Category: Policies

Trump Golfs as Iran Attack Kills Two U.S. Service Members

President Donald Trump spent Saturday golfing at his Bedminster, New Jersey resort while news broke that two U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan, with a third missing in action. Trump’s only public response was a brief phone call to a NewsNation reporter in which he called their deaths “a very sad thing” and stated, “I couldn’t care less” about Iran’s declaration that a ceasefire deal had been broken. His Truth Social account remained silent on the attack, instead posting about the SAVE America Act and pushing for Iran sanctions.

The deaths mark the first U.S. casualties since a ceasefire began in early April, signaling the collapse of Trump’s second failed agreement with Iran in months. Trump and his administration had repeatedly insisted since February that the conflict would last only weeks, yet the breakdown of two separate ceasefire agreements has left the White House and Pentagon without a coherent strategy. Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains contested, and commercial shipping traffic continues to avoid the region due to attack risks, disrupting global trade and energy markets.

Trump celebrated prematurely last month when he declared “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” following a 60-day extension of the ceasefire in May. That optimism has evaporated with the resumption of hostilities, contradicting his claims of strategic success. The administration’s stated objectives, including securing Iran’s enriched uranium, weakening Iran’s government, and ending its capacity to launch rockets and drones, have been abandoned or remain unachieved.

The escalation directly contradicts Trump’s 2024 campaign promises to end U.S. involvement in endless foreign conflicts and prevent resource depletion through limitless entanglements. Trump has rejected claims that he betrayed those commitments, instead insisting that the threat from Iran’s nuclear program justified continued military engagement. The conflict now threatens to consume significant Pentagon funding and congressional attention as Republicans in the Senate express skepticism about defense spending bills needed to sustain operations.

Trump was scheduled to attend the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, maintaining his weekend leisure schedule despite the military escalation. His detachment from the immediate crisis mirrors patterns of taxpayer funds subsidizing his private golf activities, revealing a persistent prioritization of personal interests over national emergencies.



(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-us-troops-killed-golf-b3017670.html)

Trump threatens new Canada tariffs over wildfire smoke in US cities

Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada in response to wildfires sending smoke into the United States, accusing the country of "willful negligence" in forest management. Trump said on Truth Social that he would call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to demand an explanation, describing the air reaching US cities as "filthy, polluted, and unhealthy." As of Saturday, approximately 955 fires were actively burning across Canada, with more than 190 in Ontario alone, many out of control.

Canadian officials rejected Trump's characterization and outlined their response to the crisis. Prime Minister Carney stated that climate change is "everyone's responsibility, truly everyone's, including the United States," and noted that Canada has invested approximately C$12 billion in forest sustainability and fire prevention. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called Trump's rhetoric "a shame" and "unacceptable," noting that Canada has previously assisted the US with California wildfires and hurricane response, and that Michigan and Massachusetts have already offered water bombers and firefighters to help battle the blazes.

Scientists disputed the premise of Trump's complaint, explaining that wildfire impacts transcend borders and are driven partly by climate change. Dr. Patrick James from the University of Toronto stated that weather patterns do not respect international boundaries, and smoke from major US wildfires has affected Canada in previous years. Dr. Anabela Bonada from the University of Waterloo emphasized that "climate change is a global issue, and it would be inaccurate to suggest that Canada alone caused or could have prevented these wildfires," noting that sustained heat at the end of June combined with below-average rainfall contributed to rapid fire increases.

The smoke has caused widespread disruption across the northern United States, with air quality in Detroit ranked worst in the world and hazardous conditions affecting Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. Outdoor events have been cancelled, flights delayed, and communities advised to remain indoors. US lawmakers from affected districts issued an open letter accusing Canada of chronic under-investment in forest management and claiming that "American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction, year after year," though their demands for direct US involvement in Canadian wildfire operations conflict with established cross-border cooperation agreements dating to 1982.

