Today in Politics, Bulletin 191. 8/21/25

… A federal judge ruled today Alina Habba has been illegally serving as the acting US attorney for NJ. District Judge Matthew Brann: “Faced with the question of whether Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the US Attorney for NJ, I conclude that she is not. And because she is not currently qualified to exercise the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity, she must be disqualified from participating in any ongoing cases.”

… Trump said he is going out on patrol with the National Guard in DC tonight: “I’m going to be going out tonight. I’m going to be going out tonight with the police and with the military. We’re going to do a job.” Trump made his comments on the Todd Starnes radio show today.

… One of my followers on X responded with this comment: “Remember when a protester threw a rock and this bitch ran to the basement?”

… Stephen Miller was asked about DC residents who are protesting the military on their streets: "All these demonstrators that you've seen out here in recent days, all these elderly white hippies, they're not part of the city and never have been. We're gonna ignore these stupid white hippies that all need to go home and take a nap because they're all over 90 years old."

… CNN’s Scott Jennings said he doesn’t care what the residents of DC think about it because Trump is just doing this to protect visitors to the city: “I don’t care what they think. I do not care one bit. There's another population that cares about public safety in DC - It's all the people who visit there. So I don't really care about what they think.”

… NBC: “As members of the National Guard deploy to the nation's capital as part of the Trump admin's takeover of policing in DC, members of the military are also set to take on prosecutorial roles handling civilian crimes. 20 members of DOD are set to begin working as special asst US attorneys in the US Attorney's Office for DC. Tim Lauer, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office, confirmed the move, saying members of the JAG Corps would be joining the office.”

… The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols: “I suspect this isn't legal, but in any case, it's a terrible precedent and destructive to civil-military relations. Where's the Army leadership? A question I keep asking.”

… WaPo: “ICE is seeking to spend millions of dollars on SUVs and custom, gold-detailed vehicle wraps emblazoned with the words ‘DEFEND THE HOMELAND’. Govt contracting documents made public this week show the agency proposed paying 4 companies more than $2.4 million: $2.25 million for 25 Chevrolet Tahoes from Hendrick Motorsports and about $174,000 for custom wrapping of Tahoes, Ford Expeditions and other vehicles by 3 companies. ICE selected the companies without an open bidding process.”

… “The documents detailing the proposed spending of millions on customized vehicles come days after ICE’s and DHS’s social media accounts pumped out stylized images of souped-up SUVs and pickups. In a video posted last week on X, a Ford Raptor and GMC Yukon rolled down DC streets, passing the Lincoln Memorial and other iconic sites. With a DaBaby rap song pounding in the background - ‘Better not pull up with no knife/ ’Cause I bring guns to fights’ - the footage cuts to shots of the vehicles parked in front of the WH and the Capitol and pans over the president’s name in gold.”

… “The post links to a recruiting site with an image of Uncle Sam and the message ‘America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out.’”

… Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on MSNBC: "There is at some point is going to be a reckoning for all of this. These folks who are working at these private prison companies who are on Kristi Noem's staff right now, they are at some point going to have to testify under oath about what is happening in the facilities they're running."

… Kristi Noem wants her own ICE Airlines. NBC: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing for ICE to use an influx of funds to buy, own and operate its own fleet of airplanes to deport immigrants.”

… Trump was also asked in his interview with Starnes today whether he will be able to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine: “I would say within 2 weeks we’re gonna know one way or the other.”

… Two weeks.

… Trump then claimed that he has now ended 10 wars so far this year: “We ended 7 wars, but it’s probably more than that. I read an article where they gave me 3 additional ones that I ended without even knowing about it because I saw things going bad so I ended them but it could have been bad and it could have been 10.”

… But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov just pissed all over Trump’s claims about “significant progress,” making it clear that Putin has not changed his position a bit from what it has been since the war started. Guardian: “Lavrov said that Moscow must be included in any talks on Ukraine’s security guarantees, dismissing European diplomacy as ‘aggressive escalation’ and a ‘clumsy effort to sway Trump. To discuss security guarantees seriously without Russia is a road to nowhere.’”

