“War is Over! If you want it.” In 1969, the words didn’t come from a political organization, they came from John and Yoko. Yesterday, speaking to CBS News from his golf club in Doral, Florida, President Trump said he thinks “the war is very complete, pretty much.” He added: “If you look, they have nothing left.” Those comments stood in contrast to Secretary Hegseth’s words on 60 Minutes just the night before when Hegseth said the attacks are “only just beginning.” The markets liked Trump’s peace-in; after a wild day they finished in the black. But who knows what today brings because later, when pressed for details as to the contrast between his own words and those of his “War” secretary, Trump said: “I think you could say both.” The only clarity is the wording of today’s poll question: Is this the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?
Rubio rising. As I’ve often said on radio, I don’t accept the conventional wisdom that come 2028, the GOP nomination will be a simple coronation by Donald Trump of JD Vance. That’s too boring for Trump… he’d rather play Celebrity Apprentice with the process. Which explains why he’s been sampling his orbit as to whether they prefer Vance or Secretary Marco Rubio. At Kalshi, in mid- August, Vance was a 57% shot to win the nomination, Rubio stood at 9%. But as of last night, Vance is 41.7% vs. Rubio at 22.4%. Trump’s endorsement in this contest will be outcome determinative. In the end he may stick with Vance, but the stronger general election candidate is Rubio.
In and around Philly, I’ve enjoyed the last 2 nights of warm weather and extended daylight. We radio talk show hosts maintain an evergreen file for Daylight Saving Time. In non-Trump news cycles, it’s a semi-annual tradition to ask callers whether we should make DST permanent? But now, in the September of my years, I realize the status quo will never change. We will never have consensus on how to have consistency across the country. It’s just too contentious, and not in a Red state, Blue state way. My realization came after reading the roadmap supplied by Addy Bink at The Hill and then hosting her on SXM.
Hawaii and Arizona do their own thing. And 20 states have enacted laws calling for permanent DST. But federal law only allows states to opt for permanent standard time, legislation for which is pending in more than a dozen states. Confused? Well, this won’t help: a bill introduced in Illinois depends on what happens in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Bottom line, we will keep Springing forward and Falling backward. Which won’t stop me from talking about it twice a year.
##
