The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Report of Trump taking nuclear docs recalibrates probe

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING 

It’s not like he took nuclear secrets with him or anything:

The Washington Post’s Devlin Barrett and Carol D. Leonnig report that nuclear capabilities of a foreign nation were among the documents retrieved by the FBI from former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.  

Some context to the documents — yikes: “Some of the seized documents detail top-secret U.S. operations so closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them. Only the president, some members of his Cabinet or a near-Cabinet-level official could authorize other government officials to know details of these special-access programs, according to people familiar with the search.”  

^ Tidbit on access to documents this classified: “Documents about such highly classified operations require special clearances on a need-to-know basis, not just top-secret clearance. Some special-access programs can have as few as a couple dozen government personnel authorized to know of an operation’s existence. Records that deal with such programs are kept under lock and key, almost always in a secure compartmented information facility, with a designated control officer to keep careful tabs on their location.”  

Read the full Washington Post report 

IT’S WEDNESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🚨 In Mar-a-Lago 

HOW A FLORIDA JUDGE THREW A CURVEBALL INTO THE DOJ’S INVESTIGATION: 
“The decision by a federal judge in Florida to grant former President Trump’s request for a special master is poised to shake up the investigation into his handling of highly classified documents while dragging out the polarizing fight.” 

What this means for the probe: “Legal experts say the decision is a major curveball in the Justice Department’s probe, which could delay it for at least a few weeks, and forces the agency to weigh whether and how to battle the decision.”  

The magnitude of this judge’s decision, via The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant and Rebecca Beitsch 

‘WHAT ARE SPECIAL MASTERS? WHY ARE THEY APPOINTED?’: 
The New York Times’s Charlie Savage breaks down what it means to have a special master appointed to the case.

TO CATCH YOU UP IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN FOLLOWING THIS STORY: 
Here are five things to know about the judge who granted Trump a special master. 

And here are five things to watch in the case. 

You can cut the tension with a knife these days:

AP/Mary Altaffer

The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes that “Former President Trump is kicking his taste for belligerent rhetoric up another notch — just as polls show public fear of political violence at historic highs.” 

For example: “Trump referred to President Biden as an ‘enemy of the state’ during a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday evening.”  

Trump told the crowd: “We have to smash the grip of this vile and vindictive political class.” 

Timing: “Trump’s turn toward ever more hard-line rhetoric comes as he faces unprecedented legal jeopardy, thanks to the FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 8. He is also confronted by the ongoing probe into the events around Jan. 6, 2021, by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and several other inquiries, including one looking at attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.”  

How this could play out for Trump and the GOP

🗳 On the campaign trail 

The election hasn’t even happened and people are already pointing fingers:

“Republicans are playing the blame game as they watch their chances of winning back control of the Senate shrink two months before Election Day.” 

Who McConnell is blaming: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is citing ‘candidate quality’ as a reason why GOP hopes are fading, an implicit criticism of former President Trump and his support for several controversial GOP candidates who are faltering in polls.” 

Who Trump is blaming: “Trump, for his part, for weeks has been setting the stage to blame McConnell if Republicans fail to win back the Senate at a time when they are widely expected to win the House majority.”

Who other Republicans are blaming, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

TIDBIT: 
Politico’s Sam Stein tweeted a screenshot of an email that former President Trump’s Save America PAC sent out. The article featured: “Mar-a-Lago raid gave Trump a 10-point boost over [Republican Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis with Republican primary voters, poll shows.” The screenshot

A QUESTION I HEAR FLOATED EVERY SO OFTEN: 
Would Hillary Clinton run for president again? Well, the former secretary of State said she will *not* consider another run, during an interview on “CBS Evening News.”

‘NEVADA COULD COST DEMOCRATS THEIR SENATE MAJORITY’: 
Via The Hill’s Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester

🦠 Latest with COVID

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 94.6 million 

Death toll: 1,042,581 

Current hospitalizations: 16,581 

Shots administered: 610 million 

Fully vaccinated: 67.5 percent of Americans 

CDC data here. 

🐥Notable tweets

This photo looks like a fake laptop wallpaper, BUT IT’S REAL: 

NASA tweeted a photo of a “giant space tarantula” captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo 

What exactly am I looking at?: Thousands of young stars that have never been seen before. NASA’s full explanation 

The best video I’ve watched today: 

@AndrewBrandt tweeted a video of a kids’ football team running through the cheerleaders’ sign. Watch

⏱On tap 

The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 

• 9 a.m.: Biden received his daily intelligence briefing. 
• 12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus luncheons. Today’s Senate agenda 
• 2:15 p.m.: Two Senate nomination votes — one confirmation vote and a cloture vote. 
• Monday: “Biden to deliver ‘Cancer Moonshot’ speech on anniversary of famous JFK moon speech.” Full story from CNN 

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch

• 1 p.m.: Apple is hosting an event to unveil new products and updates. Livestream 
• 1:30 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama for the unveiling of their official White House portraits. Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attend. Livestream 
• 2:45 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream 

🍖 In lighter news

Today is National Salami Day. 

This squirrel woke up and chose violence: 

A squirrel caused more than 10,000 Virginia residents to lose power today. Full story from WAVY News 

And to leave you with a smile, here are dogs trying to find the most comfortable sleeping positions.