Sponsored by
Protests at the Supreme Court
Good morning, today is Tuesday. Trump’s extremist MAGA Supreme Court just greenlit his mail-in voting crackdown — just in time to rig the midterms. Help us send a message to Democrats:
Here’s what else is on tap today:
The New York Times has a new word for progressives
Trump's $927 million ballroom has a lie at its center
Trump's Canada trade war escalates (again)
They’re revoking 200,000 asylum seekers' visas
Jeanine Pirro's embarrassing conviction rate
Hakeem Jeffries’ strange explanation for his meeting with Jared Kushner
And: A young boy posted a video asking Mamdani to re-open his favorite park — guess what happened next
1. Supreme Court greenlights Trump's mail voting crackdown — just in time for the midterms
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration on mail voting restrictions, handing Republicans a structural advantage (that’s a polite way of saying they’re rigging the midterms) heading into November.
Trump's executive order directs USPS to withhold delivering mail-in ballots from anyone not on a government-approved voter list, and has federal agencies compile that list and hand it to states.
The fight is not over yet, though USPS has already said it plans to enforce it wherever it can.
The ruling arrives as Trump's approval is underwater on the economy and Democrats are recruiting hard — meaning the Court just did for the GOP what the GOP couldn't do at the ballot box on its own merits.
Mail-in voting expands access for working people, the elderly, and rural voters; restricting it doesn't make elections more secure, it makes them harder for the people who can least afford to take a day off.
The Roberts Court, once again, doing the work that MAGA couldn't win democratically.
⚠️ Pass TERM LIMITS for the Supreme Court!
Trump has been allowed to stack the court with right-wing extremists that are helping him rig the midterms.
They could hold power until at least 2065.
Demand Democrats pass TERM LIMITS for the Supreme Court once they take back power!
2. The New York Times has a word for progressives winning: "divisive"
Every time a democratic socialist wins a primary, the New York Times reaches for the same word.
When Abdul El-Sayed beat centrist Haley Stevens in the Michigan senatorial primary on August 5, the Times headline called it a "divisive race" — then used the word again four days later, describing El-Sayed as having "narrowly prevailed in a divisive primary after campaigning on a progressive and anti-establishment platform."
Notice what the framing does: it treats the Democratic Party as a natural whole that progressives keep breaking apart.
"Divisive" has become the Times's preferred weapon against progressive candidates, deployed to imply that the left destroyed some prior unity that, in practice, never existed. The Guardian's analysis finds the Times deploys "divisive" repeatedly against democratic socialist and progressive candidates — not centrists, not incumbents, just the left.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed just humiliated Fox News’ Jesse Watters on his own show.
3. Trump's $927 million White House vanity project has a lie at its center
The Trump administration is spending an estimated $927 million remaking the White House — including regrading the South Lawn to bring it flush with a new helipad Trump wants finished before Xi Jinping's state visit next month.
The White House has been arguing in court that Trump's new ballroom construction is a national security necessity — because it includes underground emergency facilities. There's just one problem: former White House officials say that argument is false. A fortified bunker already exists more than 60 feet beneath the White House, built secretly during the Obama administration, capable of housing dozens of people for weeks and withstanding a nuclear bomb.
Trump's lawyers made a national security argument in federal court that the president's own former officials just blew up. Nearly a billion dollars, and the cover story didn't last a news cycle.
The Supreme Court's Chief Justice John Roberts already allowed construction to continue while the court considers the case — a lower court had ruled it illegal without congressional approval.
4. Trump threatens Canada with 50% tariffs as trade war with closest ally escalates
Trump announced 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods starting next year, after last-minute trade negotiations collapsed over the weekend. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — who rejected a U.S. proposal that would have weakened French-language protections in Quebec — told reporters Canada had been "attacked" and was prepared to respond. Carney was "practically vibrating with fury," per one Canadian commentator.
The Ontario premier actually said Trump can “kiss his ass.”
