MAGA Faces Its Own Disappointment With Trump; GOP Senators Question Hegseth Leadership; Is Trump's Coalition Starting to Fracture? State Dep't Firing 1,300+ Employees
+ Trump loses appeal of $5 million E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse, defamation verdict. Trump has not visited a single natural disaster site as president but spent 40 days playing golf.
This is a quick roundup of some of the more notable recent news stories from the United States:
State Department is firing over 1,300 employees under Trump administration plan (AP News)
The State Department is laying off over 1,300 employees, including civil servants and foreign service officers. While officials like Secretary Marco Rubio claim the cuts target redundancies and aim to increase efficiency, critics, including veteran diplomats and foreign policy organizations, warn the move will severely damage U.S. global influence and capacity to manage international crises. The restructuring also eliminates key programs related to refugee resettlement, democracy promotion, and human rights.
Florida lawmakers who were denied access to 'Alligator Alcatraz' sue DeSantis (The Independent)
Five Democratic Florida lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis, claiming he unlawfully blocked their oversight of a new 3,000-bed immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” built rapidly under emergency powers in the Everglades. They argue the denial of access violates the Legislature’s constitutional authority, calling it a deliberate attempt to obstruct transparency and hide potential abuses at the site. The DeSantis administration, which used emergency powers to bypass environmental and procurement regulations, defends the project as essential to enforcing Trump-era immigration policies, dismissing the lawsuit as “frivolous.”
Trumps to Visit Texas Flood Sites, Where Search for Missing and Dead Continues (The New York Times)
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were scheduled to visit flood-ravaged Central Texas on Friday to meet with emergency personnel and survivors following last weekend’s devastating flash floods that killed over 120 people and left more than 170 missing. While the president characterized the disaster as a “hundred-year catastrophe,” his administration has faced criticism over FEMA’s preparedness and staffing shortages, as well as delays potentially linked to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s directive requiring high-level approval for emergency expenditures. Despite defending FEMA's response, Noem acknowledged the urgent need for continued search and rescue efforts, especially near Camp Mystic, where numerous children remain unaccounted for.
Trump has not visited a single natural disaster site as president but spent 40 days playing golf (Irish Star)
Donald Trump has not visited any natural disaster sites during his current presidential term, despite nearly 200 Americans dying from tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. Instead, he has spent 40 of his 172 days in office playing golf, often choosing to do so on weekends immediately following deadly disasters in states like Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas. While he eventually directed federal aid, Trump and key officials, such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have emphasized state responsibility for disaster management and have resisted Democratic appeals for increased federal relief funding.
Trump loses appeal of $5 million E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse, defamation verdict (CNBC)
A federal appeals court in New York has formally upheld the jury verdict finding Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, triggering a 90-day window for Trump to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for review. The 2nd Circuit Court’s mandate follows previous rulings against Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2023 verdict, which ordered him to pay $5 million in damages. Trump’s legal team criticized the decision as politically motivated, vowing to continue fighting what they call “Liberal Lawfare” while pursuing Supreme Court intervention.
Ukraine to receive US air defense systems, says Trump (BBC News)
President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will send Patriot air defense systems and other weapons to Ukraine via NATO, with NATO expected to fully reimburse the costs — a move presented as a response to increased Russian attacks and growing Ukrainian vulnerability. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed ongoing coordination with Trump and other NATO allies, requesting ten Patriot systems, while European countries including Germany and Norway have pledged to finance several of them. Despite Trump’s prior efforts to scale back U.S. aid, intensifying drone strikes and high civilian casualties have spurred renewed urgency, with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio now pressing allies to provide air defense assets and considering new diplomatic approaches to ending the conflict with Russia.
Trump Changes Message on Putin (CNN)
President Donald Trump appears to have undergone a notable shift in his stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, moving from admiration to public frustration after repeated failed attempts to broker peace in Ukraine. While Trump has begun criticizing Putin and pledging support for Ukraine - including through a NATO deal to supply Patriot missiles - doubts remain about the depth and durability of this transformation given his transactional approach and prior rhetoric.
