The Weekly List

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Week 37 - Trump Loses Control as the Epstein Files Dominate, while Polling Shows the Country Souring on Him and His Policies Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

This week the Epstein files, which have turned into the biggest scandal of Trump’s second regime, continued to be front and center. As I wrote in my Substack article here, up until now, Trump has been extremely successful at throwing shiny coins to distract and change the subject. This scandal marks his first failure to control the narrative.

In the early part of this week, both he and his regime frantically threw shiny coins, including attacking Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, revealing a health issue, and firing U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey. Nothing seemed to work, but then he did get a reprieve by taking on a boogeyman for the MAGA movement, the media, as he sued News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch over a bombshell story published in the Wall Street Journal. Trump also took the remarkable step of accusing former President Barack Obama of “treason” and attempting to orchestrate a “coup” of the 2016 election, again in an effort to change the subject and steer his splintering MAGA base in another direction. Speaker Mike Johnson also took the unusual step of starting summer recess for the House of Representatives a day early to avoid a vote on releasing the Epstein files.

As we hit the six month mark of the Trump regime, and Trump attempts to take a victory lap for his actions to date, polling shows the country souring on him and his policies. His overall approval hit a new low, with just 38% approving, 59% disapproving in one poll. His signature legislation is wildly unpopular, with 6 in 10 saying it will help the rich and hurt the poor. An increasing share of Americans think he is focused on the wrong priorities. By a 2-to-1 margin, Americans believe his policies have hurt them versus helped them. Just 17% approve of his handling of the Epstein files.

There are some notable attacks on the media this week, including the aforementioned lawsuit filed by Trump against Murdoch and his companies. After the article’s publication, Trump banned WSJ reporters from the press pool on a trip to Scotland. CBS News, whose parent company Paramount settled a bogus lawsuit with Trump in Week 34, announced the cancellation of “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, a Trump critic, and Trump promised more firings. The Associated Press also lost an appeal to gain full access to Trump.

Week 36 - Trump Moves to Consolidate Power, While the MAGA Coalition Continue to Fray Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

This week, Trump continued to consolidate power within his regime, even as public opinion and parts of his MAGA base turned against him on key issues. On Trump’s signature issue, immigration, public opinion has turned sharply against him, with just 35% approving. Notably, the country is experiencing a broad shift in attitudes on immigration, with nearly 8 in 10 Americans now saying it is a good thing (I wrote more about this here). More than 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump’s signature legislation passed in Week 35. The MAGA base continues to be at odds with Trump, this time over the decision not to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, which have been the subject of a myriad of conspiracy theories. His MAGA base is also upset this week with Trump’s decision to send weapons to Ukraine, and is still seething over his strikes on Iran. For the first time, House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly broke from Trump on releasing the Epstein files, a sign this issue, which has long been flamed by Trump and members of his regime, is not going away, despite Trump going on the offense as the week came to a close and calling critics “PAST supporters.”

All the while, Trump continues to unabashedly consolidate power. Supreme Court rulings issued in the “emergency docket” (aka the shadow docket) continue to grant broad, additional powers to the presidency, without explanation. This week a ruling allowed the regime to conduct mass firings, and continue to dismantle federal agencies, disempowering Congress. Trump also expanded his trade war, and has seized on using tariffs as a tool for his personal agenda, as Congress continues to abdicate their role. Trump continues to bully, threaten, and cow members of Congress into submission on his agenda. He and his regime are starting to take some small, yet alarming steps, on the 2026 midterms.

The regime’s tepid response in Texas was further evidence that efforts to dismantle federal agencies have started to have real world effects on the well being of the American people. As with reports on the limited success of his Iran strikes, which are now squarely in the rearview mirror amid the weekly chaos, Trump deployed a strategy of shaming reporters and the media for asking about missteps in the handling of severe storms, as a way to obfuscate from a real discussion of the issue at hand.

Week 35 - Real Consequences of Trump’s Moves on Federal Agencies and His Tax Bill Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

This week we are seeing the impacts of Trump’s staffing cuts and selection of unqualified sycophants to run federal agencies. Tragedy struck in Texas, as flooding caused by a storm in Kerr County claimed more than 100 lives, with at least 173 still missing five days later. Questions arose about Trump’s and Elon Musk’s DOGE’s cuts to agencies and departments, as well as their current leadership. Also this week, the country hit another tragic milestone, as the U.S. measles outbreak climbed to a 33-year high, a reversal for a disease that was previously considered to be eliminated.

This week Trump signed his so-called big, beautiful bill into law, which was wildly unpopular according to polls, in a made-for-TV type ceremony on July 4th. Trump and his regime, as well as Republicans in Congress, have repeatedly used lies in their effort to sell and defend the bill. Some of the cruelest impacts, including cuts in Medicaid that will cause millions to lose healthcare coverage, are set to phase in after the 2026 midterm elections.

