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Reporter’s Notebook: Inside the Senate showdown over Trump’s push to scrap August recess

August 4, 2026 12:07pm EDT / Fox News

The proof of citizenship voting bill has failed twice and the majority leader says votes still aren’t there

By Chad Pergram Fox News

“Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double.” – The Clash

The words “schedule” and “Congress” don’t always mesh.

But the formal Senate schedule has long had senators taking off at the end of this week until early September for the customary “August recess.”

Only thing is, President Trump and some conservatives pushing for approval of the SAVE America Act don’t want the Senate to beg off. They assert that the Senate should remain in session until it passes the bill, which requires proof of citizenship to vote.

“I think there’s nothing more important than they pass the SAVE America Act. I think they should stay,” said President Trump. “They do what they want. But I think they should stay.”

SEN RICK SCOTT: AMERICANS WORK FIVE DAYS A WEEK, WHY CAN’T THE SENATE?

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with Senate Republican leaders following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Senate has already defeated two efforts to adopt the SAVE America Act. So there’s not an obvious pathway to alter those previous outcomes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has rebuffed the President’s demands to stay in session.

“I don’t think having a Congress sitting around here for the month of August and quorum calls or having to vote on Democrat amendments is probably a good use of anybody’s time,” said Thune.

There’s tension between the South Dakota Republican and the President over the Senate’s legislative realities. Thune may be Majority Leader. But Thune believes the President bears responsibility for changing some minds on Capitol Hill.

“We have in the past suggested to he and his team to come up here and visit with some of my Republican colleagues,” said Thune. “Now if he can change the facts and start moving some of those senators who are noes into yesses, then we have a different conversation. But that’s just the reality.”

As always, it’s about the math. And the SAVE America Act lacks the votes.

“I know Sen. Thune says the votes aren’t there. I’m not saying he’s wrong. I’m just saying people change their mind sometimes,” argued Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

But it doesn’t look like there will even be a vote on that, unless something ripens quickly.

That’s where Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Roger Marshall, R-Kas, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and others have suggested the Senate shouldn’t go on break unless they pass the bill.

So what happens next?

Let’s say we get to Friday night. The Senate has taken its final vote of the summer. Maybe to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Perhaps the measure named after late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., which sanctions Russia. The Senate is ready to finish until mid-September. In recent years, the Senate has not voted on a resolution to go out of session for weeks on end. That’s where SAVE America Act proponents would attempt to block such an effort. But its immaterial since there is no vote.

In the not too distant past, the House and Senate often approved “adjournment resolutions.” But not right now. Such a plan must align with the wishes of the House of Representatives. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution bars either body for adjourning for more than three days “without the Consent of the other.” The House isn’t around to approve an adjournment resolution. It’s been out of session for a couple of weeks now. Moreover, it’s not clear that the House could adopt an adjournment resolution.

So, under the Constitution, each body must – at a minimum – hold a brief “pro forma” session where lawmakers convene for just a few seconds and then immediately gavel out. That meets the Constitutional requirement.

But there’s the rub.

When the Senate wraps up, Thune or one of his lieutenants would usually go to the floor and ask “unanimous consent” that the Senate meet on a series of Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays between now and September. These are the “pro forma” sessions, convening at three-day intervals. But if Lee or someone wants to object, they’re stuck. The Senate can’t green light the set of pro formas. The Senate must have buy-in of all 100 senators.

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for his nomination to be attorney general at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026.(Anadolu via Getty Images)

But an objection in this case hardly blocks the recess or compels debate – let alone a vote or passage – on the SAVE America Act.

If Thune or his designee can’t get unanimous consent, the only option they have is to move to meet again the next day. Let’s say 9 a.m. ET. If someone objects to the time, it will meet at noon et under the Senate’s default protocols.

That said, this is where someone could force what might constitute the de facto “vote to go on recess.” A Republican senator might demand a vote on the Senate adjourning for the day on Friday and meeting on Saturday. This is not a vote to “go on recess.” But it’s the closest someone can engineer a possible vote related to Senate action.

A motion to adjourn is not debatable on the floor. But it is amendable. Someone could offer another option about when the Senate should meet. But that’s about it.

On this hypothetical Saturday session, it’s possible that Thune could simply get recognition and ask for the Senate to adjourn for the day again. One of those pushing the SAVE America Act doesn’t even get recognized to speak. However, if Thune is gracious and is willing to allow someone to have their say, they could get the floor and hold it as long as they want.

