The Daily Brief
Today
Good morning. The war in Iran is driving diesel to nearly $5.60 a gallon, affecting school districts at the start of the year, while a tanker attack tests Trump's Hormuz claim and Qatar's prime minister arrives in Tehran for Thursday talks to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran. People close to the president say his tone about Carter has shifted as he faces the complexities of war with Iran people close to the president say his tone about Carter has also shifted. The CIA director travels to Moscow this week to warn Russia against any attack on NATO members a trip by the CIA director to Moscow this week was to warn Russia against any attack on Nato member states; the Kremlin dismisses US media reports after the meeting as 'scare stories' while the Pentagon policy chief prepares to meet the NATO secretary general Pentagon policy chief prepares to meet Nato secretary general.
Deutsche Bank's vice chair of global macro Ozan Tarman warns the stakes are high if the US suffers a Truss moment amid concern over Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's debt-management tactics amid concern over US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent debt-management tactics ahead of Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.
Trump's approval is net negative on every issue for the first time, with border security plummeting from +1 in July to -5 in August. Leaks reveal advisers telling him the polls look bad because voters are unaware of his many stupendous successes [Sources leak to The Atlantic that Trump advisers are telling him the real reason the polls look so bad is that voters are unaware of his many stupendous successes](https://newrepublic.com/article/214792/trump-unravels-leaks-reveal-aides-feed-crackpot-poll-hopium) while he directs midterm ad spending toward self-promotion Donald Trump is reportedly instructing advisers to spend big on midterm ads...about himself.
A billionaire is quietly constructing a new party machine to move the Democratic Party more to the center during this midterm season and the upcoming presidential season, while leadership pursues redistricting that could mean losing some Black lawmakers. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries meets with Jared Kushner in a meeting that offers nothing, nada, nil, zero, and zilch to gain for Jeffries, a move the outlet calls a joke that isn't one.