Kitchen Briefs

Congressman Ro Khanna joins Michelle Glogovac on Beyond the Campaign to sound the alarm on Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act — a provision buried in the must-pass defense bill that would permanently merge U.S. and Israeli military infrastructure, weapons development, and defense technology, shielding it from future congressional oversight. What does that mean for American sovereignty? For human rights accountability? And who actually wrote this provision?

Khanna also weighs in on the Epstein files and the rare bipartisan push to force transparency on what our government has been hiding.

This is the conversation Washington doesn't want you having. Listen, share, and make some noise.

What We're Talking About...

• Section 224 of the NDAA and its implications
• US-Israel military partnership and sovereignty
• The Epstein files and political transparency

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview of Section 224

07:13 The Disconnect Between Congress and the American People

Links

Ro Khanna's Official Website - https://khanna.house.gov/

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Section 224 - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4350/text

Kitchen Briefs - June 9, 2026 PM

• Israel continues to strike Lebanon
• The helicopter crash in the Strait of Hormuz was actually shot down by Iran
• Al Jazeera is filming a documentary called Bodies of Evidence: Israel’s Darkest Weapon which looks into the torture by the Israeli army against Palestinians
• The DOJ has opened an investigation into the Philadelphia Police Department for improperly revoking firearm permits
• NASA has announced the next 4 astronauts to head to the moon on Artemis III
• Epstein’s longtime executive assistant says that he was a master manipulator but she had no idea about his sex crimes
• Barron Trump has backed a beverage brand called SOLLOS and they’ve just released their first drink
• The FDA has just approved Bemotrizinol, the UV filter that is used in Europe and Asia. It’s the first sunscreen ingredient approved in the US in 25 years and will be available later this year

Kitchen Briefs - June 9, 2026 AM

• Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight have killed 5 including a pregnant woman
• Israel continues to attack Lebanon killing 9 in a residential area. Israel attacked a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon
• Trump is suddenly saying a deal with Iran may come within 3 days while also telling the BBC that Netanyahu did not defy him
• Yesterday a US Military Apache helicopter crashed into the Strait of Hormuz. The pilots were rescued within 2 hours
• Trump is planning on asking the Supreme Court to revive his $475M defamation case against CNN who referred to the 2020 election as The Big Lie
• US Airlines fuel consumption was down this year but they spent 78% more paying for it
• 4 states have their primaries today, Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina
• Greg Bovino who used to be the head of Border Patrol is considering a run for President in 2028
• In World Cup news, Iran says the US revoked its allocation of tickets into the games
• Somali referee was detained and denied entry into the US for the World Cup games due to vetting concerns
• Last night the Spurs beat the Knicks and Knicks fans are blaming Trump
• Marco Rubio and UFC CEO Dana White are set to sign an agreement between the State Department and the UFC
• The night before the UFC fight on the White House lawn, there’s a MAGA PAC fundraising dinner at the reasonable cost of $1M per plate

Kitchen Briefs - June 8, 2026 PM

• At least 7 people have been killed in an Israeli attack on Zefta in Lebanon. 5 people were killed in a car attack in Tyre Lebanon and 4 paramedics have been injured
• Iran says that the US isn’t seeking a ceasefire nor are they looking for dialogue
• A Federal judge has voided Trump’s requirement of a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas used to hire highly skilled foreign workers
• Hegseth and the Department of Defense removed the label Christian from all of the religions
• Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman Fried who orchestrated one of the largest financial frauds in history has asked Trump for a pardon
• Trump is calling for the removal of the Parliamentarian
• The DOJ has stripped 17 people of their citizenship because they were convicted of crimes
• Two new cases of New World Screwworm have been announced including a case in a dog in New Mexico
• China has just beat Elon Musk by approving the world’s first commercial brain implant beating Elon’s company Neuralink

