The Paper Trail: August 12, 2025

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The Paper Trail

Announcements

The Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds will have a pop-up tabling event in the newly renovated Rayburn Cafeteria, on Thursday, August 14 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. EDT. Stop by to learn more about working with whistleblowers from the public and private sectors and pick up the Office’s latest resources.

Top stories for August 12, 2025

Trump pulls military into another political issue: The 800 or so National Guard troops who will fan out across Washington, D.C., starting this week won’t perform law enforcement tasks, according to the Pentagon, although they will probably be able to detain people temporarily in certain circumstances. Instead, Guard soldiers will help with logistics and transportation, while providing a “physical presence” in support of federal agents. (Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Trump’s Washington, D.C., takeover targets a host of groups, many of them vulnerable (Brian Mann, NPR)

🔎 See Also: Administration to put FBI agents on night patrol in Washington (Devlin Barrett, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: How Trump’s D.C. takeover could supercharge surveillance (Patrick Tucker, Defense One)

Federal grants must “demonstrably advance” Trump’s agenda, president orders: A new executive order requires senior political appointees to sign off on all grants to ensure they are “consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.” Federal workers in charge of grants are concerned about added bureaucracy, decreased transparency, and political interference. (Eric Katz, Government Executive)

Appeals court rules Trump clamp-down on spending data defies Congress’ authority: The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals shot down a Trump administration bid to remove a public database of federal spending that researchers say is crucial to ensure the administration is not flouting Congress’ power of the purse. The three-judge panel gave the administration until Friday to put the data back online. (Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, Politico)

Trump orders State Department to overlook international human rights abuses: The State Department’s annual reports will no longer call out governments for abuses such as restrictions on free and fair elections, corruption, harassment of human rights organizations, the forcible expulsion of refugees, and discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people. (Nick Turse, The Intercept)

🔎 See Also: U.S. escalates human rights criticism of South Africa and Brazil (Adam Taylor, Hannah Natanson, and Meg Kelly, Washington Post)

Trump is outpacing his first term in deleting environmental information: Since the start of the second Trump administration, information on hundreds of government websites focused on environmental regulation has been changed or removed, according to a new report. One of the earliest and biggest targets was environmental justice language and information. (Natalie Alms, Nextgov/FCW)

Judges openly doubt government as Justice Dept. misleads and dodges orders: DOJ lawyers have long enjoyed a professional benefit when they appear in court. But that trust has eroded in recent months as DOJ lawyers have repeatedly misled the courts, violated their orders, and demonized judges who have ruled against them. Experts fear this will have a damaging effect on the functioning of the courts. (Alan Feuer, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Appeals court tosses judge’s contempt order in case over Venezuelans sent to El Salvador (Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen, CBS News)

America’s CEOs come to the White House bearing gifts and flattery: The leaders of major tech companies have forged alliances with President Trump through sometimes-fawning spectacles and behind-the-scenes conversations. In return, the administration has issued industry-friendly executive orders and policy exemptions. (Cat Zakrzewski and HyoJung Kim, Washington Post)

🔎 See Also: Trump delayed a Medicare change after health company donations (Kenneth P. Vogel, Sarah Kliff, and Katie Thomas, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Flush with Trump connections, Ballard Partners is D.C.’s new lobbying powerhouse — and its clients are reaping the benefits (Veronica Riccobene, The Lever)

Donald Trump is mostly a crypto billionaire now, group says: According to the watchdog group Accountable. US, nearly three-quarters of President Trump’s wealth comes from crypto holdings that he built at record pace by misusing the powers of his office. (Matt Sledge, The Intercept)

🔎 See Also: How much is Trump pocketing off the presidency? (David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker)

Elon Musk & DOGE

All remaining DOGE staff are in political positions, despite concerns of “burrowing in”: Lawmakers have raised concerns that remaining members of DOGE have “burrowed in” to their agencies by converting to permanent, career positions. OPM says that all remaining DOGE staff remain in political appointments. (Eric Katz, Government Executive)

Inside the Pentagon, DOGE “is not going to stop” anytime soon: The dozen or so DOGE team members at the Defense Department will continue to move fast and influence major bureaucratic reforms in the months to come, according to the Pentagon’s press secretary. (Brandi Vincent, DefenseScoop)

DOGE continues to say it’s cutting costs, but savings are fraction of what’s claimed, CBS News analysis finds: DOGE continues to post about cost cutting on its “wall of receipts,” and some of its claims about savings appear to be significantly overstated. For example, the savings from three of the largest cuts claimed so far — three canceled HHS contracts — are less than 3% of what DOGE claims. (Julia Ingram and Dan Ruetenik, CBS News)

