Good evening. I’m British Chris, and this is Raw America.
Donald Trump is now telling families of sailors trapped on an aircraft carrier with reportedly horrid conditions that their deployment hasn’t gone on “nearly long enough.” He also bragged to a crowd that “beautiful young girls” can’t stop fawning over him at the White House. A massive MAGA merchandise store in Tennessee is now closing its doors because, as the owner himself admits, business has simply dried up. And two top White House officials have left the administration in just the last 48 hours, with insiders saying more resignations could be on the way.
Before we get to the news, a quick ask: the billionaires with Mar-a-Lago memberships aren’t slowing down in their conquest of the media. David Ellison controls CBS and is trying to take over CNN. Jeff Bezos runs the Washington Post. Rupert Murdoch owns Fox and the Wall Street Journal. If they have their way, the only media outlets left standing will be MAGA propaganda mills. Raw America will never take a dime from a billionaire because we refuse to let a wealthy oligarch have final say over what we get to cover. But we can only stay independent if readers like you, who understand the importance of independent journalism, chip in to keep this work going. Become a paying subscriber right now for just 22 cents a day.
Each subscription goes directly toward our team of reporters on the ground in Washington, our video hosts, producers and editors, and allows us to remain independent. Your subscriptions also make it possible to broadcast live conversations with newsmakers like Hunter Biden, who we spoke with earlier this afternoon. You can watch that interview below, or by clicking here. Now let’s get to the news.
Trump Shrugs Off Military Families’ Concerns About U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln
The U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been at sea for 244 consecutive days, with no port visit since December. Five thousand sailors and Marines are reportedly living in squalor on a ship that reportedly ran out of basic amenities like working toilets and laundry facilities months ago. Military families have described how their loved ones are having to make do with dwindling food supplies, scarce hygiene supplies, and a mental health crisis so severe that several sailors have even tried to jump into the sea.
One sailor’s mother told NBC News the situation reminded her of an episode of America Horror Story where everyone is already dead but doesn’t know it yet. She said her son went from upbeat to withdrawn the longer his deployment dragged on.
When a reporter asked Trump whether the carrier’s deployment had gone on for too long, and whether he’s worried about the mental health of service members on the ship, he waved it off, saying, “No. No. No. Not nearly long enough.”
That’s the president of the United States, talking about actual human beings serving their country, trapped on a ship without adequate food or supplies.
The Pentagon insists that leadership prioritized food first, then hygiene, then mail. U.S. Central Command says the ship still has clean water and working air conditioning. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the reports “completely misrepresented” the true situation. But families are worried their loved ones are so depressed they’re jumping off the side of a warship.
More than 50,000 troops have been deployed to support Trump’s war with Iran. A typical carrier deployment runs six to seven months, with occasional stops to restock. The Lincoln blew past that timeline months ago, and the White House is only now sending a replacement ship as scrutiny ratchets up.
Democrats in Congress are demanding answers. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut wants to know whether the Navy can even sustain this kind of pace. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, is calling for a bipartisan congressional visit to the carrier to see what’s actually happening for themselves. The commander in chief saying desperate troops haven’t been deployed long enough suggests he’s grossly out of touch with reality.
Trump Brags About ‘Beautiful Young Girls’ Visiting Him at White House
During a political rally disguised as a law enforcement event in Long Island, New York, Trump found time to brag about something particularly bizarre.
While talking about crime in Washington, D.C. — which has actually been falling for since long before he took office — Trump veered into a rambling story about “beautiful young girls” approaching him at the White House to thank him for making the city safer.
Trump wouldn’t stop talking about “beautiful young girls” in vivid detail. He went on about how young women kept coming up to him and thanking him, telling him they used to be scared to leave their apartments and can now walk to the White House with no fear at all. He even acted out both sides of the conversation for the crowd of supporters.
While there’s never any shortage of crazy news from this administration, it’s nonetheless remarkable that the president of the United States went onstage, in front of police officers, to comment at length about young women’s appearances when he was supposed to be talking about public safety.
It’s also worth pointing out that the data tells a very different story than the narrative Trump wants to spread. The Council on Criminal Justice found that homicides dropped 18 percent nationally over the past year, amounting to 254 fewer killings. This trend is consistent in cities run by mayors of both major parties, and it started well before Trump’s deployed National Guard troops to Washington.
FBI Director Kash Patel still gave all credit to Trump anyway, telling the crowd the American dream is now “a reality” thanks to his leadership. It doesn’t seem to matter to this government that all available numbers say otherwise.
‘We’re Not Busy’: Massive Trump Merch Store Going Out of Business
A massive Trump merchandise store off near Knoxville, Tennessee has repeatedly made headlines for its garish appearance, including a giant Trump mannequin with a “Trump 2028” hat and a fake outhouse labeled the “Democrat Superstore.” Now, that store is closing down, and having an everything-must-go sale with its entire inventory discounted by 50 percent.
Initially, the closure was reportedly because the owner, 80 year-old Bill Hays, was retiring to Florida. But an employee named Dan confided to Slate that the real answer was much more simple: Business dried up. According to Dan, “we’re not busy anymore.”
Dan said in the store’s heyday, it would pull in 86 customers in a single 24-hour period. This was especially true after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and after the initial bombing of Iran. But those days are now over.
Hays got defensive about reports that referenced his age and his condominiums in Naples, Florida. But he eventually admitted the obvious: the doors are closing because of consistently slow business.
Dan was even more blunt, telling his boss that Trump’s popularity is “dwindling, dwindling, dwindling” as more working-class people are forced to choose between buying groceries and paying their utility bills. Even a MAGA store employee is admitting the movement’s retail enthusiasm is collapsing rapidly.
West Wing Exodus Continues as 2nd Top Trump Official Leaves in as Many Days
Trump’s West Wing is continuing to bleed staff, even high-ranking ones.
White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker announced on Friday he was leaving the Trump administration, just two days after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed she was also leaving too. Both offered glowing farewell statements, and both are saying they’re stepping down to spend more time with their families.
Baker wasn’t just an ordinary staffer. He was integral to Iran peace negotiations, and was the main point of contact for Vice President JD Vance in Pete Hegseth’s infamous leaked 2025 Signal chat about strikes on Yemen. Politico called Baker a key architect of Vance’s foreign policy.
Politico’s Playbook reports that even more departures are likely before the end of 2026. This is all happening with the midterm elections in less than three months, with Republicans bracing for the loss of one or both congressional majorities in November.
Before You Go, Support the Journalism That Only Answers to You
Raw America is able to give you the real story without fear of a billionaire owner or corporate parent demanding we soften or water down our coverage. This is because the only people we’ll ever answer to are our readers. Our paying subscribers are the entire reason we’re able to bring you these twice-daily newsletters, original reports from Washington and exclusive live interviews with some of the biggest names in the news. Today, we sat down with Hunter Biden for an exclusive, in-depth conversation about everything from how he hopes Trump officials will be held accountable under a future Democratic administration, who he’s rooting for in the Democratic Party right now, his addiction recovery and more. You can watch the full interview below.
We can only keep doing this work if readers like you, who understand how important independent journalism is right now, chip in. You can do that right now for just 22 cents a day. That’s less than a cup of coffee, and it’s all we need to stay independent and accountable only to you. Upgrade to a paying subscription and keep independent media alive.
Thanks for watching. I’m British Chris, with Raw America. Have a great weekend.