Note that doing so does not constitute a filibuster. Filibusters are efforts by senators to stop something. In this case, advocates of the SAVE America Act are trying to start something. So no filibuster. This would just be a really long speech. But Thune might not let it come to that. And even though they’ve chattered about it a lot, the strongest advocates of the SAVE America Act have not taken advantage of their prerogatives as senators and gone down to hold the floor at length.

Keep in mind that SAVE America Act advocates could potentially do this and push for recognition on the floor on all subsequent days during the August recess. Thune could block them from speaking because the order of the day is to convene and adjourn during a pro forma session. And if the SAVE America Act faction were to push for a vote, all it takes is another senator to block them on the floor.

One might ask the question about whether the SAVE America Act group might demand a “live” quorum call (where all senators must report to the floor for attendance) or even the more extreme motion of “instructing the Sergeant at Arms to arrest” absent senators and bring them to the floor. Well, this works at cross purposes during August. The reason? The Senate doesn’t have a quorum. In the old days, the Senate took quorum calls to establish if enough senators present were present to do business. It violates the Constitution to conduct business without a quorum present.

The SAVE America Act coalition may prove that there aren’t enough senators in Washington to conduct business. That helps make their point. But it also forces the Senate to adjourn because it can’t operate without a quorum.

WATCH: DEMOCRATS ADMIT WHEN THEY’D ELIMINATE THE FILIBUSTER AS SAVE ACT FIGHT HEATS UP

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

These gambits might not achieve the legislative goal of passing the SAVE America Act. But there are other benefits for SAVE America Act advocates. A series of lengthy speeches could potentially delay the recess. These Republican senators could argue that they are willing to stay and debate the SAVE America Act while their colleagues fled Washington for summer. Such a maneuver would focus attention on the issue. It would draw a contrast between senators willing to fight for the issue and those who went home. The effort might impress President Trump. And such a maneuver could show divides between them and Thune – who the President often chastises.

But pass the SAVE America Act? It’s not going to do that. And some Republican senators emphasize the importance of taking a few weeks off so their colleagues can campaign.

“The worst case scenario is for us is to stay all the way through and then we lose the Senate in the days ahead,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on Fox. “Then President Trump is dealing with all the impeachment crazy all over again.”

Remaining in Washington for the next five weeks would pull the most vulnerable GOP senator off the trail, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Collins was crystal clear when pressed by yours truly whether she would campaign and miss her first roll call vote since entering the Senate in 1997.

“I don’t miss votes,” said an emphatic Collins.

So don’t expect the Senate to forgo the recess at the end of the week.

In fact, a decision by the Senate to go on recess may even work to the political advantage of those pushing for the SAVE America Act. They can then rail against Thune’s leadership and their colleagues for not passing the bill. Again, they don’t score the legislative outcome. But they sure rack up some political points.

This is why those philosopher kings who comprise the band The Clash may have been on to something. If the Senate stays, Republicans can’t pass the SAVE America Act. But if they go, certain GOP senators can rabble rouse.

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There’s trouble whether senators stay or go.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

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Elizabeth Warren demands SEC investigate if Trump’s memecoin is an ‘illegal scam’

2026-08-04T19:14:59.413Z / CNN

By Blake McGill, CNN

Published 3:14 PM EDT, Tue August 4, 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/video/cncpm-elizabeth-warren-trump-memecoin

Elizabeth Warren demands SEC investigate if Trump’s memecoin is an ‘illegal scam’

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal are calling for the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate Trump’s memecoin “to detect any illegal fraud or unjust enrichment that the coin may have facilitated.” CNN Senior Business Reporter David Goldman joins CNN News Central.

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CDC expands largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, Washington Post reports

August 4, 2026 7:34 PM UTC / Reuters

Lettuce is displayed for sale at a grocery store in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 24, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Aug 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. CDC is adding six more states to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce, widening ​the number of affected states to 15, the Washington ‌Post reported on Tuesday, citing three individuals familiar with the investigation.

An FDA investigation linked the outbreak that has expanded to nine states to iceberg lettuce ​served at Taco Bell restaurants and sourced from privately held ​Taylor Farms operations in central Mexico.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

However, authorities are still ⁠looking for other potential sources.

Missouri, which is reporting 1,095 cases, ​is one of the states being added, the Post reported, citing ​a state health department spokesperson.

Patients who were interviewed by state and local investigators said they consumed Taco Bell before getting sick, the Post reported, citing a ​spokesperson.

