The Daily Dean Newsletter: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 Alleged Trump–Bibi deal · Ceasefire frays at the “yellow line” · The GREAT Trust land‑and‑minerals play · L.A. emergency over ICE raids · Medal of Freedom for Kirk Dean Blundell Oct 15 October 15, 2025 Welcome back to the DDN. A Daily newsletter featuring the five most essential stories democracy lovers need to know today: We couldn’t be more grateful to have you as part of this incredible community! So, we extended the half-price annual subscription deal for October. Get 50% off yearly plans and unlimited access, and never pay more. Redeem the offer by October 31, and feel free to share or gift a subscription to support fearless, independent journalism wherever you find it. Subscribed 1️⃣ Trump–Netanyahu: “prolong the war” for a political win? What’s alleged: That Trump and Netanyahu coordinated to drag out the Gaza war so Trump could claim a later “win.” What we can say today: This remains an allegation. What is circulating in parallel is a sweeping post‑war redevelopment concept—often referenced as the GREAT Trust—pitching trusteeship, tokenized titles, mega‑projects, and resource plays. Why it matters: Even without proof of a prolong‑the‑war pact, the existence of profit‑heavy post‑war schemes raises urgent questions about sovereignty, consent, restitution, and who stands to benefit from Gaza’s reconstruction. BREAKING: Did Trump Lean on Bibi to Stall Biden’s Gaza Deal so HE Could Profit From/Take Credit For "Peace in the Middle East"? Dean Blundell · Oct 14 October 14, 2025 Read full story 2️⃣ Ceasefire jitters: the “yellow line,” aid, and the Carney factor On the ground: Reports say the truce faltered when Israeli forces fired on Palestinians who allegedly crossed the agreed “yellow line,” with multiple fatalities claimed. Humanitarian access remains fragile. Diplomacy watch: Mark Carney’s presence in Egypt became a Rorschach test—some reading it as adult‑in‑the‑room reassurance, others as window‑dressing unless it translates into verifiable protections for civilians and aid. VIDEO: Carney Went To Egypt For Trump's Photo Op Because He Knows Trump Is Full Of Shit Dean Blundell · Oct 14 A lot has been made less than 48 hours after Trump blitzed into Israel and Egypt to sign a (fake) ceasefire deal for a photo op as “The Peace President” while he conducts a war against his own citizens at home. We couldn’t be more grateful to have you as part of this incredible community! So, we extended the half-price annual subscription deal for Octo… Read full story 3️⃣ If “peace” is a photo‑op, what’s the endgame? The GREAT Trust What’s in the pitch: A decade‑long custodianship, tokenized land rights, “smart cities,” relocation incentives, glossy tourism and logistics zones, and nods to strategic minerals and energy corridors. Why critics bristle: It looks like redevelopment without self‑determination—prioritizing commercial returns, demographic engineering, and marquee branding over justice, return, and rights. What to ask: Who wrote it, who benefits, how titles are adjudicated, whether Palestinians have decisive control, and how any plan addresses accountability and lawful restitution. Zev Shalev and I covered it all in yesterday’s FiveStack LIVE. It’s well worth your time because this ceasefire is a photo op on the way to a minerals/energy, real estate deal: The FiveStack LIVE: Trump’s Gaza Real Estate Deal, MEDIA says “No” to Hegseth Dean Blundell and Zev Shalev · Oct 14 October 14, 2025 Read full story 4️⃣ Los Angeles: State of Emergency over ICE raids The headline: L.A. leaders moved to confront a surge in ICE operations with a State of Emergency. What an SOE does (at the local level): Speeds emergency procurement and contracting for legal aid, shelters, and hotlines. Unlocks or re‑targets funds for tenant/worker relief tied to raid‑related income loss. Allows narrowly tailored eviction protections for affected households. Coordinates schools, clinics, and faith centers on “don’t‑panic” protocols and rapid counsel. Why it matters: Beyond symbolism, the SOE is a toolkit to blunt fear‑based displacement and keep families, students, and patients connected to services—while escalating the political fight with federal enforcement. 5️⃣ Medal of Freedom for Charlie Kirk—honor vs. record The news: Charlie Kirk’s widow accepted a Presidential Medal of Freedom on his behalf. What the medal recognizes: “Especially meritorious” contributions to U.S. national interests, world peace, or significant public/cultural endeavors—the nation’s highest civilian honor (with a rarer “with Distinction” degree). The juxtaposition: Kirk’s public record includes repeatedly promoting “replacement” rhetoric, celebrating mass deportations as civic good, demeaning immigrants and refugees, and comparing gender‑affirming doctors to historical atrocities, denying the civil rights movement for almost a decade. The question: How does honoring that record square with an award meant to elevate contributors to peace, pluralism, and the public good? Today’s Quote: “For, if liberty and equality, as some persons suppose, are chiefly to be found in a democracy, it must be so by every department of government being alike open to all; but as the people are in the majority, and what they vote is law, it follows that such a state is a democracy.” —Aristotle Don’t forget, we extended the half-price annual subscription deal for October. Get 50% off yearly plans and unlimited access, and never pay more. Redeem the offer by October 31, and feel free to share or gift a subscription to support fearless, independent journalism wherever you find it.

