This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 426.

…NYT: “The war between the US and Iran remained on pause for a second straight day on Sunday, while the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that there had been some movement in talks between Tehran and mediators over the Strait of Hormuz. No US strikes on Iran have been reported since Friday, while Iran has similarly held off attacking American allies around the Middle East after about two weeks of skirmishes brought the two countries back to the brink of full-blown war.”

… “Trump decided last week to put off plans to escalate the US assault on Iran, at least for now. Trump and his aides were motivated in part by dwindling stockpiles of interceptors to shoot down Iranian missiles. Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has cautioned privately that resuming major combat operations against Iran was doable but that it would dangerously deplete interceptors available to the military’s Central Command.”

… “Trump has been wrestling with how to proceed in his nearly 5-month war against Iran and specifically with how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as gas prices climb again amid the resumption of hostilities over the past two weeks. Diplomacy has broken down, and the latest round of extensive US attacks do not seem to have deterred Iran militarily.”

… “Few if any in Trump’s inner circle believed the plan to escalate was wise. One senior US official expressed doubts that resuming major combat operations would drive Iran back to the bargaining table.”

… WaPo: “Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil facilities Saturday, in the first such strikes since 2022. In a video statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group fired ballistic missiles and drones at facilities belonging to the state oil company, Aramco, in the Red Sea towns of Yanbu and Jazan.”

… “It was not immediately clear how substantial the damage was or how oil output would be affected. NASA’s fire monitoring platform FIRMS reported several thermal anomalies at the Jazan refinery. The facility can refine up to 400,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the company’s website. The strikes by Houthi rebels could add to pressures on global oil markets on top of disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

… Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on NBC: "The president got into this without a strategic goal. At first this was about regime change, then it became about nuclear weapons, then about ballistic missiles, then about the navy. They're flailing."

… Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on CBS: “I support the president in Iran. We all have to do a better job messaging. If we can stand the pain of the rising cost of energy, we need to stay the course—at least for a few more months.”

… Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz: “The US admin is at a strategic crossroads vis-à-vis Iran. The issue of interceptors is certainly a significant constraint, especially given the vulnerabilities recorded in the current round, but the problem is far broader and primarily concerns the absence of a clear strategy regarding how to influence the conduct of the regime in Tehran. Continuing to employ the same set of tools is not expected to alter Iran’s patterns of action.”

… “At the same time, there appears to be a certain shortage in the interceptor stockpile, with the scale of Iranian strikes in the current round reinforcing the assessment that the US is managing its munitions resources cautiously and cannot treat stockpiles as an unlimited resource.”

… “In the end, the American dilemma remains unchanged: there is currently no good option. Returning to an agreement risks strengthening the Iranian regime and granting it economic breathing room, while escalating the war could lead to broad escalation without ensuring an improvement in the bargaining position vis-à-vis Tehran. The central question is not how to apply more force, but how to define an achievable strategic objective.”

… President Zelenskyy: “I will instruct our intelligence to share with our partners the info we have regarding Russia’s new assistance to the Iranian regime. Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and US military facilities located there. These images subsequently appear in Iran. At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes – both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted.”

… “On July 19 and 20 alone, 4 air bases fell within the area of interest of Russian satellites – two in Bahrain, one in Jordan, and one in Kuwait. The purpose is clear. None of us in the world should turn a blind eye to one very simple fact: evil always seeks ways to make things worse and spread further. Russia must be stopped. This war must be stopped. Pressure on the aggressor must work.”

… This is what Trump said on Friday in the Oval Office about this subject: Q - “You said today Russia and China are not helping. Earlier this week, Pete Hegseth said they are enabling. Trump: President XI said he’ll not partake, and President Putin said the same thing. I trust them. I don’t think they would want to have me disappointed.”

… Russia is helping Iran kill US troops. But Trump said Putin told him that he wasn’t. US and Ukraine intelligence proves that he is. Trump says he believes Putin. Where have we heard this before?

… UN Ambassador Mike Waltz on Meet the Press:

• Q - “Zelenskyy says this month Ukraine has recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of US military installations and those images then appear in Iran. How deep is the Russian involvement in helping Iran kill Americans? Waltz: I’ll just let the president’s statement stand on its own that he’s spoken to Putin and Xi about this and has put both on notice. Q - But this suggests they haven’t stopped assisting. Waltz: Okay.”

