Jonathan Lemire

NEW: The White House believes its economic pressure campaign on Iran is working But it is moving too slowly for President Trump’s liking. And with a push from Netanyahu, Trump is considering military strikes again - and maybe soon www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

@jonlemire.bsky.social looks ahead to the G20 summit, which is set to meet in December at President Donald Trump's golf course in Doral, Florida. It'll mark Russian President Vladimir Putin's first major summit since his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

NEW: As Ukraine braces for winter, three events may determine its future: the U.S. elections and a pair of summits Kyiv fears it may not get a seat at the table - as Trump cozies up to Putin Previewing a vital - potentially devastating - two months www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

With just weeks to go before the November midterm elections, President Donald Trump is drawing backlash from both Republicans and Democrats alike over an agreement to import Russian diesel.

NEW: A U.S. president siding with the Kremlin is quite an October surprise But in just the past few days, Trump appears to have fully turned against Ukraine Inside the moves that have left Kyiv despairing ahead of a dark winter: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

On Thursday, the Pentagon said it will livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army officer convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and injured 32 others. @jonlemire.bsky.social reacts to the news, asking: "Is this what we really want to be?"

Once Republican strongholds including Kansas, Alaska and North Carolina are now in play for Democratic Senate candidates ahead of next month's midterm elections. Morning Joe's @jonlemire.bsky.social breaks down the surprising key races to watch.

Donald Trump is considering striking Iran before the midterms, hoping to show progress in the war and lower gas prices, @nancyayoussef.bsky.social and @jonlemire.bsky.social report. theatln.tc/wXudi2nc

NEW - EXCLU - Trump has considered reigniting the war against Iran after the midterms But now the White House told the Pentagon to draw up plans for a strike *before* Election Day Trump allies hope it could provide GOP with a boost. No final call yet www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Inside a flailing presidency A real theme this year: Many of Trump’s actions—quite a few impetuous and ill-considered—have only hurt him and his fellow Republicans ahead of the midterms Now the bottom may be falling out - with fears of a blue wave www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: President Trump is now far smaller on the world stage He was riding high after the Venezuela raid but is stuck in Iran. He’s alienated allies. His UN appearance seemed to accomplish little And he is showing surprising deference to China’s Xi www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: The public had already soured on AI even before industry leaders warned about, gulp, human extinction Alarm bells went off and Washington seemed ready to act. Except for President Trump Inside Trump’s rabid, seemingly out-of-touch defense of AI: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: The Trump administration is publicly saying the Iran war is nearly over and all but won But behind the scenes, including in the positioning of the Navy, it is quietly preparing for a long conflict -- one that could escalate again after the midterms www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: I wrote about September 11, 2001 So much has changed in New York since the day I experienced there 25 years ago And so much for our nation has been lost www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: A desperate White House has settled on an economic pressure campaign against Iran It may work - and have the added benefit of pushing the unpopular conflict out of the headlines ahead of the midterms But it may be slow. And prices would remain high www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: You are reading this story only because the White House didn’t want you to Ossoff’s line about Trump’s close aide enraged the West Wing. But its efforts to silence the story inadvertently took it from the shadows to the mainstream Meet Natalie Harp: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Every time Trump touts a breakthrough in talks, Tehran seems to delight in changing its terms and yanking away a possible deal. It’s like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, except this time, the pigskin is the Strait of Hormuz” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Nothing has worked for Trump in Iran. So now he’ll try….nothing The White House’s new push won’t be threats or talks but rather economic pressure that, over time, may force Tehran to buckle But Trump is not known for patience. And the GOP is worried www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Even when troops see Iranian missiles approaching, they are forced to decide in a matter of seconds whether to expend a limited number of interceptors or hope for the best, the defense officials told us” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: The United States is running out of missiles The Pentagon is worried about protecting assets in the Middle East and around the world. Trump lashed out at officials about the depletion And the shortage may force the U.S. to settle for a bad Iran deal www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Trump reacted in fury, posting that the Iranian regime was ‘unbelievably duplicitous,’ when decades of history would suggest that Tehran was, in fact, very knowably duplicitous” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Donald Trump has recently shown a newfound ability to be embarrassed—and is willing to use the levers of government to menace those he blames for his humiliation, @jonlemire.bsky.social argues:

NEW: President Trump suffered a pair of embarrassments when he got bad headlines over the botched Reflecting Pool and new Air Force One And in both cases, an angry Trump lashed out - and his government took extraordinary steps to punish those he blamed www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Zelensky needs help from Elon Musk to get through the coming winter—but that agreement may hinge on Donald Trump’s willingness to make the call to his billionaire friend, officials tell Simon Shuster, Missy Ryan, and @jonlemire.bsky.social. theatln.tc/U8o0VgOB

NEW - EXCLUSIVE: Zelensky’s plan for Ukraine to survive winter involves Starlink access in Russia so drones can hit key targets there Elon Musk hasn’t agreed. This week, Zelensky asked Trump to intervene Trump was noncommittal. And the plan is in doubt www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Trump’s grievances were met mostly with silence. Some of the president’s allies have begun to privately wonder how he might handle a new, reduced status. No one suspects that he’ll take it well” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

@jonlemire.bsky.social talks about the latest national political news, including on Trump, Netanyahu, Zelensky and the midterms. Listen: wnyc.org/browse/shows...

