GovBriefToday Header

What Happened Today – July 18

Rear Admiral Yvette Davids salutes during a December 21, 2023 change of command ceremony where she was relieved as Commander of Naval Surface Forces. The combat-decorated officer was transitioning to become the Naval Academy's first female superintendent in January 2024 before being ousted by Trump's Defense Secretary this week over DEI initiatives. (USN photo by Specialist 2nd Class Mikal Chapman)

🤐 They want you to shut up. Every critic is getting the message that there will be consequences to freedom of speech in America. We know this from the deported students, fired comedians, threatened scientists, and sanctioned schools. But they’re learning that we get louder when they squeeze harder. So speak louder, share more, resist … Read more

What Happened Today – July 17

Juul is back. The FDA just authorized its e-cigarettes after candidate Trump promised last year to save the vaping industry.

👀🔍💡 Hey, Mr. President. We’re watching you. Every new grift and power grab becomes exposed. Your health.The crypto scam.Your buddy Epstein.Attacks on public broadcasting, kids, and democracy itself.Firing critics.We see it all. Don’t let up. Keep watch. Share. Help each other. And don’t rely on the algorithm. Let me send this to you every night, … Read more

What Happened Today – July 16

A voting machine in Manatee County, Florida. The Trump administration has demanded access to them in 9 states.

🔥🌍 Trump spirals. America responds. He’s backing off the Epstein client list, calling his base “weaklings,” and spinning wild Coke sugar rumors. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 69% think he’s concealing information today. Meanwhile, more than 1,600 Good Trouble Lives On protests are shaking every state with anger turned into action This chaos is a sign … Read more

What Happened Today – July 15

Embattled Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at June's Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Powell gained a significant endorsement from JPMorgan Chair Jamie Dimon today.

‼️Trump’s executive branch runs on personal loyalty. Today, a man who once called a former U.S. President a “terrorist leader” was rewarded with a top Pentagon job for his allegiance to Trump. At the same time, Trump demanded the prosecution of rival Adam Schiff based on a sudden, baseless accusation of fraud. Earlier, dozens of … Read more

What Happened Today – July 14

Then: Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley speaks at the Aspen Security Forum in 2019 during the Trump administration. Now: The Trump administration abruptly pulled all Pentagon officials from the same bipartisan event this week, labeling it "globalist" and "hostile to the President." (Video still by David Vergun, DOD)

🏚️ The sound you hear is the government being broken from the inside out. The Justice Department told agencies to use English only in forms and documents while ICE agents are to deny bond hearings to millions of immigrants. Yet the grift continues as the Pentagon awarded a $200 million contract to Elon Musk’s chatbot … Read more

What Happened Today – July 13

Trump reads King Charles' invitation to an unprecedented second state visit at Windsor while meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office on February 27, 2025. Starmer deployed the royal honors as soft diplomacy to influence Trump on Ukraine support and UK trade tariffs. (Official White House Photo by Emily J. Higgins)

👁️ The wanna-be emperor has no clothes and people are finally saying it out loud. MAGA is still tearing itself apart over who lied about the Epstein files while Senate documents prove the Secret Service director lied to Congress about denying Trump security. Noem flat-out denies her own agency’s paperwork delayed FEMA call centers when … Read more

What Happened Today – July 12

Rosie O'Donnell speaks at a Lights for Liberty vigil opposing Trump's immigration policies in 2019. Today, Trump threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship despite a 1967 Supreme Court ruling barring such government action against native-born Americans. (Photo: Tequila Minsky/Flickr)

🗜️ The more we push back, the tighter they grip so that everyone sees their authoritarianism. More than a hundred people died in Texas floods and Trump’s weather service cuts may be at partly at fault, but they’re calling reporters evil for asking questions. ICE raided farmworkers and ordinary locals rushed to help when word … Read more

What Happened Today – July 11

Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly addresses sailors on the flight deck of the USS Antietam. Hegseth withdrew Donnelly's nomination to lead Pacific Fleet after conservative media highlighted decade-old drag shows from his previous command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Santiago Navarro)

🗜️ The more we push back, the tighter they grip so that everyone sees their authoritarianism. More than a hundred people died in Texas floods and Trump’s weather service cuts may be at partly at fault, but they’re calling reporters evil for asking questions. ICE raided farmworkers and ordinary locals rushed to help when word … Read more

What Happened Today – July 10

2025 Texas flooding that killed over 100 people. FEMA's response was delayed 72 hours because Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem required personal approval for expenditures over $100,000. (Image: Census Bureau)

⚡ The pushback is becoming a roar and it’s making them panic. Medical clinic staff grabbed ICE agents’ hands and yelled “get off him.” California protesters stared down tear gas and rubber bullets for farmworkers in unorganized protests that spread by word-of-mouth. A whistleblower dropped receipts proving Trump’s judge pick told courts to go fuck … Read more

What Happened Today – July 9

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on Palestinian-territory human rights, briefs reporters at UN Headquarters, Oct. 25 2023. Trump sanctioned her after she backed ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, turning a watchdog into a warning sign of his payback politics. (Photo – Loey Felipe/UN)

🕶️💣 Trump is running Washington like a mob boss. Just today, he jacked Brazil with 50 percent tariffs for daring to prosecute his buddy Bolsonaro, sanctioned a UN watchdog doing her job, and held back funds from clinics and loan relief to keep the rest of us in line. This is pure Roy Cohn style … Read more