“The Iran war is undermining the Pentagon’s ability to project power in other regions of the world — and leaving allies and former defense officials questioning whether Washington can effectively deter its adversaries,” Politico reports. “To focus resources in the Middle East, the Pentagon has pulled key air defenses and its last remaining aircraft carrier […]

“Autism groups and researchers have reacted with alarm to a federal research roadmap drawn up by advisers handpicked by the U.S. health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, fearing it will promote unproven fringe therapies at the expense of promising genetic research,” The Guardian reports. “A slew of scientific bodies and groups within the autism community […]

Peter Wehner: “The ferocity of the response to Jon Ossoff reveals something deeper about the world of Trump supporters.”

“Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that a return to diplomatic negotiations with the U.S. is not out of the question, as Tehran set out its conditions for the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz,” CNBC reports.

“President Donald Trump is fanning out his Cabinet across the country to sell his accomplishments and shore up key constituencies ahead of the midterms,” Politico reports. “It isn’t quite working out that way.” “Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited New Hampshire last week to tout natural gas pipelines and got hit with questions about $4 gasoline […]

“Hungary’s parliament elected an academic with no legal training to head a flagship authority created by Peter Magyar’s government to map and help prosecute suspected misappropriation during former leader Viktor Orban’s tenure,” Bloomberg reports.

NBC News: “Reputable, nonpartisan polls conducted over the last few weeks have found Trump’s approval rating on his handling of Iran ranges from 25% to 35%. A July Fox News poll found that 34% of registered voters approved of Trump’s handling of Iran, roughly in line with CNBC’s July poll, which found 35% approval. A […]

“You probably haven’t seen much of Brian Schatz on cable news or the Sunday shows, but he’s in line to soon change the face of Senate Democrats,” Bloomberg reports. “The 53-year-old Hawaii senator is on track to become the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber next year, bringing a fresh and younger voice to the […]

“For the last six months, President Trump has attempted to control the narrative of the Iran war,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “As days, weeks and months passed, he repeatedly said that an agreement to end the conflict was close at hand and that Iran was already defeated. Between fraught negotiations, Trump has gone from […]

“Republicans will have some stiff competition for eyeballs when they hold their first-ever midterm convention next month in Dallas — the NFL, American television’s undisputed champion of ratings,” Axios reports. “The GOP’s Sept. 9-10 convention in Dallas will go head-to-head with the two opening games of the NFL season, which are expected to draw huge […]

“Nearly two-thirds of South Koreans want the country to have its own nuclear weapons, a poll showed, underscoring concerns about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees after President Donald Trump unilaterally curtailed joint military exercises with Seoul,” Bloomberg reports.

“The Strait of Hormuz has been Iran’s most powerful card since the start of the war in late February. But over the past two months, U.S. officials say the American military has steadily eroded Iran’s leverage over the crucial waterway,” Axios reports. “What began six months ago with the goal of degrading Iran’s missile capabilities […]

NOTUS: “Donald Trump’s supporters are shouldering more of the pain at the pump, even if they’re not complaining about it as much. Gas prices are up, on average, more than a buck since the Iran war began, and Americans are ponying up more to fill the tank — but they’re not suffering equally.” “About 87% […]

“A pair of polls released early this week reaffirmed the conventional wisdom in two key races: Democratic governors in Arizona and Pennsylvania appear headed for victory,” NOTUS reports. “And the margins in those polls suggested the potential for the type of coattails that could boost Democrats to down-ballot victories and a House majority.”

A quick programming note: There won’t be a new episode of Trial Balloon for members this week due to some logistical issues. Chris and I will be back with a new episode next week. Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more. If you’re already a member, […]

“An effort to inscribe President Trump’s name on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was stalled on Thursday when a federal judge asked officials to delay the project while he considered a legal objection from a Democratic lawmaker,” the New York Times reports. “The center had said it planned to add the […]

“Candidates with a history of denying the 2020 election results are on the ballot in states across the country this fall, running for the position of secretary of state. If they win, they would be uniquely positioned to exert control over their states’ elections,” NOTUS reports. “At least three presidential battlegrounds — Nevada, Arizona and […]

“Congressional Democrats are preparing for a new kind of midterm challenge: the risk that President Trump will attempt to undermine November’s elections by claiming fraud or interfering in the voting process,” NPR reports. “At the center of their effort is a task force of at least 11 senators, as well as staff and a constellation […]

“For more than a year, the National Park Service has been quietly working to fulfill an unprecedented directive from Trump officials: Parcel off a corner of Yosemite National Park to give to a private developer,” NOTUS reports.

“Abdul El-Sayed’s latest ads showcase his Michigan roots, including his stepmother’s white Presbyterian parents and a photo from his suburban high-school football days,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “For Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, a central challenge heading to the midterms is convincing people his progressive politics are compatible with the mainstream in a purple […]

“The day after President Donald Trump launched the war in Iran on Feb. 28, he said the fight could last four to five weeks. Six months later, there is little to suggest the end is near,” the Washington Post reports. ”The Iran war has become a major challenge to Trump’s second term, buffeting his standing […]

“Shawn Fain, the United Automobile Workers president, embarked on a re-election bid this year with much to brag about,” the New York Times reports. “He had secured substantial contracts with top automakers, organized Volkswagen workers in Tennessee, and expanded the union’s ranks and political clout. After years of waning influence, the UAW seemed poised for […]

“Gas at the pump costs 40% more than it did before the Iran war began in February, according to the Energy Information Administration. And whether you’re a die-hard Democrat or red-blooded Republican or somewhere in between, everyone pays directly or indirectly for that hike,” NOTUS reports. “Historically, this would be awful news for the White […]

“A federal judge on Thursday once again temporarily prohibited the U.S. Postal Service from putting in place a plan to restrict mail-in voting, put in place after a directive from President Trump,” the New York Times reports. “Federal District Judge Indira Talwani had cleared the way for the Postal Service to forward just the day […]

“The U.S. military is experiencing a ‘beyond critical’ shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack,” the Associated Press reports.

“A federal judge ruled late Thursday that the Trump administration violated Anthropic’s First Amendment rights by blacklisting the artificial-intelligence company as a supply-chain risk,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California mostly sided with Anthropic in a final ruling on the company’s March lawsuit against […]

“It used to be that a new report of budgetary red ink would touch off a political crisis in Washington. There would be speeches and news conferences and blue-ribbon commissions and legislation and brinkmanship over how to get the nation’s fiscal house in order,” the New York Times reports. “But when the national debt topped […]

“Some U.S. companies with close ties to President Trump are taking steps to gain favor with Democrats, worried they will become targets if Republicans lose control of the House,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Big tech companies, in particular those that made major donations to Trump’s legacy projects, are preparing for congressional and even potential […]

“President Donald Trump’s $400-million super PAC is taking its first steps into the general election: hosting a public event in battleground Michigan, headlined by Vice President JD Vance,” Politico reports. “Battleground Republicans have been clamoring for Trump’s MAGA Inc. to spend in competitive races. The Michigan event is an early indicator of how the massive […]

“Joe Biden discussed the possibility of granting President Trump a pardon in a bedtime conversation with his wife, Jill, according to Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox,” the New York Post reports. “In an anecdote from his upcoming book, the governor revealed that he pitched Biden on the idea of pardoning Trump back in August 2023 […]