Morning Politics | Monday, August 17, 2026
Today’s Deep Dive
Attorney General Todd Blanche declines to pledge DOJ independence from White House
The attorney general went on Meet the Press and refused to promise the Justice Department would always act independently of President Trump. His defenders call it a technically accurate reading of Article II. His critics call it the end of a post-Watergate norm. So which is it?
World Politics
Kushner Sits Down With Hamas in Egypt, Then Heads to Israel to Sell Trump’s Gaza Plan
A U.S. envoy met Hamas’s new leader face to face, then flew straight to Israel to sell a Gaza plan Netanyahu’s government already rejected. Eight countries have taken sides, and Hamas wants mediators to force Israel’s hand. What happens when the two parties want opposite things from the same roadmap?
Economy & Money
Asian Markets Climb as Traders Scale Back Bets on Fed Rate Risks
Asian markets climbed and the dollar weakened as investors decided the Fed might not be as aggressive as they feared. But officials haven’t actually said that, and one bad inflation print could flip the whole story. So who’s reading the data right?
Tech & Power
Nvidia Trims OpenAI Data-Center Credit Guarantee to Under $120 Billion
Nvidia was on the verge of guaranteeing roughly $100 billion in credit so OpenAI could build a data center in Ohio. Now the number is moving, the power supplier is getting a separate Nvidia investment, and analysts are quietly comparing the whole structure to a 1990s telecom bubble. Here’s what the circular financing actually looks like.
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