The following is a lightly edited transcript of the August 7 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. Officials are leaking word
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy remains undecided on the attorney general nominee.
The reaction so far among establishment Democrats to Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow win in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary has been surprisingly encouraging. Almost instantly after the race was called Wednesday morning, Governor Gretchen Whitmer endorsed El-Sayed, saying in a
The Trump administration announced on Thursday plans to overhaul Head Start, the early education, nutrition, and health program which serves hundreds of thousands of low-income children. The proposed rule to rescind the majority of the program’s standards of care could have
Democrats have a unity problem three months out from the general election, after a bruising primary that showed how evenly the party’s voters are split between progressive and centrist visions for its future. President Trump may be exactly what they need to pull together and
The January 6 prosecutions came to a quiet, unheralded end this week after a federal judge dismissed the final seditious conspiracy case against various Oath Keeper defendants, including the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes. Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw numerous January
Tariff refunds are showing up on Wall Street. The latest quarter spanned the Trump administration handing back the bulk of the $100 billion returned so far. It’s providing many companies a boost as they report their earnings. Amazon reported receiving $600 million. Apple said
“It’s not like years ago,” croons Michael Stipe on R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming,” the spare, piano-driven ballad that brings the band’s 1992 album, Automatic for the People, to a melancholy crescendo. The song’s crystalline reminiscence of teenage horseplay is uncommonly personal
House Republicans are confronting an unwelcome political headache as a string of abuse or harassment allegations involving several GOP lawmakers threatens to complicate the party’s midterm message just months before the November elections. The domestic abuse allegations against
I wrote in July about how Donald Trump, despite rhapsodizing about the virtues of competitive bidding (“it sharpens their game, makes them bid competitively on price, and encourages them to give me the best quality product possible”) doesn’t practice competitive bidding when he
Meta has been ordered to pay $567 million in the second phase of New Mexico's landmark child safety case, bringing total charges to nearly $1 billion for being a "public nuisance." In a ruling published on Thursday, the Santa Fe district court found that Meta's platforms are a
A striking new Washington Post report reveals that Donald Trump privately raged at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, demanding to know why he’d caught off guard by depleted munitions stockpiles. Yet these leaks actually reveal his own serious screw-ups. Trump wrongly concluded
Iranian state media on Thursday reported that Tehran could attempt to block U.S. and Israeli shipments from transiting the Strait of Hormuz under its joint venture with Oman to reopen the critical waterway to commercial traffic. Members of Iran’s parliament are reviewing a
The Senate majority leader also said he plans to hold a vote on a GOP budget measure that is expected to fail.
Voters in Tennessee dealt President Trump a blow and rejected Republican Rep. Andy Ogles at the polls Thursday. The second-term lawmaker faced a formidable primary challenge from Charlie Hatcher, a former state agriculture commissioner endorsed by outgoing Gov. Bill Lee (R).
U.S. crude oil supplies are at a 45-year low as the Iran war continues to tarnish strategic reserves. Bank of America Global Research data shows that the level of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at its lowest level since 1983, leaving the country with 43 days of crude
The ethics language remains the subject of ongoing discussions.
Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder (D), one of three Democrats seeking to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) and represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District, is projected to advance to facwe the incumbent in the November general election, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). Molder
Tennessee state Rep. Johnny Garrett is projected to win the Republican primary in the U.S. House race to replace outgoing GOP Rep. John Rose, according to Decision Desk HQ. Garrett, a self-described “Trump Conservative,” will now advance to the November election where he will
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) is projected to fall short in a Thursday primary for the 5th Congressional District, delivering a blow to President Trump, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). Former Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Charlie Hatcher, the lone
Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor is projected to face off against state Rep. Justin Pearson (D) for retiring Rep. Steve Cohen’s (D) House seat in Tennessee in the fall – putting the Republican one step closer to joining Congress after the district was redrawn to heavily favor
Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and Democratic candidate Marquita Bradshaw are set for a November rematch for the incumbent's seat in deep-red Tennessee, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ. Hagerty, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan and adviser on President Trump’s
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is projected to advance in the Republican gubernatorial primary, making her likely to succeed Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) as the Volunteer State's next chief executive, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). Blackburn defeated Rep. John Rose
As elections for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District near, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) is losing traction for his campaign amid allegations of abuse from his ex-wife, as his Democratic opponent pulls ahead in a new poll. In a new co/efficient polling memo, Brook Park City Council
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the trade negotiations with the United States had turned “nasty” following remarks made by President Donald Trump about Canada and its leadership. “This is a tough negotiation,” Carney said in French. “You can say ‘nasty.’
