Today in Politics, Bulletin 430. 7/31/26
… Hack DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro was forced to dismiss the case today against former Olympian David Hearn, who was falsely accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in DC. The motion filed was shocking:
“Based on the initial reports by the Dept of Interior and Park Police, the DC US Attorney’s Office presented evidence to the grand jury that damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case, David Hearn. However, it was not until after the indictment that DOI provided additional documents indicating that the damage to the pool was the result of flawed installation by the contractor.”
… They lied about the whole thing. That is why you don’t rush a political indictment before you have all the facts and evidence just because you are trying to please your cult leader. They even presented false evidence to the grand jury. Pirro should be disbarred.
… NBC: “Cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems have been reported in at least 7 states this week, prompting the FBI and the EPA to warn utilities nationwide that hackers are trying to disrupt critical water infrastructure. The agencies said water and wastewater utilities have reported incidents to the FBI, with some malicious activity degrading water operations. The announcement does not name the states.”
… WaPo: “US intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran was likely behind a coordinated cyberattack on more than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota this week, according to several US officials.“
… Trump held another cabinet meeting today in front of the press. This one was held at Camp David, but he isn’t actually staying there this weekend himself. He was asked about the report that Iran may have hacked the water systems. Naturally, he blamed American Democrats:
“I blame it on MN because they’re grossly incompetent. I would blame it on MN and the governor, the corrupt governor of MN. They like to say, ‘Oh, it’s Iran.’ Iran should be so lucky. Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about MN. I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think MN ought to get its act together.”
… Gov. Tim Walz was asked about Trump’s comment: “Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too. This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran.”
… Walz then posted: “Trump can’t beat Iran because he’s too busy waging war with Minnesota.”
… Journalist Aaron Rupar: “Just incredible to watch the US president take Iran's side when my state's water systems are under cyberattack.”
… National security reporter Michael Weiss: “He does it with Russia and now Iran. A desire to cut deals with adversaries who don’t want to cut deals with him leads him to downplay or excuse their malign behavior. In Iran’s case, an adversary he is still at war with and threatening to escalate against. He thinks this gives him leeway for negotiating; his adversaries see it as reason to press on.”
… Disinformation expert Dr. Caroline Orr Bueno: “This is so dangerous. Iran has an extensive history of targeting US water and energy systems, but instead of defending America from attacks waged by a hostile foreign actor, Trump is blaming Americans for being targeted by them.”
… Someone posted on X: “Pretty crazy that both the US and Iran are attacking Minnesota.”
… Walz responded: “Donald Trump’s America.”
Q- “How many more strikes will it take? Trump: You never know. Most people would’ve given up by now. They haven’t. So, I give them credit for that. They’re tough.”
Q - “Who from the admin is talking to Iran? Trump: Steve Witkoff, Jared, JD is involved, Marco. Q: Iran say talks aren’t happening. Trump: All they do is make me angry. They just make me angry.”
“We’ll be hitting them very hard. At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”
Q - “There’s a report that the military wants you to go bigger in Iran. Trump: We’ve already gone big. Their entire navy is laying at the bottom of the sea. Their radar is all gone. Their leaders are all gone. Everything’s all gone. But they’ll fight onward.”
… North Vietnam in 1965 did not have anything close to the current military capabilities of Iran. But they continued to fight for another decade until we finally had enough. They were fighting for their country, we were not. Just as we are not now.
On his lawsuit against the govt that resulted in the slush fund for J6ers: “I probably was abused more than anybody in the history of our country.”
… At the start of the Civil War, there were 4 million people who were enslaved in the US. Families were separated so some members could be sold to plantations in other parts of the country, including children.
Q: “Did Gianni Infantino speak with you about selling the World Cup? Trump: No, I never spoke to him.”
… Trump then went around the room for his cabinet members to glaze him. Pete Hegseth:
“It takes courage to win a war. You had the courage to do that - the courage to undertake Epic Fury. Other presidents had the option to do it, but they never pulled the trigger. It takes guts.”
“The flyovers will indeed continue until morale improves. Because it’s important for the American people to see and feel our military in ways they haven’t in the past.”
… That’s exactly what we are afraid of.
Scott Bessent: “President Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton could not have imagined the economy that we would have created. It is the envy of the world.”
Trump to RFK Jr: “How are you doing on the autism research? RFK Jr: We will have an answer for you. Trump: That’s so important.”
… In his first press conference after his appointment, RFK Jr. promised to present scientific proof about the cause of autism by September 2025. So far, the only thing he’s done is blame Tylenol.
… Trump’s travel companion and personal assistant Natalie Harp left Camp David with him for the weekend after the cabinet meeting. No sign of Melania lately. I’m sure we will see her when it is time for her next contractually obligated appearance with her beloved husband.
… CNN: “Officials now believe the IRGC is firmly in control of Iran’s decision making, leaving political figures the US has been talking with as figureheads. Complicating matters are internal dynamics of the IRGC itself, where a handful of senior commanders are all jockeying for control. That is a leading reason why US officials and regional partners fear the conflict is likely to drag on.”
