Happy Monday, Kitties. The United States and Iran are trading fire again, military leaders are reportedly warning that the war is grinding down American readiness, and Illinois prosecutors quietly gave ICE information that helped federal agents locate people. Meanwhile, Trump aligned influencers have Pentagon jobs, a controversial former official is helping front another multibillion dollar deportation program, George Santos managed to get himself banned from a prediction market, and Donald Trump still found time to personally pressure Apple over Lake Ontario. Nothing says wartime leadership like interrupting the geopolitical crisis because your imaginary lake name has not appeared on your fucking iPhone.
Key Takeaways
Illinois Prosecutors Quietly Helped ICE Find People
Illinois prosecutors in one out of every six counties shared addresses, photographs, police reports, court dates, and other information with federal immigration authorities, sometimes without defendants or their lawyers knowing. In a state famous for sanctuary protections, ICE apparently discovered the prosecutors’ entrance.
Congress.gov Rolled Out New Legislative Tracking Improvements
Congress.gov has added tools that make it easier to identify legislation reintroduced from previous Congresses and trace measures incorporated into bills that ultimately became law. This is gloriously boring democracy infrastructure, which means Kitty loves it because politicians become considerably less magical when you can follow the fucking paperwork.
Military Leaders Are Warning Hegseth About American Readiness
Military officials are reportedly warning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the prolonged Iran conflict is putting growing pressure on personnel, equipment, munitions, and broader American readiness. Eventually even the Pentagon runs out of ways to spell THIS IS BECOMING A FUCKING PROBLEM.
Sex, Money, Revenge, and the Personalization of Government Power
Thom Hartmann argues that Trump’s use of prosecutors, regulators, immigration enforcement, media pressure, and other government powers increasingly resembles personalist governance in which institutions serve the leader rather than the state. That is analysis rather than a criminal finding, but sex, money, and revenge is one hell of a governing philosophy.
DHS Put Frank Wuco in Front of Its $2.3 Billion Deportation Reboot
Frank Wuco, a Trump official previously criticized for birther claims and inflammatory commentary, appeared at a DHS briefing for companies competing to replace the contractor behind Project Homecoming. Nothing restores confidence in a troubled multibillion dollar deportation program like introducing the sequel with somebody whose résumé requires several fucking disclaimers.
The Pentagon Quietly Brought Trump Aligned Influencers Inside
Retired military officers with large conservative online audiences reportedly received Pentagon assignments while publicly promoting Hegseth’s agenda without initially disclosing their government roles. National security apparently has a new readiness metric: engagement.
Meta’s $18 Billion Settlement Leads a Wild Week in the Courts
David Lat’s legal roundup examines Meta’s enormous settlement, prediction market litigation involving Kalshi, major law firm developments, and significant First Amendment fights involving the Trump administration. America’s constitutional and corporate legal crises now apparently require their own fucking scoreboard.
Google Changed Lake Ontario to Lake America for American Users
Google Maps adopted the administration’s preferred Lake America name for users in the United States while other map providers have resisted or continued displaying Lake Ontario. Congratulations, geography is now personalized content, so please check your settings before Canada disappears.
A Deadly Flash Flood Struck the Grand Canyon
A catastrophic flash flood at the Grand Canyon killed at least one person and left fifteen people reported missing as rescue operations continued under dangerous conditions. No snark here. Families are waiting for answers and rescue crews are doing difficult work in an extraordinarily dangerous environment.
George Santos Got Himself Banned From Kalshi for Life
Prediction market Kalshi issued former Congressman George Santos its first lifetime ban and imposed a financial penalty following allegations involving market manipulation. Getting permanently kicked off a website whose entire business model involves people betting on weird shit may be the most George Santos achievement imaginable.
Barclays Now Expects Two More Federal Reserve Rate Hikes
Barclays now expects quarter point Federal Reserve rate increases in September and December after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signaled greater concern about persistent inflation. Anyone waiting for borrowing costs to become less painful should probably avoid prolonged eye contact with the mortgage calculator.
Iran and the United States Are Trading Fire Again
Iran claimed attacks against American positions in Jordan and the UAE after U.S. forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island, although officials disputed portions of Tehran’s account. When governments are simultaneously firing weapons and arguing about whose weapons actually landed, perhaps everyone should retire the phrase controlled escalation.
Trump Is Personally Pressuring Apple Over Lake Ontario
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says Trump personally contacted Apple about changing Lake Ontario to Lake America in Apple Maps after Google adopted the administration’s preferred name for American users. War in Iran, military readiness warnings, immigration enforcement, economic anxiety, and apparently somebody still found time to call fucking tech support.
Closing RK Thoughts
Today’s news offers two very different versions of political power.
One operates quietly. Prosecutors exchange information with ICE. Pentagon appointments happen with little public attention. Contractors compete for billions. Markets move because of a few sentences from the Federal Reserve. Military officials warn that American readiness is deteriorating while another round of missiles flies through the Middle East.
The other version is spectacle.
Rename the lake. Pressure Apple. Make Google change the map.
The ridiculous story deserves to be mocked because it is ridiculous. It just cannot be allowed to swallow the consequential stories happening beside it.
So laugh at Lake America.
