{"id":2654591,"date":"2026-09-04T12:02:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T16:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-bombs-ballots-and-a-welcome-jobs-boost\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T12:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T16:06:41","slug":"white-house-report-card-bombs-ballots-and-a-welcome-jobs-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-report-card-bombs-ballots-and-a-welcome-jobs-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"White House report card: Bombs, ballots and a welcome jobs boost"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhite-house-report-card-bombs-ballots-and-a-welcome-jobs-boost%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654591&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This edition of Washington Secrets covers a busy week in U.S. and international politics. President Trump addressed issues like Iran, with US strikes on rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, and announced a significant oil deal with Venezuela controlling 65 billion barrels, signaling increased U.S. influence over Venezuelan resources. Trump also secured a Supreme Court victory allowing construction of his White House ballroom and discussed upcoming midterm elections, pledging full campaign support. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance took on White house spokesperson duties amid the search for a new press secretary. Tensions with Iran escalated with US missile and drone strikes and retaliatory attacks.In court, Trump faced setbacks on various legal fronts, including challenges to his immigration policies. Foreign diplomacy was spotlighted by Energy Secretary Chris Wright&#8217;s trip to Venezuela, where high-level meetings occurred, but key figures like Alejandro Betancourt stayed out of sight amid ongoing investigations. In domestic politics, Senator Max Miller cited family reasons for skipping the midterm convention, raising questions about his true motivations. The week also featured cultural tidbits, such as Ohio&#8217;s excitement over travis Kelce\u2019s new mansion and Ted Cruz teasing a 2028 presidential run. the week was marked by geopolitical tensions, judicial rulings, and political campaigning, with the upcoming midterm elections remaining a central focus.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Welcome to Friday\u2019s edition of <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>. If a friend sent you this and you\u2019d like to sign up, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com\/xprvgynrhhctscghtpnrptnqlrtypjmjlkrlcnpvhgpdcr_jtjrvfbrrsmwbqmnsbmvsv.html?a=Washington+Secrets+Lara+Trump&#038;b=01%2F21%2F2026&#038;c=WEX_Washington+Secrets&#038;d=25812206&#038;e=da31c45955c9411a6c40ecd0e967fa8def1f0fc08362faaa0dee09386ff5c41b\">CLICK HERE<\/a>. Today, we bring you the usual roundup of the White House week, plus we get the lowdown on who was present and who was missing from the U.S.-Venezuela oil deal ceremony. Have a great holiday weekend, and <\/em>Secrets<em> will be back at it on Tuesday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a><\/strong>  week was marked by bombs, ballots, and a ballroom, as he addressed more foreign challenges and questions about whether he cared enough about the midterm elections.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4713536\/trump-warns-of-disaster-in-britain-says-country-is-at-a-tipping-point\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump warns of \u2018disaster\u2019 in Britain, says country is at a \u2018tipping point\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4712266\/maria-bartiromo-out-fox-news\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Maria Bartiromo no longer with Fox News<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4711771\/farm-backlash-charlie-kirk-corn-maze-indiana\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Our hope remains simple\u2019: Indiana farm addresses backlash over Charlie Kirk corn maze design<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weeks after pivoting to a sanctions and blockade offense against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\"><strong>Iran<\/strong><\/a>, Sunday brought <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4705644\/us-strikes-iran-first-time-month\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4705644\/us-strikes-iran-first-time-month\/\"><strong>the first U.S. strikes in a month<\/strong><\/a>. American forces hit rocket launchers on Larak Island in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> that U.S. Central Command said were positioned to deploy naval mines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A day later, the president seemed to downplay the idea of an intensified war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheir navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone,\u201d he said in the Oval Office. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean we won\u2019t smack them. We\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Trump announced a sweeping new oil deal with Venezuela that gives the United States effective control of 65 billion barrels of proven reserves through a new company, NABEP, which will receive <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\"><strong>Pentagon <\/strong><\/a>investment. It marked a dramatic assertion of U.S. geopolitical control over the resource-rich nation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At home, the Supreme Court handed him a 5-4 victory, allowing construction to proceed on his $400 million White House ballroom project. But there was fresh turbulence at the Pentagon with news that Army Secretary <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4707180\/army-secretary-dan-driscoll-resigns-hegseth\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4707180\/army-secretary-dan-driscoll-resigns-hegseth\/\">Dan Driscoll was stepping<\/a> <\/strong>down after months of friction with Defense Secretary <strong>Pete Hegseth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday saw fresh exchanges with Iran. The U.S. hit air-defense systems, radar, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones aimed at American forces in <strong>Jordan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A day later, Trump addressed the midterm elections, amid fears among some Republicans that MAGA Inc, an allied Super PAC, is not spending enough cash yet. He said he would go to \u201cevery one\u201d of 35 competitive races.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ll be with you 100%,\u201d he said at a Rose Garden dinner. \u201cWe\u2019re going to do something like I did for myself in the last presidential election. Four months out, I said, \u2018OK, no days off.