August 7, 2026

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "Nonfarm payrolls in the U.S. unexpectedly declined in July, but so did the unemployment rate, leaving investors with mixed signals on how to process the latest jobs report." Cox elaborates on what the numbers signify. Here's an earlier report by Cox.

Colby Smith & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump opened a new front in his battle [link fixed] with Lisa D. Cook, the Federal Reserve official he tried — and failed — to oust from her position last year. In a letter sent on Wednesday, the White House informed Ms. Cook, who serves on the Board of Governors, that it was 'considering' removing her from her position. The letter, which was signed by Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff, gave Ms. Cook 21 days to respond to previous allegations that she had committed mortgage fraud. Ms. Cook has not been charged with a crime, even though it has been a year since the administration first made the claims, nor has she been convicted of any wrongdoing. The escalation comes after Mr. Trump suffered a significant legal setback in June when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Ms. Cook, whom Mr. Trump tried to fire last August, should have been given the formal ability to contest the accusations against her. In siding with the lower court, the Supreme Court granted Ms. Cook the ability to continue serving out her term, which is set to end 2038.

“But the Supreme Court left much unresolved, providing an opportunity for Mr. Trump to revive his attacks. The justices did not clearly articulate the full legal criteria that would allow Mr. Trump to fire Ms. Cook. The Federal Reserve Act stipulates the president can remove a sitting Fed official only 'for cause,' which has long been interpreted to mean gross negligence or a dereliction of duty. The justices in June also did not offer an opinion on the exact allegations against her, which revolve around her taking out mortgages on a range of properties that were all listed as a primary residence. Ms. Cook has in the past suggested that these were clerical errors.” The link is a gift link. A CNBC story is here.

Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “The Senate passed a sweeping new package of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran on Friday, approving a measure aimed at supporting Ukraine in its fight against President Vladimir V. Putin’s war of aggression. The 86-to-11 vote was a rare bipartisan feat for a chamber that has been divided on most meaningful legislation to back Ukraine since ... [Donald] Trump returned to office last year after a campaign that railed against foreign and military aid. The bill’s passage came just weeks after the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, its leading champion, an unexpected turn that provided a burst of momentum for the package among senators newly incentivized to push it forward in his honor. The measure, which also would extend sanctions against Iran for five years, still must pass the House and be signed by Mr. Trump, who in recent days has indicated support.”

Jordain Carney of Politico: “Senate Republicans confirmed dozens of ... Donald Trump’s nominees Friday, just before they leave for a five-week congressional recess. Senators voted 51-47 to approve officials at the Departments of Defense, Energy, State and other agencies.... Senate Republicans changed the chamber’s rules last year to be able to confirm lower-level nominees as a package instead of having to hold a vote on each.”

Oh, I'm So Surprised. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: “Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced Friday morning he will support Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as attorney general, all but ensuring the controversial nominee will have the votes he needs to be confirmed. 'All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche,' Cassidy announced, and then added with a tone of resignation: 'I will be criticized for this vote. What’s new?'” MB: Yeah, it's so unfair that anyone would criticize Cassidy. I feel like such an old meanie. Cassidy's inexcusable excuse, BTW, is that Trump might put someone worse in the job. Update: the New York Times story is here; the link is a gift link.

