It’s Wednesday afternoon. Let’s discuss what’s happening today.
A couple things before we begin: The Pittsburgh City Paper just did a great profile of my brother and our co-founder Jordy and MeidasTouch. I hope you have a chance to check it out.
Also: thanks so much to everyone for letting us know they’ve pre-ordered our book WTF America. It truly means the world to us.
Now, to the top stories:
Trump phoned in to Glenn Beck’s show and again tried claiming “affordability” is some newly invented word….as new inflation data came in hotter than anticipated
Trump keeps ratcheting up his attacks on Canada, and the trade war is already hitting Americans where it hurts
Trump made Dolly Parton’s death about himself
A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest attempt to get out of prison
Trump’s DOJ is signaling an appeal in Katie Phang’s Epstein case rather than complying with the judge’s order
Trump’s DOJ is threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center if Trump doesn’t get his way
Darline Graham won the South Carolina GOP Senate runoff and will face pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews in November
A federal judge lifts the last remaining block on Trump’s plan to give the Postal Service a new role in policing mail-in ballots
Clarence Thomas sat for hours of podcast interviews with…Republican Senator Ted Cruz
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Now let’s dive into all the above stories and more.
Trump’s Affordability Problem Isn’t Going Away
Donald Trump went on Glenn Beck’s podcast earlier amid a new ugly economic report and continued to whine about Democrats using the word “affordability,” calling it a “new word.”
The July PCE inflation report showed headline inflation at 3.7%, slightly hotter than expected, with core inflation at 3.3%. Inflation-adjusted consumption was flat, with Americans struggling to cover necessities like health care and utilities and cutting back elsewhere. Even Fox had to acknowledge that inflation was hot hot hot.
Trump’s Fight With Canada Is Already Backfiring
Trump also whined to Glenn Beck about Canada, saying they don’t have anything the U.S. really needs and said it was time to “teach Canada” a lesson. He ranted and raved about Canadian tariffs and brought up Lake Ontario, which he wants to rename Lake America. We are seriously dealing with a deranged psychopath.
Canada, showing its resolve, is fighting back. PM Mark Carney’s government is moving ahead with its retaliatory tariffs of 25% to 50% on hundreds of American products beginning September 8. The Guardian is reporting that this could potentially lead to toilet paper shortages and/or higher toilet paper prices because American manufacturers rely heavily on Canadian raw materials. Talk about Trump turning everything to sh*t! (excuse my language)
Maine Sen. Angus King is warning his state’s lobster industry could get hit from multiple directions. Much of Maine’s lobster is sent to Canada for processing before returning to the States, meaning the industry could be hit with a tariff double whammy…Not to mention the hit lobstermen will take in regards to foreign demand, imported fishing gear, and other costs.
California Gov. Newsom addressed Canadians directly, saying that California remains a stable partner. He condemned Trump’s treatment of our neighbors up north and said he was “disgusted” by Trump’s condescending behavior toward Canada.
Then you had Peter Navarro going on Fox and attacking Carney, blaming Canadian opposition to Trump’s attacks on “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and essentially threatening that Canada’s economy will suffer as Carney’s popularity rises. These are truly sick human beings.
In lighter news, here’s a Canadian journalist today asking Doug Ford a question and accidentally calling Howard Lutnick, “Howard Nutlick.”
Trump Makes Dolly Parton’s Death About…Trump
Trump also discussed the death of Dolly Parton, and naturally he made it all about himself. He made sure to insist that Dolly “really liked me.” Parton famously avoided partisan endorsements, but she did defend LGBTQ+ Americans, saying people should be allowed to be whoever they are. She once joked that her father was a Republican, her mother was a Democrat, and she was a “hypocrite.” Trump can never show an iota of grace, even after someone’s death.
