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| Good morning. It’s Friday, Aug. 14, and we’re not ashamed to ask … are we ever going to see Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding photos? Now let’s get to the actual news. | | | Reports of poor conditions on a U.S. aircraft carrier are alarming lawmakers. | -
In the Arabian Sea: The USS Abraham Lincoln, on an extended deployment for the Iran war, has reportedly faced food shortages, sewage problems and attempted suicides. -
What else to know: Supplies of U.S. weapons are being drained by the war. Officials said the military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones, which cost up to $50 million each. | A fight is brewing over who inherits President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. | | Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio lead the pack. (The Post) | -
In The Post’s new ranking of Republican presidential contenders: JD Vance are Marco Rubio are clear front-runners. But there are also a number of dark horses — see the list here. -
In case you missed it yesterday: We also sized up the 2028 Democratic contenders. -
On the campaign trail: Voter anxiety about AI has rapidly become a hot-button issue. Midterm candidates are discussing it even more than Israel or racism, a Post analysis found. | The Kennedy Center board voted to inscribe Trump’s name on the building. | -
Yesterday: The board of trustees, which is chaired by Trump, voted to close the arts venue for renovations and put Trump’s name on it. Both decisions could face legal obstacles. -
In other Trump news: Truth Social’s sale of fast access to Trump’s posts is raising legal and ethical questions. A lawsuit filed this week alleges that Truth API is unconstitutional. | | A Trump official asked for more resources to fight a small fire near his Idaho ranch. | -
Who? Michael Boren, a tech billionaire and Trump appointee who oversees about 200 million acres of national forest and public land. He also owns thousands of acres in Idaho. -
Last month: Boren pushed for more aircraft to fight a fire near his 480-acre Hell Roaring Ranch, officials told The Post. They said the response to the fire was unusually large. | The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in D.C. was vandalized. | | Curious tourists gawked from behind police lines, and National Guard members yelled at people who strayed too close to the memorial. (Tyler M. Andrews/The Post) | -
The scene: Part of the memorial was covered in soapy bubbles and graffiti yesterday. Red paint spelled out “Clean hands dirty $” and green paint was splattered on stonework. -
U.S. Park Police are investigating: The memorial was blocked off last night with yellow police tape and government cars. Federal officials called the vandalism “an utter disgrace.” | Some things about the brain actually get better with age. | | A landlord discovered a stolen Picasso while cleaning out a vacant apartment. | | Picasso is the world’s most-stolen artist with more than 1,000 of his works missing. (Chad Strack) | -
In 2018: A 1949 black-and-white print of a bullfighter by the Spanish artist vanished from a Milwaukee art gallery. An investigation turned up no suspects. -
Eight years later: It was found in a dilapidated Milwaukee apartment, among pizza boxes, dust and the smell of cat urine. Investigators are looking for the owner. | |