Then read the prosecutor emails. Watch the military readiness numbers. Follow the deportation contracts. Track the court cases. Check Congress.gov. Pay attention to who receives government jobs, who receives government money, and who suddenly receives access to government power.
Because while everyone is arguing about what to call the fucking lake, somebody else is deciding who gets investigated, deported, hired, bombed, surveilled, or handed billions of taxpayer dollars.
Claws out. Receipts ready.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Democracy.io is a free online civic engagement tool that streamlines contacting federal lawmakers in the United States. Users enter their home address, and the platform pulls up their congressional representatives—both senators and their House member—letting them send a single custom message to all three instead of navigating multiple disparate contact forms. The project emphasizes simplicity, free expression of constituent views, and ease of use, with all software released under an open-source AGPL license.
- Because emails get lost, phone calls get ignored—but public tweets hit nerves. This tool provides up-to-date social media handles for every U.S. Senator and Representative so you can tag, drag, and publicly pressure them where their PR teams live: online. Great for campaigns, direct actions, and calling out silence in real time.
What We Are Watching Today
- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | 1:00 PM Local Time | Meeting Details
- House Committee on Rules | 4:00 PM Local Time | Meeting Details
- 9:19 AM EDT
Treasury Secy. Bessent & Fed Chair Warsh Meet G20 Finance Ministers in North Carolina - 11:00 AM EDT
CT Gov. Lamont Holds News Conference on Trump Administration Tariffs - 11:30 AM EDT
U.S. Senate - 12:00 PM EDT
House Intelligence Committee Meeting on 9/11 Commission Report Review - 12:00 PM EDT
U.S. House of Representatives - 1:00 PM EDT
Vice Pres. Vance Campaigns for GOP Candidates in Michigan - 2:00 PM EDT
U.S. House of Representatives - 2:30 PM EDT
Governor Candidate Rob Sand (D-IA) Holds Town Hall in Guthrie County, Iowa - 2:30 PM EDT
NASA Administrator Hosts Artemis Accords Signing With Turkey - 3:00 PM EDT
President Trump Makes Announcement on Healthcare Affordability - 4:30 PM EDT
Governor Candidate Rob Sand (D-IA) Holds Town Hall in Adair County, Iowa - 6:00 PM EDT
U.S. House Candidate Jamie Ager (D-NC) Hosts Cookout in Fletcher, NC - 8:00 PM EDT
Senate Candidate James Talarico (D-TX) Rally in Kerrville, TX
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Tell the Forest Service: Don’t pave America’s roadless national forests
- Stand with NBC News Against Trump’s Attacks
- Sign the petition to NBC and other networks: Don’t bow to Trump.
- Sign and send a petition to the USPS Postal Board of Governors: Don’t implement Donald Trump’s plan to restrict mail-in voting.
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
- De-Escalation and Safety Training
- Build Your Community Voter Turnout Plan
Tuesday, September 1, from 11:30 a.m. to noon ET. Vot ER will explain how to create a practical, nonpartisan plan for increasing voter participation in your community. - Indivisible General Election Kickoff Call
Wednesday, September 2, from 8 to 9 p.m. ET. Join activists nationwide to discuss the midterm stakes, priority congressional races, and concrete ways volunteers can help flip Congress and hold the administration accountable. - Volunteer Training: Become an LGBTQ+ Activist
Thursday, September 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. ET. Equality Florida will train participants to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, mobilize their communities, and turn righteous anger into organized action.
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Stop Funding ICE Without Accountability
- “Hello, my name is [name], and I am a constituent from [ZIP code]. I am asking [lawmakers’s name] to oppose any funding bill that gives ICE or Border Patrol additional money without strict oversight, transparent reporting, and enforceable protections for civil rights. No more blank checks for masked agents. Please record my position and tell me how the lawmaker intends to vote.”
- End the Unauthorized War With Iran
- “Hello, my name is [name], and I live in [ZIP code]. I am asking [lawmaker’s name] to support an Iran War Powers Resolution and oppose additional funding for military action that Congress has not authorized. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. Please use it before this administration drags us any deeper.”
- Protect the 2026 Election
- “Hello, my name is [name], and I am a constituent from [ZIP code]. I urge [lawmaker’s name] to support the Voting Systems Protection Act and the SHIELD Our Elections Act. Federal officials should not be able to seize ballots, voting machines, or election records to manipulate an election. Please protect state election officials, mail voting, and every legally cast ballot.”
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- Home Depot
ICE agents have repeatedly targeted workers around Home Depot stores and parking lots. Home Depot has refused to adopt a policy barring immigration raids without judicial warrants. Shop at locally owned hardware stores instead. - Amazon
Amazon Web Services provides cloud infrastructure used by ICE and DHS for data storage, surveillance, and immigration enforcement. Skip Amazon and Whole Foods when possible. Buy directly from manufacturers, independent retailers, local bookstores, and cooperatives instead. - Target
Target abandoned major diversity commitments, has refused to take a clear stand against ICE activity, and recently faced renewed outrage after selling a children’s costume condemned for evoking racist minstrel imagery. Apparently betraying your stated values was not enough for one corporate strategy meeting. Shop locally or use regional retailers instead.