… WSJ foreign affair editor: “After Trump and Witkoff trumpeted the alleged achievement of Russia agreeing to security guarantees for Ukraine, Lavrov says that Russia only agrees to guarantees in which Russia (and China) have a veto, as per the Russian proposal in Istanbul in 2022. That is, nobody is allowed to defend Ukraine from Russia unless Russia and China agree. Great progress all around (sarcasm).”

… “Lavrov calls Zelensky the ‘so-called’ leader of Ukraine and says the issue of legitimacy will need to be solved for a Ukrainian representative who will sign agreements with Russia (that agree to all Russian conditions.) No sign of a meeting with Putin that was touted by Trump.”

… “Lavrov also said that China, Russia’s ally in the war, should be among Ukraine’s security guarantors – reviving a proposal first put forward by Russian negotiators during talks in Turkey in spring 2022.”

… Lavrov said Putin will only agree to meet with Zelensky if he holds an election first in Ukraine, which is the same nonsense they have been spewing for years: “When - and if - it comes to signing future agreements with Ukraine, the question of the legitimacy of the signatories on the Ukrainian side will arise."

… Lavrov said Russia also wants veto power over any military or security agreements between the US, Europe and Ukraine: “The idea of Europeans to exclude Russia from the mechanism of security guarantees for Ukraine calls for nothing but rejection.”

… Finland’s President Alexander Stubb on the amount of Ukrainian territory Russia is also demanding: “I guess, for an American audience, and having studied in the US for many years, the best way to explain it is that if you take the relative land mass of what Russia wants right now from Ukraine, it would be a little bit like you giving up FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, and a little bit of MD.”

… Russian state media’s social media account RT posted a clip on X from a new Fox interview from JD Vance on Putin: "He's more soft spoken than you'd necessarily expect. The American media has a particular image of him. He's soft spoken in a certain way. He's very deliberate, he's very careful. Fundamentally, he's a person who looks out for the interests as he sees it of Russia."

… CNN’s Senior Nat Sec Correspondent Zachary Cohen on Vance’s statement: “This is not really a conclusion that’s consistent with anything US intel agencies or folks who studied Putin for a long time, have articulated, as far as I’m aware.”

… Mehdi Hasan: “Compare and contrast how Vance speaks about Putin and how he spoke about Zelensky. And then ask yourself why.”

… Lincoln Project’s Stuart Stevens: “This may be the most subversive, 5th column statement by a VP in history. I keep saying this because it’s true and is proven every day. The degree to which the Republican Party is compromised by Russia is one of the great underreported stories of our time. From the NRA Russian funding to a VP slobbering over a mass murderer war criminal, the Republican Party is a functional arm of the Russian Federation.”

… CNN: “US special envoy Steve Witkoff delivered a Russian medal to the grieving family of an American who was killed fighting for Russia in 2024. Earlier this month, when Russian president Vladimir Putin gave the medal – the Order of Courage – to Witkoff, some observers saw it as something of a diplomatic dig, given that the American who was killed, Michael Gloss, was the son of a senior CIA official. But that wasn’t how Witkoff saw it.”

… Trump’s CIA spokesperson issued a statement to CNN: “The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss. Juliane and her husband shared that ‘we adored our son and grieve his loss every moment. We appreciate privacy at this difficult time.’”

… Tulsi Gabbard announced that she is cutting the staff of DNI by 40%. She claims that the move is to save money, but Russian state media has referred to her in the past as “our girl Tulsi.”

… Politico reported on Gavin Newsom’s new social media team that has right-wingers fuming: “Though some online observers speculated that Newsom digital director Camille Zapata primarily steers the effort, the account is helmed by a team of 4-5 people - a sort of ‘brain rot’ trust that includes Newsom comms director Izzy Gardon and rapid response director Brandon Richards. Newsom’s office declined to describe the governor’s level of involvement, but told Politico that he leads the effort.”

… “No other prospective 2028 candidate - Democrat or Republican - is breaking through in the online attention economy like Newsom. And it’s not just his press office’s account: His campaign X account tops 2.4 million followers. On his campaign accounts alone, since 2025 began, Newsom has gained 2.96 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, X and Substack. All of that has earned him a billion-plus views and impressions.”