• Q - “Is America backing away from a larger military attack because our stockpile has been depleted? Waltz: We have to take a step back here. A lot of our stockpiles were depleted because of Biden. Q - But you acknowledge they’re depleted? Waltz: No. And the people leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail.”

… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “Dear Mike Waltz: You lie. US provided zero THAAD missiles to Ukraine. US provided far less Patriots to Ukraine than the massive amount used in less than 5 months of the Iran war. Stop falsely blaming others and take responsibility for the disastrous Iran war.”

• Q - “Should the country brace for more American lives to be lost in this conflict? Waltz: Every man and woman who signs up to go serve knows of that eventually possibility.”

• Q - “Is the Saudi nuclear deal off or on? Waltz: The president was clear. The tenets of the deal are in place, but we are in discussions with the Saudis about normalizing with Israel. Q - The US did sign the deal though, right? Waltz: Well, Secretary Wright and the Saudi energy minister signed that, but it has to be implemented and the president has put an important condition on it.”

… Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-CT) on ABC: “It just shows you cannot rely on the US. You certainly can’t count on the Trump admin. They had signed a deal. What the Trump admin did was a bait and switch scheme.”

… This is very simple. The US govt signed a deal with the Saudis. Trump got backlash on Fox and from Republicans in Congress. Trump then immediately reneged on the deal. You can’t trust anything Trump says and you can’t trust anything he puts in writing either.

… Sen. John Kennedy on CBS: Q - “Are you comfortable with the Saudi Nuclear Deal? Kennedy: Nope. We’re bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we’re signing a deal with another country that the world perceives as possibly some day leading to a nuclear weapon.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to free subscribers where about the first third of the daily Bulletins during the week are available. Everyone is also able to participate in the comments section on this one. Tomorrow is also the Ask the Editor podcast where I choose 5 questions or topics from you in the comments to talk about. If you have one, please post it below.

Good turnout at the town fair with probably close to 1,000 people there. That’s a lot for our small town, but there were some tourists mixed in. Susan Collins marched in the little parade right by me. Jackson wasn’t there because he was in Bangor for the nominating convention. All I can say is he better be at the Maine Wild Blueberry Festival in two weeks!

If you missed Friday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… WaPo: “Republican pollsters and political groups are raising the alarm that their party faces a listless and demotivated base ahead of Nov’s midterm elections. A raft of discouraging data from polling, door knocking and focus groups is unsettling Republicans as their party heads into a midterm election season that would be challenging no matter what, given Trump’s low standing in polls and the fact that the party in control in Washington almost always loses seats.”

… “The lack of enthusiasm is reaching deep into Republicans’ loyal base, spreading to the party’s most consistent voters - who have shown up to vote in all of the past 4 primaries and general elections, according to an analysis done by Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC founded by billionaire Charles Koch. This new issue with the base adds to the party’s more enduring problem of turning out less-frequent voters who support Trump but often skip midterm elections.”

… “About 1 in 5 reliable Republican base voters are at risk this Nov, according to Nathan Nascimento, executive director at AFP Action. Those voters in IA, OH, NC, MT, NH and MI are either saying they may stay home or are weighing voting for Democrats, based on their polling and extensive efforts to engage targeted Republican voters by knocking on their doors. The voters are primarily worried about inflation and the economy.”

… Nascimento: “This is a big chunk. This is a scary number.”

… House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries at a rally for the midterms today: “We're going to crack down on corrupt price gouging. We're going to clean up the mess at the Supreme Court. And we're going to ban the president, VP, and members of Congress from trading stocks.”

… “We have 100 days, America. 100 day to change direction in the United States before it's too late. 100 days to speak up, 100 days to show up, 100 days to stand up, to make our country the best version of herself.

… NYT: “The Democratic Party is so short on cash that leaders at its HQ have undertaken a new gambit to mask the severity of the problems: asking vendors not to send bills until after the midterm elections. The bookkeeping maneuver is the latest sign of financial duress for the DNC and its embattled leader as money troubles threaten to undercut Democratic momentum with 100 days until the midterms.”

