Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Trump torches allies as Iran exposes limits of hard power
Axios | Zachary Basu | 08/18/26

President Trump has a new rule for America's partners: Cross him in one theater, and the consequences will follow you into the next.

Why it matters: Trump has spent his second term battering U.S. allies, humiliating their leaders and using decades-old security relationships to settle personal and political scores.

The Iran war has only deepened those impulses: Trump is growing angrier at allies that stayed out of the conflict - and punishing them as he struggles to end it.

Zoom in: South Korea - recently hailed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a "model ally" - is the latest and most surprising casualty in Trump's retribution campaign. ... Read more

Dems plan Oman war powers push after Trump threatens bombing
Axios | Andrew Solender | 08/18/26

Congressional Democrats are planning a new push to constrain President Trump's war powers after he threatened Monday to "bomb the shit" out of Oman.

Why it matters: War powers resolutions, though largely symbolic, have become Democrats' go-to tool for trying to rein in what they see as a far too trigger-happy administration.

"At this point we may just need to file war powers resolutions for the 192 other countries," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios.

Driving the news: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) announced in a statement on Monday afternoon that he will introduce an Oman war powers resolution when the Senate returns to session next month. ... Read more

Trump's Iran strategy opens Pacific security gap
Axios | Josephine Walker | 08/18/26

The USS George Washington's deployment from Japan to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln will leave the U.S. without an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific - just as adversaries in the area are flexing their military power.

Why it matters: Temporary carrier gaps are not uncommon, but the absence of a striker ship in the Pacific highlights how the Middle East is once again dictating American military policy. It also has raised questions about how the U.S. can sustain a formidable presence in both regions.

The big picture: The absence of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific has happened before, and China has previously exploited those gaps by sailing its strike groups closer to U.S. allies like Taiwan and Japan, Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Colonel and a current senior adviser at CSIS, tells Axios.

While a full-scale invasion is unlikely, China could use the void to ratchet up its presence in the Pacific, he says. ... Read more

The Trump family's crypto empire is getting a bank. But not the kind you think
Axios | Herb Scribner | 08/18/26

Why it matters: The move expands Trump's grip on the world of cryptocurrency, which delivered the president a $1 billion windfall last year alone.

1. WLTC is an affiliate of the Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial.
2. DT Marks SC LLC, a corporate entity with ties to Trump's family, has an investment in the proposed bank, too. Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, signed an agreement over that investment. ...

Behind the massive blowback against Flock cameras
Axios | Astrid Galvan | 08/17/26

Activists and citizens across the political spectrum are pushing back against license plate readers made by Flock and similar companies, fueled by privacy concerns and suspected police misuse.

Why it matters: Flock cameras are suddenly emerging as the next big target of populist anti-tech, pro-privacy sentiment, alongside the data centers fueling the AI boom.

The big picture: Flock has over 120,000 cameras across the country, the company tells Axios.

Advocates say the cameras help quickly track down criminals, making cities safer.

Opponents say they're a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties. Some have even turned to sabotaging the cameras. ... Read more

Trump Dismantled climate.gov. This Former NOAA Employee Rebuilt It | Amanpour and Company | 08/15/26 | 18:25

Trump's legal team shrinks
Politico | Erica Orden | 08/16/26

When Donald Trump first hired an elite legal team at Sullivan & Cromwell early last year, it included five of the firm's partners, all of whom had clerked for Supreme Court justices and one of whom had served as acting solicitor general.

Today, all but one is gone.

Since April, four of the five members of Trump's defense team have exited the firm, either to rival shops or because the president elevated them to positions in his administration or the judiciary.

That leaves Sullivan & Cromwell co-chair Robert Giuffra Jr. as the single partner responsible for leading Trump's defense in a smattering of high-profile appeals, including an attempt to shed the president's criminal conviction.

