Earlier this month, military leaders advised Secretary Hegseth against prolonging U.S. operations in the Iran War, as the extended conflict further strains U.S. military capacity. The war has depleted the U.S.’s overall munitions capabilities and extended troop deployment has raised concerns about servicemember safety. As military leadership grows increasingly concerned, President Trump and his administration show no sign of slowing down. Just this morning, Trump told Fox News he plans to “hit [Iran] hard” and last week he said he is “not in a hurry” to negotiate. Against military advice, Trump and Secretary Hegseth are digging deeper into a never-ending conflict, raising costs for Americans and risking the safety of servicemembers.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Military leaders are warning Trump and his administration as they drag the United States further into an unsustainable war.

  • This month, several U.S. military leaders advised Hegseth against prolonging large-scale operations in Iran, as it weakens U.S. military forces and is unsustainable long-term. The leaders voiced their dissent in the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB). [Washington Post]

    • The August 14 SDOB directed troops to remain through September and some through 2027, leading multiple members of U.S. military leadership to respond with a “non-concur.” Through this statement, leadership voices dissent but agrees to execute the Secretary’s orders. [Washington Post]

  • The leaders warned the Iran War negatively impacts U.S. operations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, limiting their ability to conduct proper training and conduct missions. [Washington Post]

    • Top officials also warned Hegseth that pulling more resources also hurts their ability to fulfill “homeland-defense obligations.” [Washington Post]

  • The war has taken a direct toll on the U.S. Navy’s capacity, as ships work to enforce Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports and deployments extend further. [Washington Post]

    • “[Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of Naval Operations] conveyed to Hegseth that barely one-fourth of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is ready to deploy, a sharp decline from prewar levels, said those familiar with the assessment.” [Washington Post]

  • Before the war in Iran began, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, warned the White House that major operations would face challenges as the U.S.’s munitions stockpile was already depleted by defense operations in Israel and Ukraine. [The Washington Post]

• As Trump and his leadership ignore military advice, servicemembers and everyday Americans pay the price.

  • Just last week, members of Congress called for a Senate hearing to investigate servicemember safety amid the DoD’s mismanagement of the Iran War. [Senator Tim Kaine]

    • As Trump extends deployments, military families are reaching out to news sources to highlight inhumane treatment of servicemembers, reporting supply shortages, human waste contamination, and “virtually no food, water, or soap.” [Meidas News]

    • Multiple U.S. servicemembers reportedly attempted to jump overboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as their deployment was extended for additional months. [Military Times]

  • The DoD has reportedly failed to provide adequate medical care for multiple soldiers wounded in strikes in the Iran War. One soldier said he believes the DoD and Army “absolutely” tried to downplay an Iranian strike at a U.S. military post. [Democratic Lawmakers’ Letter to Secretary Hegseth]

    • Survivors of that Iranian attack said at least one soldier “could have survived her wounds had there been a doctor, a fixed aid station or more than one ambulance at the post.” [Democratic Lawmakers’ Letter to Secretary Hegseth]

  • As of late July, the war in Iran cost the average U.S. household over $1,200 including increased grocery, gas, and transportation costs. [NBC News]

    • The average American household has paid an additional $590 in just fuel costs between the start of the war and August 24th. [American Bridge 21st Century]

  • 776 U.S. troops have been wounded or killed in the Iran war. [The Intercept]

• Americans have lost confidence in this war and the leadership running it.

  • Just 31% of Americans approve of U.S. military strikes against Iran, and 63% disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation in Iran. [Reuters/Ipsos]

  • 83% of Americans believe U.S. military involvement in Iran will “go on for an extended period of time.” [Ipsos]

  • Pete Hegseth’s favorability is -22 points underwater, with CNN data analyst Harry Enten saying Hegseth’s polling numbers are “the lowest of the low” even among other unpopular administration officials. [Marquette Law School; Daily Beast]

    • Enten noted that Hegseth’s numbers are worse than former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s when she resigned, and far worse than former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who resigned shortly after a major Republican defeat in the 2006 midterms. [Daily Beast]

  • Even some Republicans are losing confidence in Hegseth’s leadership, as one anonymous GOP lawmaker said, “I have heard out of the Pentagon that there’s a loss of confidence — within the Pentagon” with another adding, “I think there was some miscalculations” regarding Hegseth’s strategy. [The Hill]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post of a veteran calling out Trump for disrespecting our servicemembers.

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As the House returns to Washington next week, Republicans have spent their summer recess avoiding the very people they represent. Republicans have held historically few town halls this year, as GOP leadership instructs their members to hide from constituents. With Americans facing increasing healthcare costs, higher gas prices, and skyrocketing utility bills, Republicans know their agenda jacking up the cost of living is deeply unpopular—so instead of defending it, they are running from it.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• This year, instructed by their leadership, Republicans are holding fewer in-person town halls than ever on record.

  • Congressional Republicans held just 39 in-person town halls this year as of June 29. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats hosted 451 town halls in the same period, 66% of which were in-person. [MS Now]

    • During this year’s August recess, just 7 Republicans held town halls. [Washington Post]

  • Last year, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, told House Republicans to stop holding in-person town halls as constituents expressed outrage at the Trump administration’s federal cuts. [Politico]

• Republicans are hiding from public accountability and looking to dodge the consequences for their reckless policies.

  • One anonymous House Republican admitted the real reason they aren’t holding town halls, telling a reporter, “They’re a setup… It’s just a setup to get us — get you off something off guard” and later adding “I just don’t feel like there is any gain to be had” from holding town halls. [MSNow]

  • When Republicans held town halls last year, some of them were career-ending. After constituents pressed Senator Joni Ernst on Medicaid cuts through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at a May 2025 town hall, Ernst callously responded, “Well, we are all going to die.” [NPR]

    • Ernst ultimately voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill and months later announced she would not seek reelection. [Senate Roll Call Vote 372; Iowa Capital Dispatch]

  • A New York Times reporter recently attempted to attend a fundraising event for Representative Tom Kean, who is running for reelection in NJ-07. The reporter had to speak to the local police sergeant after someone called the police on them from inside the event, even as both congressional security and New Jersey State Police troopers were already stationed at the fundraiser. [New York Times]

  • Vulnerable House Republican Derrick Van Orden declined multiple invitations from his constituents to appear at town halls in La Crosse and Eau Claire, with a staffer going so far as to say that the organizers inviting the Congressman to address his constituents have “Derrick Derangement Syndrome.” [WisPolitics]

  • Representative Zach Nunn, who is running for reelection in IA-03, called town halls “taxpayer funded protest events” and has not held any town halls since he was elected in 2022. [Des Moines Register; Creston News Advertiser]

    • Nunn touts hosting “events with Iowans” on his website, but avoids formats where his constituents can openly ask him questions. Last year, Nunn canceled a “community forum” the day before the event and instead announced it would be an invitation-only meeting. [Congressman Zach Nunn; Little Village Mag]

• Americans’ trust in Congress is reaching historic lows, and Democrats are stepping up to fill the void.

  • 80% of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job and 52% of Americans report having “very little” confidence in Congress. [Gallup]

  • 59% of Americans in battleground districts think Republicans in Congress are prioritizing the wrong things, and 60% say Republicans in Congress have focused more on non-economic issues. [Navigator]

  • In 2025, Democrats launched a series of “People’s Town Halls” in red districts and states to hold Republicans accountable for their harmful agenda. [Politico]

  • Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle (PA-02) recently traveled to a hold town hall in PA-08, a seat held by vulnerable Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan. [MSNow]

    • Boyle said in a statement on the event, “After voting to gut healthcare, raise costs and shower billionaires with tax breaks, they won’t even defend their record back home. I’ve held town halls in Republican districts, and I’ll keep showing up where my Republican colleagues won’t.” [MSNow]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post showing how Republicans treat their constituents who demand accountability from their elected officials

(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, announced “Operation Economic Outcast”, the administration’s latest effort to extricate itself from the mess it made by going to war against Iran. For days, Bessent and the administration said the operation would be an “economic D-Day” operation, but their actual announcement served as more of a “warning shot” to the Iranian regime and foreign trading partners. While the Trump administration fires “warning shots” in the Iranian war, the American people are taking serious hits. Trump’s endless war, which Republicans in Congress continue to support for funding, is costing American lives, wounding soldiers, and raising prices for American households across the nation. On top of all of this, taxpayer dollars are footing the bill. As Trump and his administration turn their backs on the American people, the public is losing confidence in their governing ability.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• The Trump administration just announced more empty threats against Iran.

  • On Monday, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, unveiled “Operation Economic Outcast,” the administration’s latest gambit to end the war. The effort includes a package of sanctions and financial penalties for countries doing economic business with Iran. [Politico]

  • Bessent’s so-called “D-Day” felt like more of a time-out, as none of the threatened sanctions or financial penalties against foreign countries and banks were actually enacted. Bessent said this was because the administration wanted to give countries time to comply with efforts to isolate Iran. [Politico]

    • During his announcement, Bessent said, “I’m not going to set a timeline, but we do not have infinite patience here.” [Axios]

  • The reaction to this pronouncement has been a collective “meh” with experts fearing that the move would either further prolong the 6-month war or back Iran into a corner that could result in outright warfare again. [Politico]

    • China, the largest importer of Iranian oil, reacted by accusing the United States of disrupting the global financial order and said it would “take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests.” [New York Times]

    • Chinese state media published a cartoon of the Statue of Liberty with “sanction” needles sticking out of her arm, implying the Trump administration is addicted to sanctions. [New York Times]

  • In fact, the only real development since Bessent’s call to isolate Iran was the news that Iran and Oman were advancing talks in an agreement to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz via a common shipping lane. [New York Times]

• Trump and Republicans’ reckless war comes at a great cost to the American people.

