August 23, 2026

Lauren Almeida of the Guardian: “Donald Trump has hit back at Canada after a breakdown in negotiations plunged the two countries into a trade war. In his first public comments since negotiations collapsed on Friday in Washington, the US president wrote on social media: 'Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!'”

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Ian Austen of the New York Times: “The morning after he pulled negotiators from trade talks in Washington and set off a new round of American tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney called the U.S. proposal 'a bad deal' and said Canada was 'at war' with the United States. 'We’ve recognized from the start that America has changed,' he said in an address to Canadians on Saturday. 'We recognize that sometimes, its signature is written in pencil.... We cannot accept what they offered and we will not give what they asked.... We were not prepared to compromise Canada’s sovereignty or undermine our key industries.' In a muscular, 22-minute speech that let Canadians — and Americans — know exactly where he stands, Mr. Carney said that Canada was under attack by President Trump’s punishing tariffs.... Trevor Tombe, a trade economist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, estimates that the new tariffs could cost upward of 90,000 jobs in Canada.” The link is a gift link. Politico's report is here. ~~~

~~~ Sarah Davis of the Hill: “Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday morning that the country will enact retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. beginning on Sept. 8 in response to the Trump administration’s new 50 percent tariffs.... Carney said his government will release more details about these retaliatory policies in the “coming days” and that the tariffs would apply to goods like steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics. He stressed during his morning remarks that the Canadian government 'take[s] this step reluctantly.'”

Tony Romm of the New York Times: “Although Mr. Trump’s tariffs only cover a small subset of Canadian goods, the consequences could quickly spiral. If Canada retaliates, and Mr. Trump does the same, the result could be a series of new shocks for the U.S. economy at a time when it is already weathering plenty.... Overall, though, the [current 50%] tariffs apply to a small fraction of trade between the two nations, muting the impact, at least for now.... The United States already had in place steep tariffs on other critical Canadian imports, including its lumber, steel and cars. But, unlike Mr. Trump’s past tariffs, the duties he imposed Saturday come with no special exemption for goods that are otherwise covered under a trade agreement the United States brokered with Canada and Mexico, a pact that the president separately has said he hopes to revise or kill.” The link is a gift link.

Ah, Susan Collins Is Concerned™. Mira Bhakta of the Hill: “Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) pushed the Trump administration to 'consider the negative impact' that engaging in a tariff war with Canada may have on American constituents, straying away from some of her GOP peers.... The tit-for-tat attacks represent a trade war that Collins believes will 'lead to higher costs, risk, and uncertainty for Maine businesses.'”

David Lynch of the Washington Post: “The shocking collapse of U.S.-Canada trade talks is the latest sign that ... Donald Trump’s bulldozer approach to remaking the nation’s trade relationships may be reaching its limits. The president tried in recent days to use an untested legal power to force Canada to swallow trade concessions. Instead, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quit the negotiations rather than accept a lengthening list of U.S. demands. As a result, 50 percent U.S. tariffs took effect early Saturday on an array of Canadian products, including hockey sticks and Crown Royal whisky. As Carney prepared to walk away — a rare example of a foreign leader telling the president 'enough' — Trump was retreating on another trade front. On Friday, after insisting for more than a year that tariffs do not affect consumer prices, he lifted tariffs on beef imports, saying the move would lead to lower grocery prices. The two developments, coupled with legal challenges to Trump’s tariffs, leave the president’s signature economic policy in a state of flux.”

MEANWHILE, Out West. Angie Hernandez of NOTUS: “Farm organizations, ranchers associations and Republicans swiftly rebuked [Donald Trump's plan to import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free beef] as detrimental to the American cattle industry, which is experiencing historically low numbers of cattle herds and severe weather patterns on top of Trump’s aggressive tariff measures. Importing foreign beef, agriculture groups say, undercuts American businesses that have increased their prices to stay afloat.... [One] self-described conservative [cattle rancher], said he voted for Trump in 2024, but right now he’s 'disappointed' in him and worried that these economic policies could reflect badly on the next Republican presidential nominee. The effects of tariffs and disputes with trading partners such as Canada are being felt at home, [the rancher] said.” ~~~

     ~~~ Mystery Meat. Some people do not feel sorry for these poor, "disappointed" U.S. ranchers. In yesterday's Comments, for instance, Akhilleus wrote, "They voted for this clown, they're stuck in the circus tent with him." Not only that, Akhilleus is wary of the beef itself: "Why won't [Trump] say where it's from? If he's not yapping and bragging, it's because there's something very wrong with this meat, otherwise, he'd be saying. Maybe it's from China. Who knows?" Well, maybe RAS knows -- or at least has a sneaking suspicion: "I'm sure it is just a coincidence that a day ago there were reports that Fat Hitler is selling wild stallions for $25 a piece to then be slaughtered and now he has a mysterious cheap protein source that he can't tell anyone where it is from."  

TMZ: "Natalie Harp's support for ... Donald Trump drove her to Twitter on January 6, 2021 ... with a report indicating she posted dozens and dozens of times in support of the President's bid to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The president's executive assistant -- who has gone viral in recent days for her shockingly strong devotion to the commander-in-chief -- posted to her account more than 150 times on the day in question, CNN reports.... Natalie later shared conspiracy theories online that the rioters were actually members of ANTIFA -- not real Trump supporters -- and then reshared [Mr.] Trump's plea that rioters go home, the report reveals.... It appears Natalie's account is no longer active -- though it's unclear if she was booted from the platform or deactivated it herself." The CNN report is subscriber-firewalled. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Also in relation to January 6, Trump sent a 14-page rant to the January 6 Special Committee refusing to comply with the committee's subpoena. But then ~~~

     ~~~ Marcie Wheeler: "... I checked the document metadata for the conspiratorial rant Trump sent Congress in lieu of a real legal response. [The metadata shows that the author of said rant, dated October 14, 2022, was Natalie Harp.]... Even amid the intemperate rants that stood in for legal defense at the time, this was a remarkable piece of propaganda.... It raises whole new questions about how she landed [her] role [in Trump's orbit]." ~~~

