Week 87 — The Return – The Weekly List

In a week when the country should have been coming together to celebrate our 250th anniversary, Trump instead chose to make the Independence Day celebrations highly partisan, and all about himself. He made speeches attacking his political enemies as “communists,” and made repeated baseless claims about the dangers they posed to the country. He continued to push unfounded claims about the infiltration of others into our country, who were not only tainting the fabric of our country, but also secretly helping to elect Democrats.

Toward that end, Trump has continued his efforts to muddy the waters and sow doubt about the midterm elections. While continuing to push Republicans in Congress to end the filibuster and pass his SAVE America Act, Trump has also deployed federal agencies, this week including the FBI, the Justice Department civil rights division, and FEMA, to pressure states to change the way voting is conducted, a role that the executive branch does not have according to the Constitution. Even after 18 months in office, Trump continued to push for baseless investigations into so-called fraud in the 2020 election, of which his regime has uncovered none.

U.S. foreign policy is being decided by one mercurial man, as former alliances in Europe and the Middle East are being tested. At the NATO summit, Trump again threatened to annex Greenland, re-engaged in battle with Iran after calling their leaders “scum,” and said he would cut off U.S. trade with Spain. He also continued his castigation of our former allies for not helping in his Iran War.

The grift and quid pro quos of this regime continue to be simply astounding. This week has seen more pardons, a process that has become pay to play; continued reporting on Trump and his family’s widespread efforts to enrich themselves, even as supporters are left holding the bag with losses; countries and corporations seeking favor with Trump, and by extension our federal agencies, by being sycophantic, including lavish donations and gifts. At our 250th anniversary, the state of our democracy is weak and teetering.

On Wednesday, the Trump regime announced that it would not review the USMCA with Canada and Mexico, which Trump had called “the best agreement we’ve ever made” when he signed it during his first regime. The move triggered an annual review of the agreement.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he told acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte he will be there “just for a fairly short period of time,” adding he told him he could “declassify whatever you want,” and he could “declassify almost everything.”
On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in June the labor force participation rate fell to 61.5%, the lowest level in 50 years other than during Covid, with the labor force plummeting by 720,000 jobs.
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced Olympian David Hearn was indicated for allegedly “maliciously” destroying the lining of the Reflecting Pool, a felony charge that could carry up to 10 years in prison, telling reporters Hearn will face “accountability.”
Pirro claimed at a news conference, “A parks employee actually told Hearn to stop, to stop his behavior and stop what he was doing,” adding, “We will not allow our sacred monuments to be defaced, diminished, or in any way impacted by disgruntled individuals.”
Lawyers for Hearn said the indictment reflected the regime’s “effort to shift blame for their own failures,” adding, “Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative.”
On Thursday, House Democrats said in a report that donors who gave money for America250, a congressionally chartered initiative that was meant be bipartisan, were misled when their funds were instead routed to Trump’s partisan Freedom 250, which he solely controlled.
NYT reported that the Saudi crown prince had lost confidence in the Trump regime, viewing them as unreliable and a risk to Gulf Arab states, causing Saudi Arabia to open its own direct dialogue with Iran, a major shift in policy.
When Trump launched Project Freedom, the crown prince refused to let the U.S. operate from Saudi soil, despite calls from Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, causing the operation to fail.
Amid ongoing chaos at the FBI, Doug DePodesta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, abruptly resigned, after reportedly being told to resign by FBI Director Kash Patel. He told reporters, “I’ve never backed down from a fight,” which “has proved unpopular.”
MSNOW reported that the FBI had directed hundreds of analysts to Georgia, in what Patel called a “priority effort,” to investigate the 2020 election. An FBI memo said, “Overtime (including weekends and holidays) has been authorized,” to look for “derogatory information.”
NYT reported that Trump’s sending 260 FBI agents to Georgia was also part of his broad campaign to undermine trust in elections and sow doubt about the electoral process, and raise doubts about the integrity of future elections.
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the DOJ from enforcing a grand jury subpoena seeking the names, home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of thousands of Fulton County election workers from the 2020 election, ruling that it was “unreasonable.”
The judge cited the five-year statute of limitations had “long expired” for investigation of any possible crimes during the 2020 election, and also that the amount of information sought by the DOJ was “staggering.
