Good evening. I’m British Chris, and this is Raw America.
Construction of Trump’s ballroom was just shut down by a federal court, and Trump is now demanding his far-right Supreme Court bail him out again. A Republican congressman facing horrific domestic violence allegations is now blaming his toddler daughter’s daycare for her bruises, while the daycare insists they never laid a hand on her. The latest jobs report shows hiring under Trump’s economy has collapsed to its worst level in five years. And in Texas, Democrat James Talarico has opened up a real lead over Republican candidate Ken Paxton.
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Trump Enraged After Appeals Court Rules His Ballroom Is Illegal
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Trump has to immediately halt construction of his $400 million White House ballroom, since Congress never officially approved it.
This dates back to Trump tearing down the East Wing of the White House last fall to make room for a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom designed to hold 1,000 people. He bulldozed a historic building without even saying a word to Congress.
A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit just put a stop to it. Two of the three judges, one appointed by Obama, one by Biden, ruled that only Congress can authorize a project involving significant changes to historic federal buildings. The lone dissenter was a Trump appointee.
The two judges who ruled against Trump wrote in their decision that the president is a tenant of the White House, not the owner, and that any major projects need Congress’ blessing.
Trump erupted in a lengthy screed on Truth Social, calling the ruling “unjust” and vowing that he would soon file an appeal to the Supreme Court. He said the ballroom construction includes various security measures including bomb shelters, a hospital, and “Top Secret Military Facilities,” and that its construction is necessary for national security.
Keep in mind that Congress explicitly told Trump no once before, officially rejecting his request for a billion dollars for his ballroom back in May. Democrats have also warned that $350 million from Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” may have been quietly redirected toward Trump’s ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the lead plaintiffs in the case that led to today’s decision, said the ruling isn’t just about a building, but about whether the public actually has any say over what happens to a building that, last time we checked, still belongs to the American people.
The ruling won’t take effect for two weeks, so it’s safe to assume Trump’s lawyers will quickly take this to the Supreme Court.
Republican Accused of Domestic Violence Blames Daycare for Daughter’s Injuries
Republican Congressman Max Miller of Ohio is now facing a wave of new questions over his response to his own daughter’s injuries. Raw Story reported Friday that after Miller’s toddler daughter was rushed to the emergency room covered in bruises, the congressman responded by suing the daycare.
Miller’s daughter was hospitalized in January of last year with injuries described in his own lawsuit as covering her thighs, face, groin, and vaginal area. Hospital staff were so alarmed by her injuries that they called police and alerted local child welfare authorities.
Miller’s lawsuit alleges the daycare failed to properly supervise his daughter, though it never actually explains how she was injured. The daycare is firmly denying that Miller’s daughter was harmed in their care.
That case was quietly dismissed this past April. If there was a settlement between the two parties, no details have emerged.
The news about Miller’s lawsuit comes as the congressman is in the midst of a brutal divorce. Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno – the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio — accused Miller of throwing her against a wall, holding a gun to her head and fracturing their daughter’s collarbone. She and the child are reportedly in hiding from her ex-husband.
Senator Moreno has publicly said he holds his breath every minute his former son-in-law has custody of his granddaughter, and that Miller should no longer be serving in Congress.
Miller continues to deny the allegation, and is running for reelection with Trump’s endorsement. Republicans have been calling on him to drop out of the race before August 10, which is the last day the Ohio GOP can replace his name on the November ballot.
Trump’s Economy Sees Hiring Plummet to 5-Year Low in Disastrous Jobs Report
The July jobs report shows employers cut 23,000 positions last month, meaning hiring is now at its lowest at any point since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unemployment rate dropped slightly. Not because people are hiring, but because hundreds of thousands of Americans simply left the labor force.
Economists say there are a number of contributors to the sluggish jobs report. Trump’s tariffs continue to lead to higher costs. Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain disrupted by Trump’s war with Iran. And this is all happening while companies are continuing to pour money into AI instead of on hiring human workers.
