Trump’s last Saudi arms “deal” killed 41 school kids
ALSO INSIDE: Congressman bets entire net worth on Trump’s stock market, then pushes legislation to boost his stock.
I wanted to take a minute here to introduce myself – I’m Cam, COURIER’s National correspondent. We launched this daily newsletter (the first one at COURIER!) to help you see and understand what’s happening – including the things that don’t make the traditional media’s headlines – and how you can use your power to take action. Here’s what you can expect in each day’s newsletter:
(in)sane Washing: How people are attempting to normalize absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – which the mainstream media has completely become a victim of.
Do Something (literally anything): What courts, elected officials, and everyday people are doing to effectively take a stand
The Examination: Things that members of Congress don’t want you to know about
From the Front(lines): A spotlight on how Trump’s policies are impacting people locally, from abductions to empty shelves.
Each day, I’ll cut through the noise and the spins and the chaos and take a look at what’s really going on in DC. And I’m thrilled to have you here as a part of it.
And one last note: You may have noticed that my newsletter is taking the place of the From the Frontlines newsletter. I’ll be covering a lot of similar ground, and I think if you enjoyed From the Frontlines, you’ll feel right at home here. However, if you are not interested in receiving this newsletter, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.
What Happened
President Donald Trump created another nonexistent victory with the announcement Tuesday that Saudi Arabia agreed to a $140 billion weapons deal, which he called the largest arms deal in history.
Just like he did in 2017.
And, just like during his first term, the “deal” doesn’t include actual contracts, and the sale of US assets requires Congressional approval, meaning this executive announcement is DOA without legislative approval. Last time around, this amounted to Trump’s claim of a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia netting the US less than $15 billion.
Over $1 billion of that was used for the sale of a bomb from Lockheed Martin that was used in a Saudi-led military strike to blow up a school bus in Yemen. Of the 51 people killed in the attack, 41 were children.
Trump’s previous failure to secure the deal he announced—and subsequent human rights violations that followed—have received little to no mention in reporting about Tuesday’s announcement. Instead, it’s being hailed as a diplomatic move by a master dealmaker.
Attempts to Sanewash
Trump, Saudis secure $600B investment deal to include billions in US defense weapons
Trump begins 4-day Mideast tour signing agreements with Saudi Arabia
U.S. Trump, Saudi crown prince sign economic partnership agreement
Ever since the abduction of Kilmer Abrego Garcia by the United States government, US Sen. Chris Van Hollen has made it his mission to bring him back home to Maryland so he can exercise the rights he was previously denied.
Van Hollen’s diplomatic trip to El Salvador made national news: first, because it seemed futile. Then, when he was denied access to the mega-prison CECOT to see Abrego Garcia, it was seen as a predictable win for authoritarian leaders Nayib Bukele and Donald Trump. But Van Hollen kept pushing, and what seemed impossible became reality: Bukele caved and arranged a visit for Abrego Garcia and Sen. Van Hollen.
That was almost a month ago, and, in that time, Sen. Van Hollen has not stopped pushing. He inspired and supported additional diplomatic trips by other members of Congress. He’s consistently kept his visit and conversation with the Salvadoran vice president in the news—and a thorn in the Trump administration’s side. He’s nipped misinformation spread by the US and Salvadoran governments in the bud, and his truthful account of what’s at stake has fueled protests across the country.
Most recently, Van Hollen spoke Monday morning to a room of people and reporters at the Center for American Progress’ “What’s Next: Conversations on the Path Forward” series. During the discussion, he reiterated his belief that what worked for him in El Salvador, when the situation seemed fruitless, is what will work for those who want to put a check on Trump’s presidency but feel hopeless: keep pushing.
“The government cannot use its power in a way that denies you your basic rights and freedom without due process,” Van Hollen said. “It is clear how desperate the Trump administration is to try and change the subject. And so we have to keep pushing back, because they know as long as we—and I mean we, the people, everybody—are focused on the Constitution and protecting due process, then we will win.”
US Rep. Bruce Westerman, Arkansas’ 4th District
Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Bruce Westerman has:
Seen his net worth increase from $468,000 to an estimated $1.8 million
Sponsored 87 bills
Authored four bills that have been signed into law: to rename two post offices, to permit a sale of federal public land to an Arkansas church, and the EXPLORE Act, which aims to make national parks more accessible
Voted to pass a budget that would sell thousands of acres of public land, undercutting 25% of his legislative accomplishments
Tried to ban same-sex marriage at the federal level
Used a display Civil War sword to defend himself while hiding in the bathroom during Jan. 6th Attack on the US Capitol
Fun Facts
While Westerman has had an investment portfolio during his time in public service, he’s never really played the stock market—until this year, when he reported a purchase of up to $1.6 million in stock in about 100 different companies. Included in the shopping spree, which amounts to over 88% of Westerman’s reported net worth, are shares in Shell, BP, Exxon, and a number of other oil and gas companies.
The purchase was made before Westerman used his position as Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee to advance a Republican budget amendment that would allow for the sale of public lands. Oil and gas companies—many of which Westerman is now a stockholder of—have long sought to purchase public lands so they can extract natural resources.
When confronted about his massive stock purchase by Democratic US Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Westerman deflected and said his financial advisor made the purchase without his knowledge. Which would seem to go against any financial advisor’s fiduciary duty—unless they had some sort of inside knowledge that would allow them to confidently take almost all of their client’s personal wealth and throw it in the stock market all at once.
ICE has started to target people with a following
Immigration officers keep detaining, questioning—and in an increasing number of cases, arresting—United States citizens without cause. And now, there seems to be a focus on people who have an online following that could be critical of Trump.
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker’s two-hour session with ICE officers at the airport became national news: he could tell they knew who he was, but he knew his rights, he was confident, and after withstanding the agents’ intimidation tactics for hours, they let him go.
But he wasn’t the first, and it’s not likely he’ll be the last.
A few weeks before that, ICE agents in Florida detained a woman named Savanna Pinder, but only after they questioned her about employment. Once she told them she was a content creator on TikTok, her phone and passport were confiscated, and she was taken and questioned by five different government agents.
Agents also demanded she tell them her social media handles, after which they scoured her TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook for anything they could use to justify further detainment.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Advertise in this newsletter
Do you or your company want to support COURIER’s mission and showcase your products or services to an aligned audience at the same time? Contact advertising@couriernewsroom.com for more information.