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✈️ Axios interview: Haberman on Trump's ruse The catering truck used to secretly move President Trump from Air Force One to another plane following the NATO summit last month in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman tells me in a "Behind the Curtain" interview — out tomorrow — that President Trump's cloak-and-dagger exit from last month's NATO summit in Turkey offers a revealing glimpse into how his White House operates. "Donald Trump is very secretive — very secretive," says Haberman, co-author with Jonathan Swan of "Regime Change," which has spent six weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. "He does not like letting information out that he has not authorized." Trump's second administration is "very, very good at keeping secrets when it wants to," Haberman added. "They value secrecy above the need for transparency of any kind with the general public." Between the lines: Haberman says Trump's willingness to be spirited away in a catering container shows how serious the concerns about his safety were. "For him, frankly, to be willing to even get in a cart like that, which I imagine didn't smell good and wasn't especially clean, speaks to the level of concern about his safety," she said. ▶️ Watch: 2-min. clip ... President Trump discusses his secret flight last night. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Trump told reporters last night after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., that the plane switch was "up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do. So I go by Secret Service — and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane — equal safety. But they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say. ... I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats." How Trump's great escape unfolded (N.Y. Times gift link).

Socialist fever breaks Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley (left) greets supporters at a campaign rally Monday in Milwaukee. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images In Wisconsin's Democratic primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley upset democratic socialist Francesca Hong, 39.8% to 39.4% — checking the progressive left's momentum after some polls showed her up by more than 20 points. Crowley must now prove the argument that powered his rise: that a mainstream Democrat gives the party a better chance in November against the election-denying, Trump-backed Rep. Tom Tiffany. 🗳️ Takeaways from last night's results: The race was the latest example of flawed polling in Democratic primaries. Polling showed Hong with a big lead. A democratic socialist came within about 3,000 votes of winning a major-party nomination for governor in one of America's premier swing states yesterday. So the result reflects both the left's rise and limits. Wisconsin's November election will be historic. Tiffany would be the first person who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Congress to become governor of a top swing state if he won. And Crowley would be the first Black governor in Wisconsin history. The progressive surge is still producing big wins: In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (59%) trounced Rep. Angie Craig (39.4%) by 20 points despite Craig's overwhelming money advantage and her pitch that a swing-district record made her more electable. Democrats nominated progressive Matt Little to replace Craig in Congress. 🏛️ Voters continue retiring aging longtime incumbents: 7th House Dem loses: Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), 78, a 14-termer, lost by 20+ points last night to his primary challenger, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, age 47 (54% to 33%). Larson is the 10th House member ousted in this year's primaries. Seven have been Dems, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. Connecticut state Rep. Maryam Khan defeated a state senator with 22 years in the capitol. 26-year-old Eli Sabin defeated the state's longest-serving state House member. 🐘 On the right: Trump's endorsement failed to rescue one of his highest-profile allies. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell lost the GOP governor nomination in Minnesota to state Speaker Lisa Demuth. But another of his candidates advanced: In South Carolina, Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham (33%) and Rep. Ralph Norman (25%), a hardline conservative, move to an Aug. 25 runoff in the special Republican primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham. Go deeper. Tuesday's takeaways … Read more.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 12 1990 Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered The largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is discovered by fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson near Faith, South Dakota. The 65 million-year-old specimen is named Sue, after its discoverer. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1898 Armistice ends the Spanish-American War American Revolution 1776 General Washington anticipates British blockade of New York Arts & Entertainment 2014 Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies 1964 James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies 1988 Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat dies of an overdose at 27 Colonial America 1676 King Philip’s War ends Crime 1964 Great Train robber escapes from prison Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 JAL flight 123 crashes into Mount Otsuka 2000 Russian sub, the “Kursk,” sinks with 118 onboard Sports 1973 American golfer Jack Nicklaus sets title record World War II 1941 FDR and Churchill meet on ship, map out Atlantic Charter

