1/ Lisa Lerer, one of the longtime politics reporters who thinks it's forever '04: Can an insurgent candidate, with unabashedly left-wing positions, win in a moderate state? Me, who moved from Mi in '13, knows its regions well, knows @sanders.senate.gov beat HRC ... www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/u...

Stolen valor from Mr. Bone Spurs. An insult to every man and woman who has worn the uniform.

Hey, y'all, this is a big defeat for the right. www.washingtonpost.com/elections/20...

Live results: Kansas voters reject an amendment to elect state Supreme Court justices

Live results for Kansas's ballot measure to decide whether voters should directly elect state Supreme Court justices or the existing nominating commission should remain in place.

washingtonpost.com

"While Kent (County) leans progressive - it was a strong county for Bernie Sanders in 2020 - the (early reported) results, which were entirely mail-in ballots, are an encouraging sign for El-Sayed." That's Grand Rapids. It was a big county for Bernie in '16 too. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08...

Among the first pieces out post Blanche vote, this essay argues that the "deal" that sealed his yes vote was a completely empty arrangement that left Trump with all he had before. open.substack.com/pub/harrylit...

Blanche and Trump Snooker Cornyn and Tillis

The Senators got a piece of paper. Blanche got out of committee. Trump got everything.

open.substack.com

“In recent months, ICE has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet—from Facebook to Instagram to X—for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission.” Speech. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against its Critics

Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.

wsj.com

It is in low 30’s. He simply can’t tell unvarnished truth. Hack’s hack

GOP senators have lost the plot.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday

Cornyn: "There's nothing we could do to rein in the president"

A BIG disclosure in a lawsuit brought by Trump against Capital One reveals the bank closed more than 300 of Trump’s accounts in 2021 after a months-long anti-money laundering review by professionals with decades of law enforcement experience. I explain the details here: youtu.be/YDTqowVWjfc?...

Trump HUMILIATES Himself as BOMBSHELL Filing EXPOSES Financial SECRETS!!

YouTube video by Katie Phang

youtu.be

As the fossil fuel & oil industries rake in BILLIONS, Trump also makes MILLIONS. It's an “unholy alliance” of profit off of Americans’ pain with their pocketbooks. @govjayinslee.bsky.social on these latest numbers, as well as Trump politicizing disaster aid to Blue states. youtu.be/B6mJ59nDY_k?...

WOW! Trump's BIG OIL Allies MAKE BILLIONS While CRUSHING Americans!!

YouTube video by Katie Phang

youtu.be

Looking SO forward to the petitions filed by - oh, I don't know - everyone on Wall St for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. Anyone who pays the $100k and then trades based on Trump's private heads-up about actions he's about to take will be committing illegal insider trading.

@pissed-off-g.bsky.social · yesterday

Insider trading from inside the Oval Office...

I'm shocked.

Phang: "Capital One said, 'We don't want the business anymore of the 45th president of the United States, his businesses, his failed sons, and his revocable trust.' So you can imagine -- I am just hypothesizing... but it suggests whatever Capital One uncovered was pretty bad. Makes you wonder..."

Susan Collins announcing she'll vote against a controversial nominee is basically the moment it becomes clear that nominee will be confirmed. It means Thune has enough votes to confirm, and thus, Collins gets a pass to look independent.

So they’ve counted and they have enough votes lined up to confirm Blanche, so Susan Collins can safely scrunch her brow and vote “no.”

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 19h ago

BREAKING on MS NOW: Susan Collins says she's voting against Todd Blanche's nomination to be Attorney General.

I saw a report on CNN - Outside spending, Stevens: $62M El-Sayed: $2M This will be interesting!

'Kay, y'all. I needed something to do as I wait nervously for the MI Senate primary results - the evening's passing slowly - so I clicked the @washingtonpost.com's Opinions section, spotted today's piece by a new Post columnist formerly of The Spectator ... and kept yelping "YES!!!" wapo.st/4pXulzN

Opinion | This is your moment, Kamala Harris. America needs you.

