June 8 – The Outrage Report
1. DOJ: “We Could Bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and Nobody Could Stop Us”
During an appellate court hearing on Trump’s $90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, DOJ lawyer Yaakov Roth told the court that if the government decided to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty very quickly, there would be nothing anyone could do to stop it. Judge Patricia Millett pressed him: “Nothing can be done?” Roth replied: “I think that’s right, yes.” The three-judge panel appeared sympathetic to the lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Statue of Liberty is managed by the National Park Service, and demolishing it would require legislative approval and rigorous public review under the National Historic Preservation Act.
2. Bill Pulte Named Acting DNI — No Intelligence Experience Required
Trump tapped Bill Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting director of national intelligence, replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte has no known prior intelligence experience and will remain FHFA director while simultaneously overseeing the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. A former CIA station chief told CNBC that appointing a “lapdog is emblematic that he doesn’t have any respect or need for DNI.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned: “We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there.” In his current housing role, Pulte has used access to mortgage records to refer Trump opponents for prosecution, raising fears he will do the same with intelligence.
3. Trump Nominating Todd Blanche as Permanent AG — His Own Former Defense Lawyer
Trump announced he will formally nominate acting AG Todd Blanche — the man who defended him in the 2024 hush money trial — to be permanent attorney general. Blanche has run the DOJ on an acting basis since Trump pushed out Pam Bondi in April, frustrated she hadn’t delivered prosecutions of his enemies. Blanche has pursued indictments against Trump’s critics and rolled back gun control measures while facing criticism for politicizing the Justice Department. He faces a bruising Senate confirmation battle amid controversy over a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.
4. “I Don’t Care. I Couldn’t Care Less.” — Trump on Iran Peace Talks
In a CNBC interview, Trump was asked whether Iran peace negotiations were over. “I don’t care if they’re over, honestly,” Trump replied. “I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less. If they’re over, they’re over. I thought they started to get very boring.” An outside adviser who speaks regularly with the president told The Atlantic that Trump “really, really wants the war with Iran to end” and “is ready to move on,” having expected the conflict to be resolved far sooner than it has been. Trump also admitted to nearly “falling asleep” during an Iran war meeting.
5. ICE Kills Rule Tracking Detainee Deaths After Release — As Fatalities Hit 20-Year High
In a memo reviewed by the Washington Post, acting ICE director David Venturella announced the agency is eliminating its requirement to report deaths that occur within 30 days of people being released from custody. The timing is stark: the policy was specifically created in 2021 to stop ICE from avoiding accountability by discharging critically ill detainees just before death. The mortality rate has surged from one death per 100,000 admissions in 2022 to 11 deaths per 100,000 in the first ten weeks of 2026 alone. Nearly 50 detainees have died since Trump returned to office, and 2026 is on track to be even more deadly than 2025, which was already the worst year in two decades.
6. Hegseth Purges Military Promotion Lists — Targets Women and Black Officers
Hegseth personally intervened to remove nine Navy officers from a promotion list that had already been approved by a board of senior admirals. This followed his earlier removal of four Army colonels — two women and two Black men — who were slated to become one-star generals. Separately, Hegseth made efforts to get his own senior military aide onto the Navy promotion list, despite that aide not meeting the required criteria such as heading a major command. Three officials told the NYT that Hegseth’s chief of staff explicitly told Army Secretary Driscoll that “President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events.”
7. Trump Airport Merch Grift & IRS Audit Immunity — Forever
On the airport: While the Trump Organization agreed not to receive royalties from sales at the airport itself, airport retailers that want to sell merchandise using the airport name must source those products through vendors designated by Trump’s company. A non-exclusivity clause leaves an opening for the Trump family to sell airport-branded items off-site for profit. County commissioners were told that failure to approve the agreement could put state transportation funding at risk.
On the IRS: The DOJ issued an order permanently barring the IRS from auditing past tax returns of Trump, his family, and related companies — part of a settlement that also created a nearly $1.8 billion fund. Acting AG Todd Blanche ordered the IRS to permanently end all current and possible audits and inquiries into the Trump family. The settlement drew criticism from Democrats, Republicans, and the judge overseeing the case for its unprecedented circumstances.