Information was not immediately available about the five other states, ​the report said, adding that the individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity ‌to ⁠discuss an ongoing investigation.

U.S. cyclosporiasis cases have climbed to record levels this year, with the current outbreak among the largest caused by foodborne illness in recent U.S. history. The infection can cause diarrhea, ​nausea and other ​gastrointestinal symptoms.

Michigan, the ⁠hardest-hit state, reported 11,508 cases on Tuesday, up by more than 200 from the previous day’s update.

The ​state also reported the first two deaths associated with ​the ⁠outbreak, noting that both individuals had significant underlying health conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose surveillance lags state reporting by several weeks, ⁠has ​recorded 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases nationwide, as of ​July 28, along with more than 11,500 suspected cases not yet confirmed through laboratory ​testing.

Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dow soars 1,000 points on strong corporate earnings and hopes of Iran deal

August 4, 2026 / 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News

The U.S. stock market approached record highs on Tuesday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be reached within days.

Investors were also cheered by strong corporate profits, with companies ranging from equipment maker Caterpillar to software company Palantir Technologies reporting second-quarter results that exceeded analysts’ expectations.

The S&P 500 climbed 142 points, or 1.9%, to 7,731 in afternoon trading, putting it on track to surpass its previous high set on June 2. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1,007 points, or 1.9%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 2.6%.

Investors are hopeful that an end to the Iran war could lower global energy prices and reduce inflation. New government figures, the so-called Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), also showed that hiring in the U.S. remains solid, with layoffs at modest levels.

“The equity rally is being driven by blowout earnings from the day’s two most important reports (CAT and PLTR), positive remarks from Bessent on CNBC about the potential for a deal to reopen Hormuz arriving within the next 24-48 hours, and a JOLTS report that wasn’t as hot as feared,” Wall Street analyst Adam Crisafulli, head of Vital Knowledge, told investors in a note.

To be sure, investors eager for peace in the Middle East have been disappointed before, with President Trump and other U.S. officials previously signaling that a breakthrough was at hand only for the conflict to resume.

The S&P 500 and Dow have each risen 13% this year, while the Nasdaq is up 14%. Stocks have rebounded after sliding in the weeks following the outbreak of war in Iran in late February and despite some concerns about an AI-driven stock bubble.

Strongest growth in years

Stocks are rising in large part because profits are soaring for U.S. companies, a key factor for investors, as equity prices tend to follow corporate earnings over the long term. Coming into this week, companies in the S&P 500 index were on track to deliver growth of nearly 50% in earnings per share for the spring from a year earlier, according to FactSet.

That would be the biggest such jump since the spring of 2021, when the economy was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stock prices today look more in line with corporate profits, said Phil Segner, a co-portfolio manager at the Leuthold Group.

Shares of Palantir Technologies jumped 29.3% after CEO Alex Karp said the defense tech company’s revenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter. Besides reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected, the company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year of 2026.

Caterpillar was another strong stock performer on Tuesday, with its shares climbing 6.5% after the heavy-equipment maker reported stronger-than-forecast profit and revenue. It was the first time Caterpillar made more than $20 billion in sales and revenue in a quarter, and CEO Joe Creed said it’s seeing strong order rates and a growing backlog across its main businesses.

Lower oil prices

Stocks were helped by a drop in oil prices on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international benchmark, sank 4.9% to $79.64 per barrel as hope once again took over from fear in the oil market. It had swung sharply between $72 and $102 through July amid uncertainty about when the war with Iran would allow oil tankers to transit the Persian Gulf freely again to deliver crude around the world.

Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that a U.S. deal with Iran could soon be within reach.

“I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict,” Bessent told the network.

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Ethics Committee announces investigation into GOP Rep. Max Miller

3:28 PM EDT, Tue August 4, 2026 / CNN

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CNN’s Brian Abel and Lauren Fox on the House Ethics Committee’s Tuesday announcement that it is looking into allegations against GOP Rep. Max Miller. Miller, who has denied allegations of abuse against him from his ex-wife, said earlier on Tuesday he planned to ask the House Ethics Committee to investigate him “to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and my family.”

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Trump keeps calling Thune despite public fight over SAVE America Act

The Senate majority leader says he’s ‘not worried’ about Trump questioning his fitness to lead the GOP

August 4, 2026 3:09pm EDT / Fox News

By Alex Miller Fox News

President Donald Trump didn’t fully back Senate Majority Leader John Thune, telling reporters in the Oval Office,

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FIRST ON FOX: The reports of President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s dead working relationship have been greatly exaggerated, the South Dakota Republican leader told Fox News Digital.