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced Thursday that she plans to intervene in the merger deal between NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy which, if approved, would create the largest regulated electrical utility in the world. In an op-ed in the Washington Post,
The Justice Department (DOJ) concluded an investigation into Duke University School of Law, determining the school unlawfully discriminated against white and Asian applicants in admissions for three past incoming classes. In a findings letter released Thursday, the department’s
The National Gallery is planning to study how the upcoming Freedom 250 GrandPrix will impact its art collection as IndyCar racecars will reach the speed of 185 mph near some of the District’s most historic artifacts. “In preparation for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, the National
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) are working on a deal to fund the federal government and start the Senate’s August recess, but they face opposition from President Trump’s allies who want to rack up more GOP accomplishments.
Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Healthcare Healthcare The Big Story What’s next for Fauci? The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. © Natasha Kaiser The vote came after
{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Political appointee placed at Interior IG, Democrat says The Trump administration has installed a former White House official and author of the Project 2025 Republican policy playbook at what is supposed to be
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Senate Democrats introduce bill to roll back press restrictions at Pentagon Senate Democrats introduced a new bill on Thursday to roll back Defense
A local judge in Washington, D.C., on Thursday formally dismissed the felony charge accusing Olympic canoeist David Hearn of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro backed away from the case. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman
An internal GOP fight over intoxicating hemp is dragging progress on the government funding bill. The White House’s insistence on delaying for a month a ban on hemp THC products that President Trump signed into law less than a year ago caught lawmakers by surprise and is
Teamsters California sued the Golden State’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and several other agencies Wednesday, citing issues with the approval of self-driving trucks across the state. The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County, alleges that officials in California did not
President Trump will welcome more than 100 members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House on Thursday. The U.S. won a total of 33 medals in the 2026 Winter Olympics held in northern Italy in February, including 12 golds, 12 silvers and 9 bronzes and
The Trump administration has installed a former White House official and author of the Project 2025 Republican policy playbook at what is supposed to be an independent internal watchdog at the Interior Department, a House Democrat says. Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.), the ranking
WK Kellogg Co. said Thursday that it is moving to end the use of artificial dyes in its products by the end of this year for its cereals. In a Thursday press release, the company said it had unveiled “an accelerated timeline to eliminate all artificial colors and the
Announcing a pause on more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding to Minnesota and California last month, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz accused state officials of being too lax about fraud, citing among other things the results of a provider
The Democratic National Committee is blaming a late property tax bill on a procedural issue, the latest in a sequence of blunders from the party’s executive leadership. The DNC owes the District of Columbia more than $300,000 in property taxes, interest and penalties on its
President Trump on Thursday used Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s calls to abolish the filibuster to pressure Senate Republicans to nix the legislative procedure themselves. “For our Great Republican Senators, friends of mine 'all,' please be advised that
Tennessee voting will finish Thursday in the primary to set key races after the state’s congressional lines were dramatically reshaped by GOP-friendly redistricting that squeezed out the state’s lone Democratic House lawmaker. In the solidly red 5th Congressional District,
Tennessee primary voting ends Thursday in the election to select the Republican and Democratic candidates for November's Senate election. One-term incumbent Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Japan during President Trump's first term
Voting concludes Thursday in Tennessee to select the Republican and Democratic candidates who will face off in November's gubernatorial election. In the reliably red Volunteer State, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) are facing off for the Republican
{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story America’s water systems are under attack. Iran may be to blame A recent wave of cyberattacks on American water systems is raising alarm at all levels of government, with U.S. authorities reportedly suspecting Iran-linked hackers.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is saying some estimates in the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) “Wall of Receipts” are incorrect or lack evidence to support the claims. The watchdog agency found in a report released Thursday that the estimated $110
Geoffrey Hinton, also known as the “Godfather of AI,” said Wednesday humans may not be able to retain dominance over large language models as the technology expands across generations. “What’s happening is these things are getting smarter. I think as they get smarter, we’re
The vice president briefed Republicans on the state of peace talks.
An amended lawsuit now challenges a May memo from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that gives sweeping immunity to President Trump, his adult children and their businesses from any government review into their past conduct. The May 19 memo says the government is “forever
Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee for Iowa's Senate race, criticized Democratic lawmakers on a congressional panel who voted against the annual farm bill Thursday. All of the Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee voted to block the funding package from