Episode Details

Today's Headlines: The Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump personally called a senior DOJ official to settle the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation — days before trial, after Live Nation's CEO met with Trump at the White House to "discuss Kennedy Center bookings". Live Nation reportedly promised $10 billion in US investment in exchange for a favorable settlement so generous that most states refused to join it and kept suing, ultimately winning a jury verdict in April finding Live Nation illegally monopolizing the concert ticketing market. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to let Trump's mail-in voting restrictions move forward — not on whether they're constitutional, but on whether states had legal standing to sue — meaning DHS is now distributing citizenship lists to states and the Postal Service will only send ballots to pre-approved voters, with each state left to decide whether to comply before the Court rules on the actual merits, which is a convenient timeline heading into November. The Court also let Trump's ballroom-bunker construction continue while they decide whether it can continue. Yes, you read that right. On the immigration beat, the Trump administration is planning the largest mass visa revocation in US history, targeting up to 200,000 B1 and B2 visas held by asylum seekers issued between 2016 and 2026. And because somehow we are still at war with Iran even after “winning” several times, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held an event threatening any country that does business with Iran with "the full reach of American power" under something called Operation Economic Outcast, without specifying any actual steps or deadlines, while Iran's trading partners apparently told them they don't really care. And finally, today is the South Carolina Senate runoff between Lindsey Graham's sister Darline — who refused to say whether she would have certified Biden's 2020 win — and Ralph Norman, with Trump's super PAC spending $800,000 on her behalf. 

Resources/Articles mentioned:

WSJ: The Trump Intervention That Got the DOJ Off Live Nation’s Back

Axios: Trump says communities that oppose data centers are "making a mistake"

NBC News: Supreme Court sides with Trump on some restrictions for mail-in ballots

WaPo: Supreme Court eases path for Trump’s sweeping limits on mail-in balloting

Time: The Supreme Court Let Trump’s Ballroom Proceed—for Now. Here’s What That Means

Axios: Trump administration to revoke up to 200,000 visas of asylum seekers

NYT: Trump Lays It on the Line for Darline Graham Ahead of South Carolina Runoff

MS Now: Darline Graham refuses to say if she would have certified 2020 election results

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