California held its primary last week. Six days later, votes were still being counted. That's normal. But Trump, Elon Musk, and Mike Johnson decided it was evidence of massive fraud, with zero evidence, which they have admitted publicly. Grant breaks down exactly why California's count takes as long as it does, why a Republican surge followed by a Democratic catch-up is just math and not a conspiracy, and why you should treat everything you're about to hear about the 2026 midterms through this same lens. Trump did this in 2020. It worked. He's doing it again.

Then there's the president's health. At his NBC Meet the Press interview in Wisconsin, Trump struggled to stand up from his chair, wobbled, and reached out to grab journalist Kristen Welker to steady himself. At the NBA Finals in New York the same night, he was booed loudly at Madison Square Garden, told reporters the crowd reaction was "mostly cheers" of enthusiasm, and then appeared to nod off during the game, in an arena regularly hitting 90 decibels. In the stills, Grant reports, the drooping on the right side of Trump's face was visible again.

And then, as Grant was recording, Iran shot down an American helicopter. The pilots were rescued. Trump vowed retaliation. The ceasefire, whatever it was, appears to be over again.

0:00 Trump's 2026 midterm election denial playbook has already started — here's what to watch for

1:05 The LA mayor's race: Spencer Pratt, Karen Bass, and why Republicans lost the runoff

2:30 Elon Musk, Trump, and the "fraud" claim that a Trump-appointed US attorney debunked in 12 hours

4:02 Why mail-in ballots cause a "surge" — and why it's just math, not fraud

5:10 The "pig in a python" problem: why California's count takes six days

6:20 Trump storms out of the NBC Meet the Press interview — the full exchange with Kristen Welker

8:38 Mike Johnson: "It can't be proven, but everybody knows" — why this argument is designed to be unfalsifiable

10:38 Why election denial works politically even when no one believes it

11:40 Sponsor: Cozy Earth

13:30 Breaking news: Iran shoots down an American helicopter, Trump vows retaliation

14:36 Trump's health at the NBC interview: struggling to stand, reaching out to Welker to steady himself

15:50 Standing rallies, seated press conferences, and a pattern Grant has been tracking for months

17:00 Trump gets booed at the NBA Finals — then says the crowd was "mostly cheers" of enthusiasm

17:51 Trump appears to nod off at Madison Square Garden — and the face drooping is back

19:00 Why Grant keeps reporting on Trump's health even when the White House ignores it

Things You Forgot From Civics Class

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Zach Everson is the research director at Public Citizen and the head of their Trump Accountability Project. He is a former Forbes reporter who has spent a decade tracking how Donald Trump uses the presidency to make money. This term, he says, the scale is incomparable to the first.

Forbes estimates Trump has made roughly $1.9 billion from crypto since being reelected. That includes the meme coin, the USD1 stable coin backed by a UAE-linked investment firm, and World Liberty Financial, which sold 49% of itself to the UAE's national security advisor days before Trump was inaugurated.

Zach breaks down exactly how each product works, why the money flows to Trump even when the coins are essentially worthless, and why a $2 billion investment from a foreign government's financial arm into a product Trump controls is the most serious emoluments case no one is talking about.

They also get into why this corruption isn't breaking through with the public the way it should, what it would actually take to stop a future president from doing the same thing, and why Zach says Trump has opened a Pandora's box that neither party has closed.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 Trump is using the presidency to make money in broad daylight. This is how.

1:53 Meet Zach Everson: 10 years tracking Trump's business interests at Forbes and Public Citizen

2:47 Why Zach left Mar-a-Lago visitor tracking behind and went all-in on crypto

4:15 The difference between Trump's first and second term: from $100K ballroom rentals to billions

6:38 How Trump went from "crypto is thin air" to making $1.9 billion from it

7:10 The NFTs, World Liberty Financial, the meme coin, and the USD1 stable coin explained

10:00 How the meme coin makes money even when it's worthless

11:30 The UAE invested $2 billion into Trump's stable coin. Here's what they got in return.

13:30 Forbes pegs Trump's crypto earnings at $1.9 billion since reelection

15:00 Why crypto is the perfect influence-peddling vehicle: public blockchain, hidden identities

16:00 85% of Trump's stable coin is held overseas. What that actually means.