Weaponization of the Government

DOJ investigating NY AG’s office and Sen. Adam Schiff: Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Ed Martin as a “special attorney” to probe mortgage fraud allegations against Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The DOJ is also investigating whether James’s civil fraud case against President Trump violated his rights. (Ryan J. Reilly et al., NBC News)

FBI ousts ex-acting director, other agents, in latest purge, people briefed say: Among the FBI’s latest firings were former Acting Director Brian Driscoll and former Acting Deputy Director Robert Kissane, who were viewed as heroes by some in the bureau after they sought to shield them from being targeted for their role in investigating January 6. (Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters)

Trump administration to require universities to submit data on applicants’ race: The Education Department will collect data on the race, gender, test scores, and grade point averages of college applicants in an effort to scrutinize whether the schools are complying with a 2023 Supreme Court decision that largely barred the consideration of race in college admissions. Experts say the new requirements may have a chilling effect on the schools. (Michael C. Bender and Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times)

🔎 See Also: Columbia and Brown to disclose admissions and race data in Trump deal (Sharon Otterman and Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times)

Epstein Files

White House did have secret talks on Epstein crisis: Members of the Trump administration met behind closed doors to talk about the Jeffrey Epstein files, contradicting Vice President JD Vance’s public denial. The meeting was reportedly relocated from Vance’s D.C. home to the White House and included Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. (Erkki Forster, Daily Beast)

🔎 See Also: New York judge denies release of Epstein-related grand jury transcript (Perry Stein, Washington Post)

Natural Disasters

DHS is delaying millions in already approved North Carolina recovery funds, documents show: DHS is holding up about $115 million in preapproved funds intended to help North Carolina clean up storm damage and fix infrastructure still in disrepair almost a year after Hurricane Helene hit the region. This administration has been taking longer than normal to approve disaster declarations and hazard mitigation grants. (Brianna Sacks and Maeve Reston, Washington Post)

Insurrection

Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to “kill” cops: Less than five years after urging rioters to kill police at the Capitol, Jared Wise, a former January 6 defendant, is working as a senior adviser in the office of the deputy attorney general where he reviews alleged instances of law enforcement “weaponization.” (Tom Dreisbach, NPR)

Middle East Conflicts

Team leader at Gaza aid distribution sites belongs to anti-“jihad” motorcycle club, has Crusader tattoos: Johnny “Taz” Mulford, who works for a contractor providing security at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s food distribution sites, has tattoos linked to the far right and belongs to a motorcycle club that touts its opposition to the “radical jihadist movement.” (Sam Biddle and Matt Sledge, The Intercept)

Police Misconduct

Why doesn’t the U.S. government know how many people die in custody? The Death in Custody Reporting Act requires the federal government to track how many people die in law enforcement custody. But the data tracking system is a mess: Hundreds of people aren’t listed, some states failed to report deaths in their prisons and jails, and most of the records don’t meet the standards for accuracy and completeness. (Ilica Mahajan, Anna Flagg, and Aaron Sankin, The Marshall Project)

Analysis: ICE barring Congress from detention facilities is illegal: One of the few remaining ways for policymakers and the public to find out what happens in ICE detention is through congressional oversight — and ICE is working hard to dismantle that, denying at least a dozen members of Congress access to its facilities. (David Janovsky, The Constitution Project at POGO)

Analysis: ICE access to Medicaid data compromises more than privacy: Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for access to Medicaid enrollees’ personal data creates an unprecedented surveillance weapon. It starts today with immigrants, but once proof of concept is established, any administration will be able to turn this weapon on the disfavored. (Don Bell, The Constitution Project at POGO)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

Trump directs military to target foreign drug cartels: President Trump secretly signed a directive to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations. The decision signals Trump’s continued willingness to use the military to carry out law enforcement functions and raises major legal issues. (Helene Cooper et al., New York Times)

Pentagon plan would create military “reaction force” for civil unrest: The Pentagon is evaluating a plan that would establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” composed of 600 National Guard troops tasked with rapidly deploying into American cities facing protests or other unrest. Cost projections outlined in the plan indicate that the mission could stretch into the hundreds of millions of dollars (Alex Horton and David Ovalle, Washington Post)

U.S. Air Force to deny retirement pay to trans troops being separated: The Air Force will deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and will instead separate them without retirement benefits. Transgender troops say the separation process, which includes reverting their service records back to their birth gender, has become “dehumanizing” and cruel. (Konstantin Toropin, Military Times)

