He keeps telling us exactly what he’s going to do. He said he’d take Venezuela. We laughed. He invaded. He said he’d put troops in American cities. We said that was campaign talk. Troops remain in DC and have been deployed to Los Angeles, Chicago, and the Texas border. He told 20,000 people, “I am … Read more
Three million pages of Epstein files hit the Justice Department website on Friday, weeks late because more than 500 lawyers had to individually review them. By Saturday the New York Times was calling to tell them they’d published unredacted nude photos of young women whose faces were clearly visible, some of whom may have been … Read more
This is not our America. Federal agents grabbed a five-year-old in his own driveway after preschool and used him to lure his family outside. His father crossed at a port of entry, filed for asylum through CBP’s own app, and had no criminal record or deportation order. This is exactly the kind of person Trump … Read more
One year ago tonight, ten days into Trump’s second administration, I started sending headlines to family and friends because I was horrified at how fast our norms, rules, and laws were being shattered. By day three, I was posting publicly. My friends and connections shared it, and by day four, strangers were sharing it and … Read more
The president is suing us again, this time for $10 billion. Last October he demanded $230 million from DOJ for investigating him. Now he wants $30 from every man, woman, and child because of a leak someone is already serving five years for. He controls both agencies and appointed their leadership. His Treasury Secretary canceled … Read more
Minneapolis has consumed the country’s attention for weeks. Federal agents have killed two Americans, protesters have faced pepper spray in sub-zero cold, and a 5-year-old is locked in a Texas detention center. All of it deeply matters. But today the FBI loaded 700 boxes of 2020 ballots into trucks in Georgia after a judge denied … Read more
ICE agents killing two people in Minneapolis has scarred the country. House Democrats had already threatened to impeach DHS head Kristi Noem over the carnage and fear her agents have caused. Then a federal agent tried to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minnesota this morning. Ecuador called it an “attempted incursion” and filed a diplomatic … Read more
Two Americans have been killed by federal agents in Minneapolis this month, and nothing has changed. The attorney who advised the ICE agent after the first killing quit the governor’s race after the second. He called the whole operation an unmitigated disaster and the civil warrant raids unconstitutional. Trump held a two hour meeting with … Read more
The federal government is naming its price to leave Minnesota. Hours after Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti on camera and state investigators with a valid warrant were blocked from the crime scene, Attorney General Bondi sent her terms. DHS will withdraw if Minnesota hands over Medicaid and SNAP records, repeals sanctuary policies, and gives … Read more
Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis this morning. He was a US citizen, an ICU nurse at the VA, a concerned Minnesotan who could have stayed home and watched it all on television. As with Renee Good 17 days ago, bystander video contradicts the government’s account. The footage shows agents pinning Pretti … Read more
America is a dangerous place for children these days. A family here legally and waiting for their asylum hearing took their 7-year-old to a Portland emergency room last week. ICE detained them anyway, the girl grew more sick, and the entire family is in detention in Texas. In Minnesota, a toddler was separated from her … Read more
They want the cross as a prop, not a mandate. Three people were arrested Thursday for protesting at a St. Paul church. The DOJ charged them with conspiracy to deprive rights. The White House posted a doctored photo to make one of them look like she was crying. But organized Christianity beyond the Christian nationalists … Read more
At Davos this week, Trump faced the world’s elite after threatening to destroy NATO and punish allies with crippling tariffs. Within hours, he backed down on all of it because the people across the table didn’t owe him anything and are ready to rebuild the world order without America at the center. Back home, Trump … Read more
Welcome to the upside-down. Greenland’s prime minister told citizens to prepare for a potential invasion by the U.S. Trump responded by refusing to rule out military action and republishing diplomatic messages from the NATO Secretary General and French president. The Catholic archbishop for the U.S. military said troops would be “morally acceptable” in disobeying orders … Read more
The world is finally believing Donald Trump’s bluster. Norway’s prime minister confirmed a message Donald Trump sent because he was angry about not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump said he “no longer feels an obligation to think purely of Peace” and demanded “Complete and Total Control of Greenland.” He even questioned Denmark’s claim … Read more
Kristi Noem went on Face the Nation this morning and said ICE hadn’t used chemical irritants against Minnesota protesters. When told that video contradicted her, Noem blamed the protesters. She also claimed that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “allowed the city of Minneapolis to burn down in 2020.” Millions of Americans have followed this in real … Read more
The battle lines are hardening. The Pentagon put 1,500 troops on standby for Minnesota while Border Patrol’s chief told Fox News Channel that a federal judge’s order won’t change anything because his agents get to decide who qualifies as peaceful. Meanwhile Trump roiled Europe by slapping 10% tariffs on eight allies for refusing to back … Read more
