BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

MONDAY
JANUARY 27, 2025

Daddy arrived and he’s taking his belt off.” 

— Totally normal guy Mel Gibson, [who has totally normal feelings]([link removed]) about Trump’s visit to California last week. 

GRAHAM CRACKING

Donald Trump is making Republican lawmakers’ lives downright awkward, because now they’re being pressured to publicly support his loopiest and most legally-dubious positions. 

- President Donald Trump delivered a brand new gut punch to democracy last Friday night when, with no warning, he [fired 17 inspectors general]([link removed]) across government agencies. Those are the people tasked with identifying fraud and abuse… so you can see why he’d want THEM gone. Their removal paves the way for MAGAworld to install loyalists to do the president’s bidding. Trump’s defense: “I don’t know them.” Fact check: He appointed some of them during his first term.

- The move was so radical that even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), aka Trump’s Secretary of Bootlicking, said the president broke the law by not giving the IGs a mandatory 30-day notice: “No, he didn’t. No, well, technically, yeah. But he has the authority to do it,” Graham told Meet The Press on Sunday. “I’m not, you know, losing a whole lot of sleep that he wants to change the personnel out.” Slam-dunk answer, senator! That’ll show them.

- It’s one major flashpoint in a string of decisions that have put Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill in a tricky spot. Over the weekend, Trump said he’d [like to see Egypt and Jordan accept]([link removed]) more than 1 million Palestinian refugees and “clean out” all of Gaza. Graham was asked about that one too, and [said he doesn’t think]([link removed]) it’s “overly practical.” (Keep scrolling for more on this topic).

- Other controversial moves, like pardoning all 1,500 January 6 rioters — even those who assaulted cops — have [divided House Republicans]([link removed])… and yes, Graham also called that decision a “mistake” today. Conservative firebreathers have [remained vocal proponents of banning]([link removed]) Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok despite Trump’s love for it. Some GOP lawmakers [were surprised]([link removed]) that Trump paused President Joe Biden’s landmark climate initiative, because it gives so much money to their states. Others [aren’t excited]([link removed]) about Trump’s infatuation with tariffs and desire to lower the corporate tax rate. And many [don’t think Trump should’ve revoked]([link removed]) the security clearance for former national security adviser John Bolton, who Iran literally wanted to assassinate, according to the Department of Justice.

- Republicans will have to live with Trump’s decisions long after he exits the political arena (yes, that will happen one glorious day). That reality could cause GOP lawmakers to think twice about supporting “[flaming turd]([link removed])” ideas, like [shooting American protestors]([link removed]) or declaring that the Constitution doesn’t actually apply to presidents. It feels like Graham, with his recent media frenzy questioning Trump’s leadership, may be getting ahead of the curve. 

- Over the past week, Republicans have been forced “into a corner where they either have to hide from questions or say they disagree with him,” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow [told Pod Save America]([link removed]). “That's probably good in terms of slowing down the worst things he wants to do. And I think it's a good sign that so many Republicans had a terrible, terrible first full day of Trump's second term.”

Many of Trump’s executive orders have been symbolic, aka bullshit. Listen to Strict Scrutiny’s [latest episode]([link removed]), in which Leah Littman and Melissa Murray break them down.

Call out: Do you work in politics or the federal government? Got any tips, emails from the Trump admin to forward, or just wanna vent about what’s been going on?
 
Reach out to me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or on Signal at 413-726-4767. I’d love to chat!

THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

Donald Trump’s proposal to remove Palestinians from Gaza has been widely criticized as unrealistic and inhumane. “It’s batshit crazy, for a whole long list of reasons,” Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at Arab Center Washington D.C. told What A Day. Here’s a few:
 
Egypt and Jordan don’t want the refugees: Egypt shot down [the Biden administration’s proposal]([link removed]) to take in Gazans, and pushing Cairo again would strain its extremely tense relationship with Israel. Meanwhile, Jordan is a small country that has already [accepted loads of refugees]([link removed]) from other conflicts in the region, including 2 million Palestinians. “They do not want to be seen as participating in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” Munayyer said.
 
It could ruin Trump’s biggest foreign policy achievement: The crown jewel of Trump’s first administration was the Abraham Accords, an agreement between Israel and Arab countries to normalize relations (notably excluding Palestinians). Trying to force Egypt and Jordan to take refugees could make it difficult to expand the agreement or even jeopardize it.
 
He might not be serious: Right now, Israel and Hamas are in the first phase of their cease-fire agreement in Gaza. It’s possible that Trump is trying to put pressure on negotiators (such as Egypt) to move on to the second phase, which [could result]([link removed]) in the end of the war.
 
