PUMP Newsletter

Trump Deploys Additional 500 National Guard Troops to D.C. After Fatal Shooting

President Trump authorized the deployment of 500 more National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., escalating security measures in the capital following a shooting that left two West Virginia Guardsmen in critical condition and injured three others near the Pentagon. The incident, described by authorities as a targeted ambush by a lone gunman with anti-government ties, prompted Trump's swift video address from the White House, where he labeled it "an attack on our military and our nation."

The gunman, identified as 34-year-old Kyle Harlan from rural Virginia, opened fire at a Guard checkpoint around 7 a.m., shouting slogans linked to far-right militias before being killed in a firefight. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, praised the response but urged federal restraint, noting the city's already heightened tensions post-inauguration. Trump's order brings the Guard presence to 1,200, with units tasked for patrols around federal buildings through January.

White House officials tied the attack to "Biden-era laxness on domestic threats," though FBI preliminary findings point to Harlan's online radicalization via encrypted forums. Trump, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his briefing, vowed no tolerance for chaos, hinting at broader executive actions on Second Amendment scrutiny for extremists. Republicans in Congress backed the move, with Sen. Tom Cotton introducing a bill for permanent Guard rotations in high-risk cities.

Georgia Drops Election Case Against Trump

A Fulton County judge on Wednesday granted a motion to dismiss the sprawling racketeering case against President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over their efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, marking the end of the last major criminal prosecution hanging over the commander in chief. The decision followed a request from special prosecutor Peter Skandalakis, who took over after disqualifying Fani Willis amid ethics concerns and cited resource strains from ongoing appeals.

Skandalakis, argued in court filings that refiling charges under a new statute of limitations would be inefficient, especially with Trump's reelection shifting national priorities. Trump hailed the ruling on Truth Social as total exoneration from the witch hunt, vowing to refocus on border security and tax cuts. The case, once a cornerstone of Democratic hopes to hold Trump accountable, unraveled after Willis's romantic relationship with a lead prosecutor surfaced, leading to her removal.

Co-defendants like Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, who pleaded guilty in related probes, expressed relief, with Giuliani telling reporters, "Vindication after years of hell." Legal analysts say the dismissal shields Trump from state-level threats but leaves a RICO precedent for future cases. House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin called it "a travesty that rewards insurrection," demanding federal intervention.

Trump Threatens Network Licenses Again

President Trump's long-simmering feud with the press boiled as he ramped up calls to revoke broadcast licenses for major networks, accusing ABC, CBS, and NBC of "fake news treason" in a series of Truth Social posts and a Fox interview. The barrage, his 28th such threat since 2017, targeted coverage of his recent health disclosures and the Georgia case dismissal, which he claimed were "coordinated hits by the deep state media."

In the Fox segment, Trump suggested the FCC under his appointee Brendan Carr could fast-track reviews, stating:

Legal scholars dismissed the feasibility but the rhetoric alarmed First Amendment advocates. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press fired off a letter to Congress, warning of authoritarian chills on journalism.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer scheduled a hearing on media protections, while Rep. Adam Schiff introduced the No Censorship by Executive Act to bar presidential interference. Trump's allies, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, defended it as accountability, pointing to a Media Research Center study alleging 92% negative coverage.

The escalation follows Trump's Monday insult toward New York Times reporter Katie Rogers, whom he called ugly and biased after her piece on his stamina. Rogers responded via Twitter: "Words don't intimidate, facts do."

Democratic AGs Sue to Halt USDA SNAP Cuts for Immigrants

A coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to block new U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance that bars certain legal immigrants from accessing SNAP benefits. Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the suit accuses the USDA of overstepping its authority by permanently disqualifying refugees, asylees, and humanitarian parolees, even after they secure lawful permanent resident status.

The dispute traces to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Trump in July, which imposed stricter SNAP work requirements and limited eligibility to U.S. citizens and green card holders. USDA's October 31^st  memo to states interpreted the law as rendering those groups "not eligible" outright, without the grace period for status adjustments that the statute appears to allow. "USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program, and no one should go hungry because of the circumstances of their arrival to this country," James said in a statement, estimating the change would strip benefits from tens of thousands of lawful residents.

The attorneys general, including California's Rob Bonta and Minnesota's Keith Ellison, argue the guidance not only misreads the law but imposes crushing penalties on noncompliant states. Fines up to 10% of a program's federal funding, potentially forcing shutdowns that affect millions of citizens.

They noted the USDA skipped the required 120-day implementation window, leaving states to scramble with eligibility overhauls amid holiday season strains. "This threatens to destabilize SNAP nationwide," the complaint states, warning of administrative chaos and heightened food insecurity in immigrant-heavy communities.

Trump will not invite South Africa to G20 in US

In a bold foreign policy flex, President Trump directed the State Department to exclude South Africa from hosting the 2026 G20 summit, citing horrific human rights abuses against white farmers and alleged corruption under the ANC. The announcement, via a presidential memo, shifts the venue to a yet-unnamed U.S. ally, potentially India or Brazil.

Trump, in a Mar-a-Lago call with reporters, accused Pretoria of farm murders and land grabs, referencing disputed stats from AfriForum activists.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the snub as "imperial overreach," vowing to challenge it at the UN. The move disrupts G20 logistics, with costs already at $500 million, U.S. taxpayers may foot relocation bills. GOP hawks like Sen. Marco Rubio applauded, tying it to broader Africa strategy amid China's influence. Democrats, via Rep. Gregory Meeks, called it racially tinged meddling, urging diplomacy.

Supreme Court Delays Ruling on Trump's Copyright Office Firing

The Supreme Court declined to immediately greenlight President Trump's firing of Shira Perlmutter, the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, opting instead to hold off until it resolves two other high-stakes cases on executive removal powers this term. The decision leaves Perlmutter in her role for now, rebuffing the administration's emergency bid to overturn a federal appeals court block on her ouster. For more on this:

Perlmutter, appointed in 2020 by then Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, whom Trump also fired in May, received a White House email on May 10 terminating her effective immediately. The move came a day after her office issued a draft report suggesting that tech companies' use of copyrighted materials to train AI models could violate federal law, a finding that irked the administration's pro-innovation allies in Silicon Valley.

A D.C. Circuit panel, in a 2-1 ruling penned by Judge Florence Pan, halted the firing, arguing it represented an unconstitutional "reach into the Legislative Branch" since the office falls under the Library of Congress and advises lawmakers on copyright policy.

That’s all for today, thanks for reading.

We’ll see you tomorrow!

— The PUMP Team