Oh GOD, where's Niala? She was just in Austin at #TribFest26 doing her podcast "Oh God Now What" with very interesting faith-focused types. But TUESDAY, she's in DC working with yours truly as a 'fireside chatter' conducting Washington's best discussions on all things economic at @Widehall1769's AMERICAN GROWTH SUMMIT -- with partners Citi, NVIDIA, Coinbase, Siemens, STATT & Tychos. Come join us. Check out everything here -- and register. ags26.splashthat.com/1 See you at 8:15 am (come earlier than we tell you to). all best, Steve the OTHER fireside chatter

On @TeamPelosi, @mtgreenee says “well she threw me off my committee. She was a big villain in MAGA LAND…. But she wore high heels, she walked around with a pad and whipped her caucus. She got so much done. It made me so mad then. But damn, Nancy Pelosi got shit done.” #tribfest26

Terrorism impresario @peterbergencnn has written a truly brilliant chronicle of 25 years of the global war on terror, which has changed the sense of identity, the psychology, the standing of Americans in so many ways. The good news is that aggregate members of America’s military and national security leadership, the strategic class of the United States, essentially have blocked any other major 9/11 like attacks on the United States. The really bad news is that the ongoing repercussions of American decisions to invade Iraq, engage in forever wars, and to twist the first justifiable military actions against bin Laden and Afghanistan into a set of other wars and actions that had nothing at all to do with the original outrageous assault of 9/11, have cost more than $7 trillion and damaged American stature and standing in the world, with ongoing generational consequence. Here is a review in the New York Times. But I’ve read the book and it’s a stressfully necessary read for these times. nytimes.com/2026/09/05/books…

Gulf leaders had hoped economic activity would bounce back after the summer. Instead they "expect the rest of the year will be a washout": - passenger traffic at Dubai airport was down 31% in the first half of 2026, and hotel occupancy fell 24 points - big events are being cancelled or moved: the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place in Malaysia; Saudi Arabia shifted an e-sports tournament to Paris - residential property sales fell 31% in Dubai (and 59% for luxury properties) - Asian countries, such as Singapore, are trying to attract firms that might want to leave the Gulf wsj.com/world/middle-east/th…

@POLITICO_AUS is now live Check out the first ever Canberra Playbook here, where we explain How Keating Coached Albo on China and Trump, and much more! politico.com/newsletters/can…

RIP @Glen_Hansard. You made the world a much more pleasant place. One of my favorite conversations had with you - and then turned out you were a famous guy. To remind you all of one small but important slice of Glen's contributions, listen.... piped.video/watch?v=k8mtXwta…

Overheard at the 2026 #AspenSecurity Forum: @SCClemons, Editor at Large @TheNatlInterest: “[Rwanda’s] other partners are out there as well. So which do you like better: the United States partnership or the Russia partnership?” Rwandan Minister of Interior @VBiruta: “We need all of them.” @SCClemons: “You’re hedging your bets.”

Asked a question of @USTradeRep @jamiesongreer at @AspenSecurity in a session he did with @anjamanuel1 #AspenSecurity

Heard at the 2026 #AspenSecurity Forum @SCClemons: “Isn't it a problem for you when non-economic types are either rewarding or punishing other nations for things that have nothing to do with the underlying economic realities, but are completely political?” @USTradeRep: "We want economic policy to focus on the economics. At the same time, it is getting more and more difficult to divorce the economics from where countries actually sit vis-à-vis the United States.”

General Eisenhower wept in 1952 while discussing soldiers who had died under his command:

Obituary of John Adams, who died on July 4, 1826.

Our Flag Was Still There:

Want to dive deeper? Don't miss tomorrow's event in #WashingtonDC for a discussion of the report's findings and recommendations with experts from @AtalantaTech, @TheNatlInterest, and more. #SoftwareSecurity #Cybersecurity

Patients First 🏆 Thank you @SCClemons and @Widehall1769 for bringing healthcare leaders and innovators together for the Bold Bets Healthcare Summit. We had a great conversation on patient-first priorities, drug pricing, domestic manufacturing, insurance accountability, and health innovation. piped.video/watch?v=3ph5_rnR…

I am devastated to learn that my friend @JoshuaBaer was tragically killed in the Laredo plane crash that happened yesterday. For someone with such a "disruptive mind" able to imagine immediate opportunities where most saw none to be so quickly taken from us, this is such a hard blow to the tech entrepreneur communities in Austin and DC, and to me personally. My sincere condolences to his family, to those he partnered with in his investments, to his colleagues and friends at @StationDC_HQ and @CapitalFactory. RIP Joshua. apnews.com/article/texas-pla…

Looking forward to this @TheSoufanCenter

National Interest Editor at Large @SCClemons discusses the Iran War & Trump Administration foreign policy Watch here: tinyurl.com/3bwh6ps3

What better way to start the week? I'll be hosting @cspanwj tomorrow from 7-10am ET. Join us on @cspan and call in! I'll be joined by @rachel_schilke, @joeygarrison, and @SCClemons.

OK friends, tomorrow evening - June 7, Sunday 5pm at @PoliticsProse (5015 Connecticut Ave NW, DC) you should just put off whatever you have planned and come listen to the immensely gifted writer/story teller David Baerwald whom I get to interview. I'm going to be honest. David's new book, The Fire Agent, which has received rave reviews in the The New York Times and more is opening up doors that were mysterious for me about his father, Hans Baerwald, who had more impact on my life and career than just about anyone else. David's book tells the story of his erudite, resilient, pragmatic spy of his grandfather and those around him - spanning two cataclysmic wars, multiple cultures, profound love, greed, espionage, and ethics amidst dark forces. This is going to be a powerful discussion for David and me I think - and I hope you will join us. #Japan #Germany #Italy #Love #War politics-prose.com/david-bae…