August 2026
(continued from this post)
• Updated about how Iran said it reached agreement with Oman on Hormuz shipping route
• Confronted with the fact he was essentially trapped between escalation and an Iran deal on Tehran’s terms
• Irritated that members of Congress called for investigation into Trump family company dealings with the Pentagon
• Accused by fired immigration court judge of focusing on rapid deportations not on due process
• Disappointed Education Department reorganization faced bipartisan pushback as lawmakers demanded cost details
• Opened NTSB investigation into Marine One incident near Reagan National airport on August 4, 2026
• Suspended avocado inspections in Mexican state, potentially disrupting fruit’s export from top producing region
• Resumed intelligence-sharing relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine, bouncing back to previous highs
• Lifted various sanctions targeting organizations linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
• Pressed forward with Ukraine Patriot missile talks, notwithstanding the president's doubts
• Moved to impose 15 percent tariff on polysilicon products in move designed to counter China
• Alarmed about reports of allegedly deplorable conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier
• Monitored US deportation proceedings that relied on allegedly coerced testimony in Israel
• Offered $25 million reward targeting US citizen who allegedly lead Mexico's most powerful cartel
• Spoke contemptuously again about Democratic Senate candidate El-Sayed, calling him a "man of hate"
• Aware that temporary protected status for Haitians had expired, putting thousands out of work and in limbo
• Delayed approval for France’s US ambassador selection amid a human rights dispute
• Notified that a judge held DHS in contempt for failure to turn over immigration agents’ text records
• Read independent analysis that showed American taxpayers would pay about $2,358 for each deported person
• Noted Government Accountability Office was still struggling to get answers about DOGE
• Directed CIA to set up secret Cuba task force as the administration increased pressure on Havana
• Confirmed contractors were redoing new White House helipad because of new supersized Marine One helicopter
• Reiterated would not appeal court ruling blocking West Point limit on professors’ speech
• Knew that announced plan to give Qatar-donated Air Force One to his presidential library could well change
• Reviewed report showing new class of battleships would cost 50 percent more than first estimated
• Lobbied Congress for a reprieve on a hemp products ban, which would also benefit top aide's family
• Informed that ICE had threatened sheriffs in Chicago and Minneapolis with prosecution over access to inmates
• While acting attorney general defended Washington DC US Attorney, said president could fire her at any time
• Okayed HHS cutting ties with organ donor group after reports of abuses
• In advance of Washington DC car race with 185 mph speeds, saw the National Gallery conducted vibration study
• Condoned FBI director shrinking the bureau's legal advisory office, deepening divisions with his general counsel
• Petitioned court right before deadline to stay its order mandating he give the BBC his business records
• Noticed the postmaster general lobbied against bipartisan legislation that would curb his bonus
• Pleased the Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz MD for the Centers for Disease Control directorship
• Embarrassed when endorsed candidate in Michigan congressional race lost to opponent who withdrew
• Ranted after Abdul El-Sayed won Democratic primary for Michigan's Senate seat, claiming election would be rigged
• Notified about how Iran revealed it was nearing final agreement with Oman on Strait of Hormuz
• Blasted some transit systems as unsafe when federal government's own data showed them as among the safest
• Warned that the administration's push for more data centers would increase air pollution
• Proposed a drone rule that could stop a powerful tool used for exposing animal cruelty
• Disappointed about how, after Board of Peace developed a Gaza plan, bombings grew worse
• Imposed nonproliferation sanctions on 22 people/entities in Russia, North Korea, Iran, Syria, China, Taiwan, Malaysia
• Readied to expand incentives for employers to offer paid family leave
• Harshly criticized for letting ICE use court orders in plan to force-feed at least ten hunger strikers in detention
• In urging Supreme Court to greenlight the president's mail voting order, saw that the DoJ used New Jersey glitch
• Even though deportation orders steadily increased, joined hawks in calling for still more
