For daily news updates and analysis, be sure to follow us on Instagram. If you are able to support independent journalism, please make a tax-deductible donation to News Not Noise here.
This week, I had the chance to talk with Mary Trump, the clinical psychologist and high-profile niece of President Donald Trump, who has used both her professional background and her firsthand knowledge of the family to explain what motivates him.
In our conversation, she assesses what she sees as his physical and cognitive decline, observing, only half-jokingly, that “he cannot stay awake during the day unless people are talking about him.”
She discusses what drives his demand for loyalty, his rage at criticism, his willingness to violate rules and laws, and his pursuit of personal enrichment. Her central argument is that Trump’s behavior is less a display of strength than an elaborate attempt to conceal weakness. “Donald is now and has always been a terrified little boy,” she says.
We also talk about why powerful people and institutions continue to accommodate him, whether a small group around him is effectively running the country, why mockery gets under his skin, and what she believes is at stake in the midterm elections.
Mary also answers audience questions about Trump’s children, Melania, Roy Cohn, The Apprentice, the future of MAGA, and what accountability might look like after Trump is gone.
Mary offers a practical theory of how to confront Trump. And a prediction for those who accommodate him.
Our conversation was hosted by BigTentUSA, a non-partisan, pro-democracy nonprofit focused on engaging moderate and collaborative citizens to protect democratic norms, reject political extremism, and empower everyday people to take civic action.
Check out BigTentUSA’s Substack and Mary L Trump’s Substack, The Good in Us.
Also in this newsletter: Platner makes his move. Witnesses dispute ICE’s account of a fatal shooting. The case against Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. Officials still can’t solve America’s diarrhea problem. Checking the bill for Trump’s building bonanza. Is the Iran war back on? And when HBO refused to nominate one actress, she took matters into her own hands.
Here Are Your Headlines
Breaking: Former Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner formally withdrew from the Senate race this afternoon. Catch up on that here.
In Cold Blood: An ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national who’d lived in the US without documents (or a criminal record) for over three decades. It happened during a traffic stop in Houston earlier this week. We’ve now learned that the agents weren’t wearing body cameras and ICE admits Araujo wasn’t their target — he “resembled the target.” The agents claim, without evidence, that he “weaponized his vehicle.” Three men who were in the van with Araujo dispute the official account of events and one called ICE’s story “a lie.” The men said the agents were never in front of the van, and instead almost immediately began shooting from the sides of the vehicle. Araujo is the 10th person fatally shot by immigration agents since Trump began his second term.
Midterm Purge: Trump forced out the last three members of the Election Assistance Commission — an independent, bipartisan group that for decades has helped election administration officials across the country. More here.
Renovation Nation: Workers have covered the White House North Portico in scaffolding and massive tarps, after Trump requested the exterior columns be renovated. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the president was upset about “door dings” on the pillars. The Trump administration is also pushing for security upgrades, including fortifying the White House’s front door. These are the latest in a series of at least 18 construction projects across the nation’s capital, which the New York Times recently estimated will cost upwards of $1.2 billion — much of it likely from taxpayer funds.
If At First You Don’t Succeed: Work crews are once again draining the Reflecting Pool. Former Olympian David Hearn pleaded not guilty to damaging the pool, arguing he merely touched the water. This week three additional people were charged for removing peeling paint from the pool.
Anyone Home? Trump said today he is refusing to sign a major, bipartisan housing bill, “in PROTEST” over the fact the Senate won’t pass the SAVE America Act. The bill will become law automatically tonight. More on what it does here. Catch up on the SAVE Act, and how it could make voting harder for millions, here.
Did He Do It? A preliminary hearing to determine whether the case against the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk should proceed to trial wrapped up today. Prosecutors presented new evidence they claim connects Robinson with Kirk’s death, including video footage, ballistics, DNA, an alleged confession note, and testimony from Robinson’s partner, who says Robinson admitted to killing Kirk because he’d “had enough of his hatred.” Notably the new video does not show Robinson with a gun or in a position to fire at Kirk. Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, demanded all evidence be shown publicly; the judge refused, explaining he must balance transparency with Robinson’s right to a fair trial. The defense has not entered a plea and is pushing to have the death penalty ruled out. It challenged the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence.