In July, Giuffra was the sole signatory from Sullivan & Cromwell, aside from a junior-level lawyer, on a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn an $83.3 million jury award ... Read more

ProPublica Event: The Trillion-Gallon Time Bomb: Inside the Oil Industry's Wastewater Crisis | ProPublica | 05/05/26 | 1:01:01

AI could bring Mayo-quality health care to everyone
Axios | Jim VandeHei | 08/17/26

My wife, Autumn, has spent nearly a quarter of the past four years in ERs and hospitals, untangling and battling three chronic conditions - and a shamefully broken U.S. medical system.

We live in Washington, D.C., with top-rated hospitals in our backyard. Yet her experience has been eye-opening and often horrifying, especially for a nation that spends twice as much on medical care as our rivals.

What it's like: ERs so hauntingly jammed she's often stacked like cargo in hallways, on a stretcher, waiting double-digit hours for care.

Well-intentioned and often talented nurses overwhelmed and overworked.

Doctors forbidden from, or uninterested in, working with experts beyond their domain to solve complex conditions. It's random luck if you get a specialist willing to even show up to your hospital room.

You need a forensic detective to hunt down medical records scattered across random portals and hospitals. And then a miracle to get anyone to piece them together for clues. "It feels like riding a stationary bicycle when you need to be somewhere," Autumn says. ... Read more

Trump's Lawyers

Trump stops short of endorsing Bibi as his campaign falters
Axios | Barak Ravid | 08/14/26

When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump met in the Oval Office two weeks ago, the president asked the Israeli prime minister how he was doing in the polls ahead of an Oct. 27 election.

Netanyahu paused. Then one of his advisers piped up: "Mr. President, he is winning," the aide said, according to a U.S. official familiar with the exchange.

Why it matters: Netanyahu is not winning. And so far, Trump hasn't given him the endorsement he hopes for, despite being asked about it repeatedly by reporters.

The president could still change his mind. But with just 75 days left until the election, time is running short for Netanyahu.

State of play: Netanyahu's current coalition has 49 to 53 seats in those surveys - far fewer than the 68 seats it holds today and the 61 needed to swear in a government. ... Read more

We Uncovered Where Your Insurance Payments Are Really Going | More Perfect Union | 08/14/26 | 16:41

Trump team tells GOP to lean in on health care
Axios | Stef W. Kight | 08/14/26

President Trump's top political hands had some surprising advice for Senate Republicans last week: Talk more about health care.

Why it matters: Trump and the MAGA base are fixated on the voter-ID and proof-of-citizenship SAVE Act. But Republican message testing from Trump's own pollster suggests candidates are better off focusing elsewhere. ... ... Read more

"Morale Has Completely Collapsed" - U.S. Troops Refusing to Fight | Col Doug Macgregor | Joe Explained | 08/14/26 | 25:30

Inside the search to replace Karoline Leavitt
Politico | Ben Johansen | 08/13/26

The announcement that Karoline Leavitt is leaving her post as White House press secretary caught even some of her colleagues off guard.

But inside President Donald Trump's inner circle, the surprise quickly turned to Washington's favorite parlor game - albeit one with unusually high stakes: Who will take her place?

The potential names cascaded like a waterfall, though there doesn't seem to be an obvious heir apparent, according to two people close to the administration, granted anonymity to discuss those conversations.

One of those people suggested Monica Crowley, Trump's chief of protocol and a veteran conservative media personality. The other person suggested CNN commentator Scott Jennings, former Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller and former Trump counsel Alina Habba. ... Read more

All the President's Planes | New York Times | 08/12/26 | 23:37

Food shortages, mental health concerns - Inside the disturbing reports aboard the USS Lincoln | MSNow | 08/13/26 | 9:27

Older Democrats walloped by midterms anti-establishment revolt
Axios | Andrew Solender | 08/13/26

House Democrats who have comfortably held their seats for decades are suddenly finding the ground shifting beneath their feet as primary voters revolt against the party's old guard.

