September 2, 2026

~~~ Jack Hobbes of the Irish Star: "The Trump administration has removed 40 weeping willow trees that lined both sides of the embattled John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center. Users on X were outraged by the move as the trees were planted along two sides of the center to symbolize the nation's mourning after the death of former President John F. Kennedy. 'The weeping willows at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have been reduced to stumps,' the user on X wrote. 'They symbolized the mourning of a nation for President Kennedy following his assassination in 1963,' it added. 'The administration is claiming the roots were bad, but we know the real reason.'" Thanks to RAS for the lead. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I guess there was just too much "Kennedy" for Trump in the shortlived fake "Kennedy-Trump Center." So the Trumplodytes hadda get rid of this living memorial to Kennedy. The good news: willows, given plenty of water, grow very fast. Once Trump and his mafia are removed from the Kennedy Center board, a legitimate board can plant healthy young trees, which will grow to substantial size within five years. I know. I've grown 'em.

This is a photo, not a tweet.

S.H.A.M.E. on Apple. (But There Is an Alternative.) Donica Phifer of Axios: "Apple has changed the label on Lake  Ontario to 'Lake America,' according to an Axios review of Apple Maps on Tuesday afternoon.... Apple is the second major digital map provider to make the switch. Google did so over the weekend — at least for those in the United States.... [Donald] Trump had ... asked Apple to make the switch last week, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox Business on Monday. Apple's decision comes less than a week after the president's executive order to rename the body of water along the U.S.-Canada border. The company also eventually changed the Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' and Mount Denali to Mount McKinley last year when Trump renamed those sites via an executive order on the first day of his second term.

"MapQuest, another digital map provider in the U.S., said it will not be changing the lake's name. 'Name it whatever you want at your leisure,' the company wrote in a tweet that went viral. The company has also seen an engagement boost since the post, with its app being ranked No. 1 among navigation apps and No. 8 overall on Apple's App Store chart. The app was No. 2 in Canada's store on Sunday night, per TechCrunch." Here's more on the MapQuest decision from Mediaite.

     ~~~ Marie: It's too bad Canadians are so nice. If they were a bit more vindictive, they could change the name of Lake Superior to "Lake Canada," at least until such time as the U.S. recognizes Lake Ontario again. 

That Went Well. Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: “Nearly every session at the Group of 20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers in Asheville, N.C., this week began with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent extolling the state of the U.S. economy under ... [Donald] Trump and urging other countries to be more like America.... At several points, representatives from Europe, Canada and other nations friendly to the United States criticized the administration for moves that they say have hurt their economies. They voiced displeasure over the war with Iran, which has resulted in disruptions to energy markets and shipping. They also raised Mr. Bessent’s surprise decision to sell U.S. holdings of euros to prop up Japan’s currency last month, and the administration’s escalating war of words and tariffs with Canada. The disagreements, while mostly polite, reflected a growing frustration in Europe and elsewhere over Mr. Trump’s stewardship of the global economy — and allies’ sense that his policies have in important ways hindered economic growth....” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I did not think Bessent was stupid, but he must be if he thinks he can get away with "extolling the state of the U.S. economy" to finance ministers he & Trump have steamrolled and insulted. What a farce. 

When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions [about trade], we can have those discussions.... It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy. -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, to reporters ~~~

~~~ Ian Austen of the New York Times: “A week before Canada is set to impose retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of American imports, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that the Trump administration must stop insulting his country if there was to be any hope of renewing trade talks. Mr. Carney, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, welcomed a trio of special election victories by candidates from his Liberal Party a day earlier — the same day that several Trump administration officials took aim at Canada. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed Canada’s capacity to push back against American tariffs and rejected Mr. Carney’s assertion that the two countries are “at war.” Later, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth disparaged a photograph of two female Canadian military cadets in a social media post. Mr. Carney said that posts like Mr. Hesgeth’s from members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet were 'beneath their office' and that they were blocking renewed trade talks.” The link is a gift link. More on Drunk Pete's misogynistic post, linked below.