The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming the interests of individuals, and that no court can stop it flouts our constitutional order.... While this court accords great weight and deference to invocations of national security and the safety of the President, such arguments are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card. -- Judges Patricia Millet & Bradley Garcia, opinion, National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Parks Service ~~~ 

~~~ Dan Diamond & Jonathan Edwards of the Washington Post: “A federal appeals panel ruled Friday that ... Donald Trump must halt most construction of his planned White House ballroom, saying that he had exceeded his authority by moving ahead with the planned $400 million, privately funded addition. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sided with a federal judge’s April ruling requiring construction to halt until Congress expressly authorizes the project. 'Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence,' Judges Patricia A. Millett and Bradley N. Garcia wrote in their majority opinion. They stayed their ruling for 14 days to allow the White House to appeal to the Supreme Court.” Politico's story is here. The dissenting vote came from Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee, who was aghast at the audacity of the District Court Judge Richard Leon & her Appeals Court colleagues for opining on a matter where they had no jurisdiction. Because President*!

     ~~~ Here's the opinion, via the courts. 

They're Killing the Birds! They're Killing the Whales! Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “The Trump administration will pay the German energy firm RWE $1.22 billion to abandon plans to build wind farms off the coasts of New York, California and Louisiana, the company announced on Thursday. It was the fifth such deal the government has reached this year to halt the development of offshore wind, a source of renewable energy that President Trump has derided for decades.... Including Thursday’s announcement, the government has so far spent roughly $3.9 billion to get companies to terminate 12 offshore wind leases.... Democrats denounced the deal.” The link is a gift link.

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Lying Racist Tries to Get Around Supreme Court Order. Robert Mackey, et al., of the Guardian: “Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that the White House said aims to restrict eligibility for birthright citizenship and ban 'birth tourism'. The ‌orders come just over a month after the United States supreme court rejected Trump’s first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution. Trump has long sought to dismantle the principle of birthright citizenship, making [it] a top priority of his second-term immigration crackdown.... The president told reporters on Thursday is practiced by hundreds of thousands of people.... According to the Migration Policy Institute, the highest census-based estimate 'puts birth tourism at 22,000 to 26,000 babies born annually on US soil, although government data show just 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses in 2024'. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was born a US citizen to a non-citizen mother who arrived in New York five months pregnant.” (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here; the link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: According to the New York Times story, the great historian Donald Trump explained, “This was done right after the Civil War.... This was for the babies of slaves....” But that's a lie: the Fourteenth Amendment, which sought to correct a number of wrongs, guaranteed citizenship to "All persons born ... in the United States...." So that means "the babies" of Irish and Chinese and Germans, as well as formerly enslaved persons. If the authors and ratifiers had meant "enslaved persons," that's what the Amendment would have said. In fact, the section on birthright citizenship does not even mention enslaved persons. At all. Trump (and Stephen Miller, who back up this Constitutional theory) is blowing smoke. Miller insisted the birthright citizenship section “... had no other meaning and purpose outside of [ensuring that the children of slaves would be citizens], and that’s been clear, obviously, since the day that it was passed.”

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: “The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would move forward with a plan to eliminate hundreds of federal regulations governing Head Start, in what advocates fear is a push to gut a 61-year-old antipoverty program aimed at helping the nation’s most impoverished young children. The proposed plan, detailed in earlier reporting by The New York Times, would remove most of Head Start’s 133 pages of federal requirements for math and literacy curricula, class sizes, medical screenings, home visits.... Critics say the changes will gut the core components of a singular institution that has served 30 million young children with high classroom standards and more health and antipoverty services than most states provide. Head Start was launched 61 years ago as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, and a key figure in its early design and creation was Sargent Shriver, an uncle of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary leading the push to deregulate the program. It provides early education and poverty support services for children up to age 6.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rachel Roubein, et al., of the Washington Post: “White House officials are drafting an executive order focused on the childhood vaccine schedule and autism, according to four people familiar with the matter. The order would continue to spotlight a divisive issue that Republican pollsters have warned carries political risk ahead of November’s midterm elections and would follow the confirmation of a new CDC director who has promised to uphold the scientific integrity of the agency.” 

Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "An organization representing career Internal Revenue Service employees has joined a lawsuit over the contentious settlement reached in connection with ... Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, challenging a carve-out that would give him and members of his family immunity from certain tax audits. A Jan. 6 prosecutor fired by the Trump administration and others previously sued to block a fund that could have gone to Trump allies who said they were victims of weaponization, potentially including Jan. 6 rioters. A federal judge then temporarily blocked the fund from moving forward in May. Now, an amended version of the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday afternoon alleges that the IRS audit immunity that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche agreed to for Trump and his family members in connection with the purported settlement is unlawful and unconstitutional. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents career IRS auditors, has joined the litigation." (Also linked yesterday.)

Marie: Yesterday I was wondering how Donald Trump hired so many people who leaked unflattering tales about Trump to the press. Apparently Trump was wondering about the leakers, too: ~~~

The 'leakers' of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought! -- Donald Trump, in a post-midnight tweet ~~~

