Today in one sentence: Dr. Anthony Fauci will leave the federal government in December to “pursue the next chapter” of his career; Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho will enact abortion trigger laws this week; Louisiana state officials denied funding a New Orleans flood control project because of the city's opposition to the state’s near-total abortion ban; a federal appeals court temporarily paused an order requiring Lindsey Graham to testify before a Georgia grand jury investigating efforts to reverse the 2020 election; the federal magistrate judge who authorized the warrant to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate suggested that the redacted version of the affidavit could make for “a meaningless disclosure”; and 5.6% of Americans described their current life situation as "suffering."

1/ Dr. Anthony Fauci will leave the federal government in December to “pursue the next chapter” of his career. The nation’s top infectious disease expert has advised seven presidents in more than five decades of public service. (Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post)

2/ Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho will enact abortion trigger laws this week. Starting Aug. 25, nearly all abortions in Tennessee will be outlawed, except in cases related to preventing the death or serious injury of a pregnant woman. The law makes no exceptions for rape or incest. Similar to Tennessee, Idaho will impose a near-total abortion ban, but with the exception of rape, incest or medical emergency. And in Texas, doctors can now be sued by almost anyone for performing an abortion, facing life in prison and fines of more than $100,000. (NPR)

3/ Louisiana state officials denied funding a New Orleans flood control project because of the city’s opposition to the state’s near-total abortion ban. It’s the second time that the Louisiana State Bond Commission voted to delay approval of the $39 million infrastructure project that would power the drainage pumps that protect the city’s 384,000 residents from flooding. The New Orleans City Council passed a resolution this summer asking police, sheriff’s deputies, and prosecutors not to enforce the ban, which doesn’t include exemptions for rape or incest. (Politico / CNN)

4/ A federal appeals court temporarily paused an order requiring Lindsey Graham to testify before a Georgia grand jury investigating efforts to reverse the 2020 election. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit asked a lower court to consider whether it would be appropriate for a sitting U.S. senator to testify before the grand jury. Graham formally appealed a judge’s order last week that he testify, saying doing so would cause “irreparable harm” that would be “in contravention of his constitutional immunity.” (Washington Post / NPR)

5/ The federal magistrate judge who authorized the warrant to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate suggested that the redacted version of the affidavit could make for “a meaningless disclosure.” U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said that the FBI’s affidavit justifying the warrant was “reliable,” citing the “intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence” justifies making an effort to unseal portions of it. Reinhart, however, said he agrees with the Justice Department that the “redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure.” Reinhart ordered Justice Department officials to submit proposed redactions by Thursday at noon Eastern time. Trump, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to appoint a third-party attorney, known as a special master, to review the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago. (Politico/ Washington Post / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  • Trump’s haphazard handling of government documents — a chronic problem — contributed to the chaos he created after he refused to accept his loss in November 2020. “His unwillingness to let go of power, including refusing to return government documents collected while he was in office, has led to a potentially damaging, and entirely avoidable, legal battle that threatens to engulf the former president and some of his aides.” (New York Times)

6/ The congressional intelligence oversight committees asked the Biden administration for the documents seized from the search of Mar-a-Lago. The inquiry from the so-called Gang of Eight follows a similar request from Senate Intelligence Committee for an assessment of possible national security risks related to Trump’s handling of the sensitive documents. The Gang of Eight includes the top two congressional leaders in each chamber, as well as the top Democrat and Republican on the House and Senate intelligence committees. White House officials, meanwhile, have privately expressed concern over the classified material that Trump took to Florida. (Politico / CNN)

7/ A federal appeals court ordered the release of then-Attorney General William Barr’s secret 2019 Justice Department memo discussing whether Trump obstructed Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Justice Department failed to show that the memo from the department’s Office of Legal Counsel was part of a deliberative process advising Barr about the issue, finding that Barr never seriously considered charging Trump with obstructing the Mueller investigation. Barr told Congress in March 2019 that after “consulting” with top DOJ officials he concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction. After Mueller’s full report was released, however, his office said there was “substantial evidence” of obstruction. Mueller also wrote a letter to Barr saying the attorney general had mischaracterized his team’s work. (Politico / CNN / Washington Post / NPR)

poll/ 57% of voters said the various investigations into alleged wrongdoing by Trump should continue, while 40% say they should stop. 58%, meanwhile, said America’s best years are behind it and 61% said they’re willing to carry a protest sign for a day because they’re so upset. (NBC News)

poll/ 59% of Americans said they are concerned that student loan forgiveness will make inflation worse. Among Republicans, 81% say student loan forgiveness will make inflation worse, while 41% Democrats say the same. About 44 million borrowers owe a collective $1.7 trillion in federal student loan debt. (CNBC)

poll/ 5.6% of Americans described their current life situation as “suffering” in July – the highest level on record and translates to an estimated 14 million American adults. (Gallup)

Three years ago today: Day 945: "Frankly ridiculous."
Four years ago today: Day 580: Individual-1.
Five years ago today: Day 215: Principled realism.