Today in Politics, Bulletin 425. 7/24/26
… NYT: “On Wed, the Pentagon reported on its casualties website that a total of 18 American service members had been killed during the war in Iran. By Thursday, DOD had lowered that number, reporting that 14 American troops had been killed in the war.”
… “3 military officials said that one reason behind the change was that the Trump admin decided to remove 4 service members killed this past weekend from the list - 3 in Jordan and one in northern Iraq - because their deaths occurred after Trump declared a cease-fire in the war in April.”
… Retired Lt. Gen Ben Hodges: “The admin seems to have a real hard time being honest about what is going on - not just about casualties, but about the whole war in general. It shows an unwillingness or inability to aggressively learn from mistakes.”
… Fox war correspondent Trey Yingst and others continue to report on signs that Trump may be planning a ground invasion: “13 straight nights of US strikes against Iran. A large military buildup continues with additional assets arriving in the region each day.”
… Conservative talk-show host Ben Shapiro urged Trump to wage total war on Iran on his show: “No one in America wants American casualties. We do understand that war does come along with casualties - we’re willing to undergo those casualties in pursuit of an end and for a victory.”
… Shapiro never served in the military.
… Trump took questions today from the press in the Oval Office:
Pete Doocy: Where do you stand on LeBron versus Michael Jordan as the best ever? Trump: Michael Jordan's a friend of mine, play golf with him. He's a really good guy. and I think LeBron is maybe he's a racist but maybe he doesn't like Trump. I only like people who like me. I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
On explosive diarrhea: “We're going to put a major tariff on Mexico, because of the lettuce, and we're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke, all right? Which would you rather have, lettuce or the smoke?”
On Venezuela: “For a long time, I've known their country, and I own the Miss Universe pageant and Ms. Venezuela always did very well in that pageant so I know something about the country.”
“If I wasn't elected, Israel would, in my opinion, not be around anymore.”
Q: “At what point, do you think Iran is going to cry uncle and come to the table? Trump: Maybe they will cry uncle, or maybe they will just give up or go into a cave and hide.”
Q: “Do you think it's appropriate to subpoena family members of journalists to find out info? Trump: I don't know what's appropriate and what's not. Barack Obama did it all the time. You know that but when Obama does it, it's okay. When I do it, it's not.”
“We have not approved anything having to do with windmills. They are horrible. They are unsightly. They ruin housing values of people. If you look at a windmill or hear a windmill because they are noisy. They kill all the birds.”
Q - “You said today Russia and China are not helping Iran. Earlier this week, 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 the would want to have me disappointed.”
… They both have to be laughing hysterically.
… WaPo: “In 2006, while working on an extensive renovation of the Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg, architect and structural engineer Stephen Kelley noticed what, in the stone mason’s trade, are known as ‘dutchmen.’ These are little repairs made by the careful patching of new and matching stone into a larger piece, a painstaking process that was likely done some 140 years ago, after the building’s granite was shipped from a quarry in Maine to the building site just west of the WH.”
… “It was obviously done while the building was being constructed, and they were done really well, said Kelley, who has worked on the preservation of ancient Roman ruins in Lebanon, thousand-year-old churches in Turkey, and early 20th century skyscrapers in Chicago. “It is a building that was constructed for the ages.”
… “Kelley is one of more than two dozen experts in preservation, materials and heritage arguing in district court against the Trump admin’s plan to paint the massive EEOB white, to match the nearby WH. It is unnecessary, costly and it could damage the stone, they say, leading to a ‘taxpayers’ nightmare,’ as the building would have to be regularly repainted, keeping it potentially under scaffolding in perpetuity.”
… “Two problems are at issue: potentially irreversible harm to the building, and Trump’s attempt to effectively remove from historic and environmental review any project he wants to expedite by transferring it to the WH Office of Admin, a part of the executive branch beyond the reach of those reviews.”
… “Ordinarily, the GSA would have to follow the law and solicit input from experts and the public, but Trump’s lawyers have written a Trojan Horse into this case, claiming the GSA has ceded those responsibilities and requirements to the WH, to which the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act do not apply.”
… Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane: “The tarp is STILL covering the restored Kennedy Center name as the legal fight heads back to court next week. Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Garcia says if Dems win the House majority, Trump's growing list of taxpayer-funded vanity projects—from the Kennedy Center to the Reflecting Pool and beyond—will face Oversight Committee investigations. Garcia accused the admin of steering contracts to Trump allies while bypassing normal public processes.”
… Punchbowl: “Congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill included $170 million for efforts to counter the national security threats posed by China’s illegal fishing operations worldwide. But the Trump admin didn’t spend the money on that. Instead, DHS diverted the vast majority of that funding to security measures for FIFA World Cup matches, America250 celebrations and other major sporting events.”
