Good morning. Today, I’m tracking several pivotal developments. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify on Capitol Hill in a hearing that raises profound questions about the future of public health in America. At the same time, Donald Trump is moving to flood Democratic cities with ICE officers, escalating immigration enforcement, while morale in the National Guard in Washington, D.C., continues to erode.
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With that, here’s the news:
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced plans to “flood the zone” in sanctuary cities with 10,000 additional federal immigration enforcement officers, following recent requests for military base support near Chicago and prior deployments of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles—moves opposed by Chicago Mayor Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who argue crime is down and the city doesn’t need federal or military intervention.
US sheriffs, including Trump allies, are criticizing ICE and the Trump administration for using local deputies’ email lists to recruit officers with $50,000 hiring bonuses, calling the effort unprofessional, unethical, and damaging to already strained local law enforcement resources, while DHS defends the move as part of a major expansion of ICE under Trump’s $170bn immigration enforcement push.
More than 2,200 National Guard troops deployed by Donald Trump to Washington, D.C., last month are growing weary as their mission—ranging from patrolling metro stations and tourist areas to “beautification” tasks like trash pickup—stretches on without a clear end date; while the deployment costs about $1 million a day and has lowered reported crime rates, morale is slipping among soldiers separated from families and civilian jobs, some facing pay cuts, with critics warning the unusual domestic mission risks eroding trust between the military and the public.
Donald Trump renewed his feud with Rosie O’Donnell by threatening on Truth Social to strip the American-born comedian of her U.S. citizenship, despite lacking such authority; O’Donnell mocked the threat on Instagram, tying it to demands for Epstein file transparency, while legal precedent confirms citizenship cannot be revoked without consent except in rare fraud cases.
Shortly after Trump shared a distorted photo of Rosie O’Donnell with a threat to revoke her citizenship, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s official press account retaliated by posting a distorted photo of Trump.
U.S. private payrolls rose by only 54,000 in August, missing forecasts of 65,000 and signaling a softening labor market blamed on Trump’s tariffs and immigration crackdown; layoffs surged 39% to nearly 86,000, job openings fell below unemployed levels for the first time since COVID, and the unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.3%, adding pressure on the Fed to consider a September rate cut despite lingering inflation risks.
U.S. holiday spending is projected to fall 5.3% this year to $1,552 per person—the steepest drop since 2020—as inflation, Trump’s trade policies, and economic uncertainty drive 84% of consumers, especially Gen Z, to cut back, with gift spending expected to plunge 11% and Gen Z budgets shrinking 23%, according to a PwC survey.
Nearly 445,000 federal employees lost union protections in August as agencies enforced Trump’s executive orders voiding collective bargaining contracts at nine agencies, with the administration citing “national security” but critics calling it the largest act of union busting in U.S. history; unions warn the move erodes workplace rights, harms public services, and signals a broader assault on organized labor that could extend to the private sector.
Donald Trump suggested New Orleans could be the next city to receive National Guard deployment due to what he calls a “crime problem,” though city leaders note crime is down; Republican Gov. Jeff Landry welcomed the support, while Democratic city officials, including council president JP Morrell, criticized it as unnecessary—this comes after Trump’s announced plans for Chicago and Baltimore and his recent deployment of troops and federal agents in Washington, D.C.
Donald Trump petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that struck down most of his sweeping trade tariffs—introduced on April 2 as “liberation day” border taxes of 10–50% on imports—as an overreach of presidential power under a 1977 emergency law; the tariffs remain in place until October 14 while the court decides whether to hear the case, with the administration seeking an expedited review by September 10 and potential arguments by November 10 for a ruling before year’s end.
The Trump administration escalated its conflict with Venezuela by launching a deadly strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, killing 11 and signaling intensified pressure on Nicolás Maduro; Trump accused Venezuela of being a “very bad actor,” while Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio pushed regime-change aims, U.S. naval forces expanded in the Caribbean, and Democrats criticized the lack of congressional oversight—raising tensions as Maduro mobilized troops, denounced U.S. actions, and accused Rubio of driving Trump’s Venezuela policy.
A hot mic at Beijing’s World War II anniversary parade captured Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing advances in biotechnology, organ transplants, and the possibility of humans living to 150 or even achieving immortality; the exchange, made as they appeared publicly with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, highlighted both leaders’ personal longevity ambitions amid their extended political rule, while touching on sensitive issues like China’s organ donation system and Putin’s push for anti-aging research.
Democrats negotiated a settlement with the Trump administration’s Department of Justice to protect about 98,000 North Carolina voters from being disenfranchised, allowing them to provide missing ID information when casting provisional ballots; the agreement, which still requires court approval, counters DOJ efforts under Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to restrict voting rights by focusing on voter fraud, and was hailed by the DNC as a major victory for ballot access and democracy.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is touting a $200 million “self-deportation” campaign featuring TV ads, $1,000 stipends, and a CBP Home app, but migrants and Democrats question its cost, effectiveness, and political motives; DHS data shows app downloads declining and only 356 confirmed uses in the early months, while critics note most ads run in English and many undocumented families say the process is far more complex than the campaign suggests.
Macron opened a full-house meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, joined by additional leaders online, to “finalise robust security guarantees for Ukraine”; media were dismissed after his remarks, with leaders set to speak to Trump in the afternoon and brief the press afterward.
A tentative deal between Air Canada and its flight attendants—reached after a strike over unpaid boarding time—will introduce partial ground pay before flights, sparking hope and pressure for similar agreements across North America; unions representing U.S. crews at airlines like Frontier, PSA (American Airlines subsidiary), and United continue to fight for boarding pay and livable wages, arguing current practices leave many attendants underpaid, struggling financially, and unrecognized for critical pre- and post-flight duties.
Donald Trump will host a White House dinner on Thursday with more than two dozen technology and business leaders, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $1.7 billion—the third largest in U.S. lottery history—after no winner matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing; the next draw is Saturday, with a lump-sum cash option of about $770 million before taxes, though odds of winning remain 1 in 292.2 million.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
