Hotly Contested

Macron’s High Flight Is Now In A Nosedive: French president Emmanuel Macron was only elected in May, and initially he had some very good photo-ops and lots of kudos. Unfortunately, the attaboys lasted about as long as butter on a Texas sidewalk in the summertime.

The youthful former investment banker and political outsider has seen his poll numbers slip 25 points in just three months. He campaigned as a centrist, garnering support from both the left and the right, but as president, he’s embarked on a governing agenda that has angered all sides of the political spectrum. For example, left-leaning voters hate that he’s trying to loosen a stultifying labor code (to get a handle on France’s high unemployment) and trim the country’s generous social safety net (his predecessor left him an unexpected $9.5 billion budget shortfall). Civil servants hate that he’s vowed to freeze their salaries. Then there’s his move to enforce a tough new anti-terrorism law, which is hated by civil libertarians. And voters on the right hate that he fought over big cuts to the military budget with the head of France’s armed forces, who resigned as a result.

Overall, his promise to whittle down the French state was bound to anger significant constituencies in a country where state spending is 56 percent of gross domestic product, the highest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s advanced economies.

Ultimately, however, there are no significant political groups strong enough to stand in his way, and Macron has fierce champions in Parliament. So the best we can say is: “Fasten your seatbelts, mes amis, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Kenya Votes Today In Hotly Contested Presidential Race: Polls are open for Kenya’s general election today, amid fears that the results could trigger violence in the country. Among the eight presidential candidates, President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga are the leading contenders. Kenyatta is running for his second and final five-year term in office against long-time rival Odinga, who was prime minister between 2008 and 2013. Today marks Odinga’s fourth run for the presidency; Kenyatta beat Odinga in 2013. The president’s father, Jomo Kenyatta, was Kenya’s first president while Odinga’s father, Jaramogi Odinga, served as his vice-president, and the two men led the nation after it gained independence from Britain in 1963. If Kenyatta loses, he will become the only incumbent Kenyan president not to win re-election. ‘Hotly contested’ is an understatement.

Thankfully, both candidates appear to be doing their best to ensure peace beyond today’s vote. On Monday in a televised speech, President Kenyatta told the country’s 19 million registered voters: “After you cast your ballot, please go home. Go back to your neighbor. Regardless of where he or she comes from, their tribe, their color, or their religion. Shake their hand, share a meal and tell them ‘let us wait for the results,’ for Kenya will be here long after this general election.” (Are any of our readers experiencing severe ‘election night speech’ envy?) Odinga also addressed the public on Monday, congratulating Kenyatta on his campaign, describing him as a “worthy opponent” and stating, “May the stronger candidate win tomorrow.” Analysts say the two leading candidates both avoided inflammatory speeches in the days leading up to today’s election. In 2007, more than 1,100 Kenyans died and another 600,000 were displaced after a disputed election. Neither side, no matter how high the stakes, wants to see history repeated.

US Secretary of State Visits Thailand: On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the highest level visit to Thailand by a US official since a military coup in 2014 soured relations between the two countries. Thailand’s military took power in May 2014 with a promise to eventually restore democracy, but elections will not take place before next year. During his trip, Tillerson pressed Thai leaders for more action on North Korea. One of his top priorities in the region has been urging Southeast Asian countries to continue to cut funding streams to North Korea, which the US believes has “front companies” active in Thailand. Before meeting with Tillerson, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand would support the new UN sanctions imposed on North Korea this past weekend.

Trump: ‘It’s All Fake News, Except For My New Series, Which Is Real News’: Think regular news channels’ programming spends too much time bashing the President? Welcome to “Trump TV.” You can watch the weekly video on Facebook, where “real news” about the president and his accomplishments is shared with millions of his FB and Twitter followers. In the series’ first video in late July, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara, wife of his son Eric, declared: “I bet you haven’t heard about all the accomplishments the president had this week because there’s so much fake news out there.” Next, we have the Monday debut of pro-Trump and now former CNN commentator Kayleigh McEnany, who will give us “the real news” from her set decorated with a blue Trump-Pence themed backdrop. The episodes were created by the Trump campaign and are made to look just like network news broadcasts, complete with over-the-shoulder graphics and a promise of “nothing but the facts.” If you do tune in, don’t expect to get any updates about the Russia investigation.

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