Popular Information | Judd Legum | Substack

9 days in, the most basic question about the Iran war remains unanswered

In just over a week, Trump and top administration officials have given at least 17 different responses about why the war began

11 hrs ago • Judd Legum

Hundreds of thousands of Americans stranded in a war zone

Americans in 14 countries were not advised to evacuate until three days after the Trump administration began major combat operations in Iran. By that…

Mar 5 • Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims

The "meritocracy" exposed: Internal emails reveal how the Trump administration hires legal interns

“You MUST be aligned politically with President Trump… GPA is not a strong factor.”

Mar 4 • Judd Legum

The casino-fication of war

On February 28, the United States and Israel began major combat operations in Iran.

Mar 3 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

The money behind the new Iran War

In private calls over the last several weeks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Trump to attack Iran.

Mar 2 • Judd Legum

Independent accountability journalism.

Investigations

ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment

ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months

Jan 20 • Judd Legum

These companies advertised on X as Grok produced sexualized images of kids

At least 37 major companies were advertising on the platform this week, a Popular Information investigation reveals.

Jan 15 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

Venezuela raid enriches MAGA billionaire

The ouster of Maduro is a financial windfall for a prominent Trump-supporting billionaire, investor Paul Singer.

Jan 5 • Judd Legum

Top Trump negotiator retains partnership with Ukraine-sanctioned billionaire

Steve Witkoff coached a top Putin aide on managing Trump and created a peace plan that mirrored Russian demands

Dec 1, 2025 • Judd Legum

Musk’s AI supercomputer, used by U.S. military, secretly relies on Chinese hardware

Records obtained by Oligarch Watch reveal that the facility relies on Chinese transformers, creating a major security vulnerability.

Nov 26, 2025 • Caleb Ecarma

Corporate Power

Social media as state media

Silicon Valley was once viewed as a tool for liberation. Now, from blocking apps to banning groups, it is helping the White House suppress dissent.

Jan 29 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

The hollow corporate response to the Minnesota killings

At the beginning of December, the Trump administration launched “Operation Metro Surge,” sending thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE…

Jan 27 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

The corporate enablers of the ICE crackdown

How Amazon, AT&T, and Citizens Bank are profiting from the administration’s mass deportation campaign.

Jan 26 • Judd Legum

Five years later, these 10 corporations still aren’t funding election deniers

Five years ago today, on January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the Capitol building.

Jan 6 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

The AI industry’s $100 million play to influence the 2026 elections

As the 2026 midterms approach, President Trump is facing headwinds.

Dec 11, 2025 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

Media

How legacy media fell for Trump’s fake “pivot” in Minnesota

No, Trump did not "change course."

Jan 28 • Judd Legum and Noel Sims

Breaking precedent, networks interrupt prime time for Trump political diatribe

On Wednesday night at 9 PM Eastern, President Trump delivered a prime time address to the nation that was aired by all major broadcast networks.

Dec 18, 2025 • Rebecca Crosby, Noel Sims, and Judd Legum

The casino-fication of news

New partnerships between the prediction market Kalshi and cable TV networks will transform every news event into a betting opportunity.

Dec 8, 2025 • Judd Legum

The devolution of CBS News

A network once revered for fact-based reporting is embracing right-wing pseudo-journalism

Oct 7, 2025 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

UPDATE: Kimmel returns — but not on Sinclair or Nexstar affiliates

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show returned last night, less than a week after ABC indefinitely suspended production in response to Kimmel’s comments about…

Sep 24, 2025 • Judd Legum

Crime

Trump declares war on America

"It’s the enemy from within and we have to handle it before it gets out of control."

Oct 1, 2025 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

Criminal propaganda

On Tuesday, President Trump pledged to deploy the military in Chicago and Baltimore.

Sep 3, 2025 • Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby

Calling crime data "fake news," Trump seizes DC police

Lies, manipulated data, unsubstantiated allegations, and an unprecedented federal takeover.

Aug 12, 2025 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

Why you might not know that 2024 was America's safest year since the 1960s

An overwhelming majority of Americans, 64 percent, believe that crime increased across the country in 2024, according to a Gallup survey conducted late…

Aug 7, 2025 • Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby

Cash bail myths debunked by plummeting city crime data

According to President Trump, large American cities are crime-infested hellholes.

Jul 24, 2025 • Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims

Social

Resources

The January 6 corporate accountability index

Recent posts

The missing Epstein files

“We did not protect President Trump.”

Feb 26 • Judd Legum

Deeply conflicted, Kushner represents the U.S. in high-stakes negotiations with Iran

Today in Geneva, Switzerland, Jared Kushner will represent the United States in meetings with Iranian officials — a last-ditch effort to avoid war.

Feb 25 • Judd Legum

Trump’s new tariffs are just as illegal as his old tariffs

Numerous media outlets are spreading false information about the law — and Trump is benefiting.

Feb 24 • Judd Legum

Days after $5M donation, Trump administration backs Crypto.com in lawsuit

In a document quietly filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday night, MAGA Inc., the primary Super PAC supporting President Trump, revealed…

Feb 23 • Judd Legum

How Trump Media collapsed

Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of Truth Social, has an unrivaled free source of publicity.

Feb 19 • Judd Legum

CBS censors Colbert, bowing to pressure from Trump’s FCC

CBS forbade Late Show host Stephen Colbert from interviewing Texas State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat running to unseat Republican Senator…

Feb 18 • Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims

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