  • House Republicans voted last month for a budget plan to further fund Trump’s war in Iran, taking the first step toward sending the administration $73 billion in taxpayer dollars. [Roll Call]

    • For the same cost, America could provide free childcare for one million kids, free school lunch for every child in the U.S., and fully fund the nation’s drinking water infrastructure needs. [Center for American Progress]

  • The Trump administration has already spent at least $37.5 billion, and potentially over $100 billion, on the war to date. [Center for American Progress]

  • As of late July, American households are paying more than $1,200 extra on higher interest rates, gas, groceries, and other transportation thanks to Trump and Republicans’ costly Iran war. [Center for American Progress]

    • The benchmark diesel price hit $5.65/gallon this week, the highest it’s been since the war started. The average retail diesel price hit $5.62/gallon nationwide today, according to AAA, up from $5.29 a month ago and $3.70 a year ago. [Freight Waves]

  • Eighteen U.S. servicemembers have been killed in Trump’s war with Iran and 756 have been wounded in Trump’s war with Iran, according to the Pentagon. More than 50,000 U.S. troops are still deployed in the region. [Washington Post; Center for American Progress]

  • The Iranian barrage against American bases in the Persian Gulf has damaged enough facilities so deeply that the Pentagon is reportedly reconsidering its footprint in the region, with DoD reportedly signalling it may not rebuild destroyed American bases. [Washington Post]

• Trump is losing the American people as he loses the war.

  • Only 33% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, and just 35% of Republicans say they “strongly approve” of his performance. [Ipsos]

  • Only 27% of U.S. adult citizens believe the U.S. is winning the Iran war, as 22% think Iran is winning and 35% believe neither country is winning. [YouGov]

    • Even among MAGA Republicans, only 68% believe the U.S. is winning the war with Iran. [YouGov]

  • Americans have little confidence in Trump’s ability to end the war, as 50% of U.S. adults say the war will last another year or more. [YouGov]

    • This morning, Trump said in an interview that he has “no time schedule at all” for the war with Iran. [Al Jazeera]

  • Americans’ support for Trump’s war in Iran just hit a new low, with just 31% of Americans approving of the conflict. [Reuters/Ipsos]

    • Some Republicans have reportedly called Trump telling him the war is hurting the party’s prospect in the midterms, leaving him fuming. [Wall Street Journal]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of veterans sounding the alarm against the Trump administration’s dangerous leadership and military failures.

_{(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)}

Americans are increasingly rejecting unregulated data center development, and Republicans are rightfully panicking. As polling shows Americans increasingly oppose building data centers without common sense environmental and economic safeguards, more and more Republicans are claiming to support state and local control of data center development. However, last year, nearly every House Republican voted to impose a 10-year moratorium on state and local laws that restrict data center construction and development.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• House Republicans voted to block states and localities from regulating data center development.

  • In May 2025, the House passed a version of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that included a 10-year moratorium on enforcing state and local laws and regulations that limit, restrict, or regulate AI models and systems. This section would have likely prohibited state and local governments from restricting and taxing AI data centers, but was ultimately removed from the Senate version of the bill. [Center for American Progress]

  • The National Conference of State Legislatures warned the House’s moratorium would “severely limit the ability of states and localities to make decisions regarding the siting and operation of these large-scale projects, raising costs for ratepayers, jeopardizing zoning decisions that protect our mutual constituents and impacting existing infrastructure such as power grids and generating facilities.” [Center for American Progress]

  • 215 House Republicans voted for the version of the OBBBA that included the regulation moratorium. [Center for American Progress]

    • House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee voted three additional times for the provision. This includes Reps. Gabe Evans, John James, Tom Kean, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, all of whom are running in competitive races this year. [Center for American Progress]

  • House Republicans who voted for this provision are publicly reversing their positions, claiming they support local control of data center issues. If the original bill had passed, their constituents would be unprotected from big tech companies driving up local power prices, among other liabilities. [Center for American Progress]

• Republicans are running from their toxic record on data centers and lack of regard for local communities.

  • In January 2025, more than 90% of Republicans’ public messaging on data centers was positive. Last month, less than 40% of their public messaging was positive. [Washington Post]

  • Last year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is running for reelection this year, declared Texas the “epicenter of AI development.” Under Abbott’s leadership, Texas offered loopholes to data center developers looking to establish in the state, including sales tax exemptions. [Politico]

    • The Texas Farm Bureau warned data centers’ extreme water usage would have dangerous impacts on Texas’ drought-ridden communities, specifically farmers. [Texas Farm Bureau]

    • Only recently, Abbott started to acknowledge the harm data centers are doing to Texas communities, and imposed “guidelines and guardrails” on the centers. [Politico]

  • Last week, a leaked NRSC memo warned Republican Ohio Senate Candidate Jon Husted was in a “dead heat” with his Democratic opponent, Sherrod Brown, as Brown exposed Husted’s record of encouraging data center development through $2.5 million in tax breaks, causing local electric bills to skyrocket. The memo said, “if voters’ perceptions of data centers are not fixed quickly, the campaign against them will expand far beyond Ohio.” [NRSC; Washington Post]

    • The memo claims “the American people prefer a Republican candidate who wants to only let data centers be built in communities that approve them by a local vote of the people.” Republicans say they support local communities, but House Republicans’ votes show their priorities are with data center developers and tech giants, not everyday Americans. [NRSC Memo]

• Republicans are out of touch with Americans’ views on data centers, and voters are ready to hold them accountable in November.

  • In June 2026, just 31% of Republicans and 21% of all Americans supported data center construction. [Ipsos]

  • 80% of voters agree that “large technology companies have too much power over local communities when negotiating whether and how data centers are built.” [Morning Consult]

  • In the first three months of 2026, local data center opposition blocked or delayed 75 data center construction projects. [Brookings]

  • Net support for data centers powered by clean energy sources, like wind and solar, rather than fossil fuels, increased by 40 points between April 2026 and July 2026. [GSG/Climate Power]

    • In 2025, Trump signed an executive order to keep coal-fired power plants open to provide data center electricity. [AP News]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this report by CAP Action on the 215 Republicans that voted to gut local control of data center development.

_{(Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)}

President Trump’s 50% tariffs on Canada took effect this weekend after trade talks collapsed, reigniting a trade war that will raise costs for American families already struggling to keep up. Canada has vowed to retaliate “dollar-for-dollar” with new tariffs starting next month. In states critical to determining which party wins the 2026 midterms—Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Montana, Wisconsin and Alaska—Trump’s trade wars are creating economic chaos and putting Republicans increasingly on defense for backing the president’s reckless tariff policies, even as their own states bear the cost.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Trump reignited a dangerous trade war and consumers will pay for it.

  • Trade talks between the U.S. and Canada collapsed, and Trump’s 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, wine, cement, and other items, are now in effect. [PBS News]

  • Trump also escalated the trade war this morning by raising tariffs on Canadian-imported cars, trucks, and auto parts to 50% starting in January 2027. [CNBC]

  • Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to “match those tariffs dollar for dollar” starting on September 8, saying, “You’re at war when you get attacked. We got attacked.” [NPR]

  • The tariffs will disproportionately harm states bordering Canada that rely on cross-border economic interactions and hurt the tourism industry at the height of tourist season. [NewsNation]

    • The Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan area lost at least $62.7 million last year in local spending due to the decreased crossings after Trump’s tariffs. [ProPublica]

  • Even before these latest tariffs took effect, Trump’s tariffs were estimated to cost the average American household $2,183 by the end of 2026. [CAP Action]

• Republicans in states that depend on Canadian trade are bending the knee to Trump and his tariffs, ignoring the oncoming harm to the communities they represent.

  • In Alaska, Senator Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich, both up for reelection in 2026, have stood with Trump on tariffs, and voted against ending Trump’s national emergency at the Canadian border earlier this year. [Alaska Beacon]

  • Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers backed Trump’s threat to keep the publicly-built Gordie Howe International Bridge closed as “leverage” against Canada. [Detroit News]

    • Foreign trade represents 42% of Michigan’s economy in 2024, much of which is cross-border trade with Canada. [Detroit Chamber]

  • In Ohio, Senator Jon Husted has stood firmly with Trump on tariffs, calling them “an important tool for protecting American workers” despite Ohio facing disproportionate economic pain if the tariffs continue. [Ohio Capital Journal; NewsNation]

    • Canada is Ohio’s largest trading partner, and Ohio exports $17.5 billion annually to Canada. [Spectrum News 1]

  • In Montana, Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Kurt Alme has given no indication he’d break from the president on trade, even as over 90% of Montana’s imports come from Canada. [Q2 Billings]

  • Wisconsin Representatives Derrick Van Orden, Bryan Steil, and Tom Tiffany—the last of whom is running for Governor in 2026—have all voted to uphold Trump’s tariffs on Canada at the expense of their own constituents. [WEAU; Wis Politics]

• Americans are decisively against Trump’s tariff agenda, and Republican insiders are beginning to panic.

  • 59% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling global trade, and 58% disapprove of Trump’s recent 10% minimum tariff policy. [Economist/YouGov]

  • Voters in Maine and Michigan, two border states with critical Senate elections this cycle, oppose Trump’s tariffs.

    • 63% of Michigan voters oppose tariffs on auto and manufacturing parts imported from Canada. [Michigan Smart Trade Alliance]

    • 59% of Mainers disapprove of Trump’s handling of tariffs. [NYT/Portland Press Herald/Siena]

  • Even Trump’s inner circle is concerned about negative public sentiment, with one insider saying, “the war, tariffs and monuments are demoralizing the base.” [Axios]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post showing how Trump’s tariff policies will raise costs for American families.

(Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

The United States national debt officially hit $40 trillion this week—doubling in just the last ten years. Republicans have spent decades putting tax cuts and foreign wars on the nation’s credit card, and interest payments on the debt alone now cost more than the entire defense budget. Yet, when the country needs more scrutiny over how our money is spent, Trump has spent his term in office firing watchdogs meant to catch waste, replacing them with political loyalists who serve him over the American people.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• The national debt just hit a staggering new milestone.

  • The U.S. national debt reached $40 trillion this week, adding another trillion in just the last five months, as experts warn “our current fiscal trajectory is plainly unsustainable.” [AP News]

    • The debt has doubled in the last decade and quadrupled in less than 20 years. [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]

  • The annualized interest on the debt alone costs $1.2 trillion, more than the current defense budget. [Axios]

    • This rising debt is costing American families thousands of dollars, as higher debt leads to higher interest rates. [Center for American Progress]

  • The national debt hit $40 trillion months before forecasters expected, partially because the nation lost billions in revenue from Trump’s invalidated tariffs. [Washington Post]

    • Eight years ago, Trump said “We have $21 trillion in debt… a number that is unthinkable. But that will go down very quickly.” Since then, the debt has nearly doubled. [MS Now]

• Decades of Republicans’ fiscal mismanagement, through foreign wars and tax cuts for the rich, created massive debt that will burden Americans for generations.

  • New analysis shows that Republican tax cuts—including the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and the Big Beautiful Bill—account for about 30% of the debt’s growth since 2001. [Peter G. Peterson Foundation]

  • America’s post-9/11 wars are estimated to have cost nearly $8 trillion, including ongoing costs for veteran’s care, and were funded through debt rather than taxes—a strategy Trump is now deploying to fight his Iran War. [Brown University]

  • This debt will burden the next generation, as public finance expert Linda Bilmes said, “The result is that the interest costs alone will add billions of dollars to the total cost” of the Iran War and “unlike the upfront costs, these are costs we are explicitly passing on to the next generation.” [Harvard Kennedy School]

• As the bill comes due, Trump has turned government watchdogs meant to catch waste into his personal political weapons.

  • In just the first six months of his second term, Trump fired or demoted at least 20 inspectors general. He also cut staff by up to 30% in some offices, leaving many without permanent, independent leadership. [New York Times]

  • Trump has installed political lackeys in place of these watchdogs. His loyalists are investigating Trump’s opponents rather than their own departments and have led 15% fewer audits and 25% fewer investigative reports this year. [New York Times]

    • Trump nominated Dennis Kirk—a Project 2025 co-author—as the Interior Department’s Inspector General. Watchdogs are concerned a “right-wing operative” like Kirk could try to thwart any efforts to investigate the botched no-bid Lincoln Reflecting Pool renovation. [New York Times]

• Voters overwhelmingly want to address the national debt, and Republicans are losing their historical advantage on fiscal issues.

  • 90% of voters are concerned that the national debt’s effect on inflation is increasing the cost of living, and 85% are concerned the national debt’s effect on interest rates is contributing to higher borrowing costs. [Peter G. Peterson Foundation]

  • As of May, 83% of voters say having a plan to address the debt is a deciding factor in who they will vote for. [Peter G. Peterson Foundation]

  • Republicans no longer have an edge on economic and fiscal issues: Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans on economic policy (37% to 36%) and on policies to deal with the budget deficit (33% to 31%). [Pew Research]

  • Voters’ skepticism that Republicans will deal with fiscal issues is justified, as one pundit noted, “budget deficits have grown by massive amounts under every Republican administration (Reagan, Bush 1, Bush 2 and Trump), while shrinking under every Democratic administration (Clinton, Obama and Biden).” [MS Now]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video showing Trump’s hypocrisy, running his campaign on paying off the debt while sending it soaring as president.

(Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, a White House official told Politico, that Trump’s support “is the most powerful endorsement in the history of American politics,” and called anyone who questioned that “a complete and utter fool.” Last night, three Trump-endorsed candidates lost their primaries. Trump’s endorsement has undeniably aided many Republican candidates in their primaries, but recent losses show he may no longer hold the same power. As Trump attempts to install loyal servants in elected positions across the country, Americans are showing it takes more than Trump’s stamp of approval to win their support. Voters are hurting from Trump’s economic chaos and cruel governance, and they are looking for a change come November.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Voters are rejecting Trump allied candidates, even in races where his candidates should be safe.

  • Last night, Florida U.S. House candidates Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf and Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Megan Degenfelder all lost their primary elections. All three were Trump-endorsed. [Newsweek]

  • Trump-backed candidates are falling short in major races this year, as his gubernatorial primary candidates in Iowa, Georgia, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Wyoming all lost their nominations. In South Carolina, Trump made a last-minute dual endorsement after weeks of supporting Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. [Politico; The Hill]

    • Trump said in an interview in early June, “Everybody I endorse wins. I mean everybody.” [Pod Force One Podcast]

  • Voters rejected the Republican nominee in a Butler County, Pennsylvania special election for a state House seat, in a district Trump carried by 18 points in 2024. This rejection is especially salient, as Trump survived an assassination attempt in this county just two years ago. [WESA, U.S. Secret Service]

  • Just weeks ago, Trump-endorsed candidate Amir Hassan lost the Republican primary in MI-08 to Thomas J. Smith. This was an especially shocking rejection as Smith suspended his campaign weeks before the election, but still finished with 50.4%, compared to Hassan’s 33.2%. [Newsweek]

• Trump chooses candidates that would be dangerous leaders for the American public.

  • Trump-endorsed Senator Darline Graham, who is competing in a South Carolina runoff election, gave a startling answer on the debate stage last night. When asked about U.S. relations with Taiwan, Graham responded, “I’m not that informed on national security…but I do support the military.” [AP News]

    • Before Darline officially announced her candidacy for the seat, Trump posted on Truth Social saying he asked her “for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate.” Trump will appear with Graham at a campaign event on Friday. [Politico; WIS 10]

  • In FL-07, Ryan Elijah defeated Trump-endorsed, scandal-plagued Cory Mills. Mills has been accused of threatening a former girlfriend with revenge porn, physically assaulting a woman he was dating, and is currently under investigation by an ethics panel for potentially violating campaign finance laws. Mills denies these allegations. [CBS News]

    • Even conservative Republicans dissented from Trump’s endorsement of Mills, with fellow Florida Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Haridopolos endorsing Elijah and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stating, “I do not support Cory Mills.” [CBS News]

      • After Mills’ loss, Trump is now claiming he told Mills to “get out of the race.” [Truth Social]

    • This is a pattern for Trump, as he is also standing by his endorsement of alleged abuser Max Miller, who is running for reelection in Ohio’s 7th district. Miller denies the abuse allegations. [The Hill]

      • Trump’s willingness to endorse alleged abusers Mills and Miller makes sense as Trump himself was found liable in civil court for sexually abusing and defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll. [Washington Post]

• As Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, his iron grip on the Republican Party is starting to weaken.

  • Trump’s job approval rating hit his two term low of 33%, -29 points underwater in this weekly poll. [Economist/YouGov]

  • Even some Republicans are souring on Trump, with his approval rating at +58 among Republicans, down from +91 when he took office. [Economist/YouGov]

    • This drop is driven by the roughly 30% of Republicans who do not identify as MAGA who are now split on Trump approval (51% approve to 47% disapprove) after starting at 90% approval in 2025. [Economist/YouGov]

  • While multiple different polls show Trump’s approval rating falling to historic lows, Democrats lead 48.3% to 41.5% on the generic ballot polling average. [Silver Bulletin]

    • New York Magazine political analyst Ed Kilgore said that presidential approval rating has “historically” been “the single biggest factor shaping midterm elections.” [MS Now]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Trump-endorsed Senator Darline Graham saying she is “not that informed on national security.”

_{(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)}

Last week, Trump told Americans at a rally in Garden City, NY, that he will “never apologize” for his costly war in Iran. He said they needed to remember that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon when they pay $4, “a tiny little bit more,” for gasoline. Trump said on the eve of election day in 2024 that he would “restore peace in the world” and “launch the most extraordinary economic boom the world has ever seen.” Obviously, his campaign promises have not come true. In his second term, Trump has sunk the United States deeper into existing conflicts and created his own endless war with Iran. His lies have cost the American people, and they know it.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Trump lied to Americans when he campaigned on peace in 2024 and now has trapped the United States in a costly war and other military entanglements.

  • Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly told his supporters he would stop wars and said he would not involve the United States in “stupid foreign wars that never end.” [Politico]

    • Just months ago, Trump denied having ever said this, saying “first of all, I didn’t guarantee no war…when you say I promised, I didn’t promise anything.” [Politico]

  • The 60-day deadline set by the June memorandum of understanding between Trump and Iran expired yesterday without an agreement. [Axios]

    • The MOU was already widely regarded as a failure with members of Trump’s own party like Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) calling it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” [The Hill]

  • In 10 days, the U.S. will reach the six-month anniversary of Trump’s war with Iran. Trump said today that “there are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” [Truth Social; AP News]

  • The war in Ukraine is currently in its fifth year. Trump repeatedly said in his 2024 campaign that he would end the conflict 24 hours into his second administration. [New York Times, CNN]

  • Trump visited Israel in late 2025 to celebrate the release of the living Israeli hostages, claiming he would disarm Hamas and stabilize Gaza. Almost two years later, Hamas has not been disarmed and Trump administration members are publicly threatening the group. [New York Times; NBC News; FOX]

• Thanks to Trump’s foreign policy failures, Americans are paying high prices on gasoline and more.