Kitchen Briefs - June 8, 2026 AM

• Iran and Israel traded strikes but have halted. Iran said if Israel strikes on Lebanon, then they will resume their strikes as well
• Oil prices are up and stocks are skittish this morning
• A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines has killed at least 32
• Arson suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht’s trial starts today for his role in the Palisades Fire
• 3 men were arrested last week by the FBI, 1 in Kansas, 2 in California on charges of providing materials to ISIS
• In the Los Angeles Mayoral race, Nithya Raman has overtaken Spencer Pratt in votes right now
• In the new Department of Defense’s new recognized religion list which went from over 200 to just 31 lists which religions are Christian but one they didn’t list as Christian is the Church of Latter Day Saints
• LEGO has launched is largest set with over 12,060 pieces
• My current reads: Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead and Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker

Kitchen Briefs - June 7, 2026

• Israel continues to strike Lebanon and has hit two apartment buildings killing at least 2 and wounding many more. While Iran is ticked off about the continued attacks, Trump is calling for more “surgical” strikes on Lebanon
• Israel has killed another 9 in Gaza
• Iran says the problem with negotiations is that the US keeps changing their positions and being contradictory
• A Russian drone has struck a spent nuclear fuel storage facility near Chornobyl
• At least 12 people were shot last night at a festival in Toledo, Ohio. Police are still searching for the suspect
• Trump is heading to New York to cheer on the Knicks despite not being wanted
• Trump rage quit his Meet The Press interview
• A Virginia Vietnam Vet is suing to block the UFC fight at the White House
• Iraq’s stryker was detained for nearly 7 hours yesterday when he arrived at Chicago’s O’hare airport and the team’s official photographer was denied entry. Iran’s team must enter and leave the US on their match day
• Central African Republic has agreed to taking migrants from other countries that the US has deported
• A number of scientists were removed from the American Diabetes Association conference after distributing materials that criticized the Trump Administration
• The New World Screwworm has been found in Texas cattle and the Trump administration says this isn’t because they got rid of USAID and cut funding, no it’s because of Biden and immigrants
• The Pentagon has raised the threat assessment for Israel to “critical” with significant increase in Israeli human and technical espionage capabilities directed at US targets
• Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act which is heading to Congress which aims to intertwine the US and Israeli army by committing to bilateral research and development, co-production of weapons, joint ventures, licensing agreements and an unprecedented integration of the US and Israeli weapons industries

Kitchen Briefs - June 6, 2026

• The US and Iran are trading strikes in the Gulf
• Israel continues to strike Gaza and today it was a wedding tent where they killed at least 5 with many more injured
• At least 10 more have been killed in Lebanon due to Israeli strikes with at least 3 being Lebanese soldiers
• Israeli troops open fired on a car in the West Bank and killed a 7 month old
• Iran says their technical staff have been denied visas by the US for the World Cup games. This includes key managerial and administrative members
• Yesterday SoFi stadium workers in Los Angeles voted to strike just days before the World Cup games are set to start
• Ukraine has been targeting St. Petersburg
• In California, Xavier Becerra will advance to the November election
• Trump pardoned former Indiana congressman Stephen Buyer who served nearly two years in prison for insider trading
• Today is the 82nd anniversary of D-Day Hegseth warned that Europe is being stormed by dangerous ideologies
• The Department of Defense has reduced its list of officially recognized religions from over 200 to 31, saying the change will help chaplains better provide religious support to service members
• The White House website now has a page called Leftist Influencers
• Quote from Read This When Things Fall Apart