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 12 1990 Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered The largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is discovered by fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson near Faith, South Dakota. The 65 million-year-old specimen is named Sue, after its discoverer. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1898 Armistice ends the Spanish-American War American Revolution 1776 General Washington anticipates British blockade of New York Arts & Entertainment 2014 Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies 1964 James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies 1988 Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat dies of an overdose at 27 Colonial America 1676 King Philip’s War ends Crime 1964 Great Train robber escapes from prison Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 JAL flight 123 crashes into Mount Otsuka 2000 Russian sub, the “Kursk,” sinks with 118 onboard Sports 1973 American golfer Jack Nicklaus sets title record World War II 1941 FDR and Churchill meet on ship, map out Atlantic Charter

Girls Without Schools Approximately 2.4 million Afghan girls remain barred from secondary education five years into Taliban rule, according to a United Nations report published yesterday. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with formal bans on women's education. The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, as US and NATO troops withdrew following two decades of war (Taliban 101). By March 2022, the Islamic fundamentalist group had shuttered girls' secondary schools, and women were barred from universities in December 2022. The decision erased recent gains in female education, with girls' secondary school enrollment rising from a few thousand in 2001 to roughly 1 million in 2021. The UN believes the bans could reduce the female workforce by 600,000 over the next 40 years and increase the risk of early marriage. What are Afghan female academics doing now? Women are also prohibited from teaching boys, contributing to a teacher shortage. Afghanistan’s literacy rate is among the world’s lowest at roughly 37%. Compare literacy rates here.

A Celestial Doubleheader A total solar eclipse will sweep across the Arctic and parts of Europe today, the first visible from mainland Europe in nearly 30 years. Totality will last less than two and a half minutes at its longest. The path of totality crosses northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a sliver of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible across much of Europe, Canada, and parts of the northern US. A total eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun from view; visualize the path of every eclipse from 1900 to 2099. Eclipses can also affect wildlife behavior, with researchers documenting bees going quiet, owls hooting, and crickets chirping as the sky darkens. Learn about the different types of eclipses here. Separately, the Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, potentially producing up to 100 meteors per hour under dark, new moon skies as Earth passes through debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. See the Perseids from space here.

The original name for Xbox was DirectXbox, designed to show how Microsoft’s DirectX graphics could improve the console market. James

Trump says Secret Service and the military wanted him off Air Force One in Turkey due to threat WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat that he insisted didn’t scare him. https://apnews.com/article/trump-secret-flight-turkey-iran-threats-d23a6454d1410cc8461368007db6ca25?

🌅 Parting shots: San Sebastián shines Photo: Jeff Turner 🌊 Morning blue gives way to golden light over San Sebastián's harbor in Spain's Basque Country. Thanks to reader Jeff Turner of Little Washington, Va., for sending these along. Photo: Jeff Turner

Exercise your brain Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios Your daily crossword is still a flex. But scientists are testing a more focused question: Can you train an aging brain to process information faster — and potentially change its trajectory? 🧩 Why it matters: A growing body of research suggests certain kinds of cognitive exercises can produce measurable changes in the brain. One long-running trial even linked a specific type of training to fewer dementia diagnoses, Axios' Natalie Daher writes. 💡 The evidence: Recent studies highlighted by The Washington Post (gift link) suggest that targeted cognitive training may affect systems involved in attention and memory as well as brain structure. ⚡ Zoom in: A separate, much smaller randomized clinical trial presented last month at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference offers a clue about what might be happening biologically. Researchers from Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and Penn State randomly assigned 53 participants to three groups that trained two to three hours a week for about three months. 🔬 One group practiced higher-order thinking, such as planning, reasoning and shifting attention. Another concentrated on processing speed and visual attention. In one exercise, for example, participants had to identify a vehicle flashed briefly in the center of a screen while also remembering where a Route 66 sign appeared. A third, active-control group played familiar games, including Solitaire, word searches and a version of Connect Four. Before and after the training, researchers took blood samples to measure two forms of amyloid beta, a protein closely associated with Alzheimer's disease. Only the speed-training group showed favorable shifts in those Alzheimer's-related biomarkers. 🧪 Reality check: The science is still early. Researchers don't yet know whether those changes translate into better everyday functioning or lower disease risk. There's still no single accepted measure of a "healthy" brain, and brain training isn't a substitute for exercise or other healthy habits. The bottom line: Keep up your Sudoku if you enjoy it. The bigger question now: Can scientists figure out which mental workouts actually help our brains age better?

