Look who's trying to end birthright citizenship. Again.
When Stephen Miller is involved, you know what the motives are.
NOTE: Miles is out of pocket this week for much-needed rest with family. This week, we’re sending our Members-only daily news update (THE DEFIANCE WATCHLIST) to all subscribers. If you want to continue to get all-access, please consider becoming a DEFIANCE.org Member today at DEFIANCE.org/join
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, TAKE TWO. It was just weeks ago that the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s first attempt to eradicate Constitutionally protected birthright citizenship. That victory was thanks in part to you, the DEFIANCE. Back in December, on one of our Weekly Mission Briefings, our members voted to support the Democracy Defenders Fund as it pressed the fight against Trump’s worst abuses of power—and we won that round. But Trump hasn’t given up. Yesterday, he signed two new executive orders aiming to limit birthright citizenship. One narrows citizenship for specific categories of people, including children of those with foreign embassy connections; the other targets so-called “birth tourism” by restricting visas for visitors hoping to give birth in the U.S. If there’s any question about who and what are behind the latest move, this video should clear things up…
In the video, Stephen Miller says the new order will be limited to, among others, “terrorists.” But remember: the Trump administration’s definition of “terrorist” has often been synonymous with “anyone who disagrees with us.” And the presence of Miller just about always means white nationalism is the guiding force, not national security. The 14th Amendment says anyone born in the country is a citizen, and courts have upheld that for over a century. Trump says he thinks this version will hold up. The ACLU says otherwise. And we’ll keep fighting, too.
WHEN PROSECUTORS ARE THE PROBLEM. The federal government’s use of conspiracy charges against ICE protesters is escalating fast. An NPR review found the Justice Department has charged more than three dozen people in at least 10 cases using a Civil War-era conspiracy statute, plus nearly 50 more under other statutes in Michigan, Texas, and Minnesota. Legal experts warn the government is casting an ever-wider net over ordinary civil disobedience. In Chicago, one such case, known as the “Broadview Six,” collapsed, but the fallout keeps growing. Normally-secret grand jury transcripts are being released after a judge found prosecutors improperly dismissed skeptical jurors and “vouched” for their own case. U.S. District Judge April Perry stated she had “never seen” such prosecutorial behavior, adding, “Trust has been broken.” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros now admits “mistakes were made,” but is fighting off calls for a special prosecutor to investigate his own office. Know-your-rights groups are on top of this expansion of the administration’s First Amendment crackdown and have been ramping up efforts to defend protesters.
THE BLANCHE NOMINATION ROLLER COASTER TAKES ANOTHER DIVE. Just yesterday, in our reader poll, we asked you whether Todd Blanche would be confirmed as attorney general, and 82% of you said yes. It seemed like the right call at the time. But this morning, Blanche’s path to AG is looking unclear again. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced this morning that she’ll vote no, because she’s worried the “anti-weaponization fund” could be quietly revived if he’s confirmed (and she’s right to worry). “The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski said. “I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.” With Susan Collins already a no and Mitch McConnell still “recovering,” Blanche can’t afford to lose another vote. His nomination hinges on Senator Bill Cassidy, one of the more prominent GOP critics of Trump’s DOJ.
THE LEAK THAT MADE HIM FURIOUS. According to a Washington Post report, Trump’s frustration with the Iran war boiled over at Camp David last weekend, where he confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over munitions shortages he thought had “been fixed.” The shortages in long-range missiles and air-defense interceptors are reportedly part of why Trump pulled back from his latest apocalyptic threats against Iran. His response to the story breaking wasn’t to address the shortage (he insists the U.S. has “massive amounts” of munitions). It was to go after whoever talked: in a late-night screed on Truth Social, Trump vowed that the “leakers” of these “treasonous statements” are being “hunted down,” promising “long term jail sentences.” So the big question is, who is the leaker? Could it be someone high up in the administration with political aspirations of his own? Social media suggests JD Vance or Marco Rubio. We don’t know that, of course, but it’s interesting that someone is trying to get the truth out there, whatever their reasons are.
