Today in Politics, Bulletin 437. 8/10/26

… Trump issued an executive order today seeking to mandate one of the conspiracies that he has held for decades which began shortly after Barron was born - that childhood vaccines cause autism.

… Axios: “Trump issued an executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccinations, splitting the childhood MMR vaccine into 3 shots and delivering vaccines at separate medical visits.”

… The executive order states that “the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in 3 separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available and that, to the maximum extent feasible, all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits.”

… “RFK Jr’s handpicked vaccine advisers last fall called for splitting up the MMR shot and overhauling a central component of childhood immunizations. But the WH urged Kennedy to back off of such contentious policymaking earlier this year. And yet, Trump has recently questioned Kennedy about the lack of momentum on childhood vaccine policy, signaling his continued strong personal interest in the topic.”

… Sen. Bill Cassidy, who made all of this possible by confirming RFK Jr, posted: “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”

… “Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe. Parents should listen to their child’s pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order. This is so wrong.”

… Cowards like Cassidy put us in this situation by repeatedly refusing to stand up to Trump.

… From Trump’s press conference announcing the order in the Oval Office:

• “They have a vaccination that’s the size of a bottle of soda poured into a child’s body.”

• “Very simply, large amounts of like vats are currently pumped into your child's body.”

• Q: “I think I heard you say the MMR vaccine is quite lethal. Is there any evidence of that? Trump: No. I’ve heard some people say that. I’ve heard when you put them together, they can be explosive.”

• “Nothing bad can happen from what we’re doing. We’re going to learn a lot.”

• “Decades ago children received a fraction of the vaccines. They were healthier and the high rates of autism did not exist. So there's a reason for such epidemic rates of autism. Well, we did not know exactly what the cause is with respect to autism.”

… Trump also dozed off multiple times while other people were speaking.

… TMZ: “Rep. Lauren Boebert's adult son is back in legal trouble - he's been arrested on multiple felony charges tied to the alleged sexual exploitation of a child. Tyler Boebert was arrested Sunday in CO. Tyler faces 3 sexual exploitation charges -- including allegations involving inducement or enticement, possession with intent and video - along with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

… Rep. Boebert to TMZ: "I love my son. We take these allegations very seriously and pray for everyone affected during this challenging time."

… WSJ: The Republican Party is losing Its edge with voters on the economy. Mitchell Brown, a Republican pollster, has noticed something new in the focus groups he runs with voters in battleground states: “They know exactly, to the dollar, the amount of their power bill.” The same, he says, happens with health costs, or the price of beef. To Brown, it is a sign that views of the economy pose a clear danger for his party in this year’s midterms, a concern echoed by other Republican strategists.”

… As I’ve said for 18 months, Trump can lie to them about a lot of things and they will buy it, but his lies about this stuff aren’t fooling anyone. People know how much they pay for things and how much money is in their bank account. The lies and denials by Republicans only make people more angry.

… CNN pollster Harry Enten: “We’re talking about a 32 point decline in terms of Trump’s net approval rating on jobs. It is not just inflation that is hurting Trump when it comes to the economy in the American voters’ minds. It is jobs as well.”

… Enten: “Pete Hegseth - the lowest of the low - 22 points underwater! And this has been something that has been going on throughout the entire admin. He has been underwater in every single poll. Don Rumsfeld was 15 points better than Pete Hegseth.”

… Politico: “Senators began their break no closer to enacting the crown jewel of Pete Hegseth’s agenda: a record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget. Hegseth hasn’t persuaded Republicans to steamroll Democrats and advance the money in a party-line plan, despite regularly trekking to the Hill and hobnobbing with lawmakers.”

… “Instead, an increasingly vocal group of GOP lawmakers argue the admin hasn’t explained why Republicans should burn valuable political capital in pursuit of Trump’s vision - especially with the midterms just months away.”

… Politico: “The progressive movement’s midterms march has arrived in WI, where a democratic socialist is forcing establishment Democrats to mount an all-out, last-ditch effort to stop her. Francesca Hong is the front-runner to become the Dems gubernatorial nominee, fueled by a populist campaign tapping into voters’ cost of living concerns. David Crowley, backed by outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, has emerged as the top candidate trying to cut off Hong’s bid.”

… Ahead of Tues’s primary, electability was top of mind for voters and both candidates as they raced to prove they could build the widest, strongest coalition against presumptive Republican nominee Tom Tiffany. Crowley and Evers have been barnstorming the swing state over the past week, warning a vote for Hong risks losing in Nov. to Tiffany, a hard-right member of the House Freedom Caucus backed by Trump.”

… “Hong rejects those warnings. Speaking to voters at events across the state, Hong argues Democratic voters are fed up with the establishment ahead of Nov. — and that she can appeal to a wide array of Democrats, Republicans and people who don’t feel represented by either party.”

… “But Hong’s campaign has also faced intense scrutiny over a string of controversial past social media posts, including advocating for defunding the police and railing against Thanksgiving. She was later slammed for being unable to give a straightforward answer to CNN about whether she would ‘cancel Thanksgiving.’”

