The Daily Dean Newsletter: Friday, July 4, 2025
America officially becomes a Police State, Trump's cognitive decline in full bloom, CBS's "Trump Bribe" fee, Musk loses again, Ukraine pounded after friendly Trump/Putin call...
Friday, July 4, 2025
Here’s what you need to know today. Welcome to the Daily Dean. A daily newsletter where we cut through the noise and deliver the stories that matter for those who give a damn about democracy in North America. It’s Independence Day, but the fight for freedom feels heavier than ever. Let’s dive into the top five stories you need to know.
1. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Passes: A Gut Punch to Millions Yesterday, the House passed President Trump’s sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” a legislative juggernaut that’s a win for his base but a disaster for millions. The bill slashes Medicaid, potentially stripping healthcare from 16-18 million Americans, and cuts food assistance for up to 40 million through SNAP reductions. Most alarmingly, it allocates $160 billion to supercharge ICE, turning it into a massive law enforcement agency—some say Trump’s personal secret police. With $46.5 billion for border walls, $45 billion for detention centers, and funds to hire 10,000 new ICE agents, this bill fuels Trump’s mass deportation vision. Critics warn it’s a step toward authoritarianism, with ICE answering directly to one man, effectively turning America, the land of the free, into a pure police state on par with China and Russia.
ICE, Inc.: Trump’s Secret Police Just Got $100 Billion—and a Green Light to Hunt His Enemies, and YOU
ICE State: The American Autocracy Is No Longer a Warning—It’s Funded
Steve Schmidt and I sat down to cover the most hurtful, tyrannical piece of American legislation ever passed and what’s next for America’s police state:
Dean Live with Steve Schmidt: Trump’s Police State and the New State of America’s Union
There are a few American North Stars speaking truth, and Steve Schmidt is at the top of the list. *CANADA DAY (WEEK) FLASH SALE! Canada turns 158 this week, and we’re celebrating ALL WEEK LONG! Get 50% off annual subscriptions and unlimited access for life, HERE.
2. Trump’s Cognitive Decline: The Story Legacy Media Won’t TouchWhile touring his new “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in Florida, Trump struggled to answer a simple question from a Fox News reporter, raising fresh concerns about his cognitive health. His rambling, incoherent response—captured on video—shows a president who seems unable to process or articulate basic thoughts. Yet, U.S. legacy media, cowed by Trump’s wrath, is largely silent. We’re not. This isn’t just about one bad day; it’s about a pattern that threatens leadership stability. Watch the clip, share it, and let’s get people talking about what’s really happening.
Read more:
VIDEO: The President Who Can’t Answer A Basic Question
On July 1, 2025, Donald Trump stood at a podium in the middle of the Florida Everglades, surrounded by barbed wire, detention barracks, and swamp water teeming with alligators. “Alligator Alcatraz” — Trump’s proudly branded new migrant detention center/concentration camp, where families are held indefinitely, press access is limited, and immigration cou…
3. CBS Pays Trump $16M “Bribe Fee” Amid Merger Talks: In a shocking move, CBS’s parent company, Paramount, paid Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The timing? Suspiciously close to Paramount’s major merger with Skydance. This payout smells like a tribute fee to appease a vindictive president who’s been targeting media outlets for “false” coverage. With Trump collecting cash from media giants, it’s no wonder legacy outlets are terrified to challenge him. This isn’t journalism—it’s capitulation. Democracy thrives on a free press, not one paying protection money.
Read more:
4. Trump Humiliates Musk in Latest Feud Over “Big Beautiful Bill: ”Elon Musk, once Trump’s ally and DOGE chief, publicly trashed the “Big Beautiful Bill” as bloated “pork.” Trump didn’t hold back, brushing off Musk’s criticism and cementing his dominance. Musk, who’s been vocal on X about government spending, was left licking his wounds after the bill passed despite his objections. This feud exposes cracks in Trump’s inner circle and shows his knack for steamrolling even powerful allies. For democracy, it’s a reminder: loyalty to Trump is a one-way street.
Read more:
Musk vs. Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" Feud Ends In Humiliation For Musk. Again.
July 3, 2025*CANADA DAY (WEEK) FLASH SALE! Canada turns 158 this week, and we’re celebrating ALL WEEK LONG! Get 50% off annual subscriptions and unlimited access for life, HERE.
5. Putin’s Drone Blitz on Ukraine Follows Trump Call: Hours after a phone call with Trump, Russia unleashed a record-breaking drone and missile attack on Kyiv, injuring at least 23 and damaging buildings across the capital. This comes as Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted a U.S. weapons shipment to Ukraine, leaving critical aid stranded in Poland. The timing raises questions about Trump’s influence and intentions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With Putin vowing retaliation for Ukraine’s strikes, and Trump seemingly undermining Kyiv’s defense, the stakes for global democracy couldn’t be higher.
Read more:
Why This Matters: Today’s stories paint a grim picture: a president consolidating power, silencing media, and destabilizing global alliances while his cognitive decline goes unchecked. The “Big Beautiful Bill” isn’t just policy—it’s a blueprint for control, gutting safety nets and weaponizing ICE against American citizens. Meanwhile, media payouts and foreign policy chaos signal a weakening of democratic guardrails. This July 4th, let’s recommit to holding power accountable.
Today’s Quote:
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”
- Denis Waitly
Share this newsletter, talk to your friends, and stay vigilant. Subscribe for free to get the Daily Dean in your inbox. Got a tip or a story we should cover? Reply or DM us on Substack.
TRUMP's North Korea Opens Seaside Resort with Fanfare but No Foreign Tourists
Come elections in November 2025 and November 2026, we will look back on the big ugly bill as part of the springboard that gave rise to a new American consensus. That is when millions of Americans will next sit in judgment of Trump and his MAGA enablers in Congress and at the Roberts Court and the death and destruction that they wrought over the past days.
So, what’s in the bill?
Extends tax cuts that had been scheduled to expire at the end of the year
Eliminates some taxes on tips and overtime pay
Funds more defense and border security
Cut Medicaid funding by nearly $1 trillion
Increases the debt limit by $5 trillion
Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that Trump has the constitutional power to nullify laws. Experts consider it a stark overreach of presidential authority.
The Chimes of Freedom Grow Faint
We’re not teetering on the edge. We’re in the abyss.
The Republican Party isn’t conservative. It’s a white supremacist, Christian nationalist, authoritarian death cult — orbiting a single man’s brittle ego, bottomless greed, and lust for revenge.
Trump and his enablers are not subtle. They are loud, proud, and deadly serious about retribution. They’re purging the civil service, politicizing the military and deploying it against us, neutering Congress, and dismantling checks and balances. Trump isn’t governing. He’s seizing control.
When do the real global Democracies start calling for Olympic and World Cup boycotts?
Does anyone trust Orange Shitler to change course now?
How many concentration camps are too many?