Hey everybody. Welcome back. Thanks for being here.
Before we get started. You all passed the test. Yes, the engine on the plane behind me was backwards. Just wanted to make sure you all were paying attention!
Our top story today. Trump’s “grand conspiracy” investigation continues to fall apart. This is the Justice Department probe that was supposed to prove Obama officials plotted against Trump. Fourteen months in, there have been zero indictments. And now the second prosecutor in a month has quit. And I want to be clear about who these people are. They aren’t career DOJ officials leaving because they’ve lost faith in the department. These are election deniers. People who spent years pushing the fraud story. And even they can’t find anything to charge.
We’ll also get into the FBI’s number two quitting in the middle of one of the worst data breaches in the bureau’s history, Trump falling asleep in the Oval Office once again, Trump’s big AI push, and a judge blocking the administration from tying counterterrorism funds to Trump’s election demands.
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Let’s get to it.
1. Trump's Grand Conspiracy Probe Loses Another Prosecutor
Last summer, Pam Bondi’s Justice Department opened an investigation into what Trump calls the grand conspiracy. The theory is that John Brennan, James Comey, and a cast of Obama officials conspired to frame him with the Russia investigation back in 2016. It’s run out of a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida, far from the normal channels in Washington.
In April, the lead national security prosecutor was pulled off the case after questioning how strong it was. He was replaced by Joe diGenova, an 81-year-old Trump ally who had been pushing this theory on cable news for years. We covered DiGenova quitting earlier this month without securing a single indictment.
And yesterday, another prosecutor walked away. Kurt Olsen. He worked on the Texas lawsuit that tried to throw out Biden’s win in 2020. He represented Kari Lake in her fight to overturn her loss in Arizona, and the courts there sanctioned him for making false statements. Trump brought him into the White House as director of election security. Then he was sent to Florida to help build this case. Now he’s gone too.
Fourteen months, three lead prosecutors, no charges. The Associated Press says it’s still unclear what evidence they’ve gathered, if any.
Let’s be honest about what this was. It was never an investigation. It was a promise Trump made to his base when he was out of power and needed them to feel sorry for him. And now that he’s in power, even his most loyal yes-men can’t find anything to prove his claims. If they’d found anything, we all know how that would go. There would be a big dramatic press conference. And these guys definitely wouldn’t be leaving. But they are. Because this whole thing was a scam from the beginning.
2. Patel's Deputy Quits After Flagging Unconstitutional Moves
Andrew Bailey announced yesterday that he’s leaving the FBI. He was Missouri’s attorney general before Trump brought him in as one of two deputy directors, and for a while he was the heir apparent to run the bureau Kash Patel has been wrecking.
Bailey said he’s leaving for family reasons, but sources inside the bureau told a different story. They said Kash froze Bailey out. He wasn’t welcome at some internal meetings, and the director, petty as usual, made sure Bailey’s title was always “co-deputy” instead of just “deputy.” So how did he make an enemy of Kash Patel? According to CBS, by pointing out things he thought were unconstitutional.
You would think being a stickler for the law would be a good thing in one of America’s top law enforcement jobs. But at Trump’s FBI, you talk about the law and they look at you like you’re the hall monitor. Constitution? Come on man, don’t be such a drag. Carelessness is the MO here.
The cybersecurity team clearly got that memo. While all of this was happening, the FBI was dealing with one of the worst data breaches in its history. A hacker group broke into the bureau’s hiring portal and claims to have swiped data on nearly all employees, as well as anyone who has applied to an FBI job. We’re talking names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, emergency contacts, medical files, even the psychiatric evaluations from background checks. An internal memo told employees to assume all of it was taken.
Think about who’s on that list. Agents working undercover. Counterintelligence officers. People whose entire job depends on anonymity.
It’s no wonder there’s turnover. This is not only an agency that has stopped caring about the law. It’s an agency that can no longer protect its employees. It’s just another example of what happens when you put loyalty over competence.
And remember, these are the same people who spent years accusing their predecessors of wrecking the FBI’s credibility. They should look in the mirror.
3. Trump Nods Off After Mocking Sleepy Joe
Yesterday in the Oval Office, Trump unveiled a 15-billion-dollar steel mill for Iowa. The White House says it’s the largest steel plant ever built in this country, bringing 1,750 permanent jobs when it opens in 2030. Iowa’s governor was there. So was Senate candidate Ashley Hinson. During the announcement, Trump made a point of praising her campaign and promising to stop by Iowa on his midterm tour. Last month, the Cook Political Report moved the contest to a toss-up. The timing is no coincidence.
But what about the announcement itself? Well, there’s some cause for concern. The company responsible for the new mill is called Mesabi Metallics, and it doesn’t have a great track record. In 2007, they tried to build a mine and steel mill in Minnesota, using 65 million dollars of state money. Deadlines came and went with no progress, and the whole project went under, driving the company to bankruptcy. Minnesota revoked their mining licenses, citing a history of defaults and bad debt.
Since then, the company has had some successful projects. But after the reflecting pool disaster, I don’t have a lot of faith in the contractors this administration picks. Even so, I hope the project succeeds and the plant gets built.
