In partnership with
THE BIG PICTURE
Trump is on his way home from Beijing having accomplished little beyond handing Xi a photo op and a visible deference that rattled his own party back home — while at the same time, grocery prices hit their biggest spike in years, his Border Patrol chief quit over sex-work allegations, and two federal judges in one day called his DOJ liars. The week that started bad is ending worse.
Men, Say Goodbye to Eyebags, Dark Spots & Wrinkles
Particle Face Cream is a 6-in-1 formula engineered specifically for men's skin. It reduces eye bags, dark spots, and wrinkles, restores firmness, hydrates deeply, and revives dull tone. Multiple premium anti-aging ingredients, clinically researched, built into one product that actually fits your routine.
Over 1,000,000 men have added Particle to their daily routine. Easy, effective, and worth the two minutes. Try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
1. Trump Comes Home From China With Empty Hands and a New Subordination on the Record
The Beijing summit produced pageantry, not progress. Trump opened by telling Xi "it's an honor to be your friend" while Xi warned publicly of possible confrontation over Taiwan — a subject Trump and his aides avoided entirely (The New Republic). Body language analysts noted Trump greeted Xi with a visible deference he has not shown any other world leader (Huffington Post News). The Guardian called it bluntly: Xi was in the driver's seat, and Trump appeared to be living out his strongman-admiration fantasy in real time (The Guardian US). Meanwhile, a hot mic caught an f-bomb exchange in the room (The Daily Beast), and Trump separately bragged that he had turned the summit's schedule into chaos (The Daily Beast). Lindsey Graham, not content to wait for Trump to land, was already threatening China before the summit concluded (The New Republic). The White House has nothing concrete to show for the trip.
The summit was Trump's best available move to demonstrate foreign policy competence amid the Iran war and trade anxiety. He came out of it looking deferential, evasive on Taiwan, and outmaneuvered. That's a damaging combination for a president whose approval is already at century-worst levels.
2. The White House Is Panicking About Prices — And Saying So Out Loud
An internal White House adviser told reporters this week: "We made gas prices the Achilles' heel for Biden and now it's our own" (The Daily Beast). On top of that admission, grocery prices just posted their biggest annual increase in years — nearly 3 percent above last year (The Daily Beast) — and CNN's data analyst Harry Enten confirmed Trump is breaking century-worst records on economic approval tied to energy costs (The Daily Beast). The Iran war's full drag on supply chains and food costs hasn't even hit yet, according to international relations experts analyzing the Iran situation (The New Republic).
3. Border Patrol Chief Out After Sex Tourism Report — And the GOP Civil War Heats Up
Trump's Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigned after reports he had repeatedly traveled abroad to solicit sex workers over the course of a decade (The Guardian US). Banks was the operational face of the administration's border crackdown. The resignation lands while DHS's new secretary Markwayne Mullin is already drawing mockery for an oblivious Police Week speech (Huffington Post News) and while ICE is conducting unauthorized "wellness checks" at Ohio elementary schools that have drawn outrage from community members and rights groups (The Guardian US).
Internally, MAGA is fracturing loudly. Marjorie Taylor Greene went nuclear on MAGA influencer Benny Johnson, calling him "the most repulsive level of MAGA" after he called her "worse than a dog" — the fight stemming from Rep. Thomas Massie's vote against the Iran war (Huffington Post News). Republicans are also openly debating whether Trump endorsements are now more liability than asset heading into the midterms (The Daily Beast).
4. Two Federal Judges Call Trump's DOJ Untrustworthy — In One Day
A Rhode Island federal judge ruled that the DOJ "under oath, misrepresented salient facts" in the gender-affirming care case (The New Republic). Separately, a judge blocked DOJ's attempt to subpoena transgender youth health records, blasting the administration as "unworthy of trust" (Huffington Post News). And in a third court, DHS lawyers were found to have instructed DOJ attorneys to withhold information from a federal judge overseeing an ICE case (The New Republic).
5. The $10 Billion IRS Self-Deal and the Adani Corruption Smell Test
Two corruption stories deserve to be read together. First: Trump's lawsuit against the IRS for $10 billion is described by Chris Hayes as potentially "the greatest heist in American history" — unique because both sides of the negotiation are effectively working for Trump (Huffington Post News). The New Republic reports the scheme may actually succeed (The New Republic). Second: The Guardian reports that the U.S. dropped fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani — accused of a $250 million bribery scheme — after Adani hired Trump's personal lawyer (The Guardian US). Meanwhile, watchdog groups are urging the Senate to investigate Justice Samuel Alito over oil stock conflicts of interest (The Guardian US).
THINGS TO WATCH
The "hide Trump" debate inside the GOP is accelerating. Republican candidates and operatives are now openly arguing about whether to distance themselves from Trump heading into the midterms. This is a structural story about the 2026 midterm map — and it's happening while Trump's approval sits at century-worst levels. Watch which vulnerable Republican incumbents start quietly skipping joint appearances.
MAGA is eating itself at the influencer tier. The MTG-vs.-Benny Johnson explosion over Thomas Massie's Iran war vote is a signal that the Trump coalition's internal loyalty enforcement is breaking down. When influencers who built audiences on MAGA content are calling each other "the most repulsive" version of the movement, the brand is fracturing in the digital spaces where it lives.
The Iran war's economic blowback is just beginning. Multiple signals this week — grocery prices, gas, the Strait of Hormuz oil bottleneck creating a windfall in New Mexico (AP Politics) — point to a war whose domestic economic consequences are still in their early stages. The political damage will compound as it does.
👀 KEPT OUT OF YOUR FEED
What the algorithm buried:
A Texas philosophy professor was fired for a speech he gave in another state — a Trump-appointed judge just told the university to pay him anyway.
The Kars4Kids jingle you've had stuck in your head for 20 years was lying to you the whole time
All 45 Senate Democrats just united behind the abortion pill — and the Supreme Court is about to rule on whether you can still get it mailed to your door.
Republicans want to eliminate state income taxes — and the last time they tried this, schools closed early.
The Gulf states that paid Jared Kushner millions for White House access are furious about what they got in return
Kash Patel took a "VIP snorkel" around the USS Arizona — on your dime — while the FBI told the public he was working
Pete Hegseth made an AI cartoon to beg Congress for $1.5 trillion — and it looks exactly as desperate as it sounds.
Jim Jordan told CNN's Kaitlan Collins not to put words in his mouth — seconds after saying exactly those words out loud on camera.
Colbert spent his final days at CBS roasting his own network for sending their anchor to cover Trump's China trip — from Taiwan.
NOTICE POLLING
Yesterday, we asked, is your cost of living going up or down?
OVER 99% OF YOU SAID GOING UP:
“Way UP. all the essentials are skyrocketing in price. Gas is still going up by 20 cents each time per gallon. Nothing is getting cheaper, nothing.”
- twoasps
“I no longer can afford to pay my rent as a result of food and gas prices rising!”
- corrietiajs“Gas, groceries, energy, services, up up up. I just paid $443 to replace a car battery!”
- wgross002
“Why even ask the question? Unless you live under a rock or are a trump elite of course it is. The problem isn't the economy, it's the people who drive it. We can talk till we're blue in the face, but until he's brought under control, nothing will change. ”
- callajr.jc
A lot of new people joined this week. If you've been on the fence — now's a good time. Paid memberships are 50% off →
Until next time,
