Happy Thursday from the country where the Pentagon is apparently hiring internet personalities while experienced service members head for the exits, Flock spent millions lobbying while its cameras tracked Americans, and a Florida grand jury says $10 million meant for healthcare was diverted through Hope Florida into political organizations. Meanwhile, Trump declared a national emergency over threats to the electrical grid, nobody wants to identify the suppliers behind 661 million pounds of imported beef, and an anonymous White House official reportedly called Trump’s latest trade war “just nuts.” Please remain calm. The government has hired influencers.
Key Takeaways
The Pentagon Has Been Secretly Employing a MAGA Influencer
The Pentagon confirmed that conservative influencer Jennica Pounds, known online as DataRepublican, has worked as a special government employee since July while publicly attacking political figures and military officials without disclosing her Defense Department job. Apparently the Pentagon looked at professional communications staff and decided what national security really needed was somebody extremely online.
Military Personnel Are Seeking Conscientious Objector Status at Extraordinary Rates
Organizations helping service members report a sixfold increase in conscientious objector applications since the Iran war began, including applications from experienced personnel who cite moral and legal concerns about current operations. Hegseth wanted a warrior ethos and apparently some warriors responded by asking whether anyone had recently read the fucking laws of war.
A Florida Grand Jury Says $10 Million Was Misappropriated Through Hope Florida
A Florida grand jury found that the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million from a Medicaid settlement by routing money through the Hope Florida Foundation and other organizations before funds reached political committees and the Republican Party of Florida. Money intended to help insure poor children apparently went on a little political road trip.
Flock Spent Millions Lobbying While Its Cameras Watched Americans
OpenSecrets traced roughly $2 million in lobbying spending by Flock Safety as the license plate surveillance company expanded relationships with law enforcement and government agencies. Nothing says “we value your privacy” quite like tracking your car and lobbying the people deciding whether anyone should stop them.
Trump Declared a National Emergency Over the American Power Grid
Trump declared foreign supplied bulk power equipment a national emergency, giving the Energy Department broad authority to restrict, isolate, replace, or remove equipment deemed vulnerable to foreign sabotage or remote access. Grid security is a legitimate national security issue, but whenever emergency powers expand, Kitty recommends reading every fucking paragraph.
The United States Took Down Platforms Allegedly Used by Chinese State Hackers
Federal authorities seized domains allegedly used by the Chinese state linked QTFY hacking group and platforms that officials say targeted NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, hospitals, utilities, universities, and defense contractors. China rejects the allegations, while American cybersecurity professionals presumably requested another pot of coffee.
Trump Will Not Identify the Suppliers Behind His Massive Foreign Beef Plan
Trump says the United States could import up to 300,000 metric tons, roughly 661 million pounds, of foreign ground beef over ninety days but declined to identify the countries supplying it. Apparently America First beef now comes with the country of origin classified.
A White House Source Reportedly Calls Trump’s Canada Trade War “Just Nuts”
A senior White House source told Raw America that Trump’s renewed 50 percent Canadian tariffs are ridiculous and risk raising prices, while several Republican senators have publicly criticized his beef import and trade policies. When the anonymous screaming starts coming from inside the White House, perhaps check whether the economic plan is on fire.
A Federal Judge Refused Minnesota’s Emergency Request in the Christian Castro Extradition Fight
A federal judge declined to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately act on Minnesota’s extradition request for former ICE agent Christian Castro, who faces felony charges related to a January shooting and allegedly false account of the incident. The underlying case continues, but Abbott’s delay has turned interstate extradition into the world’s most consequential game of “I haven’t technically said no.”
Melania Trump Received $475,000 for a Political Appearance
NewsGirl reports that Melania Trump received $475,000 connected to a political appearance, while a former Trump aide is raising questions about the arrangement and surrounding finances. A payment alone does not establish wrongdoing, but nearly half a million dollars is generally enough money to make the receipts worth reading.
The Trump Administration Is Facing Another Billion Dollar Contract Mess
PunchUp reports new questions surrounding a roughly $1 billion government arrangement and the company leadership connected to it. Large federal contracts deserve boring, relentless scrutiny because “don’t worry about the billion dollars” has never been a comforting sentence.
50501 Is Organizing Another National Pushback Campaign
The 50501 Movement is directing supporters toward coordinated local actions, calls, public pressure, and community organizing. Resistance does not require becoming famous. It requires enough ordinary people becoming professionally annoying at exactly the same time.
Closing RK Thoughts
Today’s stories are about infrastructure, but not only the electrical kind.