Pranav Baskar, et al., of the New York Times: “The United States carried out a new wave of attacks against Iran on Tuesday, the latest surge of violence to puncture weeks of relative calm as President Trump has tried to pivot from a military campaign to one of strangling Iran’s economy. U.S. Central Command said it had struck military targets in Iran in retaliation for attacks on ships and American forces in the region. Hours later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said in statements that it had launched missiles on an American military base in Jordan and U.S. military equipment warehouses in Iraq. It warned of fierce retaliations on U.S. interests in the region. The new strikes came three days after the United States and Iran traded fire for the first time in a month. The latest strikes were far broader and more intense, according to initial reports, and Iranian officials said civilians had been killed, including at a wedding.” The link is a gift link. This is an update of a story also linked yesterday.

Tom Nichols of the Atlantic: “The Pentagon is careening offtrack under a secretary of defense who is firing or forcing the resignations of officers and civilian officials, not because they are unqualified but because he believes they are insufficiently loyal to him, personally.... Hegseth seems to have a special animus toward the Army, an institution he claims 'spit me out.'... Secretaries of defense must grasp the economics of the defense industry, the nature of alliances, congressional politics, the policy process, and dozens of other issues for which Hegseth seems to care little and about which he knows even less. In a time of war..., Hegseth’s shortcomings may prove deadly.... Hegseth was reportedly virtually alone among senior officials in supporting Trump’s decision to attack Iran — when he should have been the one person in the room who knew better.... Hegseth is apparently close to getting the Pentagon he wants: Much like his boss at the White House, Hegseth seems to desire a building full of loyalists who put the boss’s personal fortunes over the national interest.... Pete Hegseth has failed in every mission except one: keeping his job.” Thank you to akaWendy for this gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Nevertheless, He Persists. Greg Jaffe, et al., of the New York Times: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals, a purge that has hit about 10 percent of the military’s top officers and shows no signs of slowing. In recent days, Mr. Hegseth targeted seven Army officers who had been selected for two-star general rank by a board made up of senior Army leaders, according to current and former military officials, who discussed sensitive personnel matters on the condition of anonymity. The moves come at a time when the military is badly strained by the Iran war, which has gone on far longer than administration officials anticipated.

“The firings and Mr. Hegseth’s refusal to explain the logic behind them are dividing the Pentagon and alienating many in Congress, the officials said. The latest to register his disapproval was Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, who recently submitted his resignation Mr. Trump. In a meeting with the president, Mr. Driscoll complained that Mr. Hegseth had fired some of the Army’s most combat-tested leaders, imperiling its efforts to modernize the force, military officials said. He also warned Mr. Trump that the firings and blocked promotions have damaged morale, causing some in the military to question the fairness of a promotion system that is supposed to be apolitical and merit-based.... Mr. Hegseth’s purge does not appear to be ... part of a broader effort by the defense secretary to fashion a force, particularly at senior levels, that is aligned with his political and ideological views, according to military officials.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Steven Beynon of ABC News: "Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation follows a strained relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and repeated warnings to the White House, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about what has been described as Hegseth's widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers, according to sources familiar with the matter. Driscoll also warned the White House about unprecedented efforts by Hegseth to block others from advancing into the military's highest ranks after they had been thoroughly vetted, the sources said.... Driscoll also spoke with ... Donald Trump last week when he submitted his resignation, according to two sources.... He told Trump that Hegseth's chaotic removal of some of the Army's most experienced leaders, often with little or no explanation, was hurting the force and shrinking the pool of officers available for future senior commands, one of the sources explained. Trump appeared surprised by the extent of the problem, the source said.... 'The President has complete trust in Secretary Hegseth, who is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon,' Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson said in a statement, adding that results in recent military operations, including the war in Iran 'speak for themselves.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Assuming this story is true, there's not a competent person in the White House outside the cleaning & cooking staff & maybe the phone operators. Why is Trump "surprised" by a story that's been on the front pages of major newspapers numerous times? Is he senile and can't remember things from day-to-day? Is he just too focused on tearing down everything he can't plaster with gold? Or did Susie Wiles not tell him about Driscoll's complaints? Do his daily briefings read, "We're winning the war, everybody loves tariffs and the peeps are happy with $4-plus per gallon gas and living on a steady diet of top ramen." Anna Kelly's "official statement," BTW, is hilarious: "military operations" -- like sailors leaping from the U.S.S. Lincoln (related story linked below) -- and losing a war against Iran do indeed "speak for themselves." I guess it is true that Hegseth "is doing an incredible job": most people can't believe anyone could be so incompetent.