Why it matters: The anti-establishment revolution that has swept Democratic primaries this year is poised to drastically alter the makeup of the party caucus and Congress as a whole.

"Democratic voters are hungry for a new generation of leaders who can credibly argue they'll fight for change," Amanda Litman, founder of progressive group Run For Something, told Axios.

"200 Democrats are running for reelection in primaries and almost every one of them had a younger challenger," Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), 71, told Axios. ... ... ... Read more

Youth poll: Thumbs down on everything
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Axios | Margaret Talev | 08/13/26

More than a quarter of younger Americans (27%) believe they or someone they know has lost a job because their employer replaced them with AI, according to a new Axios-Generation Lab poll of 18- to 34-year-olds.

Why it matters: Research suggests the actual share of job losses from AI is smaller. But the survey reflects the suspicion, mistrust and fatalism in how Gen Zers and young Millennials see the technology - sentiments driving their views on politics, the economy and social interactions.

Asked which political party they trust more to bring down the cost of living, respondents' top choice was neither (36%) - over Democrats (26%) and Republicans (22%). ... Read more

Over 70% of England in drought as UK braces for fifth heatwave | Channel 4 News/BBC | 08/12/26 | 16:22

Even some progressives are happy about Hong's loss
Politico | Will Steakin | 08/12/26

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong's stunning loss in Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday night revealed limits to the far left's power - and is undercutting the narrative of an emerging insurgency.

While progressive Peggy Flanagan cruised by 20 points in Minnesota's Senate primary, and last week the further left Abdul El-Sayed squeaked through his Senate race in Michigan, Hong, the furthest left of the three, received no major national support and fell short.

For a movement that had been riding high off a string of primary victories this cycle, including the Democratic Socialists of America's recent wins in New York and Colorado, the deflating Wisconsin result led to an immediate round of finger-pointing on the far left. Some dyed-in-the-wool democratic socialists ... Read more

Trump's mail-in voting restrictions blocked nationwide by federal judge
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 08/12/26

A federal judge on Tuesday expanded an earlier block on part of President Trump's executive order seeking to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November's elections.

Why it matters: The ruling freezes a key piece of Trump's attempted overhaul of mail-in voting for all U.S. states. A previous ruling in a separate case had limited a block for the 23 Democratic states that sued over the president's order.

1. Trump's executive order had enabled the USPS to refuse to deliver ballots to states that did not cooperate with the Postal Service on preventing what the administration has claimed is rampant voting by noncitizens.
2. The order had included directives for states to work with the USPS to create lists of confirmed U.S. citizens who were eligible to vote so the Postal Service would not deliver ballots to would-be voters not on the list.
3. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled back in June that Congress had not given the USPS authority to regulate mail-in voting.

What's new: Talwani's preliminary injunction on Tuesday bars the federal government from enforcing the order's mail-voting provisions for the Nov. 3 midterms or any earlier federal election. ... Read more

AI brings savings to clinical trials: study
Axios | Adriel Bettelheim | 08/12/26

Artificial intelligence isn't just speeding up early-stage drug development, it's starting to unlock millions of dollars' worth of new efficiencies in clinical trials on cancer treatments, research shared first with Axios shows.

Why it matters: AI-powered tools could shave months off time-consuming processes like recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring results and interpreting data.

That could free up resources for more clinical studies and possibly lower the high failure rate for new drugs.

What they found: A new Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development analysis found AI agents can accelerate clinical development of cancer drugs by approximately 10 weeks and reduce direct operating costs by as much as $5.6 million in late-stage trials.

1. The efficiencies increase with the number of tumors a drug can target: An experimental treatment with 50 active uses could see net benefits of as much as $565 million, Tufts found.
2. Tufts applied a clinical monitoring agent from Medable, which provides a platform to support clinical trials, to an unspecified oncology drug development program in phase 2 and 3 trials. ...