  • Gas prices are the highest they’ve ever been at this point in the year. GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan said last week that “the national average has never been above $4/gal after Aug. 12 in any previous year- ever.” And it’s only getting worse: the national average cost per gallon rose from $4.01 a week ago to $4.07 today. [GasBuddy, AAA]

    • Since the start of the Iran war, Americans have paid $86.6 billion in higher gasoline and diesel costs. That’s over $662 per household. [Brown University Iran War Energy Cost Tracker]

  • The Iran war, Russia’s war with Ukraine, Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, and China’s restrictions on fuel exports (due to Trump’s Iran war) have all led to massive disruptions in the oil refining industry. This boosts margins for huge oil refiners, and raises prices at the pump for the rest of us. [Wall Street Journal]

    • The U.S. 3-2-1 crack spread, which measures how profitable it is to run a refinery (literally the value of turning three barrels of oil into two of gasoline and one of diesel), jumped above $70 last month, when normally it’s in the teens. [Wall Street Journal]

  • Rising gasoline prices make groceries more expensive, as diesel fuel powers the machines that ship 83% of U.S. agricultural products. [AP News]

    • Grocery costs are up 2.7% year-over-year and experts say the full impact of energy costs likely has not yet hit grocery prices. [WBUR, AP News]

    • Some shipping companies are providing danger pay to convince sailors to go through the Strait of Hormuz during the war, making shipping for all goods more expensive. [Moneywise]

  • Unlike the temporary fertilizer price shock in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine and trade routes had to change, this year’s fertilizer price spike seems likely to produce persistently higher prices. In the Middle East, 31 ammonia plants have been hit or shut down, and the region supplies 60 million tons of fertilizer annually. North Dakota State University projects that urea prices will remain high in 2027, and that phosphate prices will remain elevated into 2028. [Cobank]

    • America may be able to feed itself, but that relies on fertilizer supply. Food security is fertilizer security. [Coalition for a Prosperous America]

• Americans are against Trump’s expensive, endless wars and do not have confidence in his ability to lead the U.S. in foreign policy.

  • Trump’s current approval rating sits at just 33%, with 64% of Americans disapproving of his presidency. [Reuters/Ipsos]

  • 62% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling foreign policy. [YouGov]

    • Confidence in Trump’s foreign policy ability, even among his supporters, is rapidly slipping. In July 2024, 81% of Republicans said they were “very/somewhat confident” in Trump’s decision making ability in Russia and Ukraine. In April 2026, just 60% said they felt “very/somewhat confident” in his ability. [Pew Research]

  • Americans’ net support of Trump’s war with Iran sits at -19.6, with 56.4% opposing the war and 36.8% supporting. [Silver Bulletin]

  • 80% of Americans believe the U.S. involvement in Iran “will go on for an extended period of time.” [Reuters/Ipsos]

    • 75% of Americans describe Trump’s war in Iran as “not worth the cost.” [Marquette]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Trump telling Americans he will “never apologize” for the higher prices his war caused.

_{(Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)}

In July 2025, nearly every Republican in Congress voted to pass Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which will raise healthcare costs and cut health insurance for 10 million Americans by 2034. In 2026, Republicans are now making an absurd move: they are running midterm campaigns on the issue of healthcare. An NPR analysis from the end of July showed Republicans running in 55 competitive House districts have sponsored 50 YouTube ads focused on healthcare in swing districts, targeting individuals 35 and over. This is their second largest issue push, only after ads focused on the economy and jobs. Republicans have wreaked havoc on Americans’ healthcare and finances through federal cuts and supporting Trump’s endless war in Iran and now they are grasping at straws trying to win back public support. But as premiums skyrocket and rural hospitals shutter, American voters know who is to blame.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Republicans are taking credit for funding rural healthcare after they caused the budget shortfall.

  • Rural hospitals were already at risk prior to the bill’s passage. Between 2017 and 2023, 61 rural hospitals closed and just 11 opened. The OBBBA further worsened this crisis. [KFF]

    • 338 rural hospitals were in danger of closing after the OBBBA’s passage. [Senator Ed Markey]

  • Republicans tout the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund included in the One Big Beautiful Bill as evidence for their support of rural healthcare facilities. [NPR]

    • Republicans voted to cut rural healthcare spending in the OBBB by $137 billion over the next 10 years. $50 billion in supplemental funding will obviously not eliminate the $137 billion in harm they have caused. [KFF]

  • As rural hospitals have closed, rural adults have experienced higher mortality rates from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, and stroke than adults living in urban areas. This is a national crisis, as roughly one quarter of Americans live in rural areas as of 2024. [National Library of Medicine; US Federal Housing Finance Agency]

• As Republicans attempt to avoid blame for their harmful policies, Americans are losing coverage and healthcare giants are getting richer.

  • Representatives Ashley Hinson and David Valadao are both running ads in their 2026 campaigns saying they will lower costs for Americans. [NPR]

    • Hinson and Valadao’s support of the OBBBA helped raise ACA premium costs for Americans by 21.7% between 2025 and 2026. [House Clerk; Urban Institute]

  • Republicans chose not to extend the enhanced premium tax credits in last year’s reconciliation budget. Average net premiums increased by 58% as a result. [Center for American Progress]

    • One Iowa resident saw her premiums increase from $900 in 2025 to $9,000 in 2026. [Center for American Progress]

  • Pharmaceutical giants are getting wealthier under Republican leadership. Ten of the top publicly-traded drug companies alone reported $298 billion in global revenue in the first half of 2026. This is a $24 billion increase from the same period in 2025. [Protect Our Care]

• Republicans’ so-called “fraud crackdown” is actually cutting millions of Americans from their healthcare.

  • Republicans proudly advertise the One Big Beautiful Bill as part of their “fraud crackdown” and plan to stop states from “mismanaging” Medicaid. [Senate Majority Leader John Thune]

  • The One Big Beautiful Bill will implement national work requirements for Medicaid recipients starting January 2027, requiring Americans to work at least 80 hours each month to receive care. This is where Republicans can point to the largest federal “savings” as they rip away Americans’ healthcare. [KFF]

    • 9.9 million to 14.9 million Americans will be at risk of losing Medicaid coverage by 2034 due to Republicans’ work requirements. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

  • Some states will allow patients to retain coverage if they have a serious medical condition, but this option places the strain on the patient in retaining their care. Additionally, health policy experts say many recipients will be “unaware of the option or unable to navigate the bureaucracy.” [Politico]

  • Representative Mike Lawler is running ads for his 2026 campaign on Medicaid reform, saying he will “fix Medicaid, fight fraud,” and “protect taxpayers.” [NPR]

    • Lawler’s vote on the OBBB is projected to kick 28,000 of his constituents off their healthcare. [House Clerk; Center for American Progress]

    • 39% of all children living in Lawler’s district rely on Medicaid. [Families USA]

• Voters are concerned about rising healthcare costs and know they can’t trust Republicans to protect them.

  • Voters rank healthcare costs as a top affordability concern they are “very worried” about, above gasoline, groceries, utilities, and rent. [KFF]

  • 73% of Americans say healthcare affordability is a “very big problem.” [Pew Research]

  • 67% of voters disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the cost of healthcare. [KFF]

  • 37% of voters trust Democrats more on addressing the cost of healthcare, while just 26% trust Republicans more. [KFF]

    • Independent voters are more likely to trust Democrats than Republicans on addressing the cost of healthcare (29% vs 16%). [KFF]

  • Americans in battleground districts blame Republican policies, like Medicaid cuts and failing to extend the enhanced premium tax credits, for rising healthcare costs. [Navigator Research]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James bragging about supporting the “Big Beautiful Bill”, jeopardizing healthcare access for more than 424,000 Michiganders.

_{(Photo by Alex Brandon/Getty Images)}

In March, Trump claimed the United States would wrap up its campaign in Iran in two to three weeks. Soon, it will be the six-month anniversary of Trump’s war with Iran. As attacks continue with no end in sight, the conflict is straining U.S. troops, with some ships, like the USS Abraham Lincoln, reporting suicide attempts and food shortages. Last week, military families raised concerns with leadership over conditions aboard the Lincoln in an in-person meeting with the acting Secretary of the Navy and a second, virtual meeting with Navy leadership. As Trump digs deeper into an endless and unpopular war with Iran, American service members are suffering, and their families are scared.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Families of the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln are expressing frustration and fear over their loved ones’ ongoing deployment to support Trump’s forever war.

  • Annabelle Loma, a military spouse, has barely spoken with her husband since he attempted to jump overboard from the Lincoln amid the poor conditions. Loma currently cares for their three children as her husband is on medical hold after sources say he “attempted to jump overboard”. [Military Times]

    • Sailors reported to their families multiple other incidents of their crewmates attempting to jump overboard, including one sailor detailing to his wife the experience of pulling a crewmate back on deck after an attempt. [Military Times]

    • In July, one parent wrote, “my son is currently on [The USS Lincoln] and listening to him say that he and his shipmates constantly think about jumping off the ship just for relief is so hard to listen to.” [Stars and Stripes]

  • One military spouse told Navy leadership in a town hall meeting last week that her spouse “hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow” and reported that another woman said leadership had “broken trust” with the families. [Stars and Stripes]

  • This is not the only ship reporting poor conditions. Four months ago, just six weeks into Trump’s war with Iran, a Marine sent her father a photo of a meal served on the USS Tripoli. Her meal included a single folded tortilla and a small scoop of shredded meat. [USA Today]

    • In April 2026, one West Virginia pastor assisting sailors’ families said the sailors deployed to the Middle East are “hungry all the time.” [WION News]

• The administration refuses to address these poor conditions and Trump is running from his failures in Iran.

