BONUS! A Special Sunday Edition of The NARATIV
Six months into the war he started, $38 billion spent, and the president asked out loud on Fox News whether to annihilate a country of 88 million people. Trump posed the question to correspondent Trey Yingst, cut short his Camp David weekend, and flew back to the White House to decide. His own ambassador, Mike Waltz, appeared on CNN's State of the Union and could not say when the war ends — would not rule out 2029. The House invoked the War Powers Act for the third time, 220-204, with Republican defections growing. Iran warned that any new strike triggers "painful" sustained retaliation on US bases. UNGA opens Monday in Manhattan. Trump, Zelensky, and an Iranian delegation will all be in the same building. The man publicly weighing annihilation expects to broker peace there.
Moderna and Merck proved it works. Their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine hit its primary endpoint in a Phase 3 trial of 1,137 patients — cutting recurrence by 49 percent over immunotherapy alone. The companies filed for FDA approval and announced expanded trials for pancreatic and non-small-cell lung cancer. Stephane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive, learned the trial succeeded on August 13. The vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize up to 34 mutations unique to each patient's tumor. Nine more cancer trials are underway. The first approval could come in 2027.
Trump posted on Truth Social that his 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery will become a "top grade Military Complex" housing drones, snipers, and ammunition. He cited an unnamed military request no branch has confirmed. Veterans Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes, and Jon Gundersen sued to block construction. Trump plans to break ground in two weeks with lawsuits unresolved.
Trump revoked press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico on Friday. Saturday, reporters were physically turned away at the northwest gate. The Knight First Amendment Institute called it "pretty clearly unconstitutional." Trump warned the Times and the Post could be next.
Forty-five days out, Republicans who voted for his war are scrubbing his name from their ads. The Wall Street Journal described them "tip-toeing away." The House recessed early. Members went home to find that home is not friendly.
In one weekend Trump asked whether to destroy a country, armed his own monument, and banned three networks from the building where the free press is supposed to hold him accountable. His party is running from him. The escalation is not five separate stories — it is one pattern accelerating into midterms.
Sunday — no scheduled shows. Narativ Live returns Monday at 7 PM ET.