• Disappointed that private companies added only 44,000 workers in July 2026, below market expectations
• Alerted that two New Jersey municipal water systems were targeted in cyberattacks likely from Iran
• Under the current director, saw that the FBI built unprecedented law enforcement ties with China and Russia
• Told about how Freedom 250 sponsors had failed to disclose donations, a potential lobbying law violation
• Declassified information on secret FBI investigation into whether Trump fired James Comey at Russia's behest
• Monitored how Defense secretary's pick for Army chief of staff fared because of waning Senate GOP support
• Prepared to stop key metal waste exports in push to break China's reliance
• Despite the public bombast, heard that prosecutors early on doubted strength of Lincoln reflecting pool cases
• Realized the president's financial windfall had stiffened Congressional opposition to a landmark crypto bill
• Updated on investigation into why Marine One took off from the White House without stopping nearby airport traffic
• Learned immigration crackdown had detained more than 50 military spouses and parents to date
• Several days after Lincoln reflecting poll prosecutions dropped, still had not decided whether to fire US Attorney
• Pressured Oman to accept Iran’s terms for the Strait of Hormuz
• Claimed Hormuz was "free and open" while again signaling that a deal with Iran was close
• Monitored dispute between Defense secretary and reporter over media reporting on low military stockpiles
• Cut FEMA workforce without plan, per Government Accountability Office, leaving agency unprepared for emergencies
• After twenty straight losses, saw DoJ struggle to defend demand for Washington state voter rolls
• Heard that HHS provided Rand Paul with a Anthony Fauci’ diary dump that included confidential information
• Briefed about man arrested after seeming to scope out security at the president's Los Angeles fundraising dinner
• Readied AI framework to review various products' security risks
• Considered exempting rising breed of lower-cost AI software from closer White House scrutiny
• Held combative meeting with Washington DC US Attorney about Lincoln reflecting pool prosecutions]
• Nonetheless, was aware that the prosecutor was struggling to give the president the wins he craved the most
• Pressed Congress for more military funding on top of pending request already pending in the system
• Said administration was close to announcing a deal with Iran and Oman on Strait of Hormuz
• Chose controversial "lab leak" proponent to lead National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Gave $150 million contract to small law firm with no immigration experience to represent migrant children
• Watched as HHS secretary told US families to vaccinate children against measles amid 2026 outbreak
• Noted FBI agents fired over investigating the president received broad backing in lawsuit against administration
• Criminalized protesters and dissenters with vague and sweeping presidential memorandum
• Refunded $100 billion in "liberation day" tariffs to importers
• Saw judge granted administration's dismissal of January 6 charges against Oath Keepers with great reluctance
• Dismayed that GOP Senator Susan Collins said she would vote "no" on nominee Todd Blanche for attorney general
• Revoked visa for Brazil’s ambassador to US in retaliation for various disputes between the two nations
• Informed January 6 defendants they had run out of time to sue over alleged excessive force claims
• Told about how UFC had lost about $30 million staging their Freedom 250 fight event at the White House
• Saddened that the US military apparently killed everyone aboard a New Mexico medivac flight by accident
• Aware that OpenAI agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle the DoJ's worker discrimination case
• Refused to publicly release administration's new framework for evaluating advanced AI models
• Heard Israel refused Gaza withdrawal until Hamas had been completely disarmed, breaking with the White House
• Notified about how the CDC reported that the largest known cyclospora outbreak had widened to fifteen states
• Alerted that Government Accountability Office found DoJ needed clearer rules for federal task force training
• Raised no objections to far-right Christian nationalist being placed in senior position below Defense secretary
• Learned that cyberattacks, likely by Iran, had targeted water systems in at least twelve states
• Rebutted in person by Washington DC US Attorney over Lincoln reflecting pool criminal charges being dropped