Trump’s favorite candymaker is not RFK-approved. Is a clash brewing? (USA Today)
President Donald Trump's well-known fondness for candy - especially pink Starbursts - is coming under quiet scrutiny as his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pushes a campaign to eliminate artificial food dyes from the U.S. food supply by the end of 2026. While Trump has shown no sign of changing his own sweet habits, including frequent consumption of Big Macs and candy, major food companies like Mars Wrigley (maker of Starburst, Skittles, and M&Ms) say they are exploring dye-free alternatives but remain noncommittal on timelines. Kennedy’s initiative, part of his broader "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, has garnered bipartisan support despite skepticism over the voluntary nature of the reforms and public scrutiny over inconsistencies in implementation - including within his own circle.
‘The president is pissed’: Trump's Brazil tariff threat is part of a bigger geopolitical dispute (Politico)
President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with Brazil and the BRICS coalition by threatening a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, a move rooted more in politics than trade, particularly in defense of his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The tipping point was the BRICS summit in Rio, where members condemned U.S. military action in Iran and discussed de-dollarization, prompting Trump to lash out on social media and issue scathing letters criticizing Brazil’s alleged censorship and prosecution of Bolsonaro. While Trump frames the tariffs as protecting U.S. economic power and punishing anti-dollar efforts, experts suggest his real aim is to fracture BRICS, counter Lula da Silva’s leftist leadership, and shore up support among MAGA-aligned global actors - even as the U.S. maintains a trade surplus with Brazil.
Musk’s ‘America Party’ and the evidence that Trump’s coalition is starting to fracture (CNN)
Elon Musk’s formation of the “America Party” underscores growing fractures within Donald Trump’s political coalition, as dissatisfaction simmers among business elites, disillusioned conservatives, and parts of the MAGA base. Political historian John Kenneth White argues that Musk’s top-down effort may not build a lasting third party, but it could siphon enough support from Trump to influence tight races and weaken Republican dominance. Like Ross Perot in the 1990s, Musk taps into public frustration with both parties - especially over issues like the national debt - but lacks the grassroots foundation needed for long-term success. Still, his move reflects a broader unraveling of Trump’s once-unified coalition as internal contradictions and outsider challenges begin to take a toll.
Trump got his tax bill over the finish line. Now he has to sell it to voters (NPR)
President Trump secured a major legislative win by pushing his sweeping 900-page "One Big Beautiful Bill" through Congress by his self-imposed July 4 deadline, fulfilling several campaign promises like permanent tax cuts and increased military spending. However, the bill’s deep spending cuts to health care and food assistance, along with a projected $3.4 trillion increase to the deficit, have made it deeply unpopular with voters — especially among low- and middle-income Americans. Experts warn that Republicans failed to effectively explain the bill’s benefits, allowing Democrats to frame it as a giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of everyday people. As Democrats launch ad campaigns to capitalize on that narrative, Trump faces a messaging battle to convince voters that the law is helping them before the next midterms.
GOP senators question Hegseth leadership after weapons ‘goof-up’ (The Hill)
Reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unilaterally froze weapons shipments to Ukraine without informing President Trump have triggered alarm among Republican senators and raised serious questions about coordination within the Trump administration. GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham, criticized Hegseth's actions as “amateurish” and a “rookie mistake,” while others warned that any deliberate circumvention of the president’s authority would constitute a major breach. The situation has exposed a widening rift within the Republican Party over Ukraine policy and fueled concerns about mismanagement, as this marks at least the third such pause reportedly enacted by Hegseth with support from senior Pentagon officials. With Trump reversing the freeze and distancing himself from the decision, Senate Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for congressional oversight to investigate the breakdown, which they say undermines U.S. credibility and benefits adversaries like Vladimir Putin.
'We've Been Played': MAGA Faces Its Own Disappointment With Trump (Newsweek)
Despite campaign promises to expose explosive government secrets, Donald Trump's second term has seen key conspiracy theories — including those surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the "deep state" — quietly unravel or be debunked. The Justice Department’s dismissal of the long-hyped Epstein client list sparked outrage among Trump’s MAGA base, many of whom saw the revelations as central to their political identity. Even Trump allies and influencers expressed disillusionment, accusing his administration of betrayal and cover-ups, threatening to fracture the movement’s unity.