by Bill Kristol<\/p>\n Yesterday evening, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social and then reposted on X an AI-generated video showing House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero and a mustache and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer speaking in a fake voice.<\/p>\n In the video, the AI-generated Schumer argues for undocumented immigrants to get \u201cfree healthcare\u201d so Democrats can get their votes in the next election. Jeffries is depicted ostensibly as a Mexican immigrant who would benefit from that healthcare.<\/p>\n You can, if you have the stomach, watch the plainly racist, obviously fake video here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jeffries and Schumer showed impressive discipline in their responses a few minutes later. The Democrats\u2019 approach to the government shutdown slated to start at midnight tonight is: 1) focus on the issue of healthcare, and 2) demonstrate a willingness to talk, even as Republicans aren\u2019t. And so Jeffries wrote on X, \u201cBigotry will get you nowhere. Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down.\u201d Schumer followed, \u201cIf you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can\u2019t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.\u201d<\/p>\n The Democrats\u2019 message isn\u2019t quite the one I\u2019d prefer, and their leaders\u2019 tone is too mild for my taste. But ultimately I have no important quarrel with how Jeffries and Schumer handled the moment. There was probably no reason for them to be justifiably indignant and angry\u2014though I would be. And I suppose there was no need to tell the truth about what this latest glimpse into Donald J. Trump\u2019s character reveals\u2014after all, we\u2019ve seen countless exhibits of this before. Doing so would presumably have generated media stories about both sides hurling charges at each other. It might have been a distraction. It\u2019s perhaps what Trump wanted.<\/p>\n But I do feel, both for the sake of political hygiene and the historical record, that someone should tell the simple truth: Donald Trump is a vulgar bigot and a reprehensible human being. He is unworthy to serve in any high office in this country, let alone its highest. Just because he\u2019s acted this way before doesn\u2019t mean we should let it go unremarked upon. If anything, it makes the obligation to call him out in these moments that much greater.<\/p>\n At some point, Republicans will have to face up to the fact that they have nominated this lowlife three times for president, and that their party continues to slavishly support him. Democrats will have to face up to the fact that they have twice failed to defeat him. Americans will have to face up to the fact that we have twice elected this man as president, and that far too many of us are still not repulsed by him.<\/p>\n It would be good if that point came sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n by Andrew Egger<\/p>\n So far in his second term, Donald Trump\u2019s tariff regime has played out across two different timelines.<\/p>\n The first is the narrative timeline: The parade of announcements, rollbacks, double-downs, and the news cycles accompanying each. These came thickest and fastest in the spring, when tariffs were a central policy focus. There was the bickering with Canada, the game of chicken with China, the market panic after \u201cLiberation Day,\u201d and the delayed implementation and prolonged negotiations with dozens of countries. Since then, tariffs have slid somewhat out of the news, which has played to Trump\u2019s benefit. Many voters now have the vague sense that, after the rockiness of the global-tariff rollout, things have basically settled down and that while the economy isn\u2019t great it has, at least, survived. Meanwhile, Trump keeps trumpeting all the great things he\u2019s going to do with all the new tariff revenue that\u2019s pouring in. Win-win!<\/p>\n But the second timeline\u2014the one that actually matters\u2014looks different. This is the timeline of tariff implementation, the one where Uncle Sam actually starts going around to U.S. businesses, shaking his hat, and those businesses are forced to adjust. This second timeline has moved more slowly than the first, for a few reasons. Many of Trump\u2019s global tariffs didn\u2019t clunk into operation until last month. Businesses had planned ahead best they could, rushing as many imports in ahead of the various deadlines as possible to better weather the tariff pain in the short term. Beyond that, it\u2019s taken some time for the dust to settle and businesses to figure out what sort of shape they\u2019re in under the new normal.<\/p>\n But the data is looking increasingly clear: They don\u2019t like what they see.<\/p>\n Yesterday, the New York Times reported<\/a> on the current, grim tariff outlook for small businesses in particular\u2014many of which are now facing a \u201cmake-or-break moment.