~~~  Cameron Adams of the Daily Beast, republished by Yahoo! News: "... Donald Trump unleashed a furious rant about 'treasonous leakers' — apparently confirming a bombshell report of a clash with Pete Hegseth. The president lashed out in a raging 12:34 a.m. Truth Social post after the Washington Post revealed how he had berated Hegseth at Camp David on Friday. Trump's aide Karoline Leavitt first called the report '100% fake news' and said it had 'literally never happened.' But then Trump's rant made clear that it had. In his Truth Social post, he insisted America has 'massive amounts' of munitions, adding cryptically 'especially of certain types.'...

"Hegseth, 46, shifted the blame for the weapons shortages and the lack of communication about them to his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, according to the Post. Feinberg, 66, received an angry call from the president about the shortages Friday evening, and hastily held a 'crisis' meeting with top Pentagon brass later that night, NBC News reported. The president ... reportedly threatened to fire Feinberg during the call.... The Trump administration has been riddled with humiliating leaks already this year."

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “A judge in Washington dismissed a felony vandalism charge on Thursday against a former Olympic canoeist who had been accused of damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ending an embarrassing saga for the Justice Department and the top prosecutor in Washington. In a two-page order, Judge Todd E. Edelman of the Superior Court in Washington approved a request last week by federal prosecutors, led by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in the city, to drop the case against the Olympian, David Hearn.... Judge Edelman deferred the question of whether to prevent the charge from being brought again. Ms. Pirro’s office moved to dismiss it without prejudice, meaning it could theoretically be brought again, but Mr. Hearn’s lawyers had asked to dismiss it with prejudice.” The link is a gift link. A Courthouse News Service report is here. ~~~

~~~ Daniel Lippman, et al., of Politico: “Jeanine Pirro berated Doug Burgum. But Interior staffers have been angry at him for months.... Since he took over at Interior last year..., [staffers have been confused and] concern[ed] that the agency is poorly run, has devolved into secrecy and has lost thousands of the staff needed to manage the national park systems and millions of acres of public lands.... Former employees accuse Burgum of surrounding himself with a toxic leadership team, leading to staffers fleeing. Since Burgum came in, several top officials have left the agency — including the Senate-confirmed legal counsel, the secretary’s former chief of staff and Interior’s top energy official. Tony Irish, who worked at Interior for more than 20 years, including as associate solicitor for general law until he left last year, said it is 'abundantly clear' that Burgum does not solicit or value the opinions of career staffers.” 

Maxine Joselow, et al., of the New York Times: The saga of the Reflecting Pool “show[s] that the pool, which was supposed to reflect the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, became a striking reflection instead of the second Trump administration’s willingness to skirt laws, expend millions of dollars, ignore facts and punish truth tellers in service of the president’s demands to put his mark on the capital. The Interior Department, led by Doug Burgum, handed out no-bid contracts and squelched doubts about the costs and risks. An employee from Mr. Trump’s private business life, [David] Schutzenhofer, played an off-the-books role in government decisions. A top federal housing official, Bill Pulte, brought Mr. Trump memes that encouraged him to keep going. And when Mr. Trump sought to blame the project’s failure on shadowy vandals, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, backed him up by charging members of the public with crimes, only to have the cases fall apart. Then, in place of accountability, there were falsehoods on top of falsehoods, part of Mr. Trump’s longtime strategy of not admitting mistakes and treating concessions of error as signs of weakness.” The link is a gift link. MB: Gosh, I hope Old McDonald sees this report.

When you want to understand the dynamics behind some peculiar governmental or economic phenomenon, it doesn't hurt to turn to this guy for an explanation: ~~~