 

Has Trump Finally Sunk Himself with Veterans? Steven Beschloss Aug 17 Is it any surprise that, once again, Donald Trump has denigrated military service and sacrifice, this time by degrading the meaning of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military valor? That happened on Thursday when Trump recounted giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, a billionaire GOP donor, in 2018. “It’s actually much better because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Trump said. “They’re soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.” Adelson, in contrast, “she’s a healthy, beautiful woman.” This malignant man’s words—meant to curry favor with Adelson—are part of a pattern, of course. In 2015, he attacked Sen. John McCain with these disgraceful remarks: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” In 2018, he canceled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France to honor the war dead because it was raining and he didn’t want to muss his hair. It was during that trip that he reportedly said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” On the same trip, he called fallen soldiers “suckers” for getting killed. (While Trump later denied saying this, Gen. John Kelly, his own chief of staff, later confirmed the veracity of The Atlantic’s reporting.) In 2019, we later learned, Trump criticized Gen. Mark Milley, his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for inviting a severely injured Army captain to sing “God Bless America” at Milley’s welcoming ceremony. The captain, Luis Avila, had served five combat tours, lost his leg during an IED attack in Afghanistan and suffered two heart attacks and two strokes as a result of his injuries. Trump callously told Milley on his first day: “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.” How appalling was Trump’s denigration of the Medal of Honor this week? (This comes in the wake of J.D. Vance’s grotesque attacks on Tim Walz and his decision to exit the National Guard after 24 years of service.) Military recipients of the Medal of Honor are chosen for outstanding acts of valor on the battlefield. They are recommended by other military members who witness these actions that demonstrate “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty,.” In some cases, they are awarded posthumously. Here’s what the head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars with 1.5 million members had to say about Trump’s remarks: “These asinine comments not only diminish the significance of our nation’s highest award for valor, but also crassly characterizes the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty.” He then doubted whether someone “who so brazenly dismisses the valor and reverence” the award symbolizes “would discharge their responsibilities to our men and women in uniform with the seriousness and discernment necessary for such a powerful position.” VoteVets, a Democratic group representing veterans, put it more bluntly: “It isn’t just that Donald Trump doesn’t respect Veterans and their sacrifice,” the group said in a statement. “It’s that Donald Trump hates Veterans and their sacrifice, because he looks so small in comparison to them.” In 2016, according to exit polls, 61 percent of veterans voted for Trump for president. By 2020, that support had dropped to 54 percent, with wider support from veterans aged 55 and older. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 16 million veterans and about 1.4 million active-duty military personnel. Will the latest attacks finally convince a majority of military members, veterans and their families to turn their backs on Trump and his contempt for them? Just this week, more than a thousand veterans and their families signed an open letter condemning the “politically motivated attacks” by Trump and Vance toward Tim Walz’s military service. They wrote that “given Donald Trump’s long record of expressing disdain for service members, veterans, and their families, it’s unsurprising that his running mate has stooped to such lows." So what do you think? Has Trump finally sunk himself with veterans? Do his latest comments—made in public and impossible to deny even as his enablers have sought to minimize them with the usual “what he really meant”—represent a turning point? Or does he continue to benefit from the traditional support that Republicans garner from the military, deserved or not? It will be interesting to watch how the Democrats address this issue during their convention this week in Chicago. As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated. *Photo: Gen. Mark Milley inspects the troops during an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in his honor on Sept. 29, 2023. In his remarks, Milley said, “We don’t take an oath from a wannabe dictator.” Photo by Drew Angerer via Getty Images.