17:05 The emoluments clause, the UAE's national security advisor, and the case no one is bringing

18:11 Sponsor: Cozy Earth

19:47 How Trump's for-profit presidency escalated from a soap bar to billions in crypto

22:15 Why the public stopped caring about Trump's corruption and what it would take to change that

23:05 Don Jr. up sevenfold, Eric Trump worth $400 million: the children's cut

25:34 Why the slush fund broke through when the crypto billions didn't

27:04 How do we stop the next president from doing this? What guardrails could actually work?

29:57 Wrap-up and where to find Zach's work

LINKS: 

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE SUBSTACK 

PUBLIC CITIZEN

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Trump went seven full days without a public appearance. When he resurfaced, it was first in a pre-taped podcast interview with a friendly outlet where he didn't look well, and then in an unscheduled Oval Office press conference where he struggled to follow questions, compared a flat reflecting pool to skyscrapers, and told Kaitlin Collins to smile more.

That press conference also produced the clearest sign yet that the Iran conflict is not a ceasefire in any meaningful sense of the word. The US has now fired on six civilian merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump couldn't say the word "ceasefire" when asked directly.

Congress noticed. The House passed a war powers resolution to end the Iran conflict last night, with four Republicans crossing party lines. The Senate already passed its own version two weeks ago. What happens if Trump ignores both, and what it means for the midterms, is what Grant breaks down today.

Also: Todd Blanche gets rewarded for protecting Trump's immunity deal with a nomination for Attorney General, the $1.8 billion slush fund is dead on paper but not really, and Sen. Lindsey Graham is already working on a replacement.

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Two federal judges have now stepped in to freeze Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization slush fund. One judge in Virginia halted all payouts. A judge in Miami reopened the entire IRS lawsuit after 35 former federal judges called the settlement a fraud on the court. The DOJ quietly backed down Monday and said it would comply.

That means the Trump loyalists who were promised a payout for their loyalty are not getting one, at least for now. And the Republicans in the Senate are furious.

Grant also breaks down the Bill Pulte appointment as acting DNI, why legal experts say it may be illegal, what the Iran ceasefire collapse actually means for oil prices this summer, and Trump's "I don't care" tell that one of his own biographers says is code for something specific.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Everything that went wrong for Trump this week

1:52 Bill Pulte named acting DNI: who he is and why the appointment may be illegal

4:08 How Pulte used housing agencies to go after Trump's political enemies

6:00 Iran ceasefire collapse: what actually happened over the weekend

8:13 What Trump's "I don't care" actually means, according to his biographer Michael Wolff

8:40 Oil at $150 a barrel? Gas could hit $6 by Fourth of July

11:00

Sponsor: Cozy Earth

12:37 The $1.8 billion slush fund explained: how a lawsuit against himself became an immunity deal

15:00 Two judges freeze the slush fund: Virginia halts payouts, Miami reopens the IRS case

17:09 The DOJ backs down, Trump loyalists get nothing, and Senate Republicans revolt

19:00 The "wounded bear caucus": why a furious GOP Senate is Trump's biggest problem right now

THINGS YOU FORGOT FROM CIVICS CLASS

PROMO CODE
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Steve Cash from The Steady State is back on the show this week. He spent his career as a prosecutor, CIA counterterrorism officer, and DHS intelligence official. He also lived and worked in countries run by authoritarian leaders. What he's watching happen in the United States right now looks familiar.

In this conversation, Grant and Steve break down how "national security" has become the Trump administration's all-purpose justification for avoiding oversight, accountability, and logic. When everything is national security, Steve argues, nothing is.

They also get into the other half of the story: the ballroom, the arch, the UFC cage going up on the White House lawn, the reflecting pool redesign, Trump Penn Station. What does it mean when a sitting president is spending war cabinet meetings talking about monument construction?

Steve Cash is a co-founder of The Steady State, a national security organization made up of former intelligence, diplomatic, and defense officials. 