There is the infrastructure that powers the country. The surveillance infrastructure watching our roads. The military infrastructure carrying out wars. The political infrastructure moving money. The information infrastructure deciding what Americans see and who gets paid to shape it.
Those systems become dangerous when oversight disappears behind emergency declarations, private contracts, lobbying money, anonymous officials, and classified explanations.
So follow the contracts.
Track the lobbying.
Read the executive order.
Ask where the $10 million went.
Ask who supplied the beef.
And when the Pentagon starts hiring influencers while experienced service members question the mission, maybe stop scrolling long enough to ask what the hell is happening inside the building.
Claws out. Receipts ready.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- HealthMap is a global infectious disease monitoring and outbreak tracking platform developed to provide real time public health surveillance and early warning information about emerging health threats around the world. Operated through collaborations between researchers, epidemiologists, and public health experts, HealthMap aggregates data from official public health agencies, government alerts, local news reports, social media monitoring, and eyewitness reports to track disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
- Operation Lifeboat, hosted at translifeboat.org, is an emergency support initiative designed to assist transgender individuals who may need help relocating, accessing resources, or finding safe support networks during periods of heightened legal or political risk. The platform provides a centralized portal where individuals can request assistance and where volunteers can register to provide aid.
What We Are Watching Today
- 7:59 AM EDT
Senate Pro Forma Session - 8:38 AM EDT
Outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Speaks to Reporters - 8:59 AM EDT
House Pro Forma Session - 9:50 AM EDT
Speaker Mike Johnson Campaigns with Rep. Monica De La Cruz - 10:04 AM EDT
Sen. Jon Ossoff on Ethics Investigation into GOP Rival Rep. Mike Collins - 10:05 AM EDT
U.N. Security Council Meeting on Humanitarian Situation in Syria Live - 11:00 AM EDT
Attorney General Todd Blanche Holds News Conference in Puerto Rico - 11:30 AM EDT
NJ Gov. Sherrill Signs Data Center Legislation - 2:15 PM EDT
Speaker Mike Johnson Campaigns with U.S. House Candidate Tano Tijerina in Laredo, TX - 5:30 PM EDT
U.S. House Candidate Lindsay James (D-IA) Holds Town Hall in Mason City, IA - 6:30 PM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Scott Brown (R-NH) Speaks With Veterans - Senate Committee on Armed Services | 9:30 AM (EDT) | Meeting Details
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions | 10:00 AM (EDT) | Meeting Details
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary | 10:15 AM (EDT) | Meeting Details
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Sign the petition to Congress: Investigate Trump’s Department of Justice election-monitoring program immediately.
- Stop Trump’s School-Bus ICE Raids
- Tell Hegseth: Stop pushing sailors past the breaking point
- Stop Trump from taking lawyers from migrant children
Don’t Sacrifice Wolves for the Livestock Industry
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
- Join Organized Power in Numbers’ weekly Workers Over Billionaires Mass Call to hear from organizers on the frontlines and find your way into the organizing machine: workers.fyi/masscall
- Join Hip Hop Caucus for a national organizing call for the Respect My Vote campaign, now in its 18th year of getting our people registered, informed, and to the polls.
- March on Washington: Defend the Vote
Friday, August 28 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Gathering begins at 8:00 a.m. ET, and the program begins at 9:00 a.m. The march will defend voting rights, civil rights, and economic justice.
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Demand Public Testimony on the Epstein Files: “Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY]. I am asking you to demand public testimony from Attorney General Todd Blanche about the missing Epstein records, redaction failures, and the treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell. Survivors and the public deserve answers. Please support subpoenas and full congressional oversight.”
- Reject Another Blank Check for the Iran War: “Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY]. I am asking you to oppose the proposed $73 billion in additional Iran war funding. Congress must debate and vote on any authorization for war before approving more money. Please invest those resources in health care, housing, food assistance, and communities here at home.”
- Stop the Escalating Trade War With Canada: “Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY]. I am asking Congress to block the threatened 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles, parts, and steel. These tariffs could raise prices, disrupt American factories, and cost workers their jobs. Please reclaim Congress’s authority over trade and demand a negotiated solution.”
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- Chevron and Texaco: Avoid Chevron and Texaco gas stations. A coordinated boycott action on August 29 is protesting Chevron’s involvement in Israel’s energy industry and its environmental record.
- Target: The American Federation of Teachers has called for a nationwide Target boycott over the company’s response to aggressive ICE operations in Minnesota. Skip Target for back to school shopping and support local or union friendly stores instead.
- Palantir: Palantir provides surveillance and data technology used by ICE, police departments, and military agencies. Do not invest in Palantir, accept its sponsorships, or support institutions that purchase its technology.
