“The Transportation Department is planning to take over management of D.C.’s Union Station, Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday, in another example of the White House exerting power over the District as National Guard soldiers and federal law enforcement officers continue to patrol the city,” the Washington Post reports.
How Trump Is Sabotaging America’s Future
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A Big Blue Wave Indicator
G. Elliot Morris: “On average in 2025, Democratic candidates in special elections are running about 16 percentage points ahead of Kamala Harris’s margin versus Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election. That is 5-6 points higher than the average Democratic overperformance in 2017.”
The Downballot has tracked all of these special elections in a handy spreadsheet.
Get Ready for the End of Fed Independence
“The market response to President Trump’s Monday attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor was relatively subdued,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Don’t let that fool you. If Trump’s effort to remove Lisa Cook for cause succeeds, and perhaps even if it doesn’t, this week will go down as one of the most consequential for financial markets in decades.”
“It could mark the end of the Federal Reserve’s independence from White House control, which it effectively obtained in 1951. As a result, inflation is likely to be higher and more volatile than in the decades before 2020.”
Bloomberg: Trump team weighing options to extend influence to Fed banks.
House Freedom Caucus Falls in Line Under Trump
“The House Freedom Caucus is no longer the most feared group of GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. And headed into the next fight with fellow Republicans over keeping the government funded this fall, members say they want to help make a deal, not tear one apart,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The group of roughly 30 lawmakers—there is no official list—has included many of the most outspoken dissidents in Trump’s second term, drawing putative red lines on major legislation ranging from President Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax law to a recent crypto proposal. But when it comes time to vote, caucus members have lined up with Trump and party leaders, not torpedoing bills like in years past.”
What, Exactly, Was That Cabinet Meeting?
New York Times: “There in the Cabinet Room — which is starting to take on the gilded-cage look of Mr. Trump’s Oval Office — all of the president’s men and women took their turns, each working a little bit harder than the last to offer Mr. Trump praise and to assure him that they were working to tackle his long list of grievances.”
“That list is as ever-growing as it is specific to Mr. Trump’s pet peeves and political ambitions. It includes preventing ‘transgender for everybody’ in American sports; using a heavy hand — perhaps the death penalty, the president said — to crack down on violent crime; the ongoing threat of windmills; the foul state of traffic medians; the speed with which water flows; and the attempts at securing peace deals for as many as seven international wars, a number that seems to grow by the day.”
Washington Post: In marathon meeting, Trump enjoys a playbook more familiar abroad.
Democrats Weigh Mini-Convention Before Midterms
“Senior Democratic officials want to hold a rare national convention before the 2026 midterms to showcase candidates and emerging leaders of the party,” Axios reports.
“The event — a smaller version of the national conventions the party holds in presidential election years — would allow the party to fundraise and get media attention as it tries to win back both chambers of Congress next year.”
“It also could create a national stage for Democrats running in key House, Senate and governors’ races to frame their arguments against President Trump and his MAGA Republicans.”
Trump Knee-Caps America’s Institutions
“President Trump is gradually testing, stretching and gutting the independence of America’s major institutions, leaving few stones unturned in his pursuit of unchecked power,” Axios reports.
“In Trump’s vision of America, authority flows only from his consent.“
“In just seven months, Trump has consolidated vast power by following a simple playbook: Capture what he can, contest what he can’t and punish those who resist.”
Full Weight of Tariffs Slams Into India
“President Trump on Wednesday followed through on his threat to impose a 50 percent tariff on nearly all goods arriving from India, leveling one of his most punitive tariffs at a country with deep ties to the United States,” the New York Times reports.
“The 50 percent rate, half of which is punishment for India’s buying Russian oil, is expected to damage many Indian exporters that collectively employ millions of people. The move could rupture America’s expanding economic relationship with India, where two-thirds of the largest U.S. corporations have offshore operations. The tariff also undermines the stability of billions of dollars of foreign investment in India’s stock market, the world’s fourth largest.”
Democrats Desperate to Turn the Page
ABC News: “The Democrats are in a tough stretch. Their fundraising and voter registration lags Republicans. And polls show American voters find the party generally unfavorable.”
“But at this week’s Democratic National Committee summer meeting in Minneapolis, members are desperate to turn a page, shed a rudderless reputation, and more clearly define their platform as they look to deliver wins in upcoming governor’s races and the midterms next year.”
Florida Is Next Target for GOP Redistricting
“Florida could be the next big target for Republicans to redraw their congressional lines to their advantage, with plans in the works to potentially target three to five House seats currently held by Democrats before the 2026 midterm elections,” CBS News reports.
Trump Pushes Indiana Republicans on New Map
“President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure campaign to get Indiana Republicans to gerrymander their state appeared to have some success Tuesday,” Politico reports.
“Vice President JD Vance urged more than 55 Indiana Republicans to push forward with redistricting during a long-planned meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, according to three people familiar with the matter and, like others in this article, was given anonymity to discuss a politically sensitive meeting.”
Cracker Barrel Reverses Logo Decision
President Trump celebrated after Cracker Barrel backed down following the president’s comments on the controversy over its new logo.
Jack Smith’s Legal Team Fires Back
“Lawyers for Jack Smith, the former special counsel who investigated Donald J. Trump, have struck back for the first time against some of the accusations conservatives have leveled against him, denouncing an ethics complaint as ‘imaginary and unfounded,’” the New York Times reports.
“For months, Mr. Smith has remained silent as the president and some of his senior advisers, including top Justice Department officials, publicly attacked him, accusing Mr. Smith of engaging in wrongdoing for overseeing two criminal inquiries and indictments of Mr. Trump. The investigations involved whether Mr. Trump mishandled classified documents after he left office as well as his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.”
Americans Don’t Like Troops in D.C.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds just 38% of Americans support President Trump’s use of troops to police Washington, D.C.
Set Your 2026 Expectations
A new Doug Sosnik memo and slide deck points out that while Democrats would normally be in a strong position to make major gains in the midterm elections, “it is unlikely that they will have anywhere near the level of success that the out-of-power party has had in previous midterm elections with such an unpopular incumbent president.”
Playbook explains: “In the current Congress, a whopping 419 members of the House are from the same party as the presidential candidate who won their district. The result: way fewer races are competitive these days, ‘which narrows the opportunity for the Democrats to fully benefit politically even if support for Trump and the Republicans implodes.’”
Trump Jump Starts the 2028 Campaign
Politico: “While Democratic senators and representatives struggle for impact in Trump’s trifecta — bladder-busting 25-hour speeches aside — and party bigwigs tie themselves in knots over dismal funding and poll numbers, it’s a band of combative Democratic governors who’ve grabbed the opportunity to make waves. That opportunity has been afforded them by none other than the president of the United States, whose method of turning the page on the Jeffrey Epstein saga this summer has been a high-profile assault on their cities.”
“And here’s the bottom line: It’s working pretty well for Trump — but it’s working for these guys too.”
Iowa Democrat Wins Big Upset
The Downballot: “Iowa Democrat Catelin Drey won a major upset on Tuesday night, flipping a deep-red seat in the state Senate and breaking the GOP’s supermajority in the chamber.”
“Drey defeated Republican Christopher Prosch by a wide 55-44 margin in a district Donald Trump carried by 11 points last year.”
“It’s the second conservative district that Iowa Republicans have lost in the legislature this year, and the results will further buoy Democratic hopes for similar victories in contests for governor and the U.S. Senate in 2026.”
