# daily blast (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover daily blast. Page: Feed: --- ## [Hegseth’s Army Purges Have Undermined Military Leadership on Iran](https://newrepublic.com/post/214747/hegseth-army-purges-undermined-iran) _2026-08-25 · Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling · The New Republic_ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to fire numerous top generals has put America’s military between a rock and a hard place in its war against Iran. The Army has been without a chief of staff since Hegseth fired General Randy George in April; he has forced out at least three senior officers that were believed to be in the running to be George’s replacement, according to current and former… ## [Is Farm Country About to Turn on Trump?](https://newrepublic.com/post/214745/farm-country-turn-trump-2026) _2026-08-25 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ The Financial Times reported Tuesday that farmers in America’s Corn Belt region are facing their toughest economic crisis in 40 years. Last month, the American Farm Bureau Federation, an industry group, projected that without government intervention, farmers growing nine principal crops will face $32 billion in losses in 2027, after losing an estimated $31 billion in 2026. “This is the worst… ## [Republicans Brace for Darline Graham to Lose in South Carolina](https://newrepublic.com/post/214741/republicans-brace-darline-graham-lose) _2026-08-25 · Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling · The New Republic_ With hours on the clock until polls close, Republicans are betting that Senator Darline Graham—the temporary fill-in for her late brother, Lindsey Graham—will be iced out of South Carolina’s GOP runoff race. Graham is up against Representative Ralph Norman, a five-term lawmaker who has represented the Palmetto State in various legislative capacities since 2005. The junior Graham took the reins of… ## [Trump Team Refuses to Explain Imported Beef Origin as Backlash Grows](https://newrepublic.com/post/214735/trump-team-imported-beef-origin-backlash) _2026-08-25 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins refused to speak on what countries President Trump plans to import tariff-free beef from amid growing backlash over his emergency effort to lower beef prices as midterm elections approach. “About the beef imports, what specific countries have been in talks with the U.S. about stepping up those beef imports, aside from Mexico?” a reporter asked Rollins on… ## [Federal Judge Frees Witness to Fatal ICE Shooting in Houston](https://newrepublic.com/post/214730/federal-judge-frees-witness-fatal-ice-shooting-houston) _2026-08-25 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ A federal judge has ordered the government to release one of the witnesses to ICE’s fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett ruled Tuesday that Daniel Tirado Pantoja, who was a passenger in the van driven by Salgado Araujo when he was shot on July 7, should be released from ICE detention as he “has no criminal history, is not a flight risk, and… ## [Dolly Parton, Country Singer Who Crossed All Party Lines, Dies at 80](https://newrepublic.com/post/214733/dolly-parton-crossed-party-lines) _2026-08-25 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ Dolly Parton, the award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and all-around all-star human being, died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Her death was announced by Bryan Seaver, her nephew and head of security, in a video posted to her official Instagram. As a prolific country singer and humanitarian, Parton’s work transcended the stark political boundaries that have set in across the… ## [RFK Jr. Resignation Calls Grow as Two People Die From Measles](https://newrepublic.com/post/214729/rfk-jr-resignation-calls-two-people-die-measles-vaccines) _2026-08-25 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ Calls for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s resignation are growing after two unvaccinated people died from measles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. There have been 393 confirmed measles cases in 28 counties in Pennsylvania this year, and 2,777 total cases nationally—a 35-year high. These are the first measles deaths in the United States this year, and in Pennsylvania in more than three… ## [Trump-Aligned Board Threatens to Demolish the Kennedy Center](https://newrepublic.com/post/214726/trump-threatens-demolish-kennedy-center) _2026-08-25 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ The Trump administration, in its ongoing effort to shatter previous world records for spitefulness, is threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if it is not allowed to put Donald Trump’s name on it. In a court filing Monday, prosecutors suggested that the proposed $250 million renovation project—which includes tacking the president’s name to the facade of the… ## [We’re About to Learn How DOGE Helped ICE Get Taxpayer Data](https://newrepublic.com/post/214725/doge-ice-dhs-irs-taxpayer-data) _2026-08-25 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ A court has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to disclose to immigrants’ rights groups how involved it was in getting tax and Social Security information shared with the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled Monday that the government has to turn over the records after refusing requests to do so as part of a lawsuit against Trump… ## [This Kentucky Republican Is Erasing Trump From His Campaign](https://newrepublic.com/post/214721/kentucky-republican-erasing-trump-campaign) _2026-08-25 · Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling · The New Republic_ Is the Republican Party going to spend the election season running away from Donald Trump? If Ralph Alvarado, a Republican candidate running for Kentucky’s 6th congressional district, is any sign of things to come, then maybe so. This week, Alvarado stripped mentions of the president’s agenda from his campaign materials, apparently deciding that being too tied to Trump would hinder rather than… ## [Follow Releases, Get Reminders (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/6hkbb3PUSfnQ) _2026-08-25 · **Sponsored**_ Follow a genre or a name and receive reminders on release day — free. ## [Trump Hates the Troops. The Troops Are Taking Notice.](https://newrepublic.com/post/214562/trump-hates-troops-war-iran) _2026-08-22 · Jason Linkins · The New Republic_ If you want to get the unfiltered skinny on how the never-ending war with Iran is going, it’s written in the dust. Responsible Statecraft’s Trita Parsi reported this week that U.S. service members marooned in the Persian Gulf have been expressing themselves in messages fingered onto a dusty aircraft flap. The anonymous graffiti, which calls to mind the helmet scrawls of disgruntled soldiers in… ## [Why Is the DOJ Working With a Man Convicted of Hacking Election Sites?](https://newrepublic.com/post/214615/doj-attorney-convicted-hacking-election-sites) _2026-08-21 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ The Justice Department appears to have hired a convicted election hacker to monitor elections. Democracy Docket reported that David Michael Levin appears to have joined the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. A Florida attorney, Levin in 2016 was charged with three felonies for hacking a Florida state elections website as well as a county elections website. The hacking had no impact on the vote counting… ## [Supreme Court Allows Trump to Move Forward With White House Ballroom](https://newrepublic.com/post/214610/supreme-court-trump-white-house-ballroom) _2026-08-21 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ The Supreme Court is letting President Trump move forward with his expensive White House ballroom. On Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts ordered a stay in the preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that would have halted work at 11:59 p.m. This means that for now, construction can resume while the high court gives a full review to the lower court’s… ## [Trump Threatens to Sue Over National Guard Report He Doesn’t Like](https://newrepublic.com/post/214612/trump-threatens-sue-national-guard-report-cap) _2026-08-21 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ President Trump is trying to sue for defamation after yet another report found that the National Guard takeover of cities across America had no significant impact on violent crime levels. In July, the Center for American Progress, or CAP, published a study analyzing the impact of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., which he has claimed time and… ## [Republican Donors Fume Over Trump Putting Texas Senate Seat at Risk](https://newrepublic.com/post/214607/republican-donors-trump-texas-senate-seat-paxton-talarico) _2026-08-21 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ President Trump isn’t spending any campaign cash on close midterm election races, irking his fellow Republicans and putting contests like the Texas Senate seat in jeopardy. In July, Politico reports , Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC didn’t spend any of its $400 million in the bank on Republican candidates, not even Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who only narrowly won his state’s GOP Senate primary… ## [Wait, Are Dems Ahead in ... Arkansas?](https://newrepublic.com/post/214604/tom-cotton-arkansas-poll-hallie-shoffner) _2026-08-21 · Emma Janssen, TNR Staff · The New Republic_ You’re reading The TNR Blue Book. Get daily scoops, strategy, and developments inside the liberal ideas factory delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for free . Inside Washington Do Democrats have a chance to flip a Senate seat in Arkansas? One poll this week suggested they might—stunningly finding that Republican Senator Tom Cotton is trailing his Democratic opponent in the deep red state.