Most Americans Now Believe Trump Is Personally Profiting From the Presidency
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll lands squarely on one of Trump’s biggest political vulnerabilities heading into November. A majority of Americans surveyed believe Trump and his family have improperly benefited from cryptocurrency ventures since he returned to office, while many also believe his business interests influence presidential decisions. Democrats have been trying to turn corruption and self-enrichment into a central midterm argument, and these numbers suggest that message may have an audience beyond the Democratic base. For Republicans, that is an uncomfortable problem because voters aren’t merely questioning individual policies—they’re questioning whose interests the presidency is serving.
Angie Nixon Stuns Florida Democrats With a Socialist Senate Primary Victory
Florida delivered one of the biggest surprises of primary season last night. State Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist, defeated establishment-backed Alex Vindman for the Democratic Senate nomination. It is a significant victory for the party’s progressive wing, but it also creates a difficult November calculation. Florida has moved sharply Republican in recent elections, and GOP Sen. Ashley Moody will now try to portray Nixon as far outside the state’s political mainstream. Democrats got an energized nominee; whether they got an electable one will be the much bigger question.
Mary Peltola Gives Democrats a Real Shot at an Alaska Senate Seat
While Florida may have become harder for Democrats, Alaska suddenly looks more interesting. Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola advanced from Alaska’s nonpartisan Senate primary alongside Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and actually finished with a strong enough showing to attract national attention. Peltola has already demonstrated that she can win statewide-ish federal contests in difficult political territory, and Democrats badly need Senate pickup opportunities. Nobody should mistake Alaska for an easy Democratic win, but Republicans can no longer treat this race as something they can safely ignore.
Byron Donalds Wins Florida GOP Governor Nomination and Trump Gets His Candidate
Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds easily captured the Republican nomination to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida governor, defeating rivals that included DeSantis-aligned Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Donalds will face former Republican congressman turned Democrat David Jolly in November. Florida’s Republican lean makes Donalds the favorite, but the result also says something about who currently controls the state’s GOP. DeSantis spent years building his own political machine; Trump just demonstrated that his endorsement remains enormously powerful in the state both men call home.
Trump Picks Another Close White House Ally to Run the FDA
Trump announced today that he is nominating Dr. Heidi Overton, a senior White House domestic-policy aide, to lead the Food and Drug Administration. The nomination immediately opened another fight over the direction of American health policy. Overton has been closely involved with the administration’s health agenda, and Democrats are already raising concerns about her positions on vaccines and reproductive health. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. already transforming HHS, putting another ideological ally atop the FDA could accelerate one of the most dramatic federal health-policy shifts in decades.
Trump Delays His 50% Canada Tariffs at the Last Possible Moment
The economic cliff with Canada has been pushed back rather than eliminated. Trump agreed to delay threatened 50% tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian imports after negotiators reached a last-minute understanding. That avoids an immediate trade shock with one of America’s largest economic partners, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying dispute. Businesses have now spent weeks preparing for tariffs that may or may not arrive, which is becoming its own economic problem. Trump’s tariff strategy is designed to create leverage through uncertainty; companies making investment and pricing decisions are discovering that uncertainty has a price too.
Treasury Is Stepping Into the Bond Market as Investors Get Nervous
The Treasury Department announced plans to substantially increase purchases of long-term government debt after bond yields surged and rattled financial markets. The move is intended to stabilize conditions, but politically it draws attention to a less glamorous part of the economy that can become very painful very quickly. Higher Treasury yields can feed into mortgage rates, corporate borrowing and government interest costs. Americans may never discuss bond-market liquidity over dinner, but they certainly notice when buying a house or borrowing money gets more expensive.
Trump Wants Another Meeting With Kim Jong Un — While Cutting Military Exercises With South Korea
The administration’s Korea policy is shifting rapidly. Trump says he is open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again, potentially during an Asia trip later this year, while U.S.-South Korean military exercises are being shortened at Washington’s request. South Korea wasn’t given advance notice of the initial decision, according to reporting there, which has contributed to unease in Seoul. Trump sees his personal relationship with Kim as a diplomatic asset. Critics see a familiar danger: offering North Korea something it has wanted for years while making a longtime American ally wonder where it stands.
Justice Department Defends Its Prosecution of James Comey Over the “8647” Post
The DOJ is defending its decision to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey over his controversial 2025 social-media post showing seashells arranged as “8647.” Prosecutors argue the message could reasonably be interpreted as a threat against Trump, while Comey’s attorneys say it was protected speech and that the case is politically motivated. Given Trump’s long and very public hostility toward Comey, the prosecution was always going to raise questions about selective enforcement. The case could now become an important test of both First Amendment protections and the Justice Department’s independence under Trump.
Trump’s Approval Problem Is Turning Into a Midterm Problem for Republicans
The individual stories above all feed into the political number Republicans care about most: Trump’s approval rating recently fell to 33% in Reuters/Ipsos polling, the lowest of his presidency. Voters remain worried about the Iran war, food prices and the economy, while the new polling on Trump’s business interests adds corruption to the mix. Midterms are rarely kind to the president’s party even under good circumstances. Republicans now have roughly eleven weeks to convince voters that the country is moving in the right direction—or spend the fall defending a president whose political problems are increasingly becoming their own.
MOST!!!!???? Really? How could I have missed that? When did that happen?