Let’s hear it for the separation of powers
Plus: The KUWTK house is on the market
As President Donald Trump’s administration attempts to push the limits of executive power, the courts are pushing back. Meanwhile, I can’t believe the FBI’s super-handsome acting director could get replaced with a guy who takes money from a company with Kremlin ties.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end to find out the good cause that made Bill Nye the science guy a model. — Hunter
Let’s hear it for the separation of powers:
In their infinite wisdom, our nation’s founders created a system of checks and balances to make sure no one branch of government got too powerful. Here’s how the judicial branch has put checks on Trump’s executive powers since taking office, according to Politico:
Multiple judges have blocked Trump’s executive order banning birthright citizenship, which is protected by the Constitution
A U.S. District judge appointed by Trump blocked efforts by Trump and Elon Musk to force USAID employees to take leave
A federal judge in New York appointed by former President Barack Obama blocked Musk and his minions from accessing Treasury records
U.S. District judges appointed by former Presidents Joe Biden and Obama blocked a federal spending freeze
A U.S. District judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton extended a deadline for a “deferred resignation” program for federal workers to resign
A U.S. District judge appointed by Clinton is considering a block on Musk and his minions being able to share Treasury records outside the department
A U.S. District judge appointed by Ronald Reagan blocked an order to transfer transgender inmates to new prisons
A U.S. District judge appointed by Biden blocked the Trump administration from releasing the names of FBI agents who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol unless they’re given two days to ask for relief
The Trump administration isn’t taking these rulings lying down. In a statement to USA Today, principal deputy White House press secretary Harrison Fields said, “Every action taken by the Trump-Vance administration is fully legal and compliant with federal law,” and in a new 11-page filing, attorneys for the Justice Department asked for an end to the court order barring officials from the Treasury Department’s payments system.
Trump’s not all in for J.D. ‘28 just yet:
Like your crush saying they appreciate your friendship when you ask what they’re up to this Friday (Valentine’s Day, or Arizona Statehood Day for my Arizonans in the house), Trump shot down Fox News host Bret Baier’s question about whether he views Vice President J.D. Vance “as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028?”
“No,” Trump said just a little too quick. “But he’s very capable. I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early. We’re just starting.”
In fairness to Trump, what do you really expect from a thrice-married POTUS who dumped his last Veep over his refusal to break his oath to the Constitution and overturn the 2020 election? Loyalty is not this man’s game.
I can’t believe the FBI’s super-handsome acting director could get replaced with a guy who takes money from a company with Kremlin ties:
Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll got his new job by accident after former FBI Director Christopher Wray resigned and the Trump administration named the wrong agent as the bureau’s acting director. They didn’t correct their mistake, and now Driscoll, who you may notice from the below headshot is devastatingly handsome, is leading our nation’s top law enforcement agency until the Senate confirms his successor.
Nicknamed “Drizz” by friends, Driscoll has the resume of a golden retriever, including working on the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team where he helped rescue a 5-year-old boy held in a bunker, and supervising terrorism cases against bad guys in Canada, Western Europe, and Africa, according to the New York Times. When the Department of Justice asked for Driscoll’s help to fire agents who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, he refused. As a message that circulated among FBI agents and was obtained by NBC News said, “Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F--- Off.” So he’s handsome and principled.
The Senate Judiciary Committee could vote as soon as this week on the Drizz’s replacement Kash Patel, whose financial disclosures show he was paid $25,000 last year by a film company that’s made content pushing Kremlin talking points and received money from a fund started by Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin, according to The Washington Post. Patel, who wrote an embarrassing children’s book in which Trump is a depicted as a king (I thought this was America and we bow to no king?), denied during his hearing that his “enemies list” was an enemies list.
Here’s the gold pager Netanyahu gifted Trump:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to visit Trump in the White House in his second term last week, and as a house-warming gift, Netanyahu gave Trump a gold pager affixed to a wood stand with a gold plaque, an apparent and rather grim allusion to the pagers Israel detonated last September as part of the Gaza war.
During the two leaders’ joint presser, Trump said the U.S. would take “ownership” of Gaza, kick everyone out, and redevelop the area into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” an idea no one in the Middle East seems to take seriously.
Don’t trust the government, says women in government:
In an interview with CNN host Dana Bash, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was comfortable with Musk having access to the data of disaster victims, which Bash pointed out was at odds with traditional Republican attitudes towards government. “I remember a time when Republicans were very careful about and worried about the government, particularly unelected people,” Bash said.
“We can’t trust the government anymore,” Noem said, to which Bash responded, “You are the government.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Noem said, before saying more words which cleared nothing up. “We’ll be continuing to talk to him [Musk] about what all he has access to but this audit needs to happen to make sure that we have a process that adds integrity back into these programs.” Got it.
