On this day in 1973, President Richard Nixon oversaw the “Saturday Night Massacre,” in which Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy AG William Ruckelshaus resigned rather than fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. A moment long considered an extreme example of the abuse of presidential power, it was eclipsed the moment Donald Trump showed up.
Good morning. Andrew here, as we recap another batshit day in Trump’s second-term America. One strange development: Israel – not the U.S. Israel lobby, AIPAC, but the state of Israel – is running TV ads in a key battleground state, with just two weeks left before the midterm elections. Stranger still? You’ll have to keep reading.
In today’s ‘First Draft,’ Israel wants Iowans to see video from one very special president’s special celebrations, plus Donald Trump and JD Vance make their own extremely special contributions to the GOP’s bizarre midterms campaign. Let’s read in.
‘The Benefit Is Straightforward’
The 2026 primary season was defined, in large part, by AIPAC’s efforts to meddle in Democratic primaries – and voters’ rejection of the pro-Israel’s massive super PAC spending.
The midterm elections two weeks from today will likely be defined by the illegal, reckless war into which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped drag Donald Trump, America’s very dumb president – and the costs that war with Iran has imposed on virtually everyone in the U.S.: higher gas and fuel prices, rising inflation, declining real wages.
Now, the state of Israel – not AIPAC, to be clear – is running television ads in Iowa, a key Senate battleground state that may only be in play for Democrats thanks to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
In one TV ad, Israel specifically touts its willingness to wage war. “Israel confronts Iran and its network of proxies directly, addressing those dangers at their source,” the ad says, claiming that this helps “deter aggression” and “stop a wider conflict” – as if America isn’t currently at war with Iran.
“For Americans, the benefit is straightforward,” the ad claims.
It’s all highly unusual, though it has not attracted media attention. Upon closer inspection, things get more unusual still.