Principals

1. Shutdown odds low (for now)
2. GOP Afghanistan report
3. Senators’ Asia trip
4. Mystery anti-Harris influencers
5. Voters’ cloudy Harris impression
6. Mark Cuban courts Harris camp
7. APCO turmoil

PDB: What happened to China’s disappeared foreign minister

Presidential debate eve … WSJ: Why Biden and Trump are eyeing a sovereign-wealth fund … Politico: Govt funding fight could determine Johnson’s future

Congress returns to a funding fight with little appetite for a shutdown

Congress returns to session today, and while it’s not clear how members will fund the government past Sept. 30, there’s little sign of an imminent shutdown. Neither party wants one before the election, and even this dysfunctional session hasn’t featured one yet. True, the House is charging toward a six-month funding patch paired with a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voting, an idea very few Democrats support — and one that Democratic leaders rejected over the weekend. Despite that early sign of turbulence, both parties say things will even out eventually. “The only form of governing less responsible than a continuing resolution is a shutdown,” Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told us on Capitol Hill. “I don’t think there’s going to be a shutdown,” added Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Fox News Sunday. Still, House Republicans are eager to take as hard of a line as they can, at least at this early stage in the dance.

— Burgess Everett

Republicans accuse Biden admin of misleading public on Afghanistan

House Republicans released a long-awaited report today accusing the Biden administration of “willful blindness” in the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan and that it “misled and, in some instances, directly lied” to the American public. The report includes only brief criticism of the Trump administration for setting the withdrawal in motion, chiding former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for leaving the Afghan government out of negotiations with the Taliban. Committee Democrats released their own report that more squarely blames the Trump administration and calls the GOP report “partisan.” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller accused committee Republicans of “relying on false information and presenting inaccurate narratives meant only to harm the Administration.” The report comes just ahead of the presidential debate, though House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul said on CBS his investigation would continue “well after the election.”

— Morgan Chalfant

Senators hear concerns about foreign investment on Asia trip

South Korean business executives want Congress to know they’re fans of the Inflation Reduction Act. “They are hoping for continuity,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who met with them during a bipartisan trip to Asia, told Semafor. “As a result of the IRA incentives, several South Korean companies have invested literally tens of billions of dollars in the United States and have created tens of thousands of jobs.” The future of the bill depends in part on the presidential race. The senators met with Hyundai, Samsung, LG, and SK Group, and with officials in Seoul and Tokyo. Coons said officials also expressed “some concern” about the scrutiny of Nippon Steel’s proposed takeover of US Steel and what it means for foreign investment. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Trump’s former ambassador to Japan, also took part in the trip. “It was a genuinely bipartisan trip where, despite the tensions of an active campaign season here, we managed to convey a common and constructive message,” Coons said.

— Morgan Chalfant

Mysterious influencer network pushed sexual smears of Harris

The organizers of a mysterious network paid influencers to promote sexual smears of Kamala Harris as Democrats rallied around her to be their presidential candidate, Semafor reported. The network began with typical Republican talking points, but it was unique in one way, a person who participated in its video calls said: None of the participants identified themselves by name, and all joined calls with their cameras off to preserve their anonymity. Semafor did identify one person on one of the calls: former New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who spoke up to object to the suggested messaging.

Harris needs to fill in the blanks for voters

One takeaway from the New York Times/Siena poll that ruined Democrats’ weekend: Voters are still getting to know Kamala Harris. The national survey, which found her and Trump effectively tied, also found 28% of likely voters said they felt like they needed to learn more about her. Those numbers were significantly higher among Black (41%), Hispanic (43%), and under-30 voters (53%) — all groups Democrats have struggled with this cycle. I listened to two focus groups with anti-Trump strategist Sarah Longwell last week featuring Trump-leaning and undecided Black and Hispanic voters — and a sense of uncertainty about Harris’ plans was a major theme (you can hear some of the clips in a podcast we recorded). Harris and Tim Walz have started doing more interviews, but the debate tomorrow may be the best chance to give voters a clearer impression.

— Benjy Sarlin

Mark Cuban is Kamala Harris’ on-call billionaire

Investor Mark Cuban says he speaks to Kamala Harris’ campaign “three or four times” a week about fiscal policy, even as he lobbies against her bid to tax the unrealized gains of billionaires like himself. Just don’t call him an adviser. “I don’t have a title of any sort,” Cuban told Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig in an email. Cuban has emerged as a loud albeit unexpected supporter of Harris, who he calls a “pro-business” candidate. “The challenge they face is they have too many economists that look at problems academically rather than operationally. I just try to give my honest thoughts.” Cuban said. Cuban even claimed on CNBC that he pitched himself as a potential Harris pick for the SEC, which prosecuted him for alleged insider trading more than a decade ago. But despite his positive comments about Harris, don’t expect Cuban to change his practice of not donating to candidates. “No reason to change it,” he told Semafor.

Consulting giant APCO’s Israel ties spark internal strife

Disruptive London protests against global advisory firm APCO have spilled over into the company’s internal conversations, with employees in its Gulf offices pressing managers over the American firm’s dealings with an Israeli defense contractor, Semafor reports. The situation boiled over last week, as pro-Palestinian activists targeted the firm’s London offices to protest its lobbying on behalf of Elbit Systems, one of Israel’s biggest weapons firms that supplies ammunition to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. APCO senior executives pledged to share details with their staff, but canceled a meeting planned for late last week. One employee described the company’s response as too slow, as staff worry about the repercussions to their business or have personal qualms about work in support of Israel’s Gaza war.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: During the August recess, House Speaker Mike Johnson raised more than $4 million for lawmakers and candidates in swing districts; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise raised $4 million; House Majority Whip Tom Emmer raised $2.5 million; House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik raised $4 million; and NRCC Chair Richard Hudson raised more than $1.2 million.