\u201d If they rely on global supply chains in any way, their own costs have risen dramatically\u2014either because they\u2019re paying tariffs themselves, or because their suppliers are. But they also think they might drive off customers if they raise prices too sharply and abruptly. Running a business thus becomes an exercise in treading water: How long can I eat these new costs without scaling down or closing up shop?<\/p>\n In its annual survey conducted in recent weeks, the Times reported<\/a>, the small-business payroll company Gusto found that \u201c50 percent of companies thought tariffs had hurt their businesses this year, and 56 percent expected them to do so next year.\u201d<\/p>\n For some, this had come as an unwelcome surprise. \u201cI don\u2019t know why it didn\u2019t occur to me that flowers would also be tariffed,\u201d Kimberly Hyde, who runs a flower shop in Denver, told the Times. Her business relies on selling flowers imported from central America and decorations imported from China.<\/p>\n It will only grow worse. At a political level, the tariff problem is the same as it\u2019s ever been under Trump. He does not see a tariff for what it is: a distortionary, net-negative tool, one that can protect given companies or industries only by placing quiet distributed strain on the rest of the economy. Instead, in his mind, tariffs are a win-win magic button that somehow strengthens the U.S. economy while also delivering huge new windfalls to the U.S. Treasury.<\/p>\n We therefore shouldn\u2019t be surprised that he keeps tacking new ones on. Last week, Trump abruptly announced that he would implement new tariffs<\/a> on lumber, bathroom vanities, and kitchen cabinets. Yesterday, he ad-libbed several additional ones, taking to Truth Social to promise<\/a> \u201csubstantial tariffs on any country that does not make its furniture in the United States\u201d and<\/a> \u201ca 100% tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n What we\u2019re seeing now is thus the likely start of a new vicious cycle: The more drag tariffs put on the economy, the more economic problems start to crop up, and the more economic problems crop up, the more frequently Trump turns to new, increasingly arbitrary tariffs to deal with them, making the drag worse.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re flying a plane or stewarding a global economy, there\u2019s a certain amount of drag you can get away with. There\u2019s also a point at which you\u2019re going to fall out of the sky.<\/p>\n The Bulwark Invades Canada\u2026The Bulwark hit Toronto for a sold-out live show with <\/a>TIM, SARAH, <\/a>and <\/a>SAM <\/a>serving up laughs and politics on both sides of the border<\/a> with Trump\u2019s bizarre digs at Canada, the Comey indictment, Canadian trivia, rowdy crowds, and even a questionable blunt rotation.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s Own Words Have Discredited the Case Against Comey\u2026 The evidence that the president directed a vindictive prosecution is overwhelming, writes <\/a>WILL SALETAN.<\/a><\/p>\n How Trump is Using Kirk\u2019s \u2018Martyrdom\u2019 to Create a Fake Emergency\u2026 On The Mona Charen Show, The Atlantic\u2018s JONATHAN CHAIT discusses how MAGA is using Kirk\u2019s tragic death as a pretext for full-on authoritarian repression of dissent.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s Time for the States to Start Investigating Trump\u2026 Democratic-led state governments can hold the aspiring autocrat\u2019s feet to the fire, argues <\/a>STEVEN STRAUSS.<\/a><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s Shady TikTok Deal\u2026 On FYPod, TIM MILLER <\/a>and<\/a> CAM KASKY <\/a>dive into Netanyahu\u2019s shocking admission at the UN<\/a> that TikTok is now a \u201cweapon\u201d in Israel\u2019s arsenal, and the rise of virginity culture in Gen Z.<\/p>\n Private Jet-Flying, Charlie Kirk-Wannabe Teen Sets Off MAGA Firestorm\u2026 The fight over Brilyn Hollyhand symbolizes a bigger problem for MAGA, reports <\/a>WILL SOMMER <\/a>in <\/a>False Flag.<\/a><\/p>\n VIBE CHECK: As Democrats decide whether to plunge ahead with a high-stakes shutdown fight over healthcare spending, their own voters remain convinced party leaders are too willing to cave in such standoffs. That\u2019s according to a series of focus groups done last month by the Democratic group Slingshot Strategies for the Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund in Tarrant County, Texas, which contains the city of Fort Worth. \u201cMany participants said Democrats were too old, out of touch, and beholden to big money,\u201d the group wrote of Texas Democratic voters in a memo<\/a> revealing their findings, which was first shared with The Bulwark. \u201cSeveral said the party caves when Republicans push hard. . . . Others described Democrats as \u2018disappearing when fights need to happen\u2019 or \u2018talking a good talk\u2019 but then cutting deals with Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also ran a pair of focus groups, one with independents and another with Republican voters. Among the Republican voters, the most notable finding was that many shared the belief that