Here’s a stub from “Trump Owes Americans a Better Explanation About Iran. Two more Americans have died. Meanwhile, the president’s rationale for war keeps changing.” by Tom Nichols at The Atlantic: They died in an Iranian attack on a Jordanian air base; several more U.S. military personnel were injured and one is missing. The American people have a right to know why they died, and how many more of their sons and daughters President Trump is willing to risk in this war of choice…The president, so far, has issued his usual stock answers. It’s “a very sad thing,” he said in a phone call on Saturday afternoon to the right-wing outletNewsNation. He added: “We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country.” But every military death is in service to the nation. It is true by definition that all 16 Americans who have lost their lives so far in this conflict did so because they volunteered to wear uniforms of the United States military and endure great risks on behalf of their fellow citizens. Military service, even in peacetime, is inherently hazardous…But these Americans are dead because they were sent to war—and for months Trump has offered no comprehensive explanation about why his administration is ordering U.S. military personnel to put their lives on the line. Or, more accurately, he’s offered several rationales at various moments over the past 20 weeks of war.” More here.
Sen. Susan Collins now faces a more authentic working class candidate in Maine, where “Troy Jackson emerges as Democratic pick as top Maine Senate candidates step aside. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former public health official Nirav Shah ended their Senate campaigns on Sunday,” as Bridget Bowman reports at nbcnews.com: “SANFORD, Maine — Former state Senate President Troy Jackson emerged from a whirlwind weekend of voting as Maine Democrats’ likely pick to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins…By Sunday night, all of Jackson’s major opponents had dropped out of the race, including Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, physician Nirav Shah and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, who reversed course after initially committing to remain in the race…Bellows made her announcement Sunday morning, while Shah exited the race Sunday evening after Democrats across the state selected delegates to next week’s state nominating convention.Jackson quickly established a seemingly insurmountable advantage in delegates as his supporters swept counties throughout the state…Jackson’s supporters won 481 of the 500 convention seats up for grabs this weekend, according to his campaign. Those delegates are not technically required to support Jackson at the convention, but with such a strong showing, his nomination became a foregone conclusion…A logger and former legislator, Jackson doesn’t officially become the nominee until the state convention next week. There, delegates will pick a new nominee to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins, replacing primary winner Graham Platner after he abruptly ended his campaign last week following a sexual assault allegation, which he denied.” More here.
Check out “‘This Is Unbelievable:’ CNN Data Guru Says ‘Working Class Have Turned Against Donald Trump’” by Katherine Boniello at Mediate, who writes: “Working class voters have had it with President Donald Trump‘s handling of the economy, according to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten…Speaking Friday morning on CNN News Central, Enten went over the staggering change in the president’s poll numbers on the subject with host Kate Bolduan, citing surveys that show 66% of Americans now feel groceries are unaffordable…Enten then dug into polling from The Washington Post and Ipsos showing a stunning 82% of working-class Americans with incomes under $50,000 feel the same…OK, income under $50,000 on grocery affordability. And keep in mind that, this Donald Trump won this group one, this group back in 2024 put up a historically strong performance for Republican candidate. But look at these numbers now, just 16% of those with household incomes under $50,000 think that groceries are affordable…The lion’s share, 82%. You rarely ever see 82% of any group agreeing on anything. But what you see here is that those working class folks, those who have incomes, household incomes, under $50,000, the lion’s share, more than 4 in 5 say that groceries are unaffordable at this point.” More here.
In “Florida Democrats point to special-election wins as proof of a comeback. After decisive statewide losses in 2022 and 2024, Florida Democratic leaders say more than 30 local and special-election flips show their organizing strategy is working,” Forrest Saunders writes at wptv.com: “TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Democrats say they have proof a 2026 comeback is possible. Now, they have to prove that momentum can survive Election Day…After decisive statewide losses in 2022 and 2024, Democratic leaders on Monday outlined a path they say could break Republican supermajorities in the Florida Legislature and begin moving the state’s politics back toward the middle…“The Republican supermajority in this legislature is breakable, and we are going to break it this cycle,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said during a virtual briefing…The party pointed to more than 30 local and special-election flips since the 2024 election, more than 3,000 volunteers, increased candidate recruitment and an advantage in requests for vote-by-mail ballots. The party’s tally includes local offices as well as recent legislative special elections — not 30 seats in the Florida Legislature…Fried said the difference this cycle is the party’s “Pendulum Project,” a year-round organizing operation designed to maintain voter contact between major elections…“This does feel different for multiple reasons,” Fried said in a separate interview. “We have seen that work paying off by flipping almost 33 seats at this point, overperforming the national average.” More here.
