This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 201

… Trump made another deranged post on Truth Social showing himself as the character in Apocalypse Now played by Robert Duvall with this caption: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”

.. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded: “The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump.”

… IL Gov. J.B. Pritzker: “The President of United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

… CA Gov Gavin Newsom: “The President of the United States is deploying the military onto US streets and using our troops like political pawns. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME NUMB TO THIS.”

… IL Sen Tammy Duckworth posted: “Take off that Cavalry hat, you draft dodger. You didn’t earn the right to wear it. Stolen valor at its worst.”

… Duckworth then later on CBS: "Let's make it clear - the President of the United States essentially just declared war on a major city in his own nation. This is not normal. This is not acceptable behavior."

… WaPo: “The alumni association at the US Military Academy at West Point has canceled an award ceremony for actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks. Hanks was to receive the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an ‘outstanding citizen’ who did not attend West Point and has a distinguished record of service that exemplifies the academy’s ideals: ‘Duty, Honor, Country.’ A ceremony and parade were scheduled for Sept. 25.”

… Donald Trump Jr: “Great to see Secretary of the Army holding the line for Donald Trump to make our Military strong again. West Point should be focused on training the next generation of war fighters, not celebrating woke leftwing celebrities with awards!!!”

… The Dept of Defense posted a video featuring Pete Hegseth which claimed that he was the “recipient of the bronze star medal for valor.” AP’s Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin called them out: “Public records of his service show Hegseth was awarded two Bronze stars but neither were ‘for valor’ - a specific distinction that comes with special devices for the award.”

… DOD later deleted it.

… JD Vance was on Lara Trump’s show on Fox, where he said this about the Draft Dodger in Chief: “It would not have shocked me if I had learned your father-in-law was in the Marine Corps. Of course he didn't serve in the Marines, but he has a Marine Corps style of leadership.”

… As a Marine myself, I can say this is an absolutely asinine and repulsive statement.

… NYT’s Kurt Eichenwald: “Trump continues to show he is an idiot with absolutely no knowledge of American history or the history of our Armed Forces. Pumpkinhead declares that the Department of War was renamed the Department of Defense because it was ‘woke.’ In fact DOW was NEVER renamed DOD. DOW was renamed in 1947 as the National Military Enterprise only one reason: The armed forces were being unified for the first time.”

… “The Department of War only oversaw the Army and later the Navy. With the introduction of the Air Force, Truman - and the GOP Congress decided they needed to consolidate all of the civilian leadership of each branch into one entity. Keeping something with the same name when it was a different beast struck Republicans and Democrats as foolish. So they renamed it.”

… Vance then posted this on X about the summary execution of 11 people on a boat off the coast of Venezuela by the US military: “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” When someone replied that it was a war crime, Vance responded: “I don’t give a shit what you call it.”

… Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) responded: “JD ‘I don’t give a shit’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”

… Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on CBS: "It was an illegal move by the Trump admin. There's a thing called due process in this country and that needed to have happened. And the fact it happened in international waters actually opens Americans to a similar action by our adversaries. He's setting a precedent here that puts Americans in danger."

… Vance also posted this: “Democrats: let’s send your kids to die in Russia. Republicans: actually let’s protect our people from the scum of the earth.”

… This one of Vance’s favorite gaslighting tactics. He loves to create fictitious positions that Democrats are supposedly taking when no Democrat actually did. Nobody is saying that US troops should be used to invade Russia. But he claims that they are saying that to use a straw man to defend his own admin’s war crimes.

… Vance is the point man for the admin on the midterm elections, where he is expected to campaign around the country for Republican candidates. Lara asked him about it: “The bad news is, one of the pollsters once told me that anger usually wins midterm elections and because we done so much of what we said we are going to do, people are angry.”

… Gavin Newsom responded: “JD Vance admits his policies are wildly unpopular on national television.”

… There were two big protests in Chicago and DC of Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities. The DC march drew an enormous crowd.

