Time: “In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination earlier this month, President Donald Trump and members of his administration have openly discussed punishing left-leaning organizations they believe fuel political violence. Experts say one tactic that’s been mentioned could be especially harmful to some of the targeted groups: going after their tax-exempt status.”
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Swapping Chinese Surveillance for U.S. Surveillance
Time: “But while many Americans are celebrating the deal as a victory for user privacy rights and national security, some cybersecurity experts still have concerns. They contend that TikTok’s new structure, based on the scant details that have emerged about the deal, could open up users to surveillance and influence not from China—but the American government itself.”
“Some cybersecurity experts worry that China will retain too much power under the new arrangement. Others, however, worry that the U.S. government will have the power to control this new licensed algorithm and view user data—raising its own set of concerns, since Trump himself could theoretically influence what content the platform elevates or buries.”
Kamala Harris Still Doesn’t Know How to Win
“Why did Kamala Harris lose the presidency? In 107 Days, her memoir of the election she inherited from Joe Biden, the answer is a series of mistakes, committed over years, mostly by other people,” Semafor reports.
“It was a mistake for Biden to disinvite Elon Musk from a White House electric vehicle summit and make him an enemy; she ‘shared this view’ with Biden staff. It was a mistake for Biden to run again, a view she kept quieter about.”
“It was her mistake to stay so loyal to Biden, and not give The View a better quote about their differences than ‘there’s not a thing that comes to mind,’ even though he’d weakened her campaign.”
“The Democratic argument about why they lost to Trump twice will get fresh material from 107 Days. It doesn’t absolve Harris, who has little advice for how her party can win again, or answer the questions about immigration and LGBT rights that staggered her last year.”
Quote of the Day
“There is very much a path here for us. But the first step is that Eric Adams has to get the fuck out of this race.”
— An aide to New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, quoted by New York Magazine.
Oracle Would ‘Retrain’ TikTok Algorithm
Oracle would recreate and provide security for a new U.S. version of TikTok’s algorithm under a deal taking shape to sell the popular Chinese-owned app to a consortium of American investors, Bloomberg reports.
The arrangement seeks to ensure that the American buyers control TikTok’s recommendation software in the U.S. following a divestiture by its Chinese parent.
Owners of the US-based TikTok would lease a copy of the algorithm from ByteDance that Oracle would then retrain “from the ground up.”
Punishing Foes, Protecting Friends
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Bessent Says ‘All Options’ on Table to Help Milei
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged to provide “all options for stabilization” to Argentine President Javier Milei as the South American country faces a market selloff in recent weeks, Bloomberg reports.
‘I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley’
Steven Levy: “Tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pact.”
Putin Offers Trump Temporary Nuclear Arms Deal
“Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that he was ready to extend by one year the last arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow that limits the number of nuclear weapons each side has if U.S. President Donald Trump does the same,” Reuters reports.
A Deeper Embrace of Evangelical Politics
“Charlie Kirk’s memorial service Sunday left little doubt that his Turning Point USA organization would outlive him as a force in conservative politics — but with more attention than ever to a supercharged evangelical Christian message,” Axios reports.
“The five-hour service, webcast to millions and broadcast at one point by all major networks, was a call to action more than to grief. It canonized the 31-year-old conservative icon as not just a martyr to free speech, but to his faith as well.”
Washington Post: Charlie Kirk’s Christianity-infused politics appear poised to ascend within the GOP.
Inside Trump’s Campaign to Undermine America
Paul Krugman: “We attracted investment from around the world in part because we had rule of law: Businesses trusted us to honor property rights and enforce contracts. So the Trumpists turned us into a nation where the government extorts ownership shares in corporations and masked government agents seize foreign workers, put them in chains, and imprison them under terrible conditions.”
“We lead the world in science thanks to our unmatched network of research universities and globally admired government agencies like the National Institutes of Health. So the Trumpists are doing their best to destroy both university and government research.”
“And our economic success — the way we have pulled ahead of other advanced nations over the past generation — rests almost entirely on our leadership in digital technology. So the Trumpists are pulling the rug out from under tech, too.”
Why Democrats Can’t Match Trump’s Gerrymandering Push
“Democrats trying to counter President Donald Trump’s red-state gerrymander are facing a roadblock. Fifteen roadblocks, actually,” Politico reports.
“That’s how many Democratic-led states have a political trifecta — the same setup that helped Texas Republicans push through new maps last month.”
“But of those 15, only California has made a serious effort to respond in kind — and even that initiative may fail at the ballot box. Leaders in 14 other states with a Democratic governor and state legislature find themselves unable to move forward, hampered by reasons ranging from constitutional limitations, legal deadlines and maps that can’t be gerrymandered anymore. In perhaps an acknowledgment of these hurdles, Democrats have turned to the courts to try stopping Republican efforts.”
Tables Turn as Democrats Use Shutdown for Leverage
Politico: “On one side is the minority party, using what little leverage it has — a looming government funding deadline — to push for priorities it can’t enact otherwise. On the other is the majority, insisting a short-term funding punt is no place for negotiation.”
“If that sounds familiar, that’s because just such a scenario has played out dozens of times on Capitol Hill over the past decade and a half — usually with Republicans pushing for policy concessions and Democrats insisting on a ‘clean’ stopgap.”
“Not this time. The roles have been reversed between the two parties as Congress barrels toward a government shutdown on Oct. 1 with no obvious off-ramp in sight.”
Punchbowl News: “We’ll be blunt here: Congress is absolutely nowhere in funding the government.”
United Nations Seen as Necessary but Ineffective
Gallup: “Americans remain broadly supportive of the United Nations as an institution, with solid majorities calling it necessary as well as favoring U.S. involvement and funding, although that support is down slightly from recent measures.”
“At the same time, only about one in three — on the lower end of the trend dating back to 1953 — think the U.N. is doing a good job of solving the problems it has had to face.”
Quote of the Day
“I have a clear message for you. It won’t happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River. We will continue on this path.”
— Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on countries formally recognizing a Palestinian state.
U.S. Increasingly Isolated on Israel
“The widening rift between the U.S. and a coalition of European and Arab countries over Israel will be on full display next week during the United Nations General Assembly, where a growing number of nations are bucking the Trump administration to recognize a Palestinian state,” Politico reports.
“But the diplomatic gambit is highlighting the limited options available to countries that want to break with Washington on Israel. It also shows the delicate balancing act some are doing to express their displeasure with Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war while staying in the Trump administration’s good graces.”
It’s Gridlock Week in Manhattan
“It’s that time of year when Midtown East in Manhattan both brims with action and comes to a standstill,” the New York Times reports.
“The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, starting Monday, will bring together more than 140 world leaders to discuss contentious issues like the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It is known by many diplomats as the World Cup of diplomacy.”
“But it is known by many New Yorkers as a pain in the neck.”
Inside Putin’s Secret Plan to Hack Moldova’s Election
“Russia has devised a plan to intervene in elections in Moldova and disrupt the government’s efforts to keep the country on the path toward European Union membership,” Bloomberg reports.
“The multi-pronged strategy was finalized in spring and coordinated directly by the Kremlin. The goal is to undermine the chances of President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity in the Sept. 28 vote and ultimately see her removed from power.”
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