Veterans’ care at risk under Trump as hundreds of doctors and nurses reject working at VA hospitals: Amid concerns about the stability of the agency, nearly 40% of the doctors offered jobs at the VA from January through March of this year turned them down. The VA is down more than 600 doctors and nearly 2,000 nurses. (David Armstrong, Eric Umansky, and Vernal Coleman, ProPublica)

VA to ease authorization rules for some outside care, raising concerns: VA will extend community care authorizations for up to one year for procedures related to 30 separate medical specialties, a move that critics say could potentially put taxpayers on the hook for expensive and ineffective medical treatments. (Leo Shane III, Military Times)

Business and Finance

“Bizarre” Nvidia, AMD chip export deal with Trump raises legal questions: Chipmakers Nvidia and AMD’s deals with the federal government to share their revenue from sales to China raise constitutional questions and set a concerning new precedent. (Julia Shapero, The Hill)

Inside North Korea’s effort to infiltrate U.S. companies: Thousands of North Korean IT workers have used stolen and made-up U.S. identities to pose as Western engineers and tech consultants to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to Pyongyang’s military programs. Their ability to embed themselves in corporate America requires help from inside the U.S. (Isaac Yee et al., CNN)

Uber’s festering sexual assault problem: Uber has tested tools that make rides safer, but measures to stem sexual assault and sexual misconduct have been set aside in favor of protecting the company’s profits. (Emily Steel, New York Times)

Health Care

Kennedy cancels nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts: The cancellations dismayed scientists, many of whom regard mRNA shots as the best option for protecting Americans in a pandemic and fear the move will create a national security vulnerability. (Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times)

Kennedy’s next target: the federal vaccine court: The federal court system for compensating people injured by vaccines needs significant reform. But experts fear the health secretary’s plans to overhaul the system could jeopardize the manufacture of vaccines and undermine their use. (Christina Jewett and Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times)

Trump illegally froze 1,800 NIH medical research grants, Congress’ watchdog says: The GAO found President Trump’s freeze on $8 billion of congressionally appropriated funding to the NIH violated the Impoundment Control Act. (Jacob Fischler, News From The States)

🔎 See Also: Inside science labs trying to survive in the Trump era (Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post)

The anti-sunscreen movement and what to know about its claims: For years dermatologists and health experts have extolled the value of sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. But a growing anti-sunscreen movement has taken hold on social media, causing confusion about its benefits and alarming public health experts. (Sabrina Malhi, Washington Post)

Cannabis poisonings are rising, mostly among kids: As marijuana edibles have become more readily available, the number of cannabis-related incidents reported to poison control centers has sharply increased. More than 75% of the poisonings last year involved children or teenagers. (Danielle Ivory, Julie Tate, and Megan Twohey, New York Times)

U.S. counties with animal feedlots have more air pollution, less health insurance: A new study found that U.S. counties with hog and cattle feeding operations may be subject to higher air pollution levels while lacking the health insurance necessary to treat related medical problems. (Sharon Udasin, The Hill)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ Over 60,000 are in immigration detention, a modern high

→ Hundreds of alleged human rights abuses in immigrant detention, report finds

→ “Operation Trojan Horse” immigration raid involving Penske rental truck draws pushback

→ Rwanda agrees to accept 250 migrants as part of Trump deportation plan

→ ICE offers, then quickly withdraws, cash bonuses for swiftly deporting immigrants

→ ICE hiring campaign annoys some local partners

→ ICE agent caught on camera disguised as a construction worker

Other News:

→ Budget office says GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” will make rich richer, poor poorer

→ Trump orders new census that excludes immigrants in the U.S. illegally

→ Sen. Tammy Duckworth demands answers from FAA on airplane evacuation safety

→ Restoration of torn-down Confederate monument will cost $10 million over 2 years, military says

→ Inside Laura Loomer’s rise: “obsessive” research, Oval Office visits

→ How one company maintained a monopoly on U.S. fire retardant

→ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s net worth jumped $21 million since joining Congress — Top 6 stocks she was buying amid tariff chaos

→ Under fire, GAO explains its mission to Congress

Upcoming Events

📌 VIRTUAL EVENT: The Trump Administration’s Conflicts of Interest. ProPublica. Wednesday, August 13, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET.

Hot Docs

🔥📃 GAO - Water Infrastructure Resilience: Agencies Could Better Assess Efforts to Assist Communities Vulnerable to Natural Disasters. GAO-25-107013 (PDF)

Nominations & Appointments

Nominations

• E.J. Antoni - Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Appointments

• Stephen Miran - Member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors