Today in Politics, Bulletin 461. 9/18/26
… A blockbuster new report from CNN exactly illustrated the danger of AI and how it could cause global destruction in endless ways if left unregulated. As I said on my weekly podcast Uncovered yesterday, the danger of AI is not that it will send “robot armies” to kill people like idiot Trump said, the danger is when it is employed to select targets, choose weapons, and fire weapons outside of human control. … And an endless number of other ways it could wreak havoc on us and the planet. … CNN: “The intelligence report, circulated across the US military this spring in the midst of the war with Iran, immediately set off alarm bells: A Chinese ship in the Middle East was transporting components of a nuclear weapons program. The US military swung into action with plans to intercept the vessel. Armed members of the US military were preparing to board the ship. Military planes were in the air.” … “It was only just before the planned operation that officials dug deeper into the report put together by a special operations command analyst and found it had been generated with the help of AI - and that a chatbot the analyst had used inaccurately identified the material the ship was carrying.” … The report, according to one of the sources, was “entirely false.” But it also “almost started a war,” the source said. Any US operation against a Chinese vessel could have risked spiraling into an armed conflict between the two nations. … Democratic nominee for TX governor Gina Hinojosa on MS NOW: “I have called on Greg Abbott to issue a moratorium and call an emergency special session so that we can pass laws to protect Texans. Right now, we have the wild west of data centers in Texas. Greg Abbott is all talk - he’s received $20 million from data center interests.” … Washington Sun: “The Trump admin is considering proposals for at least 12 data centers and data center-related infrastructure projects to be built on federal public lands - far more than previously known. The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing data center-related proposals covering at least 17,600 acres of public land across 6 states AZ, ID, NV, OR, UT and WY.” … “Building data centers on public lands, as well as supporting infrastructure like access roads and water pipelines, has emerged as a priority for the Trump administration, which directed BLM officials to identify lands that could be suitable. The admin has pushed to accelerate data center infrastructure development despite public backlash and mounting fears around AI.” … Trump just banned MS NOW, CNN, and Politico from the WH:
… WaPo: “More American service members have died in the Middle East during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has disclosed publicly, according to 6 US officials familiar with DOD’s internal casualty accounting data. 5 of the officials said there have been at least 22 military fatalities - 4 more than what appears in the Pentagon’s public database. A 6th official said 23 service members have died.” … CBS: “US bases in the Middle East have suffered severe damage as a result of Iranian attacks, images and videos show, as the Pentagon surveys the costs of a war. The images, which were recently obtained by ABC News but capture moments in time across the conflict, show damage to buildings and an aircraft at 3 US bases in Kuwait and a Saudi base that houses US assets, some of which were evacuated amid the danger.” … “The Pentagon has not provided public information explaining the extent of the damage done by Iranian attacks to US bases in the region in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan, but satellite imagery has consistently captured the impact of strikes.
… MeidasTouch also obtained exclusive images this afternoon showing the aftermath of an Iranian attack on a US base in Kuwait, and based on what we’ve reviewed, the destruction is severe. Several structures at the base appear to have been completely destroyed, with everything surrounding them leveled as well. What were once functioning structures are now flattened, with debris scattered across the surrounding area.
… AP: “The top official at the US Postal Service said that the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week. … Postmaster General David Steiner: “There’s an injunction so we’re not doing anything.” … “Trump’s efforts to largely eradicate mail voting turned the postal service into an unlikely arbiter of who is eligible to vote just months before this year’s critical midterm elections, a role Steiner seemingly had little interest in playing. Unlike Trump, who was sharply critical of the Supreme Court decision and ridiculed some of the justices, Steiner offered no assessment of the court’s action.” … WaPo: “Democrats’ wary optimism about the midterms gave way to growing confidence this week. The party has seen strong post-Labor Day polls in key battlegrounds - and even in traditionally red areas.” … “Recent escalations in the war in Iran, including an attack on a major pipeline in Saudi Arabia, mean the rising gas prices bedeviling Republicans will not be going down anytime soon. Republicans have not been able to bring prices under control more generally. And Trump’s unpopularity is at near-record levels. Considering all this, Democrats now think conditions are right for the party to retake control of the House and possibly the Senate later this year.” … “Chuck Schumer said he felt ‘considerably more bullish’ about Democrats’ chances of retaking the Senate than he did a few months ago. He described the environment as uncannily similar to 2006, when discontent with the war in Iraq helped Democrats recapture the Senate and the House.” … “Republicans are set to spend nearly $140 million more on ads than Democrats are in the 9 most competitive races in the final weeks of the campaign. The disparity is especially yawning in the Senate contest in Texas, where Republicans have reserved $39.6 million in ads and Democrats have reserved just $5.1 million.” … Schumer acknowledged Republicans’ financial advantage but said it would not stop Democrats from retaking the Senate: “We don’t need as much money as them given the political climate, given the terrain. All we need is enough to stay in the ballpark and be able to answer them.” … Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) to Huff Post: “You’ve got real momentum on the Democrat side - and if we don’t watch out, everybody all of a sudden now is just awakened to the fact that we may lose in the midterm.” … A Republican consultant on the TX governor’s race: “Gov. Greg Abbott has outspent Democrat Gina Hinojosa roughly 10-to-1 over the past month - yet polling averages have moved toward the Democrat, even as Abbott still leads. If money can’t turn some of these races around, things are going to get ugly.” … Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA): “I’m going to KS, NE, IA to help raise money and campaign for our very good candidates. If you told me 6 months ago I was gonna be having to spend my time in those 3 states, I wouldn’t have believed you. Those ought to be fat guy layups for us - the races are close.” … New Emerson poll on the Kansas senate race - the first reliable poll since the stories broke on Sen. Roger Marshall (R) suing his patients and living in FL, then bombing in his debate with Democrat Adam Hamilton at the KS State Fair:
… Marshall on Fox today: “I’m sorry gas prices are going up but your national security is more important than your pocketbook.” … Not sure that’s a winning message. … CNN pollster Harry Enten: “There is absolutely a revolt by latino voters against Trump on the specific issue of immigration. He has seen a 44 point shift in his approval with Latino voters on his handling of immigration. An absolute political disaster.” … “This has led to a problem for Trump with his overall approval rating with Latinos. January 2025 he was was +6 with these voters, now it is -34, a 40-point shift. Trump is way, way underwater with Latino voters.” … “Trump’s net popularity with Latino voters in FL is now -25, he was +17 with them in the 2024 election. In TX he’s 34 points underwater. What was fertile ground for Trump to put up a historical performance with Latino voters in 2024 is all gone. TX senate, TX governor and FL governor may now be in play with numbers like these.” … Two Miami-based Republican commentators posted their takes on Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s (R-FL) video denouncing Trump’s immigration policy:
… Trump was asked about Salazar’s video: “Without me she wouldn't have gotten elected. She got a little bit soft on the border.” … Politico reporter Kimberly Leonard: “One GOP canvasser in Miami-Dade has observed ‘people are mad as hell at us’ over mass deportations The person said Rep. Salazar’s ad showed she understood she’s the ‘canary in the coal mine’ when it comes to Hispanics abandoning the GOP.” … “In this district, where I live, it’s not just about affordability. People are watching neighbors and family get deported/profiled. Businesses losing workers. Schools seeing lower enrollment, churches losing members. Pets of deported owners brought to already-overwhelmed shelters.” … CBS: “Matt Bell has been farming for more than half his life in central NC. He grows soybeans, corn and wheat and raises beef cattle on more than 1,000 acres. But Bell, who voted for Trump, says soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer, and equipment are hurting his farm and leading some of his fellow farmers to consider calling it quits once this growing season ends.” … “I’ve done this 34 years. I have never worried and stressed like I have the last year. We’ve cut everything we can cut. The last several years in agriculture have been terrible, and we have just cut the fat anywhere we could. But we’re just getting to the point now there’s nothing left to cut. You cannot run without fuel. You cannot run without fertilizer. You have to have that.” … Bell said he blew through his yearly fuel budget of $35,000 in August. Now, he expects his total for the year to be closer to $50,000 to $60,000: “Every piece of equipment on this farm runs on diesel.” … Bell said tariffs are also killing his business: “Everything we’re touching, the fertilizer, fuel, chemicals, seed, parts - the whole 9 yards, everything that we touch has gone up. We were sold a bill of goods that agriculture was going to be on the forefront, and there was going to be some policy that would put America’s farmers and ranchers first. And right now, that has not happened.” … This Nov, Bell says he’ll be voting for candidates who he says have “common sense,” and listen to Americans’ concerns. “I’m a Republican, but I’m probably going to vote a split ticket.” … NYT: “She voted repeatedly to protect Trump’s war powers. She defended his tariffs. She promised to be his ‘top ally’ if she wins a pivotal Senate seat this year. For most of the past year, Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa has been a staunch Trump supporter. Then came the beef.” … “After Trump said he would slash longstanding tariffs on foreign ground beef, arguing that it would curb rising grocery costs, Hinson said the plan would hurt American cattle ranchers who were already struggling. ‘We need to focus on affordability, but I think this isn’t the way to do that,’ she said on Fox.” … “The rare public fissure reflects the shifting economic and political headwinds that Hinson is facing in her agriculture-heavy state. A third-term House Republican, she is shouldering the responsibility of defending her party’s control of IA’s open Senate seat, which could decide the balance of power in Washington.” … “After frequently supporting Trump’s agenda, she has downplayed her alignment with him in the last stretch before the election. She stayed off the stage at his midterm convention in Dallas last week, in contrast with most other red-state Republican Senate nominees in tossup races.” … Asked last week if a vote for her would be a vote for Trump, she would not say, adding only that “a vote for me is a vote for common-sense policies.” … JD Vance held a rally today in IA for Hinson. Except that Hinson didn’t show up: "I know she couldn't be here today, but are we going to elect Ashley Hinson!” … She could be there. But she didn’t want to take the stage with Vance because the Trump admin is so unpopular in Iowa now that she’s hiding from him. … Cook Political: “A new Battleground District Project poll of the most competitive House districts in the country finds Democrats in a strong position to flip control of the chamber this fall. It also finds an electorate eager to see a new Congress do more than simply hold Trump to account, but also to make fundamental changes to the political system.” … “The poll, which was conducted for The Cook Political Report by Democratic firm New River Strategies and Republican firm GS Strategy Group, surveyed voters in the 37 districts we rate as Toss Up, Lean Republican or Lean Democrat. In those competitive districts, which Trump won by an average of 5 points in 2024, Democrats now hold a 2-point advantage on the generic congressional ballot, 49% to 47%.” … “Not only is the president unpopular in these districts - he’s 16 points underwater (42% approve, 58% disapprove) - but Democrats are also more trusted to handle the economy, inflation and the cost of energy.” … House GOP Whip Tom Emmer on Fox: Q - “You’ve got a problem. $4 gas, $6 diesel, 7% mortgages. It’s hard to argue that you’re better than Democrats when it comes to the economy. Emmer: Well, we do have a lot to sell. We have accomplished a ton. Somebody just sent me a meme that said, ‘$4 gas, $6 diesel - not acceptable, but it’s not gonna get me to vote for a communist.’” … Who needs polls when you can just rely on anecdotal evidence like a MAGA cultist sending you a meme on the internet? … WSJ: “Mortgage rates close to 7%. Gas prices near their highest levels since 2022. A Fed interest-rate hike for the first time in 3 years. Everything from buying a house to filling up your gas tank now costs more than even a week ago—putting affordability back in the spotlight just before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.” … “For 5 months, wage gains haven’t kept pace with inflation and, especially with the sharp increase in gas prices over the past few weeks, they aren’t likely to keep up this month, either. That could be consequential in congressional races across the country, especially in places where Democrats have made affordability central to their messaging.” … David Winston, a veteran Republican strategist and adviser to congressional leadership: “We’ve seen some increase in wages. But it hasn’t been enough for voters to get to a conclusion that they’re in a better position to handle current prices.” … Patrick De Haan: “This morning finds the national average at $4.472/gal and is expected to rise into the day as further increases get passed along. Diesel also continues to climb at $6.441/gal and could rise to nearly $6.50/gal by the end of the day.”
… Trump’s counterterrorism director Sebastian Gorka: “I don’t really care about the price of gas because the price of gas will be cheap when we win, which will be soon. And it’s not about the midterms. It’s about dealing death to those who wish to kill Americans. If you think that’s less important than the price of gas, you’re not an American. End of story.” There is no Bulletin tomorrow because I’m off Saturdays. We are doing our last kayak excursion of the season on the Saco River before we head into my favorite time of the year here in Maine - the fall foliage and fall fair/festival season. I have some great events to attend and a fantastic foliage one-day road trip planned through some mountain valleys. The Weekend Bulletin will be out on Sunday night. If you missed the last Bulletin, you can find it here. … Trump had another batshit crazy press gaggle in the Oval Office with the governor of South Dakota. First he told him to get going on putting his face on Mount Rushmore:
… Washington Sun: “The DNC racked up two of its biggest grassroots fundraising months in a midterm cycle this summer, bringing in more than $14 million combined in July and August. The grassroots totals surpassed what the DNC hit in those two months in 2018, the midterm cycle during Trump’s first term. The committee also hit 1 million unique individual donors for the cycle this summer, a traditionally sleepy time for fundraising.” … “The surge got some help from several potential 2028 presidential candidates who lent their fundraising muscle to the party committee’s efforts, including KY Gov. Andy Beshear and CT Sen. Chris Murphy. AZ Sen. Mark Kelly, another potential 2028 candidate, helped to raise $640,000 through a contest to win a trip to Washington and tour the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum with him.” … NYT: “AG Todd Blanche has repeatedly participated in campaign events and spoken in partisan terms about the coming midterm elections since his confirmation last month, despite criticism that he violated a longstanding DOJ principle of steering clear of electoral politics. This week he waded again into those waters - twice.” … “Since August, Blanche has come under fire for making campaign-tinged public appearances and comments. Last month, at a rally-style event on Long Island, he praised Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor of NY. Last week, Blanche delivered remarks at the Republican Party’s midterm convention.” … On Tues, he stood at the WH podium and disparaged Democratic lawmakers while invoking the coming election, dismissing their concerns about AI as “nothing but an effort to influence the midterms.” … “DOJ had long held itself to a higher standard than the Hatch Act and its ambiguities. For decades, its ethics policies went beyond the statute in pushing officials to avoid events like political fund-raisers and campaign rallies. In 2022, Merrick Garland flatly banned political appointees from participating in partisan activities - even in their personal capacities, and even if their family members were the candidates. … But in March of this year, Pam Bondi rescinded that policy, freeing political appointees to attend such events in their personal capacities subject only to the lower standards of the Hatch Act.” … Bloomberg: Saudi Aramco has told at least two European refiners they will receive no Saudi crude next month after an attack on the kingdom’s key East-West pipeline to the Red Sea after drones punched holes in the kingdom’s last high-capacity escape route around a war-choked Strait of Hormuz. … Loadings at Yanbu on the Red Sea have been dead since Sept 11. Inventories there were already down to roughly 5 days of cover. Some late-Sept cargoes are cancelled or shoved into Nov. OECD Europe was taking about 577,000 barrels a day of Saudi crude. That stream just stopped. … AP: “It’s been a week since Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed down the Red Sea coast, extending their reach to a key maritime chokepoint and threatening Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. The Houthis’ biggest land grab in years reignited Yemen’s 12-year civil war and pushed up global fuel prices. It also gave Iran another potential source of leverage as the US has started to loosen Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz.” … “The Houthis are also firing at Saudi oil facilities and tankers. An attack on Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, added to an unfolding nightmare for the kingdom and rattled world markets. Now the rebels appear to be eyeing Yemen’s oil-rich east.” … “So far, the only thing standing in their way is Yemen’s Saudi-backed govt and an array of forces that have fought one another as recently as January. Saudi Arabia’s most important ally, the US, appears to be sitting this one out.” … CNBC: “JPMorgan has thrown in the towel after attempting for months to forecast how and when the Iran war would end. JPMorgan assumed at the start of the war that several economic redlines would force Trump into an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz sometime in June. Those redlines included oil above $100, gas near $5 per gallon and 10-year Treasury yields above 5%. … Natasha Kaneva, head of global commodities strategy: “For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don’t have a baseline view. We simply don’t know how to model the endgame. 6 months later, many of those lines have been crossed, yet the exit strategy is less clear, not more.” … That’s because there never was a plan or an exit strategy. Trump assumed he would kill the Ayatollah and some senior leaders and Iran would surrender. He had no Plan B. … Fox poll: “71% of registered voters think the Trump admin lacks a clear strategy for ending the war with Iran - including 43% of Republicans.” … I guess based on this we know the percentage of cultists in this country is at 29%. … AP: “Some senators from both parties say they were left deeply unsettled after the Pentagon’s top policy adviser, Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, failed to provide an expected update on the Trump admin’s National Defense Strategy at a classified briefing.” … “The lawmakers also say they were unsatisfied with Colby’s answers to questions ranging from inquiries about the Iran war to growing concerns that Trump could deploy troops to polling places during the midterm congressional elections. Colby acknowledged that discussions about deploying the National Guard were taking place.”
… Washington Sun: “Republican senators said they see no path to confirmation for Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, as a potential Army secretary, complicating the prospects for Pete Hegseth’s preferred candidate as the WH considers a wider field.” … “The reluctance underscores the liabilities Parnell would bring to a confirmation fight, including abuse allegations he has denied and his role implementing Hegseth’s restrictions on the Pentagon press corps.” … “Parnell emerged as Hegseth’s favored candidate last month to succeed Dan Driscoll, who resigned after months of tension with Hegseth over the defense secretary’s removal of senior officers. But Parnell is already encountering pushback from Republicans whose confirmation votes he would need.”
… NBC: “Marco Rubio isn’t the face of the Iran negotiations. He’s kept a discreet public distance as the unpopular war grinds on. Jared Kushner and the president’s longtime friend and special envoy Steve Witkoff are the main protagonists in the push to end both the Iran and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.” … “The arrangement is an unusual one. Past secretaries of state commanded the spotlight when it came to war and peace. Henry Kissinger won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War during the Nixon admin. John Kerry, in the Obama admin, flew back and forth between Washington and the Middle East as he tried in vain to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.” … “Rubio holds a unique place in the Cabinet, one of the most expansive in the modern presidency. Rubio doubles as national security adviser - first in an acting capacity, now permanent. Trump has given Rubio wide latitude, allowing America’s top diplomat to be selective when it comes to the public parts of the job. … “Rubio was more visible in the early phase of the Iran war than in the later stages. That could prove advantageous down the road. Polls show widespread American disenchantment with the conflict. As public opinion hardens, Rubio may be better positioned to sidestep any political backlash than JD Vance, who has attended futile rounds of peace talks in far-flung locales.” … Dr Oz on Fox: "We were told in April 2020 that if you got hit by a car but you also happened to have covid, they considered that a covid death. With the measles outbreak in PA, are you dying with measles or from measles?" … Sen. John Fetterman’s former chief of staff Adam Jentleson was asked on CSPAN whether the senator still belongs in the Democratic party: “In some ways, at least at the beginning, I thought he did. What I fear has happened with Fetterman is that the fighting has become the point for him. So, everything that he does is sort of seeking to stick a thumb in the eye of the Democratic party.” … Hollywood Reporter: “When it screened at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, Musk got the kind of reception every international distributor dreams about. Attendees applauded enthusiastically for 5 minutes and saluted director Alex Gibney, even shouting ‘thank you’ inside the festival’s Sala Grande for his hard-hitting investigation into the world’s richest man. … But despite that instant and reassuring focus group, Universal Pictures, which controls worldwide rights to the film outside of North America, now appears to be having second thoughts on a documentary it paid a significant sum to acquire. The company has not dated the movie, has not communicated with the filmmaking team about its plans, and generally appears to be rethinking the release of a project that it once showed high enthusiasm for but is now politically sensitive for parts of the Trump admin.” … “Two people with knowledge of the dynamic who were not authorized to speak publicly tell The Hollywood Reporter that while a final decision has not been made and several outcomes were possible, they believed that Universal would ultimately decide against releasing the film and return rights to the movie to filmmakers.” … “If Universal opts against releasing the movie, it would mark an extraordinary reversal at a moment when media companies are already under scrutiny for bowing to various forms of political pressure.” … Musk has shown his disdain for Gibney’s film, repeatedly calling it a “hit piece” and saying it was “boring,” despite the fact that there are no indications he has seen it. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, has also sent a letter to Gibney’s production company putting it “on notice,” raising the temperature for potential distributors. … Daily Mail: “Inside DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s $1.8 million ‘crash-pad’ shared with Rep. Jason Smith - where Tulsi Gabbard is also reportedly a frequent visitor. A representative for Mullin says the secretary is Smith’s ‘landlord,’ having bought the house in 2023, but would not disclose the amount the congressman allegedly pays per month.” … My friend, who is a presidential historian who lives in DC, posted this on his anonymous X account:
… Mehdi Hasan had a contentious exchange with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Piers Morgan’s podcast:
… AP: “A federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it as Trump has threatened. US District Judge Christopher Cooper said his ruling would ‘avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events,’ including the building’s sudden closure to the public on Wed.” … Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director, said he closed the iconic performing arts center temporarily due to “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration” of the aging building. The building will be closed for at least 7 days to “assess existing safety risks in those portions of the main building exhibiting severe structural deterioration.” … Politico: “Ousted board members of the US Institute of Peace are asking a federal court to block the imminent carving of Trump’s name on the HQ of the nonpartisan institution he sought to dismantle shortly after taking office. Members of the board who were removed by the admin filed an emergency motion in a dispute that has echoes of Trump’s effort to place his name on the Kennedy Center.” … The motion alleged that a contractor has already been selected to carve Trump’s name into the HQ that the admin sought to shutter as part of the Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts: “The building - which was largely funded by private donations to USIP as a tax exempt nonprofit corp - is a work of expressive architecture designed to be ‘symbolic of USIP’s’ independent ‘mission’. Alteration of the design to impose a different message would cause irreparable harm.” … Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who just lost his primary, is having a rough month. Florida Politics: “The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an explosion at a Pacem Defense grenade factory in Perry. That’s a munitions company co-founded by Cory Mills before his election to Congress.” … Statement from Sheriff’s Office: “The explosion resulted in significant damage to one building at the facility, which is considered a total loss. First responders secured and maintained the perimeter until the appropriate state and federal agencies arrived on scene.” … The cause of the explosion has not been determined. … Trump explained his tariff rationale: “If we buy 2 billion dollars worth of Bananas from Brazil, we’re actually losing 2 billion dollars. So if we stop eating bananas, we actually save 2 billion dollars.” … People said we needed a businessman as president. I’m not so sure that’s working out right now. |
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