“I’ve heard from him twice this morning already. He called me over the weekend, and so there, you know, we talk, I don’t bother him, I’m not calling him every day,” Thune said in an interview.

Last week, Trump said, “We’re going to find out,” whether Thune was the man for the job to lead Senate Republicans, casting doubt on a critical relationship between him and the Senate’s top Republican.

TRUMP QUESTIONS THUNE’S LEADERSHIP AS SAVE AMERICA ACT STALLS

Reports of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and President Donald Trump’s relationship deteriorating are greatly exaggerated, Thune told Fox News Digital. In fact, they have spoken several times over the last few days since Trump’s “we’ll see” comment about his future as Republican leader.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images 😉

The tension stems from the SAVE America Act floundering in the Senate, and Trump’s desire to see the election integrity package passed by any means necessary.

Thune doesn’t see Trump’s comment as a personal slight, however. Both he and the president “want to get to the same place. We have, sometimes, disagreements about how best to get there.”

“Most of mine are constrained by what’s achievable in an institution like the Senate that has procedural roadblocks to do almost anything,” Thune said.

“We have those candid conversations, but I’m not worried about that relationship,” he continued. “I know he’s going to push as hard as he can. That’s his business model, is to just keep pushing, pushing, pushing to get people to go as far as they can go.”

SENATE FACES ‘COME-TO-JESUS’ MOMENT ON TRUMP’S ELECTION PRIORITY UNDER GOP’S NEW PLAN

There is a voracious appetite among Trump, Senate Republicans and their base to see the SAVE America Act passed. One that Thune hears everyday, either online or within his own conference.

It’s dominated the oxygen inside the Capitol and beyond its walls, and the pressure comes as the Senate is sprinting to finish work on key items, like preventing a government shutdown and confirming dozens of Trump’s nominees.

“There are good days and bad days,” Thune said. “And around here, probably lately more bad days than good days, but you know you just kind of, like I said, keep your head down, do the work.”

But passing the SAVE America Act is the most elusive item for Republicans, given the current make up of the Senate.

While there are a cohort of Republicans who are voting against it, Thune made the point that every single Senate Democrat has shut it down each of the five times that it’s been brought to the floor in a variety of configurations.

And Thune is one of the Republicans that wants the bill passed — he’s an original co-sponsor of the SAVE Act, the precursor to the current version of the SAVE America Act. The avenue of cutting Democrats out of the equation and ramming through aspects of the bill through budget reconciliation exists, which Thune is interested in pursuing.

But then comes the problem of generating 50 votes to support that, and keeping those votes together to shut down “crazy democratic amendments.”

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

Thune’s job helming the Senate majority is to do the math on what can be accomplished in an institution that’s “designed” to be difficult. And the votes still aren’t adding up.

“I keep asking the question, am I the only one in this town that can count to 50? Because it seems like these questions recur and there are a lot of people out there who haven’t seemed to internalize the fact that there aren’t Democrats that are going to flip and vote for this,” Thune said.

“And there aren’t 50 Republicans that are going to vote to nuke the filibuster. Those are two facts that are indisputable and unchangeable.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that Democrats were continuing their push to keep DHS closed because it was “politically advantageous.”(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Thune’s position is, by extension, an embodiment of the Senate in many ways.

Unlike the House, legislation and agendas can’t be rammed through without a bipartisan agreement to blast through the filibuster. And senators’ concerns and desires encompass an entire state, not just a sliver of a state’s population.

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Through several interviews with Fox News Digital, he’s instilled that part of his job is to listen and take consensus on what does and doesn’t work, deliberating on the best path for a deliverable outcome.

“This place was supposed to be difficult, so that no dictator could master it, and I think that’s kind of the role of the Senate in our system and our democracy,” Thune said.

“It’s important to keep that in perspective, but it’s frustrating as heck when you’re somebody who likes to get things done, likes to get results, and you’ve got procedural roadblocks holding things up as we try to wind down and get some things done,” he continued.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

Behind closed doors, Trump and White House officials hope Rep. Max Miller drops reelection bid, sources say

2026-08-04 12:11:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington— Some White House officials hope embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller exits the congressional race in Ohio immediately, and President Trump has expressed a similar sentiment behind closed doors, multiple U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell CBS News.