Trump’s Kennedy Center Threat
Trump can’t have his name on the Kennedy Center, so his DOJ has cooked up a new plan: threaten to demolish it if he doesn’t get his way. Trump’s DOJ lawyers are now arguing the building is dangerously dilapidated, financially unsustainable, and heading toward demolition unless Trump’s plans can proceed. The DOJ claimed that Trump’s “efforts and prestige” provide the “sole hope” for the Center’s financial survival. Only I can fix it! If not, they’ll have to tear it down and maybe replace it with a large outdoor amphitheater.
This is all, of course, BS. Ticket sales and donations at the Kennedy Center plunged after Trump’s takeover. He’s the one who ruined it.
The Epstein Files Fight Continues
In addition to threatening to demolish the Kennedy Center, Trump’s DOJ is also working overtime to cover-up the Epstein Files. They’ve signaled they plan to appeal MeidasTouch host Katie Phang’s Epstein Files lawsuit after a federal judge ordered additional information in the files unredacted. Any reasonable person has to ask… Why are they fighting this hard? There’s an Epstein transparency law, a federal judge ordering disclosure…And instead of complying and releasing the information, they want to keep fighting it in court. Just release the damn files.
Trump’s Mail-In Voting Plan Gets a Green Light, For Now…
Trump’s efforts to reshape how mail-in ballots are handled can move forward, for now, after a U.S. district judge reluctantly lifted the last remaining block on the plan, saying the Supreme Court ruling earlier this week left her little choice. The Postal Service rules could potentially result in ballots being rejected from voters who do not appear on newly compiled federal eligibility lists. This fight remains far from over, however. Democratic AGs from 23 states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday challenging the now-final USPS rule and are seeking an emergency block, with the first mail-in ballots set to go out next week.
Clarence Thomas Goes on Ted Cruz’s Podcast
Sitting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas agreed to about 9.5 hours of one-on-one podcast interviews with… Republican Senator Ted Cruz. What are we doing here?
The Supreme Court is supposed to maintain some semblance of institutional independence from politics. Yet here we are. This is yet another reminder of how badly these norms have deteriorated. There’s a reason we called our book WTF America?!
Trump’s Russia Story Deflates
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to speak with Russian intelligence also came up during Trump’s interview. There had been efforts to portray the visit as some dramatic confrontation in which the Trump regime would finally get tough with Putin. Trump himself basically put that narrative to bed. He described the visit as “semi routine” and said he hated to disappoint people looking for something more dramatic. As I’ve said repeatedly…What in Trump’s history would lead anyone to assume he’s suddenly going to become a guy who stands up to Putin?
Netanyahu, Iran, and the ICC
We’re also following more disturbing rhetoric from the Netanyahu government. Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli discussed Palestinians in explicitly enemy-focused terms, while Netanyahu said Israel still has challenges ahead involving Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and other areas. At the same time the Trump regime has targeted the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions.
ICC President Akane said those sanctions would not change how she approaches her judicial duties and that she would not allow herself to be pressured by threats.
Darline Graham’s Win
Trump-backed Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, won the South Carolina Republican Senate runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman. She’ll face Democratic pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews in November.
Health care is already becoming a central contrast in the race. Graham used her victory speech to attack government-run health care:
“Government run health care…. bad idea after bad idea. Annie Andrews backs it all. I have a different background. My parents worked long, hard hours. If they were sick, they had to get up and go to work. My mother passed away when I was 11 and my father just over a year later.”
Quite the message.
Andrews, meanwhile, is leaning heavily into her background as a physician.
That’s your Wednesday update. We’ll keep following it all here at MeidasTouch. If you haven’t already, remember to preorder WTF America?!, the book I wrote with my brothers about how we got to this insane moment and, more importantly, how we fight our way back.
Shoutout to the Meidas Mighty!
Yesterday the world lost an angel, Dolly Parton, aged 80. Tim Curry, also passed, aged 80. The only 80 year old I would love to see pass is Donald J. Trump.
"here’s a Canadian journalist today asking Doug Ford a question and accidentally calling Howard Lutnick, “Howard Nutlick.”....
Are you SURE it was accidental? 😁