  • In April, Secretary Hegseth denied the reports of shortages on the Lincoln and the Tripoli, saying “both have 30+ days of Class I supplies (food) on board…our sailors deserve – and receive – the best.” [USA Today]

  • The U.S. Navy said in a recent statement to CNN, “we have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship.” [CNN]

  • Just days ago, Trump said “we are low-keying it” with Iran and “only semi-negotiating with them.” [Axios]

• The American public stands against Trump’s war with Iran and Democrats are fighting to protect the troops.

  • Only 23% of Americans want to continue military action against Iran. [AP-NORC]

  • Just 28% approve of Trump’s handling of the situation with Iran, while 66% disapprove. [Quinnipiac]

  • 62% of Americans disapprove of U.S. attacks on Iran, and 69% think Trump has not “clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran.” [Reuters/Ipsos]

    • One woman connected to a sailor aboard the Lincoln questioned the mission at a town hall, saying she believed the military was “killing innocent civilians.” She explained that her sailor expressed guilt about their actions, resulting in applause from the other military families. [MS NOW]

  • Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday to express “serious concern” about the Lincoln and the sailors’ conditions. [CNN]

  • Representative Mike Levin recently spoke out about the Lincoln’s conditions, writing on X that the sailors are “so worn down that, according to one family member, the ship’s own doctor warned they need to reach port soon or people are going to start losing their minds.” [@MikeLevin]

  • Senator Ruben Gallego called for “a bipartisan congressional delegation to visit the USS Lincoln to conduct [an] oversight investigation into this horrible situation.” [@RubenGallego]

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Service members, veterans, and their families can press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video to raise awareness of the mistreatment of U.S. service members in Trump’s endless war.

_{(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)}

Last night, voters chose primary candidates for the 2026 midterm elections across multiple states. The candidates moving forward present voters with a stark choice: solidify Trump’s tyrannical rule on the state level, or fight back and restore their constituents’ values. Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and MAGA extremist, Tom Tiffany, promises to lead the Badger State toward Trump’s vision for the future. Meanwhile in Minnesota, Republican gubernatorial nominee Lisa Demuth and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michele Tafoya will both rubber stamp Trump’s reckless agenda. This November, Americans will decide between two distinct futures: more of Trump’s high costs and chaos or a new path forward.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Tom Tiffany is a MAGA extremist who does not reflect Wisconsin’s values.

  • Tiffany voted to cut healthcare and SNAP coverage for his constituents through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. 20,000 Wisconsinites have already lost food assistance and 54,000 more Wisconsinites will lack healthcare coverage by 2034 thanks to Tiffany’s blind obedience to Trump’s policies. [House Roll Call Vote 190; Protect Our Care; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

    • The cuts Tiffany voted to implement will cost Wisconsin $7 billion in the next 10 years, threatening hospital services all over the state. [KFF]

    • Meanwhile, Democratic nominee David Crowley plans to increase healthcare access around the state, expanding BadgerCare as a public option for all Wisconsinites. [Crowley for Governor]

  • Tiffany supports sweeping national abortion bans. In 2023, he co-authored a budget proposal that endorsed the Life at Conception Act, which would ban abortion nationwide. Patients and doctors could face criminal charges under the bill Tiffany advocated. [American Journal News]

    • Tiffany’s leadership would restrict the freedoms Wisconsinites support. 67% of Wisconsin adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. [Pew Research]

  • Tom Tiffany is a rabid election denier who voted to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Tiffany also said he would have voted against certifying Wisconsin’s 2020 election results if he had been presented with the vote. This is especially dangerous as Trump has refused to rule out declaring a national security emergency and federalizing the midterm elections. [Democracy Docket; The Hill]

  • Voters are motivated to defeat Tiffany’s toxic leadership. In last night’s race, nearly 300,000 more Wisconsin voters cast ballots for the Democratic primary than the Republican primary. [New York Times]

• Lisa Demuth is a Trump loyalist, and ignores how his policies have terrorized and destroyed Minnesota communities.

  • Demuth supported ICE operations in Minnesota, saying, “I fully support the work that our law enforcement does to keep our community safe.” [Newsmax]

    • In an interview with Newsmax, Demuth reacted live to the footage leading up to Renee Good’s murder. Demuth responded to the video, knowing ICE officers had murdered Good, “We have to respect the work that law enforcement is doing, whether it is city, state, or federal agents.” [Newsmax]

  • Demuth spoke in favor of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill that has already cut SNAP benefits for almost 20,000 Minnesotans and is predicted to leave 150,000 more Minnesotans without healthcare coverage by 2034. [Protect Our Care; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

    • In a joint written statement, Demuth said on the OBBB, “on balance, this bill appears to benefit Minnesotans.” [MinnPost]

    • Demuth even opposes the Affordable Care Act, and said in a 2018 campaign she would like a “complete overhaul of our current system” and wanted to look at what was working before the Affordable Care Act. [SC Times]

      • As of 2018, 250,000 Minnesotans gained healthcare coverage thanks to the ACA. [Protect Our Care]

  • Demuth is an abortion extremist and introduced a bill “prohibiting abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected.” [Minnesota House]

    • Minnesotans overwhelmingly support abortion access, with 69% of Minnesota adults saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases. [Pew Research]

• Michele Tafoya is inexperienced and uninformed, and will serve Trump while raising costs for Minnesotans.

  • Tafoya supports Trump’s endless war in Iran and said “keeping a stiff upper lip” is vital, suggesting voters “take one less trip to Starbucks, and so that gas goes a little further.” [People]

    • Gas in Minnesota today is nearly $4 per gallon, a full dollar higher than it was just one year ago. [AAA]

  • Tafoya claims to be “pro-choice” but she called Minnesota’s current abortion laws “barbaric” and said she is “in line with President Trump” on abortion. [NOTUS; Interview With Jeremy Munson]

  • In January, Tafoya refused to voice an opinion on Trump’s tariffs, saying she does not want to get into “hypotheticals” and would need “the totality of the circumstances” on tariffs. [NOTUS]

  • At a recent debate Tafoya defended Trump’s tariffs acknowledging they had caused real pain for farmers. [Washington Examiner]

    • Trump’s tariffs have increased Minnesota household costs by “roughly $1,100” in 2025. [Minnesota Attorney General]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this audio of Republican Senate nominee Michele Tafoya telling Minnesotans to “take one less trip to Starbucks” as prices skyrocket due to Trump’s Iran war.

_{(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)}

Days after Todd Blanche, the President’s personal attorney, was confirmed as Attorney General, the Department of Justice issued a memo to insulate Trump’s inner circle from accountability, and provide a blueprint for how to hide corruption from the American people. With Democrats increasingly likely to take back Congress and wield subpoena power, Trump’s DOJ henchmen are preparing to stonewall the American people to hide their corruption and chaos.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Trump’s DOJ issued an opinion shielding more of his communications.

  • Days after Todd Blanche was contentiously confirmed as Attorney General, his Department of Justice issued a memo claiming Trump can assert executive privilege over communications “with private advisers … so long as they relate to official presidential decisionmaking, involve or reflect communications with the President or his direct advisers, and are confidential.” [Punchbowl News]

  • Not only does this memo attempt to shield Trump’s communications with both government employees and private citizens, it also claims to shield any of Trump’s direct advisers’ communications as well. [Alternet]

    • This memo would “let any president — including President Donald Trump — wall off a broad swath of communication from congressional scrutiny.” [Punchbowl News]

  • This broad expansion of executive privilege is out of line with legal precedent and critics of the memo argue that this move “creates a dangerous loophole” that would allow outside influencers to secretly shape national policy. [Alternet]

  • The timing of this announcement is no accident, coming “as Democrats look increasingly likely to win back the House – and subpoena power.” [Punchbowl News]

• DOJ’s memo is custom-built to protect Trump and his cronies from oversight.

  • This legal opinion seems to particularly benefit Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer and political strategist who Trump called his “psychiatrist,” who is facing demands for testimony and records. [Politico; Alternet]

  • Epshteyn was also the subject of congressional investigations in 2024 over his “cash for cabinet appointment” scheme. His communications with other figures in Trump’s orbit could be the subject of future subpoenas from a Democratic congress, hence the DOJ’s memo shielding him. [Senate Finance Committee; Alternet]

  • The American Bar Association is suing the Trump administration for its “intimidation policy” against law firms and is seeking to depose Epshteyn as part of that case—something Trump’s DOJ is desperate to avoid. [Bloomberg Law]

  • This isn’t Trump’s first time abusing executive privilege to protect his shady dealings. In Trump’s first term he attempted to exert executive privilege to conceal White House visitor logs, which would allow him to hide which corporations come to lobby in his office. This memo is another attempt by Trump to hide secret deals as he continues to use the presidency to personally enrich himself at the American people’s expense. [Mother Jones, NPR]

    • While Trump protects his corrupt actions by eliminating oversight, Americans are struggling more than ever. Consumer sentiment has dropped 10% since Trump began his second term and consumer sentiment overall is at a 73-year low. [Steven Rattner]

• Americans already see this administration as corrupt and unaccountable, and this memo affirms their judgment.

  • As Trump’s approval sits at 34%, the worst of his presidency, 64% of Americans believe Trump has gone too far in “pursuing his personal business interests while serving as president” and 60% believe he has gone too far in “using the power of the presidency and the executive branch.” [CNN/SSRS]

  • Americans do not believe Trump is trustworthy, as 54% call Trump “corrupt,” 54% call him “dishonest,” and 53% call him “hypocritical.” [YouGov]

  • Even before Blanche was confirmed, Americans were already distrustful of the Department of Justice, giving it a -21 net confidence rating. [Marquette Law School]

  • 56% of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing overseeing the executive branch and holding it accountable. [Economist/YouGov]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post explaining how Todd Blanche will serve Trump in the DOJ, not the American people.