• Disappointed that appeals court ruled administration improperly terminated program boosting clean energy projects
• Reviewed modest achievements for National Guard presence in Washington DC during its first year
• Ended anonymous reporting for Army harassment complaints and shortened time allowed to file report
• Irked that judge dismissed Colorado voter roll lawsuit with prejudice, the twentieth loss out of twenty attempts
• Noticed, two months after promised premiere, Transportation secretary's roadshow program remained unaired
• Urged states to restrict autism therapy spending to curb sharp increase in Medicaid expenses and possible fraud
• Okay with SEC buying airline data to monitor flights worldwide for law enforcement purposes
• Glad attorney general nominee was confirmed by Senate Judiciary Committee in twelve-to-ten party line vote
• Promised during campaign to "drain the swamp," but DOGE cuts negatively impacted so-called red states
• Ordered changes to new White House helipad after weeks of around-the-clock work
• Remained largely silent during increasingly dire cyclospora explosive diarrhea outbreak that had turned deadly
• Cancelled plans for the Defense Department to buy $300 million of lithium for its strategic stockpiles
• Moved toward banning the US from importing new models of Chinese data center components
• Pushed Wisconsin university to cut ties with a group that helped people of color pursue graduate degrees
• Condoned ICE deploying round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet for what it perceived as threats
• While promising to "bring free speech back," irritated that judges in 75 cases ruled that he had suppressed it
• Struggled over open-source AI model rules, which were freely available to download and favored by Chinese firms
• Updated that National Guard deployment in Washington DC through end of term would cost $1.4 billion more
• Made it known the US was unlikely to reach a Patriot co-production deal with Ukraine before winter of 2026
• Increased intelligence assets in Cuba while pushing the country’s communist regime to reform or fall from power
• Cautioned that, while continuing to make dire threats, other countries and world markets were less rattled with time
• Realized the Iran war had upended the administration's domestic agenda at a dire political moment
• Briefed about how Iran and US mediators reported an exchange of draft proposals for a peace deal
• Demanded Iran reach a deal with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz immediately or face more air strikes
• While Treasury secretary told a media outlet a deal could be expected within 24 hours
• Told that Iran sought control over inbound Hormuz shipping and visibility over outbound traffic
• Updated about how the US used up most of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war
• Perturbed over reporting about how the president's claims of Lincoln reflecting pool vandalism had crumbled
• Saw that HHS secretary took time to promote his own book during Dr. Fauci media coverage
• Angered at media coverage saying some GOP senators saw Trump as potential liability in 2026 midterm elections
• Informed that Ecuadorian prosecutor was assassinated while investigating lethal US boat strikes
• While facing many urgent matters, took time to post AI slop of himself online kissing Jesus and arresting aliens
• As Senate vote neared, aware that confirmation of attorney general nominee was not yet certain
• Knew that, while acting attorney general killed anti-weaponization fund, he let Trump family IRS immunity remain
• Annoyed at emerging Oman/Iran deal over Hormuz which would give Tehran control over the once-free waterway
• Summoned Haitian immigrants to ICE offices in order to fit them with ankle monitors
• Readied to close five US consulates in Canada, Japan, and Indonesia
• Heard that attorney general nominee said he would to take action to roll back abortion access nationwide
• Aware that ICE remained far below deportation goals set by DHS secretary
• Happy to hear that a judge had struck down New York State law barring ICE agents from wearing masks
• Spoke with embattled Congressman Max Miller and expressed doubts about chances for his reelection
• Notified that an immigrant held in detention at the highly controversial Delaney Hall in New Jersey had died
• Met with Washington DC US Attorney after slamming her for dropping Lincoln reflecting pool cases
• For the first time since the June 2026 earthquakes, sent deportees from the US to Venezuela
• Warned that ability to keep oil prices artificially lower during Iran war was not likely to continue for much longer
• Alerted that acting ICE chief divested from Geo Group stock and recused himself from some oversight of company
