“President Trump doubled down Tuesday on his claim to the Strait of Hormuz on behalf of America, posting a revised map of the area on social media that labeled the waterway ‘new U.S. territory,'” the New York Post reports.
“Trump posted the image on his Truth Social site, before claiming in subsequent posts that the area had been cleared of Iranian mines and no further talks with the Islamic Republic were scheduled.”
“President Donald Trump said he won’t try to revive a stalled truce with Iran, leaving the simmering conflict in the Middle East and a tussle for control of the Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo,” Bloomberg reports.
“Russia warned that the UK would face ‘consequences for which it will have to answer’ after reports that Kyiv used drones made by British companies to carry out strikes inside Russian territory,” Bloomberg reports.
You already know the problem: the same story can look completely different depending on where you read it — and some barely show up at all because algorithms decide what you see.
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“South Korea’s president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt order to ‘substantially reduce’ joint military exercises,” the Associated Press reports.
CNBC: South Korea must brace for “worst-case scenario,” President Lee says, as Trump cuts military drills.
“A series of severe heatwaves and prolonged droughts have turned many European riverbeds into barren sandscapes this summer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Major arteries for trade and agriculture across the continent—including the Rhine, Danube and Po—are now at record low levels, disrupting freight transportation, forcing nuclear power plants to shut reactors and eroding agricultural productivity.”
“President Trump has a new rule for America’s partners: Cross him in one theater, and the consequences will follow you into the next,” Axios reports.
“Trump has spent his second term battering U.S. allies, humiliating their leaders and using decades-old security relationships to settle personal and political scores.”
”The Iran war has only deepened those impulses: Trump is growing angrier at allies that stayed out of the conflict — and punishing them as he struggles to end it.”
Stephen Collinson: “As Donald Trump’s critics see it, he’s striking out badly on foreign policy.”
“But the president is still taking mighty swings.”
“His long-broken memorandum of understanding with Iran reached its 60-day expiration date on Monday. Instead of celebrating a nuclear deal that might have justified his war, Trump vented his frustration by finding some of America’s friends to punish and rekindling his relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.”
“President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea does not just slight a longtime ally but raises broader concerns about the security interests of the United States in Asia and elsewhere,” the Associated Press reports.
“Trump explained his decision by citing South Korea’s refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea’s reclusive dictator, a transactional and personal approach to foreign policy that has defined the Republican’s presidency.”
“The last time President Trump vowed to halt a country’s nuclear weapons program, he held three face-to-face meetings with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, declared that the two men had developed a ‘great relationship’ and walked away empty-handed,” the New York Times reports.
“That was in Mr. Trump’s first term. Not only did the diplomatic effort fail, but Mr. Kim immediately hit the accelerator on his program and today possesses roughly 60 nuclear weapons, by some estimates, as well as missiles that appear capable of reaching the United States — exactly the combination Mr. Trump had vowed to dismantle.”
“For months now, proliferation experts have questioned whether Mr. Trump could also end up walking away from his efforts to check Iran’s nuclear program — especially now that he appears to be more focused on getting the Strait of Hormuz open than on dealing with Iran’s stockpiles of uranium, which are buried under rubble after the United States bombed them in June 2025.”
“The White House for weeks promised that Iran was close to signing a nuclear deal and that Oman could be helpful in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny Gulf nation suddenly found itself at the center of the effort to end the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“This deal, however, has proved elusive. And President Trump’s frustration with this standoff prompted him to threaten to bomb Oman on Monday, as he alleged the country might be standing in the way of an agreement.”
Said Trump: “I don’t think they behaved very well, but we’d handle them very easily just like we do others.”
Mother Jones: Trump burns allies over Iran. South Korea and Oman are next.
“Russia is shipping drone components, ammunition and TNT to Iran through the Caspian Sea, helping Tehran replenish stockpiles damaged in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes,” NBC News reports.
“The Russian shipments, which have not been previously reported, underscore the deepening strategic alliance between Moscow and Tehran. With both countries embroiled in separate wars, they have stepped up their cooperation as they confront a common enemy in the U.S.”
Jared Kushner told Fox News that President Trump “doesn’t wanna rush to a deal” with Iran to end the war, admitting: “We are not there yet.”
New York Times: “A year ago, it could take days for satellite imagery to get to frontline troops, slowed by less sophisticated technology and layers of command structure. That made it difficult to hit targets that can move locations, like troops in a house, with long-range drone strikes. Now, a support team monitoring the house provided the drone operators a fresh satellite image showing the car in the driveway, an indication the Russians were there.”
“The USS George Washington’s deployment from Japan to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln will leave the U.S. without an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific — just as adversaries in the area are flexing their military power,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: Temporary carrier gaps are not uncommon, but the absence of a striker ship in the Pacific highlights how the Middle East is once again dictating American military policy. It also has raised questions about how the U.S. can sustain a formidable presence in both regions.”
“President Donald Trump is providing Russian President Vladimir Putin a window of opportunity to break apart NATO, analysts fear, even as the Kremlin searches for an elusive path to victory in its grinding war of attrition against Ukraine,” Rolling Stone reports.
“American actions are accumulating into an existential crisis for the alliance. Trump and members of his administration continue to openly signal their contempt for allies and unwillingness to defend Europe, as the U.S. becomes bogged down in a costly war against Iran with no apparent exit. Putin may be emboldened by the increasingly strained relationship between NATO and its most important member nation.”
“Intelligence reports from multiple countries have long warned that Russia may be ready to widen the Ukraine war into a direct test of NATO’s resolve.”
“Colombia President Abelardo de la Espriella named former Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo his new ambassador to the U.S. as he seeks to rebuild ties after years of tensions under his predecessor,” Bloomberg reports.
“Her appointment comes days after De la Espriella spoke with Trump and asked him to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian goods to help businesses recover from the devastating Aug. 10 earthquake.”
Simon Shuster: “Western military planners do not seem eager to talk about their nightmare scenario, much less prepare for it. But they tend to agree on how it would begin: a coordinated, near-simultaneous attack on opposite sides of the planet, in which Russia targets a NATO member in Eastern Europe while China makes its move against Taiwan.”
“The U.S. military would need to react on two fronts at once—three if it remains at war in the Middle East.”
“Until recently, this possibility sat at the more outlandish end of the threat spectrum, somewhere between a loose nuke and an alien invasion. Synchronized attacks would require a conspiracy too big for Beijing and Moscow to hide. Satellites would see their forces getting into position, giving the United States and its allies time to rally their defenses.”
“The United States and Canada are inching closer to a deal to avert the imposition of punitive 50 percent tariffs on such Canadian products as hockey sticks, wine and cement,” the Washington Post reports.
“Details remain fluid, and recent talks were contentious ahead of an early-Wednesday deadline. But the emerging accord could pair Canadian tariff concessions along with commitments on energy, defense and critical minerals in return for the U.S. agreeing to shelve President Donald Trump’s new Section 338 tariffs and relax levies on steel and aluminum.”
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.
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