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The ultraconservative congressman who has broken with the president on spending is hoping voters reward his experience, contrarian streak and all.
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From South Dakota to Alaska, independents are challenging incumbent Republicans and eschewing a Democratic label that Western voters find toxic.
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Progressive California state lawmaker Aisha Wahab made history last week in a special election that will make her the first Afghan American in Congress. Wahab overcame a flood of attack ads from pro-Israel groups to beat her Democratic rival, Melissa Hernandez, in a race to replace disgraced Congressmember Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Wahab tells Democracy Now! she appreciates voters in her district for "seeing through" the "lies that were spread by AIPAC," referring to the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee. She also discusses her history of fighting caste discrimination in California and calls on the United States to engage with the Taliban government of Afghanistan as part of an effort of "steering them in the right direction" on human rights.
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The U.S.-Canada trade war is deepening after talks collapsed without a deal on Friday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused the Trump administration of issuing demands that would compromise Canada's sovereignty and undermine key industries. On Saturday, the United States slapped 50% tariffs on around $20 billion worth of imports from Canada, and Carney announced retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. products set to go into effect on September 8.
"Canadians are sick of this," says Avi Lewis, leader of Canada's progressive New Democratic Party. He says that while the Liberal government has correctly identified voters' anger, its policies still favor international investors and the fossil fuel industry rather than truly "Trump-proofing" the economy.
We also speak with trade expert Lori Wallach, who says the U.S.-Canada trade war is pitting Trump's vision of "oligarchic trade grift" against a dead neoliberal consensus represented by Carney. The two countries have balanced trade, and Wallach says the United States is being far more lenient with China despite Beijing's much more serious threat to the U.S. and wider global economy through its "beggar-thy-neighbor" policies.
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With an unpopular war and high prices agitating voters, members of both parties see parallels to an election cycle when Democrats romped. But a lot has changed.
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