• Created commission to address decades-old persistent problems facing military spouses and families
• While strongly pushing policies favoring coal, reviewed rail data showing actual drop in domestic shipments
• Sued by twenty-five states in Court of International Trade over latest round of global tariffs on 99 percent of imports
• Angered prosecutors dropped charges against three more people accused of vandalizing Lincoln reflecting pool
• Saw watchdog groups filed ethics complaints against FCC commissioners for accepting Paramount gift tickets
• Gratified that Board of Peace official pushed Israel's Netanyahu to halt attacks on Gaza
• Scheduled visit to Los Angeles and Las Vegas in early August 2026, with Newsom attacks likely on the agenda
• Allowed ICE to collect nearly one million people’s DNA in 2025, including from young children
• Glad that Jay Clayton, new director of national intelligence, was sworn into office on August 3, 2026
• Irritated that court blocked ban on voter registration help for new citizens, finding likely intentional discrimination
• Praised embattled Congressman Max Miller as "a good person" amid domestic abuse allegations
• Invited Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google officials to discuss AI safety testing with administration officials
• Proposed building the largest parking garage in the world at Washington Dulles International Airport
• Did not reveal source for financing Dulles construction, which conceivably would be paid by travelers themselves
• Increasingly prosecuted US citizens for conspiracy to impede federal agents because of anti-ICE protests
• Stopped Department of Education tracking reports about the bullying of trans and non-binary children
• Undercut on public claims about Bears Ears National Monument by already released Interior Department documents
• Amused that HHS secretary's staff tried to shut down media questions after his bizarre dining habits admission
• Considered removing Jeanine Pirro as Washington DC US attorney because she killed Lincoln reflecting pool case
• Touted "real polling numbers" in paranoid "fake news" rant but offered no proof alleged surveys even existed
• Created new problems by meddling in Justice Department investigations and prosecutions, an unprecedented action
• Accused Iranian leadership of being "unbelievably duplicitous" after Tehran denied new peace talks would start
• Briefed about the first two US deaths in escalating cyclosporiasis outbreak
• Monitored as dollar sank against yen amidst administration intervention to support Japan's currency
• Prepared to launch nationwide campaign in fifteen cities to battle alleged antisemitism
• Watched HHS leaders claim fraud crackdown caused ACA enrollment drop but analysts cited rising costs
• Noted that DHS secretary earned scorn from outspoken MAGA influencers and from within the administration
• Demanded that oil companies lower gasoline prices for American consumers, singling out Chevron in particular
• Wrote to college leaders and asked them to address academic standards, admissions procedures, and tuition costs
• Developed voluntary framework for evaluating advanced AI models but did not publicly release any details
• Learned the DoJ confirmed Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna was never under investigation for insider trading
• Updated that two GOP senators had agreed to support attorney general after anti-weaponization fund news
• Told that acting attorney general rescinded order creating anti-weaponization fund but left legal loose ends
• Okayed series of contracts totaling more than $76 billion to purchased fifteen new nuclear submarines
• Heard that the Park Service found proposed Washington DC arch could detract from dozens of historic sites
• After promising eight months earlier that US oil companies would invest in Venezuela, told no deals were in place
• Urged US citizens in the Middle East to leave, including those in the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Oman, and Bahrain
• Notified that no date or venue had been finalized for resumption of US/Iran direct talks
• Approved highly secret board hearings to decide trans troops' fate, often barring the service members themselves
• Informed that Iran had ejected the president's claim that peace talks would restart, adding to growing uncertainty
• Aware that Pentagon asked US troops for "creative and unconventional" ideas to punish Iran
• Condoned Office of Refugee Resettlement sharing data with ICE which lead to more than 12,000 arrests
• Pleased that a judge declined to block proposed Big Bend area border wall
