> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # WTF Just Happened This Week - URL: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/wtf-just-happened-this-week-13/ - Published: 2026-08-12T00:54:44.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-12T00:54:44.000Z - Description: Republished from WTF Just Happened Today, a daily newsletter breaking down national news. - Author: WTF Just Happened Today Curated by [Matt Kiser](https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/author/matt-kiser/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com), [WTF Just Happened Today](https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) 8.6.26/ *Today in* **One Sentence** Trump denied that munitions shortages are threatening to limit his military options in Iran, but acknowledged that some weapons are in “tighter” supply; ¶ the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times and refused to answer questions about the origins of Covid-19; ¶ the Trump administration proposed eliminating most federal Head Start regulations; ¶ Trump has repeatedly called Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh since he took office in May; ¶ Mitch McConnell was discharged from a rehab center and has returned home; ¶ the FCC eliminated the 39% cap on how many television households a single broadcaster can reach; ¶ and a federal judge temporarily blocked the BBC from obtaining Trump’s financial records in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the network. *Today's Top* **Top Story** **Trump denied that munitions shortages are threatening to limit his military options in Iran, but acknowledged that some weapons are in “tighter” supply**. “The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump claimed, while threatening “long term jail sentences” for officials who leak information about the depleted stockpiles. U.S. Patriot interceptor stocks fell from an estimated 2,330 before the war to roughly 759–827, while THAAD inventories have dropped from about 452 to 234–278, with ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles also in limited supply. Trump also denied reports that he confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David over the shortages, calling the story “completely FALSE” and saying he is “extremely happy” with Hegseth. The Pentagon, meanwhile, is asking Congress for $67 billion in emergency war funding to refill weapons stocks, which could take years to rebuild. ([Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/05/trump-hegseth-clashed-camp-david-over-iran-missile-depletion-concerns/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-06/trump-backs-hegseth-after-report-on-dispute-over-us-stockpiles?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/06/trump-hegseth-weapons-war-iran?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-us-munitions-shortages-iran-war/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/politics/trump-munitions-cabinet-meeting?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6012965-donald-trump-iran-war-munitions-stockpile-reports/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/06/trump-munitions-war-iran-hegseth?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) --- 8.5.26/*Today in* **One Sentence** Progressive candidates won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and two closely watched House primaries, while establishment-backed Democrats won key races in Missouri and Virginia; ¶ the Senate confirmed Erica Schwartz as CDC director; ¶ the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that Rep. Max Miller abused his ex-wife and toddler daughter, and used illegal drugs; ¶ Trump still hasn’t “made a determination” on whether to fire U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro; ¶ Iran and Oman are finalizing a temporary deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; ¶ the White House declassified memos showing that the FBI investigated whether Trump fired James Comey in 2017 while acting as a Russian asset; ¶ and a federal judge “reluctantly” granted the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the final Jan. 6 indictments, including the seditious conspiracy conviction against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and seven others. *Today's* **Top Story** **🟦🟥 Primaries: Progressive candidates won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and two closely watched House primaries**, while establishment-backed Democrats won key races in Missouri and Virginia. Progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens and will face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Progressive William Lawrence won the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s 7th District, democratic socialist Donavan McKinney beat Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar in the Detroit-based 13th. In Missouri, incumbent Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell defeated former Democratic Rep. and democratic socialist Cori Bush, while in Virginia, former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria and prosecutor Shannon Taylor won the Democratic nominations. Trump-backed Republicans John James and Ty Masterson won gubernatorial nominations in Michigan and Kansas. Voters in Kansas and Missouri rejected Republican-backed ballot measures affecting judicial elections and citizen-led constitutional amendments. And in Michigan’s 8th District, Thomas Smith, who had suspended his campaign and endorsed another candidate, defeated Trump-backed Amir Hassan for the Republican nomination. ([Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/election-takeaways-michigan-senate-primary-democrats-trump-c957db07eb78ea93c70208ba0a6bceed?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/05/g-s1-137422/primary-elections?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/us/politics/michigan-primary-elections-takeaways.html?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/05/takeaways-big-primary-night-michigan-kansas-missouri-more/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/05/politics/takeaways-michigan-missouri-kansas-virginia-washington-primaries?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/key-election-takeaways-from-progressives-big-night-a48eaf8d?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/05/democrats-senate-michigan-el-sayed-stevens?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-05/close-michigan-senate-result-leaves-democrats-direction-unclear?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/progressive-el-sayed-wins-michigan-primary-jolt-democrats-us-media-project-2026-08-05/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/05/el-sayed-unity-michigan-senate-democrats-01025618?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/05/trump-endorsed-candidate-loses-michigan-man-who-dropped-out-race/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/candidate-dropped-beats-trump-backed-favorite-michigan-gop/story?id=135390539&ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/candidate-dropped-beats-trumps-pick-battleground-gop-house-primary-rcna590905?