~~~ The Lying Liars Are Lying to Each Other. Paul Krugman: "Lately Donald Trump has been raging against several of his own appointees. He has publicly raged against his attorney general Jeannine Pirro, for admitting that the failure of the Reflecting Pool was due to shoddy work by Trump’s chosen contractors.... He has raged at RFK Jr. for not making a stronger case for the false link between vaccines and autism. And according to the Washington Post, Trump has privately raged at Pete Hegseth ... for misleading him about the state of U.S. munitions, which have been critically depleted by his failed war on Iran. These may sound like unrelated stories, linked only by the fact they all involve presidential tantrums. In a larger sense, however, they are part of the same story — what happens when a government operates entirely in bad faith, never telling the truth about what it is doing or why. Inevitably, officials in such a government don’t merely lie to the public: they lie to each other too. As a result, they can’t govern effectively, even in the pursuit of evil."

Luke Fountain of CNBC: “... Donald Trump won an 11th-hour court reprieve Thursday that temporarily blocks the BBC from obtaining detailed records on the finances and ownership of his business empire as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster. The emergency stay, granted in Miami federal court, pauses a looming Thursday deadline that would have forced the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to turn over tax returns, financial statements and ownership records for roughly 400 corporate entities. Trump’s lawyers filed the emergency motion Wednesday, calling the BBC’s demand 'shockingly broad' and argued disclosure would cause irreparable harm because the broadcaster could not 'un-see' the confidential information if the order were later overturned. The stay gives Trump a temporary procedural victory but does not permanently shield the records. The court must still decide whether the BBC is entitled to them as it tests Trump’s claims of sweeping financial harm.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Once Again, Mark Carney Stands Up to Donald McNasty. Ian Austen of the New York Times: “Two weeks before proposed 50 percent tariffs take effect, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turned ... [Donald] Trump’s rhetoric back on him, calling trade talks with the U.S. 'nasty.' 'Yes, this is a tough negotiation,' Mr. Carney said to reporters in a mix of French and English on Thursday after laughing in response to a question about Mr. Trump’s repeated use of the word 'nasty' during a speech. 'We can change the adjective. You can say “nasty.” But I mean, this is a question of Canadian jobs. It’s a question of the future of Canadian businesses.' Mr. Trump repeatedly called Canadians nasty in a speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday after claiming that Canada and other countries had long been unfairly using tariffs against the United States. 'Canada’s nasty. They are. They’re nasty,' Mr. Trump said. 'I love the people, but they’re nasty. Nasty leadership.'” The link is a gift link.

Peter Baker of the New York Times: “In an era when playground insults pass for political dialogue, few have leaped into the online flame wars with more gusto than [J.D.] Vance. The first millennial vice president has long dispensed with the decorum and restraint of his older predecessors to go after the 'idiots' and 'scumbags' who anger him, from the 'limousine socialists' on the left to the 'disgraceful' conservatives on the right....  Mr. Vance ... appears to have a natural appetite for conflict, the product of a generation that grew up with gladiatorial political instincts. It is not enough that someone else may be wrong about policy or politics; they must be stupid, mendacious, vile or, yes, even overweight.” The link is a gift link.

Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Pentagon to lift its freeze on reviewing onshore wind projects and to end some of the delays that have brought U.S. wind power development to a standstill. Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit that a coalition of renewable energy groups filed against the Defense Department. The groups argued that the Trump administration has unlawfully delayed dozens of wind projects across the country by halting military reviews that were once considered routine. In her ruling, Judge Immergut, who was appointed by ... [Donald] Trump, said that the renewable energy groups were likely to prevail on the merits and that the Pentagon had violated legal deadlines when it stopped its reviews. She ordered the agency to resume reviewing wind projects and to report back to the court on its progress every 30 days while the broader legal case played out.

