MASTERBAKER All things Politics thread

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Iran has totally exposed the systemic weaknesses in our defense. That is not winning. That is showing all our adversaries everywhere how the U.S. is exploded.
 

CBS News​

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“We need smart answers and some straight talk,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine during his questioning about what Iran might do if the U.S. ceased military operations against the country
 

Senator Dick Durbin
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Senator Dick Durbin · Original audio
When Secretary Hegseth came before the Senate today, I demanded he give me real answers on the cost of Trump’s war with Iran.
As this war drags on into its 5th month, it’s becoming increasingly clear this Administration has no idea on how to bring it to a conclusion.
 

Trump's approval rating hits yet another record low in latest poll​

USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
Tue, August 11, 2026 at 3:37 PM EDT
741

U.S. President Donald Trump deplanes from Air Force One on August 9, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to yet another low since his return to the White House, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll, which also found that just 1 in 3 Americans approve of his job performance.

The survey, released Aug. 11, found that 33% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance, down 3 percentage points from the previous week. This marks the lowest approval rating the president has seen in YouGov tracking since he returned to office in 2025.

Apart from his continued slump in the polls, a majority of Americans, 60%, said they perceived the president as "not honest and trustworthy". According to the newest poll, 65% of respondents said the country is headed in the wrong direction, up 2 percentage points from the Economist/YouGov’s poll in late July.

The latest poll also found that Trump’s age continues to concern the American public, with 53% saying they believed the 80-year-old president was too old to be in the White House.

The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted Aug. 7-10 among 1,589 U.S. adults. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Trump struggles boost Democrats​

Trump’s slide in the polls in recent weeks could signify good news for Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections. In the newest Economist/YouGov poll, Democrats hold an 8-point lead over the GOP in a generic congressional ballot.

That lead has held in other surveys, as a poll released by Marquette Law School on Aug. 5 showed Democrats holding a 6-point advantage over Republicans. Another survey released Aug. 3 by Reuters/Ipsos had the Democratic Party holding a 5-point lead over the GOP.

Last week, Trump said the Republican base is angry at the party's leadership in Congress, not him, ahead of the midterms.

"A lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you," Trump said in an interview with Punchbowl News. "They're angry at Republicans, but they're not angry at me."

The president's remarks came as he dismissed his current approval ratings by defending his popularity, specifically pointing to his 2024 election wins in several states.

"I have records in many of the states," Trump said. "The question is ... if I don't run, will those people go out and vote? And that's the one thing I can't tell you. I'm going to ask them to."

Americans say Trump is abusing office​

Aside from Trump’s continued struggles with his approval rating, a majority of respondents in the newest poll also said they believed the president is using his presidential powers for his own benefit.

According to the Economist/YouGov poll, 61% of respondents said they believed Trump was using his office for personal gain, and 55% said they believed the president was using the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies.

Trump’s controversial East Wing ballroom in the White House has also remained unpopular with Americans, with 57% saying they oppose it.

What do polling averages show?​

While individual polls vary, major polling averages continue to show Trump in negative territory overall:

USA TODAY’s Kinsey Crowley contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's approval rating hits yet another record low in latest poll
 

Oct. 7 terrorist seen kidnapping Noa Argamani in viral video is killed in Israeli operation​

By
Ronny Reyes
Published Sep. 27, 2026, 4:19 p.m. ET
22 Comments
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Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani attends first rave since Nova Festival massacre


Israel’s military and intelligence forces killed the terrorist who kidnapped Noa Argamani and was seen on camera in a terrifying viral video during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, officials said Sunday.

Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr cheered as he rode off with a desperately pleading Argamani, in what became one of the most harrowing images of Hamas’ rampage at the Nova Music Festival.

The Israeli Defense Forces’ undercover Gideonim Unit 33 located Sakr in Nuseirat area of Gaza, accusing the man of being “an operative in global Jihad organizations… who provided, among other things, combat means for the Hamas terror organization during the war.”

Video screen grab of Noa Argamani being kidnapped by Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr on a motorcycle.3
Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr, the terror operative who kidnapped Noa Argamani during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, has been killed.IDF
A video screenshot shows Israeli woman Noa Argamani being kidnapped by Hamas militants on a motorcycle from the Nova Music Festival.3
Argamani’s kidnapping at the Nova Music Festival massacre was one of first viral images of the Oct. 7 terror attack.

Sakr allegedly supplied Hamas with weapons and helped the terror group coordinate attacks against troops and Israeli civilians.

He was with Hamas and Palestinian extremist groups during the Oct. 7 invasion, with Sakr joining the terrorists’ assault on the Nova festival, where nearly 380 people were killed.


Argamani was among those kidnapped by the group, with harrowing footage capturing how she desperately yelled for her then-boyfriend, Avinatan Or, as Sakr drove away with her on a motorcycle.

Argamani survived in Hamas imprisonment for eight months before a daring rescue operation pulled her and three other hostages out of a Nuseirat refugee camp, bringing her home to her mother just a month before she died of brain cancer.

Video still of Noa Argamani being kidnapped by Hamas terrorist Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr on a motorcycle.3
Sakr was located inside Gaza and allegedly planning terror attacks against the IDF and Israel, officials said.IDF
Along with Sakr, the IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency also announced the killing of Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabain, a Hamas commander involved in holding nine hostages who were abducted on Oct. 7

Gabain was confirmed to be involved with the captivity of Ziv Berman, Eitan Mor, Liri Albag, Agam Berger, Matan Engerst, Gali Berman, Omri Miran, Keith Siegel, and Alon Ohel, the IDF.

He was operating in northern Gaza when he was taken out by an airstrike in the region targeting Hamas bases and personnel.

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The IDF also claimed Gabain was working to coordinate terror attacks against the IDF and Israel and had helped “rehabilitate the capabilities of the Hamas terror organization” during the cease-fire.

“The terrorist was eliminated from the air in order to remove the threat he posed,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
 
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