Finally, this week the MAGAverse finds itself at war with itself, as many in the movement question Trump’s decision to strike Iran, his statements on protecting immigrants in certain industries, granting aid to Ukraine, and an announcement this week by his attorney general that there is no Jeffrey Epstein client list. A social media battle has ensued. Meanwhile, Elon Musk announced the formation of a third party, the America Party, and ramped up his attacks on Trump and the Epstein files.

Week 34 - New Information on Iran, a Supreme Court Decision, and a Not So Beautiful Bill Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

This week was a lot! The week opened with debate over Trump’s attack on Iran front and center, as increasing evidence came forward (I wrote more here) that the strikes did not in fact “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump and his regime sought to change and control the narrative on Iran by attacking the media, and calling those who questioned the outcome various forms of unpatriotic. Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ and very unpopular tax bill passed the Senate, 51–50, as details emerged that it would balloon the national debt by $3.3 trillion, benefit the top 20% of earners, harm the bottom 20%, and kick at least 17 million Americans off of Medicaid. Two Republicans who were against the bill, and have stood up to Trump and been the target of his threats, said they would not seek re-election in 2026. Meanwhile, with one week to go until July 9, the end date of Trump’s 90-day tariff pause, not a single deal has been finalized. With all this happening, he harkened back to ole faithful, immigration, with a trip to Florida’s hastily constructed ‘’Alligator Alcatraz,’ to change the subject to his comfort zone, even as his polling numbers on immigration continue to fall.

The pushback to Trump suffered a major blow this week, with a Supreme Court ruling that will limit nationwide injunctions by federal courts to state or region. Notably, the 6–3 majority opinion was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has previously been chastised and threatened by Trump and his supporters, but with this ruling was showered with his praise. The ruling will have major impacts on the ability to slow or halt Trump’s agenda.

While all this is happening, it is important to not lose sight of what is happening at our federal agencies. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. convened a panel of anti-vaxxers to make decisions on vaccinations, more than 200 employees of the Environment Protection Agency said in a letter that their agency is being politicized, and more. Read the full list if you can. Also noteworthy is the continued targeting of schools and colleges, with ongoing cuts, freezing of funding, and legal threats. Notably, the president of the University of Virginia resigned this week under pressure from Trump and conservatives.

Week 33 - With Approval Falling, Trump Strikes Iran Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

The biggest story of this week is Trump potentially taking us to war, after ordering strikes on Iran. I have urged readers of my Substack to follow the facts, and maintain a healthy amount of skepticism, because on face value, and knowing Trump’s patterns, a lot of things we have been told initially do not make sense.

First off, was there any doubt after the way Trump has pushed boundaries and grabbed for power during his second regime that he would act unilaterally? Was it constitutional? Probably not. But as we cover in this project, breaking norms in turn makes them the new normal, and other presidents have done the same. What differentiated Trump is that he left senior members of Congress who are Democrats in the dark — that is a first, and a highly partisan act. And as we have covered, Republicans have abdicated their role as a check on power, neutering the legislative branch, so they likely weren’t consulted, but rather told.

What still doesn’t make sense to me is, why now? The regime has tried to pass this off as a well thought out strategy in advance, with a “ruse” or “misdirection” of Trump giving two weeks for diplomacy. In my five years of covering him, this has never been how he operates. He is impulsive, chaotic, and prone to acting based on his last conversation, which in this case, would have occurred at his Bedminster golf club, right before he gave the order. Notably, as I wrote about in my Wag the Dog? article, the strike did come at a time when Trump finds his approval at its lowest level during the second regime, and his approval on handling immigration dropping by six points in the aftermath of Los Angeles, and nearing the 80 day mark of his 90 day tariff war pause without a single finalized deal to show for it.

We also still need the facts behind what intelligence he based his decision on, the success of the mission, and what’s next. Trump is desperately trying to control the narrative here, but the facts are coming out and getting in his way. It was also notable with this attack that so many competent people are gone, and roles have gone unfilled, leaving Trump with a small circle of yes men, even in times of crisis.

Week 32 - Political Acts of Violence, a Failed Military Parade, and Trump Stands Alone Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

This was a troubling and chaotic week for our country. At home, political violence continued to unfold, as a Minnesota man carried out a gruesome assassination of a Democratic state representative and her husband, and injured another Democrat as well, both on his long list of targeted individuals. An act of political violence would normally be a moment for the president to call for calm and a lowering of tensions. Trump, however, did the exact opposite. We are also observing a disturbing, growing trend of Democratic officials being manhandled and arrested in public view by federal immigration agents, and a Department of Homeland Security that only further escalates, rather than apologizing. As the week came to a close, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) wondered, “Do the members of Congress need security details to defend themselves from the executive branch? God, I hope not.”

