Editor's Choice: Scroll below for our monthly blend of mainstream and alternative August 2026 news and views. See our News Reports section for coverage of earlier dates, months and years.

Editor's Note: Scroll below for Part 12of our monthly blend of mainstream and alternative Julye 2026 news and views, with clips beginning at Aug. 1 and extending in reverse chronological order. See our home page for more recent coverage during this unusually heavy news period.

Excerpts below are from the authors' words except for subheads and occasional "Editor's notes"

  

September Update

Sept. 2

Top Headlines

Donald Trump portrayed seizing oil from Venezuela, creating conditions for violent blowback in the future (Graphic by The Hartmann Report)

• The Hartmann Report, Opinion: Trump Brags About His “Brilliant” Venezuela Scheme While History Screams a Warning, Thom Hartmann, right, Sept. 2, 2026. America has spent decades paying for earlier interventions in oil-rich nations. Trump is now risking another cycle of rebellion, bloodshed, and blowback. Here we go again with American colonialism, this time with a crazy scheme Trump thinks is “brilliant.”
• Public Notice, Opinion: Trump begs SCOTUS to let him unleash midterm chaos, Liz Dye, right, Sept. 2, 2026. They’ll find that fraud if they have to throw out millions of lawful ballots to do it. The important thing to know here is that this is all John Roberts’s fault. We’re on the precipice of complete chaos as Trump tries to seize control of the midterms. Multiple courts have ruled that this is wholly illegal. And yet, no one knows whether the Supreme Court’s MAGA majority will once again leap in to ensure the president is able to violate the law.
• Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: Mike Johnson, Wet Noodle, Bill Kristol & Andrew Egger, Sept. 2, 2026. Donald Trump has spent two years openly favoring red states over blue ones while disbursing federal disaster relief funds, but it’s still surreal to see him talk openly about it.

News Roundups

• Meidas Touch Network, Wednesday Updates: ‘Strait’ Up Panic, Ben Meiselas, right, Sept. 2, 2026. Trump spotted sleeping again during a White House event this afternoon. Today’s top stories: Trump again falsely posts the U.S. has the Strait of Hormuz “under control” and floats renaming it to the “Trump Strait;” IRGC claims tanker strikes near the Strait and warns shipping companies of penalties; Iran claims strikes hit U.S.-linked sites in Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, and alleges American casualties.
• The Parnas Perspective, Morning News Roundup, Pentagon in ‘Shambles’ as Hegseth Faces Removal Calls Amid Readiness Issues, Weak Job Growth, Iran Alleges New War Crimes, and More, Aaron Parnas, right, Sept. 2, 2026. Pete Hegseth is having a rough week, and it’s the thread running through today’s newsletter. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigned after months of clashes with him, sources say his culture-war focus is actively undermining Army modernization, and he’s now spiking promotions for officers who don’t fit his vision, drawing criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.

More On Supreme Court Deference To Trump's Autocracy, Schemes, Grifting

• Letters from an American, Historical Commentary: Sept. 1, 2026 [Supreme Deference To Trump Ideas, Heather Cox Richardson, right, Sept. 2, 2026. Yesterday, by a vote of 5–4, the United States Supreme Court allowed Trump to continue to build his ballroom. The five right-wing justices concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had sued to stop the construction of the ballroom, did not have legal standing to sue and that national security considerations came down on the side of construction.

Trump Team Obsessions, Oppressions, Corruption

• The Social Contract with Joe Walsh, Opinion: Why Does That Damn Ballroom Matter So Much? Joe Walsh, above, Sept. 2, 2026. Why MUST That Damn Ballroom Come Down? At the very beginning, when we all first heard about him wanting a ballroom three and a half times the size of the White House on the grounds of the people’s house, and from the very moment he began to tear down the East Wing of the White House and break ground for the ballroom, I screamed “NO!” And I’ve screamed no every day since. And I was the very first person to say back then that whoever the 2028 Democratic nominee is, they must pledge to rebuild the East Wing and tear down/demolish whatever the ballroom is on day one.
• New York Times, Kennedy Center Will Remove Outdoor ‘Blue’ Sculpture, Elizabeth Williamson and Julia Jacobs, Sept. 2, 2026 (print ed.). The towering artwork was targeted for elimination after President Trump’s takeover of the center last year.
• New York Times, Patagonia Sues Trump Over Utah National Monument, Maxine Joselow, Sept. 2, 2026. The outdoor apparel maker joined environmental and Native American groups in challenging President Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument.

Trump Team Governance

• New York Times, The Logistics Nightmare Facing U.S. Warships, Simon Ducroquet and John Ismay, Sept. 2, 2026 (print ed.). Iranian attacks have upended the Navy’s supply chain in the Middle East, causing a strain on the aircraft carriers, destroyers and amphibious ships that are being kept in the region indefinitely. On a typical U.S. aircraft carrier, 5,000 crew members work around the clock and require up to four meals a day. Although the ships are nuclear-powered, the planes and helicopters flying off them use millions of gallons of fuel each week.
• Robert Reich, Opinion: Trump’s Bonkers Bullying of Canada is Backfiring, Robert Reich (right, former U.S. Labor Secretary and longtime professor), Sept. 2, 2026. His need to assert dominance is igniting patriotism abroad and a backlash at home.

