Good afternoon, everyone. We are at a defining moment in our nation’s history. I’ve spent the day on the ground in Washington, D.C., and while there is still no sign of the National Guard or military presence, that will change as soon as tonight. I will be reporting live, capturing and sharing images of the deployment, and I will not be intimidated by the Administration’s response.
At the same time, the Administration is preparing to rewrite history — and that makes independent journalism more vital than ever. I’m not backed by billionaires or corporate executives. I’m backed by you.
If you believe in this work, subscribe today and support it. Your voice and your support make it possible to tell the truth when it matters most.
Subscribe
With that, here’s the news:
The White House will review Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials, and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure they align with President Trump’s interpretation of American history, emphasizing “unity, progress, and enduring values” under his executive order to “Restore Truth and Sanity to American History.”
Donald Trump nominated Heritage Foundation fellow E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing the former commissioner over a disappointing July jobs report and large revisions to previous data.
Antoni has called the monthly employment report flawed and proposed suspending it in favor of “more accurate, though less timely” quarterly data until accuracy improves, arguing that unreliable numbers hinder businesses and the Federal Reserve in planning and policymaking. While acknowledging that monthly reports are issued quickly to provide timely information, Antoni says the current process leads to frequent, significant revisions as late survey responses are incorporated.
The National Guard has begun arriving in Washington, D.C. with photos of National Guard members arriving at Guard headquarters circulating online. As of this post, however, National Guard members are not on the ground in D.C. conducting support for law enforcement activities.
DEA chief Terry Cole, appointed by Trump to lead the federal takeover of D.C. police, announced that starting tonight, federal agents will be "embedded" with the Metropolitan Police Department, working jointly on patrols and increasing activity in targeted sectors to address violent crime.
Five Homeland Security Investigations officers were seen patrolling outside Union Station Metro in D.C. this afternoon; one officer said their presence was to increase visibility in response to Trump’s directive for high-traffic areas, not for a specific incident, at the city’s busiest Metro station.
ICE conducted raids in Washington, D.C., this morning, detaining at least seven people at a Home Depot and carrying out additional raids in Mount Pleasant.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said about 850 officers and agents were deployed in Washington, D.C., as part of a law enforcement surge, resulting in 23 arrests.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said homeless individuals will be offered the choice to leave their encampments for a shelter, but those who refuse could face fines or jail under existing laws.
Trump said he is considering allowing a “major lawsuit” against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to proceed, criticizing him over the multibillion-dollar Fed headquarters renovation that Trump claims should have cost only $50 million; the potential move renews Trump’s threat to fire Powell before his term ends in May, a legally complex step that would likely be contested in court, and comes amid speculation about possible successors, including former Fed Governor Kevin Walsh, NEC Director Kevin Hassett, and Fed Governor Christopher Waller.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a stark warning to President Trump today about redistricting efforts:
Former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, aiming to reclaim the seat he lost in 2024, in a race likely against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, as Democrats face an uphill battle to retake Senate control.
Texas AG Ken Paxton asked a state district court to “confine” Beto O’Rourke over fundraising tied to the redistricting fight and moved to revoke the nonprofit registration of O’Rourke’s group, Powered by People.
The Republican-led Texas Senate passed a plan to redraw congressional districts to bolster the GOP’s U.S. House majority, but the measure is stalled as enough state House Democrats remain out of state to block a quorum; nine Senate Democrats also protested by walking off the floor, and Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to call successive special sessions until the plan can pass.
A U.S. appeals court ruled 2-1 that the Trump administration’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) can access sensitive federal data—including Social Security numbers and citizenship status—reversing a lower court injunction sought by unions who argued it violated privacy laws; Doge, created by Trump and initially led by Elon Musk to slash bureaucracy and spending, has faced multiple lawsuits over job and funding cuts across agencies.
An attorney for a Venezuelan detainee reported a widespread respiratory illness, possibly Covid-19, at the Florida immigration jail nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” describing it as a “petri dish for disease” with most detainees showing symptoms, inadequate sanitation, and denied mask requests; the detainee was hospitalized, briefly returned, then secretly transferred to Texas, while state officials denied an outbreak and claimed 24/7 medical access, amid concerns the illness could spread beyond the facility through staff and the community.
The Justice Department is seeking substantial monetary sanctions against California attorney Joshua Schroeder, accusing him of reckless misrepresentations and meritless claims in efforts to block the deportation of his Hmong client from Laos; the move marks the first known individual targeting of an immigration lawyer under a March Trump directive prioritizing sanctions against attorneys deemed to file frivolous lawsuits, sparking concerns from advocates that the administration is weaponizing the DOJ to deter legal challenges to its mass deportation agenda.
Following a mass shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters that left one police officer dead, authorities said the gunman, Patrick White, had expressed anti-vaccine beliefs and distrust of coronavirus vaccines; CDC employees are now demanding that figures such as RFK Jr. and President Trump denounce vaccine misinformation, which they believe fosters hostility toward public health officials.
South Carolina Republican Rep. RJ May resigned from the state House while jailed and awaiting trial on 10 counts of distributing child sexual abuse material, charges carrying up to 20 years each; prosecutors allege he used the screen name “joebidennnn69” to share 220 illicit files via Kik in 2024, and his resignation follows near-unanimous calls for his ouster, with a special election expected before the 2026 legislative session.
The Trump administration accused George Washington University of violating federal civil rights law by being “deliberately indifferent” to antisemitic harassment of Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty during pro-Palestinian protests in 2024, demanding “immediate remediation” or a voluntary resolution by August 22, and warning of possible enforcement actions, as part of its broader crackdown on universities over campus protests related to the Israel-Gaza war.
The U.S. designated the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a “foreign terrorist” organization, escalating from its 2019 “specially designated global terrorist” status, as part of the Trump administration’s push to strengthen ties with Pakistan; the BLA, also known as the Majeed Brigade, seeks Balochistan’s independence and claimed a deadly March attack on a Pakistani passenger train.
