Washington, DC

1. North Korea shrugs
2. Bessent’s intervention
3. Gomez inquiry latest
4. Poll drama
5. MS NOW ‘super fans’

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 48% of Republicans believe that President Trump’s businesses influence his decisions as president.

Trump pursues longshot North Korea talks

President Donald Trump’s recent overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un haven’t paid off yet. Kim’s sister said today that the US’ decision to reduce military exercises with South Korea would not change “the provocative, aggressive nature of the drills,” though she characterized relations between Kim and Trump as “excellent.” Trump said today he will meet with Kim this year; a White House official said there haven’t been in-depth talks about a meeting. Trump still wants to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons — an unrealized dream of his first term. His curtailing of US-South Korea drills “appeases yet another despotic dictator based on a misperception that a personal relationship will actually achieve US foreign policy objectives,” one analyst told The Wall Street Journal. Ongoing exercises will end six days early, on Friday, according to Seoul’s military.

— Morgan Chalfant and Shelby Talcott

Treasury looks to avoid bond crisis

The Treasury Department intervened today in an attempt to ease stress on the bond market, a sign the Trump administration is worried about the upward pressure on Treasury yields — and the accompanying rise of mortgage rates and other borrowing costs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent moved to double buybacks of the longest-dated government bonds, an announcement that sent 30-year Treasury yields sliding from a 19-year high. “This administration needs a win and maybe that comes in the form of artificially trying to keep long Treasury rates contained,” one analyst told Bloomberg; The Wall Street Journal described Bessent as “fiddling around the edges.” It’s unclear how long the dip will last. Yields are climbing due to growing government deficits, an uncertain geopolitical situation, and massive AI borrowing. Bessent’s maneuver “changes almost nothing in terms of the fundamentals,” another analyst said.

Ethics investigation into Gomez becomes more public

The House Ethics Committee’s two-day-old investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., is spilling into public view. Attorneys for one woman interviewed said in a statement today that she has told the panel she was sexually assaulted and harassed by Gomez, disputing his recent statement that his “actions were consensual in nature.” The attorneys’ statement continued: “This is just the latest example of brazen sexual misconduct by a member of Congress. Congress must act to rein in its members who seem to believe that preying on young women working on Capitol Hill is one of the perks of their job.” Gomez acknowledged in his Monday statement that “years ago, I made personal mistakes outside my marriage,” adding that his conduct did not break the law or House rules. The congressman’s office did not comment on today’s new statement.

Fake polls frighten real pollsters

Two “polls” released on social media by a company called Median Strategies were faked, a fact uncovered by a Los Angeles Times reporter before the company went dark. The bogus numbers had a small effect on the perception of the Los Angeles mayoral race — Democratic Mayor Karen Bass’ campaign briefly distributed them, as they showed her leading — but nonetheless worry pollsters already contending with criticism for missing the closeness of Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary and the defeat of Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong. “It hurts the casual observer’s perception of the polling industry that this is even a thing,” said Adam Carlson of Zenith Research. “People are more inclined to say polls that they don’t like are ‘fake.’” And yesterday, the Democratic polling firm Data for Progress had to clarify that it was not behind new Arizona data, circulated as theirs.

— David Weigel

MS NOW to launch membership program for ‘super fans’

MS NOW will launch a membership program next month in an effort to grow its digital business and reach audiences amid the broader decline of cable television, Semafor’s Max Tani scoops. On Sept. 9, the left-leaning cable news network will roll out the program, which is aimed at engaging its existing “super fans” and offering ways to reach and monetize new audiences that are not everyday cable news viewers, MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler said in a memo to staff today. The new membership, priced at $7.99 per month and $79.99 annually, will offer perks like members-only content verticals, opportunities for subscribers to interact with the network’s personalities, and community features for members to engage with each other. It’s the first in a slate of direct-to-consumer features and offerings the network plans to introduce, according to Kutler.

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White House

• Close to half of the appointees at the Treasury Department confirmed during President Trump’s second term have left. — NOTUS
• Trump plans to appear on his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen’s podcast tomorrow, a sign the two have reconciled. — MS NOW

Economy

• “Many” participants in the Fed’s July meeting said that the central bank would need to hike interest rates soon if inflation doesn’t ease, according to minutes released today.

Foreign Policy

• Iran has considered attacking US military targets in Europe if the war escalates. — FT

Immigration

• A poll shows half of Americans, including nearly a quarter of voters who cast ballots for President Trump in 2024, say the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign is too aggressive. — Politico

Technology

• AI companies still have questions about the Trump administration’s voluntary model testing framework. — The Information
• The Federal Trade Commission released a directive informing companies that undisclosed personalized pricing schemes could violate consumer protection laws. — WSJ

District of Columbia

• The board overseeing Washington’s Dulles Airport voted to approve $15.5 billion in funding for President Trump’s proposed renovations.

Courts

• The Kennedy Center told a federal court that it would not return President Trump’s name to the building before Sept. 8.
• A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s changes to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.

— President Trump, posting on Truth Social about the defeat of his chosen candidate in a Florida GOP congressional primary.

Laura McGann, editor

With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor, and Morgan Chalfant, Washington briefing editor

Graph Massara and Lauren Morganbesser, copy editors

Contact our reporters:

Burgess Everett, Eleanor Mueller, Shelby Talcott, Nicholas Wu, David Weigel