~~~ Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: “I’ve spent my career watching officials maneuver and scheme, often in absurd ways, to get closer to presidents. But I’d never seen anything like the photo of Natalie Harp dashing after ... [Donald] Trump’s golf cart in Scotland three years ago. I’d also never heard of a staffer jumping into the trunk of an S.U.V., as Harp did, when she was denied a seat in the motorcade.... With three little words [-- 'travel with Natalie -- Senator Jon] Ossoff [D-Ga.] pulled a string and unraveled something really dark and deranged at the innermost circle of Trump’s White House.... This relationship is pathological, and a source of great irritation among other courtiers.... [But] It’s a perfect (taxpayer-funded) relationship. She thinks he’s amazing. And he agrees.” The link is a gift link. (See yesterday's page for that photo of the "human sprinter.")

Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times profiles John Coale, a U.S. diplomat in Eastern Europe, who is a friend of Donald Trump's and emulates Trump's style. “As the special envoy to Belarus, he began building a relationship with [strongman leader, Aleksandr G.] Lukashenko over dirty jokes, vodka shots and weight-loss advice. Their rapport paved the way for Belarus to free 500 political prisoners and grant pardons for several hundred more.” The link is a gift link.

Farah Stockman & Ismaeel Naar of the New York Times write about how “Powerus, a start-up in West Palm Beach, Fla., [is making] inexpensive [drone] interceptors” by affiliating with companies in other countries. This represents “a complete shift in the way business is done in a defense industry known for being slow, bureaucratic and expensive. To meet the urgent demands of U.S.-allied countries that are under threat, Powerus has teamed up with local manufacturers in regions where the interceptors are needed. This allows the company to make them quickly in existing factories, rather than build new plants in the United States and export the weapons.” Very interesting. It is not until the sixteenth paragraph of their story that we learn this: 

“Shortly after the Iran war began, Powerus announced an unusual merger with a publicly traded golf course operator, Aureus Greenway Holdings, in a deal brokered by an investment firm with ties to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.... The golf course operator would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Powerus, a company spokesman said. The deal was brokered by Dominari Securities, an investment firm owned by Dominari Holdings, which counts the two Trump brothers as shareholders and advisory board members.... Powerus has issued a number of announcements involving the Trumps or their associates.”

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: “Even before the first engine has revved in Washington’s first Grand Prix this weekend, the effects of turning a warren of museums and historic landmarks at the seat of government into a 1.7-mile IndyCar racecourse have rippled across the capital. And for some residents and commuters, the resulting disruptions are wearing thin in a summer that has been full of them.... Downtown traffic has snarled, as crews scurry to put up barriers, weld down manhole covers and even relocate traffic lights. The National Gallery of Art has conducted vibration studies and put up protective panels around some of its outdoor sculptures, while other nearby Smithsonian museums prepared to reduce public access. Airlines have rerouted flights, as the closest airport braces for a temporary shutdown. And at least one school within the exclusion zone has had to go fully remote....