Violent crime keeps falling in biggest U.S. cities
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Axios | Russell Contreras | 08/11/26

Violent crime kept falling across many of the nation's largest cities through June, with homicides down 17.2% from the first half of 2025, according to preliminary data reviewed by Axios.

Why it matters: The decline now spans two presidencies - it began falling under President Biden after the pandemic-era surge, and has kept dropping under President Trump.

Trump came into office casting America as being overrun by crime at time when the numbers were already declining dramatically.

As that decline has continued during his watch he's taken credit for it, often linking it to his deployment of the National Guard in cities such as Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn., to reduced violent crime rates there. ... ... ... Read more

The U.S. just had its hottest month on record
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Axios | Alex Fitzpatrick | 08/10/26

July was the hottest month on record for the contiguous U.S., per new federal data dating back to 1895.

July featured a series of "heat domes" across the country that trapped warm air beneath them, fueling several extreme heat events.

Researchers have found that climate change is making extreme heat events more common and more intense - but they're also linked to phenomena and patterns like El Nino. ... Read more

How Kevin Warsh is rewiring the Fed
Axios | Neil Irwin | 08/10/26

Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh is attempting a high-wire act: He's trying to fundamentally rethink the central bank's approach to guiding the economy, while also using its standard policy toolkit to bring down stubbornly persistent inflation.

A market blowup late last month showed the perils of trying both at the same time.

The big picture: Markets sold off and the economic commentariat was sharply critical of a Warsh press conference on July 29, in which he was vague about the possibility of raising interest rates to combat inflation.

1. Some analysts saw it as evidence of a lack of commitment to quashing inflation. To Warsh allies, it was a brief bump in the road toward a more credible Fed.
2. SWarsh is trying to rewire the central bank to take greater advantage of AI to understand the economy in real time - aiming for better decision-making a couple of years down the road, while sticking to a more traditional playbook now.
...

Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, August 7, 2026 | Washington Week PBS | 08/08/26 | 24:09

Bernie's (Sanders) revolution gets a test run for 2028 in Michigan and Wisconsin
Axios | Holly Otterbein | 08/10/26

Progressive insurgents Francesca Hong and Abdul El-Sayed want to shake up the next race for the White House - a notion that will likely petrify many top Democrats.

Why it matters: They aren't running for president - they're vying for statewide office this year in presidential battlegrounds, and their campaigns are closely watched tests of the Bernie Sanders-style populism they want their party to embrace in 2028.

1. It's a question that has haunted Democrats for a decade: Is America ready for a full-on left turn in politics, like what Sanders pitched when he ran for president in 2016?
2. The prospect worries many old-guard Democrats who fear Hong and El-Sayed can't win a November general election.

Driving the news: Hong, a self-described democratic socialist running for Wisconsin governor, is leading the polls for Tuesday's primary by double digits, as the party establishment tries to stop her. She told Axios during a get-out-the-vote tour that a win in November could boost progressive presidential hopefuls in the future. ... Read more

Trump & the DOJ: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | LastWeekTonight | 08/09/26 | 28:32

When protest becomes 'TERRORISM':The Trump admin's escalating war on dissent | MSNow/Jacob Soboroff | 08/09/26 | 19:07

EXTREME HEAT Is Getting Worse, and It Will Reshape Earth FOREVER | PBS Terra | 08/10/26 | 1:19:54

GOP plans socialism telethon at midterm convention
Axios | Alex Isenstadt | 08/07/26

Republicans plan to use their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas next month to mount a sweeping, made-for-prime-time case that Democrats have become captive to their activist left, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: With President Trump's approval rating in the 30s and his war in Iran weighing on the economy, Republicans don't want the Nov. 3 midterms to be just a referendum on his presidency.

They're essentially planning a "But they're worse" campaign targeting the ascendant Democratic left and socialism.

