Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) made a remarkable argument on Thursday, explaining that in his opinion, Congress "should do a little more" for wealthy Americans. The moment came during a Republican policy discussion on the economy featuring Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rep. John James (R-MI), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Grothman, and other GOP officials. The panel focused on the party's economic agenda and its differences with Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. Alleging that President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill was designed to cut taxes for "the average guy," he insisted, pointing his finger at the crowd, "Don't let anybody tell you that people running, uh, Congress right now are looking out for the rich. Actually, I think we should do a little more for them, but, you know, right now, uh, we are doing all we can to help the middle class, right?"
Hawaii is bracing for a potential hurricane strike this weekend after Tropical Storm Lala's forecast track shifted north, bringing the strengthening storm " and its heavy rain, damaging winds and dangerous surf " close to the Big Island. Lala had sustained winds of 65 mph Friday evening as it moved west-northwest about 260 miles southeast of Hilo, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The United States Army is temporarily halting all Apache helicopter training flights after a crash this week near Fort Hood, Texas, killed two soldiers. "Army leaders directed a temporary stand-down of AH64 Apache training flight operations," the Army said in a statement. "The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident."
The fragile monthlong ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears set to expire Monday absent a last-minute deal to extend it and potentially end the war between the two nations. A senior White House official, granted anonymity to share details of the negotiating process, described the situation between the two countries as "static" ahead of the Monday ceasefire expiration deadline. The official had not heard of any forthcoming extension as of Friday afternoon. "It doesn't matter how close or how far we are," the official said. "What matters is if Iran wants to come to the table and agree to a deal. Right now, they haven't done that."
Aug 14, 2026
Donald Trump seemed to channel Jeffrey Epstein just a bit today, as he referenced 'beautiful young girls' coming to visit him at the White House. Here's a moment of that speech. And I have to warn you ahead of time, it IS a bit creepy.
As U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Congress that not appropriating roughly $1.5 trillion towards the Pentagon's next fiscal year budget is the "greatest threat" the country faces, a new budget report shows that the nation's rampant spending exceeds the Defense Department's own budgetary aspirations. The United States borrowed $1.8 trillion in the first ten months of Fiscal Year 2026, according to the latest Monthly Budget Review from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That amount, which includes $431 billion borrowed in July alone, is roughly $169 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year. Revenues rose by $139 billion (3%) and outlays increased by $308 billion (5%), per the CBO. That comparison is affected by a shift in the timing of certain payments. For example, payments that otherwise would have been due on Aug. 1"which fell on a weekend"were shifted into July. Read more
Americans pulled back on their retail spending in July and their confidence in the economy is taking a hit. That's a potentially troubling combination for a consumer-driven economy. Retail sales fell 0.6% in July from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Friday, down from June's 0.2% and marking the steepest drop since May 2025. Those figures are adjusted for seasonal swings but not inflation. A separate report from the University of Michigan showed that consumer sentiment declined about 8% early this month to a preliminary reading of 51, ending a two-month streak of rising sentiment. Read more
Food banks across the US, from New Mexico to Oregon to Illinois, are seeing massive increases in demand as the unprecedented federal nutrition aid cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law last summer take hold, stripping benefits from millions of Americans amid elevated grocery costs"a recipe for disaster. An estimated 4.5 million people, including roughly 1.5 million children, have lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits since the Trump-GOP budget law took effect last year, enshrining around $200 billion in cuts"the largest in the program's history"as well as new work reporting requirements that are expected to put millions more at risk of losing aid. The large-scale loss of benefits and expectations of even more hardship in the near future have heavily strained local food banks.
Flight-tracking data showed the planes converging along the same path while separated by about 3 miles horizontally and 2,000 feet vertically.
Sailors suffering a mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were told by President Donald Trump on Friday they hadn't been stuck on board "nearly long enough." Trump made the remark Friday when a reporter asked whether the deployment had gone on too long. The Lincoln's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are nine months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May, with no return date announced. Families of sailors have described moldy showers, broken toilets, weeks without laundry service, and a meal that came to two tortillas and a half-cup of rice. Annabelle Loma told the Military Times her husband had tried to go overboard and was placed on a medical hold.
President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to build a ballroom at the White House, citing previous threats to Trump's life, national security needs and architectural values. The emergency request filed Friday comes after lower courts repeatedly ruled that Trump needed approval from Congress before moving forward with the $400 million project. Read more
Former Republican NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa rebuked families of 9/11 victims who have illogically demanded Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) stay away from this year's annual ceremony marking the 2001 terror attack.
No uproar about His Honor being at Ground Zero with King Charles III this past April 2026, but that was before the devastating AIPAC primary election losses this summer.
James Lawhorn (54) of Wasilla Alaska was indicted for threatening to murder Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. Some of the threats he transmitted include:
Foreign and rightwing agitprop is spurring irrational hatred and violent attacks against Muslims and Arabs in the US.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) informs: "El Nino conditions continue to intensify and are likely to be very strong, resulting in a potentially historic event in the coming months that could significantly influence our weather, the hurricane season, and global temperatures."
Super El Nino won't be pleasant at all.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley pushed back against claims that the company's expanding network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) is contributing to a surveillance state, telling Newsweek that transparency and accountability are central to the company's approach as it unveils new privacy protocols this week amid widespread backlash and protests. The technology executive told Newsweek in a Tuesday video interview that Flock's "end goal isn't a dystopian future of surveillance; it's one where we all feel safe."
As of Wednesday evening, 21 percent of traders backed the New York progressive, who was trailed by California Governor Gavin Newsom at 17 percent. On rival prediction site Kalshi, the results were the same, with Ocasio-Cortez narrowly topping Newsom. Meanwhile, conventional political polls still put former Vice President Kamala Harris at the top spot, with Newsom in second and AOC in a distant fourth. Read more