Playbook: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries plan to attend a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony that Johnson is hosting tomorrow to honor the service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport attack during the US Afghanistan withdrawal.

WaPo: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are pressing its chair, James Comer, to hold a hearing on gun violence in the wake of the deadly high school shooting in Georgia last week.

Axios: Election day must be close because everyone is melting down about the polls. “So when your friends ask who’ll win in November … admit it: You’re clueless, too.”

White House

• President Biden will deliver a speech this evening to recognize the Americans with Disabilities Act during Disability Pride Month.
• Kamala Harris said she is “ready” for Tuesday night’s debate.
• The Biden administration finalized a rule that will require insurance companies to cover mental health care on the same terms as physical health care.

Congress

The House returns today and lawmakers will vote on a handful of China-related bills. The Senate will hold a procedural vote on a judicial nominee this evening.

Outside the Beltway

• The mother of the suspected gunman who opened fire at a Georgia high school last week called the school that morning to warn a counselor about an emergency regarding her son. — WaPo
• Former New Hampshire first lady Nancy Sununu passed away.

Economy

• Kamala Harris’ campaign website rolled out a new policy/issues page that features a proposal to end below-minimum wages for tipped workers and employees with disabilities.
• China’s inflation rate rose less than forecast, intensifying fears of deflation in the world’s second-largest economy.

Business

• Boeing and its largest union reached a new four-year labor deal.
• Norfolk Southern’s board is investigating allegations its CEO carried on an inappropriate relationship at work. — CNBC
• Leonard Leo is setting his sights on corporate America and US media as he begins a new $1 billion effort to “crush liberal dominance.” — FT

Courts

New York Judge Juan Merchan delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush-money case until after the election.

Polls

• A poll of swing state voters from Blueprint, the Reid Hoffman-backed centrist Democratic firm, found a somewhat rosier picture for Kamala Harris than The New York Times. The survey didn’t poll the head-to-head contest, but found Harris has a good opening to make her pitch to independents: She’s at -1 net favorability with them, versus -30 for Donald Trump, with the two battling over who’s seen as the bigger “change” candidate and who would be better at tackling inflation.
• CBS News polled likely voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania and found all three states were toss-ups.

On the Trail

• Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will campaign in battleground states after Tuesday’s debate.
• Donald Trump is preparing more for the debate than he has indicated publicly, with help coming from Florida Republican Matt Gaetz and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. — ABC News
• Trump vowed to impose 100% tariffs on goods from countries that shift away from the US dollar.
• Trump threatened to jail his political adversaries.
• Nikki Haley said she’s “on standby” to campaign for Trump.
• Dick Cheney endorsed Harris.
• Battleground New York, the Democratic super PAC focused on flipping the four New York House seats that President Biden won in 2020 but are now occupied by Republicans, says in a memo first shared with Semafor that it and Battleground New York Action have raised a combined $10.6 million as of Sept. 6 — exceeding the $10 million fundraising goal the group set last year. The organization has also collected voter registration cards from 15,136 voters in the 4th, 17th, and 22nd congressional districts.

Foreign Policy

• Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo González fled to Spain.
• Russian forces said they took over a town in eastern Ukraine.
• Israel shut down its border with Jordan, after at least three Israelis were killed in a shooting at a crossing point in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
• Typhoon Yagi killed dozens in northern Vietnam, China’s southern Hainan province, and the Philippines before being downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday.
• Qin Gang, the former Chinese ambassador to the US who briefly served as China’s foreign minister before abruptly disappearing from public view, has been significantly demoted to a job at a publishing house. — WaPo
• Red tape, weak innovation, and high energy prices are cutting the European Union’s competitiveness, a report by a former European Central Bank chief found. Hugely increased levels of paperwork, such as from the 2019 “Green Deal” climate law are particularly hitting small businesses. — FT

Technology

• Apple will unveil its new iPhone lineup today.
• Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI has discussed a possible deal in which it would receive some Tesla revenue for providing the EV maker with access to its resources in technology. — WSJ

Media

DirecTV filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission accusing Disney of negotiating in bad faith and anticompetitive behavior in their carriage dispute that saw the entertainment giant remove its company-owned ABC stations, ESPN, and namesake channels from the satellite operator on Sept. 1.

Big Read

The crypto industry is at odds internally on how to influence the presidential and congressional elections, POLITICO says. Democratic crypto lobbyists, executives and investors are concerned that the industry may be leaning too far to the right as leaders come for Donald Trump because of his pro-crypto policies. Meanwhile, Republican counterparts argue that engaging with Kamala Harris and backing down-ballot Democrats risks alienating long-time GOP allies with slim to no guarantee of a payoff. Since the Fairshake crypto super PAC said last month it would spend millions to defeat Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, “it’s been a mess,” one congressional aide said. “Democrats are mad, Republicans are mad, everyone’s mad.”

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: New York City is reportedly offering one-time grants of up to $4,000 to migrant families to find their own housing.

What the Right isn’t reading: Nikki Haley called JD Vance’s comments about women “not helpful.”

Principals Team

Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Elana Schor, Morgan Chalfant

Reporters: Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Sara Jacobs is a Democratic congresswoman from California.

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