… “Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) secured the $170 million as part of the OBBB for ‘maritime domain awareness’ technology that helps track the Chinese vessels. Cruz told us he has ‘sought to provide resources for those programs, but unfortunately the bulk of the funding has not gone where it needed to go.’ But Cruz didn’t say where the money went.”
… “The funding diversion occurred under then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. $155 million of the $170 million funding pot was spent on counter-drone technology for events like World Cup matches and America250 tributes, including sensors that monitor and track drones in their vicinity. The rest was used for Coast Guard communications technology and a Merchant Marine credentialing system.”
… NYT: “A few short weeks ago, the US economy seemed to be catching a summer break. The war with Iran appeared to be waning. Energy markets had started to calm. Prices at the gas pump had fallen, and across the economy, inflation had begun to cool. It amounted to a welcome respite for American families and businesses, which had weathered more than a year of shocks that began with Trump’s global trade war.”
… “But the reprieve did not last. A widening military conflict with Iran entered a dangerous new phase this week, spooking energy markets and sending global oil prices to $100 a barrel. The anxiety spilled into gas prices, which topped $4 a gallon in much of the country. And the tumult coincided with the return of Trump’s trade brinkmanship, as the WH formalized a slate of new tariffs on dozens of countries on Friday.”
… “The duties apply to some of the largest US trade partners, including the members of the EU, and they are expected to be the first of more to come. Tariffs are taxes that apply to imported goods, so again the president’s actions threatened to raise costs for some American companies and consumers.”
… Politico: “Voters’ anxieties about fuel prices could give Democrats a boost ahead of the midterms, further strengthening the Democratic voting base and putting strains on the MAGA coalition as the increasingly unpopular war in Iran drags on. A plurality of Americans — 46% — say the change in gas prices will impact how they plan to vote come Nov.”
… “Of the 46% of Americans who said gas prices will have an impact on their vote, just under 40% said they are considering voting for a different party than they normally would, including 49% of MAGA Republicans and 57% of non-MAGA Republicans.”
… Veteran Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson: “Three quarters of the country is confronting higher gas prices and feeling it. That leaves them very vulnerable to the economic pain and very vulnerable to the economic argument the Democrats are going to make.”
… Right-wing talk show host Jesse Kelly: “Someone is going to make a fortune writing a book on the parallels between ‘15 Days to slow the spread’ and Trump’s decision to go drop bombs on Iran. Just catastrophic unforced errors when things were going fairly well. Boggles the mind.”
… NewsNation host Blake Burman to Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins after she tried to blame Biden for high energy prices: “Your admin has been in office for 18 months now, and obviously this is a war under this current president.”
… CNN pollster Harry Enten: “2 in 3 Americans blame Republicans for higher gas prices - it is quite unlikely they’ll be able to escape the blame at the ballot box.”
… Enten on the incredible 67 point swing in the polls against Israel among Americans over the past year: “We’re not just talking about the Democratic base anymore. The general electorate has turned against Israel. This is not just a left issue. It’s an American issue. The trend line is unbelievable.”
… AgWeb: “Earlier this week, Brooke Rollins told the Senate Appropriations Committee supplemental farmer aid is meant to be a springboard, not a new floor for govt support. The admin is requesting $11.1 billion in additional supplemental agricultural assistance, including:
$10 billion in temporary economic assistance for 2026 row crop and specialty crop producers.
$1.1 billion for producers hit by catastrophic freeze losses this past winter
… If approved, that money would come on top of the $44.3 billion in govt payments USDA’s Economic Research Service has estimated for farmers this year. Combined, that would total $55.4 billion. If spread evenly across 153.8 million US taxpayers, that total would equal roughly $360 per taxpayer.”
… Trump threatened the EU with new tariffs: “The EU is at it again and, as usual, taking direct aim at GREAT American Companies! After having fined Apple, for no reason at all, 15 Billion Dollars, Meta, 3 Billion Dollars, Amazon 2.5 Billion Dollars, and many others, we have just been informed that Google, a truly advanced and amazing group, has been fined yet another 1 Billion Dollars, without explanation. This brings the Google total to over 18 Billion Dollars! Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that we will immediately initiate a 301 Investigation into the practice of “ROBBING” American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer. The EU will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about. The penalties will be entirely reversed and, we anticipate, a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earliest possible moment. Stay tuned!”
This was a long week with some monster Bulletins so I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. Our small town in Maine is having their annual fair so we are going to that and then heading down some back roads to visit some small museums, family farms and antique shops. I will be back with the next Bulletin on Sunday night recapping the weekend.
If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes.
… WaPo: “As JD Vance prepares to make a decision about his 2028 plans, the VP is facing a barrage of online attacks from within his party, criticism his allies say appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to poison the well for him politically. His detractors have adopted the ‘Never Vance’ slogan and flooded social media, especially over the past week, with attacks including claims that Vance is ‘unfit’ to be VP due to his
