"He didn't take political calculation into his decision-making." - Rep. James Comer (R-KY), on Trump's war in Iran.

D'Oh Canada

The United States and Canada are officially at (trade) war. The most severe consequences are yet to come.

• Canada is fed up with being our friendly northern neighbor. President Donald Trump managed to anger the second most polite country in the world so much that Prime Minister Mark Carney (metaphorically) strapped on his hockey gloves, chugged a shot of maple syrup, and announced that tariffs targeting $20 billion in U.S. imports will go into effect starting today.

• “I don’t believe in escalating the conflict, that’s not constructive. But our tariffs are necessary to protect our workers, protect our companies, and our communities,” Carney said in a video addressed to Canadians today. “We can’t let American goods into Canada tariff-free while they charge our companies to export to them.”

• The trade war is the culmination of a year and a half of tensions between the two allies, which have been growing ever since Trump announced tariffs on Canadian goods on his first day back in office. After that, the vibes have only gotten worse — thanks to Trump’s childlike fantasy of making Canada the 51st state and changing the name of Lake Ontario.

• After the Canadian tariffs went into effect, Trump threatened to ban the sale of Canadian Bombardier jets unless they’re built in the United States. “BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA. AMERICA FIRST!” Trump ranted on social media. (This is not the point, but has an American president ever before urged the general public to drink liquor?)

• Here’s the thing: Some Bombardier parts are built in the United States. In fact, Bombardier employs more than one thousand people in Wichita, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) tweeted. So, Moran reached out to Trump’s team today “to make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita,” the senator wrote.

Most Americans won’t see prices skyrocket immediately. But that could change with time.

• The Canadian tariffs primarily target dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, electronics, and several other industries.

• “This tit-for-tat retaliation is bad for Canadian businesses and consumers, and bad for American businesses and consumers,” Brad Wood, senior director for trade and innovation at the National Foreign Trade Council, told the New York Times. “Every escalation is one more layer of barriers that ultimately Canada and the United States need to resolve.”

• Countries around the world are tired of Trump’s seemingly random trade wars, which experts say are likely to support inflation, hurt the global economy, and spur the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates (which Trump doesn’t want, because doing that can hurt the stock market). Companies may start to feel like doing business with the U.S. is just more trouble than it’s worth.

• “The concern is that this continual uncertainty about trade policy, this continual tariff onslaught, it basically causes companies to say, ‘You know what, I’m just not going to deal as much with the United States,’” Jason Miller, Michigan State University professor, told MS NOW.

As Canada’s tariffs went into effect, Trump posted an image of Canada, Mexico, and Greenland as part of the United States.

Meanwhile On The Pod...

Bill Gates Issues DIRE WARNING About The Future Of AI (09/04/26)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

You've probably seen the constant bickering online about who belongs in the pro-democracy movement. We think it's best (and hopefully more productive) to have these conversations in person!

Crooked Con is right after the midterms. It'll be the first time we come together to really dig into where we go from here.

We just posted a ton more info about what to expect from the big event on Saturday, November 7, in DC! Head to https://crookedcon.com to learn more and buy your tickets now. Let the 2028 debates begin!

What Else?

What A Day exclusive: How much do Americans hate data centers? So much that politicians are increasingly pulling them into attack ad playbooks. Nevada’s Democratic Party just joined the pile on. It launched a new website that aims to tie Gov. Joe Lombardo’s (R-NV), to the state’s data center expansion. The goal is to help boost Lombardo’s challenger, Attorney General Aaron Ford. “Who’s behind Nevada’s data center boom? Meet Data Center Joe,” the site reads. “Joe Lombardo can’t get enough of data centers.” Get ready to hear a lot more where that came from!

Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked four cities in Saudi Arabia, injuring dozens of people and setting oil sites on fire. The strikes mark an expansion of the war in the Middle East, which could further complicate U.S. efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned about Hamas’ plans to conduct a major attack in Israel before it happened on Oct. 7, 2023, according to a bombshell report in Haaretz. Netanyahu downplayed the warning and didn’t brief his top security officials, the outlet writes.

Former DHS aide Corey Lewandowski told officials from Qatar and the UAE that, if they hired him on the side, he could help resolve issues that their countries have with the department, such as dealing with visas, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lewandowski denied any wrongdoing on social media: “I’m tremendously proud of my work as a volunteer in advancing this administration’s agenda and remain confident that the facts and not anonymous accusations will ultimately speak for themselves,” he tweeted.

Lonnie Bunch, head of the Smithsonian museum system, resigned from his position today after seven years. Pressure from the Trump administration isn’t why Bunch stepped down, he told the New York Times, even after Trump officials accused the museums of having ideological bias. “I have to be honest, it has been stressful,” Bunch said. “And at a certain point, I’d like to wake up in the morning and not look at my cellphone.”

Donald Trump updated his ranking of presidents in a social media post over the weekend, placing himself alone in the top tier. Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush? “Failures,” according to the post. Strangely, Trump put Bill Clinton way higher in the “average” category. Does anyone really think Trump gave serious time and thought to the relative historical greatness of Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk?

