Today in one sentence: Trump’s economic proposals would increase the national debt by $5.8 trillion over 10 years; the Supreme Court refused to temporarily lift a nationwide injunction blocking the Biden administration’s federal student loan repayment plan; two members of Trump's campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation with a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery where Trump was staging a campaign stunt; Trump is selling a collection of digital trading cards for $99 each; JD Vance once accused teachers without children of "trying to brainwash the minds of our children"; and an environmental group called on federal authorities to investigate the co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team.

1/ Trump’s economic proposals would increase the national debt by $5.8 trillion over 10 years – almost five times more than Kamala Harris’ policy plans, which would add $1.2 trillion. According to nonpartisan estimates, Trump’s plan to permanently extend the 2017 tax cuts, eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, and reduce the corporate income tax rate, would add a net $5.8 trillion deficits over the next 10 years. The Harris analysis, meanwhile, showed that her plan to expand the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, extend enhanced premium tax credits, provide support to first-time homebuyers, and raise the corporate tax income rate to 28% would cost $1.2 trillion over 10 years. The Harris campaign called Trump’s agenda “an inflation and deficit bomb,” while the Trump campaign blaming her for a “Biden-Harris inflation tax.” (CNBC / Axios / NBC News / The Hill)

2/ The Supreme Court refused to temporarily lift a nationwide injunction blocking the Biden administration’s federal student loan repayment plan. In an unsigned order, the court said it “expects” the appeals court handling the case to “render its decision with appropriate dispatch.” More than 8 million people are enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education program, which offers lower monthly payments and a faster path to loan cancellation. (Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / New York Times)

3/ Two members of Trump’s campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation with a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery where Trump was staging a campaign stunt. Trump, who once disparaged members of the U.S. military who had been captured or killed as “losers” and “suckers,” participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then went to Section 60 of the cemetery, reserved for those recently killed in America’s wars abroad. Arlington officials had “reinforced and widely shared” to the Trump campaign that federal laws prohibits campaign activities by photographers “or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign” in Section 60. Nevertheless, when a cemetery official tried to prevent Trump’s campaign from taking photos and videos in Section 60, campaign staff members pushed and verbally attacked the cemetery official. The Arlington National Cemetery, meanwhile, said it “can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.” (NPR / NBC News / Axios / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)

4/ Trump is selling a collection of digital trading cards for $99 each. Supporters who buy 15 or more cards, at a cost of $1,485, will receive a physical card with a piece of the suit he wore for the presidential debate against Biden in June. Supporters who buy 75 of the “America First Collection” of non-fungible tokens, at a cost of $7,425, will get to attend a gala dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. Trump Media, meanwhile, sank to its lowest level since shares became publicly traded, falling below $20 per share. (USA Today / The Guardian / CNBC / NBC News)

5/ JD Vance once accused teachers without children of “trying to brainwash the minds of our children.” During a forum for Republican Senate candidates in Ohio hosted by the Center for Christian Virtue in 2021, Vance claimed that “so many of the leaders of the left” want “to control what our children learn.” Vance went on to criticize Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, saying she “doesn’t have a single child.” He added: “If she wants to brainwash and destroy the mind of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.” Vance previously drew criticism over other resurfaced remarks from 2021 in which he called Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Pete Buttigieg “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” (NBC News / HuffPost / Axios / Rolling Stone)

6/ An environmental group called on federal authorities to investigate the co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly used a chainsaw to cut off the head of a dead whale, bungee-corded it to the roof of his minivan, and drove it five hours across state lines roughly three decades ago when he was in his 40s. The story was shared by Kennedy’s daughter Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy in a 2012 interview with Town & Country Magazine. “Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet,” Kennedy told the magazine. “We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us.” In response to the story being recirculated, the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund wrote a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and called for the government agency to investigate whether Kennedy violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Lacey Act. (New York Times / ABC News / CNN)

✏️ Notables.

  1. ‘He’s got to pay a price’: Unaired footage reveals Nancy Pelosi’s Jan. 6 fury. “Pelosi spent the duration of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack focused on ensuring Joe Biden would be certified president as soon as possible. Then she turned her attention to Donald Trump.” (Politico)

  2. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will sit for a joint interview with CNN on Thursday at 9pm ET. (New York Times)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 📺 Aug. 29: Harris-Walz CNN interview
    ⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Sept. 4: Proposed Fox News presidential debate.
    🗳️ Sept. 6: First state begins mail voting.
    📺 Sept. 10: Confirmed ABC News presidential debate.
    🗳️ Sept. 16: First state starts early voting.
    ⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
    📺 Sept. 25: Proposed NBC News presidential debate.
    📺 Oct. 1: CBS News vice presidential debate.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Election Day.
  • ✅ Get election ready: Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote.org, RocktheVote.org, or VoteFromAbroad.org.

  • 📈 The WTFJHT Election Poll Tracking Tracker ™️

  • Harris 49% – Trump 46% (New York Times)
    Harris 47% – Trump 44% (538)
    Harris 49% – Trump 46% (Nate Silver)
    Harris 48% – Trump 45% (The Economist)
    Harris 48% – Trump 47% (RealClearPolitics)
    Harris 50% – Trump 49% (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 59 times out of 100. Trump wins 41 times out of 100. (538)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 49 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)
Four years ago today: Day 1317: "Profoundly."
Five years ago today: Day 951: Dread.
Six years ago today: Day 586: Serious situation.