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) --- 8.4.26/*Today in* **One Sentence** The U.S. military has reportedly used “virtually all” of its surface-to-surface weapons during Trump’s five-month war with Iran; ¶ Trump didn’t fire U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she brought a box of evidence to the White House showing that the Reflecting Pool’s damage was due to a “botched installation” and not vandalism; ¶ the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general; ¶ twenty-five states sued to block Trump’s latest tariffs and to recover duties already paid; ¶ Trump warned Rep. Max Miller that “things aren’t looking good” and told him his reelection campaign would be “really hard” following allegations by his ex-wife that he poured hot water on her, held a gun to her head, and broke their 2-year-old daughter’s collarbone; ¶ voters in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia, and Washington will choose candidates tonight in primaries that could shape control of Congress and several state governments; ¶ ICE reportedly arrested 51,000 people in July; ¶ and Trump personally ordered contractors to redo weeks of work on the White House’s $5 million-plus helipad because he disliked how it looked and questioned the slope of the South Lawn. *Today's* **Top Story** **The U.S. military has reportedly used “virtually all” of its surface-to-surface weapons during Trump’s five-month war with Iran**. A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the U.S. has used about 65% of its Patriot interceptors and reduced its THAAD stockpile by at least 38% since February. The military has also used a little less than half of its Tomahawk missiles. Trump, meanwhile, denied the military was short on weapons, saying the U.S. has “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.” ([Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-has-used-virtually-all-its-long-range-precision-missiles-during-iran-war-2026-08-04/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/politics/us-iran-key-missile-interceptors-low?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) --- 8.3.26/*Today in* **One Sentence** Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”; ¶ Capital One closed more than 300 bank accounts linked to Trump and his businesses in 2021 after “months of analysis and a careful review” by its anti-money laundering team; ¶ Trump accused ExxonMobil and Chevron of “making too much money” off the oil shortage caused by the war in Iran that he started; ¶ Trump said he wants to give Iran “every last chance before decapitation” even though there are no “new” negotiations planned; ¶ Trump baselessly blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for cyberattacks on more than 30 of the state’s water systems; ¶ and Trump is reportedly considering firing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dismissing the Reflecting Pool vandalism case after concluding that a “hasty and botched” renovation, not vandalism, caused the damage. *Today's* **Top Story** **Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally rescinded the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”** In a one-page order, Blanche wrote that the fund “is rescinded and shall have no force or effect.” A separate Justice Department document narrowed Trump’s tax-audit protections to past returns involving Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization, while leaving future tax filings subject to audit. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, who had threatened to block Blanche’s nomination over Trump’s settlement with his own IRS, said they were “pleased” the department had issued a written order “legally ending” the fund and that they “look forward to voting to advance his nomination.” The underlying settlement, however, requires written agreement from all parties, and Blanche’s order wasn’t signed by Trump or his lawyers. ([CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/todd-blanche-anti-weaponization-fund-order/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/02/todd-blanche-confirmation-deal-01022051?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/02/blanche-formally-rescinds-plan-weaponization-fund-deal-advance-ag-nomination/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/senate-blanche-trump-justice-fund-a38decfc7f20e4f73a181914d53111da?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/acting-us-attorney-general-blanche-rescinds-anti-weaponization-fund-before-2026-08-03/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/blanche-formally-rescinds-anti-weaponization-fund-in-bid-to-smooth-confirmation-a576496f?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/us/politics/todd-blanche-trump-irs-fund-order.html?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/02/politics/todd-blanche-anti-weaponization-fund-rescinded?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/todd-blanche-deal-gop-holdouts-fires-lebanon-ebola-morning-rundown-rcna590424?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/03/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-blanche?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/03/g-s1-136864/todd-blanche-rescinds-trump-anti-weaponization-fund?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) - **FRIDAY: Trump said the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” is “dead,” but added that “I wish it weren’t.”** Trump said the administration has “agreed not to have a fund” that compensates his political allies, who were “horribly treated, horribly abused” and “should be given compensation for what has been done to them.” ([Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/blanche-tillis-cornyn-trump-attorney-general-settlement-0f214c3da82c5d5ee971ef83565a344b?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-dead-payouts/story?id=135270168&ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/07/31/trump-blanche-doj-anti-weaponization-fund-dead?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/31/trump-says-anti-weaponization-fund-is-dead-01020680?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) - **SATURDAY: Trump threatened to revive the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” if Senate Republicans blocked Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general**. He said he’d keep Blanche as acting attorney general and “push hard” to pass the fund, reversing his declaration a day earlier that it was “dead.” ([Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-01/trump-pushes-1-8-billion-doj-fund-over-blanche-nomination?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/01/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-attorney-general-01021415?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/trump-blanche-attorney-general-cornyn-tillis-weaponization-7af3dae26d085e9701e7d3bb245c3ba4?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/trump-todd-blanche-weaponization-payouts.html?ref=jeffcobeacon.com)) - **EARLIER: Trump appealed a federal judge’s ruling that his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS was brought to “manipulate the judicial process.”** The appeal seeks to overturn Judge Kathleen Williams’s finding that the settlement to create a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” and grant himself tax immunity had “no viable basis in law or fact.” ([New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/politics/trump-appeal-irs-lawsuit-ruling.html?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/31/trump-appeals-judges-ruling-that-accused-him-of-manipulating-courts-in-irs-lawsuit-01020894?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/appeals-ruling-found-10-billion-irs-suit-aimed-manipulate-legal-rcna590307?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [USA Today](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/appeals-ruling-found-10-billion-irs-suit-aimed-manipulate-legal-rcna590307?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) / [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/31/trump-appeals-irs-lawsuit-blanche-fund.html?ref=jeffcobeacon.com))