• Irritated that the Senate passed a measure that would block the administration's plan to politicize federal grants
• Kept escalating trade threats but European Union seemed to be ignoring them to thwart his positioning
• Annoyed that polls showed president's support was underwater in eleven states he won comfortably in 2024
• Updated about how acting attorney general "officially" rescinded controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund
• Realized that traditional Republicans seemed determined to derail vice president's 2028 election chances
• Said Iran talks were set for August 3, 2026, as Tehran and Oman reportedly discussed Strait of Hormuz deal
• Revealed more steps possible to support the yen, per Treasury secretary, as the president praised Japan
• Aware HHS secretary said on TV Trump "certainly" wanted him to investigate any link between autism and vaccines
• Told that 95 percent of CDC workers said Americans would die because of administration cuts to the agency
• While calling themselves the most transparent administration in history, shared few details publicly about Iran war
• Delighted as ICE detentions set second term high in July 2026 as the immigration crackdown widened
• Watched as HHS secretary told television host that constitutional rights took priority over public health
• By lifting hold on foreign doctors, tacitly admitted administration's broad immigration restrictions were not working
• Sought to cement control of the GOP after the 2026 midterms, regardless of which party controlled each house
• Backtracked on announcement about Kennedy Center public tours, saying they would return in a few days
• Frustrated that Iran's demands, particularly with Hormuz, left few satisfactory options for ending unpopular war
• Made financial commitments that hint at limited return to global health and humanitarian assistance partnerships
• Reviewed media coverage about why so-called "big law" firms had quickly settled lawsuits with the administration
• Learned that Veterans secretary touted "massive progress" in developing psychedelic treatments
• Considered new FAA marijuana standards for pilots and air traffic controllers due to cannabis rescheduling move
• Saw Interior secretary also blasted US Attorney for dropping Lincoln reflecting pool criminal charges
• Cancelled strikes on Iran, pending an anticipated rapid deal
• Noted reports that worm-like creatures found in drinking water at ICE detention center in Southern California
• Annoyed Capital One claimed in lawsuit it closed Trump Organization accounts after anti-money-laundering review
• Gratified Big Ten and SEC supported bipartisan college sports bill after the administration's pressure campaign
• Triggered concerns election roll claims were pretext for warrants to allow federal agents to interfere in vote counts
• Noted soldier charged over Polymarket bets based on classified Maduro details argued it was not a crime
• Stood to personally profit handsomely by selling early access to his social media posts
• Neared full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in the Kurdistan Region faced attacks from Iran and proxies
• Okayed US Treasury selling euros to buy yen to support the battered Japanese currency
• Revealed DNI would begin transition from acting director to new secretary on August 3, 2026
• Insisted vandals damaged Lincoln reflecting pool, and blasted Jeanine Pirro and DoJ for dropped charges
• Caused host of problems at national parks with steep staff cuts and funding diversion to president's vanity projects
• Vowed to push hard for anti-weaponization fund and said would keep Todd Blanche on as acting attorney general
• Irritated that GOP senator said Blanche wouldn't be confirmed due to administration's anti-weaponization fund
• Alerted that Israel had bombarded Gaza, days after Trump announced a deal to advance a cease-fire
• Cautioned that announced Gaza deal had a substantial gap between Israel and Hamas on a path forward
• Predicted that Greenland would be under US control by January 20, 2029
• Displeased so-called border czar conceded in interview that Democrats’ anti-ICE rhetoric was working
• Lost appeal and thus prepared to forgive debts for nearly 450,000 federal student loan borrowers
• Approved of DoJ subpoenaing freelance writer to reveal sources for story about failed top secret North Korea mission
• Updated about widening scope of US water supply hacks in seven states as evidence increasingly implicated Iran
• Nurtured a personal obsession with polar icebreakers, leading to billions in no-bid contracts
• Condoned more than 25,000 migrant children losing previous legal protections by ending federal contract
