Good morning and happy Monday! The Washington Post is being forced to rehire a columnist they fired for not properly mourning Charlie Kirk.
We’ll get into that, plus:
Hakeem Jeffries betrays his own party in secret meeting
ICE arrests the father of a sailor deployed on USS Abraham Lincoln
Trump's Canada trade war collapses into chaos
Abdul El-Sayed clocks JD Vance with one question
Trump plans to flood the market with questionably-sourced beef
And: a popular country singer is being attacked by MAGA for being a good person
1. Hakeem Jeffries betrays his own party in secret meeting
Hakeem Jeffries — who may soon become Speaker of the House — took a break from distancing himself from DSA candidates winning in his own party to sneak off for a secret meeting with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kushner holds no government role. Democrats are actively investigating him for corruption.
In public, Jeffries calls Trump "corrupt." He repeatedly says Democrats will "hold the crooks accountable."
Then he quietly sits down with the crooks in a private meeting in New York.
The two reportedly discussed housing, immigration, and the high cost of living. Kushner apparently suggested Jeffries should also sit down with Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Kushner has reportedly told people Jeffries is the most "serious" operator in Democratic leadership — not exactly a compliment, more like Trump's team sizing up who's easy to work with.
The only meeting Hakeem Jeffries should be taking with Jared Kushner is to inform him he’ll be prosecuted on day one after midterms.
⚠️ Tell Hakeem Jeffries: Prosecute EVERY member of the Trump administration for their crimes!
No more secret meetings — when Democrats take back power, we want the Trump administration prosecuted their crimes. Click here to let them know.
Demand Democrats prosecute the Trump administration for their crimes!
2. The Washington Post forced to rehire columnist they fired for not mourning Charlie Kirk — with full back pay
A private arbitrator has ordered the Washington Post to rehire opinion columnist Karen Attiah and pay her back wages — after the paper fired her for refusing to perform grief over Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Attiah's offense: posting on Bluesky that "refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence."
Kirk, for the record, was known for amplifying content promoting hatred and violence against marginalized communities.
Arbitrator Sarah Miller Espinosa ruled the Post "did not have good and sufficient cause" to fire Attiah and had "violated" its own labor agreement. The paper's termination letter had cited harm to the organization's "integrity."
This is the same Post whose owner Jeff Bezos reoriented the opinion section toward "personal liberties and free markets" in early 2025 — a move that drove subscription cancellations and drew accusations that Bezos was cozying up to the Trump administration.
Attiah, represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild and Democracy Defenders Action, called the ruling confirmation that "I was doing my job as an opinion writer, and this was wrongful termination." She said she is "willing to go back."
3. ICE arrests the father of sailor deployed on USS Abraham Lincoln — while his son waits for a green card
The father of a Navy sailor currently deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East has been taken into ICE detention.
Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, was arrested during a vehicle stop in Key West, Florida — while his son Joshua Aviles was on a nine-month deployment.
His father had his driver’s lisence, social security card, and work permit, Aviles said.
“We have done everything through immigration to get his green card approved, and we are just waiting. This is heartbreaking for me,” he posted to Facebook.
“I don’t know how I can mentally continue working 12+ hour days knowing that my dad is somewhere, possibly being treated like a criminal.”
The administration that sent this sailor to fight its war in the Middle East couldn't extend the basic courtesy of not arresting his father while he was gone.
4. Trump's Canada trade war collapses into chaos
U.S.-Canada trade talks have broken down entirely, and observers now warning that negotiating with the current American administration is essentially futile.
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend.
Canadian PM Mark Carney said that he had rejected the deal because of last-minute US demands that would have undermined Canada’s sovereignty. He promised to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar.”
“They asked too much and they offered too little,” he said. “You’re at war when you’re attacked, and we got attacked.”
Trump lashed out publicly after talks devolved.
Political scientists are describing the collapse as a signal to nations worldwide: Washington no longer prioritizes shared economic ground, even with its closest historical ally.
Quality, Tested CBD – and Why It Matters
CBD is increasingly popular, with hundreds of products designed to provide everything from better sleep to relief and recovery to increased focus. Once you’ve figured out which CBD formula is right for you, it’s important to be able to trust that what’s in the bottle or jar matches what’s on the label.
This is where third-party testing comes in. Independent labs test CBD products, verifying the cannabinoid content matches what’s on the label and screening for the presence of heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants.
Unlike some companies that cut corners, CBDistillery ensures that every single batch of their CBD products are tested by an accredited lab. And these test results are posted on their website, so you can see them before you place your order.
CBDistillery is so sure you’ll like their products, they’re offering a special deal: save 50% on orders of $75 or more with code AUGUST50!
KEPT OUT OF YOUR FEED
What the algorithm buried:
Abdul El-Sayed clocks JD Vance with one question
A country singer used her platform to ask fans to donate to immigrant children's rights — and MAGA's response was truly unhinged
Trump says he’ll flood the market with questionable beef as prices skyrocket
Too on the nose: RFK Jr. is interrupted by his "quack" ring tone while discussing autism conspiracy theories
Mamdani has announced he will fix the crumbling BQE, a highway that has vexed multiple previous mayors
Sean Duffy's taxpayer-funded reality show is getting the reviews it deserves
MAGA is melting down over Jon Ossoff in ways that experts say smell like a scandal
Trump’s aide Natalie Harp joined Trump and Melania for some pointless spectacle
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, 82, has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial on sex-trafficking charges
Inside Trump’s recent White House staff departures: ‘People see the writing on the wall’
Trump says ‘there has never been anything close’ to his endorsement winning streak
Gen Z has turned against capitalism, according to new polling — wonder why?
And: corporate media’s huge LIE about Democratic Socialists:
NOTICE POLLING
Last week, we asked, Should Rosie host her own talk show again?
83% OF YOU SAID YES:
“Yes, if only to tick off that old dude squatting in the people’s White House. He’s like a troll under the bridge.”
- jdecerbo
“The funny thing is, she is the one person who saw Right through Trump from day one. She was able to do what all of us wanted to do at the time of his election, which was lead the United States. But now we’re in this hell hole oop’s excuse me sh*t hole country. The biggest in the world and that’s not me saying it. It’s every other leading power.”
- leilanisay
“She’s not afraid of Trump!”
- jomapo51
“I think she moved to Ireland for good reasons, which haven't changed. Live in peace, Rosie”
- lamakul
That’s all for today — thank you so much for reading. We’ll see you tomorrow!
10 cents a day is what keeps this alive
Facebook has cut our reach by 60%. Snapchat has cut off our monetization completely. We built one of the fastest growing independent news organizations in America on these platforms, and piece by piece, they are dismantling our ability to reach people. Paid subscribers make sure that doesn't happen again.
Become a Paid Subscriber

