Driving through Washington this week, I noticed something unusual on the National Mall. Blue trailers. Lots of them.

It turns out they were there because more than 30 gallons of fuel reportedly spilled during a Freedom 250 event celebrating America’s upcoming 250th birthday. Nothing says “patriotism” quite like an environmental remediation project. Which, now that I think about it, was a fitting introduction to this week’s news. Every story below is really about what happens when the people running the systems we’re supposed to trust leave someone else to clean up the mess. You’re going to want some really strong coffee or maybe something more for this one…

1. The White House Presents: Aliens

This week, the White House launched a webpage called "Aliens."

At first glance, it looks like a parody site about extraterrestrials. Green lettering. X-Files references. An "Alien Arrest Map." A running counter. Even a message assuring visitors that if they’ve witnessed an "alien abduction," the alien will be returned safely to its place of origin.

Then comes the punchline. The "aliens" are immigrants.

Not a campaign website. Not a meme account.

The White House.

Words matter.

As a former White House homeland security adviser, I spent years tracking extremist movements and the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories, including Great Replacement narratives that portray immigrants as invaders threatening American society.

I repeatedly warned that this kind of rhetoric is not harmless. It dehumanizes people. It turns neighbors into threats. It creates permission structures for hatred. I know this because I’ve seen where it can lead.

In 2019, a gunman drove hundreds of miles to my hometown of El Paso, Texas and murdered 23 people at a Walmart after embracing anti-immigrant and replacement-theory rhetoric.

That’s why this isn’t funny to me.

The issue isn’t immigration policy. Reasonable people can disagree about that. The issue is whether the White House of the United States should be using language that reduces human beings to something less than human.

History has taught us where that road can lead. We ignore those lessons at our own risk.

👽 Aliens (The White House)

And from Aliens → Dead…

2. Declared Dead

The government considered marking living people as dead. Not metaphorically, not rhetorically, in actual government records.

According to a whistleblower, Trump administration officials explored placing 2.7 million living people into Social Security’s Death Master File, a database used by banks, employers, and government agencies to determine whether someone is alive. The list reportedly included lawful permanent residents and some U.S. citizens.

If you’ve never heard of the Death Master File, here’s why it matters: When the government says you’re dead, the financial system tends to believe it.

Bank accounts can be frozen. Benefits can stop. Credit can disappear. Getting paid becomes difficult. In some cases, proving you’re alive becomes your problem.

The Social Security Administration says the broader plan was never carried out. (That we know of…) That’s good news.

But the fact that it was reportedly considered at all should give people pause. This isn’t just an immigration story. It’s a government power story.

One of the most important responsibilities government has is maintaining accurate records about the people it serves. Once political objectives start influencing who exists on paper and who doesn’t, the guardrails begin to disappear.

Every American should care about that. Government databases are supposed to reflect reality, not create a new one.

⚰️ The Government’s Death List (Washington Post)

3. Stop the Steal Goes to Work

The Justice Department’s Voting Section has a new lawyer. His resume includes working on lawsuits that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

According to reporting this week, William Mohrman has joined DOJ after previously participating in multiple unsuccessful legal efforts to block certification of Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona, Georgia, and Congress itself. Courts repeatedly rejected the claims.

Normally, attorneys who lose election challenges become cautionary tales. In 2026, they become voting lawyers at the Department of Justice. The hiring comes as the Voting Section increasingly shifts away from its traditional role protecting voting rights and toward efforts to obtain voter registration data from states around the country. Now it appears some of the people who questioned the outcome of an election are being tasked with overseeing the machinery of future ones.

File that under "things that should probably concern us."

⚖️ From Stop the Steal to DOJ Payroll (Democracy Docket)

4. Less Shackled

This week, President Trump said he wants Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin firing intelligence-community employees and shrinking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the agency responsible for coordinating America’s 18 intelligence organizations.

There’s just one problem. Pulte has no intelligence or national security experience. Trump defended the appointment by saying Pulte is “less shackled.” That’s not usually the quality we look for in intelligence oversight.

ODNI plays a critical role in election-related intelligence, foreign influence monitoring, and election threat assessments. At the same time, Trump has publicly discussed having Pulte review and potentially release intelligence related to the 2020 election. That’s a remarkable amount of authority for someone chosen for loyalty rather than expertise.

As someone who spent years working at DNI alongside intelligence professionals, I can tell you that intelligence only works when it’s insulated from politics. Analysts aren’t supposed to start with a conclusion and work backward. They’re supposed to follow the facts wherever they lead.

And if your goal was to weaken America’s ability to identify foreign influence operations and inject politics into intelligence analysis, this is exactly what Russia would want us to do.

This is an odd moment to decide that expertise is the problem. Because when you start dismantling warning systems, you don’t just change the bureaucracy. You change what leaders are able to see.

🕵️ Dismantling the Warning System (WSJ)

5. Flying Blind

One of the challenges of government is that some of its most important functions are also the least visible. Most Americans have never heard of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, but many have relied on it.

Scientists are warning that the Trump administration’s plan to significantly reduce a major ocean monitoring system could weaken weather forecasting, storm prediction, climate monitoring, and early warning systems used around the world. The network helps track ocean temperatures, currents, marine heatwaves, and the conditions that influence hurricanes, cyclones, and El Niño events. In other words, it helps us see what’s coming.

Warning systems rarely get credit for the disasters that never happen. Nobody notices the buoy quietly collecting data in the middle of the ocean—until hurricane forecasts become less accurate, or until farmers can’t reliably anticipate drought conditions. There’s a simple lesson from emergency preparedness: information is often the cheapest part of preventing a crisis. The expensive part is dealing with one after you’ve lost visibility.

Scientists describe these ocean observation systems as the "eyes and ears" of the ocean. The administration describes the cuts as a cost-saving measure. The problem is that when you start turning off sensors, you don’t just save money. Sometimes you stop seeing what’s coming. And that’s usually when things get expensive.

🌊 Turning Off the Sensors (The Guardian)

⚽️ One Thing for Your Soul: Arsenal’s Most Unexpected Fans

Since soccer is top of mind for many as we head into World Cup fever, this one felt especially fitting. Arsenal Football Club recently donated old player socks to Redwings, a UK charity that rescues horses and donkeys.

What sounds like the beginning of a joke turned out to be genuinely useful. The socks help protect sensitive legs from flies, hold bandages in place, prevent rubbing from equipment, and even serve as enrichment toys for curious donkeys.

After a week of aliens and chaos, I thought we could all use a reminder that some people are still finding creative ways to make the world a little better. The socks stayed out of a landfill. The animals benefited. And somewhere in England, a donkey is proudly sporting Arsenal gear. That’s a win no matter which team you’re rooting for.

🫏 Arsenal’s Assist of the Week (Redwings Horse Sanctuary)

I’ll be cheering on Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup this coming Thursday, June 11th and hosting a watch party at one of my favorite local pizza places—if you’re in the DC/Virginia/Maryland area, come hang out with me! A portion of proceeds will benefit Casa Chirilagua and its work supporting immigrant and Latino families in the area.

More details on my instagram:

I’ll also be supporting the work of The Welcome Standard and No ICE in the Cup throughout the tournament. Because despite everything happening in the headlines, I still believe there’s value in the moments that bring people together.

-Olivia

Grab a seat. We’ve got some dots to connect. Pour yourself a Café Bustelo horchata coffee over ice and enjoy while contemplating why the government is painting buildings, renaming cultural institutions, subpoenaing social media accounts, and expanding its footprint across the hemisphere.

Just another week in 2026. Let’s get started.

1. Paint It White, Fix Nothing

Newly obtained documents reveal the Trump administration is fast-tracking plans to paint the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the granite landmark next to the White House that houses the Vice President’s office, the National Security Council, and other key government functions. I spent 2.5 years working there. Trust me, it’s beautiful as is.

The estimated cost? About $7.5 million.

Preservation experts have blasted the proposal, with one historic preservation office calling it "architectural vandalism of the highest order." More than 2,000 public comments were submitted, most opposing the project. But the paint isn’t really the story.

It’s about the underlying mindset.

At a time when Americans are worried about costs, housing, healthcare, national security, and the state of democracy itself, the White House is debating whether a perfectly functional historic building is the wrong shade of gray.

The administration calls it beautification. Critics, myself included, call it vanity. Either way, taxpayers may soon be funding a makeover nobody asked for.

🎨 The Great Whitewash (Bloomberg)

2. The Masculinity Police

For a movement that never stops talking about free speech, MAGA spends a remarkable amount of time policing what people say. This week, a Democratic National Committee staffer fired off a blunt insult aimed at Stephen Miller. Was it classy? No. Was it worthy of a full-blown online pile-on? Apparently.

Within hours, Katie Miller publicly identified the staffer, mocked her personal life, and helped unleash a wave of harassment. The episode quickly became about more than a tweet. It became another example of a movement obsessed with deciding who is a "real man," who is a "real woman," and who deserves public humiliation. The irony is hard to miss. The same crowd that built an entire brand around "mean tweets" suddenly discovered standards of civility when the insult was directed at one of its own.

But beneath the drama is something bigger: a politics where strength is measured by cruelty, disagreement is treated as weakness, and intimidation has become a strategy all its own.

💥 The MAGA Masculinity Test (The New Republic)

3. Watching the Watchers

The Department of Justice apparently has a new investigative priority: figuring out who’s criticizing ICE online.