Trump, meanwhile, posted that Canada had been "ripping off" America for years. Trump is picking a trade war while Americans are already struggling with high prices, and as the Republican Party is nervous about the midterms. Good luck to them.
Even with all the midterm rigging, do you think Democrats will be able to win in November's midterms?
5. Trump revokes 200,000 asylum seekers' visas in sweeping new immigration crackdown
The State Department announced plans to revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 for anyone who has applied for or is currently seeking asylum.
The administration's framing: people who came as "short-term visitors" and then filed for asylum were gaming the system. The reality: asylum is a legal right under U.S. and international law, and filing for it is not fraud. The same week, Border Patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles — a handyman with a valid work permit — while he was waiting for his son to return from deployment aboard the USS Lincoln. The son serves in the U.S. Navy. The father had a social security card and work permit. Neither detail mattered.
6. Jeanine Pirro's conviction rate is an embarrassment — and legal experts are saying so out loud
A CNN analysis found that the conviction rate in D.C. federal cases under U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is well below the national average of roughly 90 percent, with cases "frequently falling apart" once they reach trial.
Pirro was installed as U.S. Attorney by Trump — a Fox News host turned federal prosecutor, which was always going to go great. The cases are crumbling. Legal experts are calling it "embarrassing."
The woman who spent years screaming about law and order on cable television apparently struggles to secure it in an actual courtroom.
10K Steps Is a Myth–Try This Instead
When motivation is lacking, jumping into heavy routines is the fastest way to burn out. That’s why millions of people are turning to walking as the foundation of their fitness journey.
Walking lets you enjoy the outdoors, clear your head, and practice mindfulness. It’s simple, sustainable, and can support lasting weight loss if you know how much you need. The “10,000 steps a day” rule is outdated; everyone’s lifestyle is different.
With Simple, you’ll get access to habit-based coaching that’s helped users lose over 18 million pounds. Take the quiz to discover your personalized walking target.
KEPT OUT OF YOUR FEED
What the algorithm buried:
Hakeem Jeffries posted a strange video explaining his meeting with Jared Kushner — and the internet is not buying it
A young boy posted a video asking Mamdani to re-open his favorite park — guess what happened next
The White House used The Magic School Bus to promote ICE raids — Ms. Frizzle did not consent
Trump criticized people without a college degree — the core of his own base — in the same post where he attacked Tucker Carlson
An ex-GOP strategist says Trump keeps Natalie Harp around for a very “dictator” reason
James Carville told Hakeem Jeffries exactly what he thinks of the Jared Kushner meeting — and it starts with an F and ends with "these people"
Pete Buttigieg returned to South Carolina this weekend as he weighs a second presidential run — 2028 is already happening whether we're ready or not
Trump is boasting about his endorsement winning streak — "there has never been anything close," he says, apparently unaware that the midterms haven't happened yet.
And: check out our latest YouTube video: Socialism vs Communism: The Lie The Media Keeps Telling
NOTICE POLLING
Yesterday, we asked, Was Karen Attiah right to post that she wouldn't mourn Charlie Kirk because of his views?
99% OF YOU SAID YES:
“You will have to show me where in the Constitution or company policy, you are required to mourn in a specific manner - otherwise I will show you the First Amendment and the concept of individual freedom.”
- jmacs53
“Kirk was full of hate and extreme views about women etc. One does not celebrate another person's death in good conscience. However our freedom of speech guarantees we have to right to say we do not mourn his death.”
- susiemossrose709
“1st amendment. Funny how Maga only scream that when they get told to shut off the bigotry and violence incitement. But the 1st isn't for just them, it is for all of us-whether they agree with us or not. Personally, I told people he advocated for more guns and said some death by gun violence was acceptable for the 2nd amendment. He was one of those deaths to validate the 2nd amendment. No mourning from me, either.”
- twoasps
“She exerted her right to freedom of expression. And she spoke for all of us who had no interest in mourning the loss of a loud, creepy, bigot.”
- capthonb3
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