Sen. Darline Graham, US Rep. Ralph Norman advance to GOP runoff for US Senate in South Carolina COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman have advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate, one month after his sudden death. https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-senate-primary-lindsey-graham-df041787564cdbc3668ad8619aad557e? Progressive Democrats get another win in Minnesota US Senate primary MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment. https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-primary-flanagan-craig-lindell-senate-governor-bbadfd4d2a4a1184be74f75ed26b9b72? David Crowley wins Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor over progressive Francesca Hong MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Moderate Democrat David Crowley won the Wisconsin primary for governor, defeating a democratic socialist who fell short while trying to deliver another win for progressives in a battleground state. https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-primary-governor-hong-socialist-acd872f6cf113e741291b9b47f9d9111?

One Battle After Another View in browser Over the past few days, the president has continued his crusade against one of the supposed vandals of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool. In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Sunday, he alleged that “a National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness,” had caught the former Olympic canoeist David Hearn in the act of “ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating.” The problem is that the Department of Justice’s case against Hearn is already effectively over. More than a week earlier, federal prosecutors dropped the charges against him, citing information from the Department of the Interior; the damage to the Reflecting Pool was “the result of a botched installation and not vandalism,” the government’s motion to dismiss reads. That evidence—and the judgment of DOJ—has done little to stop Donald Trump from pursuing this debunked theory over and over again. In recent weeks, the president has repeatedly returned to the same few vendettas and personal obsessions, trying to push them forward no matter the evidence against them. His strategy is summed up by a self-assessment that he gave CNN more than a decade ago: “I am the most fabulous whiner,” he said. “I keep whining and whining until I win.” Today, The Wall Street Journal reported that White House officials have asked the Justice Department to consider prosecuting Hearn a second time. By doubling down on his vandalism thesis, Trump is sending a strong message to one of his most ardent supporters, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, whom he already castigated last week for dropping the charges. “I guess she choked,” he told reporters at the time. The rulings of the Supreme Court don’t seem to sway the president either. On Thursday, he doubled down on another mission of personal importance—limiting birthright citizenship—despite the Court’s recent decision to strike down a previous executive order on the subject. Trump has now issued two new orders that are narrower in scope. One seeks to expand the category of children whom the government can deny automatic citizenship, and the other targets “birth tourism,” a phenomenon in which people travel to the United States “for the purpose of giving birth on American soil”—something that the law already prohibits. These new attempts to upend more than a century of precedent are likely to face significant legal challenges. This tactic wasn’t Trump’s only option: Drawing on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s June opinion, the president could potentially urge Congress to amend a particular statute or enact new legislation to limit birthright citizenship (although this legislation would be unlikely to pass). Instead, he chose to use the same tool in the hope of getting a different result. Trump is also forging ahead on his attempts to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Nearly a year ago, the president tried to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud. In June, the Court ruled that she couldn’t be fired, in part because the White House hadn’t given her a chance to contest the allegations. Last week, Trump’s longtime aide Dan Scavino sent Cook a letter warning her that she may still be removed and telling her in no uncertain terms that “this is your opportunity to respond.” In this case, Trump appears to be cooperating with the Court, although it’s uncertain whether this procedure will be enough to satisfy it. The note makes clear that the president isn’t letting up in his quest to oust Cook. Trump’s tenacity in pursuing his own agenda is nothing new. Take, for example, his eight-year attempt to brand former FBI Director James Comey as a criminal, despite a lack of evidence; when, in the fall, the first set of charges against him didn’t stick, Trump’s Justice Department simply tried again. As David A. Graham wrote in his story last week about the birthright-citizenship orders, the president’s recent actions invoke a kind of déjà vu. The commitment to doubling down has become a one-size-fits-all strategy: Trump’s desire to fight back doesn’t necessarily correlate with the odds of victory in a given situation. My colleague Tom Nichols recently noted that the president’s push to prosecute Hearn has only emphasized “just how immune to evidence and logic his beliefs have become.” Trump’s fixation on the Reflecting Pool is also directing his focus away from the issues that midterm voters care about most, such as affordability. Meanwhile, new setbacks are arriving all the time. On Friday, after an appeals court upheld the block on Trump’s attempts to build a new ballroom for the White House, the president promised to make his case to the Supreme Court. That fight, like so many others, is not over until Trump says it is. Related: Trump’s déjà vu moment on birthright citizenship Tom Nichols: Trump’s irrationality is dangerous.

