


America is not ready for a major war, says a bipartisan commission
The country is unaware of the dangers ahead, and of the costs to prepare for them
GENERAL CHARLES “CQ” BROWN, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, America’s top military officer, recently told the Aspen Security Forum, a gathering of the country’s foreign-policy elite, that the nation’s armed forces were the “most lethal, most respected combat force in the world”. Steely-faced, and to jubilant whoops, he declared: “I do not play for second place.” In reality, America’s military position is eroding. That is the message of a report published on July 29th by a bipartisan commission entrusted by Congress with scrutinising the Biden administration’s national defence strategy (NDS), a document published two years ago.
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The southern border is Kamala Harris’s biggest political liability
What does her record reveal about her immigration policy?

Can Donald Trump win back suburban voters?
In Michigan, Republicans are selling a kinder, gentler Trumpism to college-educated voters. It isn’t sticking yet
Reliable numbers on Trump v Harris are scarce for now
But the forecasting and tracking of America’s presidential race will resume shortly
A Texas judge gives a nod to America’s at-home distillers
Life, liberty and the pursuit of liquor
Class, race and the chances of outgrowing poverty in America
A big-data analysis offers explanations—and hope