Good afternoon, everyone. I hope your Sunday is going as well as possible. We have several major developments to break down today. President Trump is now suggesting that Watergate was a hoax. Vice President Vance has said the administration is actively considering invoking the Insurrection Act. And the Trump administration has eliminated nearly all Education Department staff working on special education, gutting federal oversight for students with disabilities.
What we are witnessing is not politics as usual. It is the systematic degradation of the executive branch, carried out in plain sight. These actions threaten the very structure of American governance, and it is essential that they be covered with honesty, clarity, and courage.
I will not “sanewash” this. I will not normalize it. Independent journalism must meet this moment head-on, because the institutions meant to protect truth and accountability are being hollowed out from within.
If you value clear, fact-based reporting in a time of chaos and distortion, please consider subscribing and supporting my work. Independent media has never been more vital than it is right now.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
The Trump administration’s Education Department fired nearly all staff in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services during shutdown layoffs, effectively wiping out federal oversight of programs that support students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); unions and advocates warn the cuts cripple legal protections and could dismantle the nation’s special education safety net.
More than half of the 1,300 CDC employees fired by the Trump administration during the government shutdown were reinstated after officials admitted the layoffs were caused by a coding error, though about 600 staff—many in key public health programs—remain terminated as legal challenges mount over the mass firings’ legality and political motivations.
Donald Trump suggests Watergate was an “illegal hoax.”
Vice President JD Vance said President Trump is “looking at all his options,” including possibly invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy U.S. military forces domestically, as courts block the administration’s attempts to send federalized National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Portland.
JD Vance defended the mistaken layoffs of CDC scientists during the government shutdown, blaming the chaos on Democrats and Sen. Schumer, even though CBS confirmed the layoffs were a White House decision affecting staff working on measles and Ebola responses.
In a tense ABC interview,Vance repeatedly dodged George Stephanopoulos’s question about whether Tom Homan accepted a $50,000 payment allegedly captured on an FBI recording, insisting Homan “did not take a bribe” and pivoting to partisan attacks before the feed abruptly cut out.
JD Vance claimed tariff and income tax revenue would fund U.S. troop pay, contradicting the administration’s statement that the money would come from Defense Department R&D funds; tariff revenue cannot legally be redirected without congressional approval.
CNN’s fact check found President Trump’s claim of securing “$17 trillion” in new U.S. investments is false, with his own White House listing $8.8 trillion—an inflated figure that includes vague, exaggerated, or misrepresented pledges from foreign governments and corporations rather than real investment commitments.
China vowed to “stand firm” against President Trump’s threat of 100% tariffs, warning it would take retaliatory measures if the U.S. proceeds and urging Washington to resolve trade disputes through dialogue rather than escalation amid tensions over rare earth exports and new U.S. restrictions.
Donald Trump suggested that the “Biden FBI” placed 274 FBI agents into the crowd on January 6, 2021. Trump, not Joe Biden, was President on January 6th. If Biden confused himself with Donald Trump, they would call for the 25th Amendment.
The Financial Times reports that the Trump administration has been covertly assisting Ukraine in launching long-range drone strikes on Russian energy facilities since midsummer, sharing U.S. intelligence to help Kyiv target oil refineries and cripple Russia’s fuel production—part of a coordinated strategy to pressure Vladimir Putin’s economy and push Moscow toward negotiations, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s involvement in the war.
Four people were killed and at least 20 others were injured in a mass shooting early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said a large crowd fled the scene as deputies arrived, and several victims remain in critical condition. Authorities have not released the victims’ names, and officials, including Rep. Nancy Mace, expressed condolences as the investigation continues.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering selling portions of the federal government’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to private investors, a move experts warn could strip borrower protections, eliminate the government’s authority to cancel debt, and advance Trump’s broader goal of shrinking or dismantling the Department of Education.
The Smithsonian Institution, including its 19 museums and the National Zoo, has closed temporarily as its reserve funds ran out during the ongoing government shutdown, ending 11 days of operations sustained by leftover funding. While animal care will continue, exhibits and live cams have gone dark, and there is still no clear path to reopening as Congress remains gridlocked over spending bills.
A newly revealed 2011 email shows Prince Andrew telling Jeffrey Epstein “we are in this together” and urging him to “keep in close touch,” contradicting the Duke’s public claim that he ended contact with Epstein in 2010 after the financier’s conviction, further deepening scrutiny of Andrew’s relationship with the disgraced sex offender.
President Trump will travel to the Middle East to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, address the Knesset, and co-chair a Gaza peace summit in Egypt with President el-Sisi, joined by more than 20 world leaders.
The ceasefire has allowed massive humanitarian operations, with aid trucks entering Gaza and hospitals preparing for released detainees, though destruction remains overwhelming — over 67,000 killed, 170,000 injured, and most schools destroyed.
Robby Starbuck, a right-wing activist and anti-DEI campaigner appointed as a Meta AI adviser through a lawsuit settlement, has continued spreading disinformation about shootings, vaccines, and transgender people, prompting criticism that Meta is legitimizing extremism and undermining its commitment to safe, unbiased platforms.
Following Donald Trump’s move to label antifa a “major terrorist organization,” far-right leaders across Europe — including in the Netherlands, Hungary, and 20 countries represented by 79 MEPs — have pushed similar designations, prompting experts to warn that such efforts politicize counterterrorism, threaten dissent, and echo Trump’s broader culture-war strategy spreading through Europe’s nationalist movements.