On Tuesday, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s civil rights division, sent letters to all 50 states and D.C. threatening criminal prosecution of top election officials if noncitizens are allowed to vote. The letter cited federal election laws that had been clear and followed for decades.
Dhillon’s letter told states to respond to the DOJ “within five days” with how they planned to comply. It was unclear what would happen if they did not. One election official noted the regime had had 18 months in office to investigate their claims of widespread fraud, and found none.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime’s FEMA told states that it would withhold 20% of some terrorism-preparedness grants unless they provided “proof of compliance” that they were transitioning to paper ballots, verifying citizenship, and making other required changes to procedures.
The USPS appealed a federal court’s decision blocking its proposed rule to force states to share voter lists with the Trump regime in order to have mail-in ballots processed.
On Thursday, Trump praised Micron stock, calling it “one of the HOTTEST anywhere in the World,” and celebrating that the company’s chief executive had pledged to put a “HISTORIC $250 MILLION Investment in TRUMP ACCOUNTS.”
On Thursday, WSJ reported according to financial disclosures, on April 3 and April 4, days after Trump announced “Liberation Day,” his investment accounts bought and sold hundreds of individual stocks, a high level of activity that drew scrutiny from ethics experts.
On April 8, his accounts bought 327 stocks, including Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and other blue chips. The next morning, Trump posted on Truth Social that it was “a great time to buy” stocks, and later that day paused much of his tariff regimen.
NYT reported Trump’s disclosure of a $2.2 billion windfall in 2025 had no precedent with modern Western leaders while in office, rather moving him and his family into the echelons of strongmen leaders in countries like Russia, Turkey, and dictators in Africa.
Since Watergate, the U.S. had been a standard-bearer for financial regulation, anti-grift measures and the rule of law, and shaped international norms. Trump’s enrichment and conflicts of interest could end that, and open a path for future corruption.
NYT reported that according to cryptocurrency analytics firm Nansen, nearly 1 million people who bought Trump’s memecoin $TRUMP collectively lost a total of $3.81 billion, while Trump pocketed $636 million.
CBS News reported Trump was gifted with a lavishly encrusted ring, with dozens of diamonds forming two giant letter Ts next to the Stars and Stripes, “1776,” and “2026” by a Belgian diamond group, months after Trump gave them tariff relief.
WSJ reported that billionaire Jeff Bezos changed his approach from being adversarial toward Trump during the first regime to sycophantic in the second, including making changes at the Post, resulting in Bezos’ Blue Origin securing billions in government contracts.
Reuters reported that GrabAGun, a company in which Donald Jr. is an investor, could make millions under a new Trump regime proposal that would allow home delivery of firearms. Donald Jr. helped take the online retailer, known as the “Amazon of guns,” public last year.
Bloomberg reported after the Supreme Court blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, for now, the Trump regime was doubling down by exploring ways to remove members of the Fed’s Board of Governors in Washington.
Former CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deb Houry told “Face the Nation” that vaccine information was temporarily restored to the agency’s website during HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation, citing its removal “could hurt the secretary’s confirmation.”
Houry also said that Kennedy had “caused a lot of irreparable harm” to the reputation of and trust in the agency, saying, “when you look at many of the polls out there, the trust in public health, specifically CDC, has decreased dramatically, over 20 points in many polls.”
On Thursday, a federal judge confronted Trump’s DOJ over his plans to build a championship-level golf course on the East Potomac, drawing parallels to his secretive action on the White House ballroom, and demanding answers about his plans for the course.
The judge waved off the DOJ’s denials of Trump doing so, pointing to his Truth Social post that he would begin on Sept. 1, and would “go quickly.” When she pressed the DOJ for his plans, the lawyer obfuscated on whether he planned to build a course.
On Thursday, hours before the deadline, Trump’s DOJ declined to turn over additional information from the Epstein Files, claiming the materials included sensitive victim information or were already appropriately redacted, and asked the judge for a 60 day extension or to allow the DOJ to withhold releasing the files.
In an op-ed, a former top general, retired Gen. CQ Brown, warned about the U.S. military being politicized, and criticized the Pentagon for deploying troops into U.S. cities, striking officers from promotion lists, and pushing high-ranking personnel into retirement.
