Washington, DC

1. Trump’s Iran legacy
2. Dem primary drama
3. Darline’s moment
4. New White House counsel
5. Trump’s Ohio ‘Patriot Games’
6. Next counter-China move

PDB: Vaccine order backlash

Trump holds policy meetings … Existing home sales data released … Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

Semafor’s Washington, DC briefing is now hitting your inbox earlier — before 6 am weekday mornings — because we believe we’re ready to be your first read, orienting you in this complex moment with exclusive reporting and expert analysis. Thanks for making us part of your morning, and as always, we welcome your feedback on what we can do better.

Iran conflict risks Carter comparisons

President Donald Trump and those close to him are increasingly aware that the longer the Iran war stays in the headlines, the more he risks long-term damage to his legacy. Right now the concern is near-term: Trump is stuck in a stalemate with Iran that threatens to tank Republicans’ chances in the midterms. “Let me refer you to Jimmy Carter,” as one person close to Trump put it, referencing the Iranian hostage crisis that undercut the former president in 1980. Some Trump allies are hoping that if the administration can’t end the war, it can at least lower the public’s interest. “If Iran becomes background noise instead of daily front-page news, [the] midterm impact will be much less than if there’s constant whiplash and escalation,” a person close to the White House argued. One way to prevent a Carter-like fate: lowering gas prices.

— Shelby Talcott

Democrats’ big primary day

Six states hold primaries today, with Democrats watching results from Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to get another check of their voters’ moods. The results will help determine progressives’ staying power, Semafor’s David Weigel writes. In Wisconsin, outgoing Gov. Tony Evers spent last week campaigning for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, hoping to boost him over left-wing state legislator Francesca Hong, who Evers worries might lose the November election. In Minnesota, Sen. Tina Smith has endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to succeed her; Rep. Angie Craig, who’s forged a more moderate path, has been helped by more outside PACs. There are generational challenges by younger Democrats to septuagenarians in Connecticut’s primaries, with Gov. Ned Lamont and Rep. John Larson both under pressure. And in Alabama, Republicans will pick their nominee for a district recently redrawn to be winnable for their party.

Darline Graham’s best chance

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Trump’s pick, takes on a crowded GOP primary field today in the special election to fill her late brother’s seat. And her best chance of winning the nomination and avoiding a Trump co-endorsement is a strong performance by former Rep. Mark Sanford, which could send her to a runoff against a former Trump political foe. Trump hasn’t done much for Graham after urging her to get in the race, though she’s wielded his backing at every chance. Trump’s sway in South Carolina is in doubt after he followed an endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pam Evette in the gubernatorial race with a co-endorsement of her and the clear frontrunner, state Attorney General Alan Wilson, in the runoff. A repeat isn’t out of the question as Graham faces Sanford as well as Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman today.

— Burgess Everett

WH counsel to land on House Dems’ radar?

Trump’s new White House counsel, Will Scharf, is likely to land on Democrats’ investigative radar if they flip the House this fall. As the Democratic caucus prepares for a plethora of probes, Scharf will be both the legal point man for subpoena fights and, potentially, a direct player in some Democratic inquiries. Scharf chairs the National Capital Planning Commission, a body that oversees projects like the White House ballroom and Trump’s triumphal arch — both of critical interest to Democrats. The commission also has jurisdiction over the Federal Reserve’s ongoing renovations; last year, Scharf joined Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte on a visit to the central bank during the peak of Trump’s attempts to sway its monetary policy. In Scharf’s new counsel job, he’ll contend with House Democrats who have signaled future investigations into businesses that have cultivated relationships with the administration.

— Nicholas Wu and Eleanor Mueller

What’s at stake for Trump in Ohio

Trump travels to northeast Ohio today for the first-ever “Patriot Games,” a well-timed visit to a recently red state that’s reverting back to its past purple status for this year’s midterm elections. Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy and Jon Husted are locked in tight statewide races for governor and Senate, respectively, while Democrats are bullish on flipping the Cleveland-area seat held by Rep. Max Miller — who’s staying in the race amid domestic abuse allegations. (He has passed a key deadline to be replaced on the ballot.) Democrats are also confident they can hold onto three other purple districts despite a GOP-led gerrymander. Meanwhile, the Patriot Games will see more than 100 teenagers from across the country spend three days competing for college scholarships in honor of the US’ semiquincentennial. The last event: a 270-foot obstacle course.

— Eleanor Mueller and Nicholas Wu

Senators plan China rebuke over Tibet

The Trump administration would push for the inclusion of Tibet’s exiled government in more international organizations under a new bipartisan proposal that rebukes China for its pressure campaign against the Tibetan people. The bill from Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and James Risch, R-Idaho, shared first with Semafor, would direct the Trump administration to advocate for the Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet’s government in exile, to have observer status at the United Nations and to be included in other international bodies. “Human rights and basic dignity for the people of Tibet cannot be ignored,” Merkley said. Risch said the proposal “supports the Tibetan people, key partners in pushing back against China’s authoritarianism, and counters China’s malign influence at the United Nations.”

— Morgan Chalfant

On Tuesday, September 15, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Dr. Emily Aaronson, Chief Medical Officer, Walmart; The Honorable Alex M. Azar II, 24th Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services; and Chris Butler, Vice President & Head of Drug Discovery, Isomorphic Labs, will join Semafor’s The Future of Health to unpack innovation and access of US healthcare.

From breakthrough therapies and AI-enabled care to the investments and policy decisions shaping the next generation of medicine, on-the-record conversations will explore how innovation can expand access, improve patient outcomes, and build a more affordable, effective healthcare system.

Sept. 15 | Washington, DC | Request Invite

Blindspot: Hamas and fire

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: The UK is investigating a charity over alleged links to Hamas.

What the Right isn’t reading: West Virginia’s fire commission has failed for years to prepare a plan to prevent fire-related deaths despite the state having one of the deadliest house fire rates, The Associated Press reported.

White House

• President Trump secretly jetted home last month from Türkiye on a military plane rather than his new Qatar-gifted Air Force One due to the risk of an assassination attempt by Iran. — WaPo

Congress

• Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., released the first tranche of text messages from Anthony Fauci’s former government phone, as Republicans continue to scrutinize the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief’s COVID-19-era actions.

Executive orders

• President Trump’s executive order calling for revisions to the childhood vaccine schedule is “within all the authority of the federal agencies and departments” because it aims only to “ensure that education is delivered to Americans and, especially, to state leaders,” a White House official told reporters, per Semafor’s Eleanor Mueller. The official described the new policy as separate from ongoing litigation over vaccine recommendations because Trump just wants “all Americans [to] have this information and a direct way to do that,” adding: “We’re allowed to educate everyone.”

• Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a medical doctor, decried Trump’s “inaccurate” order and told parents to “listen to their child’s pediatrician” instead.

Outside the Beltway

• New York’s state Supreme Court temporarily paused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tax on second homes in the city.

Campaigns

• White House officials