… Fox: “Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a website on Monday that highlights the contrast between what he calls ‘common sense and crazy.’ The name for the new initiative is ‘Contrast for America,’ a play on the Newt Gingrich-led ‘Contract with America’ GOP policy platform used during the 1994 midterm election.”

… “The website is divided into 5 separate parts, beginning with a video message from Johnson that includes a montage of Fox clips and compares images of unrest in US cities to videos of patriotic displays of the country’s 250th anniversary. The website also includes a timeline of failed communist govts throughout the world, followed by dueling lists that show what Republicans are running on versus what Democrats’ far-left insurgency is pushing.”

… Johnson: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for. It must be protected. It has to be taught, passed along to the next generation. 35 years ago, Republicans and Democrats in Congress, they were fighting communism on a distant shore. Now it’s here.”

… NOTUS: “Democrats are increasingly convinced that ‘double haters’ - voters disappointed with both Trump and the Democratic Party - will make or break their chance at winning a House majority in Nov. All it’ll take to win this voting group over, Democrats think, is one very normal trick. In battleground districts across the country, Democratic candidates are attempting to prove that they are just like the average, everyday Americans they hope to represent.”

… “Their bet is that the promise of normalcy is enough to win over skeptical voters. It’s an effort that sits at the center of the party’s planned communication effort in the coming months, especially in the right-leaning seats its candidates need to win for a majority next year.”

… Democratic Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of MI: “What this really means is, are you putting your head down and working? Are you talking about things that really matter and using language that normal people use, not something from inside the beltway?”

… “McDonald Rivet, who won her Trump-supporting district with relative ease in 2024, is considered the template for the kind of candidate Democrats hope they recruited this year, a list that includes Rebecca Bennett in NJ, Zach Dembo in KY and Chaz Molder in TN.”

… “They described a formula for coming across as normal that included focusing on economic pressures instead of Trump’s actions and avoiding statements and positions more aligned with liberal activists than the larger body politic.”

… NYT: “Over the course of Ken Paxton’s decade-long rise to prominence, through scandal and turmoil, questions about his finances have followed him. Opponents scrutinized his real estate holdings and suggested that he has used his public office to enrich himself personally. With Paxton locked in a close, contentious race for senate in TX, his Democratic opponent has questioned how Paxton, the state AG, has amassed a multimillion dollar real estate portfolio on a public servant’s salary.”

… “Now, Paxton’s federal financial disclosure forms and additional records shed light on one unusual source of his income: a cellular tower company from which Paxton made between $100,000 and $1 million about every 18 months. The company controls at least one tower in a city north of Dallas that was erected around 20 years ago on the property of a hospital where Paxton was a board member.”

… “Industry experts said a hospital’s board would need to review and approve a decision to lease land to a cell tower company such as Premier. It is not clear whether Paxton, as a board member, voted on any contract between the hospital and his company, or whether he had participated in any such discussions.”

… Scripps News: Now that the deadline has passed to replace Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) on the ballot, his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), seems to indicate he won’t comment any further on Miller’s race: “I’ve said all I’m going to say.”

… Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named 4 potential Democratic challengers lining up to run against Sen. John Fetterman in the 2028 primary: Conor Lamb, Chris Deluzio, Summer Lee, Brendan Boyle.

On Ask the Editor today I answered these 5 questions from you: 1. Do you think the RNC holding a Trumpalooza midterm convention is a good strategy or will it backfire on them? Are Democrats doing something similar? 2. Who was the reporter who asked El-Sayed about Trump saying he was full of shit? 3. We love El-Sayed but can he win? 4. What is your opinion of the 3rd party movement started by Tucker, Greene, Massie and others? 5. Why is Kash Patel visiting Russia - what is the official reason and what do you think the real reason is?

I also watched the entire interview Hunter Biden just gave to Tucker Carlson, and gave my commentary on that in the context of answering one of those questions. The Ask the Editor show should be out tonight. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Meidas reporter Scott Macfarlane: “Internal park service records reveal a controversial and overwhelming re-routing of money to Trump vanity projects. The topline dollar figures are astounding, according to multiple sources inside the US Dept of Interior. The records show more than $323 million have been made available for upgrades and projects on the WH grounds this year. That’s a dramatic, nearly 5000% increase from the $7.5 million spent on WH grounds projects in 2024.”

… “The records show declines in the money allotted to – or projected for use at - dozens of other major US parks this year. There were multi-million dollar reductions in funds for Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks, which are some ofthe flagship attractions of America’s National Park Service.”

… Tim Whitehouse, with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: “The National Park Service is being used as a piggy bank for Trump’s vanity projects. The National Parks Service and the Dept. of Interior are giving Trump all of the money that he wants. That’s costing the American people. That’s hurting the rest of our country.”

… The New Republic: “Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are set to launch an investigation into the decision to criminally charge Hearn and others over the Reflecting Pool fiasco. Although Democrats are in the minority, their probe offers a blueprint for what they’ll pursue with subpoena power if they control the House in 6 months.”

… “This week, Rep. Jamie Raskin—the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and potentially its future chair—will formally demand that DOJ and Interior turn over a