“Since April, the Pentagon has halted all military reviews of proposed wind farms, which are meant to ensure that turbines don’t interfere with radar or flight paths. While the Trump administration has cited national security as a rationale, the coalition of renewable energy groups said the delays were an unjustified tactic to thwart wind power, a technology that Mr. Trump has derided for decades.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ripped from the Pages of “The Misogynists News.” C.J. Robinson of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blocking of promotions for high-ranking women in the military has contributed to the lowest percentage of such nominations for women in at least 25 years, according to a New York Times analysis. Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking posts this year have been women, or 4 percent — less than half the average percentage of the past 10 years.” The link is a gift link.

Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to eliminate a long-standing regulation constraining the size of large television broadcasting companies, a major deregulatory move pushed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. The FCC’s commissioners voted 2-1 to replace the cap, which prevents a company from owning broadcasting stations that collectively reach more than 39 percent of U.S. households, with a case-by-case review. The agency has said that the new process would 'empower the FCC to approve deals that promote the public interest while allowing the agency to reject any deals that do not meet that standard.'” Critics, including Anna M. Gomez, the one Democratic FCC commissioner, say only Congress can make the change in limits to broadcast company owned-and-operated stations. The Guardian's story is here. 

     ~~~ Marie: You don't have to be super-insightful to realize that what Carr is doing with his “case-by-case review” is making the “standard” completely subjective; that is, subject to his political whims. One thing we have learned from nearly every Republican mentioned on this page -- Trump, McConnell, Carr, for instance -- is that the GOP is dedicated to establishing and maintaining an unfair advantage over Democrats.  

Faiz Siddiqui & Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: “The U.S. DOGE Service, the ... group spearheaded by Elon Musk, consistently overstated its savings in online posts, taking credit for lease cancellations initiated before the group existed, according to a report from a government watchdog to be released Thursday. DOGE also claimed contracts were terminated that had not been and loaded its database with savings that could not be verified, the report said. In an audit spanning from June 2025 through this month, the Government Accountability Office examined savings claimed by DOGE, the group that swept through federal agencies after ... Donald Trump began his second term last year.... The report, which came after a request by Democratic Sens. Gary Peters (Michigan) and Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), provides the most comprehensive government assessment of DOGE’s public accounting of its impact, bringing the organization’s figures further into doubt.”