… “So much is going politically right for Democrats these days. Trump’s approval is down, gas prices are up and an unpopular war with Iran drags on. But dysfunction and debt inside one of the party’s key institutions - which is getting crushed in fund-raising by its Republican counterpart - are creating rising anxiety for top Democrats.”

… “At the center is Chair Ken Martin, who has found himself increasingly isolated, gripped by the fear that he will lose his job and relying on a vanishingly small circle of people he trusts. Martin’s fraying nerves are showing. In a pique of frustration in early July, he threw his phone at the desk of a junior aide while upbraiding the person. The phone-tossing incident resulted in a formal complaint to the DNC’s human resources dept.”

… NOTUS: “The DNC put its physical headquarters up for collateral last year in order to obtain a $15 million line of credit to help invest in off-year elections, according to DC deed records. The building has been used as collateral in the past, including in other election cycles. That the DNC had to do so again ahead of the 2026 elections to obtain its biggest-ever off-year loan raised concerns among some members that it was further evidence of its intensifying financial strain.”

… One DNC member: “Ken gaslighting us about the DNC’s finances and not being transparent about the financial situation makes us doubt if he can oversee the DNC during the most important primary of our lifetime.”

… “The DNC is working toward two main goals: to help the party win back control of Congress in Nov, as well as gubernatorial and local elections across the country. And it’s also preparing for the 2028 presidential primary, which is expected to be wide open and have no clear front-runner.”

… “Those objectives have been complicated by the DNC’s current lack of money. Federal disclosures from June showed it only had about $16 million in its account and $18 million in debt. That’s a sobering amount of money compared to the RNC, which declared that it had $128 million in cash with no outstanding debts.”

… The good news is that the individual Democratic candidates are doing great with fundraising as well as the senate and house campaign committees. The bad news is that the DNC is in shambles, there’s really no excuse for it, and it needs to get fixed.

… WaPo: “Brazil has denied visas to two senior State Dept officials whom the Trump admin planned to dispatch on a mission to cast doubt on the fairness and integrity of the country’s electoral system before millions of Brazilians vote in a presidential election on Oct. 4, the Foreign Ministry said.”

… “A US State Dept delegation, including Trump political appointees Riley Barnes, an assistant secretary, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary, had planned to depart in coming days. But Brazilian officials, apprised of the plans, denied the Americans permission to travel. The US officials applied for visas through the Brazilian consulate in Washington, saying they planned to hold ‘meetings with authorities involved in the electoral process’.”

… Karoline Leavitt was asked about the midterms on Fox: “I would remind the American people of who caused the affordability crisis in this country. It was Biden and Democrats. Trump took immediate action on day one to fix that. All these things will only get better if given two more years with a Republican congress.”

… We went from prices coming down “on Day 1” to “in Year 4.”

… Sen. John Fetterman made another one of his daily Fox appearances - this time on Lara Trump’s show:

• “I can't fully understand—I've seen polling—why I'm so popular with Republicans. I don't really understand that.”

… It’s a mystery!

• Lara: “I will say on behalf of many Republicans out there, we would love to have you as part of the Republican Party. Fetterman: My whole family is Republican and I think they love me. Maybe my dad who’s watching this will.”

… He then said he’s still not switching parties, but stay tuned.

… Fox commentator Tomi Lahren on JD Vance’s controversial appearance on Joe Rogan where he appeared to try to distance himself from Trump on Iran, Israel and other issues: “I'm a little perplexed at why he did that podcast and why in some ways he’s undermining the president. Fox analyst Marc Thiessen: He seems to be contradicting the president a lot lately. It’s not helpful.”

… Meidas economist Justin Wolfers: “For 9 out of the last 10 presidencies, if you’d said, ‘How much should we blame the president for what’s going on with the economy right now?’ I would have said that the president is just one factor among many. That’s what I would have said 9 out of 10 times. This is the 10th time.”

… “There’s literally no question about the cause of the current oil price spike. We decided to go to war in Iran on an open-ended, ill-defined mission, and we’re not quite sure what to do. The Iranians took over the Strait of Hormuz, and now the global economy is substantially fractured and global energy markets are in disarray. There’s no question about what caused that. We know that because we actually saw things get a little bit better in June during the ceasefire, but those happy days are behind us.”

