The Lonely Liberal

Trump's $1.8B Slush Fund, Massie Ousted, Tulsi Resigns, and the DNC's 2024 Autopsy Disaster

Nick and Rick break down a chaotic week in American politics. They open on Trump's revenge tour: Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein ousted Thomas Massie in the most expensive House primary in history ($32 million spent), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth campaigned in-district against Massie in apparent violation of the Hatch Act, and Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in the Texas Senate runoff. Then to the GOP response to Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund: Mitch McConnell called it "utterly stupid, morally wrong," Tillis called it "beyond the pale," Capitol Police officers sued to block it, and Senate Republicans went home for Memorial Day without passing the ICE funding bill — meaning Trump's own slush fund killed his own immigration agenda. Plus DNI Tulsi Gabbard resigned after contradicting Trump on Iran in sworn testimony — Reuters reported the White House forced her out hours after the official "husband's cancer" announcement. And the DNC autopsy disaster: Chair Ken Martin finally released the 2024 report after months of pressure, then publicly repudiated it in the same statement, fired the author the same day, and revealed the report didn't interview Biden, Harris, Walz, or most top aides — all while the RNC sits on $124 million in cash and the DNC is $17 million in debt. Also covered: Trump and Rubio raised the specter of military intervention in Cuba a day after charging 94-year-old Raúl Castro, and the Treasury subpoenaed Hasan Piker, CodePink's Medea Benjamin, and Ilhan Omar's daughter over their March Cuba trip; USCIS announced foreigners must now leave the US to apply for green cards, reversing 50+ years of policy; Trump claimed a Strait of Hormuz deal is "largely negotiated"; and Mayor Mamdani launched a Twitch show the same week the most prominent socialist on Twitch got federally subpoenaed. We close with Trump skipping Don Jr.'s wedding to Bettina Anderson at Mar-a-Lago, his DC triumphal arch design getting approved, and the AI executive order signing getting postponed because Trump "didn't like certain aspects" — days after his stock disclosure showed heavy AI-adjacent buys.

Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund, Explained

Trump sued his own government for $10 billion, was about to lose in court, and settled with himself — walking away with a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded fund he controls, a board he can fire, zero court oversight, and his personal IRS audit liability quietly erased on the side. Nick breaks down exactly what the Anti-Weaponization Fund is, who gets the money, who's running it, and why calling it a slush fund isn't a political attack — it's just reading the definition.

Trump in China, Cassidy Ousted in Louisiana, and Trump Says He Doesn't Think About Americans

Nick and Rick break down a chaotic week in American politics. They open on Trump's two-day state visit to Beijing, where Xi warned that mishandling Taiwan would put the relationship in "great jeopardy" and Trump returned with a vague Iran commitment and a Boeing order — plus Pete Hegseth visibly sweating through the welcome handshake with Xi on Chinese state TV. Then to the quote of the week: Trump told reporters he doesn't think about Americans' financial situation as gas hit $4.50 a gallon and inflation hit a three-year high, and when given the chance to walk it back on Fox News, called it a "perfect statement" he'd make again. Plus Cuba's energy grid collapse: the country has run out of fuel under Trump's blockade, hospitals are suspending surgeries, the largest protests in decades have erupted in Havana, and the DOJ is preparing to indict 94-year-old Raúl Castro the same week the CIA Director made a surprise trip to Havana to demand "meaningful reforms." Also covered: SCOTUS gave Alabama back its previously-struck-down map and refused to save Virginia Democrats', Steve Cohen retired after Tennessee carved up Memphis, Bill Cassidy was ousted in the Louisiana Senate primary by Trump's revenge campaign, Jerome Powell stepped down as Fed Chair after eight years, Trump bought Nvidia stock days before approving its chip sales to China, and Trump is preparing to drop his IRS lawsuit in exchange for a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded "weaponization" fund to pay January 6 defendants and his political allies. Mayor Mamdani delivered a balanced NYC budget and Newsom balanced California's. We close with the Health Secretary playing with a robotic surgery console mid-operation at the Cleveland Clinic, and the urologist behind a YouTube show called "Erection Connection" now running the federal hantavirus response.

The U.S. Is Not a Free Market

Ten years ago, Nick got laughed out of a grad school seminar for arguing that the U.S. isn’t a fair example of capitalism — by the same logic his classmates used to exempt the USSR from representing socialism. He’s been waiting for the right case study ever since. This week he found it: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and DOGE’s crusader against ‘wasteful’ government spending, built his entire empire on $38 billion in taxpayer money. SpaceX was seeded by NASA. Tesla was saved by a government loan. Its first profitable year was manufactured by government policy. Nick breaks down the numbers, defines the terms people weaponize without understanding, and compares U.S. corporate subsidies to Europe industry by industry. The free market isn’t a principle. It’s a punchline.

Virginia Map Overturned, Tennessee Carves Up Memphis, and the 22-Foot Gold Trump Statue

Nick breaks down a chaotic week in American politics. Opening on Iran: three US Navy destroyers came under missile, drone, and small-boat attack in the Strait of Hormuz, the US struck Iranian soil for the first time since the ceasefire, the UAE was hit by Iranian missiles, and Saudi Arabia pulled US airspace and airbase access — forcing Trump to abruptly pause "Project Freedom." Meanwhile, an Atlantic report this week revealed Trump is "bored" with the war, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Pope Leo at the Vatican, where the pope handed him a literal olive branch. Then to the Great Redistricting War: just eight days after SCOTUS gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee Republicans carved up Memphis to eliminate Steve Cohen's seat, and the Virginia Supreme Court threw out the voter-approved Democratic redistricting map on procedural grounds — handing Republicans a major net gain heading into the midterms. Plus: Senate Republicans tucked $1 billion in taxpayer funding for Trump's ballroom into the ICE funding bill after Trump promised the ballroom would be privately funded; the Court of International Trade struck down Trump's Section 122 tariffs in his second major tariff loss this year; ABC accused the FCC of violating its First Amendment rights over an investigation into "The View"; Kamala Harris privately told donors the DNC should release its buried 2024 autopsy as she eyes a 2028 run; and the Pentagon released its first tranche of UFO files. We close with the 22-foot gold statue of Trump unveiled at his Doral golf course this week, blessed by an evangelical pastor who insisted "this is not a golden calf."