Federal prosecutors have apparently subpoenaed the Reddit and X platforms seeking personal information, including names, addresses, and even banking records, associated with anonymous accounts that posted criticism of immigration enforcement operations. The government hasn’t publicly explained what crimes, if any, are being investigated. Attorneys representing the users say their clients have not been told why they are being targeted and argue the effort appears designed to identify anonymous critics rather than prosecute legitimate criminal conduct. That’s what makes this story so unsettling.

Democracy depends on citizens being able to criticize government power without fear of retaliation. Anonymous political speech isn’t some modern internet invention; it’s as old as the country itself. The Federalist Papers were published under a pseudonym for a reason.

If someone threatens violence, that’s one thing. If someone doxxes agents or commits a crime, investigate it. But if the government starts demanding personal information from social media platforms whenever citizens criticize federal policy, the message becomes clear: We know who you are.

Even if no charges are ever filed, that warning alone can be enough. The danger isn’t just surveillance. It’s self-censorship. Because when people start wondering whether a tweet, post, or comment could put them on a government list, many simply stop speaking at all.

🕵️ Anonymous No More? (Bloomberg Law)

4. The Monroe Doctrine Returns

Remember when I wrote about the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy and warned about what I called the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine?

This week, we got another glimpse of what that looks like in practice.

Reports emerged that Guatemala was discussing expanded security cooperation with the United States against drug trafficking organizations. Guatemala quickly pushed back on suggesting it had authorized U.S. military strikes on its territory, emphasizing that any cooperation would remain under Guatemalan control and within existing agreements.

That denial matters. Because this story isn’t really about Guatemala. It’s about a broader strategy taking shape across the Western Hemisphere.

The Trump administration has increasingly framed Latin America as America’s primary security theater, tying together migration, cartels, organized crime, and China’s growing influence into a single justification for expanding U.S. power in the region. The language is partnership. The reality is a steadily growing military footprint, and Guatemala isn’t the only place this is showing up. From renewed pressure campaigns against Cuba to discussions about expanded security operations elsewhere in the region, the same strategic framework keeps appearing: a more muscular U.S. posture throughout Latin America, justified by security concerns but carrying significant implications for sovereignty.

I’ve sat through enough Situation Room meetings to recognize the pattern. Military power can disrupt networks. It cannot replace diplomacy, economic investment, or trust. The question isn’t whether the United States should remain engaged in the region. Of course it should. The question is whether Washington is building partnerships, or rebuilding spheres of influence.

🌎 The Guatemala Denial (AP News)

5. The Kennedy Center Is Not About You

On what would have been President Kennedy's 109th birthday, a federal judge delivered a blunt reminder: the Kennedy Center is named after John F. Kennedy, not Donald Trump.

The court blocked Trump’s effort to rebrand the institution as the "Trump-Kennedy Center" and halted plans to close it for two years for renovations. The judge ruled that federal law is clear: the center was established to honor President Kennedy and "President Kennedy alone."

This isn’t just a Washington spat; it’s part of something bigger.

Over the past year, we’ve watched a growing effort to reshape both public institutions and public spaces around a single individual. The Kennedy Center became the latest battleground, but hardly the only one. What happens next remains unclear. Trump responded by saying he’s backing away from the renovation effort, while Kennedy Center officials signaled they may continue fighting the ruling.

Either way, the damage has already been done. The artists who canceled. The musicians who walked away. The audiences who no longer feel welcome.

The Kennedy Center was never just a building. It was a symbol of American creativity, cultural exchange, and the idea that art belongs to everyone, regardless of politics. A judge can order a sign removed. A court can restore a name. Rebuilding trust is much harder.

🎭 Kennedy Wins (AP News)

❤️ One Thing For Your Soul:

In a refugee camp in Beirut, a group of girls and young women are learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu. But the lesson isn’t really about self-defense.

Their coach teaches them to keep their heads up. Make eye contact. Use their voices. Take up space. Believe they belong in the world. One young woman said that before the class, she couldn’t even scream for help. Her voice simply wouldn’t come out. Now she’s finding it. At the end of class, the coach told the girls to imagine the changes they wanted to see in their community. Then she said: “You know when you throw a stone into a pool of water and it creates ripples? We are the stones.”

A good reminder for all of us. Courage isn’t always public or dramatic. It can mean trusting yourself, speaking up, and believing you matter.

🪨 We Are the Stones (NPR)

One Last Thing...I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Washington, DC this week. When Bruce played American Land, it felt like a reminder of something that’s easy to forget these days. America wasn’t built by fear. It was built by people willing to risk everything for a chance at something better. That’s the story of us. 🇺🇸

I’ll have some updates on my end next week. I can’t wait to fill you in! Also, for paid subscribers, keep an eye out for an invite to ask questions in my first live Ask Me Anything!

Until next time,

Olivia

Tonight, Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas. And whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or independent, this should stop you cold.

We are witnessing the continued normalization of scandal, extremism, and ethical collapse inside one of America’s major political parties.

Ken Paxton was impeached by Republicans in his own state. Not Democrats. Republicans.

He has spent years surrounded by allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and conduct that would have ended most political careers long ago.

Yet instead of accountability, he’s being elevated.

The Cook Political Report’s move of Texas from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” after Ken Paxton’s win is significant. It confirms what many Republicans privately feared: Paxton’s ethical baggage and scandals make him a far riskier statewide candidate.

Having been raised in Texas and still having deep ties there, I can tell you this plainly: if Democrats think this race suddenly becomes easy because Ken Paxton won the nomination, they’re badly misreading Texas.

Yes, Paxton’s scandals and ethical baggage make Republicans more vulnerable. And yes, someone like James Talarico could energize a different coalition of voters.

But, this is still Texas. Winning statewide as a Democrat remains a very uphill battle.

This isn’t conservatism. It’s a power cult.

And the damage doesn’t stay in Texas. People like Ken Paxton shape national policy, influence the courts, undermine public trust, and erode democratic institutions from the inside. Americans should be paying attention. Because this pattern keeps repeating itself: Scandal becomes survival. Extremism becomes a strategy. And accountability disappears entirely.

That’s not strength. That’s decay.

And when the decay and rot already sit comfortably in the Oval Office, why would anyone expect a different outcome from today’s Republican Party?

More soon,

Olivia

This week’s edition of “perfectly fine, nothing to see here” includes: the government suing the Catholic Church for a sacred mountaintop, Democrats releasing a postmortem while the house is still on fire, and Ebola screenings at Dulles, courtesy of the same administration that dismantled the infrastructure designed to prevent exactly that.

Cafecito. Now please.

1. Holy Ground, Seized for Politics

The Trump administration is suing the Catholic Church to seize land surrounding Mount Cristo Rey near El Paso, Texas, so it can expand the border wall. Yes, really.

If you didn’t grow up on the border, it may sound like just another land dispute. It’s not.

I’ve actually made the pilgrimage up Mount Cristo Rey. Many members of my family have too. If you’re from the region, you understand what that mountain represents: faith, family, culture, and generations of border communities tied together across two countries.

So yes, this is incredibly insulting and upsetting.

The same political movement that spent years screaming that Christianity was "under attack" is now trying to seize Catholic land tied to one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the Southwest, all for more border wall construction.

And before people turn this into a simplistic "pro-border" versus "anti-border" debate: border security matters. I worked these issues inside the Trump White House. Serious people can disagree on immigration policy.

But this? This feels like ideological theater masquerading as security policy.

Especially because the mountain is already heavily monitored by helicopters, drones, Border Patrol agents, cameras, and ground sensors. Even local restoration leaders have accused the government of starting construction first and only afterward trying to legally "cover their behinds."

That’s becoming the pattern now: If something stands in the way politically, culturally, or institutionally, they try to crush it.

✝️ Sacred Ground Seized (NPR)

2. The Math Didn’t Work

The Democratic Party finally released its long-delayed 2024 election autopsy this week and…honestly? It reads less like a strategy memo and more like a public group therapy session with footnotes.

The 192-page report says Kamala Harris "wrote off rural America," failed to define herself beyond “not Trump,” and didn’t hit Trump with enough negative firepower. One line stood out: "The math doesn’t work." Because apparently Democrats are rediscovering that you can’t lose huge chunks of working-class, rural, and non-college voters and magically make it up in wealthy suburbs forever.

The report also admits Democrats failed to engage male voters directly, especially young Latino and Black men, and relied too heavily on anti-Trump sentiment instead of building an affirmative case for Harris herself.

But here’s the part that really jumped out at me: The DNC itself repeatedly attached disclaimers throughout the document, basically saying: we can’t verify a lot of this because the sourcing and data weren’t fully provided. HUH?

Meanwhile, Democrats spent the day publicly fighting over a report about an election they already lost instead of focusing on Trump’s current chaos: Iran, rising costs, corruption, mass deportations, and the increasingly authoritarian behavior unfolding in real time.

Voters don’t reward parties that feel disconnected, performative, or trapped in consultant-land. Right now? Too many Americans still don’t believe Democrats do.

Really need to teach Democrats how to fight like Republicans do. I give you my word that I’ll keep working on this!

🧭 Inside the DNC’s 2024 Autopsy: AP News

🧾 FULL LINK TO THE REPORT: HERE

3. The Green Card Trap

On Friday, the Trump administration announced that people in the United States on temporary visas, students, workers, even some tourists, who want to apply for green cards must now leave the country and apply from their home nation. No more adjusting status from inside the U.S., as has been standard practice for decades.

Half a million people a year do this legally. Following the rules. Building lives.

Now they may have to leave to have any shot at staying.

Remember that Trump has already banned nationals from more than 100 countries from returning to the United States. So for many people, "go home and apply through your consulate" isn’t really a process. It’s a door that may never reopen. A real Stephen Miller special.

