Wired: “August was the planet’s hottest month ever recorded, capping a remarkably grim summer of heat records. With El Niño strengthening—and climate change continuing to heat things up—more records are likely in store well into next year.”
Trump Sees Canada Trade Deal ‘Fairly Soon’
“President Donald Trump expressed optimism about resolving a trade fight with Canada and downplayed the prospect of quitting a continental trade pact, in a potential sign of de-escalating tensions between the two countries,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Trump: “We’re doing great. We’re going to have a great relationship with Mexico. We actually have a good one with Canada.”
“He went on to say that a deal with Canada could come ‘fairly soon,’ but provided no details on whether formal talks between the two economies had resumed.”
Calls for Democrats to Be Shot Go Unchallenged
“On the night Republicans gathered to mourn the killing of Charlie Kirk and warn against the dangers of violent rhetoric, a crowd at the party’s irregular midterm convention in Dallas repeatedly called for a sitting Senate candidate to be shot, while the Republican senator at the podium never denounced or even noted the outbursts,” The Guardian reports.
“The outbursts came repeatedly during Ted Cruz’s Thursday night address at the American Airlines center, when he named a Democrat he accused of holding radical views.”
“After the senator mentioned the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, video footage depicts at least one audience member shouting: ‘He should be shot!’ The same cry followed when Cruz named Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and again after he named Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Cruz did not pause or respond to the shouting, and it remains unclear whether he heard it from the stage.”
Trump Will Never Mail the $5,000 Checks
Jonathan Chait: “Donald Trump’s new promise to give a $5,000 check to every adult American citizen if Republicans win the midterm elections may be an effort to answer a variant of an age-old riddle: Can Trump devise a policy so ill-conceived that even Trump’s intelligence is insulted?”
“Candidates often make inducements part of their campaign pitch. One obvious peculiarity of this plan is that Trump’s party already controls both chambers of Congress. Why, then, should the bonus checks be contingent on voters giving Republicans another two-year majority?”
“Trump has told reporters that he could distribute the loot without congressional approval. This is untrue. (It’s a facially unconstitutional infringement of Congress’s spending authority.) If it were true, however, it would make his decision to hinge the checks on the election’s outcome even more mysterious. If the choice were his alone, the outcome would seem totally irrelevant.”
Saudis Face Mounting Threats From Iran and Houthis
“A lightning advance by Houthi rebels threatens a crucial Red Sea shipping route. Drone attacks blamed on Iraqi militias have forced the closure of a major pipeline, and Iran is still disrupting the Strait of Hormuz,” the Associated Press reports.
“It’s a nightmare scenario for Saudi Arabia, and it has sent jitters through global markets.”
Trump Collapses with Hispanic Voters in Texas
A new Cook Political Report/Univision survey of Texas Hispanic likely voters finds the Democratic candidates in the state’s Senate and gubernatorial contests leading their GOP opponents by a 2-1 margin with the key voting bloc, as President Trump’s job approval rating in the state has sunk to just 33% with a demographic group that swung hard in his direction in 2024.
Trump Sees Iran War Ending ‘Very Soon’
“The war in Iran will likely end soon after November’s mid-term elections, President Donald Trump said Saturday, and predicted that energy prices would fall sharply once that happens,” CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “I think very soon, I think it’ll be right after the mid-terms, actually. I would say shortly, and oil will come tumbling down when that happens.”
A Recap of a Surreal Midterm Convention
Alexandra Petri: “If only the GOP midterm convention succeeds in its aim of electing Donald Trump president, things will get a lot better in this country. Isn’t he already president? Hush! At the Unprecedented (But Very President-ed) Republican Midterm Convention, we reject such trivial objections! ‘I know many of you are still struggling thanks to Joe Biden and the Democrats,’ said Richard Hudson, the National Republican Committee chair.”
“You have your orders: Imagine that Donald Trump is on the ballot, because if he were, the economy would get a lot better than it is under whoever is president right now—I have to assume Biden? But possibly, based on sheer volume of mentions, Abdul El-Sayed? Whoever it is, the guy is doing just terribly.”