In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, former DOJ Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer urged them not to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, saying among other things, that he fired her after she refused to rubber stamp a pardon as a political favor for a friend of Trump.
On Friday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had pardoned 11 men, most of whom violated the Clean Air Act and were prosecuted for criminal violations under the Biden administration, calling it “the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure.”
Trump also pardoned Adam Kidan, a major Republican donor, including to Trump, who served prison time over a fraud scheme involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
On Tuesday, in a letter, more than 1,200 former DOJ employees urged senators to reject Trump’s nominee Blanche to be attorney general, citing the “corruption and abuses that have defined” his leadership of the DOJ.
They cited the “vindictive prosecutions and investigations” of Trump’s enemies; the deals that rewarded lawbreakers with taxpayer dollars; the erasure of accountability for Jan. 6; “mishandling of the Epstein files;” and “denigration of judges and repeated violations of their orders.”
On Friday, Maj. Jason Watson of the U.S. Air Force was arrested after standing on the Capitol steps in uniform and calling for Trump and Vance to be impeached, saying both had violated both the Constitution and their oaths of office. Watson was active duty, but not a Democrat.
A spokesperson said the D.C. attorney general’s office decided not to prosecute Watson; instead he was taken directly into custody by the Air Force, where he was detained and under a military gag order.
Later Friday, speaking at Mount Rushmore on the eve of the country’s 250th anniversary, Trump gave a highly partisan speech, referring to Democrats as “godless,” “evil” communists. Although his speech was briefly upbeat at the start, it quickly became apocalyptic.
Trump repeatedly invoked “communism,” saying it “is the enemy of July 4, 1776,” and was a bigger threat than Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Trump said, “Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” in a speech reminiscent of the Cold War era.
Trump again demanded that Congress pass his SAVE American Act, saying, “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms, if we are foolish stupid and unwise.”
Trump warned about “newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” and closed his speech by returning to “the Communist Party,” which he said “is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals and everybody that doesn’t want to work.”
Before Trump departed for Mount Rushmore, a White House spokesperson lobbied for Trump to be added to the monument, telling the Post, “There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.”
On Saturday, July Fourth, in his first morning Truth Social post on the country’s 250th anniversary, Trump attacked Democrats, saying, “Has anyone ever seen a Happy Dumocrat?”
On Saturday, 400 members of the white nationalist group Patriot ‌Front, with their faces covered with masks, marched through parts of D.C. The group posted on social media about its arrival. Neither Trump nor his regime in any way condemned their presence.
Patriot Front’s website said, “Democracy has failed this once great nation,” and a “hard reset” is needed to “return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers.” The group formed in 2017 after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.
On July Fourth, in D.C., visitors waited hours in record breaking heat to go through stepped-up security at the National Mall for Trump’s “Salute to America” festivities. Visitors were later evacuated to museums and government buildings due to thunderstorms.
After the evacuation, Trump posted on Truth Social just after 9 p.m., “Storms bring luck to whatever the occasion. They also make events a little bit more exciting! We will wait it out…. It’s Saturday night, LETS HAVE SOME FUN, even if we are out late tonight.”
WAPO reported that despite the fact that “all the entities involved” had recommended calling off the festivities due to the storm risks, Trump overruled them, even if it meant starting at 2 a.m. Nearly every aspect of the celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary bore his imprint.
Although Trump had previously said he would “make a really long speech…just to show that I can do anything,” just after 11 p.m., he delivered a 40 minute speech, on the short side for Trump.
In his speech, Trump quickly pivoted to a campaign-style rally speech, after briefly celebrating American achievements, moving to tout his supposed achievements, musing about serving a third term, and making repeated calls to pass his SAVE America Act.
Trump repeatedly called out far-left Democrats, whom he referred to as “communists,” and pressed for the need to stop them, calling them “a threat,” and saying, “It’s ⁠like a cancer — you’ve got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast.”
Critics pointed out that despite Trump referring to some Democrats as “communists,” in an interview earlier in the week, Trump told CNBC, “Intel came in. They had a problem. I said, ‘I can solve your problem, but I want 10% of the company,’” a move typical of state capitalism.