A former USCIS official put it bluntly: "The purpose of this policy is exclusion."

World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization, called the move "cruel" and "anti-family," warning it could separate husbands from wives and parents from children who came here legally and followed the rules. I met repeatedly with World Relief during my tenure as Vice President Pence’s homeland security advisor. Back then, they raised serious concerns about how refugee and immigration issues were being distorted inside the administration by hardline political operatives pushing fear over facts. Since then, all of these issues have escalated.

This isn’t about people crossing illegally. This is about people who did everything right, and are now being told the finish line moved while they were running.

✈️ Legal Immigration, Rewritten (NBC News)

4. Trump’s Most Dangerous Executive Order Yet?

I saw former prosecutor Elie Honig’s breakdown of Trump’s March executive order on elections this week. More people should be paying attention.

Because buried beneath the bureaucratic jargon is something deeply dangerous.

Trump’s order would require DHS to create federal "State Citizenship Lists" pulled from government databases and handed over to states to cross-check voter rolls.

Even Trump administration lawyers admitted in court that the lists would almost certainly be flawed. Which means eligible voters could suddenly find themselves flagged, purged, or blocked from voting by mail because they don’t appear correctly in some massive federal database Frankenstein list.

And that’s before you get to the mail ballot piece. The order also directs the Postal Service to create a new election-only "super envelope" system tied to those citizenship lists. If you’re not on the list? Good luck getting a valid mail ballot.

The Constitution gives states and Congress authority over elections, not the president. But this administration keeps testing how far executive power can stretch before somebody stops it.

That’s the pattern now. Not one giant authoritarian move. A thousand confusing procedural ones most people won’t notice until the damage is already done.

🗳️ The Quiet Election Power Grab (New York Magazine)

5. Public Health on Autopilot

DHS quietly announced this week that travelers arriving from parts of Central and East Africa will now face enhanced Ebola screening at Dulles International Airport. Most people probably scrolled right past the headline. I didn’t.

I was inside the Trump White House during the COVID crisis in 2020, including Oval Office discussions about shutting down flights from China and managing international travel restrictions. And even with experienced career officials, public health experts, and people who understood crisis management in the room… it was still an operational mess behind the scenes.

Today? Many of those people are gone. That’s what worries me.

The current public risk remains low. But preparedness matters before a crisis spirals, not after cable news discovers it.

Reminder: the same administration expanding Ebola screening also weakened many of the systems designed to prevent outbreaks in the first place. USAID epidemic-response programs were frozen or dismantled during the DOGE-driven cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s government overhaul operation. Staffing tied to Ebola and outbreak prevention collapsed, while CDC and NIH global health capabilities were reduced as well. One NIH Ebola research lab was reportedly shut down entirely.

You can only spend years attacking expertise, hollowing out agencies, and treating government itself like the enemy before eventually discovering those systems were the thing standing between stability and catastrophe. Most Americans never think about those systems until something goes wrong. I do. I’ve seen firsthand how fragile they already are, even when competent people are trying their best.

Now? The guardrails inside the public health system are thinner than people realize.

☣️ DHS Expands Ebola Screening at Dulles (ABC 4 News)

🎾 One Thing For Your Soul

Last year, I told you about something that genuinely made me smile: Billie Jean King returned to college at 81 to finish the degree she started in 1964. This week, she graduated. At 82. Sixty-one years later. Absolute icon behavior.

Before the Grand Slam titles and the "Battle of the Sexes," Billie Jean King was a first-generation college student from a working-class family trying to figure out her future. At commencement this week, she reflected on realizing at age 12 that nearly everyone at elite tennis clubs was white and asking herself: "Where is everybody else?"

"We can never understand inclusion unless we’ve been excluded," she told graduates.

Her final advice: "Have fun. Be fearless. And make history." Not bad guidance for the rest of us either.

🎓 Billie Jean King Finally Graduates From College (The Guardian)

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, take a moment to remember the Americans who never made it home. Beyond the barbecues and sales, this weekend exists because of sacrifice, and because families across this country carry that loss with them every single day.

Until next time,

Olivia

P.S. If this week’s Covfefe made you think differently, laugh, rage, or connect a few new dots, share it with someone else. And if you want to support this work directly, becoming a paid subscriber genuinely helps.

Last week was…a week.

In case you missed it, I posted about accompanying my best friend to an ICE detention facility to say goodbye to her husband before he was deported. Watching a four-year-old say goodbye to his father is something I won’t forget.

And last night, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected Virginia Democrats’ emergency effort to reinstate the new congressional map, wiping out four Democratic-leaning districts and effectively nullifying the will of millions of Virginia voters in the process. Sadly, this officially puts my campaign for Congress on hold, since I was running in one of the new districts. I’ll have more to say about all of this next week, but I want to sincerely thank you all. Your support has meant more than you know.

On that note…grab your cafecito. Let’s get into this week’s Saturday Covfefe.

1. California Mayor Was Secretly Working for China

This sounds like the plot of a Netflix political thriller, except it’s real and it just happened in suburban Los Angeles. And honestly, while we’re all watching the President of the United States get completely played by Xi Jinping in real time, why not pour a little more salt in the wound?

The now-former mayor of Arcadia, California, Eileen Wang, agreed to plead guilty after federal prosecutors said she acted as an illegal foreign agent for the Chinese government. According to the Department of Justice, she helped push Chinese propaganda through a local news website while hiding ties to Beijing. Then she became mayor.

What makes this story matter isn’t just one compromised local official. It’s what intelligence experts warn is a long-term CCP strategy to cultivate influence at the local and state levels across the U.S., not just in Congress but also in school boards, city councils, community groups, and media ecosystems. China’s strategy often isn’t smash-and-grab espionage. It’s patience. Relationships. Influence. Slowly shaping narratives over time.

According to prosecutors, Wang communicated with Chinese officials, directing messaging around Xi Jinping propaganda and article edits. At one point, she reportedly responded: "Thank you, leader."

Not exactly subtle.

National security isn’t cable-news cosplay. Real influence operations often happen quietly, locally, and years before the public notices.

🕵️‍♀️🇨🇳 The Mayor, Beijing & the Influence Game (NPR)

2. Your iPhone Calls May Be Recorded

Apparently, Apple decided that "privacy" now means someone can record your phone call without you even realizing it. Since iOS 18.1, iPhones have had a built-in call recording feature. Sounds useful in theory, except that the person being recorded gets almost no meaningful warning or control. If someone starts recording, there’s a quick audio announcement at the beginning. That’s it.

Miss it because you’re putting in AirPods? Walking through an airport? Distracted for two seconds? Congrats. Your call may now be getting recorded while your screen shows absolutely nothing. No persistent notification. No flashing warning. Nothing. Meanwhile, the person recording gets full visual alerts and control over the recording.

Totally not creepy at all.

Even worse, Apple buried a setting called "Audio Call Recording" that sounds like it would stop people from recording you. It doesn’t. It only stops you from recording others.

For a company that built its brand on privacy, this feels wildly off-brand.

Like I always say, this is how privacy erosion actually happens: not all at once, but through convenience features, quiet defaults, and updates people never read. Then one day, you realize your phone, car, apps, TV, and half your appliances are basically collecting behavioral data on you 24/7.

📱 Your iPhone Is Listening (Fast Company)

3. Trump’s EPA: Pollute More Water

The Trump administration is once again doing that thing where it says "We have to choose between economic growth and public health." As if Americans can’t possibly have both electricity and drinking water without bonus mercury.

This week, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved to roll back rules requiring coal plants to clean up toxic wastewater leaking into groundwater, streams, and rivers. The justification? Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers need more power, and environmental safeguards are apparently inconvenient.

Yes. AI is now being used as the rationale for easing pollution protections involving arsenic, mercury, selenium, and other toxic contaminants. Totally dystopian sentence to type in 2026.

The Biden-era rule required coal plants to monitor and treat contaminated groundwater before releasing it into waterways. Trump’s EPA now says those requirements are too expensive as electricity demand spikes from the AI boom.

Environmental groups warn these pollutants are linked to cancer, neurological damage, and long-term health risks, especially in lower-income communities already disproportionately exposed to pollution.

And this is the bigger story people should pay attention to:

• AI expansion

• Massive energy demand

• Regulatory rollback

• Public health risks shifted onto communities.

The future is arriving fast. And one proposed business model seems to be:
power the machines, deregulate the toxins, and let everyone else deal with the consequences later.

Amazing innovation strategy…

☠️ AI’s Power, Your Water (AP News)

4. Colorado’s Democratic Governor Just Freed an Election Denier

Well, this one is going to make everyone angry.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, just commuted the prison sentence of Tina Peters, one of the country’s most prominent 2020 election deniers.

Yes. That Tina Peters.

The former Colorado county clerk convicted for helping facilitate unauthorized access to voting machines in an attempt to prove Trump’s stolen election conspiracy theories. She was serving roughly nine years. Now she’s getting out early.

Polis says this wasn’t about appeasing Trump and insists Peters still committed a crime and remains a convicted felon. His argument is that the sentence itself was unusually harsh for a nonviolent first-time offender.

And honestly, this is where things get uncomfortable. Because two things can be true at once: What Tina Peters did was dangerous and damaging to democracy. And the judge in her case likely crossed lines by explicitly weighing her political beliefs during sentencing, something an appeals court had already flagged. However,

The bigger issue is what this signals politically.

Trumpworld has spent years reframing election conspiracy figures as "political prisoners." Every pardon, commutation, or softened consequence feeds that narrative. And as Trump continues trying to rewrite the history of 2020, people once treated as fringe actors are increasingly being repositioned as victims or martyrs.