More On U.S. Immigration Policy 

Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian immigrant who apparently committed suicide shortly after college graduation where he had served in JROTC with hopes of pursuing a career in medicine -- and shortly before scheduled deportation as part of a mass round-up of Haitians who had come to the United States under temporary humanitarian permits.

• Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: “It Was an Immigration Policy That Took His Life,” Jim Swift, right, Sept. 2, 2026. “Some people die by accidents. Some people die by suicide. Pierre died as a result of a policy. It was an immigration policy that took his life.” Those are words Carl Ruby, pastor of Springfield Central Christian Church, offered to reporters yesterday afternoon while discussing the suicide of 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel, a freshman at Wright State. 
• The Contrarian, Opinion: Americans Reject ICE Hellscape: Trump’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘terror’ backfire, Jennifer Rubin, right, Sept. 2, 2026. 62 Days to the Midterms.* Under the false pretense of protecting the border and removing “the worst of the worst” undocumented immigrants, the Trump regime has unleashed a torrent of violence and lawlessness against hardworking immigrants. It has torn apart families, eclipsed previous administrations in the number of deaths and medical emergencies of those held in ICE custody, and killed innocent Americans on our streets.

U.S. Elections, Politics, Governance 

• New York Times, Six Takeaways From the Massachusetts Primaries, Reid J. Epstein, Updated Sept. 2, 2026. Senator Ed Markey, 80, above left, trounced a younger challenger, above right, who had made an argument for generational change. Two other longtime Democratic lawmakers hung on, too.
• The New Republic, Opinion: Good Riddance, Seth Moulton: You Got What You Deserved, Perry Bacon, Jr. Sept. 2, 2026. The congressman who got drubbed by Ed Markey on Tuesday tried to distance himself from the base. That just doesn’t work anymore. Moulton isn’t the only youngish Democrat who positioned himself rightward in the aftermath of the 2024 election and was rightly punished for it. Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota was one of 46 Democrats in the House and 12 in the Senate who voted for the Trump-backed Laken Riley Act, which calls for federal law enforcement to detain and deport immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes even before they are convicted. 
• Morning Shots via The Bulwark, Political Opinion: The Rubber-Stamp Congress, William Kristol, right, Sept. 2, 2026. Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot this November. But these midterms are a referendum on him. The 119th Congress has been controlled by the Republican party. That party’s distinctive feature, its defining characteristic, is that it has supported Trump. It’s done so uniformly, mindlessly, and obediently.
• New York Times, Billionaires Sent Montana Prices Soaring. Can Democrats Capitalize? Jack Healy, Sept. 2, 2026. For years, Democrats have failed to harness the anger of Montanans contending with out-of-state wealth driving up costs. This year, a smokejumper thinks he can succeed.
• MSNOW, Opinion: JD Vance’s attacks on Democrats sound eerily familiar, Ryan Teague Beckwith, Sept. 2, 2026. The vice president keeps using the criticisms also leveled at his own boss.

U.S. Military, Middle East Wars, Foreign Affairs

• Hope for America, Opinion: Pete Hegseth is a danger to the world, Heather Delaney Reese, right, Sept. 2, 2026. Pete Hegseth is a danger to the world.

U.S. Courts, Law, Crime, Rights, Justice

• New York Times, ‘Don’t Worry About Me’: Attacker’s Father Thought She Had Turned a Corner, Chelsia Rose Marcius, Miles G. Cohen, Amy Julia Harris and Katelyn Ferral, Sept. 2, 2026 (print ed.). Pamela Cisneros was killed by the police in Times Square after she stabbed two people, one fatally. Her father said she had stopped going with him to her mental health appointments.

Global Economy, Inflation, Jobs, Markets 

 

The Chaos Monkeys Have Already Taken Over the Zoo (Graphic by Paul Krugman).

• Paul Krugman via Substack, Political-Economy Commentary: The Hits Keep Coming, Paul Krugman, right, Sept. 2, 2026. How much chaos can the economy take? Here’s the good news: The U.S. economy has proved remarkably resilient since the chaos monkeys, aka Donald Trump and company, took over the zoo. Here’s the bad news: The shocks just keep coming.
• New York Times, Allies Grumble That U.S. Is Hindering Global Economic Growth, Jim Tankersley, Sept. 2, 2026 (print ed.). At a summit meant to showcase President Trump’s economic policies as a model for the world, Europeans complained about tariffs and the war with Iran.
• New York Times, Employer Health Costs Are Expected to Spike in 2027, Reed Abelson, Sept. 2, 2026. A new U.S. survey anticipates an average increase of 11 percent unless benefits are cut, the highest rate in decades. Other findings also predict a sharp rise.
• New York Times, What Rising Global Bond Rates Mean for Your Money, Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard, Sept. 2, 2026. If you own bonds, they may be in a broad fund that hasn’t lost much money. And that fund may do much better in the next several years.

More News Roundups

• The Parnas Perspective, Evening News and Commentary: Alarm Bells Go Off: Trump's Election Interference Escalates, Johnson Moves to Dodge Epstein Vote, Iran Strikes Resume, Apple Caves, Aaron Parnas, right, Sept. 1, 2026. There’s a lot happening today, and most of it points the same direction. Congressman Thomas Massie is warning that Mike Johnson may recess the House early just to dodge a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act 2.0, and it fits a pattern we keep seeing: whenever accountability gets close, the exits get greased.