Today in Politics, Bulletin 427. 7/27/26
… DOD released casualty figures from the Iran war that added hundreds of new ones to the totals even while they attempt to reclassify some to claim that they didn’t take place during wartime hostilities.
… Task and Purpose: “The Pentagon revealed that more than 600 troops have been injured or killed in the conflict with Iran, a casualty total more than 200 higher than previously revealed publicly. The new figures were released as part of an apparent overhaul of the DOD’s official casualty reporting system, which now splits the war, for the first time, into two time periods.”
… The new figures bring the current total of US troops wounded in the war to 624, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. As of Friday, DCAS listed the number of troops injured in the conflict at 420. The new system, mirroring labels announced by the Pentagon in recent weeks, removes most casualties in July from the tallies of Operation Epic Fury, and puts them instead in a new category, ‘Overseas Operations.’”
… “Officials also split how they account for the 18 troops killed in the conflict, moving four from Epic Fury into Overseas Operations, including 3 soldiers killed July 17 in an Iranian attack in Jordan and another killed during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq. Those 4 had been removed from the Pentagon tally late last week, prompting outrage from families of soldiers killed in July.”
… “The new count begins for casualties on July 7, a date the Pentagon has claimed represented the end of Epic Fury. The Trump admin has argued this month that the operation ended on that date with the announcement of a short-lived ceasefire, resetting a legally mandated 60-day clock to use military force without Congressional approval.”
… Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin: “At first the Pentagon said in releases the 4 US soldiers were killed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. That was not true because the soldiers were not fighting ISIS which is the Congressional Authorization and definition of OEF. So they quietly changed the deaths to falling under Overseas Operations, which is a misleading category allowing for them to cap the number of war dead and wounded as part of Epic Fury, which now stands at more than Abbey Gate and the Afghan withdrawal.”
… Trump made another wild series of statements while taking questions from the press on Air Force One on his way to a rally in Michigan for midterm candidates in that state:
Q - “Zelenskyy says that Russia is giving Iran satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf to help them target. What can you do about that? Trump: I'll ask Putin about it. I don't think they've been doing it—certainly not at a high level and if they have, it has been very unimpactful.”
… Tell that to the families of the dead soldiers.
Q - “Are you concerned about depleted stockpiles if there is a broadening conflict? Trump: We have a lot. We have a lot of ammunition, different types. You know, Biden gave a lot to Ukraine and so we're building that up, but we have a lot.”
… This is a lie. The REPUBLICAN HOUSE voted to authorize the Biden admin to sell Ukraine ATACMS and a small number of Patriot intercepter missiles. We did not provide Ukraine with Tomahawks, which have been the primary weapons used by Trump to bomb Iran.
… Adam Kinzinger on Republican claims that US war stockpiles are depleted: “The thing is, the US has plenty of munitions. Just not the high level standoff ones. Those are meant to hit high value targets then allow planes with cheaper munitions to come in. But he’s risk averse and only using the top level stuff for EVERY target. That’s why we’re limited.”
… “Also, the cost of the munitions we have almost unlimited numbers of are in the tens of thousands of dollars, vs the million dollars per top line shot. Usually we destroy air defense first then use the cheap stuff. Trump isn’t doing this.”
Q - “There's some reports that the US has taken in $13 billion from Venezuela. What where is that money going? Trump: That will happen with Iran also. Q: Where is the money going? Trump: Running the country. It can go to the military but Congress has to approve it.”
… He won’t answer the question. We have no idea where that money is and Republicans in Congress refuse to conduct even a speck of oversight on this lawless regime of corrupt gangsters.
Q - “How much patience do you have left with Iran? Trump: I have plenty of time. Plenty of time. Their whole shoreline's wiped out. The strait is in very good shape. Their people said, ‘Please don't drop. Don't shoot’, last night. So we’re having good talks. There’s a good chance something good will happen.”
Q - Netanyahu disagrees with you on the F-35s to Turkey. Trump: Nobody tells me what we should be selling. Turkey has been great for me.”
… Trump’s ever-present constant companion Natalie Harp accompanied him on the trip as usual.
… Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) was a good little cultist on Newsmax hyping the rally: “It’s spectacular. Everybody is excited that he’s gonna be here today, because everybody’s spirits always get up when they say, ‘Hey, the president is coming to town!’ The first question is, ‘Where’s he gonna land?’ His presence is magnetic, and it’s good.”
… Q - “Where do you think things stand in terms of the war with Iran? Bergman: Boy, that’s a multi-thousand year old question. I’m not going to blame Jimmy Carter, but the bottom line is he set the ball rolling and allowed the radical Islamists to take over.”
… I guess they got bored with blaming Biden and Obama for Trump’s war and decided to go back 47 years.
… From Trump’s speech:
“We will pass the great healthcare plan. That's what it's called—the Great Healthcare plan to stop all payments to big insurance companies and give the money directly to you, the people, so that they can buy their own healthcare, which will be much less expensive and be a much better healthcare.”
… In two weeks!
On the Iran war: “When somebody comes up and says, why are we doing this? Just say because we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. It's all you have to say. There's nothing else you have to say.”
“America is respected again, I think like we've never been respected before—you saw that when I went to the G20. I went to the G7.”
… Trump didn’t go to the G20. He boycotted it.