Trump made a post taking credit for Walmart lowering the price of ground beef, calling Walmart “a truly patriotic Company who loves the U.S.A.,” adding other retailers “should follow the lead of these absolute Patriots.” Walmart made no mention of Trump in its press release.
Trump had also directed the DOJ to take action against oil companies on alleged price gouging. On Friday, the DOJ called on states to “use all tools available” to investigate whether oil companies and individuals were keeping prices of gas artificially high.
WAPO reported Trump intervened in a Cabinet squabble, after the Transportation Department found a plane from NASA administrator Jared Isaacman’s collection was too risky to fly over D.C. on July Fourth. The FAA classifies ex-military jets in private hands as “experimental” aircraft.
Trump found a way to reclassify the flight so it could happen, allowing NASA to designate Isaacman’s planes as being for “public use.” Trump also encouraged Blanche to join the flight. The White House X account posted a video previewing the plans for Isaacman’s flight.
On Sunday, Trump posted more than 100 times on Truth Social between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., including a post bragging that he had “overturned” a recommendation to cancel the July Fourth festivities because the storm would put people’s lives at risk.
Trump claimed without evidence that 422,000 had initially attended the event, saying, “All were forced to leave because of the weather, the event was cancelled, and everyone was gone because of lightning,” adding, “Incredibly, at least 150,000 people returned.”
Trump also posted another derogatory photo of the Obamas, showing former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti saying, “Yes We Can,” “Obama” and “BLM,” and an Arabic phrase, “alhamdulillah.”
Trump also posted an older image of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni grinning and gazing up at him, and added the words, “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED.”
Trump also posted photos of work being done at the White House, including scaffolding that remained, and images of his plans to install ornate columns to replace the iconic White House columns. There was no public information about columns being replaced.
On Sunday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told “State of the Union” that the Trump regime would not seek new bids to repair the Reflecting Pool, continuing to claim without evidence that vandalism was responsible for a 350-foot gash that was cut into the pool’s liner.
The pool was closed for the July Fourth celebration, which Burgum lied was due to safety issues related to the fireworks. The pool was also closed for several days prior without explanation.
When pressed to condemn the White supremacist group marching in D.C. the day before, Burgum demurred, saying even though he disagreed with them, “they’re allowed to go on because of free speech in our country.” No one in the regime condemned the Patriot Front.
Later Sunday, NYT reported Trump had called Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, on Wednesday to request he review the suspension of the U.S.’s top goal scorer. On Sunday, the day before the next U.S. match, the suspension was reversed, citing an obscure, rarely deployed article.
It marked the first time since 1962 that FIFA reversed a suspension during the World Cup. Shortly after, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” The Belgian soccer association said it was “astonished.”
On Monday, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump defended inserting himself, saying, “I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do,” adding, “they made the right decision because, №1, it wasn’t a foul and you want to see a game with your best players.”
Trump added of the red card, “When I found out, I said, ‘You got to be kidding,’” adding “It’s very unfair. You can’t do that, so yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected,” adding after he spoke to him his “level of respect has gone up tenfold.”
In celebrating the overturned suspension, Trump invoked his baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, saying, “The other way, if they beat us, we’ll say it was — I’d say — it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.”
Notably the player for whom Trump intervened, Folarin Balogun, was able to play on the U.S. Men’s National Team because of birthright citizenship, which Trump sought to end. His Nigerian-born parents resided in the U.K. and were visiting the U.S. when he was born.
Belgium’s foreign minister said, “If a phone call really is what explains this incomprehensible decision, it would amount to undermining the most basic rules of soccer and sports.” The Belgian soccer federation appealed the decision, but FIFA dismissed the appeal.
The Union of European Football Associations said FIFA had “crossed a red line” with the reversal, saying by making an exception with Balogun, and doing so in the middle of the World Cup, FIFA had put the integrity of the game “at stake,” and set a precedent.
On Monday, speaking to reporters about the launch of Trump Accounts, Trump said, “Go out and buy a Dell computer. I have a son that loves their laptop,” to celebrate Michael Dell and his wife donating $6.25 billion to the project. The stock surged 9% after Trump’s statement.