Democracies don’t just erode through force. Sometimes they erode through exhaustion, normalization, and collective amnesia. And we are deep into the normalization phase.

🗳️🔓 The Election Denier Walks Free (NY Times)

5. An American Citizen Has Now Been Detained by ICE Three Times

At what point does "mistaken detention" stop being a mistake?

Leonardo Garcia Venegas is a U.S. citizen, born in Florida and he has a REAL ID. He testified before Congress after previous ICE detentions went viral. And agents still tackled, shackled, and detained him again anyway—for the third time. This time, agents reportedly followed him home and ignored the ID literally in his hand because the truck was registered to his undocumented brother. Meanwhile, senior ICE officials publicly claimed this month that there have been "zero" mistaken arrests of U.S. citizens. Zero. Even as videos keep surfacing of Americans being tackled, cuffed, bruised, and questioned.

Let’s be honest about another uncomfortable reality. Construction worker. Speaks Spanish. Latino. That’s the pattern.

As someone who worked inside DHS, I can tell you this: The public should never normalize American citizens repeatedly having to prove they belong in their own country while standing in handcuffs.

That is not strength. That is institutional failure.

🇺🇸 A Citizen, Detained Again (ProPublica)

❤️ One Thing for Your Soul

Sometimes the internet reminds you that people are still capable of extraordinary kindness. A disabled Iraq War veteran named Letouer Turner is facing foreclosure after a property tax error left him paying taxes he reportedly never should have owed. He served 15 months in Iraq, can no longer work, and says the stress has pushed him into deep depression and PTSD.

Then a stranger stepped in. An Australian influencer named Samuel Weidenhofer heard Turner’s story and launched a fundraiser to help save his home. What got me was this line from Turner: "I’m always helping other veterans, so to finally receive a blessing…I don’t even have words."

That’s the energy worth holding onto right now. People refusing to let others go through hard things alone.

🏡 Strangers Stepped Up (People)

And finally, I’m proud to continue supporting the No ICE in the Cup initiative. Some of you may remember when I covered the “No ICE in My Cup” protest live outside the Kennedy Center during the World Cup draw back in December 2025. I said then that the World Cup should be about community, joy, and global connection, not fear and intimidation. I still believe that. I’ve loved the incredible art submissions so far. Please consider participating! Art moves people. Culture matters.⚽🌎

See you soon,

Olivia

I have spent my career in national security. I have sat in rooms with some of the most dangerous people in the world. And I will say this clearly: there is a special place in hell reserved for those who designed this cruelty and called it policy. Stephen Miller, I’m talking about you.

Friday was one of the hardest days I’ve had in a long time. And it made me more certain than ever that I cannot walk away from this fight.

I drove to the Elizabeth Detention Facility in New Jersey with my best friend and her four-year-old son, my godson, to say goodbye to her husband. On Saturday morning, he was deported to a country he hasn’t called home in years. We waited to post this until we knew he boarded safely and arrived. He did. He’s there now. And this family, like thousands of others, is left to pick up the pieces of a life that was torn apart by a system that has lost its humanity.

I stood inside that facility and watched a four-year-old boy hold onto his father. He doesn’t have the words for what’s happening. But he knew enough to not let go. And as I stood there, I thought about what was on the other side of those walls. No windows. No daylight. No sky. No connection to the outside world whatsoever. This man had not seen the sun in eleven and a half months. Not once. That is not detention. That is not a system. That is a deliberate choice to strip human beings of their dignity, one windowless day at a time.

And earlier that same day, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down our voter-approved redistricting map, a 4-3 decision that threw out the will of the people and handed Republicans a structural advantage heading into the midterms. The rules changed overnight. Not because voters decided it. Because four justices did.

Two gut punches in one day.

But here’s what I need you to understand: I did not leave that detention facility broken. I left it furious. Furious in the way that clarifies everything. Furious in the way that makes you stop second-guessing and start moving.

Because the families being torn apart at facilities like Elizabeth, and the voters being stripped of their power by courts like this one, they are not separate stories. They are the same story. It’s about who gets a voice. Who gets to stay. Who gets to be counted. And who gets to decide.

We are just one story. Across this country there are families who never got the goodbye we got. Families who lost loved ones inside these facilities. Families whose nightmares didn’t end with a deportation flight, they ended with a phone call no one should ever have to receive. The horror is extensive. The suffering is vast. And most of it happens behind windowless walls, out of sight, by design.

We are just one of so many. And that is exactly why I’m telling this story.

Friday sucked. I won’t dress it up. It derailed things I had worked incredibly hard for, and I’m still processing what comes next. But I keep coming back to this family. And I know that whatever I’m navigating right now, it pales in comparison to what this family is living. What thousands of families are living.

So no. I don’t have it all figured out. But I know which side of this fight I’m on. And I’m not leaving it.

More soon,

Olivia

This week hit close to home.

It started with a gut punch in Virginia.

On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved congressional redistricting referendum, effectively overruling the will of Virginians who voted YES just weeks ago. I’m deeply disappointed by the decision and personally impacted as one of many candidates who entered this race under those maps. Virginia voters deserved better. It comes right after the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the Voting Rights Act, another reminder of how fragile representation and voting rights have become in this country.

Welcome to this week’s Saturday Covfefe.

1. The ICE Watchdogs Are Gone

While the Trump administration rapidly expands immigration detention, the internal Department of Homeland Security office responsible for investigating deaths in custody, medical neglect, and abuse complaints is effectively shutting down. The Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) was created by Congress in 2019 as an independent watchdog over ICE detention conditions. But according to reporting this week, the office has been gutted. Staffing reportedly dropped from more than 100 employees at the start of 2025 to just five this year.

At the same time, detention is growing fast. More migrants are being held for longer periods, while their immigration cases drag through the courts. The number of people detained for over a year has nearly doubled in just six months, while deaths in ICE custody have reached record highs.

As someone who has worked inside government systems, let me translate what this means plainly: when oversight disappears while enforcement powers grow, abuse becomes easier to hide.

That’s why watchdog offices matter. They create accountability. They force transparency. They make it harder for systems to operate in the dark. And right now, the lights are going out.

🚨 ICE Oversight Office Shuts Down (NPR)

2. America’s Book Bans Are Escalating

A new report from PEN America found that bans on nonfiction books in U.S. schools more than doubled during the last school year. Out of 3,743 titles removed from classrooms and libraries, nearly 30% were nonfiction books, many focused on activism, civil rights movements, LGBTQ+ issues, race, grief, and identity.

Think about that for a second.

Books teaching students about social movements, historical injustice, and marginalized communities are increasingly being treated as dangerous. Among the books targeted were Night, the Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel, alongside books about puberty, identity, and Indigenous civilizations.

Meanwhile, dystopian novels like Fahrenheit 451 and The Hunger Games are also being removed from shelves. The irony would almost be funny if it weren’t so dangerous. This isn’t about protecting children. It’s about controlling what they’re allowed to understand about power, history, identity, and dissent. Here’s the part people should pay attention to: censorship movements never stop at one category. They expand. First, it’s "inappropriate" books. Then it becomes history. Then journalism. Then expertise itself. Anyone noticing this to be a familiar pattern lately?…

At the same time, reading scores are collapsing nationwide, and America is pulling books off shelves rather than helping kids read more of them.

📚 Nonfiction Book Bans Doubled in U.S. Schools (The Guardian)

3. Trump Is Redefining "Terrorism"

The Trump administration just released a new national counterterrorism strategy, and it marks a major shift in how the federal government defines threats inside the United States. The strategy expands the focus of counterterrorism beyond foreign jihadist organizations to include drug cartels and loosely defined domestic "left-wing extremist" movements, including Antifa. Administration officials say they plan to "map" members and "cripple them operationally" using expanded law enforcement and surveillance tools.

As someone who spent years working in counterterrorism and national security, let me be very clear: words matter in this space. Definitions matter. Authorities matter. Counterterrorism powers are among the most aggressive tools the government possesses. They were built after 9/11 to stop mass-casualty attacks and foreign terrorist networks. Expanding those frameworks into broad ideological territory inside the United States should concern every American, regardless of politics. Especially because the actual threat data tells a different story.

According to analysis cited in the reporting, right-wing extremists carried out far more deadly attacks over the last decade than left-wing extremists. Having worked on these threats during my time in homeland security, I know that to be true. Yet the administration is now elevating “violent left-wing ideology” as a central national security priority. For the record, this isn’t new. I witnessed attempts firsthand to push this narrative during Trump 1.0 as well.

When governments start blurring the line between violent extremism and loosely defined political movements, the risk isn’t just overreach. The risk is that national security tools become politicized. And once that door opens, it rarely closes cleanly.

⚠️ Trump Expands Counterterrorism Targets (TIME)

4. White Nationalists Found A New Recruitment Tool

This is one of the more disturbing stories I’ve read this week.

A new report details how white nationalist groups and militias are increasingly showing up after natural disasters, not just to "help," but to build followers, soften their public image, and spread anti-government extremism. After Hurricane Helene devastated parts of North Carolina, local officials say armed far-right groups descended on affected communities, claiming they were there to restore "law and order." Some spread conspiracy theories about FEMA. Others filmed themselves handing out supplies for social media content.

Historically, moments of instability are exactly where radical movements grow. When people lose trust in institutions, they start looking elsewhere for protection, identity, and belonging. Extremist groups understand that. They study it. And increasingly, they’re exploiting it.

The sheriff interviewed in the piece warned this could become "the new normal."