… Fox had Deportation Czar Tom Homan on, and they were pushing a fake narrative that the protesters were being paid: Q - “Are these protesters actually being financed from the outside, and is that something Homeland Security is looking at - the financing of how these so-called organic protests are happening? Homan: Absolutely, they will be prosecuted too.”

… Chicago brought out a Trump piñata and people took turns beating it with a bat.

… FL Surgeon Gen Joseph Ladapo was on CNN defending their decision to abandon mandatory childhood vaccines: Q - “Hepatitis A, whooping cough, and chickenpox cases are rising in FL. Before you made this decision to try to lift vaccine mandates, did your department do any data analysis of how many new cases of these diseases there will be with no vaccine mandates? Ladopo: Absolutely not. Q - You didn't even do a projection? Ladopo: It's an issue of parents’s rights.”

… Ladapo then used an argument that is certainly interesting given FL’s strict abortion ban: “Is it appropriate for a govt to dictate to you what you should put in your body. No, it is not appropriate. You have soverignty over your body.”

… MD Gov Wes Moore was asked on NBC about FL’s new vaccine policy: "We are not going to give in to conspiracy theorists. I do feel for people in these other states who are having to go through this chaos and having conspiracy theorists who are continuing to drive your vaccine policies. And my message to them would be to come to Maryland."

… Former NJ Gov Chris Christie on ABC was asked about Sen. Bill Cassidy’s questioning of RFK Jr this week at a Senate hearing: “I really don’t want to hear about Cassidy because he is a coconspirator with the President for putting this wholly unqualified man in charge. Without Cassidy’s vote, RFK JR, would not be in office.”

… RFK Jr. was on Fox this weekend: Q - “What would you say is the last great success that our govt public health agencies have had? RFK Jr: I don't think there have been successes. We have seen a 30-40 year decline in the agency.”

… Trump’s former Surgeon General Jerome Adams: “I was asked on CNN if I felt Trump should fire RFK. I didn’t intend to make such a statement, but also felt compelled to answer honestly. Leadership means showing up, telling the truth, and putting people first. RFK hasn’t done that. Instead of building trust in vaccines and lifesaving innovations, RFK has spent his tenure attacking them- and insists we go backwards.”

… “RFK has made provably false statements under oath during Congressional testimony. That’s not just unethical if intentional (and if it not, it reflects willful ignorance)- it undermines public trust and violates the basic standards of public service. Vaccination rates are falling, and high-risk Americans are increasingly reporting barriers to getting vaccinated. RFK’s rhetoric has driven provider confusion and consumer hesitancy, putting lives at risk. America needs health leaders who save lives, not endanger them.”

… RFK is a distraction and liability. He’s derailing the President’s agenda and destroying his legacy. This isn’t political. It’s about protecting public health, restoring trust in science, and defending the credibility of the presidency. RFK has failed on all 3 counts. I support many of the chronic disease aspects of MAHA. But RFK has fixated more on conspiracy theories, attacking doctors, and making measles great again, than on nutrition and exercise. That’s why I honestly answered that I believe America deserves new HHS leadership.”

Reminder that we made the entire Weekend Bulletin available for free subscribers with about the first 30% of the daily Bulletins during the week readable for them.

The Hampton Beach Seafood Festival yesterday was really huge and pretty crowded. We went to the pavilion for the cooking class from the chef who won for Best Chowder. Then we bought a quart from him to take home for dinner. It was basically a lobster bisque base with sherry filled with different kinds of seafood. Pretty good.

If you missed the last Bulletin, you can find it here.

… NYT headline: “Trump Tried to Kill the Infrastructure Law. Now He’s Getting Credit for Its Projects. Signs bearing President Trump’s name have gone up at major construction projects financed by the 2021 law, which he strenuously opposed ahead of its passage.”

… Trump has been removing signs from the sites and switching out his name on the projects even though he told Republicans in Congress to vote against the bill that funded them.

… Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) was asked on ABC if he was concerned Trump admin may have tampered with the Epstein files: "It's a concern, but the victims’ lawyers have seen the files, as have many people who are career officials. So if they try to do something that's political, then many other people would call them out on it."