… A protester interrupted Trump during his speech by repeatedly yelling at him that he was a “pedophile protector.” At first Trump just tried to drown him out by yelling his speech into the microphone. Then he finally stopped his speech and yelled at the guy that the was a communist.
… A new assessment by DEA revealed that the amount of cocaine entering the US has not been reduced despite the fact that US forces have attacked at least 67 boats and killed at 221 people since Sept.
… WaPo: “The Trump admin’s deadly military strikes are prompting criminal organizations to develop new strategies and tactics and undermining traditional investigative methods. DEA analysts found the strikes had failed to affect the supply or price of cocaine in the US and had led traffickers to diversify beyond go-fast boats and to avoid international waters, opting instead for larger boats and hemming close to coastlines.”
… “In a closed-door briefing last month, Pentagon officials told lawmakers the strikes in international waters off South and Central America had not reduced its purity. Traffickers are also relying more on aircraft, which take off from clandestine airstrips along the Colombian-Venezuelan border and head east to Guyana and Suriname to avoid US forces.”
… DEA official: “When you squeeze the balloon on one side, it always expands on the other side. They always find the weak spots and exploit them.”
… Mitch McConnell’s staff posted a new proof-of-life photo today with another statement. Still no video, audio or interview - just another hospital photo.
… Mother Jones: “In mid-March, two detectives, an OH county Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) caseworker, and a Cleveland Clinic physician met on Zoom to discuss how the 2-year-old daughter of a congressman and granddaughter of a US senator wound up with a broken collarbone.”
… Detective: “The bruising surrounding the clavicle fracture made the injury suspicious.” Someone on the call “advised the injury would have required a high degree of impact to occur.”
… “Neither the child’s father, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), nor mother, conservative policy adviser Emily Moreno, admitted to knowing what caused their daughter’s injury or that it occurred while their daughter was under their care. Miller’s primary theory was that the bruising resembled marks from a seat belt. Moreno, who discovered the bruises and took the child to an emergency room, suggested the cause may have been something more sinister.”
… “Records of the investigation into potential child abuse show that Moreno told detectives that Miller had previously thrown hot water at her, shoved her, and held a gun to her head; therefore, she couldn’t rule out that Miller caused their daughter’s fracture. Moreover, a child protection specialist reviewing the incident had characterized the bruising near the fracture as resembling a ‘handprint.’”
… “Daddy’s house is scary,” Moreno recounted her daughter saying.
… “The summary of the Zoom meeting and investigative report are among more than 2,000 pages of court filings and police reports pertaining to Miller that Mother Jones obtained through public records requests. The trove of documents contains allegations of drug use by Miller, misogyny and verbal abuse, and violent behavior against multiple women. The filings also include evidence that Miller implicitly threatened his ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno.”
… NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a press conference: “Today, I am proud to announce a collection of essential staples that will be predictably 30% cheaper at all 5 of our city-run grocery stores. This core set of goods will include all fresh produce, meat, and seafood, along with 20 other essential items like cheese, milk, and bread.”
… “Here's how it will work. Once a month, our 5 city-run grocery stores will set prices for this core set of goods at 30% below typical retail prices. No exceptions, no gimmicks. The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations or sticker shock at the checkout line—not for our seniors living on fixed incomes, nor for the parents who rely on a regular supply of apple slices to keep toddler tantrums at bay.”
… Mamdani was asked about people who don’t want him to participate in 9/11 memorial services: "I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them, reaffirming that we will never forget."
… Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) on Fox: Q - “The midterms are about affordability. Then on top of that, you've got the energy shock. Fallon: Sure. Joe Biden and the Democrats really did that. You’re talking about affordability - that takes a long time for our policies to kick in. They spent trillions of dollars that caused massive inflation.”
… Republicans have been in control of the House for nearly 4 years, the presidency and senate for nearly 2, and they are going to go into the midterms blaming the current economy on Joe Biden and not Trump's tariffs, corruption and wars. Good luck with that.
Ask the Editor should be out shortly after this Bulletin tonight. I answered these 5 questions on the show:
With Rep. Ansari talking about subpoenaing Barron Trump to appear before the Oversight Committee, what is your take on Barron generally and whether he is involved in some of his dad’s corruption?
What is your opinion on the situation at the DNC with Ken Martin?
Tell us about the reaction of the crowd in your town to Susan Collins marching in the local parade on Saturday.
The DSA platform surprised many of us on hearing some of the key things in it. What are your thoughts after their Vice Chair’s interview on Fox on Sunday?
Republicans are now trying to blame Biden for depleting the weapons stockpiles of the US. Is any part of that true?
If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin recapping the entire weekend, you can find it here.
… The Independent on the latest bizarre social media blizzard from Trump that finally ended at 1:27 AM: “Trump posted about everything from time travel to the Iran war in his latest bizarre Truth Social posting spree. In a series of posts using AI images, Trump uploaded a fake movie poster showing himself saving George Washington at Mt. Rushmore, a mocked-up image of a border wall with Canada and various hints he might run again in 2028.”
… “The past was about to change,” the imagined “Trump x Washington” film’s tagline reads. “History was about to be saved.” Trump’s social media spree also saw him sharing an AI generated poster for a scifi movie called “Cosmic Commander”, using a
