Happy Monday from the country where the president’s family crypto company is one regulatory step away from operating a federally chartered trust bank, the Attorney General will not promise independence from the White House, intelligence hubs want more power to investigate Americans, and the Supreme Court just told Donald Trump no again in the E. Jean Carroll case. Meanwhile, exhausted sailors remain trapped aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump is taking credit for lower drug prices using an article that credits Biden, and the White House ballroom has apparently reached the Supreme Court because nothing says constitutional emergency like needing someplace enormous to serve shrimp.
Key Takeaways
The Supreme Court Rejected Trump’s Final Attempt to Reopen the E. Jean Carroll Case
The Supreme Court declined Trump’s request to reconsider its refusal to hear his challenge to the $5 million E. Jean Carroll verdict, leaving the judgment intact and paid. Apparently even this Supreme Court eventually reaches the portion of the menu labeled NO MORE APPEALS FOR YOU.
Todd Blanche Refused to Promise DOJ Independence From the White House
Attorney General Todd Blanche said he would not pledge that the Justice Department will always operate independently of the White House, while insisting Trump would never ask him to cross an ethical or legal line. Nothing strengthens confidence in prosecutorial independence quite like refusing to promise prosecutorial independence.
Trump’s Family Crypto Venture Received Preliminary Approval for a Federal Trust Bank
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved a national trust charter for World Liberty Trust Company, the banking arm of the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial crypto venture. The company still must satisfy regulatory conditions, but America has now reached the exciting stage where presidential conflicts of interest come with bank charters.
One Signature Connected to the Trump Crypto Bank Raises National Security Questions
Heather Ashley traces one shareholder commitment connected to the proposed bank to a businessman previously listed as a director of G42, the Abu Dhabi technology company that faced scrutiny over alleged connections to the ToTok surveillance app and China. The corporate trail is complicated, which is usually when Kitty starts opening seventeen browser tabs.
Trump Bragged About Falling Drug Prices Using Reporting That Credits Biden’s Policy
Trump triumphantly displayed a Washington Post headline showing prescription drug prices falling at their fastest rate in decades, while the article itself attributed much of the decline to Medicare negotiations created under Joe Biden. Bringing your own fact check to the press gaggle is an impressive commitment to efficiency.
Fusion Centers Want Congress to Give Them Administrative Subpoena Power
State and local intelligence fusion centers are asking Congress for expanded subpoena authority that could let them demand records without first obtaining a traditional judicial warrant. Civil liberties advocates warn the power could be used against protesters and political organizations, because apparently the surveillance state looked at warrants and decided paperwork was slowing down the stalking.
The United States Is Expanding Military Operations Against Cartels on Land
The American military campaign against suspected drug trafficking organizations is expanding from maritime strikes toward land operations in Latin America, with Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia participating in varying forms of cooperation. The War on Drugs has apparently received a reboot nobody remembers ordering.
Democrats Want Answers About Conditions Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln
Lawmakers are demanding answers after the Lincoln’s roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea without a port call during the Iran war. Support our troops remains America’s favorite bumper sticker and occasionally its least implemented policy.
Trump Is Asking the Supreme Court to Let White House Ballroom Construction Continue
The administration has taken its fight over continued White House ballroom construction to the Supreme Court after litigation challenged the massive project. The highest court in America may now help decide whether the republic urgently requires more dance floor.
A Gay Wisconsin Principal Says Moms for Liberty Allies Conspired to Destroy His Career
Former Wisconsin principal Jeffrey Peterson alleges in an amended federal lawsuit that school officials and Moms for Liberty affiliated activists manufactured accusations portraying him as a groomer before his contract was not renewed. The allegations remain contested, but using “groomer” as a political weapon against gay educators has consequences considerably more serious than a Facebook comment section.