Trump team threatened witness before testimony

 

It's Our Democracy!

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Today's Top Stories:

Sources confirm that associate of Mark Meadows threatened Cassidy Hutchinson before testimony
Team "law and order" resorted to gangster intimidation to save their skin.

Take Action: Demand the Justice Department indict Trump's election steal lawyer John Eastman!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: Republican crowd turns on Trump after Liz Cheney's epic speech
The Wyoming congresswoman received two standing ovations from the audience at the Reagan Library during a speech in which she called the disgraced former president a "dangerous and irrational man."

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The fight for abortion rights isn't over yet — not by a long shot!
John Fetterman for Senate: John Fetterman has vowed to kill the filibuster and codify Roe into law — but we need to send him to the Senate to do it. Can you chip in today to help him win one of the most flippable races in the country?

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Two Secret Service sources confirm Trump angrily demanded to participate in the insurrection
Efforts to deny that the disgraced ex-president is a power hungry lunatic fell flat after the Secret Service ironically proved incapable of keeping the secret.

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SCOTUS to hear case that could legitimize Trump's election fraud in 2024
Trump's team fought for state legislatures to overturn the popular vote in their states, now his rigged Supreme Court will decide if the anti-democratic scheme will fly in the future.

Take Action: Demand Congress reform the extremist Supreme Court!

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Don't Say Gay law takes effect in Florida as teachers brace for chaos
The vile anti-LGBTQ legislation championed by Governor Ron DeSantis and the GOP threatens to rip the state apart.

Take Action: Tell the Biden team to do everything in their power to defend LGBTQ+ rights against Republican hate!

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Biden names his first Medal of Freedom Recipients
John McCain, Gabrielle Giffords and Denzel Washington head a class that includes soccer star and equal pay advocate Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and social justice organizer Sister Simone Campbell.

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The ONE way to restore abortion rights in the US
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: This is key.

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New York responds to Supreme Court ruling, enacts new concealed carry restrictions
Democrats led by Governor Kathy Hochul have restricted concealed carry in public buildings, including schools, after radical Republican appointees chose right wing gun money over the lives of innocent Americans.

Take Action: Tell Congress to pass the Judicial Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act!

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Proud Boys pepper-sprayed after trying to shut down drag show
In a rare win-win for the marginalized and hate mongers, drag queens and fans can resume behavior that harms no one, and Proud Boys' pepper sprayed eyeballs won't be able to see it.

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Only in America

New York Teen suspected of hate crimes against Sikhs stabbed to death

Georgia TikTok star arrested for exposing her breasts to children at pool

Minnesota legalizes marijuana edibles after Republicans accidentally vote for it

Crisis pregnancy centers in Texas caught spreading medical misinformation

Florida state medical board fires doctor for supporting vaccines

What in the world

Multiple people feared dead after massive earthquake in Iran

Protestors in Libya storm parliament building

Deadly landslides devastate Peruvian towns

Power outages feared as record-breaking heatwave roasts Japan

Thousands at risk of starvation in South Sudan after food aid cuts

Hope...

India bans single-use plastic nationwide

Switzerland celebrates first legal same-sex marriages

GoodGoodGood: How to pass climate legislation – even in red states

Study suggests afternoon naps may improve brain function

Regions around the world rolling out zero-carbon fertilizer

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