⭐Kaanita Iyer & Hannah Rabinowitz of CNN: "Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Friday she will vote against Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, narrowing his chances at Senate confirmation for the role. With Sen. Mitch McConnell absent and all Democrats expected to vote against the confirmation, Blanche cannot afford to lose any more Republican votes. The nomination now hinges on how Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the most prominent GOP critics of ... Donald Trump, will vote. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who’s facing a competitive reelection, has already announced she’ll vote against Blanche." More on Collins' vote linked under "Maine Senate Race." ~~~

~~~ The Duplicitous Susan Collins. Susan Rinkunas in Balls & Strikes: “On Tuesday, Maine Senator Susan Collins performed one of her favorite bits: acting like she cares about abortion access. Collins announced that she would oppose ... Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general. Her statement came the day after Politico reported that Blanche pledged on a private call to restrict abortion pills nationwide, and she cited those comments as part of the basis for her 'no' vote.... Collins’s vote against Blanche in 2026 is akin to her 2020 vote against Amy Coney Barrett: It’s an inconsequential show of independence on a nominee who will be confirmed anyway, and it’s meant to help her save face for all her other bad votes in the months and years before she faces the voters.... Collins is perhaps being extra cautious about Blanche because this is the first time she’s facing voters since the Court overturned Roe in 2022 — a decision made possible by [Brett] Kavanaugh[, whose confirmation Collins clinched].... Collins has no good answers on Kavanaugh, because the vote is indefensible.” 

Shame, Shame. A Short-lived Victory for Little Randy. Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday approved a resolution holding Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in contempt of Congress for his refusal last week to answer questions from the panel, whose chairman, Senator Rand Paul, has said repeatedly that he wants to see Dr. Fauci in prison. The vote, along party lines, clears the way for the committee to recommend that the Justice Department prosecute Dr. Fauci for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena, a misdemeanor under federal law. But that does not mean the department will take up the case. For a contempt resolution to carry the force of Congress, the full Senate must adopt it; in that case, it would be sent to the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who could then present a case to a grand jury. But contempt resolutions require a 60-vote majority, and with 53 Republicans in the Senate, adoption is highly unlikely.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Update. Simon Levien & Robert King of Politico: “Hellbent on putting [Dr.] Anthony Fauci in jail, Rand Paul wants to skip a Senate vote.... After the Kentucky Republican pushed a contempt of Congress resolution through his Senate committee on party lines Thursday morning ... Democrats demanded he take it to the full Senate for a vote they could filibuster. Paul said he’s going to instead take it straight to the attorney general.... 'Maybe he should' be prosecuted..., Donald Trump told reporters ... on Thursday, referencing the contempt prosecutions of two of his allies, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, that began when Democrats controlled Congress. 'What he did is far more serious than a lot of crimes.'... Paul’s shortcut opens several legal pitfalls. It’s far from certain, legal experts say, that a committee can trigger the contempt process without a full Senate vote.” Read on for the rest of the legal folderol. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~  Marie: This likely means that Little Randy will be referring the case to D.C.'s U.S. attorney, Jeanine Pirro. Pirro, as you know, is on the cusp of losing her job because Donald Trump is ever so miffed that she dropped charges against non-criminal David Hearn. (Related story linked above.) So do you think Attorney Boxwine is going to stand up to Paul & Trump when faced with the Constitutionally-mandated non-crime of pleading the Fifth?  

Mitch (Or Somebody) Says He's Not Dead Yet. Olivia Diaz of the New York Times: “Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, said on Thursday that he had been discharged from a rehabilitation facility after a nearly eight-week medical absence, announcing in a statement that he would continue recovering at home as the Senate takes its scheduled August recess. 'On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,' Mr. McConnell said in a statement. A spokesman for Mr. McConnell did not say whether the senator would return to the Senate when the chamber, which is scheduled to begin a five-week break starting Monday, returns to session in September.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ AND He's Voting! Tyler Spence of NOTUS: “Sen. Mitch McConnell wasn’t at the Agriculture Committee’s markup of the farm bill Thursday, but the Kentucky Republican was casting tie-breaking votes on partisan issues. Yet his absence is why the bill did not advance to the Senate floor. McConnell ... voted 'by proxy' on each amendment presented during the meeting. Committee rules allow absent senators to authorize a senator who is present at a meeting to cast a vote in addition to his or her own. Chair John Boozman (R-Arkansas) said in his opening remarks that he spoke Wednesday night with McConnell, who approved his use of proxy votes as Boozman votes.... McConnell has been on the agriculture panel from the beginning of his time in the Senate, and his proxy votes kept the bill in shape for Republicans. But ... when it comes to a vote to advance the bill to the Senate floor..., proxy votes 'cannot make the difference in successfully ordering a measure or matter reported to the Senate,' according to the Congressional Research Service. Both McConnell and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) voted by proxy in the final vote, so the bill was not advanced to the floor.” (Also linked yesterday.)