The clock is ticking on Trump’s political career, Munayyer said, so Egypt and Jordan might just wait things out to avoid longer-term problems.
 
The question facing the two countries: “Do I want to invite another five decades of conflict and strife and struggle inside my borders so that I can make this madman happy? Or do I just put up with whatever crap he's going to give me for a few more years before I never have to deal with him again?” he added.
 

WHAT A SPONSOR

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WHAT ELSE?

[Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders aimed at the military]([link removed]), including banning transgender troops; scrapping diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and reinstating members with backpay who were discharged for refusing to get the Covid vaccine. 
 
[The Trump administration ordered the Centers for Disease Control]([link removed]) and Prevention (CDC) to stop working with the World Health Organization (WHO) immediately. Cool, why do we even need to care about bird flu and other outbreaks anyways?!
 
[Trump fired several career attorneys at the Department of Justice]([link removed]) who were involved in his prosecution. What’s more, the Trump administration [opened an investigation]([link removed]) into prosecutors who oversaw cases against the January 6 rioters. Nothing concerning to see here! The American legal system is totally healthy and not corrupt!
 
[Israel’s military raided the home of a Hamas member]([link removed]) who had been recently released in a hostage swap. Soldiers roughed up people nearby and pointed guns at others, including two New York Times journalists.
 
[Nearly 1,000 people were arrested across the country]([link removed]) on Sunday as immigration enforcement officers ramped up, the most single-day arrests to date by the Trump administration. As if that isn’t surreal enough, MAGA grifter Dr. Phil [broadcasted live]([link removed]) while embedding with ICE agents in Chicago. Reality TV America does it again! 
 
[Nvidia, America’s largest AI chip maker, lost hundreds of billions]([link removed]) of dollars in market value today amid panic about the success of a Chinese AI company called DeepSeek. Shares for Meta, Oracle and Microsoft also tumbled. Does this all sound like tech bro mambo jumbo to you? [Here’s a handy explainer]([link removed]). 
 
[Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was so late to her own swearing-in]([link removed]) ceremony that Vice President JD Vance — who was supposed to swear her in — left after waiting for 25 minutes. Noem arrived 15 minutes later, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had to swear her in instead. Good start!
 
[After What A Day last landed in your inbox, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth]([link removed]) was narrowly confirmed, after Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined with all Democrats to vote against him. Shillbilly elegy Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tiebreaking vote to confirm Hegseth.
 
Buckle up for this week: Brainworm survivor Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dictator-sympathizer Tulsi Gabbard, and MAGA madman Kash Patel all have confirmation hearings this week for top jobs. God help us.

The next four years are going to be a challenging and disorienting time, to say the least. Crooked will be here to help you distill what truly matters, understand what’s at stake, and figure out what we can do to make a difference. The best way to support what we do? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod. You’ll gain access to ad-free episodes, our engaged Discord community, and exclusive shows, all while supporting Crooked Media and our mission. Plus, now you can listen to episodes of Pod Save America — and Pod Save the World! — ad-free when you subscribe to Friends of the Pod on Apple Podcasts! Simply open the Apple Podcasts app and tap the subscribe button directly from the Pod Save America or Pod Save the World feed, and you’ll start your 7-day free trial.
 

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[The Trump administration’s email tipline for government employees to snitch]([link removed]) on DEI-supporting colleagues is being overrun by a spamming campaign that appears designed to overwhelm it, The xxxxxx reports. “People are sending it Scientology emails, porn, the script of ‘The Bee Movie,’ and warnings that unqualified, mediocre white people are being hired,” xxxxxx editor Sam Stein wrote. Keep it up, everyone!

[Pop icon Jennifer Lopez defended LGBTQ rights at the premier]([link removed]) of her “Kiss of the Spider Woman” musical at the Sundance Film Festival. She’s always been a real one.

[Legendary actor Christopher Walken admitted that he’s an unapologetic luddite.]([link removed]) “I don’t have technology. I only have a satellite dish on my house. So I’ve seen ‘Severance’ on DVDs that they’re good enough to send me,” he told the Wall Street Journal, referencing the show he currently stars in. “I don’t have a cellphone. I’ve never emailed or, what do you call it, Twittered.” Inspirational King!!!

[The stars of “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” reunited in a Zoom call,]([link removed]) 23 years after the movie’s release, to celebrate Demi Moore’s Oscar-nominated performance in “The Substance.” Friendship is a beautiful thing.

[Ilian Malinin, a 20-year-old figure skater from Virginia,]([link removed]) is poised to lead the United States in the world championships in March after winning nationals this weekend. [Malinin’s performance]([link removed]), complete with his signature quadruple axel and a newly legalized backflip, does a great job at taking your mind off the politics for six minutes.
 

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