NEW: President Trump has finally crashed into the limits of his power He can’t escape the Iran war. Republicans have begun to defy him And as the midterms approach, he will soon face his worst fear: His coming irrelevance www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Mullin picked up the nickname “Kung Fu Plumber” in influential MAGA text chains (He owns a plumbing-and-HVAC business and is a former mixed-martial-arts fighter) Key voices in Trump’s orbit attacked Mullin as “soft” and an “appeaser” of ICE opponents www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Inside Trump’s reversal on ICE traffic stops The president received an onslaught of pressure from MAGA base and did not want to appear weak And there is scrutiny on Secretary Mullin, who the West Wing says ordered the pause without telling Trump www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Lindsey Graham’s sudden death rattled both ends of Pennsylvania Ave He and Trump had a tumultuous relationship but had grown close - and Graham’s passing leaves the White House without a reliable Senate ally, upending the months ahead www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Some halftime reading! The America 250 celebration did not unify the nation: too political, too Trumpy But there’s a surprising source of patriotism: the World Cup - and how the rest of the globe fell in love with America again (Now get a goal!) www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Trump continued to waffle as to what could be next—even suggesting a new bombing campaign if Iran does not comply, a threat that few take seriously. His attempts at unpredictably were quite predictable, and Iran has proved itself to be anything but cowed” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: The Meltdown Blowing up a bill signing. A shouting match with a GOP senator. A sparely attended rally. Iran tensions. NATO broadsides. And - oh, yes - that green reflecting pool One day that captures how Trump has gone from unpredictable to chaotic: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Trump’s evolution into a lame duck is accelerating, and the world will soon focus on the 2028 contenders hoping to replace him “World leaders, once cowed, have begun to defy him. Trump’s defeat in Iran, and the way he lost, may hasten his irrelevance” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Trump’s own anger masks a desperate desire to find an off-ramp from a conflict that did not go the way he had planned, an outcome that has threatened to leave the United States—and Trump—reduced in the eyes of the world” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: President Trump lost. The war he waged against Iran promises to conclude this week in a humbling whimper And the United States is now left weaker—diminished militarily, strategically, economically, and perhaps morally www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Why, you might sensibly ask, is a soccer organization giving out such awards? Trump didn’t seem to care, beaming as he wore the new medal —and further celebrated peace by commissioning a military operation in Venezuela, and then launching a war on Iran” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: The World Cup of Ugh What was supposed to be a joyful American summer is clouded with angst and dread. High ticket prices. Slumping demand. Travel bans. ICE agents. A war. And so much Trump Can it be saved? www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Forget the Forever Wars. We May Be in Forever Limbo An Iran deal has remained out of reach, despite repeated claims that it was all but done. Violence has again threatened the ceasefire. Trump is eager for a deal - but also desperate to save face www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Trump purged Cornyn, Cassidy and Tillis from the GOP Senate Republicans in the upper chamber are furious. Their majority is in jeopardy And they are finding ways to quietly push back - looking to slow down Trump’s ballroom, January 6 slush fund & more www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: President Trump has ousted dissenters from the Republican Party And may have accelerated his transformation into a lame duck Trump’s purge jeopardizes GOP control of the Senate - and may have unwittingly derailed his own agenda well before November www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Trump has long been the master of asserting his own reality; he simply declares something a win, and his faithful supporters - and some in the conservative media - follow along “That approach is about to be tested anew by Iran” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Trump’s instinct is always to go bigger, dressing up a setback with claims of larger deals on the horizon He latched on to the long-shot idea to expand the Abraham Accords to create the sense of a grand bargain But that outcome appears extremely unlikely www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: The Iran peace deal was close. Again. And then didn’t happen. Again. President Trump has grown deeply frustrated with his inability to get Iran to fully capitulate and angry at those who have said the persistent stalemate has left him looking weak www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Never known for his ability to self-censor, Trump seems to have completely abandoned any sort of filter, tossing out messages from one extreme (He’s glad that Robert Mueller is dead!) to the other (actually, Trump is Jesus and shall heal the sick)” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“But as Trump turns 80 next month, his recent behavior should prompt even more questions than usual about his stability, judgment, and mental sharpness” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Trump sits more for events now and sometimes, while in that chair, his eyes … begin … to … close. Trump’s aides have strenuously denied this. One recent retort: “He was blinking, you absolute moron” If true, this blink lasted for at least 10 seconds www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: The Newest Oldest President Donald Trump has not faced the same scrutiny for his age as Joe Biden did. For now. But as Trump is poised to turn 80 next month, questions about his health and increasingly erratic behavior are growing www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

How do you end a war when your opponent won’t budge? While Trump grasps for an exit, Iran seems hell-bent on pulling off something it’s historically done well: Humiliating an American president www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...