $3 billion per month as the war continues, according to the Congressional Budget Office. — Summary — The Iran war cost $38 billion from its start in late February to Aug. 1 and could cost …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Examiner, ABC News, CNBC, New York Times, Bloomberg, MS NOW, Stars & Stripes, Roll Call and Associated Press
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Courtney Kube / NBC News:
Iran war driving up inflation for Americans, CBO report says
Iran war driving up inflation for Americans, CBO report says
Discussion:
The Hill
The Wrap:
Refurbished ‘60 Minutes’ Debuts to a 19% Ratings Drop — The CBS newsmagazine's audience fell 33% in the key 25-to-54 demo, according to preliminary Nielsen data — The refurbished “60 Minutes” suffered double-digit ratings declines with its Season 59 premiere.
Discussion:
New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, New York Post and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
DOJ seeking reporter's LinkedIn records in secretive First Amendment court fight — A secret, months-long battle between tech titans and the Justice Department — over prosecutors' effort to obtain details on a journalist's LinkedIn interactions for use in a national security leak probe …
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Scoop: Trump pollster gives GOP a data center survival guide — President Trump's longtime pollster is offering Republican candidates a detailed playbook for neutralizing Democratic attacks over AI data centers — down to what language they should and shouldn't use.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Fox News
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
The Real Reason Obama's Harsh Warning to Dems About AI Is So Unnerving — Barack Obama has a private warning for Democrats: They badly need to grab hold of the debate over artificial intelligence, and quick. “I would strongly urge that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation …
Discussion:
MeidasTouch and The Independent
Chris Marquette / Politico:
Cruz and Hawley shut down antitrust exemptions for AI companies — Two Senate Republicans said Tuesday that providing antitrust exemptions to artificial intelligence companies to facilitate discussions on how to make AI safer should be taken off the table — as lawmakers discuss ways to respond …
Heather Vogell / ProPublica:
Papa Johns, Propaganda and Putin: How a MAGA Influencer With Ties to Russia Became Trump's Arctic Adviser — For more than 40 years, the U.S. Arctic Research Commission has advised Congress and the president on what to study in the frigid and dynamic far north, from the environment to military security.
Angie Orellana Hernandez / The Washington Sun:
Mike Rogers to Skip Michigan Senate Debate Over Beef With Local News Anchor — Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers will not attend a debate held by a local television station Tuesday over suspicions that the event's moderator has “bias and favoritism” toward his Democratic opponent …
Discussion:
WJBK-TV, RedState, Townhall, Washington Examiner and Joe.My.God.
Damian Paletta / Wall Street Journal:
Bo French's Tweet and the Tempest in Texas — Plus, Trump says there's no need for AI guardrails as long as he is in the White House, and why Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline is roiling oil markets — Good morning. Bo French, a candidate for Texas' railroad commissioner …
Discussion:
Politico, Houston Public Media, San Antonio Current and MS NOW
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Baal out: Top diplomat's worry about pagan god elicits eye rolls — The second-most powerful man at the State Department put the brakes on a U.S. international exhibit featuring a bull statue because he worried it might look like Baal, a pagan god some associate with Satanic child sacrifice.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
White House preselects reporters to call on — after Trump criticized Biden for the same — “They give you a list, guys,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said at Tuesday's White House press briefing. — White House staff preselect which reporters to call on at press briefings …
Discussion:
New York Times, RedState, Washington Examiner and The Gateway Pundit
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
Exclusive: FBI Builds Out National NSPM-7 Center to Track Dissent, Docs Show — IRS sent 10 agents and three analysts to national effort to police “anti-capitalism” and “extremism on migration, race, and gender” — The FBI has tapped employees from across federal law enforcement to crack down on dissent …
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
DOJ partially confirms DHS whistleblower allegations in new notice to federal court — The Department of Justice (DOJ) informed a federal court that Homeland Security agents have used Social Security data in the Trump administration's expansive search for voting fraud ahead of the midterm elections.
Discussion:
Docket updates for LEAGUE …, MS NOW, The Guardian, The Hill, Washington Examiner and CNN



