Episode Details

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: SCOTUS STRIKES DOWN TARIFFS

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Donald Trump never had the authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Gorsuch, Barrett, and the three liberal justices, held that IEEPA does not grant the president the power to set tariffs — and no president in the law’s half-century history ever tried to use it that way until Trump. Over 60 percent of all tariff revenue collected last year came through IEEPA, and economists now estimate $175 billion is at risk of refund. Trump called it a “disgrace” and immediately tried invoking Section 301 and Section 232 as alternatives, but as Zev noted, “Roberts has already indicated this is b******t, and you’re going to have to re-litigate this entire process.” Dean pointed out that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — standing right next to Trump during his furious rant — had been buying up tariff refund claims from struggling businesses at pennies on the dollar through Cantor Fitzgerald, positioning himself to collect billions now that the tariffs have been ruled illegal. The ruling also killed Trump’s plan to announce $2,000 tariff dividend checks at Tuesday’s State of the Union. Dean delivered the Canadian perspective with particular satisfaction: “To all of those people who chastised Mark Carney for not getting a deal done with Donald Trump — now you know why.”

5️⃣ Hamas Retakes Gaza

While Donald Trump told the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that “the war in Gaza is over,” an IDF assessment presented to Prime Minister Netanyahu tells a very different story — Hamas has reasserted control over 90 percent of the populated areas in Gaza. The group appointed five new district governors linked to its armed al-Qassam Brigades, restarted 14 of 17 government ministries, and is collecting taxes on imports by force. The U.S.-backed technocratic committee led by Ali Shaath hasn’t been allowed to enter the territory. Dean described the Board of Peace roster as “mafia states” and the inaugural meeting as “broken English open mic night” during which Trump repeatedly fell asleep, at one point drooling and sweating with his mouth hanging open. “That is the president of the United States and a show of strength with the biggest losers in the world,” Dean said, “and he couldn’t stay awake for any of it.”

4️⃣ Allies Fracture Over Iran

Britain told the United States no. Prime Minister Keir Starmer blocked American use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for any preemptive strike on Iran, citing the legal reality that lending a runway makes you a party to the war. France also refused to make its bases available. Trump retaliated by torpedoing U.S. support for the Chagos Islands sovereignty deal one day after his own State Department endorsed it. Two aircraft carriers are now moving into the region, and Trump gave Iran a 10-day deadline for a nuclear deal. Dean argued that Trump’s military posturing is theater: “He is so scared to death of starting a war — more scared than any president in the history of the presidency.” Zev pointed to Russia’s coordinated drills with Iran as the real tell, noting that Trump never moves without Putin’s coordination on geopolitical strategy.

3️⃣ Wexner Names Names Under Oath

Les Wexner’s congressional testimony became the most riveting moment of the Epstein investigation this week. Under oath, the 88-year-old billionaire began naming names — the Queen, the Rothschilds, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, the Saudi prince — while his own lawyer grew visibly agitated, at one point leaning in and telling him “if you give another answer that’s more than five words, I will f*****g kill you.” Zev noted the lawyer received a text message that changed his entire demeanor, and identified four separate interventions to shut Wexner down. Wexner also revealed that Epstein had worked for the Rothschilds before joining him in 1987 — a fact Zev said he had