The Daily Brief
Today
Good morning. House Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee are calling for DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to abandon a $20 million contract for electric shock gloves — the G.L.O.V.E. — that deliver a jolt via a hidden switch with no warning, on top of an arsenal that already uses guns at will. The Democrats warn Mullin to halt this procurement before more innocent lives are lost.
Liberia has received the first planeload of “third country” deportees from the United States, including migrants from Latin America. [The Liberian government insists the deal is not a transaction with a quid pro quo, but that claim has failed to quiet the questions](https://www.semafor.com/article/08/21/2026/mystery-surrounds-us-deportations-to-liberia).
Oregon is spending more than ever on low-income housing, yet a state law keeps the details secret.
[Lawmakers and 2026 candidates on both sides of the aisle are questioning whether Flock cameras have proliferated too quickly](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/21/are-flock-cameras-next-bipartisan-political-issue).
[A newly formed astroturf group has appeared to defend the Paramount merger, boosting reported threats by CEO David Ellison to move Paramount out of California](https://theintercept.com/2026/08/21/paramount-merger-warner-discovery-david-ellison-antitrust).