Driving the news: Republicans will make progressive politicians and activists recurring characters throughout the Sept. 9-10 convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

GOP operatives spent months compiling footage of Democratic figures - including left-wing commentator Hasan Piker and Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico - that they'll use throughout the convention to paint Democrats as outside the mainstream. ... Read more

AI Expert Urges Governments to Bring Development to "Grinding Halt" Amid Fears of Rogue Technology | DM | 08/07/26 | 25:59

Trump's quicksand
Axios | Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen | 08/07/26

Read the polls, watch economic indicators and talk to President Trump's inner circle in private, and the verdict on his second term seems clear:

Even some longtime insiders fear he's trapped by a war he shouldn't have waged, tariffs he shouldn't have levied, monuments he shouldn't be obsessed with.

Why it matters: These three topics chew up much of Trump's time and attention. All three are widely unpopular in polls.

And it's almost impossible to see the public suddenly warming to war, tariffs or more statues.

By the numbers: Trump's approval cratered to an all-time low of 32% in a Quinnipiac poll last week. Even more damning: 68% of voters said he isn't focused enough on the problems most Americans face.

Trump has squandered the GOP's most durable political advantage: A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week (and a Pew poll last month) found voters split on which party is better for the economy - after Republicans had led on the issue for nine years, back to Trump's first term. Republicans still back Trump on immigration, a new AP-NORC poll shows. ... ... ... Read more

Trump is Gaslighting America on the Iran War | Senator Chris Murphy | 08/06/26 | 19:04

Cyberattacks expose U.S. water vulnerabilities
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 08/06/26

Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks are exposing long-standing vulnerabilities in fragmented U.S. drinking water systems facing aging infrastructure and intensifying climate threats.

Why it matters: Drinking water systems disruptions can threaten public health and essential services, while many utilities-especially smaller ones-lack the staff and resources to strengthen their defenses..

Kevin Morley, federal relations manager for the American Water Works Association (AWWA), tells Axios utilities now have to manage acute cybersecurity threats alongside chronic challenges, including climate change and infrastructure deterioration.

The big picture: There are more than 144,000 public water systems in the U.S., including about 50,000 community water systems that provide drinking water to residents year-round, according to the EPA. ... Read more

Trump's latest move should be the 'single most disturbing thing' to the world | David Cay Johnston | The Trump Report | 08/06/26 | 28:40

Climate change is fueling wildfire risk - and anxiety
Axios | Amy Harder | 08/06/26

SEATTLE - Wildfire smoke blanketing this coastal city and much of the West is bringing an ominous reminder that the reach of destructive fires is growing.

Why it matters: Climate scientists study how global warming increases the odds of wildfire. People living through it are confronting a more immediate question: where is truly safe anymore?

The big picture: Wildfires intensified by climate change are like an unforgiving spotlight sweeping across the world. No one really knows where it will stop next.

Driving the news: Right now, that spotlight is on Spokane, Washington, where a historic wildfire has destroyed neighborhoods and remains uncontrolled. Fires are also burning in the Bordeaux region in France, outside Madrid and in British Columbia. ... Read more

Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each
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Axios | Josephine Walker | 08/06/26

American taxpayers would pay about $2,358 each for President Trump's mass deportation push, according to a new calculator tool from the Economic Policy Institute.

Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to deportations could instead fund other public priorities such as food assistance, health care or housing.

By the numbers: EPI estimates the $268.9 billion projected for deportations could alternatively fund more than 118 million additional SNAP recipients over the remaining 2.5 years of the Trump administration, based on National Priorities Project data.

Alternatively, nearly 12 million additional people could receive Medicaid.

Or more than 9.7 million households could gain access to low-cost public housing.

"I don't think people realize how much money is being spent on these mass deportations," Gordon Lafer, a professor at the University of Oregon's Labor Education and Research Center and research associate at EPI, tells Axios. ... Read more

The real meaning of Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan
TheGuardian | Robert Reich | 08/06/26

With the victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic primary, prepare yourself to hear enormous quantities of bullshit about the Democratic party now being "taken over" by the "left" or by "democratic socialists".