Honestly? That line stayed with me. Because we are living through a moment where conspiracy theories spread faster than verified information, where public trust is collapsing, and where online radicalization pipelines are increasingly bleeding into real-world organizing. And now they’re using natural disasters as branding opportunities.

Pay attention to that.

🌪️ Extremists Use Disasters to Recruit (CBS)

5. Reality Itself Is Starting to Feel Fake

A lot of people are feeling this, but struggling to describe it—the growing sense that reality itself is becoming harder to trust. Not just because of misinformation, but because we’re now living inside an environment where AI-generated content, algorithms, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and nonstop information overload are all colliding at once.

The result? Exhaustion. Distrust. Confusion. And a public increasingly unsure of what’s real.

This may be one of the biggest stories underneath all the others. Whether it’s book bans, extremist recruitment, propaganda ecosystems, conspiracy theories after natural disasters, or governments expanding power through fear…none of it works without information chaos. That’s the point.

When people stop trusting institutions, facts, journalism, expertise, or even their own ability to tell truth from manipulation, societies become easier to fracture. We are seeing that happen in real time. While we used to talk about “fake news,” increasingly, reality itself feels unstable. That’s dangerous territory for any democracy.

Which is why critical thinking, credible journalism, independent voices, media literacy, and actual human connection matter more than ever right now. Do not lose your ability to discern. That may become one of the most important survival skills of this era.

📱 The Collapse of Shared Reality (The Guardian)

🏒One Thing For Your Soul

Sometimes people still surprise you in the best ways. Before Game 5 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference First Round in Buffalo, the microphone cut out during "O Canada." Instead of awkward silence, thousands of fans in the arena simply kept singing together until the anthem singer got a new mic. Just people stepping in together in a small human moment because they could. Buffalo sits right near the Canadian border, and the Sabres have long embraced that connection with Canadian fans. Simple. Human. Kind of beautiful. I might have found a new hockey team to root for…

🇨🇦 Buffalo Fans Sing ‘O Canada’ Together (NHL)

It was a tough week personally, with both friends and family grieving the loss of loved ones. It ended with the news of the Virginia Supreme Court ruling. And that same day ended for me in New Jersey, at an ICE detention facility, saying goodbye to a family friend being deported today. I’ll share more about that experience later.

Thankfully, sometimes life gives you small reminders to keep going anyway. Upon leaving the facility, I later walked into a hotel lobby in Rahway, New Jersey, and a band was playing Three Little Birds. The guitarist smiled and pointed at me.

If he only knew.

"Every little thing, is gonna be alright." I’m holding onto Bob Marley’s wisdom these next few days.

To all the moms out there holding families together through hard moments big and small…

Happy Mother’s Day! 💐

-Olivia

Team, I’ll be straight with you:

I’ve done a lot of tough things in my life.

I’m the daughter of a truck driver and a Mexican immigrant. I grew up in a working-class Texas border town and learned English watching Sesame Street.

After my parents divorced, my mom and I leaned on family and made ends meet without health insurance.

When I found out my stepfather was abusing her, I helped her flee in the middle of the night.

After being moved by the devastation of 9/11, I worked my way up to be one of the only women working in counterterrorism.

During my time in government, I dealt with natural disasters, mass shootings, terrorism – which had some tough days.

But the toughest days of my life came after I did something that is far too uncommon: I told the truth.

During the first Trump administration, I saw the staggering evil of MAGA with my own eyes.

I watched Donald Trump refuse to release disaster relief for California wildfires because it was a blue state.

When a white supremacist opened fire in my hometown of El Paso, in a Walmart where my aunt was shopping, I was the one who carried the shooter’s manifesto into the West Wing.

The gunman wrote about the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” The same language the president used.

Every day, I went to work to try to limit the damage. But it was too much for one person.

So I spoke out and blew the whistle — and resigned in order to campaign against Trump.

That was a tough day, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

MAGA never forgave me for humiliating Donald Trump like that. I earned the wrath of Stephen Miller and Kash Patel. Trump even pretended he’d never met me.

They came after me with lawsuits, personal attacks, and even death threats.

But as tough as that time was, I knew it helped me build the future I have today.

Because that same spirit that drove me to help my mother escape abuse, that drove me to serve the public, required me to tell the truth – no matter the consequences.

It’s also why I made another tough decision: to run for Congress.

Because we need leaders who will stand up for the truth, for our democracy — and who understand the threat of MAGA firsthand.

I’m ready to protect our democracy as a Congresswoman, and I need you to join me to make this possible. I wouldn’t ask if this fight wasn’t absolutely critical – will you rush a donation of $10 or more to my campaign and help me hit my $25,000 goal?

CHIP IN NOW →

With your support, I can fight for Virginia’s 7th district and stand up for our country.

Olivia Troye

And guess what?

I am one of their top enemies. And I wear it proudly. Because I’ve seen the danger first-hand.

After September 11th, I felt the need to serve. I went to work at the Pentagon, spent a year in a warzone in Iraq, and served under both President Bush and President Obama in counter-terrorism roles.

I worked at the National Counterterrorism Center, at the Department of Homeland Security, and at the Department of Energy’s intelligence arm — which is where I could keep Americans safe.

I was proud of the work I did. When Donald Trump was first elected, I was worried, but I thought I could stay and limit the damage. But it was too much for one person.

I sat in the Situation Room and Oval Office with Trump and his inner circle, begging them to do the right thing. They refused to listen to me.

So I spoke out. And they’ve never forgiven me, still to this day.

When things reached a breaking point, I resigned. I told the truth about Trump’s handling of COVID-19. About their chaos. The corruption. The cruelty.

That’s when MAGA came after me for revenge — like they have to so many who dare to speak up. I faced lawsuits, personal attacks, and even death threats.

Even today — they’re still trying to sue me. After losing twice in federal court, Ric Grenell and Kash Patel are still going after me again.

They thought they could silence me. But I’ve never stood down.

Now, we’re at another breaking point. And I can’t sit back.

Once again, Trump’s in power – and things are worse than even I ever imagined.

Insider Republican politicians are doing nothing to fight back against his rogue ICE force, his unjust wars, and crippling inflation.

We need fighters who understand the threat of MAGA firsthand. Who won’t be scared of retaliation or attacks. Who will hold Trump — and each and every MAGA crony accountable in Congress.

We need to Send Courage to Congress.

That’s why I’ve decided to run for Congress.

I’m not rich or connected. That’s exactly why I’m running – to represent the people, not the powerful.

Since I’ve launched this campaign, I’ve already come under attack from the GOP. But I’m proud to be MAGA’s top enemy — and with your help, we can hand MAGA a devastating defeat in November.

I know I’ve asked for your help a few times, but I’m counting on folks like you to power this campaign. My team set a strict $10,000 fundraising goal, and we only have until midnight to hit it. So please, if you’re ready to elect MAGA’s top enemy to Congress, will you chip in just $5 right now?

CHIP IN NOW →

Let’s do this,

Olivia Troye

I witnessed the hatred and racism of the Trump Administration firsthand.

Trump’s personal henchman, Stephen Miller, called me at home to try to convince me we should bomb Mexico. He thought he could use my background against me.

I remember him saying something along the lines of, “I know you’re from the border, I know you care about the cartels.” He wanted me to demonize my own people.

I wouldn’t, and I never will.

I watched Donald Trump refuse to release disaster relief for California wildfires because it was a blue state. I was in the room when we had to pull voter data from Orange County to prove that some of his own supporters lived there, and that was the only reason he agreed to send help.

Not because Americans were losing their homes. Because some of them had voted for him.

And when a white supremacist opened fire in my hometown of El Paso, in a Walmart where my aunt was shopping for back-to-school supplies, I was the one who carried the shooter’s manifesto into the West Wing.

The gunman wrote about the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” The same language the president used. My aunt described the shooter to me over the phone. Twenty-three people died that day, including Mexican citizens who had crossed the border just to go shopping.

The president’s response to the situation disgusted me. This is not the country my mother worked so hard for and believed in.

So, when I couldn’t stop what was happening from the inside anymore, I resigned. They offered me a promotion to keep me in the fold. I said no. They offered to place me in a senior role at DHS. I said no to that, too.

Because I understood that if I took it, I’d never get free of the chaos, and I’d never be able to tell the truth about what I’d seen. I’d be culpable in their corruption.

Some of you have been with me ever since I made that choice. You were there when I went public, when my whole life changed overnight.

When the harassment campaigns started. When they lied on national television and said I’d been fired. When Trump’s lawyers came after me.

You didn’t flinch. You didn’t leave. And I need you to know that is the reason I’m still standing here today.

I couldn’t stay silent when I was inside Trump’s White House. I can’t stay silent now.

I’m running for Congress because this moment demands real leadership.

Because right is right, even when it costs you.

I’m not connected. I’m not rich. I have no famous last name.

I grew up on the border with a mom who hid her basketball shorts under her skirt so she could play and a dad who drove 18-wheelers across the country.

But I have the courage and the humble foundation they instilled in me. And I have an amazing team of supporters behind me, including you.

Every dollar you give helps us build a campaign that fights for all of us.

Will you make a founding donation to help power my campaign? My team set a strict $50,000 midnight goal, and I’m counting on my longtime supporters like you to help out. Anything you can chip in means the world to me. »

MAKE A FOUNDING DONATION →

Let’s go fight for it.

Olivia Troye

This week wasn’t random. It was pressure on citizenship, on trust, on institutions, and on the rule of law itself.

1. Citizenship Isn’t Supposed to Be Conditional…

🇺🇸 Citizenship on the Line (NY Times)

The U.S. Department of Justice has identified 384 naturalized Americans it wants to strip of citizenship, calling it the first wave of a broader push. That alone marks a major shift.