Trump's threat follows a pattern of trade tensions with Canada, which has endured tariffs over the past year after decades of duty-free trade without achieving a new agreement. Some Republicans have used the wildfire issue to renew calls for Trump's recurring proposal to make Canada a US state, while others suggested delaying the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a Canada-funded infrastructure project connecting Ontario to Michigan. Trump has previously eliminated federal climate endangerment findings that would have regulated greenhouse gases, contradicting the scientific consensus that climate change drives increasingly severe wildfire seasons.

(Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyq93j34lgo)

Markwayne Mullin Threatens ‘Prison Time’ For State Officials

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened criminal penalties including “prison time” against state election officials who decline to participate in the Trump administration’s SAVE program (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements). During a Friday press conference, Mullin stated that non-compliant state officials could face fines, penalties, and imprisonment if they refuse to implement the program after receiving federal guidance on election security.

The SAVE program is tied to the SAVE America Act that Trump has pressured Republicans to advance, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s statement that insufficient support exists to pass it. Mullin’s threats follow Trump’s Thursday primetime address, in which he selectively cited documents his aides published online to insinuate that U.S. elections have been compromised for years and that officials suppressed evidence, according to The New York Times.

Mullin framed state participation as mandatory for election security, declaring that states choosing non-participation would become priority targets for federal scrutiny of voter rolls. He linked cooperation with the SAVE program directly to accountability measures, warning that election officials who received federal information but refused implementation would face legal consequences.

The Trump administration published a web page Friday outlining its “election integrity” stance, incorporating Trump’s election vulnerability claims. The threats represent an escalation in federal pressure on state officials over election administration, a function traditionally managed by states under the U.S. Constitution.

The statement came during a conservative Daily Caller reporter’s question about securing midterm elections, with Mullin framing federal coercion as necessary for building public confidence. By conditioning cooperation on penalty avoidance, the administration weaponized federal authority against state officials exercising their constitutional election management responsibilities.



(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/just-in-mullin-threatens-prison-time-for-state-officials-not-cooperating-with-trump-admin-on-elections/)stration weaponized federal authority against state officials exercising their constitutional election management responsibilities.

Trump’s Truth Social Sells Wall Street Early Access to Presidential Posts

President Donald Trump’s media company announced Thursday a paid service called Truth PSI that will provide Wall Street trading firms expedited access to Truth Social posts, including those from Trump himself on topics affecting national security and financial markets. The service enables institutional investors to see posts from the platform’s highest-ranking accounts, with Trump commanding 12.9 million followers, ahead of other users, potentially allowing traders to profit from market movements triggered by his announcements. Trump Media & Technology declined to disclose pricing or whether the president’s posts would be excluded from the offering.

Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University School of Law, characterized the arrangement as “brazen corruption” and “improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself,” noting that Trump is selling direct access to information about his presidential decisions. Conflict-of-interest law bars federal officials from owning companies that profit by selling access to their office decisions; however, presidents and vice presidents are statutorily exempt from this restriction. Every president since the law’s passage has voluntarily complied by divesting stock holdings or placing assets in blind trusts, but Trump has refused.

Trump has used Truth Social to announce major policy decisions including military actions against Iran, tariff implementations, and immigration enforcement operations. Iran-related posts are particularly significant because investors fear oil price increases will intensify inflation and potentially trigger Federal Reserve interest rate increases. The president stands to benefit directly as the largest shareholder in Trump Media & Technology, the publicly traded parent company.

Trump Media’s stock has collapsed more than 70 percent since Trump took office, erasing $6 billion in shareholder wealth, yet Trump’s annual financial disclosures show he extracted more than $1 billion in revenue from the same companies and ventures last year. The company recently replaced longtime CEO Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media executive, who described Truth PSI as part of a strategy to “monetize proprietary assets” and predicted it would generate “meaningful, ongoing source of revenue.” Trump Media stated it plans to launch the service next month after already securing customers.



