Federal Level
Trump Signs New Orders Narrowing Birthright Citizenship
On Thursday, President Trump signed two executive orders narrowing birthright citizenship, five weeks after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier attempt. One order expands categories ineligible for automatic citizenship, including children of foreign government employees, members of designated terrorist organizations, and people acting for foreign governments. The second targets so-called birth tourism, directing the secretaries of state and homeland security to restrict visas for pregnant travelers seeking citizenship for their children. White House aide Stephen Miller said the practice is “hereby banned.” The orders are expected to face legal challenges given the Supreme Court’s June ruling upholding citizenship for children born in the country. 1, 2
Senate Panel Holds Fauci in Contempt of Congress
Late Thursday afternoon, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Republicans took the action after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during a hearing on the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, declining to answer lawmakers’ questions. The vote refers the matter directly to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia for possible prosecution, bypassing the usual referral to the full Senate. Fauci’s attorney called the vote “a crude political stunt.” Criminal contempt of Congress carries a potential prison sentence of up to one year. 3, 4
FCC Repeals Cap on Local TV Station Ownership
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted 2 to 1 along party lines to repeal a 22-year-old rule capping how many television stations one company can own nationwide. The rule barred any owner from reaching more than 39 percent of U.S. television households. Republican Chairman Brendan Carr and fellow Republican Olivia Trusty voted to scrap the cap for case-by-case reviews of future mergers, while the panel’s lone Democrat, Anna Gomez, dissented, arguing the change requires congressional approval. Carr said the shift would help local broadcasters compete against national programmers. The decision could accelerate consolidation among owners such as Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar. 5, 6
Senate Committee Fails to Advance Farm Bill
On Thursday, the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance a long-awaited farm bill after a 10 to 11 vote, leaving Congress without a clear path toward reauthorizing the outdated 2018 legislation. Chairman John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, said he would call the committee back in September after the chamber’s recess. The impasse centered on a Republican plan to delay by one year new state cost-sharing requirements for food assistance benefits, while Democrats, led by ranking member Amy Klobuchar, demanded a two-year delay. Senator Cory Booker said the outcome was expected given the partisan divide. Senator Mitch McConnell, recovering from a fall, cast his vote by proxy. 7, 8
Second Ohio Senator Urges Miller to Resign Seat
On Thursday, Ohio Senator Jon Husted became the second Republican senator from his state to call on Representative Max Miller to resign from Congress and abandon his reelection campaign. Husted said he does not see how continuing benefits Miller, his ex-wife Emily Moreno, or their daughter, adding that Miller would eventually see stepping aside as the right choice. Husted joined Senator Bernie Moreno, the congressman’s former father-in-law, in urging Miller to leave office amid domestic abuse allegations Miller denies. The House Ethics Committee is investigating the allegations along with separate claims of illegal drug use. Speaker Mike Johnson has said the investigation will run its course. 9, 10
State Level
Blackburn, Green Win Tennessee Governor Primaries
On Thursday, Tennessee voters chose nominees for governor as Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn defeated Representative John Rose and state Representative Monty Fritts in the primary to succeed term-limited Governor Bill Lee. On the Democratic side, Jerri Green won her party’s nomination over Carnita Atwater and other candidates. Blackburn and Green will face each other in November in the heavily Republican state. The Republican race drew national attention as Blackburn’s allies framed it as a test of party loyalty following criticism of rivals. Green’s decisive win reflected strong turnout for Democrats in the state’s largest counties, including Davidson and Shelby. 11, 12
NC Legislature Passes Bill Stein Vows to Veto
On Thursday, the North Carolina General Assembly gave final passage to an elections bill that would shorten early voting in primaries from 17 days to 10, require the Republican state auditor to conduct election audits, and expand the window for challenging a voter’s eligibility. Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, has pledged to veto the measure, writing on social media that it “makes it harder for you to vote” and “invites sore losers to try to overturn an election they lost.” Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates rallied at the statehouse after the vote. Republicans hold enough seats to attempt an override. 13, 14
Spanberger Signs New Voting Rights Bills in Virginia
On Thursday morning in Norfolk, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed election-related bills marking the 61st anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act. The measures strengthen legal standards against voter suppression, extend the ballot cure process for absentee and provisional voters, begin automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and codify Virginia’s membership in the bipartisan Electronic Registration Information Center. Spanberger, a Democrat, signed the bills before joining supporters at the launch of a statewide campaign backing a November ballot measure that would end the current practice requiring people with past felony convictions to individually petition the governor for restored voting rights. 15, 16
◆
THIS POLITICAL NEWS REPORT IS FREE TO EVERYONE
WOULD YOU KINDLY SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND?
Article Sources
1. Reuters, “Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship,” Aug. 6, 2026.
http://rmb.reuters.com/rmd/rss/item/tag:reuters.com,2026:newsml_KBN3TX2FO?channel=uNx795
2. CNN, “Trump again tries to curb birthright citizenship and ‘birth tourism’ through executive action,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/politics/trump-birthright-citizenship
3. NPR, “Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/06/nx-s1-5921383/anthony-fauci-contempt-of-congress-vote
4. AP News, “Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt over refusal to answer questions,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://apnews.com/live/trump-news-fauci-iran-updates-08-06-2026
5. Reuters, “US agency ends 39% household cap on local TV station ownership,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-agency-votes-end-39-local-tv-station-ownership-cap-2026-08-06/
6. CNN, “FCC repeals national TV ownership cap, a win for Trump-allied broadcasters,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/media/fcc-carr-repeals-national-tv-ownership-cap-trump
7. Politico, “Senate Republicans’ farm bill fails over SNAP stalemate,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/08/06/congress/snap-stalemate-scuttles-senate-republicans-farm-bill-01027439
8. DTN Progressive Farmer, “Senate Farm Bill Markup Fails Committee Vote Over SNAP,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2026/08/06/senate-farm-bill-markup-fails-vote
9. Politico, “Jon Husted urges Max Miller to resign House seat,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/08/06/congress/jon-husted-max-miller-drop-out-01027675
10. The Washington Post, “Ohio’s other GOP senator calls on Rep. Max Miller to resign,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/06/ohios-other-gop-senator-calls-rep-max-miller-resign/
11. NBC News, “Tennessee Governor Primary Election 2026 Live Results,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/tennessee-governor-results
12. The New York Times, “Tennessee Governor Primary 2026: Live Election Results,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/06/us/elections/results-tennessee-governor-primary.html
13. WRAL, “Democrats rally against NC election bill after passage; Stein pledges veto,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.wral.com/news/local/democrats-rally-against-nc-election-bill-after-passage-stein-pledges-veto-august-2026/
14. American Democracy Minute, “HB 958 Archives,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.americandemocracyminute.org/wethepeople/tag/hb-958/
15. WTKR, “Campaign launches to back Virginia’s Right to Vote amendment,” Aug. 6, 2026.
https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-community/norfolk/campaign-launches-to-back-virginias-right-to-vote-amendment
16. Yahoo News, “Gov. Spanberger to sign new voting rights bills in Norfolk,” Aug. 5, 2026.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/gov-spanberger-sign-voting-rights-142703585.html