Live updates: Trump threatens ‘unprecedented’ economic warfare against Iran
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Trump ally Mike Lindell says he’ll pay for a recount in the Republican primary for Minnesota governor, which he lost by 11 points to the state’s House speaker, Lisa Demuth.
What to know today
- IRAN WAR: President Donald Trump warned of "unprecedented" economic warfare against Iran as well as consequences for any country that provides “any type of lifeline" to the country as his administration looks to resolve a war it began alongside Israel nearly six months ago.
- MINNESOTA RACE: Mike Lindell, a fierce Trump ally and the founder of MyPillow, says he’s willing to foot the bill for a full recount in Minnesota’s GOP primary for governor — a race he lost this month by 11 percentage points to to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
- GRAHAM BLUNDER: Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., acknowledged last night that she “tripped up” during Tuesday's debate when she said national security was “not my thing,” which prompted a wave of questions about her qualifications to hold on to her seat for a full term.
- RECORD U.S. DEBT: Total U.S. debt has topped $40 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department said yesterday, more than doubling in less than a decade under Trump and former President Joe Biden. About a third of the debt accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic response.
Missouri court allows new Trump-backed US House districts to be used in November election
A Missouri judge has allowed new U.S. House districts backed by Trump to be used in the November elections, rejecting a bid by to put the Republican-friendly districts to a statewide vote of the people.
The ruling yesterday by Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green is a victory for Republicans seeking to hold onto their slim majority in the U.S. House. But the case is likely to end up in the state Supreme Court.
U.S. debt crosses $40 trillion threshold after doubling under Trump and Biden
Total U.S. debt has topped $40 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department said yesterday, drawing fresh warnings that a fiscal crisis is brewing as ballooning costs for social safety-net programs and interest payments far outstrip revenues held back by tax cuts.
The Treasury’s latest daily cash and debt balances statement showed total public debt outstanding at $40.047 trillion on Tuesday, a total that includes Treasury securities held by the public of $32.266 trillion and intragovernmental debt holdings of $7.782 trillion.
The federal government’s IOU has now more than doubled in less than a decade, from $19.95 trillion when Trump was sworn in for the first time in January 2017. Roughly one-third of that increase occurred during two years of frantic government borrowing to fund the Covid-19 pandemic responses undertaken by Trump and former President Joe Biden, with the fiscal policy choices of both presidents combining with long-running tax-and-spending imbalances to account for the rest.
Darline Graham says she 'tripped up' during national security question in debate and was 'just being honest'
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., acknowledged last night that she “tripped up” during last night’s debate when she said national security was “not my thing,” prompting a wave of questions about her qualifications to hold on to her seat for a full term.
“I’ve said many times I’m not a politician, certainly not a career politician. I don’t speak politician. I was just honest, and I think that’s kind of a foreign concept,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Graham’s flub came as Newsmax moderator Greta Van Susteren asked whether she viewed Taiwan and the South China Sea as priorities. Graham avoided directly answering the question, saying that while national security was not her strong suit, “I do support the military.”
She told Hannity tonight that she talked to several people across the state after the debate and that they were “concerned about a lot of other things other than Taiwan,” listing voter concerns about the Second Amendment, the SAVE America Act and immigration.
“Of course Taiwan is our friend, but I think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet,” Graham added.
Hannity downplayed the significance of Graham’s debate response, saying he did not think the majority of Americans could identify Taiwan on a map, to which Graham said he was “100% right.”
Graham has said she will focus on “kitchen table issues” more than her brother, Lindsey Graham, did.
Mike Lindell says he’ll pay for recount after double-digit loss in Minnesota governor primary
Mike Lindell, a fierce Trump ally and the founder of MyPillow, says he’s willing to foot the bill for a full recount in Minnesota’s GOP primary for governor — a race he lost this month by 11 percentage points.
In a brief phone call with NBC News yesterday, Lindell said that he had hired his own team to begin investigating the Aug. 11 Republican primary, which NBC News projects state House Speaker Lisa Demuth won, and that he had reached out to the Minnesota secretary of state’s office to ask for a cost estimate for a recount.
Trump warns of economic consequences for any country that supports Iran
Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran“ as the United States looks to resolve a war it began alongside Israel nearly six months ago.
Thousands have been killed in the war, which quickly drew in Gulf nations and shocked global markets as Iran flexed its ability to curb shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of the world’s traded oil before February.
The U.S. and Iran have twice announced ceasefire deals, in April and June, aiming to restore the free flow of shipping through Hormuz on a path towards ending the conflict, but both quickly crumbled even as Israel has largely withdrawn from the fighting.
In a social media message yesterday, Trump promised “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” although details were scant.