… ## [Trump Moves to Strip American Bar Association of Its Power](https://newrepublic.com/post/214597/trump-american-bar-association-power-accreditation) _2026-08-21 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ President Trump is trying to take away the American Bar Association’s ability to accredit law schools due to its being too woke. The ABA is the leading accreditor for almost 200 law schools in the United States. Without its accreditation, a school’s graduates may not qualify to take the bar exam, and the school itself may not qualify for federal funding—two massive implications. Now the Education… ## [Trump Pardons of Fraudsters Cost Victims Nearly $2 Billion](https://newrepublic.com/post/214599/trump-pardons-fraudsters-cost-victims-billions) _2026-08-21 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ President Donald Trump is letting fraudsters off the hook at the expense of their victims, according to a new report from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee Friday. The 25-page report found that Trump’s sweeping pardons had relieved white-collar criminals of $1.7 billion worth of fines, forfeitures, and restitution, in a “massive redistribution of wealth in favor of convicted criminals.”… ## [Navy in Talks to Rename Ship After Trump Instead of Black War Hero](https://newrepublic.com/post/214595/navy-rename-ship-trump-instead-black-war-hero-doris-miller) _2026-08-21 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ The U.S. Navy has been quietly considering renaming an aircraft carrier that was set to honor Doris Miller, a heroic Black sailor at Pearl Harbor, after President Donald Trump instead. The effort to rename the planned USS Doris Miller began earlier this year, three sources told CNN Thursday. It’s not yet clear who the newest Gerald R. Ford–class aircraft carrier will be named for, but two of the… ## [Judge Rips Trump Team for Caring More About Pronouns Than Wildfires](https://newrepublic.com/post/214594/judge-dhs-secretary-pronouns-wildfires-disaster-aid) _2026-08-21 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ A federal judge in Oregon ripped the Trump administration for placing political conditions on crucial, potentially lifesaving disaster relief. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael McShane, an Obama appointee, issued a ruling regarding the city of Salem, Oregon’s July lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and FEMA leadership. In it, the city accused the Trump… ## [100,000 Bonus Points Await You (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/T69Wz1X5U3yP) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. ## [Five Outrageous Things Trump’s New Attorney General Has Already Done](https://newrepublic.com/article/214592/trump-attorney-general-todd-blanche-doj-principles) _2026-08-21 · Harry Litman · The New Republic_ In just his first week in office, Todd Blanche has inflicted more damage on the norms and traditions of the Department of Justice than any attorney general in its history. I don’t say this casually, and I’m not ignoring the competition. John Mitchell ran Richard Nixon’s dirty tricks and went to federal prison for it. A. Mitchell Palmer used the DOJ to round up and deport thousands of people for… ## [Transcript: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Midterm Bombshell: GOP Is Toast](https://newrepublic.com/article/214584/transcript-marjorie-taylor-greene-midterm-bombshell-gop-toast) _2026-08-21 · The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent · The New Republic_ The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 21 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here . Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic , produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent. Donald Trump, who’s very angry over the Iran war, just unleashed more crazed threats at a host of new targets. He vowed economic warfare against… ## [Natalie Harp Should Concern Everyone—I Should Know, I Once Had Her Job](https://newrepublic.com/article/214572/natalie-harp-trump-communications-scandal) _2026-08-21 · Greg Greene · The New Republic_ Handling a U.S. president’s social-media voice is a magisterial job. The work involved ranges far and wide—from figuring out how to handle the president’s receipt of a Nobel Peace Prize to huddling with colleagues to pull just the right clip from a speech. Or, if you’re President Donald Trump’s aide and traveling companion Natalie Harp, you might use AI to portray the president as a fighter pilot… ## [The Strait of Hormuz Isn’t the Only Major Shipping Route in Crisis](https://newrepublic.com/article/214565/rhine-panama-canal-climate-shipping-routes-strait-hormuz-crisis) _2026-08-21 · Kate Aronoff · The New Republic_ Policymakers and economists have long treated climate change as a crisis whose costs would mainly accrue to future generations. Unfortunately, that future is here. As the world frets over the consequences of the Iran war on everything from the cost of goods to the food supply, a separate phenomenon is also choking maritime traffic—and will continue to snarl supply chains long after the Strait of… ## [The Real Lives of Online Romance Scammers](https://newrepublic.com/article/213459/real-lives-online-romance-scammers) _2026-08-21 · Vivien Chang · The New Republic_ By the time Chibuike was 24 years old, he had been kicked out of his family home multiple times, developed a drug addiction, attempted suicide, and scammed tens of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims overseas. For most of his career as a cybercriminal, Chibuike lived in one hotel after another in his native Ikotun—a bustling, impoverished neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria. He