“There is going to be some look at the new world order that President Trump is creating,” Trump’s economic director Kevin Hassett told Fox News Channel yesterday. Today a federal judge in Minnesota barred ICE agents from retaliating against, arresting, or using chemical irritants on peaceful protesters. While that order was being signed, the Justice … Read more
Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act against protesters in Minneapolis, the same day his administration sanctioned Iranian leaders for attacking protesters in their country. That 1807 law hasn’t been invoked without a governor’s consent in more than 60 years, not since LBJ used it to protect civil rights marchers from Alabama state troopers. Now … Read more
No checks, no balances, just impulse. The Senate voted 51-50 yesterday to let Trump do whatever he wants in Venezuela and Iran. Two Republicans who opposed him last week changed their votes after he screamed at them. That’s how it works now. One phone call, one threat, one capitulation. This is the same man who … Read more
Three members of the Oglala Sioux nation remain detained by ICE after five days. Legally, they’re citizens by statute and treaty and completely outside immigration jurisdiction. DHS refuses to tell tribal officials anything about them unless the Lakota consent to an ICE presence on tribal lands. In Detroit, a factory worker heckled the president over … Read more
They stopped pretending. The DHS Secretary stood behind a podium last Thursday that read “One of ours, all of yours.” That’s collective punishment on a government podium. This week they began criminally investigating the Fed chair, sent 1,000 more officers to Minnesota, and attacked boats with military aircraft disguised as civilian planes – potentially a … Read more
Trump signed a national emergency order Friday night to shield $2.5 billion in Venezuelan oil from legal claims. Officials say the US will manage those sales “indefinitely.” The military operation took three hours. The paperwork to keep the spoils took a week. Sunday he posted a meme calling himself “Acting President of Venezuela” and shared … Read more
Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize. He told Fox News Channel it would be “a great honor” to accept the one awarded to María Corina Machado, apparently unaware that’s not how it works. The Norwegian Nobel Institute had to explain publicly that the prize cannot be “revoked, shared, or transferred.” On Saturday, as bombing mission … Read more
He got away with Venezuela. Now he’s coming for Greenland. One week ago, Trump bombed Caracas and kidnapped a sitting president. Maduro and his wife are in a Brooklyn jail and not due back in court for two months. NATO, the UN, and Congress condemned the attack, but no one did anything. Now Trump says … Read more
The contempt is the point. ICE agents killed Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning. Video from multiple angles shows her vehicle was turning away from them. When a physician begged to check her pulse, an agent told him “I don’t care” and another told him to back up. On Thursday, Trump called her a … Read more
An ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis yesterday. Millions watched multiple videos from multiple angles. DHS called it “an act of domestic terrorism” and said she “weaponized her vehicle.” The mayor watched a video and said their account was “bullshit.” Last year, Trump showed a photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia with MS-13 … Read more
Trump sees everyone as his vassals. In Venezuela, that means claiming personal control of a conquered nation’s oil. “Controlled by me,” he declared Tuesday, four days after US forces captured their president and whisked him to jail in America. Here at home, that means punishing states that didn’t vote for him. He froze $10 billion … Read more
Authoritarian rule without a plan looks like this. The administration demanded the new head of Venezuela expel Iranians, stop selling oil to our enemies, and crack down on drug flows or face a “second strike.” In Minneapolis, 2,100 federal agents are descending on a Somali community of 84,000, most of them American citizens, because of … Read more
Marco Rubio told you why we attacked Venezuela. Asked on Meet the Press about elections in the country we just invaded, the Secretary of State said discussing them is “premature.” Higher priorities than democracy, he explained, including reinvigorating the oil industry, must be addressed first. There’s nothing ambiguous when the nation’s top diplomat says on … Read more
The American Empire announced itself today. Donald Trump held a press conference at the resort where he has been for fourteen consecutive days and declared that “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.” He renamed the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine as the Donroe Doctrine and went back inside before 2 p.m. Forty … Read more
BREAKING [2:22 AM EST]: The Associated Press reports that seven explosions were heard in Caracas overnight with low-flying aircraft. Pentagon silent. US has killed 115+ in Venezuelan boat strikes since September and attacked a land target last week. They choose their enemies, attack, and then build the case later. A Kentucky woman went to a … Read more
People keep believing him and getting burned. Karen Atchison gave 41 years to the IRS. Tracy Hinnant gave 37. They took the government’s early retirement offer and haven’t seen a paycheck since September. They’re borrowing from their kids. 29,000 other retirees are starting month 4 with zero income. Meanwhile, Trump’s dabbing makeup on his bruises … Read more
