Morning all. Governor Roy Cooper’s campaign released a new video yesterday to help folks to get to know him a little better. Here it is, and it is awfully good:
Many thanks to those who have donated to Governor Cooper through our Hopium link. We’ve already raised $9,000 towards our $25,000 Labor Day goal. Let’s keep going people! Need to be all in on this critical race.
Upcoming Events, Busy Week! - We have Leah Litman today at 130pm ET; more on Trump’s war on science Wednesday at Noon; paid subscribers gather Wednesday night at 7pm; and I will be live on with Jen Rubin and the Contrarian team Thursday morning at 915am.
More details, links to all our events can be found on the Events page on the main Hopium site. All of our live events are free and open to the public, so we encourage you to invite friends and colleagues. All our live events will be shared here on the Hopium site for those who can’t make it the first time.
Brutal New WaPo Poll For Trump On Epstein Cover Up - A new WaPo poll out this morning shows how much Trump has lost control over the discourse around the Epstein cover up. Only 16% of voters approve of his handling of the affair and only 5% - 5%!!!!!! - agree with Trump’s decision to stop the release of the files:
To me this is another sign of his weakening hold on the public, and his overall political and physical decline. This level of rejection on something that matters is astonishing.
Right wing pollsters went into overdrive last week to put lipstick on the Trump-Epstein pig, and create a counter narrative that Trump is in fact doing just fine despite having his worst week of real world polling this year. Using the terrific Strength in Numbers poll aggregator you can find 8 new right-aligned polls released last week - RMG, McLaughlin, Trafalgar/Insider Advantage, Quantus, J.L. Partners/Daily Mail, Emerson, Fox News, Wall Street Journal. While those polls may be working their propaganda magic in right-aligned media universes, here is where S/I/N has Trump today even with all those polls included. It remains very ugly:
For those wanting to dive into the discussion around the significance of the low favorability of Dems right now read this data-filled new analysis by Mary Radcliffe in Strength in Numbers, The Democratic image is underwater - but they are not losing. I agree with its insights and conclusions.
Trump’s Ongoing Tariff Shitshow - Echoing many of the arguments we’ve made here in recent days here’s Paul Krugman this morning:
Trump has now announced a trade “deal” with the European Union that looks a lot like the “deal” he made with Japan. I use scare quotes because there is little sign of a quid pro quo. The United States is imposing a 15 percent tariff that is lower than previously threatened, but still vastly higher than we had before Trump. Overall U.S. tariffs seem likely to settle roughly at the level that prevailed after the infamous Smoot-Hawley tariff of 1930.
In return we got a vague promise of higher European investment in the United States. When Japan made a similar promise last week, administration officials asserted that this would mean hundreds of billions flowing into rebuilding U.S. industry. Japanese officials, however, say that the money will consist almost entirely of loans and loan guarantees. This strongly suggests that Japan will, if it does anything at all, simply be sticking Trump’s name on money flows that would have happened anyway. There’s every reason to suspect that the same will be true of whatever the EU does.
And like the Japan deal, this deal seems to place lower tariffs on cars made in Europe, which have very little U.S. content, than on cars made in Canada, which contain many American parts. Add in the punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum, and Trump’s trade policy seems, if anything, to be tilting the playing field against U.S. manufacturing.
Here’s Semafor this morning with the reminder that what Trump is doing is both an economic and geopolitical disaster for the United States. Their story is called “EU’s ‘Humiliation Day’ Deal” -
The European Union’s trade deal with the US was met with frustration and resignation rather than celebration within the bloc. Germany’s chancellor said it would “substantially damage” the finances of the EU’s biggest economy, and France’s prime minister called it a “submission,” with even those who supported the deal doing so in lukewarm fashion: Spain’s prime minister said he backed it “without any enthusiasm,” and the leader of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s party called it “damage control.” La Matinale, a Europe-focused newsletter, referenced Washington’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in calling the deal “the European Union’s Humiliation Day.” Still, the agreement was better than those threatened duties, resulting in Goldman Sachs upgrading its forecasts for the EU’s economic growth.