Joe Sommerlad of the Independent: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been accused of 'body shaming' a youth cadet instructor after posting her picture on social media. Hegseth shared the image of an instructor from Vernon Cadet Training Center in British Columbia presenting a cadet with a medal, captioning it with an emoji of a Canadian flag and the words: '(this is real).' The post met with an immediate backlash, with one Canadian veteran writing in response: 'Wow. The Secretary of Defense is body shaming cadet groups. A youth group. This is not a military unit. They are kids looking for adventure, test themselves and align themselves with the values of service. Don’t be a Pete.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ British Columbia Premier David Eby responds: ~~~

Ben Finley of the Independent: "... Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is nominating acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent position, giving the combat veteran the nod as concerns grow that sailors are being stretched to the limit during the Iran war. Cao has filled the acting role since John Phelan departed unexpectedly without explanation in late April. Unlike Phelan, who lacked military service or a civilian leadership role in the force, Cao spent 25 years in the Navy as a special operations officer, serving alongside SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1999, Cao led the team that recovered the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette after their plane crashed close to Martha’s Vineyard.... A Trump loyalist, Cao also brushed off concerns after the Blue Angels demonstration squadron flew so low over a crowded Florida beach in July that chairs and tents were blown over."

Shore Leave! Richard Paddock & Phuriphat Dejsuphong of the New York Times: “As the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln docked Wednesday morning in Thailand, the first of some 5,000 crew members were expected to begin arriving in the beach town of Pattaya to begin a handful of days of shore leave. For the sailors and Marines serving aboard the beleaguered aircraft carrier, this is the first significant break they have had in more than nine months. The nuclear-powered Lincoln left its home port of San Diego before Thanksgiving and deployed to the Middle East. After disembarking at the port of Laem Chabang, north of Pattaya, crew members began traveling by bus into the city. Many have booked hotels here for their shore leave, according to the mayor, Poramet Ngampichet. Shortly after 3 p.m., Mr. Poramet and other local representatives were on hand to greet the first arrivals at the Hard Rock Hotel, a 10-story, 323-room hotel across from Pattaya’s tree-lined beach. The dignitaries handed out gifts to the crew members as dozens of journalists took photos and videos.” The link is a gift link.

