MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

MONDAY
JUNE 30, 2025

Zohran the Destroyer.”

 
— Fox News host Jesse Watters' nickname for Democratic NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — inadvertently making him sound very cool.

TOM & SCARY

Donald Trump alienated a key ally in Congress, raising new doubts about his “big, beautiful bill,” the GOP’s future — and his own legacy. 

- What do mega-rich guy Elon Musk and moderate Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) have in common? They both heralded President Donald Trump’s win last November — and are now loudly arguing that Trump’s biggest domestic legislative priority, the so-called “big, beautiful bill,” is a downright dangerous idea that must be stopped immediately... before Trump can meet his goal of signing the bill into law just as the fireworks begin popping off on July 4.

- Tillis hates the bill so much that he got into a dustup with Trump over the weekend, resulting in the senator’s announcement that he won’t run again in 2026. The bill will undermine healthcare for hundreds of thousands of the least-privileged people in the Tar Heel State, Tills argued, because it slashes funding for Medicaid. He joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as the second GOP senator to oppose the bill, at a time when Trump can only afford to lose three. 

- “This bill will betray the promise Donald Trump made,” Tillis said in a speech Sunday night on the Senate floor — hours after Trump threatened to find a primary challenger against him. “What do I tell 663,000 people in two or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding isn’t there anymore?”

- Meanwhile, Musk, Trump’s former “first buddy,” is firing off incendiary tweets criticizing the bill and pointing out how much [most Americans don’t like it]([link removed]). Why is it so unpopular? Not only [does the bill]([link removed]) slash Medicaid spending, it also allocates $150 billion for immigration enforcement, ends tax credits for buying electric cars, raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion and cuts federal assistance to food programs. Many Republicans are probably asking themselves, [in the words of David Byrne]([link removed]), how did I get here? Still, they’re voting for it anyway.
 

- “We are slipping into a strongman state where the president has such an acquiescent Republican caucus that they’re doing this crazy policy, hurting America, hurting the next generation, because Donald Trump wants it,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) [told CNN today]([link removed]), after the news of Tillis’s retirement.

 
Trump may get his bill. But his my-way-or-the-highway approach could spell bad news for Republicans during next year’s elections.

- The GOP currently has a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Tillis’s retirement [creates an easier path]([link removed]) for Democrats to potentially take back the Senate (although that’s still an uphill battle). Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is [increasingly unpopular]([link removed]) in her own state, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) might face [a tough re-election]([link removed]), too. 

- In the House, Democrats [believe they’ll be able]([link removed]) to harness backlash to the GOP’s policies to win back the majority. What’s more Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) [just announced]([link removed]) he’s retiring, and his seat is expected to flip (and sizzle… sorry.)

- “GOP legislative reforms will have no chance if Democrats take the House in 2026. And if they also take the Senate, forget about confirming another Supreme Court nominee,” the Wall Street Journal’s arch-conservative [editorial board wrote]([link removed]). “The Trump Presidency will be dead in the water.”

Will Trump bite his tongue and stop his manic social media rants? Or will he continue pushing unpopular policies and pressuring his own allies to fall in line? I know which I’m betting the house on!

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WHAT ELSE?

[Iranian officials told each other]([link removed]) that American strikes on the country's nuclear sites were less devastating than expected, in calls intercepted by the U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the Iranians don’t know what they’re talking about: “The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense.” Okay, so, they have no idea what happened down there… but you do?  
 
[DHS Secretary Kristi Noem secretly accepted]([link removed]) $80,000 from a nonprofit that promotes her political career, according to ProPublica. She received the money, which was a cut of funds that she raised for the group, while serving as governor out South Dakota, tax records show. Is that why she had [$3,000 in cash]([link removed]) inside her stolen purse?! Mystery solved.
 
[Israeli forces killed at least 67 people]([link removed]) in the Gaza Strip today, according to local health officials. One airstrike hit a seaside cafe, one of the few remaining businesses operating in the territory, which was crowded with women and children, a witness said. Israeli troops also fatally shot nearly a dozen people who were seeking food in southern Gaza. 
 
[The U.S. revoked visas for punk band Bob Vylan]([link removed]) after the singer chanted “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” — the Israeli Defense Forces — at the Glastonbury music festival in England. So much for that gig at Trump’s MAGA-friendly Kennedy Center, huh? 
 
[The Trump administration is now claiming that Harvard]([link removed]) University violated Jewish and Israeli students’ civil rights by acting with indifference during pro-Palestinian protests on campus last summer. If Harvard doesn’t allow more government oversight, it could lose all federal funding, according to a letter from the administration’s lawyers. Reminder: Havard did absolutely nothing wrong by allowing students to express free speech on campus. 
 
[The Trump administration sued the city of Los Angeles]([link removed]) today for allegedly obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws. It’s the latest target of the administration’s war on sanctuary cities, following others in New York, New Jersey and Colorado.  
 
[Canada ditched its 3 percent digital services tax]([link removed]) on American tech firms after Donald Trump cut off trade talks with the country. “Broader trade negotiations” with Washington will now continue, Canada’s finance ministry said. I think Canada should raise its tariff on obnoxious idiocy by 1,000,000 percent. 
 
[House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries refused]([link removed]) to endorse NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani… supposedly because he doesn’t know him well enough. “Our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him,” Jeffries told ABC News, sounding a lot like [Mariah Carey’s “I don’t know her” meme.]([link removed]) 
 
[The so-called Department of Government Efficiency]([link removed]) gained access to information at seven federal agencies that could benefit Elon Musk’s companies, the Washington Post found. Those records include trade secrets, details about government contracts, and sensitive regulatory action. 

[About 47,000 people in Norway were told]([link removed]) they won big sums in the country’s lottery on Friday — and were then told today that it was all a mistake.

THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
 
The Supreme Court released a wave of new opinions last Friday, and [Strict Scrutiny]([link removed]) hosts Leah, Melissa, and Kate are here to break them down. They start with Mahmoud v. Taylor, a qualified immunity case that raised serious questions about how Justice Alito interpreted the facts. Then, they unpack rulings on age verification for adult content and the nondelegation doctrine. If you missed their [emergency episode on the birthright citizenship decisio]([link removed])n, it’s in your feed now. Tune in to [Strict Scrutiny]([link removed]) wherever you get your podcasts—or watch on YouTube.
 
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[More than 170 EPA employees signed a letter]([link removed]) of dissent today, voicing their frustration with the Trump administration’s overhaul of health and environmental policies. It’s a rare sign of pushback from federal workers, who could face retaliation for going public. It’s downright inspiring to see so many courageous people take a stand.

[Donald Trump’s lawyers dropped their lawsuit]([link removed]) against Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, who incorrectly projected then-Vice President Kamala Harris to win the state by 3 points (Trump won by 14 points). There was no settlement, an attorney for Selzer told NPR. Yet another case of [TACO…]([link removed])

[The WNBA will include three new teams]([link removed]) by 2030, meaning the league will reach a record total of 18 teams. New franchises will be based in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. We love to see it. 

[Are you a pickle lover?]([link removed]) It’s a thing right now for bars to offer pickle brine-infused beverages, and even Popeyes has a pickle lemonade. I recently had a butter pickle cocktail at my local sandwich joint, and it was delightfully bizarre. Here’s a [spicy pickle martini recipe]([link removed]) for the classier enthusiasts among us.

 
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