ICYMI: Saturday Afternoon Updates: Trump Makes Another Mystery Trip to Walter Reed While Siccing His DOJ on the Press — 7/11/26
Saturday Afternoon Updates: Trump Makes Another Mystery Trip to Walter Reed While Siccing His DOJ on the Press — 7/11/26Saturday afternoon news updates: an unscheduled cognitive test, missile threats, and subpoenas for reporters who dared to do their jobs
Hi all, Ben here. It’s Saturday. Let’s get into everything we’re tracking today. Top stories we’re covering:
Before I go any further, if you haven’t yet joined as a paid subscriber, consider doing so now by clicking here to support our work. This is how we grow. It will give you access to all recaps like this, our exclusive Ask-the-Editor series, and more. Plus, it is the best way to help support the growth of this network. Now let’s get into it. Locked Down and FumingDonald Trump was holed up in the White House this morning before heading to his golf club, and by all accounts he is furious. The reporting suggests his anger stems from revelations about his Qatari-donated Air Force One, the $400 million luxury jet he’s been so proud of, and how it turned out not to be secure enough to fly him directly home from a NATO summit. He had to use the old plane instead. Embarrassing. So what does a wounded strongman do when he’s humiliated? He doesn’t own it. He sends his Justice Department after the journalists who reported on it. Reporters Julian Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt of the New York Times have all been hit with subpoenas, some delivered by federal agents right to their homes, according to the Times. The paper is calling it a brazen act, and if you ask me, that undersells it. The Times’ top newsroom lawyer, David McCraw, put out a statement making clear how serious this is: federal agents showing up on a reporter’s doorstep should alarm anyone who believes in the Constitution and the free press it protects. He said the move is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate journalists and keep the public in the dark about how their government operates and their tax dollars get spent. And this isn’t the only place we’re seeing this pattern. Remember the Reflecting Pool renovation, the no-bid contract Trump handed to a friend that ended up turning the water green with algae, exactly like experts warned it would? Instead of admitting the screwup, his administration had people arrested for showing up to see the mess in person. That’s the throughline here. Weak leaders don’t take responsibility. They find someone else to punish. Governor Gavin Newsom, replying to MeidasTouch’s reporting, summed it up pretty well, listing off the pattern: deploying private police, seizing ballots, prosecuting political enemies, purging watchdogs, and now subpoenaing the free press. He noted there’s a word for all that. Here’s the thing though. There’s more to this story that connects directly to why Trump is in such a paranoid, defensive crouch right now, and it has to do with missiles, a foreign government, and his own mental state. Stick with me. More Missiles, More Threats, More ParanoiaLate last night, Trump was reposting that a thousand missiles are locked and loaded and aimed at Iran, with thousands more ready to follow, should Iran act on any threat to assassinate him. At least this time he got the country’s name right. The “Islamic Republic of Japan” breathes a sigh of relief.
Here’s the strange part. While Trump is publicly threatening to unload on Iran for a full year “if they touch him,” his own officials are telling a very different story behind the scenes. Reporting out of CBS News says that U.S. officials claim Iranian officials have privately told Trump’s advisers that the recent attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz were a mistake, carried out by a rogue faction of hardliners trying to sabotage negotiations, and that Iran actually wants to keep talking. But that’s not what Iran’s own state actors put out at the time. When ships were struck, Iran’s navy broadcast warnings over radio that vessels needed to stick to routes coordinated with the IRGC, consistent with their own understanding of the ceasefire agreement. That’s not really the description of some rogue errant sect, but the entire chain of command. And then there’s Iran’s Supreme Leader, who put out a pointed statement this morning vowing revenge for what he called the blood of martyrs, saying it will be carried out no matter who remains in power, and that people around the world will each play a role in what he called this divine mission.
Meanwhile, Fox News had NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker on to frame all of this as Trump demonstrating “peace through strength,” even as the network’s own chyron flashed footage of “Kill Trump” banners at Khamenei’s funeral. There’s also this bit of nonsense from the Trump administration. They’ve spent months insisting the Strait of Hormuz is open. So why are they now demanding Iran publicly acknowledge it’s open and promise to stop firing on ships? You can’t have it both ways. Trump’s Mysterious and Unannounced Hospital VisitBack to Trump’s health, because this keeps happening. In the middle of his rant attacking Maggie Haberman over her new book, calling her reporting fake and threatening her with his lawsuit against the Times, Trump slipped in that he’d just finished another physical at Walter Reed, something he claims he does every six months (it’s been even more frequent than that lately), and that he requested yet another cognitive test, which he says he aced.
