Today in Politics, Bulletin 419. 7/14/26
… It’s TACO Trump Tuesday again, with Trump walking back his announcement yesterday that the US military was going to take over the Straight of Hormuz and charge a toll for every vessel equal to the amount of 20% of their cargo. It was never going to happen because it was impossible without a big ground invasion and occupation, and because every other country in the world opposed it.
… Trump posted: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% US Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the US. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.”
… Add that to the $19.2 trillion that countries around the world supposedly promised but never delivered to get Trump to TACO on many of his tariffs.
… Trump was asked about it during his press event today in the Oval Office with the newly elected Prime Minister of Iraq:
“I was called by different people, different countries, kings and emirs and all of the people that we all love and they said we'd love to do it a different way—we'd love to invest in the US with billions as opposed to charging a fee, and I like that actually because I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait.”
On Lindsey Graham: “His father died just about at the same age from you know, I’m a believer in the racehorse theory—if you have problems, you have problems. He had some problems.”
… His racehorse theory is about genetics and breeding. Just a side note that Trump’s father Fred had dementia in his early 80s.
On Kash sending the FBI to Lindsey’s house: "I know there's all sorts of conspiracy theories going along and I think the FBI is wasting their time if they're doing that."
On his address to the nation Thursday night where he is reportedly going to say foreign govts stole the 2020 election: "It's really big news. Our country has to shape up. What we're gonna be talking about Thursday - it doesn't get bigger, because without free and fair elections you don't have a country."
… Sen. Jon Ossoff: “Trump’s spiral continues. The failed president, pocketing billions as he drives up prices, is afraid to lose the midterms. So he will reheat debunked election conspiracy theories and tell bizarre new lies to deny his 2020 defeat and attack voting rights. This is a disaster for Trump puppet Mike Collins.”
… “Already mired in scandal, Mike will now have to double down on conspiracy theories toxic in the General Election. From the start, Trump’s obsession with GA elections revealed his fury that Black voters were instrumental to his defeat. I’m asking concerned citizens nationwide to join me and support our voter protection efforts in GA.”
Trump: “I used to say, don't go into Iraq, don't attack Iraq. Frankly, they attacked the wrong country. And they did a lot of damage.”
… CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale: “Trump’s lie that he publicly warned against the 2003 invasion of Iraq was debunked a full decade ago. He didn’t say ‘don’t go into Iraq.’ Asked 6 months before the invasion if he supported the idea, he said, ‘Yeah, I guess so.’ In early 2003, he said Bush ‘has either got to do something or not do something’.”
Trump then pointed to the Iraqi prime minster: "He's young and he's handsome."
Q - What are you hearing about Mitch McConnell’s health: Trump: “I was never a huge fan. He should be voting. McConnell is a no vote on the SAVE Act. He’s against that. How can anybody be against that? And he’s against some other things so it’s too bad.”
Q - “You’ve been bombing Iran for months now. Is this just the new normal for the American people? Trump: Well, you know, we were in Vietnam for 19 years.”
… Sen. Josh Hawley was asked about Lindsey’s death on Fox: Q - “Sen. John Cornyn is not ruling out foul play. Do you think that’s a possibility. Hawley: I know the FBI is involved in this. I think it is smart to look at every angle here. Nobody was a bigger advocate of taking out Putin than Lindsey. He had a lot of enemies. I wouldn’t rule anything out. We owe it to his constituents to get the truth.”
… Sen. Ted Cruz went on Hannity to mock Graham for the many times he appeared on the show for a particular topic only to start begging for donations: “He would go on your show, tell people to go to his website and say, ‘You may be a little old lady, your cat doesn’t need food, I need your money!’”
… Sen. Tim Scott on Fox: I wish more people in our party realized that Trump is the ruler of the free world. Just like Lindsey Graham did.”
… Hannity: “Contrary to this narrative that has emerged among some isolationists, Lindsey Graham didn’t love war. He wanted peace.”
… Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was asked about Graham’s Russia sanctions bill on CNN: Q - “There are 84 co-sponsors on the Russia sanctions bill. You’re not one of them. Why? Marshall: I was kind of waiting for the WH. I think at some point we have to follow the leadership of the WH. Q - So it depends on Trump? Marshall: I think that’s oversimplifying it.”
… I don’t. Marshall does and says whatever Trump tells him to do and say. Nothing else.
… Sticking with the theme of Taco Tuesday, Sen. Ron Johnson went on NewsNation and took back his claim yesterday that a source told him the Mitch McConnell photo was old: "I have no idea. Discount all that. I wish Leader McConnell well.”
