Trump's Approval Ratings Have Their Kiss Cam Moment
Growing majority of Americans disagree with Trump's policies. Shocking report reveals what immigration officials do behind closed doors. Trump still can't shake off Epstein. Plus Coldplay news.
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In this newsletter: New polling shows Americans are getting increasingly cranky about Trump's policies, but Wall Street seems to be having the time of its life. We've also got updates on the cost of beef, the Dems' Mamdani dilemma, Epstein distractions, fresh updates on ICE, and some culture news that'll make you pause and hopefully smile.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Breaking News: As we went to print two stories broke. First, the Trump Administration released reams of papers on the FBI’s surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, over his families’ opposition. And — unrelated — the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran tells Fox News the recent bombing campaign will not deter the regime from continuing its nuclear enrichment program.
Reality Check: We’re six months into Trump’s second term, and according to a slate of new polls, a majority of Americans are increasingly unhappy with the state of the nation. That said, Trump’s base remains largely satisfied.
Immigration: A majority of Americans think ICE raids are going too far, oppose how the administration is using mass detention facilities, and believe officials are trying to deport more people than they expected. This is a rapid erosion of support. For example, according to CBS/YouGov polling, only 49% of Americans approve of the administration’s deportation program overall, down from 54% in June. 44% of Americans believe Trump when he says he’s prioritizing dangerous criminals for deportation; that’s dropped 9 points since June. Even a majority of Trump voters believe he is being “too tough” on immigration. That’s important, because according to that same poll, immigration is the most important issue shaping people’s view of the current administration.
Economy: Americans are deeply unhappy with how Trump is handling the economy. 70% believe his administration isn’t sufficiently focused on lowering prices; 61% think it’s focusing on tariffs “too much.” A similar proportion of the country opposes new tariffs altogether. Like immigration, the country’s views of Trump’s economic policies have soured: In March, disapproval of his handling of inflation was at 54%. It’s now at 64%.
Country Divided: Democrats and Republicans were generally divided in their opinions of Trump and the issues — with one major exception, Epstein. 49% of Republicans (and 40% of “MAGA” Republicans) are “dissatisfied” with how the administration is handling the Epstein case. Still, most Americans say they consider this less important than issues like immigration and the economy.
Wall Street Bubble? Defying Americans’ deep discontent with the economy and the affordability crisis, Wall Street hit record highs today. Investors are anticipating good news in upcoming corporate earnings reports this week. The optimism is driven by the strength of tech giants and AI, hope that the Fed will bring down interest rates, and seeming denial about the looming impact of tariffs. The “Main Street v Wall Street” divide continues to grow.
OBBBA: The final numbers are in for the cost of the GOP’s massive tax and spending bill, aka the “Big Beautiful Bill.” According to the Congressional Budget Office, over the next decade, the bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion. The roughly $1 trillion saved by slashing healthcare, mostly Medicaid, is far outweighed by the $4.5 trillion lost through tax cuts, mostly benefiting the wealthy. The CBO estimates 10 million people will lose health insurance.
Messaging: Since the bill passed, more Americans believe it will hurt them and their families (43% to 47%). And Americans overwhelmingly believe it will help wealthy people and hurt the middle and working classes.
Beef is the New Egg: We made it through record egg prices — but now beef prices are breaking records. The price of beef has risen almost 9% since January. Unfortunately, one expert warns, “beef is way more complicated than eggs,” so might be harder to bring back down.
ICE Check: ICE just received a massive influx of funding. This includes $45 billion to expand “detention capacity” and $30 billion for enforcement and “removal.” To understand what this might enable, it helps to keep an eye on what we know they’re already doing. Warning: some of the following stories are traumatic.
Treated Like Animals: A shocking new report by Human Rights Watch alleges widespread abuse at US immigrant detention centers. One man described detention facility officials forcing him to eat while shackled. “We had to bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths,” he said, “like dogs.” Other detainees reported being forced to sleep on concrete floors in the freezing cold; left shackled for long periods without food, water, or bathrooms; stuffed in overcrowded cells; subject to verbal and physical abuse; punished, including with solitary confinement, for requesting medical care; denied access to medical care, which has been linked to multiple deaths; and served “nearly inedible” food. These conditions would violate laws governing the humane treatment of detainees and prisoners.
Children: A 15-year-old boy with no criminal history was detained at the Florida internment camp the government calls Alligator Alcatraz, the boy’s attorney alleges.
Elderly: A 82-year-old Pennsylvania grandfather and legal US resident was handcuffed and taken by officials when he went to get his green card replaced. Two weeks later, someone purporting to be an immigration lawyer told the man’s family he was dead. The family later learned that the man was alive in a Guatemala hospital. The Trump administration had deported him there, though he had no connection to the country, and reportedly failed to include his name on a list of deportees.