spent… ## [Will the Supreme Court Reject Police Militarization?](https://newrepublic.com/article/214579/supreme-court-reject-police-militarization) _2026-08-21 · Matt Ford · The New Republic_ Millions of Americans spent this summer trying to beat the scorching heat at the beach. Next month, the Supreme Court justices will also do some wading of their own: through the ocean of petitions for review that have accumulated over the last few months at the court’s annual long conference. One of those pending petitions—a case involving police power, the Fifth Amendment, and a Los Angeles print… ## [Trump’s Rage Darkens as MTG Drops Midterm Bombshell: GOP Is Toast](https://newrepublic.com/article/214581/trump-rage-darkens-mtg-drops-midterm-bombshell-gop-toast) _2026-08-21 · The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent · The New Republic_ Donald Trump just issued a crazed, rambling tirade , vowing to hit Iran with the “ MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN” while threatening “TREMENDOUS” economic consequences to any country that helps Iran. News organizations are struggling to divine what he means and what it’s supposed to accomplish. Regardless, it shows just how stuck Trump is in this quagmire. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor… ## [Food Safety Keeps Getting Worse Under Trump](https://newrepublic.com/post/214580/food-safety-keeps-getting-worse-trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr) _2026-08-20 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ In the last week alone, the U.S. Federal Food & Drug Association has recalled twelve different products—a rate four times higher than the same week a year ago. In the past week, the FDA has discovered salmonella in granola , salad dressing , jalapenos , and animal food ; glass in fruit popsicles ; and metal in sourdough —just to name a few. Between August 14 and 20 in 2025, the FDA recalled only… ## [Trump’s Treasury Secretary Thinks It’s Good That the Economy Is Bad](https://newrepublic.com/post/214577/trump-treasury-secretary-job-market-economy-bad) _2026-08-20 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants you to think that a weak job market is a good thing. CNBC’s Sara Eisen asked Bessent to comment on recent signs that the job market was cracking. Bessent downplayed the “noisy” numbers suggesting the job market was not stable. “The jobs that we’re seeing are going to Americans,” Bessent. “After the deportations that we’ve seen during the President Trump… ## [Sean Duffy’s Travel Show Is An Ethical Nightmare](https://newrepublic.com/article/214569/sean-duffy-great-american-travel-show-ethics-grift) _2026-08-20 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ The second episode of The Great American Road Trip , Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recently released vanity project travel show, starts in the massive suburban home Duffy shares with his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy and their nine more or less interchangeable children. Four of those children will accompany their parents on the upcoming leg of their road trip to Boston, and before they leave… ## [Find what they just said (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/6qErHILPbmPL) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Surface recent public signals so you can send policy-aware, relevant outreach ## [Why the GOP’s Pushing a “Satanic Wedding” Story in This Race](https://newrepublic.com/post/214564/sarah-trone-garriott-attack-ads-iowa) _2026-08-20 · Emma Janssen, TNR Staff · The New Republic_ You’re reading The TNR Blue Book. Get daily scoops, strategy, and developments inside the liberal ideas factory delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for free . Inside Washington This could be Dems’ best chance to flip a House seat in Iowa Sarah Trone Garriott might be Democrats’ best chance to flip a House seat in Iowa this year. But to do that, she’ll have to get past a barrage of culture war… ## [Trump’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix Takes Over the National Mall](https://newrepublic.com/post/214529/trump-freedom-250-grand-prix-national-mall-dc) _2026-08-19 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ The upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix is making the National Mall look more like a sideshow. Photos of the preparation for the Indycar race this weekend show grandstands, finish lines, and signage all around the area in the nation’s capital. It’s unusual to see corporate signage and bleachers near the Capitol building, but that’s how President Trump wants to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the… ## [U.S. Airman Arrested Over Call to Impeach Trump Is Detained Again](https://newrepublic.com/post/214532/us-airman-arrested-call-impeach-trump-detained) _2026-08-19 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ Air Force Major Jason Watson—who was arrested on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building last month while calling for President Trump’s impeachment—has been arrested again. Watson was detained on Tuesday, just one day after an exclusive CNN interview in which he said the president was “violating the Constitution, breaking the law, \[and\] engaged in