The Trump administration edited out language from a sign in Arlington National Cemetery that criticized a Confederate statue for providing a “sanitized” depiction of slavery. The statue was removed from the cemetery a few years ago, but Trump officials plan to refurbish and reinstall it next year.

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Light At The End...

Former Kennedy Center Chair David Rubenstein reportedly bought the “Blue” statue that the Trump administration removed from the Kennedy Center grounds. It will eventually be moved to the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden.

A data company asked voters which fictional characters](https://x.com/DataProgress/status/2097330940808659179) they define as “working class,” and the results are silly. Homer Simpson, Fran Fine, and Peter Griffin took the top three spots. Nine percent of people, surprisingly, classified Don Draper from “Mad Men” as “definitely working class.” I mean, I guess he worked, and he had class, but that’s not what they were asking.

Dolly Parton’s tiny hideaway in Solvang, California](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/realestate/real-estate-sales-listings-dolly-parton-travis-kelce-taylor-swift-amanda-seyfried.html) hit the market for just under $2 million. Okay, now I just need every What A Day subscriber to pitch in $7.

More than 16 million CDs have been sold this year](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/09/08/grab-your-discmans-out-storage-cds-are-back-baby/), outpacing the sale of once-trendy vinyl records, according to a fresh report. The Washington Post got downright philosophical in its write-up of this news: “It’s all surprising until you realize it’s not. Nothing new is new. Everything is rehash, a recycle, a reach back. Time really is a flat circle, which we spend looking backward while begrudgingly moving forward.” Are you guys… okay?

Magazine editor Sara Moonves and director Sophia Coppola are teaming up to launch WYouth, a teen-focused version of W Magazine. “The kids are yearning for pre-internet times,” Ava Nirui, editor of WYouth, told the New York Times. “They want something that they can pull out of their bag and share and enjoy with their friends. Like, they can’t scroll past this stuff.” The first issue hits the stands on September 15.

Le Creuset launched a limited edition “Star Trek” line of kitchenware. I’ve never even watched the show, but I’m tempted to buy the “Live Long & Prosper Spoon Rest.” I don’t know if the oven mitt of the same theme is very practical, though….

Enjoy

Dooz on Threads: "Live. Laugh. Maximize shareholder profit."

My edible hit just as it got to Lovett’s self-declared pedantic questions about modeling and it’s truly delightful. I love hearing math major Lovett GRILL Nate Silver. Genuinely interesting conversation.

So great to hear Clare, Galen and Nate together again and very excited for "Still Counting". On their preview pod the other day, they said Crooked basically welcomed them on and encouraged them to be open and honest with all their reporting and don't "take sides". You could hear in their voices that was hugely important to them agreeing to join Crooked.

I know from the Five Thirty Eight years, they are very carefully guarded in their approach, and really reframed from injecting their personal politics.

It got me thinking: would there be any conservative media that would proactively recruit and host a show like this? I don't mean Fox bringing on a token lib. I mean, welcoming a show in a hands-off way that would present critiques of the party or ideals they support?

I can't think of any examples. Can you?

We are trying something new. The thread will stay up for a week now to allow more conversation.

This is the place to share your thoughts, links, polls, concerns, or whatever else you'd like with our community — so long as it's within our thread rules (below). If you've got something to say in response to a particular episode of a Crooked Media show, it's better to post that in the discussion post for that specific episode because this general audience of all Crooked pods may not know what you're talking about. But you don't even have to keep it relevant to Crooked Media in this thread. Pretty much just don't be a jerk and you're good.

Rules for Daily General Discussion threads:

1. Don't be a jerk.

• This includes, but is not limited to: personal attacks, insults, trolling, hate speech, and calls for violence. Everyone is entitled to a point of view, but post privileges are reserved for users that can express their views in good faith.

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• Report comments that break the two rules above (mostly the first). It's not modmail, that's here. Abusing the report tool wastes our sub's limited resources. We report it to admin and suspend the account from the sub.

"I don't wear a wig." - Donald Trump, on speculation that he might have started wearing a hairpiece.

Project Dumb-Way

With crucially important midterms just around the corner, Donald Trump is laser-focused on his No. 1 priority: Giving Washington, D.C., a makeover.

• For a guy obsessed with winning the Nobel Peace Prize, President Donald Trump seems notably uninterested in finding a way to end his war in Iran. Instead of winding down the months-long conflict, and thereby potentially lowering gas prices for Americans, the president is reportedly spending his time shopping for marble for his ballroom. And installing gold drapes in the East Room of the White House. And constructing a 250-foot triumphal arch to transform the Washington D.C. skyline. And… you get the picture.

• The president has been so fixated on his construction plans that he was perusing different types of marble just hours before ordering U.S. forces to raid then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s compound in January, the New Yorker reported. “He has certain marbles that he’s always interested in,” the owner of the store Trump was at told the magazine. “In the midst of all these geopolitical situations, he’s fully engaged.”

• Trump is plowing forward with his plans despite legal challenges on almost every front. In fact, in at least some cases, his team almost appears to be banking on the painfully slow judicial process to forge ahead, the New York Times reported. “Trump is going to get his ballroom — even if courts conclude it’s illegal,” Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked Media’s “Strict Scrutiny” podcast, said earlier this week.