⭐Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “A U.S. Postal Service official has alleged that the agency is moving forward with a 'secretive, rushed' effort to carry out ... [Donald] Trump’s order exerting federal control over mail voting, despite a court order blocking those plans. The official filed a whistle-blower report, published on Tuesday morning by the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asserting that the 'risky and haphazard' implementation of Mr. Trump’s order could lead to a “catastrophic failure” in the mail ballot system ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The report said that the agency had planned to complete the new digital system overseeing mail ballots by Sept. 1. 'Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,' the official said in the report, which was prepared with the assistance of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents people seeking to expose potential lawbreaking.” The link is a gift link. Related report linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ AND it looks as if ICE thugs may be lurking inside your polling place, after all, to "enforce specific threats": ~~~

~~~ Eric Bazail-Eimil of Politico: “Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin provided more details Tuesday about the kinds of operations which would see immigration agents enter polling places, as Democrats have worried the Department of Homeland Security could seek to interfere in November’s midterm elections. Speaking to reporters in New York City, the Homeland Security secretary said that 'ICE isn’t there to patrol the polling places. We’re there to enforce specific threats.' He added, however, that reports of specific undocumented immigrants at a location could be a reason for ICE to deploy. 'The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we’re serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down,' he said. 'ICE’s job is immigration, customs enforcement. That’s their job … if we’re serving a warrant we will be where we need to be.'” (Also linked yesterday.)

Arelis Hernandez of the Washington Post: “A Haitian immigrant who had grown increasingly distraught after losing his protection from deportation and being outfitted with an ankle monitor was run over and killed Monday in what his family believes was a suicide. Pierre Damas Bel, 20, parked on the shoulder of Interstate 70 in Springfield, Ohio, some time before 8:45 a.m., got out of his vehicle and walked into westbound traffic, the Ohio State Highway Patrol told local media outlets. He was hit by a tractor-trailer and pronounced dead at the scene. Like an estimated 350,000 Haitian immigrants, Bel had recently lost temporary protected status.... He had a pending asylum claim but had been summoned to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to proceed with canceling the status for Haitian recipients.... 'He felt like he was treated like an animal,' his father, Pierres Ronal Bel, 40, recounted in a handwritten statement.... [Pierre] Bel dreamed of studying medicine and graduated from high school in May with honors and as a proud member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), his father said.” (Also linked yesterday.)

It's Not a Road, It's a “Driveway.” Jake Spring of the Washington Post: “A potential deal to enable a land swap in Yosemite National Park would allow for a driveway that would connect a lodge and rental cabins to the iconic park, the project’s developer said in an interview with The Washington Post. Jeff Pori, chief executive of Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital..., said the federal government would exchange land that is part of Yosemite for property purchased by Kingsbarn so the company can connect its development to a highway lying inside the park, 700 feet away. On its 83-acre property, the company aims to build short-term rental accommodations for tourists.... Pori said it would not be a private 'compound for rich guys' to live in, as some are trying to characterize it.... Land advocates criticized the plan as granting access to the public park for private gain. 'It’s for a massive commercial development,' said Neal Desai, senior director for the Pacific region for the National Parks Conservation Association, which is opposed to the swap.”

Jarrell Dillard & Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: “The House passed a bill Tuesday to fund the government into December, allowing lawmakers to circumvent a politically fraught battle and potential shutdown just weeks before the midterm elections. The House voted 370-48 to pass the stopgap bill, also known as a continuing resolution. It previously passed the Senate and will now go to ... Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law, funding the government through Dec. 11, a couple of months beyond the start of the fiscal year in October. A total of 19 Republicans voted against the stopgap bill amid concerns about some provisions unrelated to funding that were attached by the Senate, including a measure that temporarily blocks the White House from implementing an Office of Management and Budget rule to give political appointees more power over discretionary grants. Twenty nine Democrats voted against the continuing resolution.” The Guardian's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Mia McCarthy & Riley Rogerson of Politico: “A pair of House Democrats voted to rescue the Republican legislative agenda Tuesday as GOP leaders faced an internal revolt, an extremely rare crossing of party lines that pushed a key procedural vote through a closely divided chamber. Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington voted with most Republicans to set up debate on a series of GOP-led bills, including a resolution condemning socialism that party leaders want to use to hammer Democrats on the campaign trail.... While House members routinely cross party lines on legislation, it is almost unheard for minority members to break ranks and vote for the “rules” the majority uses to set the floor agenda. Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez are both members of the moderate Blue Dog Democrats, and Golden is not seeking reelection in November. The votes prompted a fierce response Tuesday evening from top House Democratic leaders, who accused the pair in a joint statement of choosing to 'blindside the entire House Democratic Caucus' and bailing out Republicans in 'a significant breach of trust.'”

