The Daily Brief — August 3, 2026
Trump posts available for fee, Blanche rescinds fund, Reflecting Pool vandalism charges dropped
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Fee for Early Access to Trump Posts
President Trump’s Truth Social is offering a new paid service that will make his posts available to businesses and investors before they become public. The service, called Truth API, will charge subscribers up to $100,000 a month for “a direct, licensed, real-time feed of the platform’s most market-moving Truths,” said Trump Media & Technology Group interim CEO Kevin McGurn.
Trump owns about 52% of Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social. Trump has frequently used Truth Social to announce major policy decisions, including tariffs and military action against Iran.
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff have urged the SEC to investigate whether Trump Media is violating securities laws by selling advance access to the president’s posts. Sen. Chris Murphy called it an “insider trading subscription service.”
Blanche’s Path to AG Cleared
Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis said today they will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Blanche’s nomination tomorrow.
Their support comes a day after Blanche rescinded the order that created a controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” meant to compensate people who say they were targeted for political reasons under the Biden administration. The fund was created as part of the settlement that resolved President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax returns.
Cornyn and Tillis had withheld their support for Blanche’s confirmation until they received written assurances that the fund would not move forward. But questions remain over whether every part of the settlement has been undone, including the part barring the IRS from auditing Trump and his family.
Yesterday, Blanche issued a statement saying he “stands by” his July 15 Senate testimony that indicated the tax audit immunity only applies retroactively and not for future audits. But neither the memo rescinding the fund nor the accompanying statement addresses the settlement requirement that any change be agreed upon in writing by both Trump and the IRS.
Spokane Wildfires
Wildfires in Spokane, Washington, have forced about 60,000 people to evacuate and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures. So far, no deaths have been reported. The fires have burned about a dozen square miles in and around the city over the weekend and filled the sky with smoke and haze.
Over the weekend, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency, citing drought conditions and “unusually high temperatures and high winds.” More than 1,000 fires have burned about 425,000 acres across Washington this year, the most since 2021, according to Washington’s Department of Natural Resources.
Newsbreak
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Charges Dropped Against Canoeist
The Justice Department has dropped felony charges against three-time Olympian David Hearn, who was arrested for destruction of government property due to damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charge carried a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Hearn admitted that he touched the water, but prosecutors had alleged he ripped a piece of sealant from the bottom of the reflecting pool.
In dismissing the case last week, the US Attorney’s Office acknowledged that the damage to the pool resulted from a “botched installation, not vandalism,” and blamed the Interior Department for saying otherwise.
The dismissal came days after Hearn asked a judge to release grand jury testimony. He argued that grand jurors were never properly told that a felony required at least $1,000 in damage, and also weren’t told that a government witness had testified the liner was already damaged and would have required repairs regardless of Hearn’s alleged actions.
Deal Reached to Avoid Govt. Shutdown
Senate leaders from both parties unveiled a short-term spending bill that would keep the government funded through December 11, likely avoiding a shutdown before the November midterm elections.
The House has already passed its own stopgap measure, which funds the government through December 4. But the two versions differ not just in timeline but also in scope.
The House bill includes a White House proposal authorizing Trump’s political appointees at each federal agency to review grant proposals from states to make sure they’re aligned with Trump’s policies. Democrats say that provision could be used to withhold grants — including disaster aid — from Democratic-led states.
The Senate proposal omits that provision in its funding bill. Any differences will need to be rectified before the bill can become law.
Idaho Shooting
Four people were killed and seven more were injured in a shooting at the newly opened In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, over the weekend. Some of the injured remain in critical condition.
The suspect, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said an off-duty officer and an armed bystander fired at Williams. His body was later found near the restaurant.
Authorities are still trying to determine his motive and said his family is cooperating with the investigation.
RFK Jr. Admits Vaccination Works
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told parents to vaccinate their children against measles during a CNN interview yesterday, as a nationwide outbreak of the disease continues. Kennedy Jr., who has long expressed skepticism about vaccines, denied that he has ever questioned the efficacy of the MMR vaccine, but also suggested that vaccine-induced immunity fades over time.
According to the CDC, the US had at least 2,371 confirmed measles cases so far this year, more than the total for all of 2025, which saw 2,289 cases.
Trump “Postpones” Iran Strike
President Trump called off a weekend attack on Iran that he had announced last week, saying the two sides were closer to a deal to end the war. Iran denied that any talks with the US were underway or scheduled.
Instead, Iran said it was negotiating with Oman over temporarily reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries share the waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. Trump acknowledged the Iran-Oman talks and said the US naval blockade of Iran would continue unless “a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished.”
Sen. Moreno Asks Rep. Miller to Resign
Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno said his former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller should not serve in Congress after Moreno’s daughter, Emily, accused Miller of domestic abuse. Miller, a two-term Republican, has denied the allegations. He is suing his ex-wife for defamation, and said he will stay in his reelection race. Miller and Emily Moreno divorced last year and are in a custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter.
Sen. Moreno said Miller “needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter.” The senator said had hoped to keep the matter private, citing concern for his family’s safety, but added that Miller’s “increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior” made it impossible to stay quiet.