CHAPTERS:

0:00 The ballroom, the bunker, and what Trump keeps giving away about White House security

2:39 Dictator aesthetic: why authoritarian leaders always build monuments to themselves

7:28 "Dictator chic" and the architecture of power from Saddam Hussein to Mar-a-Lago

9:20 The UFC cage on the White House lawn and the logic of bread and circuses

11:13 The juxtaposition: a national security bunker next to an open-air arena for 5,000 people

13:35 Sebastian Gorka's counterterrorism strategy and labeling political opponents as terrorists

16:00 When "national security threat" means anyone who disagrees with Trump

17:39 The Soviet playbook: how making everything national security makes nothing national security

19:11 Sponsor: Cozy Earth

21:00 How do we trust national security assessments after Trump? Can it be rebuilt?

22:13 Steve's Churchill analogy: we're still fighting on the beaches

24:30 The six biggest national security threats in the next six months

26:58 Trump's claim we don't need the Strait of Hormuz, Cuba, Venezuela, and a president who can't keep the wars straight

28:18 Trump's health, his inability to track facts, and what it means when we can't trust any information

30:08 How to fight back: get smart, find allies, embrace the risk, and hold fast

LINKS:

The Steady State: https://www.thesteadystate.org
Steady State Substack: https://steadystate1.substack.com/

Subscribe on Substack: Mimsnewspod.substack.com

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It's a grab bag episode, because everything is happening at once.

Iran launched missiles at Kuwait AND drones near the Strait of Hormuz while reportedly agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire extension. Troops are massing in the Caribbean ready to invade Cuba. Trump's DOJ is investigating E. Jean Carroll, the woman he was found to have sexually assaulted in civil court and owes $91.6 million. DHS is reportedly planning to shut down 70% of international travel. And Trump skipped meeting the 14 service members wounded in the war he started, while he was in the same building.

AND there's now a UFC cage match arena going up on the White House lawn.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:45 Iran "Ceasefire" — Violations & The New MOU Deal
06:30 Cuba Invasion — Troops Are Ready
10:00 Trump's Polls Hit Record Lows
12:15 The Reflecting Pool Rant & Penn Station
16:00 Trump Wants His Face on a $250 Bill
19:30 The UFC Arena on the White House Lawn
23:00 DOJ Targets E. Jean Carroll
27:30 Trump Skipped the Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed
30:00 Wrap-Up

The Invisible Wall Is Being Built

How Does The Government Make Money? 

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Trump spent the weekend claiming an Iran deal was basically done, just some last-minute details to iron out. Except that those "details" were Iran's entire nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. Then Qatar had to take over the negotiations. Then the deal wasn't a deal. Then bombs started falling again.

Grant breaks down the full Iran saga, the not-deal-deal, the Abraham Accords demand that stunned Middle Eastern leaders into silence, the Atomic Energy Commission that hasn't existed since 1975, and what it all actually means for a war that isn't ending anytime soon.

PLUS, Trump's 3rd visit to see a doctor in 13 months, and how he says it went.

THEN: The Democratic Party's autopsy report was a disaster. Run for Something's Amanda Litman is back to explain exactly why, what it means for 2026 and beyond, and who (if anyone) should be leading the party right now.

WHY AREN'T TERM LIMITS?

PROMO CODE:

This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. Summer nights and a chaotic news cycle are a rough combo — at least your sheets shouldn't make it worse. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets and brushed bamboo pajamas are temperature-regulating, insanely soft, and built for actually sleeping cool. Use code MIMS25 at CozyEarth.com for 30% off — and when you do, you're also supporting the show.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 – Intro: The "done" deal that wasn't done
2:45 – Iran negotiations fall apart in real time
6:00 – Qatar takes over and the deal collapses
9:30 – Trump demands 9 Muslim nations join the Abraham Accords
13:00 – The Atomic Energy Commission gaffe (it closed in 1975)
16:30 – US resumes bombing & the War Powers Act problem
20:00 – Trump's 3rd physical in 13 months
23:00 – Ad break
24:30 – Interview: Amanda Litman on the Democratic autopsy disaster
28:00 – What the DNC actually does (and why it matters)
33:00 – Ken Martin and the failure of party leadership
39:00 – Is there time to save the Democratic Party before 2026?
44:00 – Who should replace Ken Martin?
49:00 – Can Democrats rebuild trust with voters?
53:00 – Wrap-up

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The Department of Justice has lost over 10,000 employees. The acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, appears to be auditioning for the permanent job by doing whatever the President wants. The FBI Director, Kash Patel, has faced serious misconduct allegations, and nothing has been done about it. So what does it actually mean for the rest of us?