Michael Gold of the New York Times: “The House voted on Tuesday to censure Representative Chuck Edwards, Republican of North Carolina, after a bipartisan panel found 'substantial reason to believe' that he had violated the chamber’s rules against sexual harassment. Mr. Edwards, 65, announced last month that he would not seek re-election after the House Ethics Committee issued a report recommending that he be formally reprimanded for 'persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers.' The censure resolution passed overwhelmingly, 413 to 2. Just one other Republican, Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina, joined Mr. Edwards to oppose it. After the vote, Mr. Edwards, who sent his colleagues a 22-page letter last week imploring them not to censure him, stood in the well of the House floor to be officially rebuked.

“The ethics investigation into Mr. Edwards came after the resignations of two lawmakers who faced sexual misconduct accusations — Representatives Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, and Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas — focused fresh attention on a culture of silence about and tolerance of inappropriate behavior by male members of Congress toward women on Capitol Hill, and prompted the House to review its handling of such complaints.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here.

Annals of “Journalism,” Ctd. Ariana Baio of the Independent: “CBS News boss Bari Weiss reportedly had a direct hand in creating a headline that insinuated Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed deleted supposedly controversial tweets about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The article, 'Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's deleted tweets on Sept. 11 attacks invite scrutiny of past remarks,' was published Monday morning, and quickly condemned by some for being racist and promoting Islamophobia. Unnamed sources later told 'Status' writer Oliver Darcy that Weiss had 'personally directed that the headline be tweaked to specifically mention that El-Sayed had deleted tweets referencing the September 11 terrorist attack.'... Sources within CBS News told Darcy that the article about El-Sayed was poorly received by staffers who said it called into question the network’s objectivity.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Penelope Green of the New York Times: “Jerome Smith, who as a young Freedom Rider in 1961 was jailed and beaten for his efforts to desegregate transportation in the South, and who excoriated Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy for not doing enough to protect him and the other riders during that harrowing year, died on Aug. 21 at his home in New Orleans. He was 87.” The link is a gift link.  

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Massachusetts Senate Primary. Bridget Bowman of NBC News: "Democratic Sen. Ed Markey defeated Rep. Seth Moulton in the Senate primary in Massachusetts, NBC News projects, in a victory for the party’s progressive wing. Markey was winning about two-thirds of the vote percentage points with 69% of the expected vote reporting. Markey’s win comes as other longtime Democratic lawmakers have lost to younger challengers in primaries this year. But the 80-year-old senator fended off his challenger by touting his liberal record as an author of the Green New Deal and vocal supporter of 'Medicare for All.' “It’s all about not just sending a Democrat to the Senate — it’s sending a progressive Democrat to the Senate from Massachusetts so there can be someone that reflects your values every single day,” Markey said at a rally on the eve of the primary, describing the race as 'a progressive final round.'”

Massachusetts House Race. Bayliss Wagner of the New York Times: “Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, a centrist Democrat, won his primary on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, defeating a younger challenger who ran to his left. Mr. Lynch, a 71-year-old former ironworker, faced Patrick Roath, a 39-year-old lawyer who worked as an aide to former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. The contest reflected the generational and ideological divisions running through the Democratic Party in this year’s primaries. Mr. Lynch’s victory puts him in a strong position to win another term representing Massachusetts’s Eighth Congressional District, a heavily blue area covering parts of Boston — including the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood and South Boston — as well as parts of the South Shore suburbs.” The link is a gift link.

Massachusetts House Race. Bayliss Wagner of the New York Times: “Dan Koh, who worked as a White House aide during the presidency of Joseph R. Biden Jr., won the Democratic primary in a solidly blue Massachusetts congressional district on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, topping a crowded field that pursued an open seat. In a costly race in the state’s Sixth Congressional District, Mr. Koh defeated rivals including Tram Nguyen, a progressive state representative who as a child fled Vietnam with her family as political refugees, and John Beccia, a largely self-funded businessman who ran as an outsider. Mr. Koh is the only Democratic congressional candidate this year endorsed by both Mr. Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. While many Democrats are seeking to turn the page on the Biden administration and the party’s 2024 election defeat, Mr. Koh highlighted his connections.... The race in the Sixth Congressional District, which spans the state’s North Shore, opened up after Representative Seth Moulton, a moderate Democrat, declined to seek re-election and instead challenged Senator Ed Markey.” The link is a gift link.

