Ron Lauder, a longtime major funder of conservative political causes, appears to be closing his wallet. He has not given a single dollar this year to Republicans in his home state of New York and his super PAC has gone idle. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/n...

Ronald Lauder, a Billionaire G.O.P. Backer, Closes His Wallet

Ronald S. Lauder, a major funder of conservative political causes, has not given a single dollar this year to Republicans in his home state, and his super PAC has gone idle.

nytimes.com

Out now: "Inside the George W. Bush White House: An Oral History," by Russell Riley, an insightful, riveting look inside a presidency from the vantage point of those in the room where it happened. politics-prose.com/book/9780197... www.amazon.com/Inside-Georg...

Inside the George W. Bush White House: An Oral History (Oxford Oral History)

An oral history of George W. Bush's presidency, the inner workings of his White House, and the critical policy decisions it made Shortly after George W. Bush's presidency ended, senior advisors began ...

politics-prose.com

Author of Democrats' post-election autopsy says the party omitted a chapter that said the "single point of failure for 2024" was Biden's "decision to seek re-election instead of passing the torch." (Martin denies being given the chapter.) @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...

Author of Democrats’ 2024 Autopsy Says Party Left Out Key Chapter

A dispute over the chapter between the author and the Democratic National Committee has added to the party’s turmoil as it tries to look forward, not backward.

nytimes.com

After the @nationals.com trades, Jesse Dougherty writes of the "well-earned frustration for fans who are tired of rooting for a team that believes the best path forward is to trade some of its best players, even when it’s on the outer edge of the playoff race." www.notus.org/sports/natio...

The Nationals’ Confusing Trade Deadline

Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats, and left fans wondering where the team is headed.

notus.org

Trump has leveraged his control of government to escape the scrutiny that every other modern president, not to mention every other regular taxpayer, has been subject to. His immunity from IRS audits could save him $100 million-plus in one dispute alone. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/b...

Republicans Let Trump Keep Unparalleled Benefit: I.R.S. Immunity

The rebellion against Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, now seemingly contained, at no point fundamentally questioned President Trump’s new protections from the I.R.S.

nytimes.com

Clearly I don't understand how sports work but it remains baffling why a team that is competitive gives away two of its best players and essentially writes off the year. If the @nationals.com don't care about winning, why should we come back to the stadium for the rest of the season?

Blanche commits in writing to not proceed with $1.8 billion for Trump allies and limit IRS immunity for Trump. But Trump and two sons are still immune from audits, back taxes and penalties for past years. @migold.bsky.social @aduehren.bsky.social @jarirah.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...

Blanche Gives G.O.P. Senators Written Assurances on Trump’s I.R.S. Deal

Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general has been held up over concerns about a planned $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies and the president’s immunity from tax scrutiny.

nytimes.com

Trump is now all but the most unpopular second-term president at this stage of their tenure in the history of polling. The only exception: Nixon had even less public support at this stage but at that point he was just days away from resigning. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...

Trump’s Polling Numbers Hit a New Low. Don’t Expect Him to Change Course.

Barely a third of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the job, putting him at historic depths for a second-term president at this stage of his tenure.

nytimes.com

Audiences for pro-Trump content have fallen from their heights and, for some creators, reached new lows, data show. Views for many of his greatest allies are dropping. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...

How the Pro-Trump Media Ecosystem Is Splintering Ahead of the Midterms

Once united in support of President Trump, right-wing influencers are embroiled in feuds and losing viewers, creating a problem for Republicans in the midterm elections.

nytimes.com

Prosecutors admit contractors hired by Trump “botched” the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as they sought to drop charges against the former Olympic canoeist who was accused of vandalizing the landmark. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...

Charges Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting Pool

A former Olympian will not face trial after federal prosecutors acknowledged that the Trump administration’s claims of vandalism were false.

nytimes.com

Looking at the fight over who has the power to take the country to war, the president or Congress. And who has the power to stop it. www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...

Video: Does Congress Have the Power to Stop the Iran War?

In theory, the War Powers Act gives Congress the power to end a war. But our chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker, describes how President Trump is the latest president to find ways to engage ...

nytimes.com

Trump approval ratings: CNN: 34% Quinnipiac: 32% AP-NORC: 33% Other two-term presidents at this point of their tenure: Obama: 43% Bush: 37% Clinton: 64% Reagan: 61% Nixon: 24% Eisenhower: 58% Truman: 39%

Trump has said the economy should be growing as much as 15% a year. Last quarter it grew at only one tenth that, recording a meager 1.5% annualized GDP growth as the war upends energy markets and supply chains. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/b...

U.S. Economic Growth Slowed in the Second Quarter

Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.5 percent annual rate over the past three months, as war in the Middle East shook energy prices and supply chains.

nytimes.com

Warsh's Fed decides to keep interest rates unchanged despite growing pressure to more directly tackle inflation after five years of overshooting the central bank’s 2 percent target. @colbylsmith.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...

What to know about the Fed’s decision.

Kevin M. Warsh, presiding over his second meeting as chairman of the central bank, faces pressure to raise interest rates as inflation remains elevated.

nytimes.com

Sanctions legislation that moved forward in the Senate this week goes beyond enacting new financial restrictions on Russia and Iran. It also gives Trump broad new powers to impose tariffs on imports from some of the world’s largest economies. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/u...

Sanctions Bill Would Give Trump Sweeping New Tariff Powers

A bipartisan bill in the Senate would allow President Trump to impose tariffs on the biggest importers of Russian energy.

nytimes.com

Miller's ex-wife alleges he scalded her by throwing hot water from a skillet at her; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone. He denies all. @anniekarni.bsky.social @draperrobert.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/u...