But Trump himself clearly doesn’t care one way or another. He was lively at the beginning of the announcement, telling reporters that “sleepy Joe” could never do what he could. But this was him a few minutes later.
For our listeners: that was Trump drifting off to sleep at the Resolute Desk while cabinet officials discussed the deal. Trump’s naps are nothing new. And keep in mind why this press conference needed to happen in the first place. Iowa shouldn’t be this close. But it is, because Trump’s out of energy, and so is the movement behind him.
4. Trump Hands America a Chatbot Instead of Guardrails
The Washington Post reports that Trump is headlining an all-day event that he dramatically dubbed America’s Golden Age. What’s the big reveal? America.gov. A new government website featuring an AI chatbot, built in partnership with Google and SpaceX, which is designed to help citizens navigate the federal government. Have a listen to Trump’s official announcement:
With the launch of America.gov, Trump promised that the “federal government no longer stands in your way.” Does the program remove him from power? Because that promise comes from a president who has turned executive power against federal workers, universities, the media, and the courts.
This AI-forward announcement could not have come at a worse time. This past month, we have discussed how rogue AI incidents have prompted industry leaders to call for regulations of their own product. And that Trump called those concerns a “hoax.” But not even his supporters are buying it.
A Politico poll from last week found 63% of Americans think that there is a “moderate risk,” or greater, that AI is a destruction-level threat to humanity. So do 61% of Trump voters. And that concern is reflected by the views on AI regulation.
A separate Politico poll found that 48% of Americans favor pausing AI development entirely “to reduce any risks.” And 44% of Trump voters agree.
What’s clear is that there is bipartisan concern for AI development, and support for its regulation. But Trump won’t listen. He can’t help but back a losing issue when there is money to be made for his powerful friends.
Which brings me back to the name Trump picked for today’s event: America’s Golden Age. Golden for who? I’m sure Elon Musk, Nvidia’s CEO, and other great profiteers from this administration were thrilled to be there. The rest of us get the risks without the reward. Americans have asked for AI guardrails. Trump gave them a chatbot.
5. Judge Blocks Trump From Holding Anti-Terrorism Money Hostage
Congress created the Homeland Security Grant Program under FEMA after 9/11. It sends roughly a billion dollars a year to cities and states to prepare for terrorist attacks. Physical security, cybersecurity, that kind of thing.
This summer, DHS added a catch. Cities and states would lose 20 percent of that money unless they agreed to run their voter rolls through a DHS citizenship database, hand-audit at least five percent of ballots, and switch to hand-marked paper ballots.
Let’s step back for a second. Both Congress and the courts have blocked Trump’s so-called election integrity agenda over and over again. Because what he actually wants is to sow chaos and mistrust around midterms he expects to lose. So instead, he tried to force states to enact his agenda by threatening to pull counterterrorism funding, putting his interests over public safety.
Yesterday, a federal judge sided with the local governments that had sued. His ruling was simple. Congress appropriated funds to FEMA to fight terrorism. Not the power to run elections. And in response to the ruling, Harris County Commissioner said, “The safety and security of our communities should never be used as a bargaining chip for partisan politics.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Trump has cited national security to justify almost every controversial measure of his agenda. It’s the reason for the deployment of the National Guard. It’s the reason for the construction of the ballroom and the triumphal arch. For the tariffs and the media ban.
But he doesn’t really care about national security or about your safety. Not when it gets in his way. Because the moment it became politically expedient, he was willing to put your safety on the line to hang on to power.
Some other stories that caught my eye:
A New York Times analysis found that super PACs aligned with OpenAI and Anthropic have spent $55.7 million on races in the 2026 midterms. AI-backed PACs spent $28 million backing 21 Democrats and nearly $19 million backing 30 Republicans. While their candidates almost always won, nearly all the spending went to primaries in safe seats. Candidates who have benefited deny that the money buys influence. Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), for example, received $1.6 million from a PAC aligned with Anthropic, and won her primary by less than a point. She says that she still remains committed to “[putting] A.I. regulations in place that prioritize people over corporations.” The Times reviewed 95 ads run by recipient candidates, of which only seven referenced AI or an AI company. And none mentioned data centers. The quiet approach comes as voters turn on the industry, pushing for tougher regulations on the development of AI and data centers.
Justice Samuel Alito announced that he will sit out a major climate case the Supreme Court next week about whether oil companies face billions of dollars in liability. Alito’s decision may come from a conflict of interest. Watchdog groups had pushed him to step aside because he owns stock in ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. Critics also pointed to a 2023 fishing trip he took with Paul Singer, whose hedge fund invests in Suncor, the oil company at the center of the case. This is Alito’s second last-minute recusal from a fossil fuel case this year. In January, he stepped aside days before arguments in a Louisiana coastline case, citing his ConocoPhillips stake. The court’s 2023 ethics rules leave recusal decisions entirely to each justice. And they don’t require an explanation. Alito did not respond to a request for comment. And the court’s one-sentence notice gave no further reason for his absence.