America’s Federal Appeals Courts Are Becoming Increasingly Important Political Battlegrounds
David Lat examines how the D.C., First, Fifth, Ninth, and other federal circuits have gained influence as challenges to presidential authority increasingly race through appellate courts. Turns out knowing which judges control which states is becoming a distressingly useful survival skill.
A Cybersecurity Expert Says America Is Already Deep Into an Institutional Attack
Jackie Singh compares attacks on independent agencies, civil service protections, prosecutorial independence, and constitutional limits to the stages cybersecurity professionals use to map a network intrusion. Her conclusion is analysis, but the metaphor is appropriately horrifying: we are arguing about the burglar while somebody is deleting the logs.
A Trump Branded Resort Token Project Has Some Very Strange Geography
Heather Ashley examines tokenized investment plans tied to a Trump branded Maldives resort and finds conflicting descriptions in corporate materials about precisely what property investors are funding. If your luxury investment requires both blockchain expertise and a cartographer, perhaps keep reading the paperwork.
Closing RK Thoughts
Today’s stories are about boundaries disappearing.
The boundary between presidential power and federal prosecution. Between a presidential family business and federal banking regulation. Between intelligence gathering and political surveillance. Between policing drug trafficking and military operations abroad.
Even the boundary between campaign propaganda and self own has apparently vanished, because Trump literally held up an article crediting Biden while demanding credit for himself.
This is why we keep reading past the headline.
Read the filing. Read the footnote. Follow the ownership structure. Watch the courts. Ask who signed the document and who benefits from the decision.
Power depends on people getting tired before they reach page two.
Unfortunately for them, Kitty has coffee and churu!
Claws out. Receipts open. RAWER!!!!
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Flock Watch is an independent public interest mapping and research tool focused on documenting the deployment of Flock Safety automated license plate reader cameras. These cameras, commonly known as ALPRs, photograph vehicles and record information such as license plate numbers, vehicle characteristics, location, and time.
- Epstein Jet Tracker is an interactive research tool designed to help users explore flight records associated with aircraft connected to Jeffrey Epstein. The platform turns aviation and flight log information into a more accessible format for researchers examining travel patterns, destinations, dates, aircraft activity, and individuals documented in available records.
What We Are Watching Today
- There are 0 committee meetings scheduled for the week of 08/17/2026 through 08/23/2026.
- 1:00 PM EDT
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) Campaigns for Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) - 1:30 PM EDT
Senate Pro Forma Session - 4:15 PM EDT
U.S. House Candidate Paul LePage (R-ME) Holds Press Conference
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Subpoena the Epstein Tapes: Preserve the Wolff and Bannon Recordings Now
- Tell the EPA: Enforce the Clean Air Act Now
- Tell your senators to protect Section 815 and ensure it remains in the final FY27 NDAA to hold Pentagon contractors accountable to American taxpayers.
- Sign the petition: Justice Samuel Alito, who made millions from fossil fuel investments, should recuse himself from the upcoming Supreme Court case on climate change.
3. Verify your voter registration status and help at least one other person check theirs
4. Save contact information for local legal aid and voting support organizations
5. Attend an Event
- RSVP to join us tomorrow, August 18, at 8 p.m. ET for a training on protecting our elections with our partners at Voto Latino and Hispanic Federation.
- Eyes on ICE: Document and Record Tuesday, August 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET
- How Craftivism Can Save Democracy Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- What’s the Plan with Leah and Ezra Thursday, August 20 at 3:00 p.m. ET
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Stop DHS Surveillance: Tell your lawmakers to demand hearings into DHS spying on protesters, unions, and political groups. Protect lawful First Amendment activity.
- Protect Voting Rights: Tell your lawmakers to oppose the SAVE America Act and its restrictive citizenship document requirements.
- Stop Unauthorized War: Tell your lawmakers to enforce the Iran War Powers Resolution and block funding for unauthorized military action.
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
The People’s Union USA has placed these corporations on its permanent boycott list:
Buy only what you need. Support local businesses, independent sellers, and union shops whenever possible.