Wage growth has also slowed to a crawl, hitting its slowest pace since May of 2021 and likely trailing inflation. That means that even for workers who are gainfully employed, they’re still losing ground as costs are going up quicker than their own pay.
Despite billions of dollars being spent on the AI sector, even Big Tech’s hiring has shrunk by nearly 4 percent since its peak in 2022. Other sectors have also been struggling, with leisure and hospitality posting 80,000 total job losses in just the last two months. The only sectors that appear to be thriving are healthcare, data center construction, and temporary staffing. And even those are growing more slowly than before, as more Americans incensed about the environmental impact of data centers work to stop development.
It’s also worth noting that Trump’s immigration crackdown is a major contributor to the drop in the total labor force. After the Supreme Court in June allowed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to lapse for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and other countries, this has pulled workers out of the economy, keeping the unemployment rate artificially low.
The White House is looking for the silver lining by pointing to a miniscule gain in the manufacturing sector, insisting it signifies an industrial resurgence. The data tells a very different story.
James Talarico Opens Up 4-Point Lead on Ken Paxton
A brand-new Texas Pulse poll from Texas A&M’s Bush School shows Democratic state representative James Talarico now leading Trump-endorsed Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by 4 points in Texas’ U.S. Senate race, 47 to 43.
That’s a significant shift, given that the two candidates were tied just a month ago.
Most of Talarico’s gains are from independent voters, who now back the Democrat by 23 points. Younger voters are also going Talarico’s way, with two-thirds of voters under 35 backing his candidacy.
Talarico is also the preferred candidate on issues that Texans tell pollsters matter the most to them. That includes affordability, public safety and water management. The only issue where Paxton holds an edge is border security.
Pollsters also found something else that may explain the Democrat’s widening lead. Texas voters largely view Talarico as honest and authentic. However, a 55 to 35 margin of Texans see Paxton as corrupt. That’s hard for a sitting attorney general to overcome, especially someone who has spent years contending with his own legal troubles.
Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in decades. If the election were held tomorrow, Talarico would be the first since the 1990s.
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Thanks for reading. I’m British Chris, with Raw America. Have a great weekend.
Here are some stories you may have missed:
Trump Says if Republicans Lose Midterms, It’s Not His Fault. During a recent interview with Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman, President Donald Trump acknowledged the possibility of his party suffering significant losses in the November midterms. However, the president said if Republicans come up short, it won’t be because of his leadership. When noting that his name would not be at the top of the ballot this fall, Trump told Sherman: “the question is, will they vote? They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me.”
Democrats Add 12 ‘Safe’ Republican Districts to Midterm Goals List. House Democrats are feeling especially bullish about their chances in this fall’s midterm elections, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) adding 12 districts Donald Trump won handily in 2024 to their list of districts to flip. The DCCC’s list is now up to 58 targets, with Democrats aiming to capitalize on voters’ anger about high prices, the Iran war and Trump’s corruption. Democrats flipped a whopping 40 seats in the 2018 midterms, and are hoping to significantly outdo that number this November.
Trump Revives Attempt to Fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook Over Mortgages. The White House is now once again attempting to fire Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook. An August 5 letter from the White House, addressed to Cook’s attorney, notes that the Trump administration believes there is “sufficient reason to believe” Cook made false statements on mortgage documents, and is requesting an answer within three weeks. Cook maintains she did nothing wrong, and the Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump did not have the constitutional authority to fire members of the Federal Reserve board.
Senate Confirms Dozens of Trump Nominees Before August Recess. The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed more than 70 of Trump’s nominees to various positions in one fell swoop by grouping the nominations together. Those confirmed include U.S. attorneys, ambassadors, U.S. marshals, members of various government boards and commissions and top officials serving in various federal agencies. Senators have not yet voted on whether to confirm Todd Blanche — Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer — as attorney general, with that vote likely requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote.