Grant sits down with Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, an organization supporting current and former DOJ employees navigating this unprecedented moment, for a frank conversation about the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, the erosion of institutional trust, and what rebuilding the DOJ might actually look like.

 Chapters:

• 0:00 – Intro: What's Happened to the DOJ
• 2:20 – The $1.8 Billion "Slush Fund" — Most Corrupt Act Ever?
• 4:33 – Jan. 6 Prosecutors React: "One Devastating Blow After Another"
• 8:00 – 10,000+ DOJ Employees Gone: What That Actually Means
• 12:00 – Lowering Standards & Begging People to Apply
• 15:00 – Todd Blanche vs. Pam Bondi: Why It Got Worse
• 18:44 – Ad: Ground News (40% Off)
• 21:02 – Kash Patel and the FBI: A "Corrupt Clown" Running the Show
• 26:00 – The Career Employees Still Showing Up Every Day
• 29:00 – How to Rebuild the DOJ — and Who Needs to Be at the Table
• 32:00 – How YOU Can Help Right Now
• 33:24 – Wrap-Up & Substack Plugs

Justice Connection

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The Democratic Party just released its long-awaited autopsy of the 2024 Harris campaign, and it's not what voters were promised.

The 192-page report has no executive summary, no conclusion, no sourcing, and is riddled with basic factual errors. The DNC itself won't endorse it. So what does it actually say, and why was it released at all?

Today, Grant breaks down what's in the report, what's glaringly missing (hint: Gaza), and what this tells us about the Democratic Party six months out from the midterms.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:15 What an autopsy report is supposed to do
3:00 What's wrong with this one
6:30 What the report actually says
10:45 The economy & messaging failures
14:00 Immigration, climate & abortion
17:20 The Israel/Gaza blackout
20:10 Why Ken Martin is now under fire
23:00 What this means for the midterms

PROMO CODES: 

The news is chaotic enough — you shouldn't also have to wonder if you're only getting half the story. Ground News shows you how every outlet, left, right, and center, is covering the same event, so you can see the full picture instead of just one side's version of it. Their Blindspot feed even surfaces stories that are being ignored by one side of the political spectrum entirely. Less echo chamber. More clarity. 

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The ceasefire in the Iran War officially expires TODAY and the White House is searching for a loophole to restart military strikes without Congressional approval. 

Meanwhile, Trump's DOJ just created a $1.776 billion fund that shields the Trump family from IRS audits, forever, and could pay out taxpayer money to January 6th participants. Grant breaks it all down. 

CHAPTERS: 

00:00 – Intro: Two Loopholes, One Episode 

01:15 – Iran War Update: Day 80 & Ceasefire Expiration 

04:30 – The Strait of Hormuz: What 452 Stuck Ships Means for Gas Prices 

07:00 – Trump's Approval Ratings Hit Historic Lows 09:00 – Why Trump Called Off the Iran Strike (And Who Asked Him To) 

13:45 – Trump's Middle East Business Deals Explained 

17:00 – The DOJ's $1.776 Billion "Anti-Weaponization" Fund 

21:30 – How Trump Blocked IRS Audits on His Family 

25:00 – Is This Fund Even Legal? 

28:30 – Why This Won't Sit Well with the American Public

MAKE IT MAKE SENSE SUBSTACK

PROMO CODES: 

The news is chaotic enough — you shouldn't also have to wonder if you're only getting half the story. Ground News shows you how every outlet, left, right, and center, is covering the same event, so you can see the full picture instead of just one side's version of it. Their Blindspot feed even surfaces stories that are being ignored by one side of the political spectrum entirely. Less echo chamber. More clarity. 

Go to https://bit.ly/4dvTblK for 40% off their best plan, the Vantage subscription.

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