Tiffany Haddish avoids more jail time by pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge in Georgia Actor and comedian Tiffany Haddish avoided additional jail time Tuesday when she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor alcohol-related driving charge that stemmed from her 2022 arrest in Georgia after someone called 911 about a driver asleep at the wheel at a traffic light. Read More. Federal report says firefighting tactics at Maine lumber mill explosion aided the blast Firefighters who responded to a deadly fire at a Maine lumber mill used tactics that inadvertently helped cause an explosion, according to a report from federal investigators. Read More.

Turkey’s Kurdish region greets a conditional PKK pardon with relief, joy and doubt Residents in Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated southeastern region reacted with a mix of relief, joy and uncertainty on Tuesday after parliament approved a conditional pardon for thousands of Kurdish militants, offering them a potential path toward integration into normal life in Turkey. Read More.

2.4 million Afghan girls shut out of secondary school 5 years after Taliban takeover, UN says An estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education five years after the Taliban took over the country, a U.N. agency said Tuesday, renewing a call for an immediate restoration of their right to education. Read More.

US existing homes fall 1.7% in July as record prices, high mortgage rates stifle would be-buyers Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed again in July as record prices and the highest mortgage rates in a year prove to be an insurmountable hurdle for many prospective homebuyers. Read More.

That's a very charitable view, Chaplain Matthews. Others might describe Kinship as an Adventist version of Grindr for people with a similar background. Whatever the past goals of Kinship have been, under its current leadership, it has become a gay activist organization. It openly and shamelessly promotes homosexuality, boasting about gay sex, hoping to have it introduced to Pathfinders, and daring people in the denomination to do anything about it. If they have it their way, regardless of what EGW said, the denomination will become a cage for unclean and hateful birds.

This isn't what Ellen White taught. Ellen taught that the Divine and human natures were "blended" (AKA mixed) and that Michael the archangel risked his future (and continued) existence on the outcome of the "conflict" subsequent to incarnating on the planet's surface.

🗳️ Primary night pro tips Illustration: Lindsey Bailey / Axios Primary season is almost 80% over, and we're watching three big trends tonight. 🕵️‍♀️ Why it matters: The results will offer some of the last best clues about where the two parties are headed ahead of the midterms. 1. Minnesota Nice meets the Democratic proxy war 🥊 The fight between progressive and establishment Democrats got ugly in Maine and expensive in Michigan. In both states, the candidates backed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren prevailed: Graham Platner in Maine, before his implosion, and El-Sayed in Michigan. The establishment can point to Iowa, where Josh Turek defeated Zach Wahls, who was generally positioned to his left. Now the fight moves to Minnesota. Progressives are lining up behind Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, while Rep. Angie Craig has drawn support from several ModSquad senators, including Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). 2. The generational war among House Democrats Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), 78, is in danger of losing to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, 47. ⚡️ If the 14-term incumbent goes down, he would become the seventh House Democrat ousted in a primary this year — another sign of Democratic voters' willingness to turn the page on longtime incumbents. 3. The Trump endorsement test 🌟 Trump's endorsement has been worth its weight in gold in House primaries: Only Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has lost after receiving his backing. Most of his Senate candidates have been on a glide path to victory. Tonight, however, the value of his endorsement faces a tougher test in South Carolina's special election to fill the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's seat. Trump is backing Graham's sister, interim Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), but she faces two popular Republican members of Congress. If nobody clears 50%, the top two Republicans advance to an Aug. 25 runoff. — Hans Nichols

Thune doubles down Senate Republicans' top super PAC is pouring an extra $6 million into Michigan to attack Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Why it matters: It's part of $12 million in new spending this month by the Senate Leadership Fund to defend Republican leader John Thune's majority. 💪 It's an unusually early spend for Republican super PACs, which typically wait until September. 🔎 Zoom in: SLF is launching the $6 million TV and digital campaign tomorrow to hit El-Sayed and bolster Republican Mike Rogers, SLF officials first told us. The new buy brings SLF's total commitment in Michigan to $51 million. 😊 Republicans have been eager to face El-Sayed over his Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), believing he gives them a better chance to flip the seat. SLF added $2 million in August spending in Alaska last week to help reelect Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). The group is also planning to drop an additional $4 million in Iowa to bolster Rep. Ashley Hinson's Senate bid. 🌎 Zoom out: The new $12 million is on top of the $342 million SLF announced in April for key races, bringing its total commitment to $354 million for the cycle. What they're saying: "Senate Leadership Fund is unleashing firepower across the Senate map earlier than ever before to define the far-left Democrats backed by Chuck Schumer," SLF communications director Chris Gustafson told us in a statement. — Stef W. Kight