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is still no sign of a new White House press secretary. So on Thursday, Vice President <strong>JD Vance<\/strong> took on the role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGood morning,\u201d he said as he arrived on the podium at 1:45 p.m., sounding for all the world like a man with a six-week-old baby at home. But he recovered easily and put in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712315\/jd-vance-defends-friendship-tucker-carlson\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4712315\/jd-vance-defends-friendship-tucker-carlson\/\"><strong>strong performance<\/strong><\/a>, praising Trump and slamming the legacy media, all peppered with knockabout moments and in-depth answers about bond markets.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump has no public events scheduled at the White House on Friday before he is due to depart to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf course. His plans to hit the campaign trail will have to wait, it seems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what did our two strategists make of it all?<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-john-zogby-c\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Zogby: C-<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The week began with a deepfake from the White House: an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4705727\/trump-posts-video-of-kharg-island-being-blown-to-smithereens\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4705727\/trump-posts-video-of-kharg-island-being-blown-to-smithereens\/\"><strong>AI-generated video of a US attack on Kharg Island<\/strong><\/a>. The Defense Department and the military were forced to scramble and come up with a denial that it had really happened.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump continues to say that \u201cIran is dead,\u201d but the country\u2019s leadership has resumed strikes against U.S. allies and threatens to attack in the U.S. Oil prices are still at or around $90 billion per barrel, and a new poll from the University of Massachusetts shows Mr. Trump with an overall approval rating of 32%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An analysis of polling in eight battleground states shows that the <strong>Republican Party<\/strong> is down in all eight: Alaska, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Texas. If these hold, that could mean enough for the Democrats to take control of both houses of Congress. (Cautionary note: The election is two months away.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The President did get a 5-4 Supreme Court decision saying he has the authority to complete the new White House ballroom<strong> <\/strong>without congressional approval, and construction on a new 250-foot arch is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/4712642\/trump-triumphal-arch-excavation-work-doug-burgum\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/4712642\/trump-triumphal-arch-excavation-work-doug-burgum\/\"><strong>expected to begin<\/strong><\/a>  in two weeks. Add in a very healthy jobs report on Friday, with 162,000 added to payrolls in August, and the result is that the F-key on my keyboard is taking a well-deserved vacation (but could be back in action soon).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>John Zogby (<em><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zogbystrategies\">@ZogbyStrategies<\/a><\/strong><\/em>)\u00a0is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/\">John Zogby Strategies.<\/a> His latest book is <\/strong><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beyond-Horse-Race-Polls-Should\/dp\/1538197146\"><strong>Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should<\/strong><\/a><em><strong>. His podcast with son, managing partner, and pollster Jeremy Zogby, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/johnzogbystrategies.com\/the-zogby-report\/\">can be heard here<\/a>. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-jed-babbin-d\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jed Babbin: D-<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The week wasn\u2019t a great one for Trump and his team, but there were good points, such as the fact that the foreign-born population of the U.S. has shrunk by more than 3 million since Trump took office. But then there were a few other things.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President JD Vance doesn\u2019t think that the Iran war is really a war because, at this moment, there isn\u2019t a lot of fighting going on. He should look at the rate at which we\u2019re expending our military lives. The lives of some 18 US servicemen have been sacrificed to the Iran war. If that doesn\u2019t make it a war, what does? We have also lost aircraft and expended a lot of missiles and other ammunition. That makes it a war by anyone\u2019s definition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201c<strong>Economic D-Day<\/strong>\u201d that the president announced last week has gained some non-essential nations\u2019 agreement. The European Union wants to shatter Iran\u2019s economy, but it isn\u2019t in any position to do so. Better it should stop buying Russian natural gas, which is funding Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine. Russia is raising the stakes in Ukraine, but the EU doesn\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump lost another one in court this week. His effort to slide around the Supreme Court\u2019s decision in the birthright citizenship case was shut down by another court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were about <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4712825\/economy-beat-expectations-august-iran-crunch\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4712825\/economy-beat-expectations-august-iran-crunch\/\"><strong>162,000 new jobs created in August<\/strong><\/a>, which is far better than the usual summer job slump. Despite the economy\u2019s rise and fall because of gasoline prices, it seems to be doing pretty well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong><em>Jed Babbin (<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jedbabbin\">@jedbabbin<\/a>)\u00a0is a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-so-why-did-trump-s-venezuelan-oilman-stay-out-of-sight\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">So why did Trump\u2019s Venezuelan oilman stay out of sight?