FLOTUS doesn’t believe she “has obligations in the political world”:
Her businesswoman-style official portrait notwithstanding, First Lady Melania Trump’s second stint as FLOTUS is shaping up to be a part-time affair. A source in New York and Palm Beach social circles told People Trump “doesn’t believe she has obligations in the political world” but added “she does care about children and their well being.”
“Anything she may do in this administration will happen if she has the time and interest to pursue it,” the source said. “Politics is not her world.”
First daughter-in-law to get Fox News show:
Lara Trump, the wife of first son Eric Trump and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, is set to begin hosting My View with Lara Trump on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on the network on Feb. 22. It’s the first time a family member of a sitting president will host a TV show.
Former first daughters have found work on TV networks before, but only after their dads left office, including Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, who started working at Today in 2009, and Chelsea Clinton, who worked as a special correspondent for NBC from 2011 to 2013.
Lara Trump previously worked as a producer for Inside Edition, and she was a paid contributor for Fox News from 2021 to 2022. “I’m thrilled to bring my voice back to Fox News, talk directly with the American people, and highlight what makes this country so great,” she said in a statement. “As I cover the success of the Golden Age of America, I look forward to where this time will lead our country and where this opportunity will lead me in the future.”
Jack Schlossberg is taking a well-advised social media break:
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, deactivated his social media accounts last week, and in an interview with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki for her new MSNBC podcast, he said that he lies online for attention and to prove a point about how easily people fall for anything they read on social media.
“I think that the internet is a place where it's difficult to break through, and it's difficult to break through especially if you're not saying something that's controversial, or at least, somehow unexpected,” Schlossberg said. “And I think that I see that Democrats play that game not as well as we could,” adding, “getting a reaction is almost half the battle.”
Hmm… seems messed up. Someone get this guy a content strategist if he ever decides to log back on, yeah?
Gaga pays tribute to victims of the New Orleans attack:
Don’t let anybody ever tell you Lady Gaga doesn’t have range. Wearing one of the largest hats I’ve ever seen her wear, Gaga performed “Hold My Hand” ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl to pay tribute to the New Year’s attack in New Orleans that left 14 dead. “When tragedy strikes, we don't break — we come together, we rise above and never let evil win,” Tom Brady said, introducing Gaga’s performance.
Streams for Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” are up 430%:
“I wanna play their favorite song but you know they love to sue,” Kendrick Lamar said during his Super Bowl halftime performance before he performed his Grammy Award-winning No. 1 hit and Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” Drake filed a lawsuit last month against Universal Music Group, accusing his music distributor of manipulating streams of the song, which are up 430% since Lamar performed it Sunday.
These pop stars are donating to help struggling musicians:
After calling on record labels to make sure their musicians have healthcare during her Grammy acceptance speech, Chappell Roan is putting her money where her mouth is. Roan called out music executive Jeffrey Rabhan in an Instagram Story after he wrote in an editorial for The Hollywood Reporter that she was “misguided” and “uninformed.”
Roan said she donated $25,000 “to struggling, dropped artists” and asked him to match her largess. No word yet if Rabhan is down to donate, but Noah Kahan and Charli XCX have both matched Roan’s donation.
Record labels should offer “non-negotiable” therapy, Ariana says:
Ariana Grande told the WTF With Marc Maron podcast in a new episode out today that entertainment companies “should be responsible for protecting” their stars and offer therapy as part of their contracts.
“It’s so important that these record labels, these studios, these TV studios, these big production companies make [therapy] a part of the contract when you sign on to do something that’s going to change your life in that way, on that scale,” Grande said. “You need a therapist to be seeing several times a week.”
The KUWTK house is on the market:
A piece of reality TV history can now be yours for $13.5 million. Momager Kris Jenner has listed the Kardashian family’s 8,860-square-foot, six-bedroom, eight-bathroom Hidden Hills home where Keeping Up With the Kardashians was filmed from 2007 to 2021 with Christie’s International Real Estate (see the listing yourself here). Fun fact: did you know the exterior shots of the house on the show were actually of a different house? The family faked those shots for privacy’s sake.
Bill Nye is a science guy and a fashion model:
OK, slay. Bill Nye hit the runway last week during New York Fashion Week wearing Thom Browne for the Blue Jacket Runway Show, a show that raises awareness of prostate cancer, which Nye’s father was diagnosed with. The former host of Bill Nye the Science Guy wore the luxury fashion label’s Olympic Constellation Blouson Jacket, which retails for $5,500, and paired it with shorts.
Flo from Progressive talks about getting her start:
Comedian Stephanie Courtney is one of the top working actresses today, playing Flo from Progressive in 215 ads and counting. Courtney told CBS Sunday Morning before auditioning for the role in 2007, “I was broke as a joke. I was auditioning. I was driving around L.A. auditioning for every commercial, every show.”
Courtney said she still performs weekly with her Groundlings improv group and she loves seeing little kids dress up as her character for Halloween. “I love it so much,” she said.
Thanks for reading! See you next week. ⭐