A little light relief would be welcome in these joyless times.

wapo.st

RFK Jr. once blamed Trump for the COVID response. Now he blames everyone except Trump. That's what happens when loyalty matters more than truth. Meanwhile, America is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...

The Unraveling of RFK Jr.

The HHS Secretary’s disastrous CNN interview spotlights the risks of a presidency that refuses to admit mistakes.

open.substack.com

Look how happy she is knowing she has food for her puppies. ❤️

Good. Everyone should rally around the winner.

Scott MacFarlane@macfarlanenews.bsky.social · yesterday

No matter who wins tonight's primaries in Michigan, the state Democratic party is launching a rally for all of the top nominees on Friday in Detroit. Pete Buttigieg will join the event - seeking to unify, after a blistering fight between Abdul El-Sayed & Rep. Haley Stevens

Oh my goodness, I love this pup. I don't know where he is - maybe you can figure it out if you watch the video, but I saw no location noted. But what a wonderful pup. www.instagram.com/reel/Dbgme3f...

I think the Dems would win control of the Senate, easily, as well as the House if detailing this is part of their campaigns. They should detail insider-trading criminal statutes and note that Trump can't pardon himself. But they also should note that it violates state criminal laws as well.

@pissed-off-g.bsky.social · yesterday

Insider trading from inside the Oval Office...

Insider trading from inside the Oval Office...

Best as I can tell, it doesn't say where this sweet pup is. I wish it did. www.instagram.com/reel/DbmQzlU...

Pet Rescue Solutions on Instagram: "JUANES 💔🥺 he literally has his toy 24/7 waiting. People always ask if our videos are staged or if we’re “trying to make people feel bad.” We wish they were. 💔 We...

509 likes, 35 comments - petrescuesolutions on August 3, 2026: "JUANES 💔🥺 he literally has his toy 24/7 waiting. People always ask if our videos are staged or if we’re “trying to make people feel bad...

instagram.com

So far by my count he’s wrecked the rose garden, the east wing, and the south lawn. When he eventually leaves office, will there be a blade of grass left on the site?

Dan Diamond@ddiamond.bsky.social · yesterday

Scoop: Trump has ordered workers to redo weeks of work on his planned White House helipad new WaPo photos show how past work was removed over weekend Trump is contemplating changes to White House lawn's slope, raising bigger Qs about project and cost

I’ve been tracking the slush fund/immunity deal in my newsletter since it happened in May & I’ll stay on it whether it’s in the headlines or not. My analysis is based on 25 years at DOJ & you can read along for free—because I believe our power is shared knowledge. Joycevance.substack.com

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance | Substack

Worried about the state of the republic? Get the legal knowledge & analysis you need to be an advocate for democracy, along with a dose of savvy optimism. Click to read Civil Discourse with Joyce Vanc...

joycevance.substack.com

Joyce White Vance@joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 2d ago

Todd Blanche's last-minute promise won over Senators Cornyn & Tillis, but shouldn't have. The "deal" leaves Trump's tax immunity intact. It confirms what the Senators should have already known about Blanche's lack of fitness to be AG. My analysis: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Tillis and Cornyn have caved to Trump’s $100 million IRS immunity, but that’s just one reason to reject him as AG. Here are many more:

Barb McQuade@barbmcquade.bsky.social · 4d ago

Blanche should be blocked for IRS/slush fund AND - targeting Comey, James, Hearn, Powell, Walz, Frey, MOCs - Epstein - payouts to Flynn, Page, Babbitt, Vaughn - rejecting ethics advice to recuse from Trump cases - “war” on judiciary - “cleaning house” of DOJ personnel who worked on Trump cases

During today’s Senate judiciary hearing, Sen. Grassley credited Todd Blanche with reducing violent crime rates. Crime rates started going down during the Biden administration after a spike in 2020 during the pandemic under Trump‘s watch.

Blanche’s focus on immigration enforcement has been a fool’s errand. Going after quantity over quality of targets is all for show. Protecting public safety requires investigating people who pose a real danger over trolling the parking lots of Home Depot stores to catch day laborers.