The Paper Trail: August 11, 2026

GAO Finds DOGE Overstated Its Savings; Trade Schools Cheat Military Veterans; Police Use Flock Cameras for Stalking

August 11, 2026

Iran War

Trump’s Iran oil giveaway

Weeks after he launched the war with Iran, President Trump began releasing millions of barrels of oil from the nation’s strategic reserve to combat rising gas prices. But instead of selling the oil on the market, as presidents normally do, Trump gave out oil loans to companies with political connections to him — a move that could rob taxpayers of billions in revenue.

(Freddy Brewster, The Lever)

Big oil companies reap billions off the Iran war
(Evan Halper and Layli Nazarova, Washington Post)

It could take the U.S. military 3 years to restock its missile defenses

Experts say it will take at least three years for the U.S. military to replenish the stockpiles of air defense missiles it's used in the Iran war.

(Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose)

Trump, Hegseth clashed at Camp David over Iran missile depletion concerns
(Tara Copp, Natalie Allison, and Noah Robertson, Washington Post)
U.S. general warns Pentagon he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel
(Dan Lamothe, Washington Post)

Moldy showers and no soap: Military families are outraged by conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln

Due to the aircraft carrier’s long deployment in the Iran war, the sailors and Marines on board are facing poor conditions, low supplies, and fatigue.

(Priya Sridhar, MS Now)

Ships stranded by war could cause marine "superspreader" event, study warns
(Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post)

Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund

Epstein Files

Wall Street giants "let Epstein move $1.1 billion through 4,725 wire transfers" without a red flag — Senate report names billionaire who allegedly bankrolled predator

According to a new Senate Finance Committee report, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America for years failed to identify and report suspicious transactions linked to Jeffrey Epstein. According to the report, billionaire Leon Black was Epstein's single largest source of funding.

(Olivia Salamone, AOL.com)

60 Minutes ended story about Epstein’s shady bank transactions
(Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic)

Weaponization of the Government

Natural Disasters

Prediction Markets

Police Misconduct

Defense and Veterans Affairs

How predatory trade schools drained $300 million from the GI Bill and cheated veterans

For-profit trade schools that educate military veterans under the GI Bill have bilked the federal government out of more than $300 million, often by charging eye-popping sums for basic classes that last only a few days or weeks.

(Craig Whitlock and Andrew Ba Tran, Washington Post)

Felony record didn’t stop fraudster from fleecing GI Bill of $1.5 million
(Craig Whitlock, Washington Post)

Business and Finance

Tech

Health Care

ICYMI

Hot Docs

GAO - DOGE: Information on Personnel and Ethics Activities. GAO-26-108403 (PDF)
GAO - DOGE Wall of Receipts: More Transparency Needed on How Savings Are Derived from Contract, Grant, and Lease Terminations. GAO-26-108615 (PDF)
GAO - Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Defense. GAO-26-108980 (PDF)
GAO - B-52 Bomber: Air Force Actions Needed to Improve Major Modernization and Sustainment Efforts. GAO-26-109272 (PDF)
GAO - Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Is Missing Opportunities to Apply Lessons from Other Countries That Could Reduce Risks and Costs. GAO-26-108082 (PDF)
Center for Defense Information at POGO: The American Military’s Center of Gravity: What Operation Epic Fury revealed about munitions procurement. July 29, 2026
National Taxpayers Union: Tracking FY 2027 Senate Earmark Requests: A Transparency Resource for Taxpayers. July 29, 2026
David Rapallo, Harvard Journal on Legislation: Mapping Minority Investigative Powers in Congress. June 8, 2026

Nominations & Appointments

Nominations

Leslie Becera: Assistant Secretary of Transportation
Justin Bytheway: Ambassador, Tonga
Marc Dillard: Ambassador, Madagascar and Comoros
Michael Doyle: Member, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
William Flens: Ambassador, Chad
Natasha Franceschi: Ambassador, Nicaragua
Steven Gillen: Ambassador, Kyrgyz Republic
Charles Goodman III: Ambassador, Togolese Republic
Keith Heffern: Ambassador, Gabonese Republic
Dennis Kirk: Inspector General, Department of the Interior
Mary Lazare: Assistant Secretary for Aging, Department of Health and Human Services
Jessica Long: Ambassador, Mauritania
Peter Lord: Ambassador, Benin
John McIntyre: Ambassador, Malawi
Julia Nesheiwat: Ambassador-at-Large, the Arctic
Nutan Patel: Ambassador, Cabo Verde
Michael Rigas: Member of the Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank
Danielle Thumann Severs: Member, Federal Communications Commission
Robert Stebbins: Deputy Chief Executive Officer, United States International Development Finance Corporation
Loren E. Sweatt: Member, National Mediation Board