Trump announced plans to build a Triumphal Arch in Washington, his fourth effort to remake the city into a shrine to himself. His name now adorns the Kennedy Center and US Institute of Peace, and construction continues on his 90,000 square foot ballroom to be paid for with $400 million in private donations after he … Read more
Trump’s retribution doesn’t stop at death. Kilmar Abrego Garcia beat the Trump administration at the Supreme Court. Days later, unsealed documents show DOJ leadership made his prosecution a “top priority.” Tatiana Schlossberg, JFK’s granddaughter, died of leukemia at 35. Hours later, Trump shared posts mocking her family. George Pruitt was 23 when he drowned saving … Read more
The lies are getting more brazen because they’ve stopped caring if you believe them. Trump stood next to Netanyahu and said “none” of the hostages were released under Biden. 138 of 178 came home under Biden-brokered deals. Trump also announced $50 billion for rural hospitals under a bill that cuts $50 billion from rural hospitals. … Read more
They built the weapons being used against them. Brian Cole Jr. confessed to placing pipe bombs at the DNC and RNC the night before the January 6 riots in 2021. He told the FBI someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen. Pam Bondi and Kash Patel held a … Read more
Money has always bought access in Washington. It’s never been this naked. A cannabis CEO spent 18 months cutting seven-figure checks to Trump’s political groups, attended fundraisers billed at $1 million per guest, and landed a two-hour Oval Office meeting where a Florida sheriff watched the president chat about Palm Beach real estate and golf … Read more
Trump’s grip only looks strong. He told Politico that Zelenskyy, the wartime president who held off Russia for three years, “doesn’t have anything until I approve it.” The Kennedy Center threatened the musician who canceled his Christmas Eve concert with a million dollar lawsuit. Even Senate Republicans are making bipartisan noises, with Murkowski joining Democrats … Read more
Christmas brought bombs and threats. The president spent the holiday ordering American forces to bomb Nigeria, the sixth country Trump has ordered attacks on this year. The Coast Guard is chasing an oil tanker across the Atlantic with elite boarding teams, ready to forcibly seize it. And Trump told Democrats to “enjoy what may be … Read more
Breaking: Trump posts 121 social media messages in 83 minutes early Christmas morning. Catholic bishops asked the administration to pause immigration enforcement for Christmas. They got a two-sentence brushoff. That’s better than the numerous death threats Bishop Mariann Budde received in January when she asked for mercy at the inaugural service, but it doesn’t feel like … Read more
Troops are massing near Venezuela while a new envoy promises to “make Greenland part of the U.S.” All of it was preceded by Trump announcing a battleship class named after himself. They are hoping you pay no attention to the Monday memo banning abortion for veterans and their families pregnant from rape. Or the wage … Read more
They’re squeezing harder because they’re losing grip. And it shows. They emptied an ICE detention center from 150 detainees down to two before Congressional representatives arrived. Epstein files appeared on DOJ’s website and vanished again. Wind projects killed with “classified” as the only explanation. But Judge Boasberg gave them two weeks to return 137 Venezuelans … Read more
American colonialism is back. Today the administration appointed Louisiana’s governor as unpaid envoy to Greenland, a NATO ally’s territory Trump has threatened to take by force. Ten days ago we seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. Today the US military is chasing down a third in a sea pursuit straight out of the 18th century. The … Read more
Congress passed a law demanding the Epstein files. The deadline was Friday. The Justice Department released some, then files started vanishing by Saturday, including an image showing Trump’s photo on Epstein’s desk. House Democrats want to know what else is being covered up. The Coast Guard seized another Venezuelan oil tanker. They boarded the ship … Read more
The country that rebuilt Europe after WWII is now pitching condo developments on mass graves. Jared Kushner’s “Project Sunrise” promises beachside resorts on Gaza’s coastline. Where do 2 million displaced Palestinians go? His PowerPoint doesn’t say. On Friday, we bombed Syria. The Pentagon called it a “declaration of vengeance.” This year, we’ve also bombed Iran … Read more
During Hanukkah with a week to Christmas, the Coast Guard quietly let a policy take effect calling swastikas and nooses “potentially divisive” instead of hate symbols. They only reversed it when senators blocked the nomination of the incoming commandant. Peace on earth, good will toward men. Unless you’re on a boat in the Pacific (17 … Read more
Days like this with 33 stories are why GovBrief exists. Only one other night has topped that total. Jack Smith told Congress there was proof beyond reasonable doubt that Trump broke the law overturning the 2020 election. That’s not even the lead story. We escalated further in Venezuela, killed four more people in the Caribbean, … Read more
This is what American oligarchy looks like in 2025. Billionaire Miriam Adelson whispered to Trump last night at the White House Hanukkah reception. He announced to the crowd that she offered $250 million if he ran for a third term. The crowd chanted “four more years.” The same day, Axios reported that Elon Musk is … Read more
The Reiner headlines dominated today after the president twice blamed the murders of the director and his wife on his activism opposing Trump. But scroll past the front page coverage and you’ll find what isn’t getting clicks. Three boat attacks killed 8 more people in the eastern Pacific today, bringing the death toll past 90 … Read more
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