Mr. Trump called Miller on Monday and raised concerns about his reelection bid following allegations that Miller assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old daughter, two sources directly familiar with the call confirmed to CBS News. But Miller, who has adamantly denied the allegations, told the president he has no plans to leave the race, according to one of the sources.

Miller, the GOP nominee, has until 4 p.m. Wednesday to withdraw his candidacy and give Republicans a chance to replace him on the ballot in November. Semafor first reported that the president and some White House aides said privately that they wanted Miller out of the race.

On Tuesday morning, Miller said he would file the paperwork to launch a congressional ethics investigation into himself in an effort to clear his name.

“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote on X. “I have absolutely nothing to hide. We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail[ed] examination. The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”

On Monday, the president said he thought Miller was a “very good person” and said he would let the families involved resolve the situation.

“Well, it’s a very sad thing,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. “I know Max, he’s a good person, I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I’m going to let the families figure that out. Those families, I know they’re working on it. It’s a very sad thing. Especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that. But it’s accusations. And I’m going to let them figure that out.”

In an earlier statement to CBS News on Monday, Miller said: “If I dropped out of this race, it would mean we as a nation have fallen so far from our American values. I will not validate false claims by removing myself just to please the court of public opinion. I am innocent of all of the allegations that have been attributed to me. I have done well representing my constituents’ interests. Why would I drop out?”

Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife, is the daughter of Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno. The senator said in a statement on Sunday that Miller “should not serve in the House of Representatives” and “needs serious psychological help.”

Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.

US military has used up nearly 80% of key missile interceptors as commanders warn stockpiles ‘dangerously low,’ sources say

2026-08-04T19:50:57.417Z / CNN

The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile is “dangerously low,” according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Stockpiles of key air defense systems have been particularly depleted during the war with Iran. The US military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory compared to pre-war numbers and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war, according to two sources familiar with the latest inventory report. The disclosure of the low THAAD inventory has not been previously reported.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the United States had around 2,200 Patriots (of the platform’s two most-modernized variants) and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started.

Gulf countries have also raised fresh concerns about how a shortage of air defense systems could impact their ability to ward off potential Iranian retaliation if President Donald Trump decides to escalate the ongoing conflict.

Several of those countries rely on US air defense systems and have acknowledged the stockpile shortage could hinder their own ability to intercept incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks – particularly if they are targeted in response to any American escalation, multiple officials said.

The stockpile issue was raised again prior to the president’s decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, marking at least the second time in recent weeks that Trump’s senior military advisers have specifically voiced concerns about the dwindling number of key US munitions during discussions about potentially escalating the conflict with Iran.

The US Army has also used “virtually all” of its highly accurate long-range, surface-to-air weapons during the conflict, according to the source familiar with recent internal Pentagon reports. Reuters first reported the specific concerns about US stockpiles of long-range strategic missiles.

The recent warnings about munitions shortages — coupled with other intelligence presented to Trump about the potential negative effects of striking Iran’s critical infrastructure, including energy-related targets, and concerns voiced by Gulf countries — have been compelling enough to convince some of Trump’s most hawkish advisers there were was reason to call off planned operations over the weekend, the sources said.

Trump on Friday was planning to move forward with massive strikes, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received the final “go ahead” order on Friday, according to a senior Trump official.

But Trump decided to back off after talking with Middle East allies on Saturday, who told him they were afraid of Iranian retaliation, specifically retaliatory attacks on their energy infrastructure, according to the official. Trump agreed to hear them, and Iran, out. He subsequently told Hegseth to stand down, for now, but is not taking the planned strikes off the table for a future date.

“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to CNN.

“We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” he added.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN that the US military “has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond.”

“Operation Epic Fury has exposed what happens when you mess with the United States. Even still, the President has urged our defense contractors to constantly produce more made-in-America weapons, which are the best in the world,” Kelly added.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine similarly raised the stockpile issue during another White House meeting late last month where military options for escalating the conflict were discussed, CNN previously reported. The potential for massive civilian casualties inside Iran if the US resumed major combat operations was also raised, another person familiar with the matter said.

But the persistent concerns about stockpile estimates provided to CNN underline the seriousness of the shortages and call into question the US’ ability to carry out strikes against Iran for an extended period.

The stockpile shortage could also impact the American military’s ability to fight a potential future war with China, Russia or even North Korea, experts have told CNN.

“The lack of interceptors means that conventional attacks can backfire if the suicide drones start making it through in-masse,” one of the sources familiar with the stockpile concerns said. “Tit-for-tat will never end this.”