“Donald Trump has already fixed everything, but also, we need him to fix everything. He is the greatest president in our lifetime, if we can ever manage to elect him.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m cautiously optimistic. I won’t predict, you know, how many seats are going to be in either chamber come November. But, I do think there is a path for us to retain both majorities and defy history, for sure.”
— White House political adviser James Blair, quoted by NBC News.
NATO Allies Foil Russian Subsea Cable Sabotage Plot
“Deep in Arctic waters near the remote Svalbard archipelago this spring, NATO allies caught Russian subs training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints,” Reuters reports.
Gulf Tankers Are Running Out of Ways to Export Oil
“The world’s most valuable energy corridors are pinching shut,” the New York Times reports.
“On Friday, Houthi militants backed by Iran expanded their control of the Red Sea, threatening a critical route for Persian Gulf crude. That left the region with few alternatives, since shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — once the world’s primary oil transit point — remains significantly constrained and far below what it was before the war.”
“And oil exports from Saudi Arabia, long the most important producer in the Middle East, plunged last month to their lowest point in at least 13 years.”
Trump’s Drug War Tactics Spread Across Latin America
Wall Street Journal: “A sprawling military alliance that reaches from the Caribbean across the Andes to the Pacific is taking shape a year after the Trump administration began bombing alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region. The tactics are sometimes unapologetically and intentionally brutal, like President Trump’s drug-boat campaign, designed to send a message that narcotics traffickers now face local forces backed by U.S. firepower.”
“The emerging coalition is a bloc of largely right-wing governments across the region that could receive U.S. intelligence, equipment and surveillance technology. Sometimes they work jointly with American troops. Regional security forces are bombing jungle encampments, capturing drug kingpins and killing drug couriers with U.S. help, American officials said.”
Trump Underwater in Missouri for the First Time
A new Saint Louis University/YouGov poll in Missouri finds President Donald Trump’s approval at 47%, while 52% disapprove — the first time his net approval has been negative in his nearly six years as president.
Trump Approval
Approve 47%
Disapprove 52%
Trump’s Trade War Hits GOP Battleground Districts
“A handful of U.S. states with some of the most competitive congressional races in the country are caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney,” the Washington Post reports.
“While the average American may not feel the tariffs — all told, they affect just 6 percent of $715 billion in annual cross-border trade — key industries in Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania are likely to feel the added costs.”
NPR: These Michigan swing voters are bracing for higher prices from trade war with Canada.
Republicans Assess Trump’s Convention with a Shrug
“Republicans breathed a sigh of relief that the GOP midterm convention didn’t go poorly. But many aren’t convinced it will help in November,” Politico reports.
”On flights out of Dallas Friday morning, Republicans were grateful that the novel concept of a two-day midterm convention went smoothly. But they had lingering questions about its impact in the upcoming midterms and even some worries that President Donald Trump’s request that voters picture him on the ballot will hurt swing district Republicans who need Democratic or independent votes.”
MS NOW: It was Trump’s show at the GOP convention. And it will be Trump’s midterms in November.
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The World Reconsiders America
“America is shedding its status as the default choice for foreign governments to park money, buy weapons and send students,” Axios reports.
“Even modest shifts away from the U.S. could chip away at advantages that have helped sustain American economic and geopolitical power for decades.”
”The Netherlands moved 86 tons of gold out of the U.S. and Canada last week, citing the move as a hedge against ‘extreme systemic risks.’ France already moved all of its gold out of New York, while Germany debated doing the same.”
“Norway’s sovereign wealth fund — the world’s largest — announced plans to reduce its holdings of U.S. government bonds amid turbulence in the Treasury market.”
Trump Says He Would ‘Love’ a Unified Ireland
“President Trump said Saturday he would love to see a unified Ireland as he kicked off a visit to the country, where he will meet with leaders and attend a major golf tournament at one of his courses,” CBS News reports.
“During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin, Mr. Trump said the unification of the Republic of Ireland with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, ‘may as well happen now.'”
NPR: Trump heads to Ireland to watch some golf at his club and conduct some diplomacy.
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