Denaturalization is legal, but historically rare and tightly handled. These cases require the government to prove, in court, that someone obtained citizenship through fraud or serious misconduct, using a very high standard of evidence. What’s different now is scale.

The administration is expanding these cases beyond immigration specialists and assigning them to prosecutors across 39 U.S. attorney offices, while the Department of Homeland Security increases referrals into the pipeline. In practical terms, that turns a careful legal process into something far more systematized and faster. For context: from 1990 to 2017, the U.S. averaged about 11 denaturalization cases per year. Now, hundreds are being queued at once.

Supporters argue this is about enforcing the law and holding bad actors accountable. And yes, legitimate fraud should be prosecuted. But legal experts warn this shift carries broader implications. Expanding denaturalization at scale risks creating a chilling effect, particularly among naturalized citizens who may begin to question the permanence of their status. It also raises concerns about how this power could be used over time, especially given historical examples where denaturalization targeted disfavored groups.

The bottom line: this isn’t just about 384 cases. It’s about redefining how secure American citizenship really is.

2. They Went After the Fed Chair, Then Quietly Walked It Back

🏦 Pressure on the Fed (Politico)

The U.S. Department of Justice just dropped its criminal probe into Jerome Powell, clearing the path for Kevin Warsh to take over the central bank.

The timing isn’t subtle.

The investigation, led by Jeanine Pirro, focused on cost overruns tied to a Fed renovation. A federal judge had already blocked it, calling it an improper attempt to pressure the Fed. Prosecutors said they’d keep pushing.

Now? It’s gone.

Officially, it’s being handed to the Fed’s inspector general, who has already reviewed the project and found no wrongdoing. Unofficially, the reality is clearer: the probe had become a roadblock to Warsh’s confirmation, with key Senate Republicans refusing to move forward until it was dropped.

So the investigation disappears. The nomination moves forward.

Here’s why that matters: The Federal Reserve is supposed to be independent, not a technicality, but what allows it to set interest rates based on the economy, not politics. Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell and pushed for aggressive rate cuts, even as inflation risks rise. When legal pressure, political pressure, and economic policy start overlapping, the line erodes. And when an investigation a judge already questioned suddenly vanishes at a key political moment…It’s hard to argue that line is still intact.

3. They’re Showing Up, But They Don’t Believe It Matters Anymore

📉 Losing Faith in the System (Harvard)

A new poll from the Harvard Institute of Politics just delivered a warning that we should be paying attention to: Young Americans aren’t checking out. They’re losing faith. Half of Americans under 30 now say people like them have no real say in government.

Trust in the federal government? Just 15%. Only 13% think the country is headed in the right direction. This isn’t apathy. It’s disillusionment.

The pressure is real and immediate. Inflation and housing aren’t abstract policy debates; they’re defining daily life. Nearly half say they’re struggling financially or barely getting by. And the optimism that once defined this generation? It’s collapsing. The belief they’ll be better off than their parents has nearly disappeared.

But here’s where it gets even more concerning. Even as young voters lean Democratic, just 33% trust that elections will be conducted fairly. Only 12% say they feel motivated to participate. Think about that gap. They have opinions and are paying attention, but they don’t believe the system works. And that’s the fracture. Because democracy doesn’t just rely on people showing up, it relies on people believing it matters when they do.

What this poll shows is a generation caught in between, still engaged but increasingly skeptical. Still watching, but losing confidence.

4. He Knew the Raid Was Coming and Bet On It

🎰 Betting on Classified Secrets (NPR)

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier is now facing federal charges after allegedly using classified intelligence about a covert mission to profit big, betting on the fall of Nicolás Maduro before it happened.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the soldier, who was part of the operation to capture Maduro, used insider knowledge to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket.

The result?
$32,000 in bets turned into more than $400,000 in profit.

Prosecutors say he wasn’t subtle about it either, allegedly using multiple accounts, leaving a digital trail, and even trying to delete evidence once the payouts drew attention.

Now he’s been charged with:

• Wire fraud

• Commodities fraud

• Misuse of classified information

This is the first time U.S. authorities have brought criminal charges tied to prediction market betting like this, and it lands at a moment when these platforms are exploding in popularity and scrutiny.

But strip it down, and this is about something bigger than one soldier.

It’s about trust.

The people entrusted with the country’s most sensitive information—military plans, intelligence operations—are expected to protect it. Not monetize it. Because when classified information becomes a tool for personal profit, the damage doesn’t just stay financial. It cuts into operational security, and it risks lives.

Here’s the part that should stand out to all of us—we can hold a soldier accountable for abusing classified information to make money, and we should. But let’s zoom out. Because corruption doesn’t just happen at the bottom, it’s modeled at the top.

We’re living in a moment where questions about conflicts of interest, influence-peddling, and self-enrichment at the highest levels of government aren’t fringe, they’re constant.

And when people see that, it sends a message that there’s one set of rules for those at the top, and another for everyone else. Accountability looks selective, and power protects itself.

So yes, hold this soldier accountable. But don’t pretend this story starts with him.

5. He’s Attacking a Supreme Court Justice Ahead of a Major Ruling

⚖️ Bullying the Bench (The Daily Beast)

I’ve been tracking this case closely because the stakes couldn’t be higher.

With a major Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship expected soon, Donald Trump did exactly what he always does when he knows he’s on shaky ground: he lashed out.

This time at Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, calling her “low IQ” and singling her out ahead of a decision that could reshape what it means to be an American.

Justice Jackson is one of the most qualified people to ever sit on that bench. When she was confirmed, I felt proud, because she belongs there. Period. And now she’s being targeted, not because she’s unqualified, but because she won’t bend.

That’s what this is.

Trump and the people around him, including Stephen Miller, know exactly how weak their argument is on birthright citizenship. They know what the Constitution says. They know what the 14th Amendment protects.

So instead of winning on the law, they try to bully the people who will uphold it.

This isn’t normal political criticism. It’s intimidation. It’s degradation. And, it’s deliberate. If they can convince people the justices aren’t legitimate, then the ruling doesn’t have to be either. That’s the playbook.

But here’s the reality. These justices are going to rule on principle, based on the Constitution and the law. Not on his insults. No amount of name-calling is going to change that.

🌿 One Thing For Your Soul

At Pauls Valley High School, students turned prom into something unforgettable, crowning Principal Kirk Moore king just weeks after he was shot stopping an attempted school shooting. He stepped toward danger to protect them.

They made sure he knew it mattered. In a moment that could have ended in tragedy, courage showed up, and so did gratitude.

👑 Courage Crowned (Fox News)

(And yes, an exception this week as I share a Fox News story. Because sometimes, a story is just worth sharing.)

Thank you all for standing by me as I navigate the political arena in my race for Congress in Virginia. It means more than you know.

More soon,

Olivia

Last night, Virginia voters handed Trump a devastating defeat here in Virginia.

Trump and MAGA started this power grab. But Virginians put a stop to it.

Trump blatantly tried to rig the 2026 elections with his corrupt redistricting scheme.

He demanded Republican states personally hand him new red seats — and states like Texas and Missouri rushed to fulfill his demands.

He thought Democrats would sit by and let him steal the election. He was wrong.

Here in Virginia, we decided to fight back. We launched a campaign to fight back and pass our own new maps to counter his power grab.

I was proud to help support that fight. And all across our state, Virginians stood up and made their voices heard.

And last night, Virginia made it clear: We reject Trump’s power grab.

Now the fight turns to November.

We have a huge opportunity to end MAGA’S unchecked power in Washington. We need to elect leaders who know how to take on Donald Trump — and how to win.

That’s why I’m officially running for Congress in Virginia’s newly drawn 7th district.

This district will be critical to flipping the House. That’s why MAGA is already attacking our campaign.

They know I’ve taken them on before. I know how MAGA works from the inside — and how to win.

We need to raise $50,000 by midnight to power our campaign to victory. This will be a tough fight, but together, we can hand Trump a devastating defeat in November.

So if you’re ready to elect someone who knows how to go toe-to-toe with Trump and his MAGA allies, I’m hoping I can count on you to become a Founding Donor to my Democratic campaign to flip the House blue. >>

CHIP IN NOW →

Let’s do this,

Olivia Troye

Look, here’s the reality:

I’m not your typical candidate for office. I’ve never run for anything before. I’m not connected. I’m not rich. I have no famous last name.

That means this is a campaign that can only be won with a committed grassroots movement made up of people like you. We’re going to need an outpouring of support to help Send Courage to Congress.

So today, I have a different kind of request from you. I’m not asking you for money, just your signature.

Will you add your name to the list of Democrats who are backing my campaign to stop MAGA’s unchecked power in the House?

ENDORSE OLIVIA FOR VIRGINIA →

I know what it means to defy expectations.

I’m the daughter of a truck driver and a Mexican immigrant. I learned how to speak English by watching Sesame Street. I helped save my mom from abuse at the hands of her stepfather.

No one expected someone like me, a little girl from El Paso, TX, to graduate high school, much less an Ivy League college, but here I am now.

I defied expectations when to become one of the very few women to be a Senior Advisor at the Pentagon.

But in 2020, when I knew I couldn’t stay quiet about the corruption, the cruelty, and the chaos inside the Trump administration, I resigned. And I didn’t go quietly.

I put everything on the line to speak out against Donald Trump.

Trump and his MAGA cronies have never forgiven me for telling the truth and standing up for our democracy.

They came after me with everything they had. They sued me, tried to bankrupt me, and even threatened to kill me. They thought they could silence me. They failed.

