A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.
These People Deserve Each Other
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a heated confrontation with Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Bill Pulte last week at the Executive Branch, the MAGA-chic private club in D.C., Politico reports.
Bessent accused Pulte, the MAGA influencer ginning up mortgage fraud claims against Trump foes, of bad-mouthing him to Trump, leading to this diatribe from the sitting Treasury secretary: “Why the fuck are you talking to the president about me? Fuck you. I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face.”
Co-owner Omeed Malik attempted to intervene in the confrontation, prompting this memorable exchange:
“It’s either me or him,” Bessent said to Malik. “You tell me who’s getting the fuck out of here.”
“Or,” he added, “we could go outside.”
“To do what?” asked Pulte. “To talk?”
“No,” Bessent replied. “I’m going to fucking beat your ass.”
Even Trump-world insiders described the scene to Politico as “bonkers” and “unhinged.”
Not Normal
The signature piece of propaganda over the weekend, posted by President Trump on his social media platform:
Quote of the Day
“We’re going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct. We’re going to raise up warriors, not just defenders.”–Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at President Trump’s Oval Office signing of an executive order making the Department of War a “secondary title” for the Department of Defense
Capitulation I: Service Academy Speakers Censored
- USAF Academy: Air Force Academy officials have canceled an upcoming annual lecture by University of Utah professor Paisley Rekdal after discovering her online history of disparaging President Trump, the Denver Gazette reports.
- U.S. Military Academy: An alumni group at West Point canceled an award ceremony for actor Tom Hanks scheduled for later this month. It’s not clear if the award for Hanks, which was announced in June, has been revoked. “[T]he planned celebration appears to have run headlong into Trump-era politics,” the WaPo reports. In addition to being a big backer of a number of military and veterans causes, Hanks has been a public supporter of Joe Biden and was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. While no reason was given for the cancellation, President Trump gave away the game:
Capitulation II: CBS News Surrenders Editorial Control
Under absurd pressure from the Trump administration, CBS News will no longer edit pre-recorded interviews for Face the Nation.
Thread of the Day
Abrego Garcia Targeted in New, Cruel Ways
Since we last checked in on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has issued new threats to deport him, variously, to El Salvador (again!) and the small African country of Eswatini — all because he dared to challenge the error of his original unlawful deportation to El Salvador.
RFK Jr. Watch:
- KFF Health News: The Trump administration has given notice that political appointees, rather than scientists, will ultimately decide who gets NIH grants.
- WSJ: HHS to Link Autism to Tylenol Use in Pregnancy and Folate Deficiencies
- WaPo: RFK Jr. says anyone who wants a COVID shot can get one. That’s not the case.
The Big Comeback Even Childhood Diseases Didn’t Expect
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THANK YOU FOR ALL THE @‘S OF CONCERN!
EVERYTHING IS FINE, JUST WORKING TO SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT’S AGENDA TO REMOVE ALL ILLEGALS, SEMI-LEGALS, PRO-LEGALS, FREE RADICALS, AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS FROM OUR FOOD SUPPLY AND FLUORIDE FROM OUR BODILY FLUIDS! FREEDOM IS NOT A PART-TIME JOB. THE MISSION NEVER SLEEPS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
This is the 125th anniversary of the Galveston hurricane today.
This is where our NWS is headed back to - run by petty bureaucrats who know so much better than developed science. Who want all of the control Who ban words that upset people - like “hurricane”, “typhoon”, “tornado”. Too many warnings aren’t good for people. And local meteorologists don’t know as much as we, who are in charge. All forecasts must be made only from DC.
The 1900 hurricane in Galveston cost an estimated 10,000 lives and $700,000 in 2015 dollars, when this was written. At this time, it was the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in the United States.
Sadly, I expect we might eclipse that.
Hope you were able to squeeze in a trip to the beach and a night out on the town with all that work! Whew, I’m tired just reading about it!
Not much on the US Open and the booing the First Felon took several times during the event’s attempts to make a show of his presence? Not much on the people paying three and four figures to go to the event and missing several sets for which they’d paid?
Glad to see you back. We need someone like you to bring gravitas to the conversation.