Political Wars: Outside and Inside the United States - “The Sunday Political Brunch” - August 2, 2026

There’s a saying that politics is a “hardball sport” and a game played with “sharp elbows.” We are seeing it played out that way on the battlefield and in the halls of Congress. Let’s “brunch” on that and more this week.

“Iran Update” - This past Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in person at the White House. It was the first time the two men had met since the war in Iran, which they had jointly launched. There had been some tension because of Israel launching a military attack inside Lebanon, seeking to kill Hezbollah terrorists. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the 90-minute meeting as “positive and productive.” Netanyahu posted comments on social media saying, “When I say excellent, I don’t mean it in a superficial way.” He added, “A conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.” A handful of protesters gathered outside the House, saying things such as, “Netanyahu, you’re a tyrant.”

“New Fighting Erupts” -- There continues to be a smattering of attacks by both sides, but certainly nowhere near the escalation of the U.S.-Iran war for the prior two weeks. But that all changed by Wednesday when Iran launched missiles at U.S. and Saudi forces. There had been a brief pause as the two sides tried to restart ceasefire talks, but now President Trump says he may order U.S. forces to “finish the job.” U.S. Central Command believes at least 30 elite Iranian forces were killed in the latest round of attacks. As usual, financial markets didn’t like the news as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,100 points on Wednesday, though it gained back 159 points on Thursday. The average price of a barrel of oil rose above $90, while the average price of gas in the U.S. was $4.09 per gallon.

“McConnell Update” – The health of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky, remains shrouded in mystery in Washington, DC. His staff released what it says is a recent photo of McConnell and his wife, Elaine. He was hospitalized on June 14 after a series of falls and is in a physical therapy ward, waiting for his doctors to give him medical clearance to leave. Among those displeased is Gov. Andy Beshear (D) Kentucky. He previously asked McConnell to speak to Kentuckians about his health, but he did not. Now, Beshear has written McConnell a letter that says, “I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.” The governor also sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R) South Dakota, saying, “All of this speculation and even this letter could have been avoided with a minimal amount of transparency.” Thune succeeded McConnell as the Republican leader. So far, there’s been no response from the offices of McConnell or Thune. But there has been criticism of Beshear. He may run for president in 2028, and some say this is just “grandstanding.”

“Lindsey Graham Memorial” – A memorial service was held for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) South Carolina at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Not only were U.S. leaders there, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also in attendance, a tribute to the clout Graham leveraged on the world stage. It was a bipartisan group that included Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) New York, and Sen. Chris Coons (D) Delaware. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D) Illinois, saluted Graham’s casket. Both she and Graham served in the military during the Iraq War.

“Filling Graham’s Vacant Senate Seat” – Nine Republicans have filed to run in the Senate Special Election Primary on August 11 to fill the seat of Lindsey Graham in January. Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister and his appointed replacement, is on the ballot. So too are Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman (R) South Carolina. To the surprise of many, former Rep. and Gov. Mark Sanford is in the race as well. He made controversial headlines as governor after a highly publicized affair. Despite that scandal, he completed his two terms as governor and was later elected to three more terms in the U.S. House, so he’s viable. There are five other lesser-known candidates, but with nine in the race, you could theoretically win with as little as 12 percent of the vote. To win the primary, a candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote; otherwise, the top two vote-getters face a runoff on August 25. This is going to be a two-week free-for-all!

“Fauci Takes the Fifth” – It was a contentious, two-hour hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Former longtime U.S. Chief Immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci was before the panel, to be questioned about his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 times, Fauci refused to answer questions, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. In his opening statement, Fauci said of Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R) Kentucky, “The sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars.’” Sen. Paul noted that before he left office, former President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon for Fauci, saying, “A pardon that protects a person from criminal prosecution doesn’t rewrite history. It does not erase documents. It does not convert a misleading statement to a truthful one, and it does not prevent Congress from establishing what happened.” Republicans say Fauci lied and exaggerated about elements of the COVID pandemic for years. Democrats argued his policies saved lives. Sen. Paul promises a contempt-of-Congress vote next week.

“AG Confirmation Gets a ‘Blanche?’” – The nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has hit a major pothole. The Senate Judiciary Committee was set to advance his vote on Thursday, but had to pause because it did not have enough votes. Blanche was Deputy Attorney General under Pam Bondi and, before that, was one of President Trump’s criminal defense attorneys. There remain concerns about the allegedly scraped $1.8 billion in funds to pay “reparations” to those convicted, and then pardoned in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Sen. Tom Tillis (R), North Carolina, and Sen. John Cornyn (R) Texas, have indicated they may vote against Blanche. A no vote by just one would kill the nomination. Trump successfully ran a primary candidate against Cornyn in Texas this year and won. Paybacks may be coming. Sen. Cornyn told CNN, “Maybe they think they can roll me.” When pressed if they could, Cornyn replied emphatically: “No.” I say Blanche is toast.

“Supreme Court and Mail Voting” – Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order stating that states could provide mail-in ballots only if they verified that voters were indeed U.S. citizens. Two dozen states and the District of Columbia sued, arguing that the Constitution allows states to decide how to run their own elections. A federal district court, and now a court of appeals, agreed with those states and blocked the executive order. Trump wants the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case in emergency session now, since the court is in recess until October, and by then it will be too late to affect the November election. Trump said, “And hopefully there will be no mail-in ballots.” Trump added that mail-in ballots are ‘inherently corrupt.” I’ve voted by mail several times because of health issues, and I like the flexibility. Even arch-conservative states, such as West Virginia, where Trump is extremely popular, are rejecting his efforts.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a South Florida-based political writer and analyst who has covered news and politics nationwide for the past 49 years. He is a multiple award winner, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards. Most recently, he served as the Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations, covering the Washington DC media market, West Virginia, and its five neighboring states. Curtis is a former Congressional Fellow who worked in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Over the years, he has been a contributing writer and analyst at Patch.com. His commentary and analysis can be heard every Friday at 1:45 p.m. ET on the 22-station West Virginia Metro News Radio Network. www.WVMetroNews.com.

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