TOP STORY

Trump takes a royal bribe

In a stunning display of corruption and disregard for the U.S. Constitution—even by his standards—Donald Trump is reportedly set to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar’s royal family this week.

The gift—a lavish Boeing 747-8—will be used as Air Force One for Trump before being handed over to his presidential library, according to sources who spoke to ABC News.

THE DETAILS: ABC says Trump toured the Qatari royal family’s jet, dubbed a “flying palace,” earlier this year in Florida.

• They say the White House plans to announce the gift during Trump’s upcoming visit to Qatar.

Experts say the aircraft is worth $400 million—even before any additional security is installed to make it ready for presidential transport (a bill that will be paid for by U.S. tax dollars).

WHY IT MATTERS: Accepting such an extravagant gift from a foreign government is pure corruption and blatantly unconstitutional.

Not to mention the blatant spying/bugging/security concerns that come with using a foreign-gifted jet as Air Force One.

• The Constitution flatly forbids federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments without the express consent of Congress.

But Trump’s cronies—including Attorney General Pam Bondi—have been working overtime to find a loophole.

• They say that turning the plane over to Trump’s private foundation—instead of him personally—makes the gift legit.

FOR CONTEXT: The Trump family already has deep business ties with Qatar, and Qatar has extensive financial interests in the U.S. and with the U.S. government.

• Just this last month, Trump’s company struck a deal to build a luxury golf resort there—while a Qatar royal invested $50 million into the fascist “news outlet” Newsmax.

Additionally, Qatar also holds massive U.S. real estate assets and plays a key role in U.S. foreign policy by hosting the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.

BETWEEN THE LINES: This isn’t diplomacy—this is corruption. Trump is now accepting royal bribes in broad daylight while everyday Americans struggle to afford basics.

Meanwhile, billionaires like Elon Musk and oil-rich autocrats get unprecedented access and influence.

RELATED: NBC News reports that Elon Musk's regulatory troubles have begun to “melt away” in Trump's second term. Surprise, surprise.

🗞️ Making News

China and US agree on 90-day pause to Trump’s pointless trade war

After weeks of self-inflicted chaos, Donald Trump’s administration seems to have walked the world back from financial collapse overnight. Early Monday, both sides agreed to lower tariffs by 115% for at least 90 days. Sounding dramatically different than his “America first” boss, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “neither side wants a decoupling.” Full story from The Guardian.

House Republicans officially unveil huge Medicaid cuts

Despite Trump’s repeated pledge not to cut Medicaid (or Medicare or Social Security) benefits, House Republicans last night unveiled their plan to slash up to $880 billion in cuts to the program. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that would cost 8.6 million people their healthcare. And what will these cuts help pay for? A huge tax break for the rich. Full story from the AP.

Trump threatens House Dems with arrest over ICE protest

Trump’s goons are threatening to arrest House Democrats who participated in a protest at an illegal ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday. The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, was arrested at the protest. The Department of Homeland Security says lawmakers “assaulted” law enforcement; lawmakers say it was the other way around. Full story from Axios.

Pope Leo XIV calls for a Gaza ceasefire

In his first Sunday mass following his election as pope, the Holy Father followed in his predecessors’ footsteps and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The peace-loving pontiff also called for an end to the war in Ukraine and the return of the hostages. Israel is continuing its all-out siege of the territory and starving people to death—an illegal war crime. Full story from NBC News. 

Trump has skipped all but 12 of his daily intelligence briefings

Surprised? Despite pursuing high-stakes negotiations with Russia, Ukraine, China, and Israel, the president of the United States is ghosting our nation’s intelligence community and ignoring their advice. This may be because the briefing is presented without regard to policy implications or the president’s own views (or pictures). Full story from Politico.

➡️ Question of the Day

Last week we asked, what’s the number one thing keeping us from a better world? The answer was clear.

Mags vote billionaires and laid it out pretty clearly: “Rich people and corporations are buying individual legislators who would rather see their constituents die than lose their jobs.”

Vasquez also said it’s the billionaires: “It's obvious, now more than ever, that big money is controlling our government. It is such a sad state of affairs.”

AJ, the lone vote for hopelessness, had a fair point though: “The more hopeful and angry we are, the better we are able to fight the billionaire control of OUR democracy!” Here’s to being more hopeful!

TODAY’S QUESTION: Do you think Trump accepting a $400 million airplane as a “gift” is a bribe?

IN DEPTH

Why threatening to end habeas corpus is a HUGE deal

On Friday afternoon, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (and truly evil scumbag) Stephen Miller made a shocking confession to reporters: The White House is "actively looking at" suspending habeas corpus to speed up the deportation of poor, migrant workers. He even called it a “privilege.”

• Habeas corpus is the right—guaranteed by the Constitution—to challenge an arrest or detention in court.

The suspension of this critical right—which is the very basis for any nation of laws—would be a dramatic step on the road to a full-on Trump dictatorship.

WHAT IS HABEAS CORPUS? It’s the foundational legal protection that lets people challenge their detention in front of a judge.

• Without it, the government can lock people up indefinitely with no explanation, no trial, and no oversight.

So critical is this right that it’s explicitly guaranteed in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution—and upheld more broadly by the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.

The Constitution also explicitly says habeas corpus can only be suspended “when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” That’s it.

HAS IT BEEN SUSPENDED BEFORE? This legal safeguard is so essential that it's only been suspended a few times in U.S. history:

• President Lincoln suspended it during the Civil War, but the Supreme Court later ruled that only Congress could suspend habeas corpus.

• It was also suspended in parts of Hawaii during World War II.

Each time, it was controversial and seen as an extreme response to actual national emergencies—not to score political points or scapegoat vulnerable populations for the failures of capitalism.

WHY IT MATTERS: Suspending habeas corpus to target immigrants isn’t just unconstitutional—it’s authoritarian.

• It would give the Trump administration unchecked power to detain anyone, for any reason, without recourse.

If they can do it to poor people of color at the border—or to people who criticize Israel, protest police violence, or challenge corporate greed—they can do it to you.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This is how democracies slide into fascism. First, they dehumanize a group. Then, they strip away basic rights. And soon, no one is safe.

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UNDER THE RADAR

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• Meanwhile state police in this state have worked with ICE to disappear over 100 people—from traffic stops

• Trump has fired the first woman and first person of color to hold this important top job

• Detained Palestinian activist and political prisoner Mahmoud Khalil pens a heartbreaking letter to his newborn son from behind bars

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• Jasmine Crockett says Democratic donors are lining up behind “the safest white boy” possible for 2028

• AOC says she isn’t ruling out anything 

• A corrupt Republican lawmaker who’s been to prison has some first-day advice for George Santos

• Republicans are trying to woo a disgraced Democratic senator after a wave of bad press

• Fact check: Was Pope Leo a founding member of the 2020 anarchist Portland Autonomous Zone?

• Why the “Abundance Agenda” could sink the Democratic Party

• New York City is about to make a huge mistake

• MAGA snowflakes erupt in fury at SNL after brutal jab at Pete Hegseth