Trump finally got his long sought after military parade, but as I wrote here, it was a day of humiliation. His parade drew mere thousands to Washington D.C., and Trump could be seen pouting at the mundanity of it all! Magnifying the failure of his event, on that same day, millions of Americans protested at more than 2,000 demonstrations in 50 states in what was dubbed ‘No Kings’ protests. Trump’s military parade also highlighted dichotomies in his deployment of U.S. military forces: Trump has deployed nearly 7,000 National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles, while being reluctant to send troops to battle alongside Israel in one of his long-stated goals of ending Iran’s nuclear program. While the Republican Party had a very public rift over U.S. involvement in the Middle East, Trump appeared indecisive and uncertain, and questions arose about whether his National Security Council, now composed mostly of loyalists, was up to the task.

Week 31 - Trump Manufactures a Crisis to Change the Subject Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

This week the country finds itself on the brink of the biggest crisis of Trump’s presidency, as he deployed both the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city of Los Angeles, amid anti-ICE protests. As protests also start to pop up in other cities across the country, the question becomes whether Trump will take things one step further and invoke the Insurrection Act or declare Martial Law. The protests come after federal immigration enforcement ramped up mass arrests, a week after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller excoriated senior ICE officials (see Week 30), and demanded a sharp increase in arrests and new tactics.

It was the perfect excuse for Trump to manufacture a crisis (I wrote more about it here) to distract from what was an ugly break up with Musk; his failures on foreign policy; the lack of a single signed deal 63 days into his 90 day tariff pause; and most importantly, his failure on the main issue he ran on both times, immigration! Ironically, the week started with Trump losing or backtracking on a series of immigration cases, including returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. (read more here). This crisis is the shiny coin Trump desperately needed, and could only have dreamed of.

There are also important stories this week about the continuing incompetence and outright negligence of federal agencies. HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disbanded a panel of experts on immunizations, the EPA is gutted, and Trump said an unprepared FEMA would be shuttered after hurricane season, all while his regime tries to rehire federal workers who had been haphazardly cut by DOGE. With Musk out of the government, it is also unclear what role, if any, DOGE will play going forward. As we end this week, the country stares into a perilous abyss on so many fronts.

Week 30 - Trump’s Trade War and Big, Beautiful Bill Hit Speed Bumps Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

This was one wild week! We are approaching the two-third mark for Trump’s 90-day pause of his Liberation Day. He and his regime, despite their weekly start-of-week promises that deals are close at hand, have yet to sign a single one! Negotiations will not be getting any easier, as this week, the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump’s tariffs, and the next day, a federal court did as well. While Trump currently has a stay on the first order, what country would want to cave to his demands now? Meanwhile, more signs appear this week of the negative impacts of Trump’s trade war domestically.

Trump also had a contentious week with his so-called big, beautiful bill, as a war broke out with Elon Musk — something we predicted would happen in this Substack series — with Musk labeling the bill a “disgusting abomination.” I wrote a lot more about the dynamics of this break up here, but suffice it to say, we are in the first inning of a battle that will undoubtedly intensify, and take us in unexpected directions.

Week 29 - The TACO Trade, Law Firm Karma, and Putin Calls Trump ‘Emotional' May 29, 2025

Show notes

This marks the second consecutive week in which Trump’s pace of breaking norms slowed considerably. Trump finds himself on the losing end of a number of court cases, which are pausing or nullifying many of his early actions. Trump is still in search of wins of any kind, as he is failing or falling short on major issues including foreign policy, immigration, and the economy. Trump lashed out in frustration this week, not at celebrities like last week, but instead at America’s top university and a top company, in what the WSJ Editorial Board termed a gift to China.

Wall Street has dubbed a new term, “TACO Trade,” or Trump Always Chickens Out, meaning he makes a threat, then pulls back. He did that once again this week, threatening the European Union on Friday, and pulling back on Sunday. As we passed the midpoint of his 90 day tariff pause, Trump has yet to finalize a single trade deal.

Week 28 - Desperate for a Win, Trump Finds None May 22, 2025

Show notes

This week has the fewest broken norms since Trump’s inaugural. As in the prior four weeks, Trump finds himself struggling for wins on his main issues — the economy, immigration and foreign policy — and in many ways, his presidency is floundering and in retreat.

Reminiscent of the first regime, when Trump was failing he would strike out to release anger and change the subject, this week Trump aired petty grievances against several celebrities, and made unwarranted accusations about some.

Likewise, his regime undertook a series of actions this week that appear aimed at petty retribution, with most likely to be challenged in court and be halted. The regime too is struggling to find victories or achieve major goals. This week real questions come into play about the effectiveness of leadership and abilities of federal agencies. Airports experienced more blackouts. Severe storms rocked the country, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service are in a state of disrepair after DOGE cuts .

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