“President Donald Trump will convene a cabinet meeting later today at his Camp David retreat as he grapples with how to resolve his war against Iran,” The Guardian reports.
Associated Press: Trump is holding Friday’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David.
“President Donald Trump said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ‘should be immediately approved’ as his permanent pick for for the role and defended a controversial $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization fund’ that’s at the crux of why the nomination has not yet moved forward,” CNN reports.
“The economic impact of U.S. attacks on Iran has increased, as widespread shortages and blackouts indicate, after President Donald Trump’s move to strikes on key infrastructure,” the Washington Post reports.
”For months, Iranians reported relatively few economy-altering disruptions in the face of U.S. and Israeli attacks, despite thousands of airstrikes and a weeks-long naval blockade by U.S. forces. But that has changed over the past month, as U.S. attacks triggered power outages, water and fuel shortages, and trade slowdowns.”
“President Donald Trump has a choice: allow changes to a controversial court settlement and secure the confirmation of his former personal lawyer as attorney general, or thumb his nose at a pair of his few remaining Republican critics in Congress. True to form, he is giving no ground — so far,” Politico reports.
Bloomberg: Trump puts immunity from probes over his fight for Todd Blanche.
“President Donald Trump hasn’t ruled out deploying troops or federal agents to polling places in November. Democrats are preparing for how to respond in case that happens,” NOTUS reports.
“Democratic lawmakers, wary of various potential disruptions to the midterm elections, conducted closed-door tabletop exercises last week that included the possibility of armed federal personnel dispatched near polling places.”
“The Trump administration is in the middle of finding out that it’s very hard — maybe even impossible — to regulate perceived ‘wokeness’ in artificial intelligence,” NOTUS reports.
“The government’s main procurement agency is a year into trying to translate President Donald Trump’s ban on ‘woke’ AI into contracting language, and technology companies are pouring out in opposition to what they’ve come up with.”
“President Trump has three go-to moves for GOP senators who frustrate him: persuade them when he can, ignore them when he must and bully them at will,” Axios reports.
“The approach doesn’t always produce results. But it almost always provides drama.”
“Almost every night in the White House, President Trump calls his fundraiser, Meredith O’Rourke, for an update,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Trump asks O’Rourke which companies and donors have cut checks and which haven’t, and for how much. He often asks her to make much larger financial requests than she was planning—for some donors the ask is $5 million, for others it is $50 million. And the president gives her names to call, often including people who have recently met with him.”
“Not long after Senator John Cornyn lost his re-election bid to a right-wing challenger backed by President Trump, the Texas Republican predicted that the remainder of his Senate tenure might be a ‘pretty bumpy ride’ for the president. He warned that he and other lame-duck senators had ‘some cards to play’ and would not hesitate to use them,” the New York Times reports.
“This week, depending on the metaphor you prefer, Mr. Cornyn either made himself a giant senatorial pothole or laid his hand on the table.”
Politico: Trump: “Maybe John Cornyn is upset with me.”
“President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory,” the Associated Press reports.
“Neither Hamas nor Israel gave immediate indication that they had agreed.”
New York Times: Trump claims peace board has plan for Gaza disarmament.
“The Trump administration’s bid to dismantle the Education Department was rebuked on Thursday by the Senate education committee, which approved a bipartisan bill that would block the executive branch from gutting the agency,” the New York Times reports.
“The legislation faces a long road to becoming law. Competing legislation in the House would instead codify many of the administration’s actions, and President Trump is unlikely to sign into law a measure that directly undermines his policy agenda.”
Politico: Senate education committee blocks parts of Trump’s Education Department breakup.
“President Donald Trump wants Congress to add tariffs on Iran to a sanctions bill against Russia and Tehran that has bipartisan support,” CNBC reports.
“Those duties would have little effect because the U.S. imports nearly nothing from Iran. But tacking them on to the bill may torpedo its chances of becoming law.”
“The U.S. State Department will now offer passports featuring President Donald Trump’s image on the inside cover at special events across the United States,” CNN reports.
“The commemorative passports, which show a stone-faced Trump leaning over the Resolute Desk above his signature on the inside cover, were first announced in the spring and billed as limited editions to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary featuring ‘customized artwork and enhanced imagery.'”
“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met Thursday afternoon with Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) — the key holdouts on his nomination as permanent AG,” Politico reports.
“It took place just hours after President Donald Trump indicated he would not give in to demands made by Cornyn and Tillis to modify his May settlement agreement with the IRS — a central demand of the two senators to allow Blanche through the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Axios: The major controversies stalling Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination.
“A senior health official with the State Department presenting at an international AIDS conference in Brazil this week used a map of Africa to illustrate U.S. government funding for HIV programs on the continent,” the New York Times reports.
“There was only one problem. The map incorrectly identified several African countries.”
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a high-level video call with China’s vice premier to prepare for the September visit of its president, Xi Jinping,” Axios reports.
“The call sets the stage for President Trump and Xi to sign future trade deals between the U.S. and China.”
“With three months remaining until election day, there is now little the Trump administration can do to bring relief to Americans battered by years of stagnant wages and steep inflation before they hit the polls, experts say — complicating midterm campaigning for Republicans and sharpening the opportunity for Democrats to win back some control in Washington,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“That’s in part because the Trump administration has very few levers to turn the tide in such a short period, and has shown little interest in using those it does have, experts said. Rather, President Trump has persisted in waging war in Iran and pushed forward with new tariffs on trade partners despite both contributing to soaring costs for food, gas and other basic necessities.”
“After another night of massive strikes on Iran, the U.S. is once again facing a conundrum: escalate the conflict in retaliation for Iran’s attacks on U.S. assets, or focus on restocking strained munitions and calming turmoil in global energy markets,” Bloomberg reports.
“Neither tack promises a quick end to the five-month war. President Donald Trump has been unable to force Iranian capitulation, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, or a meaningful return to diplomatic talks. And the U.S. faces an uphill battle to reload resources as domestic support for the war wanes.”
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.