Good evening, I’m British Chris, and this is Raw America.
Tonight, we’ve got four stories that show exactly what happens when power concentrates in too few hands. The Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs, and within hours, he defied them. Republicans in Congress are torn between the Constitution and keeping their seats. Fox News hosts, of all people, are asking hard questions about a potential war with Iran. And the Epstein estate just agreed to pay up to $35 million to survivors of his abuse.
But first, I have a quick request: I need your help today. Raw America is Raw Story’s people-powered response to corporate media’s capitulation to the rich and powerful. The oligarchs are counting on their extreme wealth to shield them from accountability. That’s where independent media comes in: our mission is to give you the raw, unvarnished truth. That can’t happen without your support. Become a paying subscriber today and help us keep the pressure on.
Now let’s get into it.
Trump Subverts the Supreme Court in Real Time
On Friday, the Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 decision striking down Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The court ruled that the administration did not have the authority to impose those duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It was a significant rebuke.
Privately, according to CNN, Trump remarked, “these fucking courts.” Later, in a press briefing, he said that he can create a “foreign country destroying embargo” and “destroy” any country he wants.
He also announced a replacement plan before the ink on the Supreme Court decision was dry.
Trump is citing a statute allowing him to impose a global tariff for 150 days. It caps out at 15 percent, though he’s only going to 10 for now. After those 150 days, Congress would have to extend it. That’s not nothing. That’s actually a major constraint.
There’s another catch. Section 122 requires that tariffs be “nondiscriminatory.” Under the old emergency powers framework, Trump could give breaks to some countries and punish others. That flexibility is gone. He can’t cut sweetheart deals for allies or single out enemies with targeted rates.
The short version: the Supreme Court slammed the door, and Trump immediately opened a different one.
Republican Congress Caught in the Middle
The court’s ruling put Republican lawmakers in an awkward position, and most of them handled it about as gracefully as you’d expect.
A small but vocal group of Republicans actually welcomed the decision, though most were careful to wrap their statements in compliments for Trump. Senator Chuck Grassley said Congress needs to reassert its constitutional role over commerce, and that the administration should “keep negotiating, while also working with Congress.”
Senator John Curtis of Utah, who has previously warned that tariffs could “destroy small businesses,” said the ruling affirms “that the founders’ system of checks and balances remains strong.” That’s a pointed statement from a member of Trump’s own party.
On the other side of the Republican caucus, Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio called the ruling “outrageous” and a “betrayal,” and demanded immediate legislation to codify the tariffs. That’s not going anywhere, by the way. With the filibuster in place and only a handful of Republicans willing to break with Trump, the math simply doesn’t work.
The founders designed checks and balances for exactly this kind of moment. But whether MAGA Republicans actually have the spine to use them is a completely different matter.
Even Fox News Is Asking Questions About Iran
Finally, the Iran situation is getting tense enough that even pro-Trump voices on Fox News are pushing back.
On Friday, Fox and Friends co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy — the wife of Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — said out loud what a lot of Americans are thinking: The case for war with Iran has not been made. She called on Trump to “make a better case” as to why attacking Iran was necessary. Co-host Brian Kilmeade immediately agreed.
She also said while she feels for Iranian protesters, she isn’t convinced a military strike would help them. She called on Trump to explain why she should risk the lives of her military-aged sons on another war in the Middle East, saying: “I thought we were done with that.”
That’s a Fox News host, the wife of a Cabinet member, saying that on live television.
Meanwhile, the military posture in the region is growing more tense by the day. The USS Gerald R. Ford has been redirected from the Caribbean to the Middle East. Iran has conducted military exercises this week, including joint drills with Russia. Iran’s supreme leader has threatened to sink American warships if a strike occurs and warned against a “regional war.”
Diplomatic talks are stalled. The military buildup is real. And a Fox News host is saying the public hasn’t been given a good enough reason to go to war. That should all be front page news.
The Epstein Estate Finally Pays Up
Finally, the estate of Jeffrey Epstein has agreed to pay up to $35 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by survivors of his abuse.
The complaint, first filed in 2024, alleged that the co-executors of Epstein’s estate “facilitated” Epstein’s “sex trafficking and abuse” and helped him “escape justice for years by concealing his litany of crimes.” A judge still has to sign off.
The final dollar amount depends on the number of survivors who join the class action. It could reach $35 million, or drop as low as $25 million if fewer than 40 eligible claimants sign on.
This comes after years of a compensation process that has been anything but smooth. After Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial, his estate set up a survivor compensation fund. Over 150 claims were filed and more than $50 million was paid out. Then, by early 2021, payouts were paused because the estate ran low on cash.
This $35 million settlement is progress. But for the survivors who’ve spent years fighting a well-resourced estate and a system that protected their abuser for decades, it’s a long time coming.
Why We Built Raw America
We’re witnessing a president who directly defies the nation’s highest court when it rules his policies illegal. Congress is too afraid of primary challenges to assert its own constitutional authority. We’re on the precipice of yet another Middle Eastern war that nobody outside Washington wants. And Epstein’s estate is writing checks that don’t come close to covering the damage done.
These aren’t unrelated events: They’re symptoms of a system where accountability for the rich and powerful is in critically short supply.
Corporate media won’t tell the plain truth. That’s why Raw America was built. We’re not beholden to advertisers or oligarchs. We answer to you.
Share this video, become a paying subscriber, and help us keep doing the work to keep democracy alive.
I’m British Chris for Raw America. Thanks for watching.
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Trump’s FCC Chair Wants Networks to Air Propaganda Ahead of ‘America 250’ Event. Brendan Carr, who is Trump’s appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is calling on broadcasters to include pro-America programming ahead of July 4, 2026. Carr suggested these segments could air during “regular news programming,” and that stations could start broadcasts with the Pledge of Allegiance or by playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Mike Huckabee Says Israel Has Biblical Right to Conquer Middle East. During an interview with far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson, Huckabee – who is Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to Israel — cited Genesis 15:18 to argue that Israel should have the right to take “basically the entire Middle East” including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He added: “It would be fine if they took it all.”
Epstein Tried to Buy Moroccan Palace Days Before 2019 Arrest. Newly unearthed records show convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein tried to buy the Bin Ennakhil palace in Marrakesh in July of 2019, just prior to his arrest for sex trafficking. Reuters found that Charles Schwab wired $27.7 million to a Moroccan realtor on Epstein’s behalf to purchase the palace, which has gold-draped walls, 60 marble fountains and is on a plot larger than New York’s Washington Square Park.