THE $110 BILLION THAT WASN’T. A new GAO report tears apart DOGE’s signature claim to fame: $110 billion in savings that Elon Musk’s team touted on its public “Wall of Receipts.” Investigators found DOGE took credit for lease cancellations that were already underway before it existed, claimed contracts were terminated that weren’t, and loaded its database with unverifiable numbers. DOGE originally promised to cut $2 trillion in “waste, fraud, and abuse.” When GAO tried to check its work, the agency didn’t even respond to questions. This group may now be disbanded, but its foot soldiers will not escape accountability.
DIPLOMACY FOR SALE. This should shock exactly no one. A new Washington Post analysis finds that Trump is relying on wealthy donors and political loyalists to fill ambassadorships more than any recent president, with professional diplomats making up less than a third of sitting ambassadors. Meanwhile, more than half of ambassador posts sit vacant altogether. For Egypt’s ambassadorship, long held by career diplomats, Trump nominated Nick Oberheiden, a defense attorney with no prior diplomatic experience or public ties to Egypt, who donated roughly $1.3 million to political committees supporting him. And the kicker? Oberheiden once represented January 6 rioters. Because of course. His confirmation is pending.
WATCHLIST UPDATES. Here’s the latest on some of the other stories we reported on this week.
Trump’s BBC Lawsuit. Yesterday morning, we told you that Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC was threatening to force him to hand over his financials as part of discovery. Later in the day, Trump won an 11th-hour reprieve, blocking the BBC from accessing his business records for now. His lawyers are now trying to amend the lawsuit to drop claims of financial harm entirely, which would moot the BBC’s need for the records altogether. The court hasn’t ruled yet on whether that amendment works.
Pirro Still on Thin Ice. On Wednesday, we told you all about the clash between Trump and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro over her dropping vandalism charges against several defendants over that shoddy Reflecting Pool renovation. Trump’s still not over it. On Thursday, he told NBC News: “She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism. So, she made a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why she did such a stupid thing.” Trump vowed in May the Reflecting Pool renovation would “last 50 years,” rushing the no-bid, multimillion-dollar project to be done by July Fourth. Seems like the mistake was his.
A Tariff Refund Request. In yesterday’s issue, we told you that consumers have had it with tariff refunds making their way to corporations but not to them, even after it was regular Americans who largely paid the tab for Trump’s illegal “liberation day” tariffs. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker agrees. He’s demanding $1,700 direct payments for families in his state, saying, “There is no portal to request a refund for a mother in Rockford buying groceries for her children.”
BONUS ACT OF DEFIANCE: IRS WORKERS PUSH BACK. The union representing career IRS employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, has asked a federal judge to block Trump’s tax audit immunity deal, arguing that it would force career auditors to choose between following an unlawful order and following the law. The union’s filing doesn’t mince words: Todd Blanche “cannot tell the public the slush fund is dead while preserving every legal mechanism necessary to resurrect it at a moment’s notice.” Not only is the IRS being used to protect the president and his family, it’s reportedly being weaponized to go after foes. Weeks ago, the agency’s top lawyer resigned after clashes with the White House over targeted investigations against particular taxpayers, which is forbidden under law. Fortunately, if the Trump team had planned to weaponize the IRS in secret, they’re not getting their way. These two stories show the sunlight is beginning to pour in.
THE ANT HILL IS OUR MEMBERS-ONLY CORNER OF THE COLONY, WHERE “DEFY ANTS” GET MORE THAN JUST THE NEWSLETTER.
TODAY’S FEATURE: THE DEFIANCE BOOK CLUB
IF YOU’RE ALREADY A DEFIANCE MEMBER, THEN STEP RIGHT IN. IF NOT, SIGN UP HERE, SO YOU DON’T MISS A THING.