(Photo by Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images)

July’s jobs report was far worse than anticipated, as the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs. As wage growth remains well below inflation and voters face high gas prices from Trump’s endless war with Iran, Americans are feeling the squeeze. Last week, one voter in Rittman, Ohio spoke out on the dire state of Trump’s economy, saying, “you just can’t afford to breathe at this point.” Americans are tired of Trump and Republicans’ policies making their lives harder and voters now rank Democrats above Republicans on economic issues for the first time since 2010.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Trump’s failed economic agenda is raising costs, killing jobs, and depressing real wage growth.

  • The US economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, a shocking decline from economists’ predicted increase of 80,000 jobs. Adding insult to injury, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised down their May and June jobs estimates by a combined 103,000, indicating greater national economic instability. [Fox Business, NBC News]

  • Americans are fleeing the workforce. Just last month, 264,000 workers left the labor force. In total, over 2 million Americans have left the workforce since November 2025 and U.S. labor participation is currently at its lowest level since 1976, excluding the pandemic. [CNBC; NBC News]

  • Real wages are falling relative to inflation, as hourly earnings increased by just two cents in the past month. This is the lowest hourly earning average since May 2021. [CNBC]

    • Meanwhile, consumers are not feeling any relief, as American households have already had to pay more than $2,000 due to Trump and Republicans’ policies. [Center for American Progress Action]

• Trump is dramatically underperforming his predecessors and his administration is wilfully ignoring their economic failings.

  • 2 million jobs were created in the final months 18 of Biden’s presidency. The Trump administration has added just 548,000 jobs in the first 18 months (or roughly 30,000 a month). [CNN]

  • Excluding the pandemic, the first year of Trump’s second term was the worst for job creation since the Great Recession. 2026 is currently on track to be the second worst. [MSNOW]

  • This is the sixth month that job growth has been negative since Trump reentered the White House. Under the entire Biden administration and Obama’s second term, the U.S. experienced zero months of job losses. [MSNOW]

  • On Sunday, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett argued July job losses could be explained away as the school calendar impacting seasonal work and the end of the World Cup, but there have been job losses in 6 of the 18 reported months of Trump’s second term. [@atrupar.com]

    • Health care employment, which usually lifts the overall jobs numbers, added just 22,000 jobs, well below its 36,000 average monthly gain. [Axios]

    • Despite the World Cup actually spanning much of the most recent jobs period, the leisure and hospitality sectors lost 40,000 jobs in July. [Axios]

• Trump and Republicans’ advantage on the economy has evaporated as voters grow frustrated with his failing policies and misplaced priorities.

  • Trump’s approval stands at just 33%, with 66% disapproval. [AP-NORC]

  • For the first time in a decade, Democrats lead Republicans on party trust on the economy, 37%-36%. [Reuters/Ipsos]

    • Conservative super PAC Americans for Prosperity Action found one in five Republican leaning voters are at risk of defecting from the party or staying home from voting due to economic worries. [Wall Street Journal]

  • 48% of Americans say the cost of living is the most important factor in deciding who to vote for, and Democrats lead Republicans on handling the cost of living by 35% to 27%. [Reuters/Ipsos]

  • As 77% of Americans say the economy is staying about the same or getting worse, 65% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, and 69% disapprove of his handling of inflation. [Economist/YouGov]

  • 73% of U.S. adults think Trump has not paid attention to the country’s most important problems, and just 27% believe that he has the right priorities. [CNN]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post on how Trump is tanking the US economy.

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Across the country, leading Republican candidates are backing taxpayer-funded incentives to bring energy-hungry commercial data centers to their communities with little regard for what it would cost ordinary families. Now, as electric bills spike across the country, some of those same candidates are trying to have it both ways: talking about protecting their communities while refusing to make the industry pay its fair share. Voters around the country aren’t buying what these Republicans are selling.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Republican candidates are bending a knee to data centers, cutting them major tax breaks as they increase their constituents’ costs.

  • In Ohio, Senator Jon Husted was a vocal supporter of data centers in his tenure as Lieutenant Governor, and he publicly defended a $43.5 million tax break for Google’s New Albany data center. [Tiffin Ohio]

  • Also in Ohio, gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to accelerate the state’s data center boom while personally holding investments in companies he would regulate as governor. [Tiffin Ohio]

    • Ohio’s data center sales tax exemption alone cost the state $1.6 billion in 2025, part of $2.5 billion in cumulative tax breaks for the industry since 2017. [Tiffin Ohio]

  • Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson is personally invested in a data center in Texas, and says the industry should have “no property taxes for the data center… It’s totally up to them.” [Georgia Recorder]

    • His Democratic opponent, Keisha Lance Bottoms, wants to temporarily pause construction of data centers and “gather all the information, factual information, and then make a determination on how we move forward.” [Georgia Recorder]

  • Frontline House Republicans are also sitting on the fence. Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania wants data centers built “on former industrial sites” while also claiming his district is “ready for development,” and Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa, who represents more data centers than any other Republican incumbent in a competitive House race, gives lip service to constituents’ concerns while calling his state a “model for how workforce development and AI leadership can work hand in hand.” [PBS News; Politico]

• Republicans’ embrace of unfettered data center expansion could present major risks to everyday Americans.

  • Electricity costs were one of the fastest drivers of inflation in 2025, outpacing other basic expenses, like groceries and medicine. [Center for American Progress]

    • Spiking data center energy use will likely make these costs worse. Wholesale electricity costs have skyrocketed as much as 267% in just five years in areas located near significant data center activity. [Bloomberg]

  • Multiple communities near data centers have already filed lawsuits against their local data centers due to high levels of noise pollution disrupting their daily lives. [Newsweek]

    • Residents of Loudoun County, Virginia, one of the “densest data center hotbeds on Earth” now experience a constant high-pitched whine. One resident commented on the noise, “We don’t want to be outside anymore.” Another resident said he could not walk his dog some days because the noise was “unbearable.” [Politico]

    • Trump said in a recent FOX News interview, “data centers, if you look at the stats, everything’s good around them.” [Newsweek]

  • Some data centers use gas turbines to power their operations. Current planned gas burning data centers would release pollutants that contribute to heart disease, asthma, lung cancer, and strokes, among other health concerns. [New York Times]

    • Outside Memphis, Elon Musk’s xAI recently installed gas turbines for a data center project without obtaining necessary federal clean air permits, as the project would exceed federal permit thresholds. The emissions from Musk’s planned data center would be released near predominantly Black communities that are already estimated to suffer disproportionately from lung disease. [Reuters]

    • Nearby one data center in Loudon, VA, air quality emissions from data centers could cost the community an additional $53 to $99 million in health-related expenses each year. [Harvard School of Public Health]

• In the absence of reasonable safeguards, Americans are worried about the impacts of data centers in their communities.

  • 77% of Americans are concerned that AI will make electricity more expensive. [Reuters/Ipsos]

  • 60% of voters believe that “the energy demand of large commercial energy users, like AI data centers” is at least somewhat responsible for the price they pay for utilities like gas and electricity. [Groundwork Collaborative]

  • 77% of voters are concerned about taxpayers being “forced into subsidizing data center construction without knowing the full cost.” [Morning Consult]

  • 74% of voters are concerned about heavy water use and 73% are concerned about industrial noise from data centers. [Morning Consult]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video on how some Democrats are holding data centers accountable and protecting consumers.

(Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Trump will speak to Nevadans today in Las Vegas to tout his economic policies. This is his second visit to the Silver State in the past six months, after speaking in April on his “no tax on tips” policy. In a recent interview, Trump claimed grocery and food prices were “all coming down” and said he should be “given an A+ on the economy.” Regardless of what Trump says, the economic numbers, and stories of everyday Americans, show that he has nothing to be proud of. Trump’s tariffs, war-fueled gas price spikes, and cuts to healthcare and SNAP are leaving Nevadans scraping by. While Trump thinks he deserves a gold star for his handling of the economy, Americans are giving him a bruising failing grade with his economic approval rating falling to just 32%.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Trump’s economic policies have made life worse for Nevadans in particular.

  • Las Vegas saw a 7.5% decline in tourism (3.1 million fewer visitors) last year. This is the steepest decline outside of the pandemic since they began tracking the data in 1970. [ABC News]

    • Trump’s “liberation day” tariff announcements in April 2025 cost the American tourism industry $1 billion in revenue every month since. [Cato Institute]

    • Canadian visitors to Las Vegas declined 17.4% in 2025 after Trump imposed major tariffs on the country and repeatedly suggested Canada become the “51st state.” [ABC News]

    • Even a spokesperson for Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, who is endorsed by Trump and running for reelection, acknowledged Nevada’s unemployment rate “remains a little bit higher because of our tourism driven economy.” [ABC News]

  • As tourism declines, Las Vegas workers cannot reap the benefits of no tax on tips.

    • Joe Spica, a bellman on the Las Vegas Strip said, “I used to be able to take care of multiple dinners for me and my family with my tips from one day…Now I’m lucky to get a dinner for my tip from one day.” [ABC News]

  • Almost 80,000 Nevadans lost SNAP from cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill between July 2025 and April 2026. This is a 16% decline in less than one year. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities]

• Trump’s claims of economic success are a complete lie, and Nevadans can see it.

