Monday, August 31 | By Elliott Davis, Colin Meyn and Steff Thomas
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It’s Monday … and the last day of August, as the end of summer rapidly approaches. Soak it up, 12:30 Report readers.
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U.S., Iran resume strikes Pentagon on defense over leak House returns from monthlong break Bessent to invoke China at G20
Programming note: Hello! We are Elliott Davis, Colin Meyn and Steff Danielle Thomas filling in for Cate. Please send your tips, comments and story ideas to edavis@thehill.com, cmeyn@thehill.com or sthomas@thehill.com.
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Looks like this tit for tat isn’t over yet: |
The Associated Press | Vahid Salemi and Mark Schiefelbein)
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President Trump is promising to retaliate for Iran’s strikes on Jordan overnight Sunday, which came in response to the U.S. taking out two Iranian rocket launchers over the weekend.
"We're going to hit them hard," Trump told Trey Yingst on Fox News. "There will be a response."
The tit for tat ends a monthlong pause in fighting as Trump has shifted to a strategy of economic strangulation. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, which was also targeted by Iranian strikes, said all incoming drones and missiles were shot down.
Markets don’t like it: Gas prices ticked up and stocks dipped Monday morning in response to the exchange of fire — a reminder of the risks facing Trump if the fighting escalates further.
U.S. Central Command has pushed back on Iranian claims of “aggression,” accusing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of “preparing to launch rockets with sea mines” from Larak Island into the Strait of Hormuz.
What negotiations? Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s strikes on regional countries, warning the hostilities “complicate efforts aimed at containing tensions and undermine political and diplomatic efforts seeking to achieve security and stability in the region.”
Those efforts didn’t seem to be going so well even before the strikes.
Trump last week said the U.S. is in no rush to resume talks with Iran, pointing to steady oil flow out of the Strait of Hormuz and the mounting economic pressure on Tehran.
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Pentagon fights back against explosive WaPo story |
The Pentagon’s press shop went into overdrive this weekend in response to a Washington Post report about growing concerns among military leaders over continuing the Iran war.
Someone leaked the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB), in which Pete Hegseth reportedly directs some U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East to remain through September and others into 2027.
The heads of U.S. European, Pacific and Southern commands, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with a “non-concur” to that order — signaling their disagreement with prolonging the war.
The Pentagon was furious: “Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime. It’s a betrayal of the force,” its top spokesperson, Sean Parnell, wrote on the social platform X. “And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.”
The pushback also came from some notable X accounts with links to the Pentagon, including DataRepublican, whom The Hill’s Filip Timotija wrote about last week.
In a well-timed double whammy, the Post published this story on Sunday: Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles
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The House is returning (with a long to-do list): |
Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill later today for a short stint in session before another two-week recess.
There is much to accomplish over the next few days, including one large item: A Senate-passed stopgap measure, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), that would fund the government through Dec. 11.
The CR is expected to advance as it has support from Democrats and Republicans, The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi reports. If it does and Trump eventually signs it, Congress would avoid another government shutdown after last year’s record-breaker.
What else?: Other tasks on lawmakers’ list include a resolution condemning socialism in all its forms amid democratic socialist candidates’ recent success in primaries, the Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill and a potential resolution to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) over sexual harassment allegations.
Wait … another recess is coming?: Yes. The House is set to be in session four days this week and then will return — alongside the Senate — on Sept. 14, after the Labor Day holiday.
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➤ MARKEY, MOULTON SET FOR PRIMARY BATTLE:
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Two Massachusetts Democrats, Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton, will face off tomorrow in the Bay State’s Senate primary that has become a generational battle of sorts.
Moulton, 47, has argued that a “new generation of leaders” is needed, mocking Markey, 80, at a recent debate over the incumbent saying he uses “whatever is inside of my iPhone and my iPad” in response to a question about the use of AI platforms at work.
But in an Emerson College Polling survey released Sunday, Markey had a comfortable lead of 60.4 percent to 32.8 percent over his challenger.
Elsewhere in Massachusetts, six candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination in the 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, while Rep. Stephen Lynch (D) is facing a progressive challenger in the 8th Congressional District.
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Bessent’s China warning goes global: |
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is bringing the China trade fight to the G20 — and he’s calling for backup.
Bessent plans to urge fellow finance ministers to take a harder look at their economic relationships with Beijing, arguing China’s roughly $1.2 trillion trade surplus is a problem that can’t be left for the U.S. to tackle alone.
The Treasury chief will host G20 finance ministers Monday and Tuesday in Asheville, N.C., before the U.S. hosts the leaders’ summit in Miami in December.
Little room for dealmaking: Bessent said the U.S. and China could each remove tariffs on about $30 billion worth of nonstrategic goods when Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Washington next month.
Bottom line: He wants other countries to take a closer look at what they’re buying from China — and how much they’re willing to keep absorbing.
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China is Iran’s biggest trading partner and primary buyer of its oil, putting Beijing in the crosshairs of Trump’s pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.
Bessent has urged Beijing to get with the program, but the Chinese government has pushed back, saying potential U.S. sanctions will only raise tensions.
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Trump makes case for data centers: |
Trump also weighed in Monday on growing backlash to data centers, arguing communities have more to gain than lose by welcoming the centers.
In a Truth Social post, the president said data centers can bring jobs, economic growth and lower taxes — and warned that turning them away could push those benefits to communities elsewhere.
He also pointed to China, saying Beijing “could not be happier” to see opposition to the centers growing amid the AI arms race.
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— 📺 Trump is threatening to report NBC host Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after she said his endorsed candidates have had “mixed results” during the primaries. At least one FCC commissioner has pushed back on the move.
— 👨⚖️ The president ripped the judge overseeing his Kennedy Center case as “highly conflicted” as he pushes to renovate and put his name back on the building. He also doubled down on his plans for the center, calling the building “old and decrepit” and badly in need of a major overhaul.
— 🏀 Billionaire Mark Walter’s abrupt sale of the Los Angeles Lakers is raising fresh questions about ownership in pro sports and shining a spotlight on how teams are increasingly being treated like financial assets. Insiders can read more here from The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo.
— ⚖️ Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is floating a major shake-up of the Supreme Court. He says a “baker’s dozen” — or 13 justices — would be a “pretty good number” for the high court.
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Politico: The Trump-shaped problems awaiting Andy Burnham, ranked
The New York Times: Millions of Dollars in Secret Spending Could Upend the 2026 Midterms
Wall Street Journal: Russia Turns to New-Generation Drones and All-Day Attacks to Wear Down Ukrainians
The Los Angeles Times: AI is watching your spending and setting your prices accordingly. Lawmakers want to stop it
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The House returns and the Senate is out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EDT)
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2 p.m.: House convenes for legislative business
2 p.m.: Trump participates in a policy meeting
3 p.m.: The president makes an announcement on healthcare affordability from the Oval Office
4:30 p.m.: Trump holds signing time
6:30 p.m.: House holds votes
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🌿Celebrate: Today is National Eat Outside Day. I am not always a fan of sharing my food with bugs, but they say fresh air and touching grass are good for you.
👗 British fashion designer John Galliano has dropped out of the 2027 Met Gala exhibit after controversy surrounding his past remarks. The former Givenchy and Dior designer was set to be just the third living designer featured.
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Mondays can sometimes be a little prickly — just ask this baby porcupine.
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