~~~ Mississippi. Mukta Joshi & Joseph Cranney of the New York Times: “Leaders of the northern Mississippi city of Senatobia fired their embattled police chief late Tuesday, days after Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times reported that he had routinely used degrading language and racist slurs against Black people in his text messages. Chief Harold Vanderford, known as Hal, had submitted a resignation letter earlier in the day, but the city’s Board of Aldermen voted to reject it and moved to terminate him instead.... Alderman Chris McConnell said ... that the decision had been unanimous.... Chief Vanderford’s department has been heavily scrutinized in the wake of a white officer’s fatal shooting of Kohen Wiley, a Black toddler, after police officers responded to a shoplifting call at the local Walmart in June.” The link is a gift link.

Missouri. David McCabe & Lauren McCarthy of the New York Times: “Voters in Independence, Mo., on Tuesday appeared to have recalled a City Council member who had backed billions of dollars in tax breaks for a data center, one of the first such removals amid a growing national backlash against the giant warehouses that power artificial intelligence. In the First District of Independence, 1,118 residents cast votes to recall John Perkins, while 525 people voted against the recall, according to the Jackson County Board of Elections website. Only a handful of ballots were still outstanding, according to the county board.... Public concern has mounted in recent months about data centers, which are full of computers that require immense amounts of power. Voters are increasingly worried about higher electricity prices, harm to the environment and disruption to their communities.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Evidently nobody told the voters of Independence that, according to their president*, "they want to end up being backwards and poor." 

Texas Voter Suppression. Jane Timm of NBC News: "Officials in Texas’ third-largest county voted Tuesday to significantly reduce the number of polling sites for this fall’s midterm elections, drawing protests from Democrats and voting rights advocates. Commissioners in Tarrant County, a fast-growing and politically competitive area that includes Fort Worth, approved a plan that results in 92 fewer Election Day polling locations compared with the 2022 midterms. The roughly 30% reduction leaves the county with 224 polling sites to serve 1.3 million voters. Voters in the county are able to cast ballots at any of those polling sites. The three Republicans on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted for their plan, while the two Democrats voted against it. 

"Research has found that each additional minute of travel time to a polling location can affect voter participation. The NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and other groups said in a letter that the changes would hit voters of color hardest because many of the reductions are in majority-minority areas in Fort Worth and Arlington."

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Russia, et al. Mary Ilyushina of the Washington Post: “In a joint appearance at a regional security meeting, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his support in wartime and urged that their nations work together to oppose U.S. sanctions.... Putin ... said that his country was trying to help Tehran in its war with the United States. 'During this difficult period, we are striving to provide you with the necessary assistance — as we have discussed — and are supplying you with essential goods,' Putin said, according to the Kremlin account. Putin made his pledge of ongoing support just days after Treasury Scott Bessent announced a new economic pressure campaign against Iran called Operation Economic Outcast that he said would result in 'unprecedented economic isolation' of Iran. The meeting in Bishkek highlighted the increasingly close military and political alliance between Moscow and Tehran.” MB: It's almost as if Trump's love for Putin is unrequited. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Aw, Maybe Not. Paul Sonne of the New York Times: “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has pledged to continue his escalating war against Ukraine and support for Iran in its conflict with the United States, ending a two-day appearance at a summit in Kyrgyzstan with a note of defiance. The Russian leader also expressed his comfort in dealing with ... [Donald] Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, in peace negotiations over Ukraine — a pointed declaration days after the C.I.A. director arrived for a rare visit to Moscow and made a case to his Russian counterpart for ending the war. 'We are completely comfortable working with people we know well and generally trust,' Mr. Putin said, noting that the two envoys have Mr. Trump’s trust and a direct line to the American president. 'These are people close to President Trump.'”