a Democrat could win statewide in Texas under the right conditions. That might be good news for Sen. John Cornyn, who\u2019s trying to fend off an insurgent primary challenge from the state\u2019s scandal-ridden MAGA attorney general, Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n But the most interesting national nugget came from the group\u2019s group of independents. Within this cohort, there was an overwhelming sense of bipartisan failure and corruption, and also deep unease about immigration enforcement and ICE in particular under Trump. \u201cYou can just be out and about in a store somewhere and somebody can literally just come up to them and just take them,\u201d a young black woman said, describing a personal experience. \u201cIt was horrible to see.\u201d<\/p>\n The findings are yet another data point that the backlash to Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown is real. Whether Democrats can reap the benefits of it is another question entirely.<\/p>\n A TEMPLATE TO END LAWFARE: Senator Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Dan Goldman are set to introduce a new bill designed to guard against political prosecutions either by the Trump Administration or future presidents. The bill, titled Preventing Political Prosecutions Act and shared exclusively with The Bulwark, was unveiled in light of Donald Trump\u2019s overt (and ultimately successful) efforts to gin up a prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey. It contains a slew of provisions that would either raise the stakes for government officials to bring cases or put in place reforms that would give the defendants more rights and legal protections. Among them, the legislation would<\/p>\n Create a right of action against federal officials who engage \u201cin selective or malicious prosecution or investigation based on political or partisan considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n Require prosecutors to present exculpatory evidence to the Grand Jury, and require disclosure of grand jury vote tally to the defendant as part of discovery;<\/p>\n Strengthen judges\u2019 ability to scrutinize the evidence presented to grand juries where improper political considerations are credibly alleged;<\/p>\n Prohibit direct or indirect White House instructions to the Department of Justice concerning investigative or charging decisions in individual criminal cases;<\/p>\n Require all line prosecutors and U.S. Attorneys to certify under penalty of perjury that the indictment did not rely on impermissible political considerations.<\/p>\n Legislation like this is bound to remain on the shelf so long as Democrats are in the minority and Trump is in the White House. Even should power switch hands, there are enough vagaries in here that it\u2019s unclear whether the bill would withstand a legal challenge. But as a political marker, the Preventing Political Prosecutions Act provides a solid indication of how Democrats would pursue reforms in a post-Trump era. One has to imagine that prospective 2028 presidential candidates will have to outline a similar plank, too.<\/p>\n FB-I DIDN\u2019T TWEET THAT: If ever there was evidence that our futures will be spent trying to sort out real news from AI generated or photoshopped slop, it came via Eric Swalwell, the Daily Caller, and the DOJ. It started Monday morning when Swalwell, the outspoken California Democrat, posted a picture of the alleged Michigan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shooter wearing a Trump shirt. \u201cI\u2019m sure @JDVance<\/a> agrees with me that it doesn\u2019t matter that the Michigan terrorist was a MAGA supporter,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cBecause in America, regardless of your politics, violence has never been the answer.\u201d It was a bit of snark, wrapped under valid commentary about how muted the Trump administration has been about this shooting compared to others involving allegedly leftist perpetrators. Alas, the Caller thought it was fake. The site accused Swalwell of sharing a doctored photo. Except the photo was very much real, plucked right from the shooter\u2019s Facebook page. The Caller had to retract its story. \u201cWe deeply regret the error,\u201d the site posted in its place.<\/p>\n How could they get it wrong? It\u2019s possible they trusted the Justice Department. A top spokesperson for the FBI, Ben Williamson, similarly accused Swalwell of sharing a fake picture of the shooter in a post on Twitter. The Caller\u2019s mistake was bad and regrettable. But having Kash Patel\u2019s right hand man\u2014whose job is to put out reliable information in these moments\u2014make a similar error, is more problematic. Williamson seemed to understand this quickly, at least, as he promptly deleted the tweet.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/08678802-78b3-42f4-b595-a2268384cd4e_2100.jpeg\")
<\/a>(Composite \/ Truth Social \/ Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d14fb258-2a55-4768-a189-babefa9de889_832x.jpeg\")
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