  • The average Nevada household spent $3,300 more on goods and services under Trump. [Joint Economic Committee Minority]

    • By the end of 2026, the average Nevada household on an ACA marketplace plan will have spent an additional $5,337 thanks to Trump’s policies. [Center for American Progress Action]

  • The median price of a grocery store trip in 2026 is $49.70, a decided increase from the 2024 median of $42.72. [New York Times]

    • Ground beef prices have increased 18.2% since Trump took office, sandwich bread prices have increased 5%, and orange juice has increased in price by 23.4%. [NBC News]

  • Average monthly premium costs for ACA marketplace enrollees increased by 58%, thanks to Trump’s OBBBA. [Center for American Progress]

  • The unemployment rate in Nevada as of June 2026 is one of the highest in the nation, 21% higher than the national average. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

  • Nevada Republicans are throwing in the towel on saving their constituents from Trump. Trump-endorsed Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo said at a campaign event in July 2026, “When we talk about affordability and inflation rates and everything, I can’t control that.” [Nevada Current]

  • In Trump’s America, only the wealthy can afford to visit Las Vegas. In 2024, 25% of Las Vegas’ visitors made more than $150,000, but that number ballooned to 44% in 2025. [The Nevada Independent]

• Nevadans and Americans overall are writing Trump a failing report card.

  • Just 32% of American adults approve of Trump’s handling of the US economy. [AP-NORC]

    • 69% of US adults characterized the state of the US economy as “poor” with large numbers that said the cost of groceries and gas caused “major” stress in their lives. [AP-NORC]

  • Trump’s overall approval is slumping, falling to a record low of -25. [Economist]

    • Trump sits at just 38% approval in Nevada, with 57% of Nevadans disapproving of how he is handling his job. [Civiqs]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Americans saying what they really think of Trump’s economy.

(Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Mike Rogers is running for Senate in Michigan. He runs his campaign from Florida. A career politician turned corporate lobbyist, Rogers has spent his career voting to gut Social Security and Medicare, cheering on Trump’s trade wars and Iran War even as Michigan families pay the price, and cashing in on the connections he made in Washington. Now, Trump’s handpicked candidate wants Michiganders to trust him with their seat in the Senate.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Mike Rogers has a record of misplaced priorities and self-enrichment.

  • Rogers has spent time campaigning from his million-dollar Florida mansion, even saying “my whole life is here in Michigan” while reportedly recording the interview from Florida. [Detroit Metro Times]

    • In 2024, Rogers was cited for a traffic violation in Florida the very same month his failed Senate campaign claimed he was living in Michigan. [Michigan Democratic Party]

  • In Congress, Rogers repeatedly voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program and raise its eligibility age, and supported plans to privatize parts of Social Security. [House of Representatives; Michigan Independent]

  • Throughout his decade and a half in the U.S. House, Rogers was a strong supporter of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, spending trillions of taxpayer dollars on foreign wars. [EveryCRS Report; House of Representatives: Iraq and Afghanistan]

  • Rogers fully supports Trump’s disastrous Iran War, saying there “shouldn’t be a date” when the war ends and saying of rising gas prices that are crushing Michigan families, “we’re gonna be fine.” [American Bridge 21st Century; Punchbowl News]

  • Rogers has increased his personal net worth up to as much as $17.5 million since leaving Congress in 2014 after leveraging his political connections into board seats and lobbying positions. [Business Insider]

• Michigan families pay more under the policies backed by Mike Rogers.

  • Rogers fully supports Trump’s endless war in Iran, which cost Michigan households an additional $502 in gas expenses as of July 13. [Detroit News; Joint Economic Committee]

  • Trump’s tariffs, which Rogers fully supported even after the Supreme Court struck them down, cost the average Michigan household up to $3,200 in 2025. [Politico; Michigan Public]

    • Michigan small businesses paid an average of $709k more for imports between March 2025 and February 2026 due to Trump’s tariffs. [Center for American Progress]

  • Rogers said Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill “has some really good stuff in it for Michigan.” [All Talk With Kevin Dietz]

    • Michigan households are projected to pay an additional $160 per year for energy bills by 2030 thanks to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. [Center for American Progress]

  • Rogers opposed extending vital ACA tax credits, leaving nearly 500,000 Michiganders enrolled in marketplace plans facing skyrocketing insurance costs and causing enrollment to drop nearly 27 percent between February 2025 and February 2026. [Michigan Advance; Michigan Public; Associated Press]

    • Diane Holland, a Michigander with preexisting conditions, said, “If he gets elected to the Senate this year, he could once again vote to gut the ACA and make it impossible for people who have pre-existing conditions, to get affordable health care, to take away the coverage that’s keeping me healthy without going bankrupt.” [Michigan Advance]

• Trump and Rogers’ agenda for Michigan is increasingly unpopular.

  • 74% of Michigan voters say tariffs are contributing to inflation and affordability concerns, and 63% of Michigan voters oppose tariffs on auto parts from Canada. [EPIC-MRA]

  • 58% of Michigan voters say Donald Trump has made energy prices more expensive. [EPIC-MRA]

  • Trump’s job approval rating in Michigan sits at just 33%, with 61% of Michiganders disapproving of his handling of the economy. [Reuters]

  • A veteran pollster in Michigan who attended Trump and Rogers’ rally at a GM plant said, “When I was listening to him, I said, ‘What planet are you on?’” and that Trump is “like an anchor around Republicans.” [Fortune]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this post showing Mike Rogers’ refusal to stand up for Michiganders who are tired of rising prices and endless wars.

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Yesterday, Ohio Representative Max Miller posted a 20-minute live stream on X denying allegations that he abused his ex-wife and two-year-old daughter, the daughter and granddaughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH). At the end of the livestream, Miller said, “I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November.” Miller has been engaged in a legal battle with his ex-wife for months as she alleges he has a history of violent behavior. Trump and Republican leadership are ignoring these allegations, instead working to elect Miller to once again represent the people of Ohio. Their approach to these matters stands in stark contrast to how Democrats responded to credible allegations of abuse against former Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Miller has a recorded history of violence beyond just the allegations in this lawsuit.

  • Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, told investigators Miller shoved her, held a gun to her head, and threw hot water at her on separate occasions. Moreno also alleges Miller broke their two year old daughter’s collarbone. [Politico]

  • Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, also a Republican, accused Miller years ago of violent abuse while the two were dating in 2020. [Mother Jones]

  • There are allegations of violence against Miller spanning more than a decade. Miller allegedly threw a girl down the stairs in high school and faced potential college expulsion for violence against a female student. [Mother Jones]

    • Separate from these incidents, Miller has been repeatedly accused of violence (both verbal and physical) as well as alcohol and drug abuse. [Mother Jones]

  • Just days ago, Emily Moreno filed a new restraining order against Miller. She alleges he grabbed one of her attorneys and used a profane slur to insult the attorney’s fiancée. [Washington Post]

• Trump and Republican party leadership refuse to hold Miller accountable for his actions and openly align themselves with the congressman.

  • Last night, Trump refused to denounce the congressman or pull his endorsement, saying, “so far it’s accusations.” [Trump press gaggle on Air Force One]

    • Miller and Moreno married at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Donald Trump gave a speech at the wedding. [Mother Jones]

  • Republican Representative Cory Mills is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee in part for various allegations of dating violence. Speaker Johnson was asked last week why Republicans allow Miller and Mills in their conference, despite allegations against them, and he responded “the key word there is allegation.” At the same time, the Speaker has seemingly shown no interest in investigating the allegations against either man. [The Hill; Politico]

  • Spokespeople for prominent Ohio Republicans did not respond for comment on the matter, including Sen. Jon Husted, gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, and Vice President JD Vance. [Politico]

  • Last week, Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan called Miller a “good man” and said “I hope he wins reelection.” [Politico]

  • Yesterday, Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner, who is currently running for reelection, refused to support a congressional inquiry into the allegations and said that the court should handle the matter. [Face The Nation]

  • Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said she knows Miller and Moreno “personally” and does “not know Max to be a violent person.” [Politico]

• Americans want better from public servants.

  • Miller is underwater in his district, with a Republican pollster finding the incumbent at just 39% against his Democratic opponent Brian Poindexter, who sits at 44%. [NOTUS]

  • Character matters, and Americans deserve leaders who will demand accountability in the face of such allegations.

  • Cook Political Report recently moved Miller’s race in Ohio from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.” [Akron Beacon Journal]

  • Two thirds of voters believe the majority of Congress is less ethical than the average American. [Rasmussen]

  • Just 14% of Americans approve of the way Congress is doing its job. [YouGov]

CALL TO ACTION

Call your member of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to demand an investigation into the allegations against Max Miller.

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A year after Trump and Republicans passed the largest healthcare cuts in American history, the damage is here. A New York Times investigation found that some of the country’s largest hospital systems are reporting sharp increases in uninsured patients as Americans lose coverage they can no longer afford. Across the country, the damage from Trump and Republicans’ healthcare cuts is adding up.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• Hospitals across the nation are sounding the alarm on lost coverage.

  • Hospitals across the nation are reporting increases in uninsured patients as Americans rapidly lose ACA coverage. [New York Times]

    • After Trump and Republicans chose to end federal healthcare subsidies, major hospital officials say they have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as patients forgo care and leave bills unpaid. [New York Times]

  • At Community Health Systems, uninsured patient visits rose 20% compared to last year, while at nonprofit SSM Health, uninsured patients increased almost 21% and unpaid medical bills rose nearly 37%. [New York Times]

  • Enrollment in ACA marketplace plans has dropped by nearly 13%, or 3 million people, since the start of the year. [New York Times]

    • Trump claims this is because of cracking down on fraud, but it’s clear much of this reduction is driven by Republicans refusing to extend critical ACA subsidies that helped patients afford their premiums. [New York Times]

  • Hospital finance experts say that most closures won’t be announced outright, but rather they will quietly cut services like maternal care and behavioral health instead. [New York Times]

    • Banner Health’s CEO said her nonprofit system is considering closing facilities in every market it operates in, forcing patients to travel farther for care. [New York Times]

• Communities are already losing access to care because of the cuts.