Domestic Abuse Allegations Rock Max Miller’s Ohio House Race

Representative Max Miller, a Republican, is facing accusations of abuse from his ex-wife in a bitter family feud that might put his otherwise safe seat in play.

nytimes.com

Secret Service agents were told to quickly send a written summary of their interview with Comey to Trump on Air Force One, one of the most glaring examples to date of how he now personally directs federal law enforcement actions. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/u...

Trump Demanded Details of Agents’ Interview of Comey, New Filing Says

The request suggests the intense personal involvement of President Trump in investigating one of his longtime critics, the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey.

nytimes.com

From McCain to Graham, the stark difference between two services in the same majestic cathedral eight years and worlds apart exemplified how much has changed in the capital. It may not have been Trump’s Washington in 2018 but it most assuredly is in 2026. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/u...

At Graham’s Farewell, a Glimpse Into Power in Trump’s Washington

The political evolution of Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, both captivated and confused many of his old friends but reflected the changing order in the nation’s capital.

nytimes.com

Follow our coverage of Washington's farewell to Lindsey Graham, one of the capital's premier power players. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...

Live Updates: Vance Pays Tribute at Lindsey Graham’s Washington Funeral

nytimes.com

Turmoil at the DNC: "Dysfunction and debt inside one of the party’s key institutions — which is getting crushed in fund-raising by its Republican counterpart — are creating rising anxiety for top Democrats," write @shanegoldmacher.bsky.social and Reid Epstein www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...

Inside the Phone-Throwing Drama at the Troubled, Broke Democratic Party

The Democrats should be well positioned to make gains in this year’s midterms. But inside party headquarters, every week brings paranoia, worries about money and, on occasion, emotional eruptions.

nytimes.com

As Zelensky visits Trump, Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon argue that predictions that Russia will soon seek a negotiated off-ramp are misplaced and in fact "the coming months will mark the war's most dangerous phase, not its likeliest path to peace." foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/28/w...

Why Putin Will Escalate

The coming months will mark the most dangerous phase of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

foreignpolicy.com

"Joe Biden’s world has grown smaller," writes Cleve Wootson. Eighteen months after leaving the White House, Biden, 83, "moves within a narrowed circle of relatives, old friends and longtime aides as he undergoes treatment for metastatic cancer." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The shrinking world of former president Joe Biden

Cancer treatment has sharply limited Biden’s post-White House life even as his upcoming memoir threatens to reopen debates over his health and presidency.

washingtonpost.com

Just a few months ago, Trump saw his power as virtually unlimited, declaring that he was held back only by "my own morality." Now as the Iran war quagmire drags on, he has discovered there are other limits on his power, writes @sangernyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...

Trump Seems Trapped by Iran War, Even as He Wields the World’s Biggest Hammer

A president who thought there were no limits to his power has discovered several, leaving him more frustrated and erratic.

nytimes.com

As Trump administration signs a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia, a number of the president's allies and relatives, including members of his cabinet, stand to benefit if his big bet on nuclear power pays off. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...

Trump Is Pushing Nuclear Energy, Including Saudi Deal. His Family and Supporters Could Benefit.

In some cases, no direct line can be drawn from the president’s domestic nuclear agenda to his family or close allies. But they have overlapping business ties that could position them for gains.

nytimes.com

To be clear, this is not a new position. The NY Times decided nearly 20 years ago, long before Trump, that we would stop attending, which was our policy under Obama and Biden. (The exception was for reporters if they won a prize to be awarded.) Last night made clear why that was a good decision.

Peter Baker@peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 2w ago

Have been a member of the @whca.bsky.social almost continuously since the 1990s. Our mission is to defend the First Amendment rights of White House correspondents to report on the president without fear or favor. Unfortunately last night did not advance that cause. Time to rethink the dinner.

Have been a member of the @whca.bsky.social almost continuously since the 1990s. Our mission is to defend the First Amendment rights of White House correspondents to report on the president without fear or favor. Unfortunately last night did not advance that cause. Time to rethink the dinner.

Have been a member of the @whca.bsky.social almost continuously since the 1990s. Our mission is to defend the First Amendment rights of White House correspondents to report on the president without fear or favor. Unfortunately last night did not advance that cause. Time to rethink the dinner.

Trump's airplane switch was initially attributed to general security concerns about Iran but @tylerpager.bsky.social Julian Barnes and Maggie Haberman report that officials had what they deemed a credible threat that Iranian proxy forces were targeting him and plane www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/u...

Trump Switched to Old Air Force One at NATO Summit After Credible Iranian Threat

The threat led the Secret Service to urge President Trump to fly out of Turkey on the old plane, raising questions about the security of the Qatari-donated jet.

nytimes.com

Trump administration acknowledges that it cut billions of dollars in clean-energy grants “based solely” on political criteria, targeting projects in states that were represented by Democrats and voted for Kamala Harris. @tonyromm.bsky.social @bradplumer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

On Wednesday, the Pentagon website said 18 US service members had been killed during the war with Iran. By Thursday, the number had been lowered to 14. A spokesman blamed "temporary data disruptions" that will be fixed. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/u...

Number of U.S. Troop Deaths in Iran War Appears Lower on Pentagon Website

Three military officials and a Pentagon spokesman gave conflicting explanations for why the number of Americans killed in the Iran war had changed.

nytimes.com