Capitol Watch: Aug. 17, 2026 — Pro Forma Monday as Stopgap Funding and Russia Sanctions Await the House
Daily congressional digest: the Senate's 90-6 stopgap vote, the 86-11 Russia-Iran sanctions package, Blanche confirmed 50-49, a failed voter-ID cloture vote, CBO's $2.1 trillion deficit projection, a stalled NDAA, and…
DOJ Watch: August 17, 2026 — Operation Gold Rush Nets 16th Conviction as Amazon Settles FCRA Claims
TIJ's daily DOJ enforcement digest: a 16th Operation Gold Rush conviction, Amazon's $2.25 million FCRA settlement, a $43 million tax shelter plea, CRIPA findings against California women's prisons, and criminal…
Federal Register Watch: August 17, 2026 — NOAA Opens Environmental Review of The Metals Company’s Deep-Sea Mining License
Today’s Federal Register: NOAA opens the EIS for The Metals Company’s USA-B exploration license, CDC renews its border health order, NHTSA proposes dropping two crash tests, FDA down-classifies cancer diagnostics,…
SEC Watch: August 17, 2026 — Berkshire Turns Net Buyer After 14 Quarters as 13F Season Peaks
Berkshire Hathaway turns net buyer in its Q2 13F, the SEC pulls its crypto offering-rules vote at the last minute, and fraud charges hit Netcapital and an alleged $47 million…
Afternoon Wire: August 16, 2026 — White House Ballroom Fight Reaches Supreme Court as Seoul Proposes End to Korean War
The administration takes the East Wing ballroom fight to the Supreme Court, Seoul proposes talks to formally end the Korean War, and July inflation holds at 3.4 percent — plus…
Afternoon Wire: August 14, 2026 — Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Baltic Oil Hub; July Retail Sales Extend Streak
Ukraine strikes Russia’s Baltic oil hub, July retail sales extend their streak, the en banc Fifth Circuit moots the Alien Enemies Act challenge, and the White House orders a shipbuilding…
EPA Watch: Week of August 10, 2026 — $2.5 Billion New Jersey PFAS Settlement Wins Court Approval
Court approval of New Jersey's $2.5 billion PFAS settlements headlines a week that also saw the Keystone spill decree clear public comment, a $1.5 million Clean Air Act penalty for…
Fact-Check: Is Trump the ‘Lowest of the Last 10 Presidents on Inflation’?
WASHINGTON — This week produced an unusually dense run of checkable public claims: a presidential boast about inflation rankings, dueling congressional statements on the July Consumer Price Index, a new…
Regulatory Roundup: Week of August 10, 2026 — DHS Expands H-1B and L-1 Visa Fees
DHS extends the $4,000 H-1B fee to same-employer extensions, CMS bars federal Medicaid funds for youth transition procedures, OCC and FDIC propose a CRA rewrite, and FDA moves to end…
Influence Watch: August 2026 — Federal Lobbying Hits $2.7 Billion at Midyear as the Revolving Door Accelerates
Q2 2026 disclosures show near-record lobbying, rapid revolving-door registrations, a rare FARA conviction and a pitched fight over digital-asset legislation.