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What Happened Today – August 6, 2026

The Supreme Court ruled weeks ago that Donald Trump cannot erase birthright citizenship with an executive order.

Today he tried again. He signed two new orders restricting who is born a citizen, called the 6 to 3 ruling from his own conservative majority “very unfortunate,” and told reporters “we’re making adjustments.” The Constitution says every baby born in America is a citizen.

He is making adjustments everywhere the answer is no. His FCC just voted to erase a broadcast ownership cap Congress wrote into law, a power Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz doubts it has. And the union of career IRS auditors joined a suit to block the audit shield his administration built around his family’s taxes. The objections come from his own side now and have changed nothing.

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🟡 GovBrief Intensity Score 104
Typical range for this administration.
Volume: Normal (20)
Severity: Low (1.3)
Defining Moments: 0
Previous 5 Days
🟢76|🟢68|🚨152|🟢48|🟢67
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
Already, we’ve done a lot to help save women’s sports, and we’re also saving college sports. We’re in the process of working very hard. We had a bad judge’s decision, and, uh, a judge that knew nothing about sports declared sports unconstitutional. Can you believe it?
Donald Trump at the White House on August 6, 2026, while hosting US Olympic athletes
Yesterday's Most Read

Federal judge in Texas voids 90-year-old registration rules for gun suppressors and short-barreled rifles, a year after Trump's tax bill eliminated the $200 tax underpinning them.

Today’s GovBrief News


Disaster Relief 1 of 20

Detectives say the suspect in Spokane's Old Trails fire, which razed 700 homes, confessed to planning the blaze 2 weeks ahead around forecast winds.

Judge doubles bond to $2 million

Source: The Spokane Spokesman-Review

August 6, 2026

War 2 of 20

Iran and Oman near a deal routing ships through the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran insists the strait stays shut until the U.S. lifts its blockade.

Only eight vessels crossed Tuesday

Source: CBS News

August 6, 2026

Health 3 of 20

CDC and FDA tie a salmonella outbreak sickening 345 people across 27 states to Mexican jalapeños served at Chipotle and Qdoba.

Taco Bell lettuce probe grows too

Source: CNBC

August 6, 2026

Health 4 of 20

White House weighs an executive order on vaccines and autism as soon as next week, overriding aides' advice to avoid the issue before midterms, Bloomberg reports.

Decades of research show no link

Source: Bloomberg

August 6, 2026

Environment 5 of 20

A federal judge orders the Pentagon to resume wind project reviews it froze for a year, stalling 125 projects across 25 states on radar claims.

Trump appointee requires monthly status reports

Source: NOTUS

August 6, 2026

Environment 6 of 20

The Interior Department agrees to pay German energy giant RWE $1.22B to abandon 3 offshore wind leases, its fifth buyout pushing total payouts past $3.9B.

RWE redirects $900M into LNG

Source: The Maritime Executive

August 6, 2026

Courts 7 of 20

New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 million to abate youth harms, finding Facebook and Instagram created a public nuisance connecting predators to children.

$420 million earmarked for treatment

Source: The Santa Fe New Mexican

August 6, 2026

Courts 8 of 20

The union for career IRS auditors sues to block the audit immunity acting AG Blanche granted Trump's family, calling the settlement breathtakingly corrupt.

Blanche's AG confirmation pending this week

Source: NBC News

August 6, 2026

Immigration 9 of 20

Trump signs new orders restricting birthright citizenship 5 weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 his broader denial violated the 14th Amendment.

Claims birth tourism in hundreds of thousands

Source: USA Today

August 6, 2026

Education 10 of 20

DOJ and a Louisiana school board end 61 years of desegregation oversight dating to a 1964 suit whose original parent plaintiffs have died.

Second Louisiana decree lifted in weeks

Source: The Associated Press

August 6, 2026

Education 11 of 20

DOJ finds Duke Law intentionally used race in admissions through essay tags correlated with race, threatening suit if the university refuses a settlement.

Second federal Duke probe in a year

Source: WTVD Raleigh-Durham

August 6, 2026

Education 12 of 20

HHS proposes erasing 1,400 Head Start regulations, letting class sizes rise and dropping health screening deadlines for 700,000 of the nation's poorest children.

80% would see worse staffing ratios

Source: The Associated Press

August 6, 2026

Oversight 13 of 20

GAO finds DOGE's Wall of Receipts claimed billions from contracts never canceled, unable to verify 96% of the $47 billion in reported grant savings.

Nearly 2,000 contracts were never terminated

Source: NextGov

August 6, 2026

Congress 14 of 20

Ohio's second GOP senator calls on Rep. Max Miller to resign over abuse allegations 4 days before the deadline to replace him on the ballot.

Miller filed an ethics complaint against himself

Source: The Ohio Capital Journal

August 6, 2026

Congress 15 of 20

Sen. McConnell, 84, leaves rehab for home recovery 7 weeks after his hospitalization, still refusing live appearances as Kentucky's governor demands proof of capacity or resignation.

Critics derided proof of life photos

Source: The Independent

August 6, 2026

Congress 16 of 20

Senate Republicans vote to hold Fauci in contempt after he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times, arguing his Biden pardon voids the protection.

Democrats warn of damaging precedent

Source: UPI

August 6, 2026

Media 17 of 20

FCC votes 2-1 to eliminate the 39% TV ownership cap Congress wrote into law in 2004, claiming authority to repeal the statutory limit itself.

Even Sen. Cruz doubts the FCC's authority

Source: Ars Technica

August 6, 2026

Media 18 of 20

Trump calls Washington Post reporting on his Camp David clash with Hegseth over depleted missile stockpiles treasonous and completely false.

Post editors stand by reporting

Source: Axios

August 6, 2026

Good Government 19 of 20

New California rent caps take effect limiting annual increases to 8.1% to 8.8% by region under the state's 5% plus inflation formula.

San Diego's limit

Source: The Center Square

August 6, 2026

Fighting Back 20 of 20

Massachusetts Gov. Healey signs a law barring ICE from schools, hospitals, and courthouses as ICE detains a second-term monthly record 46,000 people in July.

Parents can pre-arrange guardianship

Source: WBSK Boston

August 6, 2026

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