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was asked by ABC about Mike Johnson’s bizarre comments that Trump was hanging around Epstein so much because he was working as an FBI informant: "I don't know if the Speaker misspoke when he said Donald Trump was an informant - the Speaker needs to clarify that. And if it's a hoax, why was Donald Trump an informant to a hoax?"

… CNN on Trump’s vow to defeat Massie in the GOP primary next year: “Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are sending their clearest signals to date that their conservative colleague will have to fend for himself as Trump’s allies prepare to dump millions into Massie’s district to purge him from the NE KY district he’s represented for nearly 13 years. In interviews with CNN, 5 members of House GOP leadership declined to offer their backing for Massie’s reelection bid – and Johnson would not say if he’d support his colleague.”

… Johnson: “He is actively working against his team almost daily now and seems to enjoy that role. So he is, you know, deciding his own fate.”

… Massie responded to Johnson: “The speaker’s position depends on him rubber stamping, not just rubber stamping, but reinforcing anything Trump wants, even if Trump is wrong. So the speaker’s in a tough spot. I don’t see that I’m making their life hard at all, unless they think it’s hard, because they’re going to have to take a vote to put them on record. If that’s hard, I’m sorry, that’s your job.”

… “Trump and his political advisers are girding for a blockbuster primary fight next year. A pro-Trump super PAC called ‘MAGA Kentucky’ has reserved $1.6 million in ads this summer, according to AdImpact data reviewed by CNN. The group is being led by Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager, and pollster Tony Fabrizio. And there could be a lot more anti-Massie money to come. Pro-Israel groups like AIPAC also plan to spend big to oust Massie, who has a long history of voting against US support for Israel.”

… NBC: “DOJ asked a federal judge overseeing the case of Jeffrey Epstein to deny a request from NBC News to unseal the names of two associates who received large payments from him in 2018, court documents show. DOJ cited privacy concerns expressed by the two individuals as the reason for not making their names public.The first associate received a payment of $100,000 from Epstein and the second associate received a payment of $250,000, both in 2018, days after the Miami Herald began publishing a series of investigative stories where victims criticized a plea deal he received in Florida in 2008.”

… “As part of the plea agreement, Epstein secured a statement from federal prosecutors in FL that the two individuals would not be prosecuted. Prosecutors said in the filings that Epstein’s payments may be evidence of “efforts to influence witnesses. This course of action, and in particular its timing, suggests the defendant was attempting to further influence co-conspirators who might provide information against him in light of the recently re-emerging allegations.”

… Energy Secretary and former fracking company owner Chris Wright posted on X: “Wind and solar energy infrastructure is essentially worthless when it is dark outside, and the wind is not blowing.”

… His post was hit with yet another (he’s had a few lately) fact-check Community Note: “Solar and wind aren’t ‘worthless’ when it’s dark or calm. Their output is variable but very predictable. Grid-connected renewables use storage, geographic diversity, and backups to stay reliable. All generation types face downtime for maintenance, fuel, and safety.”

… Bounces: “An internal email sent by the US Tennis Assn leadership to US Open broadcasters requested that broadcasters censor any possible protests or other reactions to President Trump’s presence at Sunday’s US Open men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.”

… “The preemptive instructions outlined by the USTA in this email—asking broadcasters to censor and avoid any possible protest or negative crowd reaction to Trump for television audiences watching around the world—is further complicity in broadcasting Trump’s desired stagecraft for his first appearance at the US Open in a decade.”

… “Trump is planning to watch the US Open Men’s Singles Final from a suite as a ‘sponsor guest’. That unnamed sponsor is Rolex, the Swiss watchmaker which may be looking to curry favor with Trump during his visit to their luxury suite in hopes of lowering the high tariffs he has imposed on imports from Switzerland.”

… WaPo: “As companies wrestle with inflation, economic uncertainty and trade policy whiplash, many are shredding payrolls and shifting tasks to artificial intelligence while pulling in higher profits. Hardly any corner of the economy is untouched by jobs cuts and slowdown: Employment in all goods-producing industries slumped in Aug, with the deepest losses coming from manufacturing and mining. The service sector was racked by steep layoffs in business and professional services and IT.”