rampant corruption.” Watson is currently in… ## [Dems Are Looking Good in North Carolina—or Are They?](https://newrepublic.com/post/214526/roy-cooper-whatley-north-carolina-polls) _2026-08-19 · Emma Janssen, TNR Staff · The New Republic_ You’re reading The TNR Blue Book. Get daily scoops, strategy, and developments inside the liberal ideas factory delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for free . Inside Washington Dems are looking good in North Carolina—or are they? If Democrats want to take back the Senate, they need North Carolina—their best chance to pick up a previously Republican-held seat, according to the Cook Political… ## [Trump Unveils Another Secret White House Construction Project](https://newrepublic.com/post/214525/trump-unveils-white-house-construction-project-driveway) _2026-08-19 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ In the middle of showing off work on the new White House helipad, President Trump unveiled yet another construction project, previously unknown to the public. Trump told reporters to join him on the building’s South Lawn Wednesday where he excitedly revealed that he replaced the asphalt on the White House’s driveway with white granite mined from California, CNN reports . “This was always asphalt,… ## [Democratic Congressman Jimmy Gomez Accused of Sexual Assault](https://newrepublic.com/post/214523/democratic-congressman-jimmy-gomez-accused-sexual-assault) _2026-08-19 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ A woman has accused California Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of sexually assaulting her. This comes two days after the House Ethics Committee announced a probe into Gomez for reports of sexual misconduct—which Gomez claimed were “consensual” and “personal mistakes outside \[his\] marriage.” This most recent allegation contradicts that, and of course raises the seriousness of an already… ## [Justice Department Argues It’s OK if It’s Under Trump Control](https://newrepublic.com/post/214521/justice-department-trump-comey-prosecution) _2026-08-19 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ The Department of Justice is arguing that it is not independent from President Trump even as it tries to claim that the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey isn’t vindictive. In a court filing Tuesday, federal prosecutors argued that “The Chief Executive directing his subordinates to exercise core Executive functions is a feature, not a bug, of our constitutional system,” claiming that… ## [White House Dealing With Sudden Exodus as Staffers Flee](https://newrepublic.com/post/214515/white-house-exodus-treasury) _2026-08-19 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ There appears to be a late summer exodus occurring at the White House, as a large chunk of Treasury Department employees have vacated the premises—along with press secretary Karoline Leavitt and another high-ranking aide. NOTUS reported Wednesday that seven of Trump’s 16 Senate-confirmed appointees have either been fired from or left the Treasury Department. Four of those seven left after specific… ## [Trump Is Trying to Pretend He Didn’t Endorse Loser Cory Mills](https://newrepublic.com/post/214518/trump-pretend-didnt-endorse-loser-cory-mills) _2026-08-19 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ Following embattled Cory Mills’s major loss Tuesday in Florida’s Republican primary elections, President Trump took to Truth Social to publicly distance himself from the disgraced MAGA lawmaker—and endorse his opponent, Ryan Elijah. “I told Congressman Cory Mills of Florida, a friend of mine, to get out of the Race, but he wouldn’t listen,” Trump wrote Wednesday. “He thought he could win, so who… ## [Hegseth Covered Up the Real Reason the USS Lincoln Wasn’t Resupplied](https://newrepublic.com/post/214510/hegseth-uss-lincoln-iran-war-base-destroyed) _2026-08-19 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ The USS Abraham Lincoln wasn’t able to be resupplied because the U.S. Navy’s main resupply base in the Gulf of Oman was destroyed by Iranian strikes—a fact that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose not to make public, David Rhode, MS NOW’s senior national security reporter, said on Tuesday. From late February until June, Iran launched extensive missile and drone strikes on Naval Support Activity… ## [Trump’s Losing Streak Continues With Three More Primary Flops](https://newrepublic.com/post/214505/trump-losing-streak-primary-election-loss-florida-wymoing) _2026-08-19 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ President Trump’s endorsements keep losing. Two of his picks in Florida’s Republican congressional primaries were defeated Tuesday night: Incumbent Representative Cory Mills, who is facing a multitude of scandals, fell short in the 7th district, and former Commerce Department adviser Catalina Lauf was unable to benefit from a late Trump endorsement in the crowded 19th district. On top of that, his… ## [Transcript: Trump Aides Unnerved by Natalie Harp as Ossoff Barb Lands](https://newrepublic.com/article/214495/transcript-trump-aides-unnerved-natalie-harp-ossoff-barb-lands) _2026-08-19 · The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent · The New Republic_ The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 19 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here . Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic , produced and presented by the DSR Network. I’m your host, Greg Sargent. MAGA and the White House are in a fury at Jon Ossoff. That’s because the Georgia senator dared to point out that Donald Trump has a bizarrely close… ## [The Springsteen Museum’s Modest, Big-Hearted Vision of America](https://newrepublic.com/article/214456/springsteen-museum-modest-big-hearted-vision-america) _2026-08-19 · Michael Tomasky · The New Republic_ It’s odd, when you think about it, that there is no major, comprehensive museum devoted to American music. One can after all make a very strong case that music is the form of creative expression that has been America’s greatest gift to the world. American cinema, literature, and visual art are all of course formidable. But the music! Folk, blues, jazz, spirituals, country and western, Broadway, on… ## [The Next Front in Trump’s War on Reproductive Healthcare](https://newrepublic.com/article/214333/maha-trump-war-reproductive-healthcare) _2026-08-19 · Laura O'Connor · The New Republic_ On July 28, Democracy Forward, on behalf of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for attacking Title X funding applications. It comes as the Department for Health and Human Services, or HHS, announced that as of 2027, Title X funding would favor fertility tracking over contraceptives, counsel patients about “marriage prior to childbearing,”… ## [The Legal War Over Prediction Markets Is Getting Crazier](https://newrepublic.com/article/214489/legal-war-prediction-markets-crazier) _2026-08-19 · Matt Ford · The New Republic_ Last month I wrote about the tug-of-war between the Trump administration and the states over prediction markets. Kalshi, one of the largest U.S. prediction market companies, had just won a favorable ruling from a federal court in Minnesota with the help of a key federal financial regulator. Since then, things have escalated dramatically for the prediction-market industry on multiple fronts.… ## [Trump’s Secret Police Spying on Americans? It’s Darker than We Knew.](https://newrepublic.com/article/214482/trump-dhs-secret-police-spying-anti-ice-americans) _2026-08-19 · Greg Sargent · The New Republic_ It’s time to familiarize yourselves with the names “Operation Puppet Master” and “Operation Keyhole.” If those nefarious phrases evoke to you the U.S. government’s domestic spying on leftist groups in the 1960s and 1970s, it’s for good reason. The terms are coinages of today’s Department of Homeland Security, and they’re associated with a massive, covert surveillance effort that DHS unleashed… ## [Trump Aides Unnerved by Natalie Harp Mess as Ossoff Takedown Hits Home](https://newrepublic.com/article/214492/trump-aides-unnerved-natalie-harp-mess-ossoff-takedown-hits-home) _2026-08-19 · The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent · The New Republic_ The White House and MAGA exploded in fury after Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff pointed out during a speech that Donald Trump loves to “travel with Natalie” on the presidential jet. “Natalie,” of course, is Natalie Harp, the young aide whom Trump relies on heavily for emotional support and basically controls information flows to him. Yet despite all the fake MAGA outrage, Semafor reports that in… ## [Michigan Leaders Raise Alarm Over “Christian Crusader March”](https://newrepublic.com/post/214487/michigan-leaders-tlaib-christian-crusader-march-islamophobia) _2026-08-18 · Hafiz Rashid · The New Republic_ A group of religious extremists are planning a “ Christian Crusader March ” in Dearborn, Michigan, Tuesday evening, and Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, whose district includes Dearborn, called out the lack of response to the demonstration, noting the relentless Islamophobic attacks on the city. “Islamophobia is a problem among both Democrats and Republicans,” Tlaib posted on X Monday… ## [No, Trump Didn’t Actually Save Natalie Harp’s Life](https://newrepublic.com/post/214488/no-trump-didnt-actually-save-natalie-harp-life) _2026-08-18 · Edith Olmsted · The New Republic_ Just a reminder: No, President Donald Trump did not save Natalie Harp’s life. As the president’s close relationship with his female aide has come under scrutiny, a litany of MAGA social media accounts have jumped to her defense. Notably, numerous accounts have claimed their relationship is nothing if not honorable—after all, Harp credits Trump’s 2018 Right to Try Act with saving her life. In an… ## [Pete Hegseth Casually Tosses Out a Slur at Iowa State Fair](https://newrepublic.com/post/214484/pete-hegseth-anti-trans-slur-iowa-state-fair) _2026-08-18 · Malcolm Ferguson · The New Republic_ Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used an anti-LGBTQ slur completely unprompted at an Iowa State Fair on Monday, referring to transgender people as “trannies.” “At the Department of War, we do training, not trannies,” he said at a Salute to the Troops military fundraiser at the fair, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported . The event was initially supposed to be in March, but was delayed when two Iowa…