“The Freedom 250 Grand Prix is the final major event in downtown Washington to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary, punctuating a summer that also featured a state fair exhibition, an Ultimate Fighting Championship match and a marathon Independence Day parade, concert and fireworks display. Many of those events also involved military flyovers, making them sonically inescapable for nearby residents. And all of them have been heavily promoted by ... [Donald] Trump, in a city already wary of his attempts to leave his imprint on it. For the race, the Trump administration has planned a two-day extravaganza, complete with more flyovers, fireworks and an honorary presidential lap of the course.” The link is a gift link. MB: The accident waiting to happen “starts at 1:10 p.m. ET..., with television coverage broadcast live on Fox,” according to Art Intel. ~~~

     ~~~ Les Carpenter, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Freedom 250 Grand Prix ... is expected to draw around 140,000 spectators.... [IndyCar President Doug] Boles told a news conference Thursday that there will be 'actual 90-degree corners,' as well as two other corners that 'will be very fast.... It’s going to be hard to pass here — could be a little carnage at this place.'... Practice laps on Saturday highlighted the challenges of the course. A particularly bumpy section of road ahead of the sixth turn caused several drivers to spin out or nearly lose control, including two from the same team: Graham Rahal and Louis Foster, who crashed nose-first into the wall.” MB: As you can see from the map, the southeast corner turn is tighter than 90 degrees:

Heather Cox Richardson goes through a litany of the ways Trump has screwed up and Congressional Republicans have continued to follow the Mad Piper into the mountain cave as it closes around them. "And now the story that the closest advisor to the President of the United States is a 35-year-old woman who seems unhealthily obsessed with him ties Republican Party leadership to the reality that they are permitting the destruction of the United States with barely a whimper." Richardson crows, "... they have left an open field for Democrats to redefine the nation’s politics." ~~~

~~~ Marie: Not only do Democrats have an "open field," Republicans have been treating them like dirt for two years, calling them names like "Dumocrats," "communists," "radical lefists," and "traitors" who "hate their country"; refusing to let them help craft legislation' lambasting and personally insulting them during Congressional hearings, refusing to answer their Congressionally-mandated requests for documents, bringing nonsensical criminal charges against some of them, and generally refusing to engage with them and dicking them around in whatever way Republicans could think of. So how will Democrats react to their mistreatment and take advantage of their "open field"? ~~~

     ~~~ Maggie Haberman & Annie Karni of the New York Times: “Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, met privately in recent weeks with Jared Kushner..., [Donald] Trump’s son-in-law and top outside adviser, and discussed potential areas of common ground, according to five people.... The rare engagement was held in a private space in New York City, offered up by a mutual friend of the two men.... Through aides, neither man would comment on the session, which was described by one person with knowledge of it as a broad conversation on a range of topics. Still, its timing underscored that those around Mr. Trump were well aware of the likelihood of a Democratic-led House, and trying to foster as much of a working relationship as possible before any change. Mr. Jeffries is in line to be the speaker, were Democrats to win the majority.” The link is a gift link.

Somini Sengupta of the New York Times: “Wheat is at the heart of the modern diet, and this year, it is facing an accumulation of modern dangers. The breadbaskets of the world are getting pummeled by drone strikes and devilish weather, nudging prices higher amid already soaring food costs in the wake of the Iran war. Heat and drought have diminished harvests in some of the biggest wheat-producing countries, including the United States, which is expected to have its worst wheat harvest in a half-century, spiking prices. Poor countries that agreed to buy American wheat under the threat of Trump tariffs could be stuck paying abnormally high prices. The Black Sea, a crucial passage for the global wheat trade, is an active theater of the Russia-Ukraine war, while the Houthi militia’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have already forced grain shipments to take a longer, more expensive route around South Africa. Beyond that, a supercharged El Niño further threatens water levels in the Panama Canal, while drought has reduced water levels to perilously low levels in transit routes like the Rhine and Danube rivers in Europe, raising transportation costs.... 'The system we currently have in place depends on three things: seamless trade, cheap energy, stable climate,' said Evan Fraser of the University of Guelph, in Ontario. 'Today, it seems none of these assumptions are met.'” The link is a gift link.

⭐Eric Niller of the New York Times: “... a ... transformation ... [is] taking place across the Western United States, from Oregon to New Mexico, as bigger and hotter wildfires sweep through forests that have not evolved to survive such high-intensity blazes and a warmer climate. Recent studies estimate that as much as 40 percent of Western conifer forests will turn into shrubland by 2100 as a result. 'This is a permanent shift from one ecosystem type to a fundamentally different one,' said Winslow Hansen, a forest ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.... The consequences of the shift, for both people and wildlife, are expected to be profound.” The link is a gift link.

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U.K./Iran. Ben Quinn of the Guardian: “Hackers linked to Iran have been blamed for a cyber-attack that caused a British power plant to be temporarily shut down. The incident involved a small-scale energy generator, according to the UK government and at no point was there there risk to the wider energy system. However, it marks an apparent escalation in the threat posed by Iran after the UK said it had given permission for the US to launch 'defensive' operations against Tehran from British bases. The power plant was shut down for four days as a result of the attack last month, according to the Sunday Telegraph, which first reported it.”