1. One of President Trump’s trade wars might be off, EU agrees to come to the table
— In what could turn out to be a big win for the President, the EU’s leader appeared at the White House and agreed to a framework for a deal to ease trade tensions with the U.S.
— The halt on tariffs comes as Trump says, “We agreed today, first of all, to work together toward zero tariffs, zero non-tariff barriers and zero subsidies on non-auto industrial goods.”
2. Walt Maddox is polling in the 20s, that’s not how you get a debate
— The story that won’t stop in Alabama politics is Walt Maddox continuing to whine about not getting a debate. The problem is that he isn’t a threat, and there is no reason for Gov. Kay Ivey to give him equal standing.
— Ivey is curb-stomping the media’s golden boy 53-to-28 percent, according to an Atlantic Media & Research survey. With numbers like that, there is no reason for Ivey to get on stage with him.
3. Alabama farmers and the Commissioner of Agriculture are happy there will be some government aid to protect them from a trade war
— The new plan has three parts: straight payments, food purchases and product promotion. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture John McMillan says he is unsure how much assistance the state will receive, but it will depend on negative economic impact.
— McMillan said the program will be operational in time for the fall harvest but added, “Theoretically, some of this could be resolved before the program even gets started.”
4. In what was an easily predicted move, Vladimir Putin will not be coming to the White House before the midterms
— The invitation of Russian President Putin to the U.S. was questionable from the get-go, but now that visit has been postponed until next year.
— While Trump tweeted about the media being the enemy of the people, National Security Advisor John Bolton said, “The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we’ve agreed that it will be after the first of the year.”
5. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lays out details from North Korean and Russian talks
— Secretary Pompeo’s speech should have been more newsworthy than it was. The media made it about not answering sensitive questions (like the status of North Korean nukes). But many items of interest included Trump’s acceptance that Russia meddled, no talk of sanctions relief with Russia, and talk about terrorism. He also told a Democrat Senator to “fear not” about U.S.-North Korean relations.
— Even though there has been no sign otherwise, Pompeo unveiled the “Crimea Declaration” and declared “that the United States does not and will not recognize the Kremlin’s purported annexation of Crimea. There’s no relief of Crimea-related sanctions until they return the Ukraine.”
6. A rough midterm could be in store for Republicans
— Poll numbers place the generic ballot edge for Democrats in November between 6 and 12 percent, a wide range. This puts the House in play but does not create a sure thing for Democrats, at this point.
— Other polls have Trump down below 40% in key states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. There are no key Senate seats there this year, but it could impact House seats.
7. Trump’s tariffs hit Americans where it hurts, in the convenience store
— Coca-Cola Company says they will raise the price of their signature sodas in response to President Trump‘s tariffs. This is a reminder that taxes and tariffs are eventually paid by the consumer.
— Coca-Cola’s Chief Executive James Quincey says the increase is due to the rising costs of delivery and metal prices. Trump dinged China with $50 billion in tariffs; they expect other companies to do the same.
