Six months into the Iran war, Donald Trump has created a uniquely dangerous situation for the United States — and the rest of the world.
Today is an awkward day for President Donald Trump. Remember when he said the war with Iran would
last six weeks? That was sixmonthsago. What’s more, the fallout has been exactly whatofficials and experts warnedit would be: A bunch of American service members have died, oil prices remain high after skyrocketing, and Iran is more emboldened than ever.
NATO countries now are increasingly worried that they’ll get dragged into conflict, as Trump claims he’s in no rush to make peace.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are going nowhere fast. Officials in the region have been
trying to convincethe two countries to talk again. But neither side is budging: Iran remains infuriated that the U.S. tried to enact “economic D-Day” on the country with fresh sanctions last week.
“Putting diplomacy back on track isn’t impossible,” Iran’s foreign minister
𝕏tweeted today. “It hinges on U.S. understanding of one simple fact: pressure doesn’t work.”
Trump keeps acting like he doesn’t care how long this drags on. “We don’t want to speak to them. We’re not looking to meet or anything,” Trump told reporters yesterday. He also made a bold statement about the Strait of Hormuz: “That sucker is open,” the president told Axios, even as oil shipment trackers
say otherwise.
This war has been such a mess that Trump’s team is scrambling to address a new threat: Russia.
Why did CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly travel to Moscow this week? One reason: Right before the trip, U.S. intelligence indicated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sees the United States as weakened from its war with Iran,
according to theWashington Post.
That might encourage Russia to “escalate action” against NATO countries, the outlet writes. Indeed, Ratcliffe
warned Moscowagainst launching an attack on the alliance. (Trump, for what it’s worth,claims he isn’t worriedabout the possibility.)
Putin’s calculations make sense, considering recent reports. The U.S. military’s
shortage of interceptorsthat can shoot down high-speed ballistic missiles is “beyond critical” and allies areconcerned thatthe U.S. is burning through its stockpile of weapons. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently fired top Army leaders, leaving the service “essentially rudderless,”according to the.New York Times
“The question of the moment is whether Mr. Trump’s ability to deter adversaries is as formidable as he suggests,”
wrotetheWall Street Journal’sfamously conservative editorial board. “If U.S. deterrence fails again against Russia, Mr. Trump won’t have Joe Biden to blame, and his Presidency will be at risk.”
**Trump, meanwhile, seems to be keeping his mind off the war. **“Fixing and Restoring the Thomas Jefferson Columns at the White House — Better than new!” he wrote on social media.
** Donald Trump told the Supreme Court that ballroom construction** must be allowed to continue because it’s about 65 percent complete — but in reality it’s likely nowhere close to being done, the
** The Trump administration might give a small portion** of Yosemite National Park to a private developer, NOTUS reports. The developer owns 83 acres right outside the park and wants to build a private road to the park, according to the outlet.
** Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh expressed concern** about high inflation during his closely-watched speech in Wyoming today. “While this summer’s [inflation] readings were better than expected, they do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved,” he said.
** White South Africans who come to the United States** as refugees could receive up to $4,500 in federal assistance when they arrive starting this fall. Reminder: Trump has barred refugees from around the world from coming here — except for White South Africans.
** Meanwhile, the Trump administration **continues deporting people
** ICE has been detaining way more people without **criminal records than last year, according to agency data. For instance, more than half of detainees in July, which saw 49,000 arrests, didn’t have criminal records.
** Trump isn’t planning to attend the ceremony **for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City… partly because they won’t let him give a speech, the
** A deadlocked town council race in Arizona was decided **by a century-old state law, which required the two candidates — who had received an equal number of votes — to draw playing cards from a deck, in hopes of getting the high card. Both candidates drew a three, but one of them was a spade, which trumped the other suit.
** A program that teaches people with Parkinson’s **how to play harmonica is trying to help patients maintain or improve their ability to speak. “People with Parkinson’s often have problems with phonation, pitch, articulation and saliva management — and ironically, those are the things that you work on when you’re playing the harmonica,” a physical therapist told the
** A volunteer organization in Illinois reunited a woman** with her dog 12 years after the pet went missing. How is that possible? The group tracks “dead-end” microchips in animals, which can be difficult to trace. But it worked this time: “I went and saw her. I just bawled,” the owner said. “I broke down completely. She was back with me. A piece of my heart was back with me.”
** Millions of Americans across the country witnessed **a partial lunar eclipse last night. I totally missed this! So, if you’re like me, this
** Global streams of Dolly Parton’s music jumped** 1,280 percent, from 2.5 million on Monday to 35 million on Tuesday following her death. She would be proud!
Meet Belle and Bonnie, who are named after “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story 3.”
“We got Belle and loved her so much that when we heard her mama was pregnant again, we wanted to get another, and that’s how we got Bonnie. We thought the older, calmer pup would influence the hell-on-wheels smaller pup, but it was the other way around!”
— Matthew