💰 Dems to the rescue Democrats have gone from treating Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) as a best-case-scenario target to a genuinely vulnerable incumbent whose downfall is worth a real investment. Why it matters: Democratic groups tell us they plan to put their money where their mouth is and spend to win the seat, which President Trump carried by double digits in 2024. 🐶 Phil Gardner, a spokesperson for the centrist Blue Dog Action Fund, said his group spent nearly $200,000 to support Miller's Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, in the primary "to make sure Democrats would be on their strongest footing if Max Miller started crashing out." "We're prepared to invest again in the general election and finish the job," he told us. 🗓️ The Saturday deadline for Miller to drop off the general election ballot came and went despite pressure from Republicans for him to withdraw over allegations of domestic abuse, which he denies. 🚗 Driving the news: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee made clear this morning that it views the district as a top target by adding Poindexter to its "Red to Blue" program, opening up organizational and fundraising support. Most of the other candidates on the list are running in seats that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024 or which went for Trump by single digits. Trump carried Ohio's 7th district by more than 11 percentage points. 💬 What they're saying: "I assume people will spend for Brian," Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) told us. "Max is losing." CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for the Democratic-leadership aligned House Majority PAC, told us, "Brian Poindexter is going to flip OH-07, and HMP will do whatever it takes to make that happen." "It's a priority for us," said Ravi Mangla, a spokesperson for the progressive Working Families Party, which endorsed Poindexter in the primary. The Iron Workers International union and Democratic group The Next 50 said in a joint statement: "Brian is building the coalition to win this race, and we're behind him all the way." The other side: "That's all tough talk," Miller told us in a text message, adding, "Why do you think they wanted me out so bad…?" Poindexter "isn't going to win the general here," Miller added. "You'll see and I'll be back." — Andrew Solender

A ferry capsizes on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, leaving at least 15 people dead and 27 missing HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — An overloaded ferry capsized on Zimbabwe ‘s Lake Kariba on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people and leaving 27 missing, the national disaster management agency said. It said 77 people were rescued and made it to a small island on the lake, with boats now being dispatched to bring the survivors back. https://apnews.com/article/boat-capsizes-kariba-zimbabwe-2fb66e523bc8c1b09cd3e046e98459af?

✈️ New photos are emerging from President Trump's flight out of Turkey last month, when he reportedly used a catering container to secretly switch planes to dodge an Iranian threat. The smaller plane Trump is said to have boarded, an Air Force C-32A, is seen here behind the Boeing 747 that's been the traditional presidential plane. That plane flew on, with reporters thinking Trump was aboard. Get the latest. Judge again bars Trump administration from implementing order that sought to limit mail voting BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and directly involve the U.S. Postal Service in election operations in a way that would limit mail voting. https://apnews.com/article/trump-executive-order-elections-midterms-voting-rights-159c192e48670a8740a6a378c683cb61? Government fights trade judge’s order for tariff refunds to all importers Government lawyers said a Court of International Trade judge overstepped his authority by ordering the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to issue refunds to all companies that paid tariffs that were deemed illegal in February, even those that didn't file a lawsuit in trade court. Read More.

🤖 AI could help unlock more oil — and emissions Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images AI could help produce more oil and natural gas — but with a climate impact outweighing the tech's benefits for renewable energy, Axios' Amy Harder reports from a new study. 🛢️ The big picture: AI can help oil companies find new resources and extract more from existing fields. At the same time, it can also improve forecasting and operations for renewables. 🌎 What they found: The researchers estimate that AI could add emissions equal to roughly 1% to 5% of the global energy sector's 2024 total. Co-author Holly Alpine tells Axios: "Most assessments of AI's climate impact are framed as a trade-off between data center energy use and the emissions AI might help avoid through renewables and efficiency gains." "What's missing from that calculation entirely is the other side of the same ledger: the emissions enabled from using AI to make fossil fuel production cheaper and more profitable." American Petroleum Institute spokeswoman Andrea Woods tells Axios: "The U.S. oil and natural gas industry is continuing to produce more energy while reducing emissions by investing in better technology, implementing stronger operational practices and supporting science-based policy." Go deeper ... Read the paper ...

