Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in better times
A few months ago, we noted that Democrats are running on “affordability” for the 2026 midterm elections. That choice looks smarter by the week. But affordability is only part of the story, because the same Republican recklessness driving prices higher also demonstrates an administration that keeps breaking the law and breaking things.
First, Donald Trump‘s global tariffs have raised costs on everyday goods from food to cars to washing machines. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that Trump had no legal authority to impose the tariffs. Yet Trump just slapped new 50% tariffs on Canada because of smoke from that country’s fires. Moreover, the tariffs were never really “reciprocal” as Trump claimed. Rather than matching the actual tariffs other countries charge on American goods, Trump falsely used a formula based on the U.S. trade deficit with each country. It’s a tax hike on Americans built on phony numbers, that was also illegal.
Trump’s Iran War follows a similar path. The war has pushed the national average price for Regular gasoline back above $4 a gallon, with diesel climbing past $5, as fighting disrupts shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Grocery bills are similarly affected, including sky-high prices on beef and other items, as analysts point to the same geopolitical chaos hitting fuel supplies.
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Tour de France bicycle race
Every year for over 100 years, the Tour de France bicycle race has been beset by drama: crashes, controversies, protests, and even cows blocking the road. But this year, after the first 10 stages of racing, arguably the biggest story of the 2026 Tour de France is the extreme heat. Racing under “the most severe heatwave ever recorded in Europe”, racers are suffering through air temperatures routinely exceeding 100 degrees, and even higher road surface temperatures.
Officials have classified entire stages under the race’s highest danger designation (“red zone”), meant to flag conditions dangerous enough to threaten riders’ health. Organizers already trimmed 30 kilometers off stage 9 after forecasters warned of afternoon peaks above 106°F, and wildfires burning across southern France forced Tour officials to ask fans to skip stage 3 entirely so firefighters could focus on the blazes instead of crowd control. Riders are drinking approximately 20 water bottles each in a single stage, turning the race into a test of hydration and a strategy of storing, grabbing and distributing water and ice from team cars and workers on the side of the road as much as deciding when and how to vie for the lead.
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