Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
In a desperate attempt to retain his control of Congress, the President of the United States on Wednesday offered to pay voters in exchange for supporting his party in the midterm elections.
The apparent bribe is the latest in a series of empty financial promises made by President Donald Trump. But while other reneged windfalls, like the $5,000 DOGE dividend or the $2,000 tariff rebate, were presented as the fruits of his administration’s labor, the newly-imagined $5,000 Trump Dividend is explicitly contingent upon voters casting their ballots for Republicans.
“Here is my promise,” Trump said. “If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success — in history we’ve never had anything like what’s happening, but because of our tremendous strength and success, economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”
Despite the impossibility of Trump’s latest quid pro quo, a number of trusted media outlets have given it legitimacy with misleading headlines that imply the pretend dividend is all but guaranteed. The indulgence builds on the goodwill Trump garnered during his first term, when he issued pandemic stimulus checks with his name on them. While those payments had little to do with Trump personally, they were one of the few things voters remembered about him during the 2024 election, and are believed to have helped shift the results in his favor.
Several factors could make the gambit less effective in November. In 2024, Trump was both out of office and on the ballot, a position that gave him a nostalgic glow with a direct line for voters to show their support for him. This time around, voters are facing the economic consequences of Trump’s leadership on a daily basis. Those who support the president but are dissatisfied with the government are unlikely to transition their enthusiasm for him into support for Republican candidates.
Trump appears fully aware of that dynamic, as evidenced by his $10 million ad buy featuring commercials about him rather than the candidates running for office, his decision to host an event dubbed Trump-a-palooza that many of his endorsed candidates bailed on, and his insistent pleas to undecided voters.
“The midterms are not supposed to be won by the sitting president,” Trump said. “Pretend that I am on the ballot.”
Attempts to Sanewash
Far-Right Spin
Trump Announces Huge Payout for Americans If GOP Wins Midterms
Trump Offered Americans Something Incredible, but There’s a Twist
Disqualified Trump appointee’s assault charges against Rep. McIver allowed to proceed
A federal appeals court has ruled that two of the three charges brought by a disqualified Trump appointee against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) may go to trial, rejecting the congresswoman’s defense of legislative immunity.
The split 2-1 decision by a panel of judges with the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals comes more than a year after the incident in question, when McIver and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka attempted to conduct an oversight visit of the privately-run ICE detention center, Delaney Hall. They were turned away by guards, who were then ordered to arrest Baraka by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Baraka and McIver were in a crowd answering questions when law enforcement pushed their way through to make the arrest. After Baraka was taken away, McIver was allowed to proceed with her oversight visit.
One month later, US Attorney Alina Habba dropped the trespassing charges against Baraka and announced she would instead prosecute McIver for “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers.” Habba was later disqualified from her position after the Third Circuit ruled she had been unlawfully appointed. That same court, however, did not dismiss the prosecutions Habba initiated during her brief tenure, including the charges against McIver.
“What you see here is an attempt to intimidate a member of Congress from conducting her legitimate congressional legislative role — her oversight function — and representing her constituents. Being faced with criminal prosecution is an intense and deeply damaging risk,” said Joshua Kolb, senior counsel for Democracy Defenders who helped write an amicus brief in McIver’s defense. “The implication of something like this is an attempt to stop members of Congress from, for example, seeing what’s happening at ICE detention facilities. The stories about what’s happening at ICE detention facilities have not abated in the past year.”
The court also rejected McIver’s claim that she was at Delaney Hall in her official capacity as a member of Congress, and therefore immune from personal liability for any alleged criminal conduct. In addition to facing 17 years in prison, that determination means McIver can’t rely on congressional legal counsel and must use personal funds to cover court costs — while, as a member of Congress, remaining prohibited from accepting pro bono legal aid.
While the Trump administration has regularly used the DOJ to intimidate and threaten members of Congress, McIver is the first to be charged. If convicted, McIver’s legal counsel Paul Fishman believes it would trigger a seismic shift in the delicate balance of power between the three branches of government.
“This is a fight for Congresswoman McIver and every other member of the House of Representatives and the United States Senate who could be targeted by this administration for speaking out, for conducting oversight of the executive branch,” said Fishman. “It’s designed both to chill her and to chill the other members who want to engage in the same kind of conduct, and hold the executive branch responsible for what they’re doing.”
Congressional oversight visits to ICE facilities have provided transparency into DHS’ detention network and revealed inhumane conditions those taken by the Trump administration have been forced to endure. In response, DHS has attempted to change the rules around oversight visits several times. While those rule changes have been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, a successful conviction against McIver would aid the department in its effort to restrict members of Congress from inspecting detention facilities.
It’s easy for individual members of Congress to get overlooked by national outlets as they quietly skate to reelection again, and again, and again. The following is an overview of different congressional representatives you may not have heard of, with fun facts about their origin stories they’ve tried to keep out of the public narrative.
US Rep. Virginia Foxx, North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2005, Rep. Foxx has:
Seen her net worth decrease from around $5.8 million to $4.7 million
Sponsored 266 bills, 10 of which have been signed into law
Initially voted against the Epstein Files Transparency Act
Expressed belief that sexual assault victims should be forced to give birth to their abuser’s child
Voted against sending federal aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina
Spent more than a decade trying to end birthright citizenship
Described universal healthcare as a bigger threat than terrorism
Rejected the idea that violence based on sexual orientation is a hate crime
Fun Facts
When she’s not telling reporters to shut up, Rep. Foxx is bullying ten-year-olds and taking potshots at teachers, apparently. Earlier this year, an elementary school student from her district sent the octogenarian congresswoman a letter about electric vehicles as part of an assignment. In response, Foxx told the student that he should “turn away from this dangerous path,” and accused his teacher of indoctrinating him with propaganda.
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Donald, knows how.
Elon, knows how.
Stephen, knows how.
cc @David Hogg @This Will Hold @Christopher Armitage @L.C. Francis @W. A. Lawrence @Election Truth Alliance @Ashley St. Clair
I seriously hope and fervently pray...that Americans will NOT sell their souls for a $5000 bribe from this blatantly evil son of iniquity.