Trump’s Tacky Gold Gift Explodes Into ‘Cartoonish Bribe’ Scandal They said it fits a “deeply troubling pattern” of gifts being exchanged for perks. Democrats have ripped a jewelry firm, saying their gift to President Donald Trump could have amounted to a “cartoonish bribe.” Trump was handed a “watch-sized” 18-karat gold ring bejeweled with 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds, and six rubies, completed with the numbers 45 and 47, by the Belgian diamond industry’s primary lobbying organization to honor his two terms in office. The gift, reported by the Associated Press to be worth between $25,000 and $35,000, has rankled Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, who on Monday wrote a strongly worded letter to the president and founder of the Antwerp World Diamond Center, Isidore Mörsel and David Gotlib. In the letter, they drew a link between the gift and the Belgian diamond industry’s subsequent exclusion from a new round of tariffs implemented on European countries. The new round was introduced in July and is the latest workaround in Trump’s bid to levy charges without congressional oversight after the Supreme Court ruled his previous IEEPA project unlawful in February. The new plan sees rates ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent placed on 80 countries. “We write regarding our concerns about the watch-sized, 18-karat gold ring encrusted with 321 diamonds and 75 gemstones that the Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) gifted to President Trump, just weeks before the Administration announced it was exempting European diamonds from its chaotic tariffs,” Warren and Blumenthal said. “We have previously raised concerns about ‘the President’s record of doling out special treatment to CEOs who are able to woo him with flattery, payoffs, or both,’ and the circumstances surrounding the European diamond industry’s exemptions raise troubling new questions about foreign corporate interests potentially buying special favors from President Trump with lavish gifts—or in the case of the gold ring, what appears to be a cartoonish bribe.” In their message, they also laid out how the ring came into U.S. possession, revealing it was passed to the ambassador to Belgium during an America 250 event. “On June 28, 2026, at an America 250 celebration in Brussels, Mr. Mörsel presented U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White with the aforementioned ring for delivery to President Trump. Custom-crafted by Mr. Gotlib, the watch-sized, 18-karat gold ring features 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds, six rubies, two diamond ‘T’ emblems, Superman-style ’45′ and ’47′ logos, the Presidential Seal, and an interior engraving reading: ‘Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.’ “Mr. Mörsel explicitly linked the gift to trade issues, stating that AWDC commissioned the ring to “celebrate that enduring relationship” with the Antwerp diamond sector’s “most important trading partner for generations.” According to the U.S. embassy in Brussels, cited by MS Now, a video of Trump was played at the celebration, where he said, “A very special thank you to my friends from Antwerp for the magnificent Freedom 250 ring.” The senators then noted that despite Trump not being able to keep the ring under congressional anti-corruption laws, “presenting a gift of this magnitude could still play directly into President Trump’s well-established affinity for shiny gifts.” The senators from Massachusetts and Connecticut then alleged that the “return on your ‘ostentatious’ gift appears to have been swift and substantial,” because “the administration officially exempted European natural diamonds from the new Section 301 tariffs, restoring the Belgian diamond industry’s zero-percent tariff access to the U.S. market.” They added that it “fits a deeply troubling pattern of corporate executives using flattery and gifts to obtain lucrative exemptions to the administration’s tariff rules.” They then asked AWDC to answer a list of questions about the events that led to the gifting of the ring and warned that their actions could “raise serious legal questions under federal criminal law.” They gave them until August 24 to respond. The White House denied that Trump issued a favorable ruling with Europe because of the gift. “The Trump administration agreed to provide preferential tariff treatment for diamonds as part of our historic trade deal with the European Union that was agreed to last summer. The exemption of diamonds in the Forced Labor Section 301 tariffs reflects how the Administration continues upholding our end of the deal. The only special interest guiding the Trump administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,” Spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Beast. The Daily Beast has contacted the Antwerp World Diamond Center for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-tacky-gold-gift-explodes-into-cartoonish-bribe-scandal/? ps:Pathetic!!!!!