  • In Tucson, Select Specialty Hospital - Tucson East will permanently close by September, laying off 99 employees, as several Arizona healthcare facilities have or will shut down since Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding. [Tucson Sentinel]

    • Tucson East sits in Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s district. Ciscomani warned Medicaid cuts would cause hospital instability, but voted for the bill anyway. [Tucson Sentinel]

    • The OBBBA will result in the loss of nearly $110 million each year for 10 hospitals in or near Ciscomani’s district in the next decade. [Tucson Sentinel]

  • In Iowa, MercyOne closed its South Des Moines clinics in June, citing Medicaid cuts and rising costs. This is part of a broader wave of closures and care reduction across the state that includes an Ottumwa family medicine clinic, the end of labor and delivery services at two other Iowa hospitals, and a Planned Parenthood clinic shutting down in Iowa City. [Iowa Coalition for Reproductive Freedom; Little Village]

    • Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Iowa Senate, said she is “proud” of her vote on OBBBA, as nearly one-fifth of Iowans with ACA plans dropped their coverage and healthcare facilities continue to close around the state. [Insurance Newsnet]

    • Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, whose district includes Iowa City, said in April that, “nothing has gone into effect” on Medicaid cuts and hospital losses weren’t connected. Months later, Planned Parenthood was forced to close the clinic in her district. [The Gazette]

    • Shortly after he voted to pass the OBBBA, Rep. Zach Nunn said, “I think the myth here is that rural hospitals are going to close down. That’s not the case.” Since then, MercyOne shut down a facility in his district, forcing his constituents to drive up to an hour to receive medical care. [American Journal]

• Americans are worried about healthcare costs, and it’s shaping how they’ll vote.

  • 64% of Americans are worried about affording healthcare costs—now tied with concerns about affording gas and transportation costs. [KFF]

  • 61% of Americans say they worry “a great deal” about healthcare affordability, more than the economy or inflation. [Gallup]

  • 80% of Americans who re-enrolled in ACA marketplaces this year say their healthcare costs are higher this year, including 51% who say they are “a lot” higher. [KFF]

  • Nearly 90% of voters say health costs will influence their decision to vote and who to vote for in the upcoming midterm elections. [KFF]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Rep. Zach Nunn lashing out when asked if he still believes rural hospital closures are a “myth.”

(Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz/Getty Images)

The Bureau of Economic Analysis just announced that economic growth slowed in the past three months, expanding at a rate of just 1.5%. This announcement comes just days after Trump unveiled another one of his lavish construction projects. This time, he spent $5.1 million in taxpayer dollars to gild statues around DC with “an unusually thick layer of nearly pure gold.” As Americans suffer under a slowing economy, Trump appears to be living in a parallel universe, frivolously spending taxpayer money to gild DC and boasting, without evidence, that he has created a “golden age.” This divide is not going unnoticed as his approval ratings sink lower each month. Americans are struggling and facing the consequences of Trump’s greed and misaligned priorities.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

The economy is slowing under Trump and his reckless policies.

• GDP growth in the second quarter of 2026 slowed to 1.5%, declining from the first quarter rate of 2.1%. [New York Times]

  • At his 2026 State of the Union address, Trump told Americans, “the roaring economy is roaring like never before.” [Trump 2026 State Of the Union]

• The first year of Trump’s second term was the worst for economic growth in nine years, excluding the pandemic. GDP data in his second year appears to be trending even worse. [MS NOW]

  • Ten months ago, Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the United States would have the “greatest growth economy six months from now, a year from today.” [CNBC]

• The economic downturn follows the “most severe oil shock in history” after prices had their “largest ever monthly gain” in March due to Trump’s needless war in Iran. [International Energy Agency]

  • High oil prices are still hitting consumers, and international oil inventories are quickly depleting, which could soon cause widespread shortage issues. [New York Times]

    • The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve just hit its lowest level since 1983, threatening infrastructure. [CNBC]

The economic slowdown comes as Americans are already being crushed on all fronts by Trump’s policies.

• Trump and Republicans’ policies have already cost the typical American household on an ACA marketplace plan $4,006 since the beginning of his term as they allow Americans to suffer healthcare and infrastructure cuts under the OBBBA, tariff costs, and high prices from the needless war with Iran. [Center for American Progress Action Fund]

• On Wednesday morning Trump told Fox News the U.S. would “beat the fucking shit out of” Iran, even as gas prices rise (currently up more than 37% than before the war) and only one in three Americans support the ongoing conflict. [FOX; The Hill]

• A volunteer fire department in rural Alabama is “just hanging on by a thread” as high gas prices further strain the department’s budget. High costs impede the department’s ability to upgrade equipment, risking response ability to local disasters. [WFSA]

• 7.7% of customers across Ohio had their power turned off between June 2025 and May 2026. This is the highest rate in the last four years. [Ohio Capital Journal]

• A Jefferson County, New York, food pantry said they’ve seen a 20 to 30% increase in new families coming to receive benefits after Trump and Republicans’ OBBBA cut SNAP benefits for millions of Americans. [North Country Public Radio; Center for Budget and Policy Priorities]

  • An employee at a community non-profit in Watertown, NY said in the past year she has seen 600 more families coming for support as Americans “are having to choose between eating and paying their electricity bills.” [North Country Public Radio]

Trump obviously doesn’t care about Americans’ economic struggles, and they know it.

• Only 34% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance—tied for the lowest mark of either Trump term. [Economist/YouGov]

• Just 30% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, compared to 70% who disapprove. His net approval on the economy dropped 28 points since starting his second term. [CNN]

• Voters are pessimistic about the economy: 71% describe the economy as either not so good or poor, and 59% think the nation’s economy is getting worse rather than better. [Quinnipiac]

• 73% of Americans say Trump “hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems,” and 73% also say Trump “is not in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives.” [CNN]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this video of Fox Business discussing Trump’s failing economy.

The Trump administration is once again threatening Americans’ healthcare, and this time, they’re targeting seniors. Yesterday, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it would end Part D premium subsidies after 2026, raising prescription costs for seniors on Medicare. This announcement comes as costs are already skyrocketing for millions of Americans, thanks to Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, and Trump’s endless war in Iran.

KEY FACTS AND DATA

• The Medicare Part D subsidy program Trump is eliminating helps millions of Americans afford prescription drugs.

  • 25 million Americans rely on standalone Medicare Part D plans. [New York Times]

  • The Inflation Reduction Act capped out-of-pocket spending for Part D enrollees, instead shifting the costs onto plan sponsors, but this caused higher premiums for prescription drug plans. [KFF]

    • The Part D premium subsidies were designed to offset these costs, lowering healthcare costs for millions of older Americans. Trump’s CMS now claims insurers have “sufficient experience” in setting rates and the subsidies are no longer needed. [KFF]

  • The Part D subsidy program reduced the average Part D premium by about 40% in 2025 and an estimated 27% in 2026. [Wall Street Journal]

    • CMS canceling Part D subsidies will eliminate $3.6 billion in government funds to offset high prescription drug costs. [Wall Street Journal]

  • Ending Part D subsidies may increase premiums as much as $20 each month, $240 per year, for some Americans. [ABC News]

• Trump and congressional Republicans have already endangered millions of Americans by raising their healthcare costs.

  • Trump and Republicans chose not to extend the enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act marketplace health plans in last year’s reconciliation budget. After their expiration, monthly net premiums costs surged 58% among marketplace enrollees. [Center for American Progress]

    • ACA enrollment declined by nearly 3 million people between February 2025 and February 2026 thanks to the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits. [Center for Budget and Policy Priorities]

    • Rachel Phipps, a 64-year-old retired Maine resident, opted to forego her health insurance entirely this year after congressional Republicans failed to extend the enhanced premium tax credits. Phipps said she and her husband are “terrified of a major accident, or even just a diagnosis.” [Maine Morning Star]

  • Premiums are rising rapidly thanks to Trump and Republicans’ policies. Insurers set a median rate increase for 2027 of 14%. That’s on top of a median increase of 20% in 2026. [PBS]

    • Americans are downgrading their health insurance as costs increase. In Pennsylvania, 33,000 more residents enrolled in bronze plans in 2026, a 30% increase from 2025. [CNBC]

  • The combined impacts of the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits and the OBBBA’s healthcare provisions will increase healthcare costs for the average American household using an ACA marketplace plan by $2,994 by the end of 2026. [Center for American Progress Action]

• Americans are deeply concerned about rising healthcare and prescription drug costs, leading them to sacrifice their well-being for their wallets.

  • In June, more voters listed health care costs as their top concern than gas, rent, food, and utilities. [KFF]

  • 73% of adults say healthcare affordability is a very big problem in the United States. This is a +6-point increase from last year. [Pew Research]

  • 72% of Americans say there is not as much government regulation as there should be when it comes to limiting drug prices. [KFF]

  • 59% of Americans are at least somewhat worried about being able to afford prescription drugs for themselves and their families. This is the largest proportion of the public to be worried since tracking data started in 2018. [KFF]

    • Four in ten US adults report not taking prescribed medication in the past year due to costs. [KFF]

CALL TO ACTION

Share this clip of a FOX host explaining Trump’s concerning move that will increase seniors’ healthcare costs.

(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)