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Energy Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/4712733\/chris-wright-venezuelan-crude-fill-strategic-petroleum-reserve\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/4712733\/chris-wright-venezuelan-crude-fill-strategic-petroleum-reserve\/\"><strong>Chris Wright traveled to Venezuela<\/strong><\/a>  this week, our energy and environment reporter, <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/callie-patteson\/\" data-type=\"mediapress_author\" data-id=\"11991\">Callie Patteson<\/a><\/strong>, was right there. She was one of a handful of American reporters to make the trip on the official plane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patteson offered <em>Secrets<\/em> this ringside view of what went down. And, perhaps most interestingly, she has details of who stayed out of sight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>\u201cWright met with Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, overseeing the signing of several agreements with five energy companies to rapidly expand the production of Venezuelan oil and bolster the country\u2019s electricity grid.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The event attracted a flurry of local media, which meant the few U.S. reporters that traveled down for the event were packed in like sardines. Dozens of high-level U.S. and Venezuelan officials were also in attendance, as well as executives from Chevron, GE Vernona, Eni, Primavera, and Aspect Holdings.<\/strong><\/em><span style=\"white-space: normal\"><strong><em style=\"font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, \"Segoe UI\", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, \"Open Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; color: initial;\">\u201cWhat was perhaps more interesting, however, was who wasn\u2019t in the room.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhat was perhaps more interesting, however, was who wasn\u2019t in the room.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Alejandro Betancourt, the apparent architect for the Trump administration\u2019s deal to secure 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves, was nowhere to be seen. However as it turns out, Betancourt was at the palace, just out of view of both the U.S. press pool and local media.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>\u201cJust before boarding a plane to travel back to Washington D.C. last night, Wright <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CalliePatteson\/status\/2095275105370681717\">confirmed<\/a> to reporters that Betancourt was at the palace, and attended a lunch with high-level officials.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Secrets<\/em> declines to speculate on why Betancourt, who couldn\u2019t join meetings about the deal in the spring because he was fighting extradition to Switzerland and who has fought off multiple investigations, both in Spain and the U.S., into alleged money laundering, and whose career is generally described as \u201ccolorful,\u201d might have stayed out of the way of the press \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read more of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4710010\/chevron-ge-eni-deals-increase-drilling-venezuela\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4710010\/chevron-ge-eni-deals-increase-drilling-venezuela\/\"><strong>Patteson\u2019s reporting here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>You are reading <\/em>Washington Secrets<em>, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#4f3c2a2c3d2a3b3c0f382e3c272621283b20212a372e2226212a3d612c2022\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"99eafcfaebfcedead9eef8eaf1f0f7feedf6f7fce1f8f4f0f7fcebb7faf6f4\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a> with your comments, story tips, and suggestion<strong>s.<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-quote-of-the-day\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quote of the day<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Secrets <\/em>apologizes for missing this at the time. But is this really the line that Rep. <strong>Max Miller<\/strong> (R-OH) is going with to explain his absence from next week\u2019s midterm convention (as he continues to fight domestic abuse allegations)?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cI was invited, but staying home to campaign and spend time with family,\u201d<\/strong> is what he told the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-midterm-convention-republicans.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/02\/us\/politics\/trump-midterm-convention-republicans.html\"><strong><em>New York Times<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One might be inclined to wonder: Whose family?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catch up with the rest of his unorthodox PR strategy with this piece from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4675504\/max-miller-scandal-humiliation-tv-interviews-guilty\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/4675504\/max-miller-scandal-humiliation-tv-interviews-guilty\/\"><strong><em>Secrets<\/em> archives<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-lunchtime-reading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lunchtime reading<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/03\/us\/bratenahl-ohio-taylor-swift-travis-kelce.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-VA.pvnm.Y5_us-WwmMkK&#038;smid=url-share\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/03\/us\/bratenahl-ohio-taylor-swift-travis-kelce.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-VA.pvnm.Y5_us-WwmMkK&#038;smid=url-share\"><strong>So it\u2019s gonna be Ohio? This tiny village is ready for Taylor and Travis<\/strong><\/a>: Consider this your holiday reading. Locals are excited at news that Travis Kelce has bought a Lake Erie mansion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4713158\/ted-cruz-2028-future-president-run\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4713158\/ted-cruz-2028-future-president-run\/\">For Ted Cruz, 2028 is about the future and what might have been<\/a><\/strong>: The Texas senator is the first important Republican outside the Trump administration to tease a presidential run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Friday\u2019s Washington Secrets: White House roundup &amp; Venezuela oil event<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4136,"featured_media":2654592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26245861873602-1-e1788536187958.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9807,10167,4330,33296,32127],"class_list":["post-2654591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ballots","tag-bombs","tag-jobs","tag-report-card","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26245861873602-1-e1788536187958.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654591"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654595,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654591\/revisions\/2654595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}