WEEKLY DEBRIEF: While Trump gets smacked down by the courts, his minions plant his face on new passports and a planned $250 bill
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events. And more.
That Was The Week That Was
The furious pace of the news got even more chaotic in the past few days as we learned that …
A Miami federal judge demands answers
After 35 former federal judges petitioned the court that settled Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS—resulting in the creation of a $1.7 billion slush fund and an immunity agreement for Trump—Miami District Court Judge Kathleen Williams ordered Trump to respond.
The question to be reviewed: Was there ever really a legitimate lawsuit in the first place that resulted in this sham “settlement,” and did Trump and his henchman in the Justice Department, Todd Blanche, mislead the court?
Meanwhile, another federal judge, Leonie Brinkema of Virginia, ordered Trump officials to stop setting up the slush fund’s pool of cash to “ensure that no funds are irreversibly disbursed.”
Trump’s face will be on $250 bill
The narcissism never stops.
Trump’s Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, rolled out plans for a new $250 bill that will have Trump’s mugshot plastered on the front even though federal law states that no living president can appear on currency.
They’re banking on a compliant Congress to continue being the lapdogs that Trump demands and pass legislation to allow it.
Meanwhile …
Trump’s mug to be on new passports
Apparently, it’s not enough to be on the nation’s money, Trump also wants his face on passports.
The government has confirmed that a limited number of new passports will feature Trump’s mugshot. They say it’s part of the nation’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
We can only imagine what Thomas Jefferson, who dedicated his life to ensuring that tyrants did not rule this land, would think of this.
The Post Office wants to only deliver “approved” mail-in ballots
The U.S. Postal Service has proposed new rules that would require states to provide voter-level data on mail-in ballots in federal elections, one day after a federal judge declined to immediately block President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening mail-in voting rules.
The proposal would require states to submit to the Postal Service the names and addresses of voters receiving mail-in or absentee ballots, along with unique barcodes tied to each voter’s outbound and return ballot envelopes.
The rule would apply to general, special and runoff federal elections, but not primaries or ballots sent to military and overseas voters.
Shortly before her appearance before the House Oversight Committee, in which she was grilled on her dismal performance in releasing the Epstein Files, former Attorney General Pam Bondi disclosed she is suffering from thyroid cancer.
Bondi said she is undergoing treatment, including having surgery a few weeks ago. Bondi tells CNN she is still recovering and “doing well, though.”
President Donald Trump fired Bondi as attorney general in early April.
Meme of the Week
Quote of the Week
“In the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century, President Donald J. Trump has created a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund to finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.”
— Harry Dunn and Daniel Hodges in their lawsuit against Trump’s slush fund. Dunn is a retired U.S. Capitol police officer; Hodges a Metropolitan Police Department officer.
Letter of the Week
Trump and his CORRUPTION are making the US the laughingstock of the planet. Enough is enough; this criminal needs to be impeached.
—George Terranova
Looking Ahead
When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.
May 31. National Mystery Month ends today. So, if you haven’t hit the bookstore or Amazon to order a mystery to read, this is your last chance until next year. And if you need any help in your selection process, check out the Tropic Press Bookstore.
June 1. Today officially begins hurricane season. And if you’ve been wondering what El Nino is all about, I’ll have more on that in my June 1 newsletter.
June 2 is Leave the Office Early Day. And if you do, it could also be Find a New Job Day. Life is all about choices.
June 3. The first game of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs tips off at 8:30 p.m. (EDT).
June 4 is National Moonshine Day, celebrating the homemade spirits popularized during Prohibition when the United States tried and failed to ban alcoholic beverages. That idea was never going to work in Florida with its proximity to the Bahamas and Cuba, which became a “rum runners paradise.”
June 5 is World Environment Day, a celebration created by the United Nations in 1972 designed to raise awareness of the importance of preserving the health of our air, water and natural resources. The Earth is our spaceship. We need to protect it.
June 6 is the anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Europe in 1941 as the Allies fought back against the fascist forces of Adolph Hitler’s Germany. More than 70,000 Americans were joined by Brits, Canadians, Australians and other allies in this daring crossing. It marked the beginning of the end of Hitler. These guys were the original antifa.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week.
Could Trump’s slush fund be in trouble? A Miami federal judge could decide
DeSantis’ property tax cuts could smack schools, health care and public safety
David Jolly proposes Office of Civil Rights in the governor’s office if elected
Florida’s new ‘dummymandered’ congressional map is still in play
Note to readers:
If you noticed that Miss Mingo’s usual weekend column was missing this week, do not despair. She will be back soon. She was feeling a little under the weather. Well, actually, she had a nervous breakdown fretting that war may break out between Cuba and the U.S. and that her home in Key West could be attacked by drones. She’s adjusted her blood pressure medication and is doing better now.
Meanwhile, she asks that I send her thanks to all of you for your support, especially those who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.
Thank you,
J.C. Bruce
Share Tropic Press!
As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
That’s a problem you can help solve.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.
If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.
Today’s sponsor
Today’s report is brought to you by Tropic Press Books, home of The Strange Files. The six-book series makes the perfect gift for the mystery fans in your life. You can find more information about these hilarious stories here.
Honestly I don’t know how much more crazy I can take. I’d puke if I had to look at that ugly face on a bill or passport. The $250 bill will be a bust anyway so ehhhhh. Who wants or needs a $250 bill? That’s just stupid. I walk around my house screaming idiots and stupid all day!
We need a huge disrupter personality like the Clooneys…
But we really really also need is…
…an exact plan of executable action that restaffs the govt w qualified and ethical ppl starting now
We need an immediately executable action plan -names of our project managers included- to immediately halt and reverse all “re-construction” projects in DC- now
We need a plan to get the economy back on track - written down and dem approved, ready to go
We need a communication plan that immediately educates ppl at a massive “broad reach educational and conversational level” about democratic govt, the constitution, and factual election records that disprove fraud.
We need new congressional rules ready to enact by strong lawyers immediately after congress becomes more partisan or democrat party led.
We need sharable social media that is truthful and emotional and persuasive without lies, memes included that are smart and dramatic but ever truthful
We need an immediate executable plan to fire and jail trump, miller, hegseth, and all other unqualified and untruthful agency heads and cabinet members. Perjury for starters, government theft, election fraud, governmental fraud, insurrection etc
We need a plan to unseat and jail GOP congress involved and or supportive of trumps j6 insurrection
We need a plan to reconvict pardoned J6ers, and to cancel the fund that rewards them for their violence
We need a plan to use Trumps misallocated funds to congress approved projects - immediately
We need a law that requires a president to commit to serving all Americans, not just those they select due to party or wealth, making illegal any disowning of the opposing party once elected.
We need a team of brilliant constitution lawyers to reveal and prosecute every illegal move of trump and freinds
We need to fight fox head on w a competitive channel of truthful news