Principals

1. Bowser walks fine line
2. Aid cuts ruling
3. US report on Taliban
4. Dems target chips deal
5. Trump v. CA
6. Canadians sour on US
7. S. Africa trade talks

PDB: Trump warns Putin

US releases Producer Price Index … UK economy grows … Russia restricts WhatsApp

Trump takeover divides DC Democrats

Democrats in Congress have denounced President Donald Trump’s 30-day deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital, but local leaders like Mayor Muriel Bowser are being more cautious, Semafor’s David Weigel writes. In the city’s Democratic mayor, the president has found an unlikely defender. Bowser has blasted the takeover as “authoritarian,” while acknowledging the city has some longstanding problems: “Just imagine if we had the number of [DC police] officers that we should have,” she said this week. Bowser distanced herself from her own party’s progressive flank during the height of the 2020 “defund the police” movement. Now, she and other Washington Democrats worry DC statehood, a longtime goal, could move further out of reach — but her cooperation will complicate efforts by Republicans to portray the city as in need of “liberation” from incompetent progressives.

Trump aid cuts move forward

A federal appeals court gave the Trump administration the green light to resume cutting billions of dollars in foreign aid, ruling that only the Government Accountability Office — not nonprofits or businesses — can sue over violations of the Impoundment Control Act. The majority opinion did not address the underlying constitutionality of withholding the funds but nevertheless represented a significant win for the White House, which cheered it as critical to Trump’s efforts to shutter USAID and other related programs. (A lower court had previously paused the cuts.) “Radical left-wing groups have been abusing the court system in an attempt to seize control of U.S. foreign policy from the President,” the Office of Management and Budget said. “Today’s decision puts a stop to that.” The case returns next to the district court for further proceedings.

— Eleanor Mueller

US accuses Taliban, UN of aid collusion

A US government watchdog accused members of the Taliban of “colluding” with senior UN officials to redirect international aid for their own ends. The new report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reported, concluded that Taliban laws at times “enable diversion” of aid and identified a “culture of denial within the international aid community” when it comes to the Taliban’s misuse of assistance. “We knew that US aid dollars were specifically, directly and indirectly, benefiting the Taliban,” a senior State Department official told Semafor. “What was surprising to me is how integrated many of the NGOs, in particular, the United Nations, was into some of this diversion and corruption.” Trump has terminated nearly all US aid to Afghanistan as part of his shuttering of USAID and his reorganization of the State Department.

Van Hollen blasts Trump’s chips plan

Congressional Democrats are hopeful their Republican colleagues will help them push back on Trump’s plan to collect 15% of the profits when Nvidia and AMD sell certain chips to China. “This is a terrible idea,” and “there’s bipartisan opposition,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Semafor. “What we’re witnessing is that the Trump administration is literally willing to sell out American national security interests for the highest bidders.” Van Hollen, who pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on plans to sell chips to China when he testified before the Senate, added that “the experts in these fields need to make a determination about what chips could help China leap forward in AI technologies, especially those that have military purposes.” The White House has defended the unusual arrangement with Nvidia and AMD.

— Eleanor Mueller

Trump’s crackdown hinges on CA

A forthcoming court ruling will have broad consequences for Trump’s crackdown on crime in US cities. The three-day trial, which ended Wednesday in a San Francisco federal court, focused on whether Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles was legal; the state argues that the forces were illegally engaged in civilian law enforcement. Trump’s moves in DC may actually aid the state’s case, the judge suggested; the administration is likely to appeal an unfavorable ruling as far as the Supreme Court, but a favorable ruling could clear the way for similar deployments elsewhere. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his state are also at the forefront of fights with the Trump administration over redistricting, college pressure campaigns, and clean energy cuts. Democrats shouldn’t be “bystanders watching our democracy slip out from under our collective grasp,” he told The Hill.

Canada up on Carney, down on Trump

Canadians’ views of US leaders have cratered, according to Gallup. Only 15% of Canadians approve of leadership in Washington — a figure on par with lows seen during Trump’s first term, and closer to Russia’s approval rate among Canadians (9%) than China’s (23%). It’s the latest sign of Canadians’ dissatisfaction with Trump, who has slapped the country with tariffs and talked openly about trying to annex it as the 51st state. The spat has driven out some Canadians living in the US and wrecked the economies of US-Canada border towns, and Canadians are more pessimistic about the economy than ever. But they appear ebullient about Mark Carney, who took over from Justin Trudeau as prime minister this year. Nearly six-in-10 Canadians approve of their country’s own leaders, up 19 points from 2024.

S. Africa seeks new US trade deal

South Africa said it will submit a revised offer for a US trade deal in an attempt to lower the 30% tariff rate imposed on exports from Africa’s biggest economy. The duty, which came into effect on Aug. 7, is the highest tariff imposed on a sub-Saharan African country. “The new offer substantively responds to the issues the US has raised” to build on a previous offer made in May, the government said on Tuesday. But the leader of the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in South Africa’s coalition government, told Reuters the 30% tariff is likely to remain in place unless Pretoria changes some domestic race policies. South African officials have warned the tariff threatens 30,000 jobs in the country, with the key automotive and agricultural sectors most vulnerable.

— Alexis Akwagyiram

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Blindspot: American Eagle and Buffalo Wild Wings

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Only 12% of American adults said they considered American Eagle’s ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney and her “great jeans” offensive, according to an Economist/YouGov poll.

What the Right isn’t reading: A Minnesota high school student sued Buffalo Wild Wings, alleging that a server said she was in the wrong bathroom and demanded she prove her gender.

Beltway Newsletters

Playbook: Most California residents support keeping the state’s current independent redistricting commission, potentially hindering Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to redraw the state’s congressional maps.

WaPo: Rising electricity prices present a political challenge for Republicans.

Axios: Corey Lewandowski has been undercounting the hours he spends working at the Department of Homeland Security to avoid leaving his unpaid role, leading White House officials to begin monitoring his time at work.

White House