Donald Trump seemed to nod at Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally in Pennsylvania by vowing to rid the environment of toxic chemicals and “get them out of our bodies” and food supply, CNN reports.
Said Trump: “We’re going to make America healthy again. We’re not doing so well with health, but we’re going to solve a lot of those problems, I think, over the next short period of time.”
Sen. J.D. Vance said that professional women “choose a path to misery” when they prioritize careers over having children in a September 2021 podcast interview in which he also claimed men in America were “suppressed” in their masculinity, The Guardian reports.
The vice-presidential candidate said of women like his classmates at Yale Law School that “pursuing racial or gender equity is like the value system that gives their life meaning… but they all find that that value system leads to misery.”
Vance also sideswiped Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a one-time Somali refugee, claiming she had shown “ingratitude” to America, and that she “would be living in a craphole” had she not moved to the US.
Columbia Journalism Review: “When a presidential candidate violates universal and established norms, it’s okay to come out and say it. But the coverage of former president Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, on August 26, showed the difficulties newsrooms have in covering unprecedented events, especially when it involves the nation’s military, veterans, and Donald Trump.”
Jonathan Chait: Trump honors “suckers and losers” with illegal Arlington Cemetery photo op.
New York Times: “The results have been confusing and fluid, a contradictory mess of policy statements as he has once again tried to rebrand himself on an issue that many of his supporters view in strict moral terms, and had come to believe that he did, too.”
“Mr. Trump’s shifting views have been especially difficult for social conservatives to navigate. Some anti-abortion leaders in his orbit have tried lobbying him to align his public position with theirs. Many others are staying quiet and sticking by him, hoping that what he is saying now is just an act to get elected and that, if he does get elected, he will again govern as ‘the most pro-life president’ in American history.”
Washington Post: Trump contradicts himself on abortion, searching for a winning message.
CNN: Harris slams Trump for saying he’s voting against Florida abortion amendment.
A new SurveyUSA poll in Minnesota finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump, 48% to 43%, with four percent preferring another candidate and five percent undecided.
A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan finds Donald Trump just ahead of Kamala Harris, 47% to 46% with another seven percent undecided.
In the U.S. Senate race, Elissa Slotkin (D) leads Mike Roger’s (R), 46% to 42% with 12% undecided.
New York Times: “A month later, polls show that the number of Americans who dislike Mr. Vance continues to grow — but Mr. Trump could not be happier.”
“The reason: Mr. Vance’s relentless pace of full-throttle performances as Mr. Trump’s well-trained attack dog has pleased the former president and instilled a sense of stability inside a campaign still shaken by President Biden’s sudden exit from the race.”
“Mr. Trump had instructed his young sidekick to fight forcefully through those initial attacks, and later said Mr. Vance’s execution exceeded his expectations.”
“Attitudes on abortion are deeply entrenched and have motivated voters across the American political landscape for decades. But in a post-Roe world, with abortion access sharply limited or at stake in several states, voters who want to protect abortion rights are increasingly energized,” the New York Times reports.
“Although the economy remains the No. 1 issue for voters, a growing share of voters in swing states now say abortion is central to their decision this fall, according to New York Times/Siena College polls earlier this month. This represents an increase since May, when President Joe Biden was still the Democratic presidential nominee. And by a wide margin, more say they trust Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump to handle abortion.”
“Donald Trump headlined an event sponsored by the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Friday, magnifying the struggle he faces in credibly distancing himself from Project 2025, a controversial policy plan the conservative think tank shepherded,” the Washington Post reports.
“X began to go dark across Brazil on Saturday after the nation’s Supreme Court blocked the social network because its owner, Elon Musk, refused to comply with court orders to suspend certain accounts,” the New York Times reports.
“The moment posed one of the biggest tests yet of the billionaire’s efforts to transform the site into a digital town square where just about anything goes.”
Politico: Top Brazilian judge orders suspension of X platform in Brazil amid feud with Musk.
“The American consumer is starting to shake out of a lingering bad mood,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“When The Wall Street Journal asked 1,500 voters in late August for their feelings about the economy, 34% said it is improving, up from 26% in early July. The share who thought the economy was worsening fell to 48% from 54%.”
Axios: Spending, incomes and inflation were all heading the right direction in July.
“The special counsel’s office and Donald Trump outlined dueling visions Friday for how the former president’s 2020 election obstruction case should proceed in D.C. federal court, with Trump’s attorneys proposing a schedule that would extend pretrial arguments into next year and neither side pushing for resolution before the November election,” the Washington Post reports.
“In a joint filing Friday night, both sides previewed legal wrangling that is likely to drag the case out deep into 2025 or beyond. The filing came after U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan requested a proposed plan for how to resolve legal issues in the case after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that presidents are absolutely immune from prosecution when carrying out their core constitutional powers.”
Politico: Jack Smith leaves the Trump trial timeline in Judge Chutkan’s hands.
“Donald Trump said on Friday that he would vote against a ballot measure in Florida that would expand abortion access in the state, clarifying his stance after having suggested a day earlier that he might support the measure,” the New York Times reports.
Said Trump: “I’ll be voting no.”
Associated Press: Trump says he’ll vote to uphold Florida abortion ban after seeming to signal he’d support repeal.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Teump nationally among registered voters, 45% to 41%.
Former President Donald Trump is in damage control mode on abortion after saying that Florida’s six-week ban is “too short” and declining to take a clear stance on a state ballot measure that would expand access to the procedure, NBC News reports.
“The backlash from anti-abortion advocates was fierce, with some warning that the Republican presidential nominee was risking losing support from a key bloc of the party’s base.”
“An Israeli security cabinet meeting about the hostage-release and Gaza ceasefire deal erupted on Thursday night and turned into an unprecedented shouting match between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,” Axios reports.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.