Kitchen Briefs - June 5, 2026 PM

• Lebanon’s president is accusing Iran of using them as a bargaining chip while Israel continues to strike and has killed 5 more, including another medic in Lebanon. This brings Lebanon’s death toll since March to 3,558
• Trump says after the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices will drop a lot
• Iran’s Supreme Leader’s adviser wants $24B in frozen assets or they’ll widen the war
• Zelensky has asked for a face-to-face meeting with Putin
• FIFA accidentally gave away free tickets to a game in Toronto
• Trump plans on attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals to root for the Knicks
• Next week Trump is going to meet with the leading Tech Bros of AI to discuss the US investing in their companies
• The DOJ has sent a prosecutor to Los Angeles to oversee ballot counting
• A federal judge has blocked Trump’s asylum freeze on 39 countries
• In an appeals court today, a DOJ lawyer said even if the ballroom is illegal, the courts can’t stop it
• A former senior executive at the Social Security Administration has filed a whistleblower disclosure claiming Trump administration officials planned to falsely add 2.7 million living people to the government's master death database
• NASDAQ is down 4% and is the worst day all year
• Meta has quietly added facial recognition to their smart glasses
• The Chicago Bears are heading to Indiana and building a new stadium

Kitchen Briefs - June 5, 2026 AM

• Despite the call for a ceasefire, strikes continue. Hezbollah claims 8 attacks on Israeli positions in southern Lebanon
• Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker has rejected the ceasefire due to the conditions in which only Hezbollah is to withdraw. He wants Israel to have to withdraw from Lebanon as well
• Iran is firing warning missiles and drones at the US Navy who they claim are harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels and oil tankers
• Ukraine has struck 5 ships allegedly containing illegal cargo
• After more than 18 hours of debates and proposed amendments, the Senate passed the $70B bill to fund CBP and ICE. They did not put a single limit on Trump’s slush fund, ballroom or immigration enforcement.
• The Senate also killed the SAVE Act
• The House passed the Ukraine Support Act approving new military assistance for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia
• ICE will stop reporting deaths of former detainees that happen within 30 days of their release from federal custody. This comes after death rates continue to rise but DHS says this is common sense, they’re not in our custody any longer, we’re not responsible
• Trump is building a promenade connecting the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River and he claims “people” want it to be called the Trump Promenade
• The corporate donors for Trump’s ballroom are proving their investment is paying off to the tune of over $50B in new or expanded federal contracts and those who were already under federal investigation have had those paused or reduced
• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois will temporarily stop processing applications for tax incentives for new AI data centers
• NASA has ordered astronauts on the International Space Station to shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for potential evacuation as Russian crews attempt to repair an air leak. There are 2 US astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut currently aboard
• The US is weaponizing visas for FIFA players. Switzerland’s main goalscorer was blocked from boarding a flight with his teammates. The Men’s national team of South Africa had to delay their flight because 20 people in their group were still trying to get the US embassy to process their visas
• Trump says Bill Pulte won’t be the permanent Director of National Intelligence
• Last night in Long Beach, CA the US military conducted training exercises at 2am with helicopters, controlled explosions and simulated weapons fire
• Albanians for the 4th night protesting against Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s island purchase

Kitchen Briefs - June 4, 2026 PM

• Hezbollah is dismissing the ceasefire and striking Israel and have killed at least one Israeli soldier. Trump just said he thinks progress has been made
• In the closed door interview with Pam Bondi she said that it wasn’t actually her who oversaw the release of the Epstein files. It’s been Todd Blanche
• Todd Blanche went on Katie Miller’s podcast where he claimed there were no security cameras in Epstein's house
• Senate Republicans have rejected funding amendments that would have gotten rid of the ballroom fund and the anti-weaponization fund
• Good news for Delaney Hall: Governor Sherrill has committed $20M to immigrant legal defense
• In an unincorporated part of Gilroy, CA, just south of San Jose, blueprints confirm an ICE facility with detention and processing space is planned and already under construction
• I have had a number of messages about HR8800 which is the National Defense Authorization Act. In section 224 of the bill, it proposes establishing a US Israel Tech Partnership
• My current read is The Supper Club Saints by Claire Swinarski who will be on an upcoming episode of Read The Damn Book. I also received in the mail this week Happiness Habits by Mandie Brice and Bright Side by Kim Holden who was a guest last week