The long-range missiles that have been primarily used up during the war with Iran are known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), the sources noted.

The US’ stockpile of Tomahawk missiles also remains significantly depleted, as close to half of those weapons have been used during the war, one of the sources said.

CNN reported in April that the US military had used nearly 30% of its Tomahawks during the early stages of the war.

On Monday, Trump called Iranian leadership “unbelievably duplicitous” on social media after Tehran contradicted his claim that negotiations would resume.

He later insisted that this is Iran’s “last chance”to sign a deal, but he also said he has no time constraintson negotiations because he’s not seeking reelection.

The early phase of the Iran conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, saw the US military expend thousands of key missiles used for long-range precision strikes and to defend against enemy air and missile attacks, according to analysts and previous CNN reporting.

Replenishment rates are low for key missiles, analysts tell CNN — according to current fiscal year delivery schedules, the Pentagon is receiving roughly 15 new Tomahawks and 20 new Patriot missiles per month. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated it would take three or more years to rebuild THAAD inventories to pre-Iran war levels.

The Defense Department has accelerated its efforts to expand interceptor missile production in recent months, including two deals inked this week to boost Patriot and THAAD rocket motor manufacturing, but a spokesperson declined to answer questions about when the expansion will lead to results.

Analysts say it could take years to fully replenish the US stockpile of high-end munitions, like Patriot missiles, due to the lead time for producing those weapons.

Other missile inventories, such as those for the Precision Strike Missile and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, will be quicker to rebound and should reach their pre-war level by mid-to-late 2027, according to analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

CNN’s Davis Winkie contributed reporting.

EPA cannot block billions in climate grants, US appeals court rules

2026-08-04T17:35:39.158Z / Reuters

Aug 4 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot freeze about $20 billion of clean energy grants awarded to several nonprofit groups, handing a defeat to the Trump administration.

Tuesday’s decision by a divided U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. restored an April 2025 injunction against EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s decision to terminate the grants, which had been awarded during the Biden administration with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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The money for so-called National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator entities was expected to help fund renewable energy products, including in communities that have lacked access to green financing.

Funds came from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion program established in 2022 by Congress in former Democratic President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. No Republicans voted for that law.

The EPA said it is reviewing the decision. Its next steps could include an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyers for the nonprofits did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Zeldin sought to freeze the grants in March 2025, saying they did not align with his agency’s priorities and might be tainted by fraud, waste and abuse.

The injunction required the disbursement of the disputed funds, but was put on hold while the EPA appealed.

NO CLAWBACK BASED ON POLICY DISAGREEMENT

Last September, the appeals court sided with the agency, voting 2-1 that the nonprofits should have sued in the Court of Federal Claims, which hears monetary claims against the government.

In Tuesday’s decision, an equally divided 10-judge panel of the court upheld the entire injunction, while six judges upheld the specific provision governing the grants.

The majority said the EPA’s attempt to terminate the grants and claw back funds “based solely on a policy disagreement” likely violated the Inflation Reduction Act, and the EPA provided no assurance it would leave the funds alone if the injunction were lifted.

Four judges would have vacated the provision governing the grants. They cited Congress’ passage last year of Republican President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which repealed the section of the 2022 law creating the grant program.

The disputed funds were being held by Citibank, and awarded to several entities such as the Climate United Fund, Coalition for Green Capital and various U.S. state-sponsored entities.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis

House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Max Miller for allegations of domestic violence and drug use

August 4, 2026 / 2:38 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The House Ethics Committee announced on Tuesday that it is opening a probe into allegations that Rep. Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence or drug use, as the Ohio Republican has faced swirling abuse claims and calls for his resignation in recent days.

Allegations that Miller abused his ex-wife and their young child have emerged in recent legal filings, which gained widespread attention after Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, the father of Miller’s ex-wife, said on Sunday that Miller shouldn’t serve in Congress. Since then, a series of lawmakers have backed Moreno, with calls increasing for Miller to drop his reelection bid. CBS News reported Tuesday that President Trump and some White House officials are privately hoping he steps aside.

Miller has vehemently denied the allegations and denied wrongdoing. And earlier Tuesday, he said he would file the paperwork to launch an ethics investigation into his own conduct. Miller said, “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail[ed] examination,” Miller wrote in a post on X. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”

The committee noted that the fact that it is conducting the investigation does not indicate that the allegations have occurred.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-and-white-house-officials-hope-rep-max-miller-ends-reelection-bid-sources-say/