… “There’s also no question that tariffs are a complete own goal. They’ve led to higher prices paid by Americans. And that, I think, explains why, if you look at the US compared to our peers in the G7, the US right now has higher inflation than any of them. We’re number one, but it’s not one of those good number ones.”

… “And let me just add: it really does hurt my heart because we know how not to screw things up. Any economics textbook, anyone who’s taken introductory economics, would know that there are large economic costs to going to war. They would know that starting a global trade war in a chaotic and incoherent fashion is all downside and no upside.”

… Epstein survivor Dani Bensky on Meidas: “You can’t say that you want to make sure sex offenders and sex traffickers are behind bars and then vote for him. Every vote for Todd Blanche is really a vote against survivors. If Thom Tillis wants to call, I’m happy to talk to him. We’ve been trying to get in touch.”

… A federal judge ordered Acting AG Todd Blanche to hand over the unredacted Epstein Files emails and documents for the court’s private review in MeidasTouch host Katie Phang’s lawsuit. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan directed DOJ to produce the unredacted records in camera (for the judge’s eyes only) by July 30, along with documentation backing up DOJ’s claims that the names and other info it blacked out are, in fact, the categories of people it says they are.

… Israeli TV N12 reports that Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, where Netanyahu is expected to present intelligence claiming Iran is “once again racing towards nuclear weapons and accelerating its actions.”

… Netanyahu on Fox: “I’m worried about the reasons that leading Democrats have said privately, one of them said it actually publicly, on why they joined the radical fringe. And the reason is that their family’s been harassed. You don’t want legislators taking their position because of personal intimidation. That’s bad.”

… I really don’t think that is the reason why many Democrats have changed their position on Israel over the past two years.

… Alleged serial sex trafficker and rapist Andrew Tate with another update: “I am in Special Housing Unit. My water faucet is broken. I am not allowed bottles of water in SHU. I have nothing clean to drink. My only water comes from the shower, warm and from a brown and filthy faucet. It has given me persistent stomach problems. The water I am drinking is not clean, I am an American. Innocent until proven guilty. But I am forced to drink poisoned water. Where are my rights?”

… Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) to Meidas: Q - “You want to see Barron Trump come before Congress and answer questions about his relationship with Andrew Tate? Ansari: I absolutely want to see Barron come before Congress and answer questions about this. There is reporting about this, and he should answer these questions.”

… “What is his relationship with Tate? What kind of communication have they had? What kinds of connections has Barron potentially made for Tate and his brother? Has he had any conversations with other WH officials about this? These are all really important questions to be asking.”

… “There’s also more reporting about Barron as it pertains to financial dealings and corruption. This is not the only issue that I think Barron needs to come before Congress for, but the Oversight Committee is really the place for him to answer questions.”

… “And I think it’s important to remember that Barron is an adult. He is somebody who is deeply involved in Trump’s orbit and the whole manosphere, and he has a lot of influence. So he needs to be held accountable if he has committed any wrongdoing.”

… Jessica Tarlov was asked by Meidas if there are any Republicans who may run for president in 2028 who scare the people at Fox: “Ossoff feels like a threat. I remember conversations about Wes Moore. It was during the NFL playoffs, and he was out tailgating, and they were like, ‘Oh, that’s a bro,’ because everything is viewed through the frame of masculinity—you know, whatever Jesse’s-through-a-straw version of masculinity is.”

… “The DSA co-chair Megan Romer was asked on Fox News Sunday if these DSA platform principles are accurate:

• Abolish the Senate? “True”

• Replace the presidency and Supreme Court as we know it? “Yep.”

• Abolish ICE? “Absolutely.”

• Abolish borders and give amnesty to anyone in the US illegally? “As a long term plan, yep.”

• Defund the Pentagon? “Absolutely.”

• Abolish prisons? “As part of a long term program, yeah.”

• Govt ownership of most large corporations? “Yes, absolutely.”

… Tom Homan on CNN:

• Q - “Have mistakes been made by ICE in these shooting incidents? Homan: I wouldn't say that mistakes were made. We'll see.”

• Q - “Do you know specifically what happened to the officers involved in the Texas and Maine shootings? Are they on admin leave? Homan: I don't know specifically. The policy would be to put them on admin leave. Q - But as border czar, you don't know for sure if they have been? Homan: No.”