Prisoner Swap: 250 Venezuelans removed from the US and detained in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison have been sent to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange; Venezuela agreed to send ten Americans and permanent US residents imprisoned there back to the US. A Times investigation found that most of the men sent to CECOT had no criminal records. Immdef is working with some of these prisoners to ensure their safety.
Mulling Mamdani: Senior Democrats in New York continue to avoid endorsing Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, despite Mamdani’s attempts to woo them over.
The Mamdani Effect? Meanwhile, Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party voters also recently chose a young democratic socialist as their candidate for the city’s upcoming mayoral election. State senator Omar Fateh defeated incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey in a chaotic primary election. Frey today announced he will appeal the result. But like Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams in New York, Frey could still come back and win the overall election in November.
Trump v. Harvard: A federal judge heard oral arguments today in the case concerning Trump’s attempt to strip billions of dollars from Harvard’s research funding. On Harvard’s side, one lawyer called the administration’s case “cooked up,” and argued violations of the First Amendment and Title VI civil rights law. The administration claims they’re withholding the funds because the university failed to stem antisemitism on campus. Harvard attorneys point out the defunded research has no connection to that issue. The judge did not issue a ruling, but warned of “staggering” constitutional consequences if the government was allowed to punish a university without due process. She said she’ll issue a written decision but didn’t give a timeline. The outcome of this case could have ripple effects for universities across the nation.
Want to go beyond this newsletter and get stories we haven’t covered? For example: Why is Trump media investing $2 billion in bitcoin? What’s the British press reporting about tension between Prince William and Princess Anne? Did you know that China is preventing one Wells Fargo banker from leaving the country? Who is at risk in a massive new Microsoft hack? You can read these stories and more at GroundNews. Their app and website gather top news from sources around the country and the world. I use GroundNews to find stories I might have missed. They’re offering the News Not Noise community 40% off their all-access vantage subscription plan. To subscribe, go to GroundNews.com/NNN.
Epstein Update: Trump continues to generate outrageous distractions, presumably to draw attention away from the Epstein case. For example:
A Letter and a Lawsuit: Trump is suing the WSJ for at least $10 billion dollars. He claims the paper defamed him by publishing a lewd birthday note it alleges Trump sent Epstein in 2003. The note reportedly features a black-marker drawing of a naked woman, complete with breasts and public hair, and it references “secrets.” The Journal says it’s signed by Trump. Trump denies ever making a picture, though he regularly donated sketches to charity in the early 2000s. The case is before Darrin Gayles, an Obama appointee. WSJ’s parent company, owned by Rupert Murdoch, says it “will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Bot of the Joke: Trump posted a shocking AI-generated video of former President Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and pacing a jail cell. It features the phrase, “No one is above the law.” This follows DNI Tulsi Gabbard baselessly alleging evidence of a “treasonous conspiracy in 2016” by Obama officials to undermine Trump.
What’s in a Name: Trump is threatening to make it difficult for the Washington Commanders to get a deal for a new DC stadium unless they change their name. It’s unclear how Trump could get in the way of any such “deal.”
Coked Up: Trump claimed Coca Cola agreed to switch the recipe for regular Coke from corn syrup to real cane sugar. The company has not confirmed this. Trump might be unaware that switching to real sugar could wipe out $5.1 billion in US farm revenue. Trump’s fondness for Coke is legendary; in 2017, sources told the New York Times he went through a dozen Diet Cokes a day.
Are the Distractions Working? Despite all the noise, interest in Epstein is exploding— evidenced by the surging public interest in media about Epstein. Books about the case are climbing sales charts and going out of stock; TV shows and viral speculative YouTube videos are suddenly getting millions of views; Google Trends, which tracks what people are searching for, shows a large increase in Epstein-related searches. “Trump is bringing so much more attention to this story than if he had just ignored it,” the New York Post’s editor at large recently noted. On the other hand, the New York Times today argued that Trump and his allies have managed to direct MAGA’s outrage at the Wall Street Journal — at least for now.
Epstein, Who? House Speaker Mike Johnson today said he won’t hold a vote on whether Congress should demand the DOJ release the Epstein files, at least not before the House goes on recess for the month of August. The DOJ has requested a court release sealed grand jury testimony. There’s nothing to prevent the DOJ from releasing the documents it possesses on its own.
Goodbye, LA: The Pentagon today ordered the withdrawal of the 700 Marines deployed in LA since June 9.
Culture Not Noise
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