PopInfo Weekly: Donors, deception, and drones
Last week, the Trump administration published an obscure document — Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions — which details all of the proposed rules and rescissions under consideration by the administration. Buried in the tome was a massive new giveaway to corporate poultry processors, who rank among Trump’s largest political donors.
Since the United States attacked Iran on February 28, Iran has closed or restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has claimed on at least two dozen occasions since the start of the war that the Strait of Hormuz was “open” or controlled by the U.S., according to a Popular Information analysis. But these claims are false.
On Wednesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee as he seeks confirmation to the post. Blanche is under scrutiny for withholding documents he is required to release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, according to a lawsuit by journalist Katie Phang. Even after a federal judge ruled in Phang’s favor, Blanche has not released additional material.
At the direction of Elon Musk, Tesla has spent tens of billions of dollars to research and produce driverless taxis called Cybercabs. These cars cannot be used on the road because they lack steering wheels or pedals. Now, the Trump administration is quietly moving to alter federal safety regulations to allow Musk to deploy Cybercabs nationwide.
The best of the rest
A Washington Post analysis found that funds linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump “have invested in more than a dozen defense tech companies and other firms seeking businesses from the Pentagon and federal agencies.” The companies have together “generated at least $3.2 billion in direct government business since the sons invested.” (Washington Post)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners have accepted expensive tickets to the Kennedy Center Honors Gala from CBS and Paramount, CBS’ parent company, as they considered whether to approve Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media. (ProPublica)
A report released this week identified 412 instances in which law enforcement officers have misused “less-lethal weapons,” such as tear gas and rubber bullets, against protestors at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. The report, which covered the period from June 2025 to May 2026, also found 203 instances of injuries resulting from this misuse. (The Guardian)
Republican lawmakers in three states — North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah — are asking citizens to vote on whether to raise the threshold for approving ballot measures to 60%, instead of a simple majority. Currently, the only state with this higher threshold for ballot measures is Florida. In 2024, the 60% threshold led to the failure of a ballot measure to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution that was approved by 57% of Florida voters. (NPR)
Numerical information
$5.6 million: On Monday, E. Jean Carroll was finally paid after a lengthy legal battle over a 2023 jury verdict that found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
$81 billion: The amount the U.S. government has already paid in tariff refunds after the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were illegal.
2 million: The number of Americans facing long-term unemployment, meaning they have been without work for half a year or more. This is approaching the highest level since 2021.
Quote of the week
“I don’t think the problem is that our elections aren’t secure because we control the House, we control the Senate, we control the White House, and to some degree we control the Supreme Court. So I ask my Republican colleagues, why are you complaining about election fraud? We won all the damn elections.”
– Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Photo of the week
I read Pop Info religiously and every entry is a revelation! I get better news here than I do from NYT.
I know why a small team of excellent journalists can suss out the truth about our overlords. They know their job as journalists and they're doing it! Blessed are the truth-tellers! They're a brave lot!