• Q - "One of the ICE officers connected to the fatal shooting in Maine was accused of abuse by two ex-wives. Should someone with those issues be an ICE agent? Homan: No, if those are facts, I don't think he should have ever cleared vetting."

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on CNN: “The CDC's website on vaccines has been a sticking point for you. When you pledged to support Dr. Schwartz, you said publicly it's a sign of good faith that the CDC agreed to modify their website. But at the very top of the CDC's vaccine page, it still says 'the claim vaccines do not cause autism is not an evidence-based claim.' Is that a good faith attempt to stop spreading misinformation? Cassidy: That is not.”

… Cassidy is the poster-boy for spineless Republicans in Congress. Good riddance.

… NYT’s Peter Baker on the WHCA dinner with Trump: “I have been a member of the WHCA almost continuously since the 1990s. Our mission is to defend the First Amendment rights of WH correspondents to report on the president without fear or favor. Unfortunately last night did not advance that cause. Time to rethink the dinner.”

… You think?

… Katy Perry: “I am deeply appalled and angry to see ‘Firework’ used on the WH TikTok account as a backing track for video footage of military strikes. I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it. I wrote this song to be an anthem of hope, healing, and inner strength for people going through their darkest personal moments.

… “To see a message of self-worth and upliftment weaponized to soundtrack destruction and violence is a complete violation of everything my song stands for. My music is for bringing people together, not celebrating warfare.”

… Politico: “Democrats’ new Maine Senate nominee entered the general election with a very different focus than the man he’s replacing — one solely about Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Troy Jackson, a progressive 5th-generation logger from the northern woods of Allagash, spent almost the entirety of his 20-minute nomination acceptance speech on Sat afternoon hammering Collins, from her 1990s pledge to only serve two terms to her history of voting with Trump ‘96% of the time.’”

… “His approach is a welcome change for Democrats in Washington, who had complained that in the early days of Graham Platner’s general election campaign he spent too much time attacking both parties instead of remaining focused on attacking a Republican in a state that Kamala Harris won handily in 2024.”

… “While Platner spent plenty of airtime focused on contrasting his beliefs with Collins’, he dedicated significant energy to hitting the whole political establishment, including members of his own party. Even some of his attacks against Collins - after he’d already won the Democratic primary - came with needling of Democrats.”

… “Jackson believes in many of the same populist ideas that Platner did - he helped run both of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bids in Maine. But they also come from very different backgrounds. Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, was plucked from obscurity by NYC-based consultants who wanted an anti-establishment fighter ready to take on Washington. Jackon, meanwhile, has spent decades sparring with the establishment flank of his party from within the ranks of public service, culminating in his time as state Senate president, where he often butted heads with Gov. Janet Mills.”

… “But as Jackson takes over on the Senate ticket, it’s clear that where Platner relished in taking on his party, Jackson is eager to mend fences and is still at his core a true Democrat. That background as a long-running member of the party is informing his approach to the campaign against the electoral powerhouse that Collins has become.”

… NYT: “An investigation by NYT found that the president’s push to get the luxury aircraft quickly led to ballooning costs and trade-offs in safety features that potentially left Trump and others who travel with him on Air Force One vulnerable. Among the findings:

• Trump was personally engaged in making decisions about the retrofitting of the donated plane, giving the final approval on the features and security measures that would be included. They and others interviewed for this article described the sensitive info about the process and the plane on the condition of anonymity.

• Several key security and safety features on the Boeing planes that have been used for decades as AF One are not visible on the upgraded jet, including a lower-level exit for high-risk situations, additional backup power capacity and an advanced antimissile system. The planes currently being built to serve as the permanent presidential fleet are all set to have such features.

• The 747-8 plane was overhauled on a compressed timeline of just about 8 months. Experts said the jet would have needed several years for a full upgrade. Because the Qatari jet was being pushed into service so quickly, some WH officials initially expected it would only be used for domestic travel or to visit allied countries with US military bases.

• The govt spent hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase equipment needed to train pilots to fly the 747-8 plane so quickly, on top of the approximately $400 million cost of the upgrades that the admin has publicly acknowledged. The Pentagon has tried to mask the total price tag - including from Congress - by taking the funds from a classified budget for nuclear modernization.”