Episode Details

The relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has "descended into open warfare," characterized by rapid escalation and public mudslinging. Despite the feud, Musk is highly popular with Trump's base, with a 76% approval rating among Republicans (only 9 points lower than Trump's 87%). This popularity stems from their shared belief in "cutting the size of the government" and Musk's "larger-than-life figure" and significant social media presence (220 million eX-Twitter followers vs. Trump's 9 million). This popularity limits Trump's ability to take overt action against Musk. Trump's threats to cancel contracts are seen as "idle threats."

National Guard Deployment in Los Angeles: Trump "federalized the California National Guard and sent the Guard to Los Angeles to snuff out some small-scale immigration protests and throw several tons of red meat to his base," despite opposition from Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). This action is described as a "raw power play on Trump's part," with "no historic precedent for federalizing the National Guard against the wishes of the governor under circumstances like this" since 1965 in Selma, AL. ICE's use of tear gas and flash-bang grenades was seen as "a pretty self-evident attempt to escalate the situation and create some photo-ops."

DOGE Operations and Social Security Data: Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court, in an unsigned 6-3 ruling, reversed a lower court's decision that prevented Elon Musk's "DOGEys" from accessing vast amounts of Social Security data. The ruling allows DOGE operatives "God-level' access to Social Security numbers, earnings records, bank routing numbers, mental and reproductive health records and much more," despite warnings of "grave privacy risks for millions of Americans" from dissenting Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

SCOTUS - Ames v. Ohio Youth Department (Unanimous): Catholic Charities v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review: SCOTUS - Mexican Government v. Gun Manufacturers (Unanimous): Harvard University Injunction: CECOT Detainees Class Action

"One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) The OBBB faces significant challenges in the Senate after its narrow passage in the House.

News Consumption and Voter Behavior, Low News Consumers: The "newest additions to Trump's 2024 coalition were low consumers of news," particularly Black people (54% follow news), voters under 30 (53%), and Latinos (50%). Policy Preferences: Among news followers, Republicans lead on economic issues by 1 point; among non-news followers, Republicans lead by 13 points. Midterm Implications: "Ill-informed voters tend not to vote in midterm elections," which could reduce Republican turnout more than Democratic turnout in 2026.

DSCC chair Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) advocates for a shift in Democratic strategy to regain ground in red states. Focus Shift: Gillibrand proposes dropping "all the culture-war issues" and focusing on "Trump's cuts to the entitlement programs, Trump's massive corruption, and potentially the people vs. the billionaires,

New Jersey Gubernatorial Primaries