… “Meanwhile, layoff announcements keep piling up. Technology, retail, services and finance have borne the brunt of cuts, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a firm that tracks workforce reductions. Challenger estimates that employers announced more than 800,000 job cuts year to date, the highest Jan-to-Aug total since 2020, when pandemic-era downsizing pushed layoffs to record levels. Pharmaceutical companies, nonprofits and warehousing also have seen sharp increases, underscoring the breadth of pullback.”

… Trump’s economic team was back on the Sunday shows again lying about the economy and refusing to accept responsibility. Kevin Hassett continued to blame data collection from the Bureau of Labor Statistics while Bessent blamed the Fed. Bessent on Meet the Press: Q - “Goldman Sachs says 86% of the tariff revenue collected so far has been paid by American businesses and consumers. Do you acknowledge that these tariffs are a tax on American consumers? Bessent: No, I don't.”

… Q - “What do you say to companies like John Deere who say these tariffs are hurting them? Bessent: If you're quoting the NYT, that's not a fair observer. Q - These are statistics. This is about John Deere, not the NYT. Bessent: That's one company they have cherrypicked.”

… Q - “The president said the tariffs were gonna spark a manufacturing renaissance, but since he announced them in April the US has actually lost 42,000 manufacturing jobs. Are these numbers proof that the tariffs are failing? Bessent: It's been a couple of months. We can't snap our fingers and have factories built. Q - The economy did add nearly 500,000 manufacturing jobs under President Biden. Bessent: Most of the jobs created under the Biden admin went to illegal aliens.”

… Bessent on the terrible jobs report: "If in fact these numbers are true, it shows that President Trump was right about the Federal Reserve. They are too late, and because of the bad numbers they likely should have been cutting in June, if we believe the numbers. I believe by the 4th quarter, we are going to see a substantial acceleration."

… NBC: “South Korean workers detained during a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai facility in GA will be returned to S. Korea on a chartered flight. ICE agents arrested 475 people on Thursday — mostly S. Korean nationals — while executing a judicial search warrant as part of a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful employment at the facility. LG Energy Solution said Saturday that 47 of its employees were detained, 46 of them Korean. Another 250 personnel from ‘equipment partner companies,’ most of them Korean, were also being held.”

… Robert Kelly, political science professor in S. Korea: “This whole tangle is such perfect example of Trumpian greed, nativism, and incompetence: Trump wants ‘deals,’ not treaties or law, with trade partners. No one knows quite what a deal is, but that’s the whole point. It keeps the terms loose and vague so that Trump can renege. Trump doesn’t actually care about the details of SK investment; he just wants to market it as a ‘win’ on Fox. So the S Koreans are stuck with whatever thrown-together ‘framework’ emerges from the disorganized, competing interests within the Trump admin.”

… “The US visa system has been a mess for decades, and xenophobic MAGA wants it that way. So the SKs don’t know how to get in the needed work-force to operationalize Trump’s deal. They end up getting arrested, because Trump’s govt is a disunified, disorganized mess which can't prioritize or transmit clear guidance. Then ICE is filled with ‘patriots’ who don't care about any of this lawyerly stuff. MAGA loathes the higher education needed for Americans to do the jobs the SKs had to come over to do. So this situation will repeat itself. Perfect storm of Trumpism.”

… WaPo: “The number of Americans missing work for National Guard deployments or other military or civic duty is at a 19-year high, adding disruption to a labor market that’s already under strain. Between Jan-Aug, workers reported 90,000 instances of people missing at least a week of work because of military deployments, jury duty or other civil service. That is more than double the number of similar absences in the same 8-month period last year, and the highest level since 2006, when President Bush deployed the Guard to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Southwest US border in large numbers.”

… Newsweek: “The number of companies, including many of the country's most quintessentially American brands, have warned that growing anti-Americanism as a result of Trump's tariffs could end up hurting their success overseas. Experts believe that the trend, if it translates into a broad-based shift in consumer behavior, could prove to be a significant headwind for the companies while taking a significant toll on the broader US economy.”