On Monday, Trump posted an image of Minnesota kindergartners, with commentary by a right-wing social media account, saying, “Public school in St. Paul, Minnesota; Every girl is in hijab… in kindergarten.”
On July Fourth, Trump’s White House Domestic Policy Council released a report accusing the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution, especially the National Museum of American History, of being radical activists who advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”
The 162-page report, titled “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage,” accused the museum of anti-white bias, and downplaying the role of the founders.
The report concluded that Trump “has a duty and obligation to seek reforms of the Smithsonian,” without specifying what. The report also singled out the museum’s director, Anthea Hartig, who was mentioned 230 times, saying she has advanced “an ideological agenda.”
NYT reported that at Trump’s direction, several agencies, including the E.E.O.C, the Department of Education, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Housing, DOJ, and others have abandoned cases relating to discrimination, some of which were years along.
The Office of Management and Budget, which sets policies for federal agencies, proposed regulations which would ban the use of federal funds for studies, litigation, or other activities that “promote or support theories of disparate-impact liability” for all agencies.
Two federal judges blocked the Trump regime’s policy that would limit eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness to exclude organizations that “engage in unlawful activities” from being “qualifying employers,” and would limit access to some government and nonprofit workers.
On Tuesday, on his way to the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted on Truth Social at 12:58 a.m. that when Republicans in Congress returned to D.C., they “must” pass “Reconciliation 3.0, with 350 Billion Dollars for Defense, plus THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!”
On Tuesday, at a NATO summit, Trump renewed his criticism of European allies before the meetings, telling reporters, “Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down,” adding, “And in a way, I was testing people.”
Trump added that he was very disappointed with NATO, but attended because of his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying, “We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries.”
Erdogan gave Trump a lavish welcome ceremony, similar to efforts by the leaders of China, France, and the U.K., including meeting him at the airport, Turkish riders on horseback flanking Trump’s limousine, and jets flying overhead trailing red, white, and blue smoke.
When pressed by reporters, Trump added, “As you probably noticed, Europe’s a very different place than it was 20 years ago,” adding, “They better be careful with immigration and energy, if they’re not careful with those two things you’re not going to have a Europe anymore.”
Trump also renewed his calls that the U.S. should control Greenland, saying, “Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland,” and “Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark. We could remove all our soldiers out of Europe. They better be careful.”
On Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark would defend “every inch” of its territory, reiterating that Greenland was not for sale, and that the country would invoke Article 5 in response to any attack.
The European Union publicly backed Denmark and Greenland in response to Trump’s comments, saying, “Territorial integrity, national sovereignty and inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law.”
On Tuesday, the Trump regime struck Iran in what it called “powerful strikes,” and revoked a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil, after Iranian attacks on several tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the most serious threat to a fragile 60 day ceasefire.
On Tuesday, the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit, alleging that the Trump regime was sharing “confidential information” about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, and saying it “endangers their family members and acquaintances” still in Iran.
On Wednesday, during a news conference at the NATO summit, Trump told reporters that the Iran ceasefire was “over,” adding, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore,” calling Iranian leaders “scum,” and saying the U.S. will “very probably” attack Iran “hard again tonight.”
Trump also slammed Spain, calling the country “a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate. They don’t pay,” and threatening to stop trade with the country, saying, “I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain.” It was unclear if he could legally do so.
Bloomberg reported that NATO was considering skipping the 2027 annual summit, scheduled to take place in Albania, in an effort to avoid tensions with Trump over the country being one of the alliance’s lowest spenders.
On Tuesday, Trump’s DOJ settled a second lawsuit with Michael Flynn, a conservative activist and Trump ally who served during the first regime, resolving his claim for $38,000 that the U.S. Army wrongly withheld money from his retirement pay. The amount paid was under $75,000.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Trump asked a judge in a court filing to not disburse nearly $5.8 million to E. Jean Carroll to satisfy a May 2023 civil verdict, citing Trump’s long-shot bid to have the Supreme Court reconsider his petition.

Members of the Patriot Front, an American white supremacist group, assemble outside Union Station to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026 in Washington, DC.. Photo by Olivier Douliery/Abaca/Sipa USA(Sipa via AP Images)