But now, Trump is back, and so is that same corruption, cruelty, and chaos. And it’s even worse than I could have ever imagined.

So it’s true that I’m not your typical candidate for Congress. But these aren’t typical times – and we need leaders to have stood up to MAGA before — and won.

That’s why I’m running for Congress — to stop the total reign of terror from Trump and his MAGA cronies.

I’m building this campaign from the ground up, and I’m already facing an onslaught of attacks from the far-right. That’s why we need 20,000 supporters to add their names endorsing my campaign by midnight tonight. Will you step up and be courageous with me?

ENDORSE OLIVIA FOR VIRGINIA →

Thanks for standing with me, it means a lot.

Olivia

They tried to silence me.

Trump pretended he never met me. His press secretary called me a failure. Kash Patel threatened me with litigation. His MAGA allies harassed me, tried to bankrupt me, and even threatened to kill me.

They thought that would stop me.

They were absolutely wrong.

My name is Olivia Troye, and just last week, I announced my campaign for Congress in Virginia.

If you’re ready to elect someone who knows how to go toe-to-toe with Trump and his MAGA allies, I’m hoping I can count on you to become a Founding Donor to my campaign straight away.

CHIP IN NOW →

I’m the daughter of a truck driver and a Mexican immigrant. I grew up in a working-class Texas border town and learned English watching Sesame Street. After my parents divorced, my mom and I leaned on family and made ends meet without health insurance. When I found out my stepfather was abusing her, I helped her flee in the middle of the night.

So I know what it means to fight when the stakes are real.

After September 11th, I felt called to serve. I went to work at the Pentagon, spent a year in a warzone in Iraq, and served under both President Bush and President Obama in counter-terrorism roles.

Then I saw MAGA up close – and it’s even more dangerous than you think.

So I spoke out. I told the truth about Trump’s handling of COVID. About the chaos. The corruption. The cruelty.

And I earned the right enemies.

I’m not connected. I’m not rich. I’m not carrying a famous last name. But that’s exactly why I’m running – to represent the people, not the powerful.

Northern Virginia needs a fighter in Congress. Someone who won’t back down when courage requires it. Someone who’s already proven they can take the heat.

This is the moment. Our country is on the line.

Will you make a donation right now to become a Founding Donor of my campaign? Every dollar we raise in this first week sends a signal that Northern Virginia is ready for a different kind of leader.

BECOME A FOUNDING DONOR →

I’ve spent my career standing up to abusers – in my family, in warzones, in the White House. I’m ready to do it again in Congress.

Join me in this fight.

Olivia Troye

As you know, I’ve put everything on the line to speak out against Donald Trump and his far-right, enabling cronies. A lot of you know me already because you’ve been with me from the very beginning, but let me introduce myself for the new faces.

My name is Olivia Troye, and I’m the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a truck driver from El Paso, Texas.

Growing up, my grandparents didn’t have indoor plumbing – just an outhouse. But I then went on to be the first in my family to graduate from college.

Nobody in my life expected me to end up in the White House, least of all me.

But after 9/11, I was moved to serve my country. I worked my way up over nearly two decades in national security and counterterrorism. From Baghdad, where I was often the only woman in the room, to the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon, and the Office of the Vice President.

I tracked domestic terrorism threats. I briefed senior leaders on mass shootings that were fueled by the same hateful rhetoric coming out of the Oval Office today.

When a white supremacist opened fire in an El Paso Walmart, my aunt was inside that store, and I was the one who walked into the West Wing, manifesto in hand, and told them to their face: “This is a hate crime.”

This is the great replacement theory. And your president’s words are radicalizing people.

They didn’t want to hear it.

During COVID, I ran the White House Coronavirus Task Force day-to-day. I set every agenda. I coordinated with Dr. Fauci and every cabinet official on that task force. I was the one calling governors to figure out how to dock cruise ships full of stranded Americans when no port would take them.

Behind the scenes, I fought Stephen Miller’s team when they tried to slash the refugee ceiling to zero. I fought Katie Miller when she doctored public health guidance to serve the president’s political agenda. They blocked me from meetings, but I showed up anyway. I told them I represented the Vice President, and had every right to be there.

And that’s why I’m showing up this week as I announce my candidacy to serve Virginia in Congress.

We need fighters who aren’t afraid to push back against Donald Trump and his entire MAGA agenda. As one of my most trusted supporters, can I count on you to rush a donation to become a founding member of my campaign?

CHIP IN NOW →

Look, I’ve been in this fight for quite some time.

After I resigned, they offered me the position of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security to keep me quiet. I turned it down. I walked away from everything I’d built.

Because I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore.

Not after watching a president order peaceful protesters tear-gassed so he could hold up a Bible for a photo op.

Not after sitting in meetings where Donald Trump discussed shooting American citizens in the streets and invoking the Insurrection Act against his own people.

So I resigned. And then I did something that terrified me more than anything I’d faced in Baghdad: I went public against MAGA.

Some of you were there for what came next. And I will never forget that.

The night before the story dropped, a Washington Post reporter called me and asked if I had security cameras at my house. I didn’t. My husband was installing them the next morning. The Vice President’s office called to tell me they were concerned for my life.

People showed up at my old address. Trucks drove past my home, taking photographs. Online, the threats poured in, people saying they were coming to find me. I talked to detectives. I talked to the FBI. For a while, I didn’t leave my house.

To those of you who stood with me through that, who supported me when the Proud Boys were shouting my name in hotel lobbies, when Trump’s allies went on television and lied about me, when his attorneys dragged me into court, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You showed me that their intimidation tactics would not work. That their lawsuits and their death threats would not silence the truth.

I have never backed down. And I won’t start now.

That’s why I’m launching my campaign for Congress, because Virginia and the rest of our country deserve every fighter they can get in Congress.

I grew up being told I didn’t belong.

I didn’t belong in the gifted classroom.

I didn’t belong at Penn; they said I only got in because of affirmative action.

I didn’t belong in the intelligence community.

I didn’t belong in the White House.

But every single time someone told me I didn’t belong, I fought harder. And I made a difference because I was there.

Now, we need people like me in Congress. Because the same people I fought inside the Trump White House are back, and this time, fewer guardrails and fewer people willing to stand in their way.

I’ve set a goal to raise $500,000 in the first week of this campaign. I started from scratch, so I need every single person still reading this to step up. Will you be brave with me and chip in $10 or more right now?

CHIP IN NOW →

I’ve spent my career protecting this country from threats, foreign and domestic.

Now I’m asking you to join me in the fight to protect it from the inside of the United States Congress.

Grateful to have you in my corner,

Olivia

It’s George Conway, former Republican turned anti-Trump activist. Have you heard the news?

My friend Olivia Troye is running for Congress. She saw how the Trump administration works from the inside. She called them out.

Now, she’s MAGA’s greatest enemy.

I need you to chip in $5 ASAP to elect Olivia — and then keep reading why electing a fighter like Olivia is so important. She needs 25,000 donations to kick this off right, so please don’t hesitate. >>

CHIP IN NOW →

Look, Olivia’s story is a lot like mine. She’s a former Republican who served as a career intelligence officer under George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

When Trump was first elected, she tried to limit the damage. But she witnessed the danger of unchecked MAGA power up close.

So she resigned — and spoke out.

She became the most senior person in the administration to resign to campaign against Trump, ultimately helping defeat him in 2020.

She faced death threats and lawsuits. She earned the wrath of all of MAGA’s biggest kooks — Stephen Miller, Kash Patel, and Trump himself.

Donald Trump is a con man. He’s betrayed the American people. He’s an absolute buffoon. And most of all, he’s dangerous — he’s destroying our democracy piece by piece.

Olivia Troye put it all on the line to call him out, expose MAGA, and defeat him.

She knows these people work – and how to take them on. We need leaders like her in Congress.

She’ll NEVER flinch in the face of MAGA authoritarianism.

So please join me in supporting her Democratic Campaign by chipping in $5 or $10. She needs 25,000 Founding Donors to kick this off strong. >>

CHIP IN NOW →

Thanks for standing with Olivia,

George Conway

This week, I did something I never thought I would do: I announced that I’m running for Congress. Because watching what’s happening to this country, and staying on the sidelines, was no longer an option. I’ve stood up before. I’ve taken the hits. And I’m not backing down now. But I didn’t get here alone. Thank you for standing with me, then and now.

Let’s get into some headlines you might have missed in another chaotic & anxiety-inducing week.

1. They’re Not Just Deporting People. They’re Disappearing Them.

🚨 Deported and Then Gone (NPR)

The U.S. is deporting migrants straight into a system where due process doesn’t exist, where legal rights and protections are stripped away, and in some cases, people simply disappear.

Under Nayib Bukele’s ongoing “state of exception,” people sent back to El Salvador are being detained without charges, cut off from families, and in some cases, never heard from again. Human rights groups report thousands imprisoned, hundreds dead, and many more effectively vanished.

Here’s the part that should stop you cold…the U.S. government knows what’s happening. We’re sharing data, coordinating, and sending people anyway.

This isn’t just immigration policy anymore. The U.S. is outsourcing detention to a system with no transparency and no accountability. And once they’re gone? No calls. No lawyers. No proof of life. They’re just gone.

2. The Music Industry Finally Got Its Day in Court—and Fans Won (Sort Of)

🎟️ Fans Were Right: Ticketmaster Was Rigged (CNN)

If you’ve ever rage-clicked through fees on Ticketmaster and wondered how this was even legal, a jury just answered that for you. It wasn’t. As a music lover and avid concertgoer, this one hits, and honestly, it’s about time.

