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How Democrats Plan to Investigate Trump’s Ballroom
“If Democrats win control of the House in November, party leaders plan to turn the final two years of the Trump era into a barrage of investigations over alleged corruption and contempt for the law,” Time reports.
“Much of the scrutiny would be expected to come from the Judiciary and Oversight Committees, the traditional engines of congressional investigations. But another, less prominent committee could emerge as an unlikely center of the fight: the House Natural Resources Committee.”
“The 45-member panel has oversight over virtually all federal lands, giving it jurisdiction over a striking collection of controversies that have defined President Trump’s second term. That includes his efforts to remake Washington, D.C. by building a White House ballroom and a triumphal arch, and the troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It also covers the Administration’s efforts to open up national parks to an unprecedented amount of hunting, fishing and drilling.”
Mamdani Packs Schedule with 9/11 Commemorations
Europe to Buy U.S. Patriot Missiles for Ukraine
“European nations are planning to buy U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles to help Ukraine repel an expected increase in Russian attacks over the winter months,” Bloomberg reports.
“The new interceptors will bolster Ukraine’s defenses during what will likely be a difficult winter, a period when Moscow tends to increase its strikes on the country’s critical infrastructure.”
Iceland Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Trump’s Post
“Iceland has summoned the U.S. ambassador over a social media post by Donald Trump showing a U.S. flag covering the country along with Greenland, Canada, Mexico and other nations, calling it an ‘insult’ and a ‘bad joke,'” the Financial Times reports.
An Exercise in Thinking About the Unthinkable
“In a Virginia law school classroom, students are grappling with an event once considered unimaginable: a U.S. government debt default,” Axios reports.
“This semester’s class is indicative of a nervousness that has become more widespread about America’s standing in the global financial system.”
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How 9/11 Sowed the Seeds of America’s Deep Division
“When terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001, they provoked a response that, seen from today’s perspective, seems remarkable: The country immediately united across every political and ideological divide,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Within three days, the House and the Senate approved by a combined vote of 518 to 1 a sweeping measure endorsing the use of force against anyone deemed responsible for the attacks. In a Wall Street Journal poll taken at the time, 82% said they approved of the job being done by President George W. Bush, who hadn’t even won the popular vote in the election that brought him to office just months earlier. Almost three-quarters of Americans said that despite the attacks—or maybe because of the united response to them—the country was on the right track. In many ways, America was at its best.”
“Alas, that 9/11 unity didn’t last.”
“As it turned out, the events of that day also sowed the seeds for much of the discord and disillusionment that have plagued the American political system in the quarter-century since.”
Rubio Flies to Colombia to Meet with Newest Ally
“Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office last month after pledging to mend the strained relationship with the U.S. is getting a prime opportunity with Secretary of State Marco Rubio visiting Tuesday,” Bloomberg reports.
Quote of the Day
“No matter how many good things I told them, they were just pissed about the price of groceries. That has not changed, and now Republicans are in charge.”
— Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, quoted by NBC News.
Houthi Militants Attack Saudi Energy Infrastructure
“Houthi militants in Yemen targeted energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, sending oil prices higher on concerns over Persian Gulf oil supplies already strained due to the Iran war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump Eyes Triumphal Arch as His Legacy Project
Stephen Collinson: “The Roman Emperor Titus has one. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered up the world’s most famous example. And the Duke of Wellington’s iconic version is the gateway to London’s Hyde Park.”
“Now, Donald Trump wants his own ceremonial arch. And his latest architectural passion project may tell history rather more about the 45th and 47th president than other examples of his second-term Washington makeover blitz.”
“The Arch of Titus in Rome marks the capture of Jerusalem in AD 70. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris honors the dead of Napoleonic and Revolutionary wars and France’s subsequent fallen warriors. The arch honoring Wellington celebrates the French emperor’s eventual defeat.”
“This history reveals one problem. Trump so far lacks the triumph to justify a triumphal arch.”
A Far-Right Win Puts New Pressure On Germany’s Leader
“A far-right electoral victory in a small eastern state has plunged Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, into a fight for his political survival with no surefire paths to prevail,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Merz was not on the ballot in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, won nearly 44 percent of the vote and now sits on the cusp of becoming the first far-right party to govern a German state since the end of World War II. But Mr. Merz, a mainstream conservative, was very much on voters’ minds, post-election analyses show — and not fondly.”
“Now, with two more key regional elections set for this month — in Berlin and in the coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — Mr. Merz is struggling to reassure restless party stalwarts that he remains the leader that they and Germany need.”
For members: Germany Takes a Hard Right Turn
The Fight for Senate Control Is Wide Open
“Republicans appeared to have a firm grip on the Senate heading into the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. But with less than two months until Election Day, control of the chamber is now up for grabs,” the Associated Press reports.
“Democrats have found themselves competing in states that once seemed beyond their reach as President Donald Trump’s slipping approval ratings and voters’ dissatisfaction with the economy create a difficult political environment for Republicans. But races Democrats once counted on winning have also become more complicated.”
Keep track of the latest on the Polling Dashboard.
New Hampshire Holds Key Senate Primary
“A late surge by a progressive challenger has injected drama into New Hampshire’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, threatening to complicate U.S. Representative Chris Pappas’ path to nomination,” Reuters reports.
“In one of the last states holding primaries in 2026, New Hampshire voters will also choose nominees in a Republican Senate primary and in primaries for two U.S. House seats, just eight weeks before the November 3 general election when control of Congress is at stake.”
MS NOW: New Hampshire votes today in a Senate race Democrats no longer feel is safe.
Americans Fear Domestic Extremists More
“Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks focused U.S. fears on threats from abroad, Americans are now considerably more worried about attacks by domestic extremists than by foreign groups,” a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
“When asked to name the biggest threat to the safety of average Americans, 33% of respondents picked ‘domestic terrorism,’ while 20% picked foreign terror and 42% pointed to random acts of violence such as mass shootings, the August 28-31 poll found.”
Hungary to Expel 10 Russian Diplomats
“Hungary will expel 10 Russian diplomats whom the government accused of espionage, setting the stage for a confrontation between Moscow and the new government in Budapest,” Bloomberg reports.
A Blue Wave Could Hit Governors’ Races, Too
Ed Kilgore: “Democrats have reason to hope that a ‘blue wave’ in the midterm elections, fed by Donald Trump’s unpopularity, will help them flip the House and maybe even the Senate this year. National dynamics are typically less decisive in state elections, including the 36 gubernatorial elections on tap.”
“But nationwide trends do shape the electorate that will vote up and down the ballot, so Democrats expect gubernatorial gains, too.”
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