Or as the reliably establishment New York Times put it: "Can an insurgent candidate, with unabashedly liberal positions, win a general election in a moderate state?"

Oh, p-l-e-a-s-e.

Michigan Democrats didn't choose El-Sayed because he's "unabashedly liberal". Or because he's a democratic socialist (in fact, he's not).

They chose him because he's a fighter - at a time when America needs fighters willing to stand up to the worst tyrant who has ever occupied the Oval Office.

Corporate Democrats - such as Haley Stevens, along with Rahm Emanuel, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries - aren't up to the task because they won't bite the corporate hands that feed them campaign money. They won't criticize the billionaire class. They refuse to talk about how big money has corrupted America. ... Read more

Michigan's left flexes its primary muscle
Axios | Andrew Pantazi | 08/05/26

Michigan progressives woke up Wednesday after a banner night: Abdul El-Sayed leads the uncalled Democratic Senate primary, Will Lawrence won a battleground House nomination, and Donavan McKinney threatens to oust Rep. Shri Thanedar.

Of the three Democratic primaries, only Lawrence's victory has been called.

Why it matters: A sweep would signal the left's growing strength in a key swing state.

The state's Democratic Socialists of America chapters, the Working Families Party and the United Auto Workers all flexed their muscles Tuesday up and down the ballot.

State of play: El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, clung to a narrow lead over four-term Rep. Haley Stevens - 48.5%-47.5% with 96% of the vote counted. The winner will face Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open Senate seat, a must-win for Democrats hoping to gain Senate control. ... Read more

Investors can't stop believing
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Axios | Matt Phillips | 08/05/26

Who cares about war, oil prices, interest rates or an AI bubble? Investors apparently do not - for now at least - sending stocks back to record highs.

Why it matters: High stock prices are critical to keeping funds flowing to the AI buildout.

A significant erosion of investors' confidence in stocks would be a big risk to the AI flywheel of financial flows, capital expenditures and industrial activity driving the U.S. economy.

Catch up quick: Some analysts and investors had worried that the markets were beginning to deflate, as the S&P 500 failed to advance in June or July. ... Read more

Is America prepared for biological war? | PBS NewsHour | 08/04/26 | 28:09

China races to own the industries of the future
Axios | Mike Allen | 08/03/26

America has been napping or distracted by trivialities while China is racing toward the future, in part by taking advantage of President Trump's trade, immigration and budget policies.

That's the eye-opening reality that Evan Osnos unfurls in a 12-page piece for The New Yorker, "The Future, Made in China."

Why it matters: China could beat the U.S. to the future on a host of fronts, including engineering a cure for cancer.

What it says: "For China, America's retreat comes just as decades of state investment, industrial policy, and diplomatic planning are paying off," Osnos writes.

An American executive told him: "People in Washington are worried that biotech is the next E.V.s ... We've scared all of this f*cking talent back to China. If you look at the guys who are doing this, they used to work for Western pharma giants, or they were running a top university department somewhere." ... ... ... Read more

Trump biographer David Cay Johnston: "Donald Trump is the greatest conman ever--nothing comes close" | The Dean Obeidallah Show | 08/01/26 | 29:18

Cyclospora outbreak causes first two deaths
Axios | Herb Scribner | 08/04/26

Two people in Michigan have died in connection with the multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, Michigan health officials said Monday, marking the first known deaths linked to the foodborne illness.

Why it matters: Weeks into the national crisis that's sickened thousands of people, federal authorities still don't know for certain where it's coming from or why.

Driving the news: Medical records show that the individuals who died "had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration," Michigan's Health and Human Services Department said Monday.

Generally, health experts don't consider cyclosporiasis to be life-threatening.

Catch up quick: Cyclospora cases have steadily grown since late June, when an outbreak was reported in Michigan. ... Read more

Monumental Waste? Democrats GRILL Donald Trump's Costly Plans | The Financial Express | 08/03/26 | 27:39