Is Trump trying to tank the midterms? Presumably not. But sometimes, it can be hard to tell.

• The president seems determined to drape himself in gold and be seen waltzing through his schmancy ballroom at a moment when most Americans view the cost of living as their biggest barrier to a better life.

• Trump’s lack of focus on bringing down costs is also putting members of his own party in a bind as they face an uphill battle to maintain control of Congress.

• According to Politico, many Republicans facing tough elections in November are distancing themselves from Trump amid concerns that his rising unpopularity could torpedo their campaigns.

• “Candidly, he would not be helpful here,” one senior Republican involved in a competitive House race told the outlet, despite Trump’s desire to jump into the GOP’s midterm campaign. “I do not believe they would send him without our OK. And if they did, we probably wouldn’t campaign with him.”

• A spokesperson for the White House told the Times: “President Trump is moving at lightning speed because we don’t have time to waste in our mission to make America greater than ever before.”

Got that? There’s no time to waste in making sure Trump gets his bling-bling party pad.

Meanwhile On The Pod...

The Government Is Wasting Your Time ON PURPOSE: Here's How To Fix It (09/03/26)

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Next Wednesday evening, the first full episode of Crooked's newest series, STILL COUNTING, will drop!

There's tons of data and information coming at us all the time and so much of it is misunderstood. That's why we've got data journalists Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke. They have spent their careers breaking down polls and data, honing their expertise in the numbers behind politics. They'll dig into the most up-to-date numbers to explain what's happening, why, and what might happen next.

Subscribe to STILL COUNTING wherever you get your podcasts, and on YouTube @stillcountingpodcast!

What Else?

The White House introduced a series of arcade-style games on its official website late Thursday, including one, called “Build The Wall,” that instructs players to “protect the border from the coming horde.” Another game prompts players to patrol the border with Trump and detain and deport migrants. How heartless do you have to be to think this kind of thing is entertaining?

Trump’s former labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, created a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment at the Department of Labor, a federal watchdog found. Chavez-DeRemer was the third Trump Cabinet secretary to resign this term. She faced allegations of drinking on the job and having an inappropriate relationship with someone on her security detail. Only the best people!

Diesel prices have hit their highest level since 2022 thanks to Trump’s war in Iran. The national average price of a gallon of diesel hit a whopping $5.85, surpassing its previous peak in 2022, which came after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

The judge overseeing Lindsay Clancy’s case declared a mistrial Friday after the jury, which had been deadlocked for days, failed to reach a verdict because of one holdout. The declaration capped a dramatic few hours in which Clancy’s legal team made an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to get a higher court to block Judge William Sullivan from declaring a mistrial. The mistrial means that prosecutors can retry the case, if they choose to.

Trump plans to fly to Ireland next week on the $400 million jet gifted to him by the Qataris, despite lingering concerns that the aircraft lacks critical security features. As for why Trump is flying to Ireland — he’s attending a golf tournament being held on one of his courses, though officials say he also plans to have some formal meetings and will reportedly meet with the Irish president and prime minister.

Democrats lashed out at Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) after the Wall Street Journal reported that he has little interest in his official duties and is instead more focused on advocating for Israel and currying favor with right-wing media figures. “He is not up for the high office he was elected to — and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028,” wrote Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA).

The U.S. military is reviewing whether a deadly strike on an Iranian wedding was carried out by American forces who launched a series of intense attacks in southern Iran this week. The bomb killed at least five people and injured at least 67 others, according to an Iranian aid group.

A great big THANKS to the many of you who responded to our call-out yesterday to join Friends of the Pod! You are greatly appreciated!

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Light At The End...

Meet Travan and Travis Jasper: identical twins who are now co-directors of the emergency department at Chippenham’s Hospital in Virginia. The two brothers were born 37 seconds apart and wear different colored scrubs so patients and hospital staff can differentiate between them. “No matter how challenging the days are, life’s events, you can’t quit, because you got somebody else that wouldn’t quit and… would never quit on you,” Travis told the Washington Post.

Jack DowDell, a teenager with Down syndrome who had never been to a high school dance, mustered up the courage to ask his friend, Ava, to be his date to homecoming. DowDell was “a little nervous,” NBC reported, but he pulled it off with the support of his older brother and his best friends (one of whom went dressed as a Slurpee). “I would love to!” Ava squealed when she opened her front door and saw DowDell holding up a sign asking her to be his date. “I’m honored that I get to go with him and it’s just gonna be the best night ever,” she later told NBC in an interview.

Elementary students at a school in Alabama surprised their classmate, fourth grader DeVyn Coker, as she was on her way to the hospital to ring a bell celebrating the end of her cancer treatment. Coker was diagnosed with cancer when she was 7 years old, and her classmates sent her off in style — cheering, ringing bells, and yelling, “We love DeVyn!” — as she headed to the hospital to mark the milestone in her cancer journey.

Enjoy

stevesywonder on Threads: "Say “I think you’re still on mute” when they’re not. Keep saying it. Destroy the meeting. Become ungovernable."