More on Trumpish Election Interference. Nick Corasaniti & Alexandra Berzon of the New York Times: “... at least 25 county-level election officials ... have taken office across the country since the last major federal election in 2024 and — through public statements or actions — have aligned with the broader election-denier movement, according to a Times review of a new database from Voting Rights Lab, a nonprofit voting-rights organization. These officials — ranging from Virginia to Ohio to Nevada — have all come to office since ... [Donald] Trump returned to power and all currently play roles in elections in counties that are home to key House, Senate or statewide midterm races this year. All have either publicly espoused false conspiracy theories that Mr. Trump won the 2020 election or that American elections are rife with fraud, or taken direct action to support those theories.

“This surge in election-skeptic officials adds to the ranks of at least 69 who were already in office across different states.... They include county election directors, members of election boards, and members of various county governing boards with the power to canvass and certify the vote. Most took office after the 2020 election, when Donald Trump and his allies began to ramp up their election fraud rhetoric. Among those officials, 41 have taken direct action to interfere with elections....” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

I'll Show You Fake News, Donald. Judd Legum of Popular Information: “bills itself as 'independent news covering the Last Frontier.'... [It has run some very positive (and misleading) reports about U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R)]. Both the content and tone are highly unusual for an independent news outlet. That is because the Alaska Navigator is not an independent news outlet. Rather, it is a website fully controlled by One Nation, a dark money group that works in concert with the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the super PAC of Senate Republicans. One Nation has directly contributed over $70 million to the SLF this political cycle.... The fake Alaska news outlet is one of at least six operated by One Nation in states with key U.S. Senate races.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Eli Tan of the New York Times: “ A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to the way young people can use its platforms, the largest financial penalty yet against the tech giant in its ongoing legal battles over social media harm and addiction. The ruling, issued late Thursday, was in addition to $375 million that Meta was ordered to pay in the same case in March, when a jury found that the company misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young people. The $567 million will go toward a fund to remedy damages caused by the company, including money for treatment of young people who have been harmed by social media.... A Meta spokesman, said in a statement that the company disagreed with the ruling and planned to appeal.” The link is a gift link.

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Tennessee Primary Elections. Mean Girls Wins GOP Gubernatorial Primary. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: “Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee won the Republican nomination for governor of the state on Thursday, The Associated Press said, clearing the way for her likely election in November to be the G.O.P.-led state’s first female governor. Ms. Blackburn, 74, jumped into the race to replace Gov. Bill Lee, who is term-limited, shortly after she won re-election to the Senate in 2024. While ... [Donald] Trump chose to stay out of the primary, Ms. Blackburn positioned herself as a front-runner with a series of prominent Tennessee endorsements and high fund-raising. Ms. Blackburn dodged debates with her two primary opponents and faced some criticism for holding limited public events and at times refusing to answer questions from reporters. But she easily beat her rivals, U.S. Representative John Rose and State Representative Monty Fritts....

“She will face Jerri Green, a Democratic Memphis city councilwoman, in November. It is the first time in the state that either major political party has nominated a woman as their candidate for governor.” The link is a gift link.

Good Riddance. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: “Representative Andy Ogles, a hard-line Tennessee Republican who has faced backlash over anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, lost his primary to Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner, in the Fifth Congressional District, The Associated Press said on Thursday. Mr. Ogles’s loss is seen as an upset despite the controversy he has courted over his two terms in Congress. He had secured ... [Donald] Trump’s endorsement, as well as backing from several prominent conservative groups. But Mr. Ogles was running in a new congressional district after Republicans redrew the lines during the fallout from the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The district, which once included part of Nashville, now stretches from a cluster of suburbs outside the city west to parts of Memphis. Mr. Hatcher, a longtime dairy farmer, had also won support from some notable establishment Republicans in the state, including the outgoing governor, Bill Lee. Besides urging voters to 'hire a farmer,' Mr. Hatcher had taken care to emphasize his support for Mr. Trump, even without his endorsement.” The link is a gift link. An NBC News report is here.

Amy Graff & Anna Griffin of the New York Times: “Toxic air from dozens of wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest gave skies over the region an orange hue in recent days and made going outside a miserable and potentially dangerous experience....  On Thursday morning, air quality alerts were in effect across much of Oregon, Washington and neighboring Idaho. Yet there was hope that conditions would improve in coming days. The smoke was starting to drift out of Oregon and Washington and, with a shift to breezier weather, was expected to clear gradually through the weekend, forecasters said. But the winds are a double-edged sword. They could also aggravate the fires, leading them to produce more smoke. And since the winds are expected to blow from the west, they are likely to cause air quality problems to the east, from the northern Rockies to the Midwest.” The link is a gift link.