This is Trump’s second physical in just two months. The White House still isn’t being transparent about what’s actually going on with his health. Outlets including NPR, ABC News, PBS, and the AP have documented a pattern of three to four Walter Reed visits in about thirteen months, well beyond a normal annual physical, along with multiple unscheduled “dental visits” in Florida. Something is going on here. And we will not stop covering it. Building a Fence Around HimselfWhile all this is happening, Trump’s team is reportedly working on a plan to permanently fence off Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House. According to the Washington Post, the new fencing would run along 15th and 17th Streets, giving the Secret Service and the White House the ability to more easily close off the area whenever they decide there’s a security risk. Documents describe this as an effort to enhance long-term safety around Lafayette Park while preserving its identity as a national landmark. But strip away the bureaucratic language and what you have is a president who is so anxious about his own safety that he wants a permanent barrier between himself and the public he’s supposed to serve. Combine that with his repeated talk of a “ballroom” that will double as a military installation with drone ports and missile defense, and you start to see a portrait of a man who is genuinely afraid. Trump’s mortality is weighing heavy on him lately, for one reason or another.
The Fair’s Fitting FinaleIn a smaller footnote, the so-called Great American State Fair, part of the “Freedom 250” celebrations, was postponed again on what was supposed to be its final day yesterday. Attendance was reportedly so low that organizers just canceled the day and told people to head to the exits, with vague promises about reopening for an evening concert. I know what many of you are probably thinking right now: that was still going on?! Yes, apparently. But now it has met its fitting end. Ro Khanna Detained in the West BankMy friend and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna posted that he and other Americans traveling with him were detained by Israeli settlers, some carrying American-made M4 rifles, while visiting a Palestinian village in the West Bank. He said that when the IDF eventually arrived, they sided with the settlers and the detention continued. In his own telling, he described the arrogance of young soldiers in their early twenties laughing while detaining an American delegation that included a sitting member of Congress, apparently unmoved even when told the American embassy had been notified. He called it the arrogance of a power structure with no accountability. He says there’s more to come on this story.
Rubio’s Cuba WarningSecretary of State Marco Rubio put out a statement telling Cuba’s leaders they need to commit to real reforms, peace, and prosperity before it’s too late. It’s the kind of vague, ominous language this administration tends to use before ratcheting up pressure on a country, and it’s worth watching closely given how often threats like this turn into something bigger. Kash Patel’s Bad DayFBI Director Kash Patel had quite the Friday. According to reporting from Carol Leonnig, Patel was set to fly the Bureau’s jet to Chicago to catch his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, perform at a country music festival, but frustrated Trump advisers summoned him back to the White House instead, forcing him to cancel from the tarmac. Patel and the FBI pushed back hard, with Patel firing off a combative post calling the reporters “gold plated dumbasses,” and the FBI’s rapid response account calling the story a complete and total lie. Ron Filipkowski’s reaction captured it well: Kash is melting down. This is also not the first time Patel’s use of the government jet for personal travel has raised eyebrows, following an earlier Olympic detour that drew similar scrutiny. Housing Bill Becomes Law Despite Trump’s TantrumHere’s some real, tangible good news. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the biggest federal housing legislation in more than thirty years, is now officially law. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities, 85 to 5 in the Senate and 358 to 32 in the House. Trump refused to sign it, throwing a fit because Congress hadn’t passed his separate voter ID legislation, and dismissing the housing bill as unimportant by comparison. But he never actually vetoed it, so under the Constitution it became law automatically at midnight. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who spearheaded the legislation, celebrated the news, calling the law groundbreaking for its potential to build more housing, lower costs, and for the first time, stop private equity firms from buying up single family homes. The law also streamlines permitting, supports manufactured housing, modernizes affordable housing programs, and restricts large institutional investors from continuing to gobble up the housing market. It’s a rare case this year of something actually getting done for regular people, in spite of Trump, not because of him. That’s the rundown for this Saturday afternoon. Thanks for reading, watching, and keeping up on all the news by listening to the MeidasTouch Podcast. Enjoy your Saturday! See you later on Legal AF live. |
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