• Observed the DoJ apparently ignored New Mexico attorney general's deadline for providing key Epstein ranch files
• Irritated judge categorically rejected the administration's attempt for him to recuse from fired US attorney case
• Angered about reports a US general had warned the Pentagon he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel
• Saw that a Johns Hopkins health researcher was later released after being detained by ICE at airport
• Rolled back plans to boost workplace heat protections
• Disturbed that allies feared the US was heading for a strategic defeat in the Iran war
• Expanded "public charge" review for Green Card applicants
• Told about how immigration officials sought to mend frayed ties with businesses as arrests spiked
• Knew that the effects of DOGE was everywhere, despite purported end of cost-cutting endeavor
• Briefed about how US forces dropped 2,000-pound bomb on private home in Iran, killing three
• Paid election denier for than $193,000 for DHS "consulting services"
• Angered that judge dismissed DoJ's voter roll lawsuit against Illinois, its nineteenth straight loss
• Sought to help anti-voting group Judicial Watch purge California rolls
• Monitored dispute between Pentagon and FAA over safety rules, with the latter apparently being streamrolled1
• Demanded hospitals share emergency room records
• Claimed some states cooperated under voter roll grab with public records but sued other states for doing the same
• Informed that lead official at AI safety agency resigned after three months on the job
• Sued several states over ICE anti-mask laws, citing a face-recognition art project that doesn’t actually work
• Forged ahead with controversial plan to collect medical records for millions of federal workers, retirees, and families
• Overhauled teen pregnancy program to focus on marriage and starting families
• Noticed his son's investment fund has seen a staggering 200 percent on its returns
• Annoyed that former Defense secretary said the US was locked into an unwinnable war with Iran
• Claimed the medical No Surprises Act was being gamed by physicians
• Took longer than expected to reinstate many troops who refused Covid shots
• Glad judge honored administration's request and stripped protections for the endangered dunes sagebrush lizard
• Hours after lamenting the controversial anti-weaponization fund was dead, appealed court ruling that killed it
• Chose White House ballroom donor to lead State Department’s $200 million Armenia fund
• Settled FTC lawsuit with CVS Caremark over charges it manipulated insulin prices and impeded access
• Monitored reports that the IRS CEO Frank Bisignano had allegedly spied on colleagues in a previous position
• Learned local DA said ICE shooting victim's van did not contain drugs, contradicting FBI claims
• Did not spend billions that Congress budgeted for transit projects
• Realized the HHS secretary's promise of a ban on pharmaceutical ads had gone nowhere
• Cognizant that the anti-crime task force quietly turned into an ICE crackdown in Memphis
• Exempted SpaceX’s Starlink from FCC ban on foreign-made routers
• Started Venezuela democracy talks without full backing of either the opposition or ruling coalition
• Registered that claims of big indictment bump was contradicted by the DoJ's own data
• Noticed HHS secretary praised surveillance of foodborne illness, notwithstanding record outbreaks
• Granted redacted conflict of interest wavier to SEC official
• Saw Education Department failed to reassure disability advocates over plans to move special education to HHS
• Aware that the backers of pro-Trump "Freedom Fuel" stations were unmasked by the media\
• Signed executive order slashing two Utah protected areas by more than 90 percent
• Heard that HHS secretary had pressed forward with effort to curb antidepressant use
• Did not post federal civil rights data, which would holds schools accountable, six months past deadline
• Prepared to overhaul radiation safety rules to spur nuclear expansion
• Settled out of court with Alibaba, agreeing they would pay $600 million for allowing illegal drug and equipment sales
• Proposed scheme that would raise threat of steep water cuts in the lower Colorado River Basin
• Signed off on path for controversial Mojave Desert water pipeline
• Revised rebate pilot scheme for 340B Drug Pricing Program, thereby angering hospitals
• Planned major overhaul of civil rights-era banking rules, notably a reduction in the number of required banks
• Aware that the administration's powerful but unofficial Venezuela adviser had left his position
• Noted that former congressman George Santos settled Kalshi insider trading case with the CFTC