… Mike Johnson went on a wild rant today at a press conference to continue the Republican theme for the midterms that they are running on an anti-communist crusade:
“These crazy little mini-Mamdanis who are popping up all around the country, they are a danger to you and your family. So we are here as the Republican Party to stand on the founding principles of the greatest nation in the world.”
“It is our duty to do that, and we are doing it on behalf of all of you, even the journalists who don’t agree with our policies. You better agree on these principles, because that’s what keep you free. It’s what keeps the press free. This is essential for your well-being.”
“This is not a game. This is not your father’s Democrat Party. We’re arguing over whether freedom is going to survive. That’s why we’re so serious about this.”
“This is not a fun time. We are in a war. A philosophical war to save this nation.”
… Hilarious that he cited Mamdani as the most serious threat today in America to a free press while Trump sues, threatens, subpoenas, yells at, and tries to intimidate reporters on a daily basis. But Mamdani is the problem. What a clown.
“The president wants to double the budget for national defense. Look, we’re living in dangerous time. We have communism on our own shores and we’re fighting evil terrorists around the world.”
He was asked about the ICE shooting in Maine: “I don’t know anything about this event because I was busy yesterday.”
… CNN: “ICE agents have been directed to largely suspend vehicle stops until further notice, marking a major reversal in recent tactics following two ICE-involved fatal shootings over the past week. The guidance applies to agents who fall under Enforcement and Removal Ops, the branch within ICE charged with the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. Agents have been directed to work with partner agencies to conduct a stop if executing a warrant on an individual vehicle.”
… Sen. Susan Collins, who is facing a firestorm of angry Mainers in the middle of her key election year, claims that she got Markwayne Mullin to change the policy: “I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops in the wake of yesterday’s deadly Biddeford shooting. I am encouraged that the Dept has agreed to do so.”
… “An impartial investigation into the shooting in Biddeford needs to proceed, as the details surrounding this tragedy are important. It is extremely unfortunate that the agent involved did not have a body-worn camera. In April, measures that I authored in the DHS funding bill became law, including $20 million for expanded use of body-worn cameras, $2 million for de-escalation training, and a 17% increase in the IG’s budget to investigate matters such as this shooting.”
… But Tom Homan was on Fox talking like this was just something they were going to do for a few days until things quieted down: “The officers involved in these shootings are well trained, I wouldn’t even call this a bump in the road. This will be a short term review, so ICE feels comfortable.”
… Meidas reporter Pablo Manriquez asked some members of Congress about the incident:
AOC on Susan Collins’ statement: “Just because there’s live footage of the atrocities she has enabled doesn’t make it better than preventing those atrocities in the first place. I said a couple of weeks ago that I would not be surprised if ICE funding started up again, we would start to see more civilian deaths at the hands of ICE. We didn’t see things like this happening to the same degree when we froze ICE funding.”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT): “We have to gut ICE’s budget. We are paying for vigilantes, essentially, to go out and kill people on the streets, and there seems to be no accountability. We still don’t have the details about what happened to Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Ruben Martinez, and all of these people. It’s outrageous that we can’t get this information.”
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA): “This shows that, even though Secretary Mullen was told to kind of keep DHS and ICE out of the headlines, they’re still recklessly terrorizing communities. The killing in TX, the killing in ME—we’ve got to learn more details about both. We need independent, fair investigations, but it shows that they’re still out of control, undertrained, underqualified, and pushing to hit arbitrary numbers.”
“So folks just have to support each other, try to stay safe, let their neighbors and community members know what’s going on, and try to keep themselves safe. We’re going to keep fighting for the common-sense reforms we’ve been advocating around ICE and the secret police masking, require real training, establish common-sense use-of-force standards, just like our local police have. But this killing has to end.”
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI): “Mullin said that his goal was to get the department off the front page of the news. Well, you’re back on the goddamn front page now with two innocent people gunned down in broad daylight. Nothing has changed.”
Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I will be doing my weekly podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive into the top stories of the week. Next Bulletin will be out Thursday before Trump’s speech, which I predict will be perhaps the most insane address to the nation ever given by an American president.
If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you to all who read, share, watch and subscribe.
… Punchbowl: “With the political winds howling in their face, House Republicans are gearing up to send the Pentagon tens of billions of dollars in new funding for a seemingly endless Iran war that’s bottoming out in public opinion polls. The new Pentagon money may not be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, serving up echoes of