… Trump was griping about it on Truth Social at 12:07 AM: “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!! President DJT”

… Newsom responded: “Triggered?”

… Fox host Sean Hannity devoted most of his show last night to Newsom: “He and his social media team are busy trying to mock Trump by posting messages in all caps. He is also attacking Fox hosts. He's trying to bait conservatives into social media fights. He's referred to Tomi Lahren’s account as ‘yelp for toilets’. A performative confrontational style. Maybe it wins you points with the loony radical base in your party but America is not going to vote for that record.”

… … Newsom responded to the show: “WOW! FOX NEWS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT ME (GAVIN C. NEWSOM), AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR!!! TONIGHT THEIR ENTIRE PRIMETIME LINEUP WAS ABOUT ME! JESSE WATTERS KEPT CALLING ME “DADDY” (VERY WEIRD, NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANK YOU!). SEAN HANNITY (VERY NICE GUY) NEARLY CRIED BECAUSE I WON’T TAKE HIS “ADVICE.” SORRY SEAN!!!! THEN THEY DRAGGED OUT THE B-TEAM OF DUMB DUMBS: “MEATBALL RON,” TOMI “TOILET” LAHREN, AND TEDDY “CANCUN” CRUZ (HE EVEN FLEW BACK SPECIAL FROM MEXICO!) ALL WHINING ABOUT ME, GCN! THEY HAD TO “PLAY THE MUSIC” TO SHUT TED UP ABOUT MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR (I GET IT! SO JEALOUS!). TOTAL DISASTER. MAGA HATES ME BECAUSE THEY HATE YOU. THEY HATE THAT CALIFORNIA IS THE 4TH BIGGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD. THEY HATE THAT CRIME IS DOWN, THAT WE’RE #1 IN FARMING (I LOVE THE FARMERS!), MANUFACTURING, TOURISM & TECH… ALL WHILE WE GIVE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, FREE SCHOOL MEALS (MAKE AMERICA PREGNANT AGAIN!), PAID “BABY LEAVE” FOR MOMS (THEY SHOULD NOT RETURN ANYWAYS!!), $20 MINIMUM WAGE & SO MUCH MORE FOR THE PEOPLE!!! THEY HATE THAT DEMOCRATS ARE WINNING. FOX & MAGA HAVE NEWSOM DERANGEMENT SYNDROME!!! THEY SHOULD CRY HARDER! SAD!!! — GCN”

… Whiny Kennedy Center Director Ric Grenell continues to cry about it every day: “Gavin Newsom hired new people to run his twitter feed. Everyone sees the fake content.”

… MAGA has been melting down over their latest culture war issue - Cracker Barrel changing their logo to a simple barrel with their name. There has been thousands of posts made on social media about it from right wing snowflakes. Donald Trump, Jr: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel!?”

… Right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson: “Cracker Barrel completely changed their iconic logo for the first time in 47 years, and it’s absolutely horrible. When will they learn?”

… Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT): “This logo change feels like a war crime.”

… Newsom mocked the MAGA controversy with a Trump-style post: “WHAT IS WRONG WITH CRACKER BARREL?? KEEP YOUR BEAUTIFUL LOGO!!! THE NEW ONE LOOKS LIKE CHEAP VELVEETA “CHEESE” FROM WALMART, THE PLACE FOR “GROCERIES” (AN OLD FASHIONED TERM)!!! "FIX IT” ASAP! WOKE IS DEAD!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN”

… Many Democrats posted their own proposed rebranding on social media:

This one was a bit of a grind to put together because there were lots of different pieces of news that needed to go together but came from all over the place so it was tough to stitch together to make everything fit. I did my best - each day presents a different set of issues! If you missed the last Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) on Trump bringing in Dan Bailey to serve as “co-Deputy” FBI Director with Dan Bongino: “You don’t layer the Deputy Director of the FBI. The only reason for Trump, Bondi, Blanche and Patel to keep Bongino on board is because they are more worried about the damage he could cause untethered from the FBI than