Here’s a reminder of why Democrats should be screaming from the rooftops right now about how Trump is raising prices on everything, on purpose, illegally, unconstitutionally, this week:
Enjoy My New Interview With Josh Riley (NY-19) - Yesterday afternoon I caught up with one of our 2024 candidates, now Congressman Josh Riley from NY-19. It’s a wonderful discussion about this terrible moment, as Josh talks to us honestly and forthrightly about how he’s navigating the Trump wrecking ball in one of the most competitive seats in the country. Get to the interview when you can and for the New Yorkers here delight in getting to know an exciting and capable emerging leader in a state desperately in need of many more of them.
Two things to look for - our discussion about Dems needing to run on a big reform, anti-corruption agenda; and the importance of showing up and being there for communities desperately looking for people to fight for them.
Rep. Riley is one of our Hopium House 7, those 7 newly elected Dems in battleground districts we supported in 2024 who are once again supporting this election. The first step in winning back the House is to make sure those who are in the toughest districts return, and that is what our Hopium House 7 campaign is all about. Meet our 7 candidates here. Use this link to donate to all 7 in one donation, or we now have the ability for you to support each candidate individually. We’ve raised $172,000 so far towards our $250,000 year end goal. Thank you all!
now……
Let’s Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here at Hopium we like to do. Here we are proud, plucky, patriots but we are also put your head down, grind it out, get shit done doers. Trump and Republicans have stumbled, and given us a big opportunity now to tell our story and win back power. While are there so many things people can do to advance our cause I am partial to two sets of activities - supporting our candidates and party committees, and calling/contacting elected officials every day. So what follows is our recommendations to make sure your time and money are being put to the highest and best use in this time of national emergency……
Support Hopium’s Priority Candidates And Party Committees - We are up to almost a million dollars raised for our priority campaigns and committees this year my friends, thank you all. Our new fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025. Some of the goals are a bit more ambitious. I think if we put our heads down and keep working it we can meet these new, ambitious goals, together.
A reminder that Election Day, 2025 a little more than three months away and early voting starts in Virginia in less than two months - September 19th! Donate, volunteer, learn more about our candidates and opportunities here. I consider all these options must dos for anyone serious about winning this year and next…..
Mikie Sherrill NJ Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $44k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Rep. Sherrill
Abigail Spanberger VA Gov (2025) - $250,000 goal, $158k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch my interview with Abigail Spanberger
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $25,000 Labor Day goal, $250,000 goal, $10,000 raised- Donate | Learn More | Volunteer
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $250,000 goal, $42k raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer
Hopium House 7 (2026) - $250,000 goal, $172k raised - Donate | Learn More, Volunteer, Watch My Interviews With Our Great Members
The New DNC - $200,000 goal $123,000 raised - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Watch My Interviews With Ken Martin and Jane Kleeb
Our Recommended Actions - We are prioritizing three actions today. You can get our full list of recommended actions here. Let’s get to it:
1 - Call your Senators and Rep To Demand They Revoke Trump’s Terrible Tariffs - Congress simply must take back its tariff authority that Trump has illegally and unconstitutional seized and dangerously abused; and at the very least they must stop what will be Trump’s ruinous new tariff increases slated to start on August 1st. Trump’s economic plan has failed, and we need to find a better way forward.
2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Remarkably, members of this community are now advancing 50 resolutions projects in 20 states. Can we get to all 50 states by the fall election?
Our newly updated Resolutions page includes a new chat for folks to report in on their progress or seek counsel from those interested in launching a resolutions project in their community. This is one way to fight back against Trump’s unprecedented abandonment of our Constitutional order.
3 - Grow Hopium And This Wonderful Community Of Proud, Plucky, Patriots - We’ve set a goal of trying to grow the Hopium community from the 152,000 we are now to 175,000 by Election Day, 2025. Do what you can to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to become a summer subscriber to Hopium, free or paid. If each current paid subscriber brings in just one new subscriber this summer we will hit our goal.
To encourage the growth of our community annual paid subscriptions are 10% off through Labor Day. Use that link to buy gift or group subscriptions, and join our new referral rewards program too.
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Been impressive to see how many of you remain involved in local, in person protests of all kinds in your communities. Keep it up!!!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you, and a fight it truly is - Simon
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