(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-truth-social-access-wall-street-b3016554.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcATHN09wZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKto0BXhlicEpxh4I4QKu6fTKhvAzWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6U4pURNaAFX11kgVjUKUzbnBIC0zeXX9TJzj-ZehGvKoWBhYIu1CcfvdZVUw_aem_0g_1ZKC2GOYkeTCIkhzw_Q)

Trump Demands NBC ABC License Revocation Over Primetime Speech

Donald Trump demanded that NBC and ABC have their broadcast licenses revoked for declining to air his Thursday night primetime address on their primary television channels, falsely characterizing the networks’ editorial decision as part of a “plot” to hide information from the public. Both networks carried the speech live on their streaming platforms (NBC News NOW and ABC News Live) and aired detailed summaries after Trump concluded, but Trump attacked them anyway for not broadcasting it on their main channels, stating that “fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.” White House communications director Steven Cheung amplified the demand, calling the networks “cowards” on social media.

Trump’s attack on broadcast licenses represents an escalation of his systematic pressure on media outlets through regulatory threats. Trump has previously weaponized FCC regulatory power against late-night hosts, calling for their termination and celebrating their departures, while FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has threatened broadcasters’ licenses in response to presidential complaints about coverage. Carr is currently investigating whether ABC’s talk show The View qualifies as a “bona fide news program” under equal time rules, using regulatory authority to punish editorial independence.

In the 23-minute address, Trump made unsubstantiated claims about election security, alleging without evidence that China conducted “the largest compromise of election data in history” and that American elections remain vulnerable to foreign interference. He accused unnamed national security officials of concealing information about election security while offering no documentation to support these assertions. Much of the “stolen” election data Trump referenced is publicly available for commercial purchase by political campaigns, undermining his claims of a security breach.

CNN declined to air the speech live, with anchor Kaitlan Collins stating the network would “monitor” Trump’s remarks to fact-check statements given his “well-documented history of saying blatantly false things about elections,” while Fox News broadcast the full address. Trump’s demand for license revocation targets networks that exercised editorial judgment about primetime coverage, using the presidency to punish outlets for decisions that displeased him and demonstrating contempt for the independence of broadcast journalism.



(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-election-fraud-address-nbc-abc-licence-b3016842.html)

Trump Revives False Claims Election Systems Compromised

President Donald Trump delivered a primetime White House address Thursday night, reviving unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election he lost was compromised by foreign interference. Trump alleged that American election systems face widespread vulnerabilities susceptible to manipulation, an assertion contradicted by extensive evidence and prior official assessments.

Documents Trump referenced during his speech, reviewed by CNN, largely describe vulnerabilities known for years and reflected in the 2021 U.S. intelligence community assessment. According to a source with direct knowledge, these materials were compiled to capture all information the government possessed on potential election interference concerns, but the intelligence community determined them either insufficiently concrete or incorporated them into minority reports rather than treating them as consequential findings.

No declassified information Trump cited supports claims that any previous election results, including the 2020 contest, were manipulated by foreign interference or domestic fraud in ways that would have altered outcomes. The intelligence community’s analysis determined that verbiage within the documents themselves did not warrant treating the concerns as having material impact on election integrity.

Trump’s revival of election-integrity doubts occurs four months before midterm elections, continuing a pattern of amplifying unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about U.S. electoral systems. His assertions conflict with findings from election officials, security experts, and his own appointed Department of Homeland Security officials, who have consistently affirmed the security and integrity of American elections.

The address reflects Trump’s ongoing effort to sow doubt about election outcomes unfavorable to him while promoting baseless narratives about systemic vulnerabilities, despite declassified records and official assessments providing no evidentiary support for claims of election manipulation affecting results.



(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-sows-doubt-election-integrity-midterms-rcna587853)

Germany Warns Trump Against Election Interference Via $3M Grants

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz directly warned the Trump administration against interfering in German state elections scheduled for September, following the U.S. State Department’s announcement of a grants scheme offering up to $3 million to European charities, think tanks, and individuals. The funding targets organizations addressing “national sovereignty, migration, censorship, and lawfare challenges in line with shared political philosophy,” language former State Department officials describe as deliberately vague to obscure support for far-right groups across Europe.

Merz stated unequivocally that Germany does not interfere in American elections and expects reciprocal non-interference from the U.S. government and affiliated institutions in German affairs. He emphasized that German law prohibits foreign financing of political parties, directly confronting the Trump administration’s apparent strategy to circumvent restrictions on foreign aid by using ambiguous eligibility language that allows “individuals” and undefined “governmental institution[s]” to apply for grants without transparent criteria.

Former State Department officials characterize the initiative as a months-long effort to redirect U.S. government resources toward advancing far-right European movements and potentially political parties in violation of U.S. foreign assistance laws. One official stated bluntly: “There seems to be an effort by the state department to put the thumb on the scale of elections in Europe, giving an unfair advantage to rightwing parties with resources that they would ordinarily not get.” The scheme follows a broader pattern of Trump administration hostility toward European liberal democracies, including attacks by Vice President JD Vance on migration, abortion, and online safety policies across traditional Western allies.

State Department official Sarah B Rogers has become the public face of this intervention, pledging $500,000 to “promote digital freedom” in Ireland and appearing regularly at far-right and socially conservative conferences including the Prosperity Institute in Britain. The grants are administered by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, an agency originally established during the Cold War under President Jimmy Carter to challenge authoritarian regimes but now weaponized under Trump to support the authoritarian movements it was designed to oppose.

Potential beneficiaries include Britain’s Free Speech Union, organizations that lost funding under Viktor Orbán’s governance in Hungary, and similar conservative groups across Europe. The Trump administration’s systematic effort to finance and amplify far-right European parties and movements directly contradicts U.S. commitments to democratic integrity and election sovereignty in allied nations.



(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/germany-warns-against-election-interference-as-us-offers-funding-to-maga-aligned-causes-in-europe?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=fb_us&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaATEziRwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKm9nwMm-lJaDs1Z0NquaZJDJn5am2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR56qMrmUrWeU2ybDVY27M6uQijxjU9TF-zMzwdrB15NVoNGWSVd4V2N227zTw_aem_yFzQbvvmDsE-9iJXLoH_pA#Echobox=1784142197)

Trump Suggests Images of Iran School Bombing Were AI

President Donald Trump suggested during a Fox News interview Tuesday that images documenting a U.S. airstrike on an Iranian school may have been artificially generated, deflecting from mounting evidence that American missiles killed at least 150 people, including approximately 120 children. When confronted with photographic evidence showing fragments consistent with U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the strike site, Trump dismissed the documentation as potentially “AI generated” without providing any basis for the claim.

Trump declined to commit to releasing the findings of his administration’s ongoing investigation into the bombing, telling Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that “I don’t think anybody’s going to ever be able to say what happened there.” When pressed on whether he would eventually disclose the results, Trump offered only a noncommittal “I guess so” and suggested his “military people” might have undisclosed reasons to withhold findings.

Internal administration sources previously told The New York Times that officials believed the school was struck by U.S. missiles, contradicting the initial public claim that Iran was responsible. Trump has explicitly rejected negotiations to end the Iran conflict, stating he does not want to pursue diplomatic solutions while simultaneously obscuring accountability for civilian casualties.

Trump’s dismissal of physical evidence as fabricated and his refusal to guarantee transparency on a catastrophic attack killing over 100 children demonstrates his systematic obstruction of accountability for actions taken under his authority. His administration has escalated military actions against Iran, including reimposing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while simultaneously suppressing documentation of civilian harm resulting from those operations.



(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-suggests-images-of-iran-school-bombing-were-ai-generated-doesnt-commit-to-releasing-results-of-investigation/)neously suppressing documentation of civilian harm resulting from those operations.

Trump Administration Violates Law With Presidential Gold Coin

The Treasury Department released a new $1 gold coin bearing President Trump’s face, violating federal law prohibiting living presidents from appearing on U.S. coinage. Under 31 U.S. Code § 5112 and the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, no living current or former president may be depicted on coins until at least two years after their death. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the coin would begin production immediately and release this fall, claiming the administration could circumvent the law by invoking commemorative coin authority tied to America’s 250th anniversary.