Explosive: The outbreak of a diarrhea-causing parasite we covered on Wednesday continues to spread. Michigan alone now reports over 1,250 cases and at least 44 hospitalizations, and hundreds more have fallen sick across 30 other states. Officials haven’t identified a source, but are recommending careful washing of certain fresh produce connected to previous outbreaks. Last year, the CDC cut back a key foodborne illness surveillance program, ending mandatory monitoring of several pathogens — including the parasite behind the ongoing outbreak — because of budget issues.
Breakup: Apple sued OpenAI and two former employees today for alleged theft of trade secrets. The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of stealing Apple’s intellectual property to develop its own hardware products. More here.
Bubble’s Still Growing: South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix made its market debut in the US today, raising $26.5 billion — the largest listing ever by a foreign firm in the US. The company became the second most valuable firm in South Korea this year thanks to the ongoing worldwide demand for memory chips, which are crucial for AI.
On the Precipice: The Trump administration has finalized a rule that would expose the habitat of endangered animals to commercial activities like farming, drilling, and mining. The rule essentially excludes habitat destruction from the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “harm” done to vulnerable species, reversing 50 years of precedent. When the administration proposed the new rule last year, it received 220,000 public comments — 99% against the change. Scientists, environmentalists, tribes, and more than a dozen states opposed the move, warning it will have devastating consequences for wildlife.
Deluge: Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency today as dangerous flash flooding hit parts of southeastern Missouri. Heavy storms have already dumped several inches of rain, with more expected, causing floodwaters up to five feet deep in some areas. At least five people have been rescued. Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee are also at risk. Officials are warning people in affected areas to monitor the weather, move to higher ground, avoid travel unless you are evacuating or fleeing, and never drive into water over roadways. Stay safe out there.
Iran Updates
Slap to the Face: The US struck more than 170 targets across Iran this week in one of the most intense rounds of military strikes since the war began over four months ago. Trump said negotiations will continue but insists the “Cease Fire is OVER!” US officials say the current escalation could last up to a month; one told Axios the US is “going to slap [Iran] a bit so they understand we’re not fucking around.” Iran responded by targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Our Bad: Senior US officials claimed today that Iran privately told them its strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz were a mistake carried out by an “errant” sect trying to undermine negotiations. The Trump administration is reportedly demanding Iran publicly renounce the attacks and commit to keeping the Strait open by Saturday.
Slowdown: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which was picking up, all but stopped after the renewed hostilities. Iran’s top negotiator insisted the Strait “will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.” Oil prices spiked and stock markets slumped.
In Mourning: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of Iran killed at the start of the war, was buried. The burial followed days of ceremonies, rallies, and funeral processions across Iran and Iraq that attracted hundreds of thousands of mourners — and which the regime hoped would serve as a sign of unity. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali’s son and successor, did not appear at the funeral, renewing speculation about his health.
Culture, Not Noise
Back Yourself: Medical drama The Pitt received the most Emmy nominations of any show this year, with 25 nods. Some of those nominated had to fight harder than others. Take Brittany Allen, who made multiple Emmy prediction lists for her powerful portrayal of a terminally ill cancer patient. Despite the buzz around her performance, HBO didn’t nominate her, and wasn’t returning her calls. So she nominated herself. “You reach a point,” Allen said, “where you go, ‘You know what? I don’t want to get overlooked anymore.’” She paid the application fee, ran her own promotional campaign online — and earned a nomination. Allen isn’t new to this. 15 years ago she was axed from soap opera All My Children, but submitted herself for an Emmy anyway — and won. “You have to fight for yourself,” she said. “You have to believe in your work, and you can’t expect other people to do that for you.” More here.
Want more information?
Please share this newsletter with family, friends, and anyone who wants to get the news and turn down the noise. If you’d like to sponsor our newsletter or our Instagram content, please reach out to us at community@newsnotnoise.com.
