Trump at full-blown war with…Tulsi Gabbard??

Can somebody get him to put the self-tanner down and focus, please!

and

Jun 18, 2025

The GOP is addicted to cutting Medicaid

I’m a millennial, which means I came into my political consciousness during the Iraq War. As a result, I cannot overstate how NOT into the US’ Forever Wars I am. And so, like everyone else, I’ve been on the edge of my seat this week waiting to see if we’re going to start bombing Iran. But it wouldn’t be a Trump Administration if the potential for war didn’t come with a side of petty catfight, this time between Trump and Tulsi. We’ll cover all of it in today’s newsletter, along with more potential Medicaid cuts, crypto legislation, a lawsuit against Tyler Perry, an alleged murder attempt against R. Kelly, brown ketchup, Brad Lander’s arrest, Kristi Noem’s health, and more. It’s been a DAY!

Tulsi gets the silent treatment

Stressful time for the de-escalation girlies! We still don’t know whether or not Trump will join Israel in their bombardment of Iran, but we’re not completely in the dark. A brief recap of the past 24 hours:

Israel and Iran continued to launch missiles at each other overnight. Israel also continues to assert that their goal is to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump called on Iran to “surrender.” Like, on Truth Social. Obviously, this led many to believe he was considering taking action against Iran.
Adding to that, Trump said he wasn’t in the mood to negotiate, which fits. He doesn’t like his job.
Trump also said he could kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but that he’s safe “for now.”
Tulsi Gabbard apparently warned Trump against attacking Iran and suggested they were not close to developing a nuke. We also learned recently that she was uninvited from a June 8th meeting at Camp David. Poor Tuls :/ FWIW, many in the US intel community agree with her, although it’s hotly debated.
Sources say Israeli PM Netanyahu is pressuring the US to drop its “bunker buster” on at least one of Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities.
US officials have warned that if the US does get involved militarily, Iran could strike US bases.
Most of Iran has lost internet connectivity. This is believed to be a decision from their own government, not the result of a strike. Read more.

Big Beautiful Bill gets a face-lift

Okay, now back to Congress. We left off with the House passing Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which would – in short – cut a shit ton from critical social services like Medicaid to give tax cuts to rich people and corporations, while also blowing up the deficit. Trump’s budget bill is likely to be the only major piece of legislation passed during his administration, so his lackeys are trying to fit a lot in. But the bill isn’t done yet; after passing the House, it’s now languishing in the Senate. So we turn now to the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee: Mike Crapo (R-ID), whose name is unfortunately a little too on-the-nose for this situation. On Monday, with Crapo’s blessing, Senate Republicans released a new plan for the bill, which includes Medicaid cuts, limits on the “no tax on tips” provisions Trump had promised, and permanent tax breaks for businesses. On the bright side, the Senate version would slow down the elimination of some of the clean energy tax credits, and it would make the child tax credit permanent.

Luckily for Senate Republicans, they don’t need Democrats to sign on. They’re passing the bill through reconciliation, which means Dems can’t filibuster (take a vacation, Dems! JK the country’s falling apart, keep working). But they do need the House. Once the Senate passes its version, the bill goes back to the lower chamber. And there’s already infighting, even though the bill hasn’t made it through the Senate yet. In particular, House Republicans in high-tax blue states want to lift the SALT cap (good overview here), while the Senate doesn’t have any high-tax blue state Republicans, so they don’t give a shit. Butthe best part is that Republicans are still pretending they’re going to get this thing out the door by July 4th. Okay, and I’m going to have a 6-pack by swimsuit season, which has already started. Read more

“Kraft Heinz has said they’re removing artificial dyes from their products by 2027. That’s ok, the color isn’t what makes Kraft ketchup special. The thing that makes it special is the maltodextrin.”

All’s fair in crypto & war

That’s not all Congress is up to, though. As you might imagine, the potential war with Iran has made its way to Capitol Hill, too. Technically – and only technically – Congress is the one with the power to declare war. Of course, our Congress is so impotent that they could single-handedly keep HIMS in business, so I wouldn’t count on Trump not being able to circumvent them. Nonetheless, earlier this week, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers – Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) put forward a resolution that would force Trump to ask Congress’s permission before attacking Iran. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a similar measure in the Senate. The resolution would give power back to Congress, but the goal of those proposing it is to keep the United States out of war. As Khanna said in a post on Monday: “Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?” Harsh! But fair.

And yesterday, the Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a bipartisan piece of crypto regulation. The Senate’s bill would create the first framework for regulating stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies pegged to the US dollar. Sorry, but any time I hear the words “pegging” and “Senate” in the same sentence, my brain turns off. Self-protection. Read more.

ON OUR RADAR

NYC Comptroller & mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by ICE at an immigration court. So wild. But also thank god it wasn’t Cuomo; it would totally bolster his campaign. Lander was released several hours later.
R. Kelly’s been hospitalized after an alleged assassination attempt in prison, according to his lawyers.
Trump plans to extend the deadline for TikTok to find a buyer yet again. Just keep complimenting him on TikTok, guys, he’ll keep it going indefinitely.
Tyler Perry has been accused of sexual harassment and assault in a new lawsuit. The accuser is seeking $260 million in damages.
After a brief pause, the Department of Homeland Security has resumed immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants. Wow, it’s like Trump remembered he enjoyed eating out, and then almost instantly forgot again.
Speaking of…DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was hospitalized for an allergic reaction. Good news: her team says she’s now doing well. Physically, that is. Spiritually and morally, she’s as bankrupt as ever.
And one piece of good news for the road: a federal judge has blocked Trump from limiting passport markers for nonbinary & transgender people. Finally! Anyone who cares what’s on other people’s passports is mentally ill.
Congrats @MikeDrucker! Thank you for your service.

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