… Trump got his regime change alright. A more radical and militant regime.
… Just like the Saudi nuke deal last week, Trump is reneging on the Patriot missile licensing deal he made with Zelenskyy less than 24 hours after their meeting. He told Financial Times that he is “not sure” if he will agree to let Ukraine build Patriot missiles: “It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful of who we license to.”
… Zelenskyy said he had discussed licensing arrangements to let Ukraine manufacture its own interceptors for Patriot missile systems. Officials from Patriot maker Raytheon Co have already been to Ukraine, and Lockheed Martin, which builds the PAC-3 interceptors for the air defense system, was also working to send over a team of experts.”
… Trump: “Zelenskyy, he would like to have some Patriots, he would like to have some Tomahawks. These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them, you know? It’s very important. Now, we have not agreed to that. We are talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.”
… Phillips O’Brien, Prof of Strategic Studies at St. Andrews Univ: “If you cannot accept that what Trump has done over the last year and a half is starve Ukraine of air defense, and put off any new aid for as long as possible, so Putin can terrorize Ukraine from the air for as long as possible--you cannot accept reality.”
… Trump always goes on and on about how terrible all the deaths are in this war - like he actually cares. This is a way to protect Ukrainian civilians from indiscriminate bombing that will not cost us anything. But Trump says one thing publicly and does the opposite because he will never cross Putin.
… Fox host Bret Baier interviewed Zelenskyy: Q - “Does Trump see his conflict with Iran linked to your war with Russia? Zelenskyy: I’m not sure. We didn’t speak about it. Baier: Do you? Zelenskyy: Yes. Russia gave satellite images where American bases are in the Middle East countries.”
… The GDP numbers were released today for the second quarter of 2026. They were predictably putrid. CNBC: “Economic growth was weaker than expected in the second quarter. GDP increased just 1.5% for the April-through June period, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis numbers adjusted for seasonality and inflation.”
… CBS: “The nation’s GDP grew at an annual rate of 1.5% in the second quarter, weaker than economists expected and a sign the Iran war is hurting growth. Economists polled by Reuters predicted GDP would rise at an annualized rate of 2.1% for April to June.”
… “The reading shows an economy grappling with the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and driven up global energy costs. In Q2, a surge in oil prices lifted US gasoline prices from an average of $2.98 a gallon just before the war started to well over $4.”
… Oxford Economics: “With gas prices rising again, the squeeze on real incomes will put renewed pressure on consumer spending in the second half of the year.”
… Fox brought on WH economic advisor Kevin Hassett to lie about the numbers:
Q - “Last time we spoke, you told me you were expecting 4% growth in the second half of the year. The number was way lower. How would you assess that? Hassett: The reason why the number was 1.5% was because we imported so many capital goods because we’re building factories so fast.”
… This guy is unbelievable. His one skill is moving economic goalposts all over the stadium to try and cover up for failures and lies. No matter how bad the numbers are, he always has some new reason for them other than their dumb policies.
On the 3rd farm bailout in the past 12 months: “America’s farmers have had some tough breaks. A bumper crop in Brazil made it so prices went down globally, the disruptions in the gold made fertilizer prices go up. And it’s really really important we help farmers.”
… Not tariffs and increased prices for fuel, fertilizer and other things caused by the war. A bumper crop in Brazil. It's amazing that the impacts on the US economy from 2021-2024 caused by covid and Russia's invasion of Ukraine was Biden's fault, but nothing that happens during the current presidency is Trump's fault despite his war of choice and tariffs.
“Data centers are very good for towns, because they create so many jobs and bring people in with high incomes that can buy houses and stuff like that. So if you take a sleepy town that hasn’t seen much in the last 30 years and put a data center there, there are gonna be a whole bunch of happy residents.”
… Maybe Hassett can sell his house and move to a small town next to one to set a proper example for the rest of us.
This has been a long week with some long Bulletins so I am looking forward to my day off. It is wild blueberry harvest week in Maine so we are going to a blueberry farm to get a bunch. They are quite a bit smaller and more intensely flavored than the ones you get in the grocery store. We are going to be eating a lot of blueberries over the next month. After that it is a kayak excursion on the Presumpscot River.
Thank you again to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work and everyone else at Meidas. Without your support none of us would be doing this. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. I will will be back on Sunday night with the Bulletin covering the weekend.
… AOC on The Majority Report: “I actually meet with MAHA activists because a lot of them really don’t believe that their fight is partisan—and in many ways, it’s not. We do have extraordinary corruption in our agricultural system and in our big corporate system as well. This is an area where both parties and our entire political system have been compromised.”
… “You have companies dumping cancerous byproducts, poisoning the communities around them. Then they pay off our political class to ignore it, let it continue, or legally shield them—like with glyphosate—from everyday people trying to hold them accountable. I see how all of these issues that are expressed on the surface as right-wing are actually rooted in the anxieties that we have as working people not being
