The Conspiracy Master Loses His Own Plot
Trump's Mike Flynn problem. Plus: Deported to Eswatini. Meta on trial (again). RFK for president? The Obamas address divorce rumors. And some culture news.
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Did you know that today is National Corn Fritter Day, National Personal Chef Day, Guinea Pig Appreciation Day, and AI Appreciation Day? (The crossover potential there is genuinely unsettling.) I mention this not because these manufactured micro-holidays deserve our attention — they don't — but because they serve as a useful reminder that any given day contains multitudes.
We spend most of our time at News Not Noise focused on a few things: Trump's latest maneuvers, Congressional theater, the policy machinery grinding away at our daily lives. And I believe we should devote energy there; those issues matter most right now.
But Trump and Washington aren’t everything. So today we cover the news and offer a small taste of a few things happening beyond the Beltway — a brief detour into culture and some overlooked stories that remind us the world is larger than the news cycle suggests.
Here Your Top Story:
Trump in Trouble: Today started with a surprising-even-by-his-standards Trump rant about the "PAST supporters" who are "weaklings" that have "bought into this 'bull——,' hook, line, and sinker." He's raging about the Epstein drama and now claims the “lunatic left” made up the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax” which he refers to as a “SCAM.”
Why It Matters: Trump faces a paradox of his own making. For years, he built political power by encouraging supporters to distrust official explanations and demand transparency from elites. Now he occupies the very institutions those supporters view with suspicion, creating expectations for openness his administration appears unwilling to meet.
Et Tu, Mr Q: The pressure is coming from Trump's most loyal allies. Today Mike Flynn, who was pardoned by Trump and is both a central figure in the MAGA movement and a hero in QAnon circles. (Click on that link at your own risk.) He posted a long open letter on X calling the “Epstein affair” a matter “of great importance” because “If there are elites inside of our country that committed crimes against CHILDREN (shame on them) and they MUST be held ACCOUNTABLE.” When even figures who were willing to sacrifice their freedom for Trump are publicly opposing him, it signals how thoroughly the narrative has escaped his control.
The Latest: When asked today if he plans to appoint a special counsel to investigate the Epstein matter Trump dodged, saying, “I have nothing to do with it.” He also expressed “total” confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI head Kash Patel.
The Bottom Line: This is the first scandal of Trump’s second term that is dividing his own supporters. When conspiracy politics work, they're powerful. When they backfire, they threaten to consume everything.
Other News You Should Know
Calling For the Fed’s Head: Amid all this drama, Trump reportedly asked House Republicans if he should fire Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve. Though Trump apparently drafted a letter to fire Powell, he insisted today he (likely) wouldn’t do so, while continuing to level attacks at Powell. “I was surprised, frankly, that Biden put him in,” Trump said, apparently forgetting that he appointed Powell in 2017. Trump is frustrated that Powell, and the Fed as a whole, won’t agree to lower interest rates. “I call him every name in the book trying to get him to do something,” Trump complained recently. “I’m nasty. I’m nice. Nothing works.”
Far From Home: The Trump administration sent five immigrants — citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos — to Eswatini, a small absolute monarchy in southern Africa. According to the US State Department, as of 2023 there were credible reports of human trafficking, arbitrary killings, torture, and inhuman punishment by government officials. A DHS spokesperson said the detainees are so “uniquely barbaric” that their countries of origin won’t allow them back. We have no independent verification of this claim. This follows ICE guidance that in some circumstances detainees can be deported to countries that are not their own — in as little as six hours, and without assurances they won’t face persecution or torture. (Recall the Supreme Court cleared the way for this.) Eswatini’s government claims the five individuals will eventually be repatriated to their home countries, but gave no timeframe for that process.
My Job Here Is Done(ish): Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday removed 2,000 National Guard troops from LA, roughly half of the force sent to the city over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections. The Pentagon estimated the cost of this deployment at around $134 million.
Meta on Trial: Today marks the start of the trial for an $8 billion lawsuit against Meta. The company is accused of breaking a privacy agreement it made with the Federal Trade Commission that was intended to protect users’ information. Several tech magnates are expected to take the stand, including Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, and Marc Andreessen.