The decision exemplifies Trump’s use of executive power to aggrandize himself while dismantling institutional guardrails. Former GOP Representative Thomas Massie criticized the move as narcissistic, warning that grifters would exploit the decision by selling counterfeit versions to uninformed consumers. The coin contradicts longstanding federal restrictions designed to preserve the integrity of U.S. currency and prevent the politicization of national symbols through executive unilateralism.

This action follows Trump’s pattern of weaponizing government institutions to advance personal interests and cement his legacy through forced commemoration. The Treasury’s willingness to ignore explicit statutory language demonstrates how Trump administration officials prioritize loyalty over constitutional duty, effectively rewriting law through administrative fiat to serve their leader’s vanity.



(Source: https://newrepublic.com/post/213098/treasury-1-dollar-gold-coin-trump-face?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SF_TNR&fbclid=IwdGRjcATEpwVwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKl9Vj2-Dm6Li0pwYGa1AI1us1z_jmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6B3LcI4-HSHz0XrV4f4aHZcutmIMAMvEYvJU-shfGr88Smentu7B7KiPoZQQ_aem_RkOj662TInt1BPlVZUf_KQ)

FCC Officials Took Gifts From Paramount While It Had Business Before Them — ProPublica

FCC officials who voted on Paramount’s merger accepted luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets worth over $260,000 from the company they regulate, violating federal ethics rules that explicitly prohibit gifts from entities with pending business before the agency. FCC Chair Brendan Carr attended the December 2025 gala in a private $125,000 skybox with Paramount CEO David Ellison after the company sought FCC approval for its $110 billion merger with Skydance Media, while Commissioner Olivia Trusty received tickets worth $12,000 before casting a decisive vote approving the deal.

Ethics experts, including former Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub and former White House ethics lawyer Virginia Canter, said the commissioners violated federal law by accepting gifts from a regulated entity with business pending before them. Shaub stated that “there’s no way that any top federal regulator should ever accept a gift from a regulated company with interests their work will foreseeably affect,” and Canter called the conduct “shocking” and “disturbing.” The experts warned that Carr and Trusty compromised the agency’s impartiality and should have recused themselves from voting on the merger.

Seven of ten FCC commissioners who served since 2016 accepted Kennedy Center tickets from CBS or its parent company, totaling over $260,000 according to ProPublica’s analysis of ethics disclosures. Carr alone has accepted tickets at least seven times since 2017, totaling over $63,000. Federal ethics rules explicitly ban employees from accepting gifts from entities that do business with, are regulated by, or seek official action from their agency, yet the FCC claimed agency ethics officers approved the practice as consistent with law—a justification Shaub dismissed as equivalent to a “school child” excuse.

The timing of the gifts intensified the conflict. Paramount filed its Skydance merger paperwork in September 2024, and the December gala occurred as the company prepared its hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Hours after the gala ended, Paramount launched the hostile bid. Trump has systematically pressured the FCC to strip broadcast licenses, and Carr reopened a CBS investigation days after taking office, later requiring Paramount to eliminate diversity initiatives and appoint a bias ombudsperson to secure the merger’s approval.

Multiple ethics experts told ProPublica that the Justice Department should investigate potential violations of federal ethics rules and that the commissioners’ gift-taking could become central in legal challenges to the merger. California, New York and ten other Democratic states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the $110 billion consolidation under federal and state anti-monopoly laws, citing concerns about job elimination and industry independence from consolidated ownership.



(Source: https://www.propublica.org/article/paramount-mergers-fcc-kennedy-center-gala?fbclid=IwdGRleATEdV1wZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKl7HV6hSpBeYhKKEUCD5qTfb1VVhGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5j5tj7vuKcNF4EYkiA-zdtgiNLF39w-xW5ou0h_zK0uZfJ56eQA2uIrEgulg_aem_j4wlCLmUFGCAM_E3ngC6aw)state anti-monopoly laws, citing concerns about job elimination and industry independence from consolidated ownership.

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