“The U.S. and Iran are negotiating over a three-page plan to end the war, with one element under discussion being that the U.S. would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in return for Iran giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium,” Axios reports.
Trump Rewrites the History of January 6
“Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, his administration has enthusiastically — and steadily — embraced his campaign to try to rewrite the story of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump immediately granted a blanket pardon to nearly everyone charged or convicted in connection with the attack, calling them ‘patriots.’ Earlier this year, his White House posted a falsehood-strewn retelling of that day.”
“Then, this week, his administration moved to vacate some of the last remaining and most serious criminal convictions stemming from the riot.”
Quote of the Day
“Does anybody actually know what the hell is in this thing?”
— Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), quoted by Punchbowl News on the FISA bill, after some proposed changes were written in by hand at the last minute.
Iran Peace Deal Could Take 6 Months
“Some Gulf Arab and European leaders believe that a US-Iran peace deal will take about six months to be agreed and that the warring sides should extend their ceasefire to cover that timeframe,” Bloomberg reports.
Ken Paxton Holds Solid Lead Over John Cornyn
A new Texas Public Opinion Research survey in finds Ken Paxton (R) leads Sen. John Cornyn (R) in their U.S. Senate runoff, 48% to 40% with 11% undecided.
Key takeaway: A Trump endorsement isn’t enough to flip the race. If Trump endorses Cornyn, Paxton still leads 45% to 42%. A Trump endorsement of Paxton would widen his lead to 55% to 35%. 49% of likely Republican runoff voters say a Trump endorsement would not influence their vote at all or not much.
The Scapegoat Scam
Adam Serwer: “The Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán, who lost his election in a landslide on Sunday after 16 years in power, presented himself as a defender of Western civilization. But at best, his lofty rhetoric was a code for bigotry and a justification for the persecution of minorities; at worst, it was a scam to fleece Hungarians by persuading them to blame everyone but those responsible for their problems. Maybe both.”
“Eventually Hungarians decided that a major source of their problems was Orbán himself. Maybe someday Americans will come to a similar realization about Orbán’s great admirer, Donald Trump, who praised the former Hungarian leader before the election as a ‘fantastic man’ who had done a ‘fantastic job.'”
“Orbánism was, more or less, a model for what Trump and the Republican Party are trying to do in the United States.”
RFK Jr.’s New Normal
Tom Bartlett: “Kennedy recently seems to be steering clear of public statements about vaccines because the White House fears that his anti-vaccine agenda will tank Republicans in the midterms. Instead, he’s touted the government’s new inverted food pyramid and the return of whole milk to school cafeterias…”
“This more restrained version of Kennedy is appearing as the Trump administration is making moves to tamp down turmoil at HHS.”
Senate GOP Losing Patience with Mike Johnson
NewsNation: “Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) decision not to put a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security on the House floor for a vote as they fear the White House could soon run out of money to pay federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown.”
Xi Gains Global Weight Just by Not Being Trump
“After peace talks between the US and Iran floundered last weekend, leaders from all corners of the globe rushed to speak to one man: Xi Jinping,” Bloomberg reports.
“China’s president had his busiest week in nearly two years, excluding major summits, as he welcomed at least five high-profile officials.”
Progressives Launch Affordability Listening Tour
“A number of progressive lawmakers are heading out on a multistate listening tour focused on affordability and voters’ concerns about the rising cost of living,” NOTUS reports.
Trump Says Gas Prices Are ‘Not Very High’
“President Donald Trump on Thursday brushed aside concerns about much higher gas prices because of the Iran war, even as a new poll showed that most U.S. voters blame him for the pump price spike,” CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “Well, they are not very high.”
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Democrats May Force Daily Votes on Iran War Powers
“A group of House Democrats is discussing plans to force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution every day until one finally passes or U.S. operations in the region end,” Axios reports.
“It’s the kind of showy flood-the-zone tactic that the Democratic grassroots is constantly trying to get the party’s lawmakers to pursue in resisting the Trump administration.”
Trump Fumes Over Ballroom Pause
“President Trump and his senior aides had planned to shift focus on Thursday to the kind of domestic policy plans that could excite voters ahead of the midterm elections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Then a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered a halt to the construction of Trump’s ballroom.”
“The ruling infuriated the president, setting off a string of social-media posts that overshadowed the administration’s efforts to refocus on his marquee accomplishments, such as the ‘no tax on tips’ deduction, which is popular with many voters.”
Republicans Can’t Stop Fighting Each Other
Punchbowl News: “An audacious play by Speaker Mike Johnson to pass a five-year extension of Section 702 of FISA failed spectacularly just before 1:30 a.m., leaving House GOP leaders firmly stuck over how to address concerns from rank-and-file Republicans on the surveillance program.”
“House Republicans saved face — kind of — with a unanimous consent passage of a two-week extension of FISA authorities. But that wasn’t before the Johnson-authored compromise was rejected by a dozen Republicans.”
Trump Bets Economic Pain Will Force Iran to Reopen Strait
“An intensifying U.S. naval blockade of Iran is aimed at inflicting such severe economic pain that Tehran will be compelled to submit quickly to Washington’s demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear ambitions,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“With crude exports from Iranian ports effectively stopped up, the country will be deprived of a large chunk of its oil revenue. It could also be forced to start shutting down oil wells within weeks as it runs out of storage space, a costly and damaging prospect that could impair production for years to come.”
Trump Ditches Deportation Showmanship
“The Trump administration is discarding its shock-and-awe publicity tactics on immigration after mass deportations were met with mass backlash,” Axios reports.
“The White House has become allergic to the edgy memes, embedded camera crews and cosplaying officials that dominated former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure.”
White House Shrugs Off Shaky Economy
“Roughly seven weeks into the war with Iran, investors have shrugged off the sky-high price of oil, sending the S&P 500 this week to a fresh record high,” the New York Times reports.
“That exuberance on Wall Street has offered a sharp contrast with the hardships facing many Americans, who are feeling the financial blowback of a conflict that President Trump once promised would be brief but seems to have no end in sight.”
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