A federal jury found that Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent, illegally operated as a monopoly, overcharging fans and locking down the live music ecosystem for years.

Translation: the system wasn’t broken. It was built this way.

We’re talking about a company that controls ticketing, venues, promotion, and in many cases, the artists’ access to all of the above. That’s not competition. It’s control.

The jury even put a number on it. $1.72 in overcharges per ticket. Doesn’t sound like much until you multiply it by millions of tickets over the years. Suddenly, you’re looking at hundreds of millions back on the table. However, here’s the reality check, you’re not getting cheaper tickets tomorrow. The ruling opens the door, maybe, to more competition, possibly even breaking up parts of the company. But the system doesn’t unwind overnight, and Live Nation is already signaling it will fight this.

Still, this matters. Because for the first time, the industry’s worst-kept secret was proven in court. Fans weren’t imagining it. Artists weren’t exaggerating it. They were being squeezed. And if this actually leads to real competition? That could change everything, from prices to who gets on stage in the first place.

3. Prosecutor Said “No Case” Against Brennan. DOJ Pushed Ahead Anyway.

🧨 No Evidence, No Problem? (NY Times)

A career national security prosecutor looked at the evidence against John Brennan, a key figure behind the finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and concluded it didn’t hold up. Then she was removed from the case.

Maria Medetis Long didn’t just quietly step aside; she raised concerns that the case itself wasn’t legally viable. And this wasn’t some low-level review. She oversees national security cases. This is her lane. At the same time, Trump-aligned officials are pushing to move fast, potentially toward a grand jury indictment in the coming weeks.

So look at what’s actually happening here:

– A political referral from allies like Jim Jordan
– A case targeting a longtime Trump critic
– A veteran prosecutor says the evidence isn’t there
– She’s out
– And the push to indict accelerates anyway

This isn’t about resolving facts. It’s about forcing an outcome. And it doesn’t stop with Brennan. This same playbook has already shown up in other cases—prosecutors pushed out, replaced with loyalists, charges filed anyway, and then thrown out in court. That’s the real risk here.

When the justice system starts working backward, starting with a target and then finding the charge… you’re not enforcing the law; you’re bending it.

4. Architect of the 2020 Election Plot Disbarred

⚖️ Eastman Disbarred (AP)

John Eastman, a central figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, has been permanently disbarred by the California Supreme Court after advancing false claims and promoting a fringe legal theory that sought to block certification of the results. His actions weren’t abstract; they were part of a coordinated attempt to pressure officials and upend a lawful election.

This accountability didn’t happen overnight. States United Democracy Center helped spark it, filing the original bipartisan ethics complaint in 2021 that set this process in motion. After years of investigations, hearings, and findings of intentional misconduct, the court made its final decision.

At a moment when the rule of law is being tested, this is a nice reminder that there are still consequences for those who try to break it.

5. The FBI Has a Leadership Problem—and It’s Not Quiet Anymore

👀 FBI Director MIA: Inside the Chaos Under Kash Patel (The Atlantic)

The person running the FBI is reportedly… missing in action.

According to multiple current and former officials, Kash Patel’s tenure has been marked by erratic behavior, unexplained absences, and serious concerns about judgment, including allegations of excessive drinking and being unreachable during critical moments.

And yes, this is the same Kash Patel who threatened to sue me for saying he was unfit to serve as FBI Director. I still showed up at his confirmation hearing, while Richard Grenell was suing me, and Patel was threatening me. You don’t back down. You face it head-on.

Now here we are.

The FBI is the agency responsible for counterterrorism, intelligence, and protecting the country. And inside the bureau, people are asking a basic question: Who’s actually in charge?

There are reports of:

• Missed briefings

• Delayed investigations

• Staff afraid to speak up

• Even discussions inside the administration about replacing him

At one point, Patel reportedly believed he’d been fired over a tech glitch, and panicked, calling allies to confirm. He hadn’t been. That moment isn’t just bizarre. It’s revealing. Because it points to something deeper happening inside federal law enforcement right now, instability at the top, and loyalty tests inside the ranks. It’s a shift toward using these institutions against perceived political enemies. That last part matters. Because when leadership becomes unpredictable, and the mission becomes political, you don’t just get dysfunction. You get risk. Real risk. Especially at a moment when the U.S. is facing global conflict, domestic threats, and rising extremism.

An FBI that’s distracted, hollowed out, or afraid internally? That’s not just a management issue. It’s a national security problem.

🇺🇸 One Thing For Your Soul: Becoming

In a week where so much feels like it’s breaking, 100 people stood in a courtroom and became Americans.

They waited years for that moment. Some weren’t even sure it would come. And when it did, they cried. They smiled. They held their families close.

It reminded me of my mom. A Mexican immigrant who became an American citizen, and still believes in the American Dream. Even now. Even through all of this. That belief isn’t naïve. It’s powerful. It’s what keeps people choosing this country—fighting for it, building it, believing in what it can still be.

🌱 After the Wait, A New Beginning (Sahan Journal)

I’m still here, and I’m still going to be writing, clearly, honestly, and passionately about the things that matter. The noise isn’t going anywhere. Neither am I. And neither is the truth.

Until next time,

Olivia

I’m going to ask you to be a Founding Donor to my campaign, but before I do, I want to tell you a story.

My mother was born in 1944 in Mexico, into a world that told girls what they couldn’t do. Girls weren’t supposed to play sports, but my mother didn’t care.

She laced up her sneakers and tucked her basketball shorts under her skirt – so her father wouldn’t know she was playing after school.

That quiet defiance? That’s where I come from.

She immigrated to the United States, became a citizen, and married my father, a long-haul truck driver who hauled cross-country to build a life for our family.

She believed fiercely in the promise of this country. In freedom. In opportunity. In the idea that if you worked hard and kept your head high, you could build something real.

When my father passed away, everything changed. It was just Mom and me. No safety net. And when I was in college at the University of Pennsylvania, she went back to work – something she never, ever complained about, because it was the only way we were going to afford my education. It was her quiet way of telling me my dreams mattered.

Everything I am, I learned from her. That’s why it’s so personal when I watch what’s happening in this country right now.

My mother is an immigrant. She took an oath to this country. She lived its values. She cries at the National Anthem. But today, people who look like her, who sound like her, are being demonized, targeted, and dehumanized by the very government she believed in.

I couldn’t stay silent when I was inside Trump’s White House. I can’t stay silent now.

I’m running for Congress because the values my mother gave me demand it. Because right is right, even when it costs you. Because someone has to fight for the dream she believed in.

Will you make a founding donation to help power this campaign before this very first week ends at midnight?

MAKE A FOUNDING DONATION →

I’m not connected. I’m not rich. I have no famous last name. But I have her courage – and I have you.

Every dollar you give helps us build a campaign that fights for people like my mother. People who worked hard, played by the rules, and deserve a government that sees them.

Let’s go fight for it.

Olivia Troye

I’m beyond humbled by the support I’ve received since announcing my campaign for Congress on Tuesday.

Democrats from across the country stepped up to join me — chipping in $5, $10, or even $25 at a time so I can take on MAGA from the inside, again.

If you haven’t joined the wave of folks who are concerned for our democracy’s future, will you make a small gift to help power my campaign?

CHIP IN →

Look, this is going to be a tough race for us. I’m not going to sugarcoat it.

Already, the attacks are flooding the news. Trump’s closest allies are chomping at the bit to attack me.

They’re terrified to see us win this race and flip the House blue.

I embarrassed Donald Trump once when I blew the whistle on his administration’s corruption and chaos.

And with the mass of supporters like you at my side, we’ll embarrass Donald Trump all over again.

When I decided to run for Congress, I did it under the promise that I would bring courage to those halls.

Because too often, we’re watching Republicans, and even some Democrats, cave to MAGA’s intimidation tactics.

Let me tell you something: I’m not scared of them. I’ve dealt with their death threats, with their lawsuits meant to bankrupt me, their hang-up calls, and their henchmen.

I’m not scared to be their enemy. In fact, I wear it like a badge of honor. And now, you can too.

I can’t begin to tell you how much your support means to me, so I’ll keep it simple: Thank you. None of this would be possible without you.

If you’re ready to help me take on MAGA from the inside, I’m humbly asking you to join the thousands of grassroots supporters who have stepped up to make this campaign possible. All it takes is a small sacrifice, $5 or even $15, to help us build an unstoppable movement that Sends Courage to Congress. »

DONATE NOW →

Thank you,

Olivia

I’ve put everything on the line to speak out against Donald Trump and his far-right, enabling cronies.

I’m Olivia Troye. I’m the daughter of an immigrant and a truck driver who worked my way up to be one of the only women working in counterterrorism after being moved by the devastation of 9/11.

During my time at DHS, I had a front row seat to the chaos, the corruption, the calculated cruelty from the Trump administration.

I pushed back when others wouldn’t. And when the dangers grew too great – I resigned. But I didn’t go quietly.

I’ve blown the whistle on MAGA for the illegal and unethical way they’ve “led” our country.

And in return, I’ve received threats against my life and been dragged to court by Trump’s attorneys.

But here’s the thing:

If I stay silent, that means their intimidation tactics worked. It means that their lawsuits and their death threats worked.

So I’ve never backed down. And I won’t start now.

This week, I launched my campaign for U.S. House because Virginia – and the rest of our country – deserves every fighter they can get in Congress. I’ve set a goal to raise $500,000 in the first week of this campaign – and to be honest with you, I started from scratch, so I need every person still reading this to step up…

Will you be brave with me and chip in $10 or more now?

CHIP IN NOW →

I’m so grateful to have you in my corner,

Olivia