… “Anti-Americanism has been on the rise globally, driven largely by the trade policies of the current admin that impacted countries' views as a critical threat to their exports and international trade more generally. According to business intelligence firm Morning Consult, Trump's tariff announcements in early April coincided with a ‘staggering upswing’ in global anti-American sentiment, which it said had already resulted in ‘steep drops in purchasing consideration’ for some US companies overseas.”

… Guardian: “Postal traffic into the US plunged by more than 80% after the Trump admin ended a tariff exemption for low-cost imports. 88 postal operators have told the United Postal Union that they have suspended some or all postal service to the US until a solution is implemented with regard to US-bound parcels valued at $800 or less, which had been the cutoff for imported goods to escape customs charges.”

… Statement from UPU: “The global network saw postal traffic to the US come to a near-halt after the implementation of the new rules on Aug 29, 2025, which for the first time placed the burden of customs duty collection and remittance on transportation carriers or US Customs and Border Protection agency-approved qualified parties.”

…”The UPU said information exchanged among postal operators through its electronic network showed traffic from its 192 member countries – nearly all the world countries – had fallen 81% on 29 Aug, compared with a week earlier.”

… Trump had his “grand opening” of his new ‘Rose Garden Club’ monstrosity at the White House this weekend. Mike Johnson: “Last night was epic. Thanks to President Trump for his hospitality and visionary leadership.”

… It’s the People’s House, not a private club for Trump’s cronies. At least it used to be.

… Fed Housing Finance Agency Dir Bill Pulte, who has been targeting Democrats with flimsy mortgage fraud allegations: “Just months before she took out bank loans with ‘lower than allowed’ INTEREST RATES, Dr. Lisa Cook was with the FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO to help decide where INTEREST RATES should go? Why would she care where rates went, if she got hers?”

… Economist Justin Wolfers responded: “The relentless dishonesty is revealing. This was a meeting of the *academic advisory council* of the Fed Reserve Bank of Chicago. Think: Nerds around a conference table. No, academics don't set rates. No, the Chicago Fed doesn't set rates. No, the Chicago Fed Prez didn't vote on rates in 2020. Pulte has uncovered incontrovertible evidence that a macroeconomist was asked to give macroeconomic advice, and they responded by giving macroeconomic advice, while owning a house.”

… Trump endorsed Ashley Hinson in the 2026 Iowa Senate race to fill the open seat of the retiring Joni Ernst. There are several Democrats running, but this pretty much locks up the Republican nomination for Hinson.

… Financial Times today: “Russia launched its largest mass aerial attack on Ukraine of the war, with 805 drones and 13 missiles at targets across the country. Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv was struck for first time in what Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha called ‘a serious escalation.’”

… After the attack, Zelensky pleaded with Trump to finally do something: “It has been repeatedly said in Washington that sanctions will follow a refusal to talk. The world can force the Kremlin criminals to stop the killings. All that is needed is political will.”

… Trump was asked today: "Are you ready to move to the second phase of sanctions against Russia? Trump: Yeah, I am."

… Maybe in two weeks.

… FT’s Ukraine war correspondent Christopher Miller: “Unclear what exactly these ‘second phase’ of sanctions against Russia are. And this is hardly the first time Trump has threatened to punish Russia for its attacks on Ukraine. Each threat has come and gone without action, leaving Kyiv and Western allies frustrated and doubtful about Trump's willingness to follow through. So, let's see what the US president does after Putin's largest combined drone and missile attack of the war so far.”

… New NBC Poll on Trump’s approval rating: Approve-43%. Disapprove-57%.

… New CBS Poll on Trump. Handling of Immigration: Approve-46%, Disapprove-54%. The Economy: Approve-41%, Disapprove-59%. Inflation: Approve-36%, Disapprove-64%.

… CBS Poll of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Approve-39%, Disapprove-61%.

… JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg announced he has formed an exploratory committee to look at running for the seat being vacated in NY by Rep. Jerry Nadler.