Confirming Cuts: Senate Republicans are debating whether to approve $9 billion in federal spending cuts announced by Trump and DOGE, targeting public broadcasting and foreign aid. Last night Vice President JD Vance had to cast a tie-breaking vote to advance the legislation, called a rescissions package, after three Republicans joined Democrats to vote no. Lawmakers have carved out some exceptions, aiming to maintain funding for PEPFAR, a program fighting HIV/AIDS around the world, and some local news stations, including those serving Native communities. But the bill as a whole would still eliminate over $1 billion in funding for NPR and PBS, with potentially devastating effects. Read the details of the bill here.
Old Arizona: Arizona Democrats overwhelmingly voted for Adelita Grijalva yesterday in the special election to replace her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, who passed away in March. Grijalva, a progressive who was formerly a county supervisor and was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, faced Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old TikTok star and activist, in what could be a reflection of wider debates over age and political experience within the Democratic Party. In this case, the Gen X candidate won. The general election is November.
RFK Watch: RFK Jr has fired his chief of staff and deputy chief of staff of policy for reasons that are currently unclear. Both individuals were government veterans. RFK’s acting chief of staff will be Matt Buckham, who was previously his White House liaison. Buckham has worked for several conservative organizations, including the Heritage Foundation (the group that created Project 2025) and the far-right Conservative Partnership Institute, which helped launch watchlists of federal employees — including a “DEI” list of mostly Black individuals and another targeting education department employees. Buckham also previously worked for Jim DeMint, a former Republican representative who in 2021 questioned the need for young people to receive the COVID vaccine. Axios reports that an RFK PAC held an “organizing call” for “supporters and influencers” that could suggest they’re laying the groundwork for an RFK presidential campaign in 2028.
Shaky Start for Syria: Israel launched airstrikes into the heart of Syria’s capital Damascus today, damaging the Defense Ministry headquarters and killing three people. The strikes are related to ongoing violence in Syria’s south, near the border with Israel. That violence has included brutal pogroms against Alawite minorities and clashes between local tribes and armed factions of Druze, a minority group that also has a significant population in Israel. Government officials and Druze leaders announced a new ceasefire agreement today, though it’s unclear if it will hold; a similar ceasefire announced yesterday fell apart within hours.
Big Money, Power Brokers: Trump met Qatar’s prime minister today. The two discussed the situation in Gaza; Qatar is central to ceasefire efforts there. Until recently it hosted Hamas officials, and it has historically played the mediator role in conflicts across the Middle East. Trump also met Bahrain’s crown prince, discussing US aid for Bahrain’s civilian nuclear program and plans for $17 billion in deals in the US. “This is real,” Bahrain’s crown prince said in the Oval Office. “These aren’t fake deals.”
Mon Dieu! France’s government wants to get rid of two public holidays, part of an incredibly unpopular plan to balance the country’s budget. According to France’s statistical agency, cutting 18% of the nation’s public holidays would increase GDP by a whopping 0.06%. The country is known for its strict, erm, boundaries around working hours. Given the French people’s reputation for taking their grievances to the streets — and the fact they toppled the last leader who tried taking away public holidays — that might be a high-risk political move. Plus, as one expert argued, “the equation ‘fewer holidays equals more growth’ simply does not hold up.” That’s according to a European think tank, which found that German states that introduced a public holiday usually experienced better economic growth than states that cut a holiday.
The Obamas just released a podcast in which they joke about — and refuted — rumors that they’re getting divorced. No surprise, coverage of the conversation is very different right and left. On the left, the Grio went with “Barack Obama Joins Michelle Obama’s podcast, jokes about divorce rumors, ‘She took me back!’” Want to guess how the New York Post, on the right, framed it? You can find all the coverage – including international framing – on Ground News. Their app and website gather stories from sources around the country and across the political spectrum. It’s a great way to discover stories that aren’t getting much coverage elsewhere. GroundNews is offering the News Not Noise community 40% off their all-access vantage subscription plan. To subscribe, go to GroundNews.com/NNN.
Afghans Abandoned: Iran has deported over half a million Afghans in the two weeks since the country’s conflict with Israel. Over 1.4 million have fled or been deported since January. Forced to abandon their lives, dumped at overcrowded border facilities, and facing the extremist Taliban government, many are despairing over what to do. This follows Pakistan expelling tens of thousands of Afghans earlier this year.
Highs and Lows: Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act today. The bill “permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act,” placing them under strict regulations. But NPR reports that the Trump administration has delayed — and might cancel altogether — $140 million in funding for fentanyl overdose response efforts. “Any changes to funding levels would be catastrophic,” one expert warned.
