RFK Jr. Is Breaking His Two Big Promises to MAHA Diehards

The true believers of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement are fuming over a New York Times report Friday, which reveals that a leaked draft of the White House MAHA Commission’s second report does not endorse directly restricting pesticides and ultraprocessed foods.

When the first report was published in May, Forbes’s Chloe Sorvino notes, many adherents of the MAHA movement championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believed it “didn’t go far enough” in its 25 mentions of pesticides as potentially harmful to human health. At the same time, the report struck fear in the hearts of many in the agriculture industry.

Last month, ahead of the upcoming second report, the White House reportedly promised farm lobbyists that the administration would side with them over MAHA by refusing to restrict pesticide use. The Times report suggests that the White House delivered on that promise.

The news will be sure to upset the 500 people who signed onto a July letter, by the anti–Big Ag group United We Eat, urging Kennedy to ban pesticides. Some in MAHA land are already up in arms.

“Behold the power of Big Ag & Chemical Co’s,” Fox News’s Laura Ingraham wrote on X.

“Republicans in the pay of Big Food [and] Pharma are thwarting MAHA,” tweeted Jeffrey A. Tucker, a libertarian writer and president of the Brownstone Institute. “Keep it up and they will lose the midterms.”

Nutritionist Marion Nestle wrote this week that the second MAHA report will expose a faultline in Trump’s 2024 movement: “MAHA versus the realities of MAGA.” If the final report resembles the leaked draft, then it would seem that MAHA’s losing this fight.

In lieu of actually promoting peace, Donald Trump has reportedly resorted to begging for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

The U.S. president phoned Norway’s Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg “out of the blue” last month, hoping to discuss the possibility of acquiring the prestigious prize, as well as the state of tariffs, Norwegian business daily Dagens Næringsliv reported Thursday.

The newspaper cited unnamed sources regarding the previously unknown conversation, but Stoltenberg confirmed to Reuters that he had discussed tariffs and economic cooperation with Trump ahead of a separate call between the U.S. president and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre.

“I will not go into further detail about the content of the conversation,” Stoltenberg said in a statement to the newswire, noting that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were also on the call.

Trump has complained multiple times over the years about his lack of a Nobel Peace Prize, whose honorees include some of the greatest figures of the last century, including Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, and Malala Yousafzai.

Four U.S. presidents, including former President Barack Obama, have received the award.

In June, Trump claimed responsibility for peace between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, between India and Pakistan, between Serbia and Kosovo, between Egypt and Ethiopia, and for “doing the Abraham Accords.” He continued to lament his lack of recognition from the Norway-based panel of judges.

“No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb are clapping back at a late-night attempt by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to unlawfully usurp the D.C. police chief. Their message: We’ll see you in court, President Trump.

Bondi on Thursday evening issued an order to install Terrance Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, as the “emergency police commissioner” of the Metropolitan Police Department “for the duration of the emergency” that President Trump invented from whole cloth in his federal takeover of the District. Bondi claimed Cole would have the authority to issue orders to members of the MPD—and that department leadership, from Chief Pamela Smith down, would have to receive his approval “before issuing any further directives” to its officers.

Bondi also rescinded an executive order Smith issued earlier that day, which allowed the MPD to coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement but placed limits on the department’s assistance of ICE.

Schwalb on Friday sued the Trump administration in response. “By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” he said in a statement. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”

Late Thursday, Schwalb had issued an opinion stating that Bondi’s order was beyond the U.S. attorney general’s legal authority, arguing that the order is “unlawful, and that [Smith is] not legally obligated to follow it.” According to Schwalb, the Home Rule Act—which Trump is invoking (and testing the limits of) in his crackdown on the capital—does not grant the executive branch power to “remove or replace” the police chief, “alter the chain of command,” issue or rescind MPD orders or directives, or “otherwise determine how the District pursues purely local law enforcement.”

“You are the lawfully appointed Chief of Police,” Schwalb told Smith, and the police “must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor.”

Bowser shared Schwalb’s opinion on X, along with a statement. “We have followed the law,” she wrote. “In reference to the U.S. Attorney General’s order, there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are demanding answers on the Trump administration’s efforts to gut and stymie the work of inspector generals across multiple departments.

In a letter sent Friday to the heads of all 24 federal agencies, and shared exclusively with The New Republic, Oversight Democrats accused the Trump administration of systematically impeding the work of agency watchdogs by obstructing their access, purging their staff, and replacing them with loyalists.

“The Trump Administration’s actions have both deprived [Offices of Inspectors General] of the personnel and resources they need to examine and address waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption in government, and limited agencies’ ability to respond to OIG requests,” the letter stated.

Since entering office, Donald Trump has fired or demoted more than 20 inspectors general, who had collectively carved out more than $50 billion in savings from federal programs in 2024.

In some cases, the removals appeared to be politically motivated. In June, Trump installed a new acting inspector general at the Department of Education, and demoted Acting IG René Rocque. The staffing change came shortly after Rocque’s office reported to committee members that the administration had “[interfered] with the OIG’s ability to conduct an independent and timely review” of changes to staffing and operations.

In May, Rocque’s office reported that the Department of Education “had withheld numerous documents requested by the OIG based on vague claims that the materials are somehow sensitive, deliberative, or related to unspecified litigation,” according to the letter. But the Inspector General Act specifically bars agencies from refusing to hand over documents for those stated reasons, and requires agencies to give OIGs timely access to records. As of July 1, the OIGs still had not received access.

Multiple agency OIGs have reported interference from department leadership. The Department of Education OIG also said that the agency had canceled its interviews with staff, and insisted that a general counsel be present for interviews—a significant break from agency practice. In May, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency reported to the Oversight Committee that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had installed a senior adviser at the Intelligence Community IG, creating “significant independence issues.”

According to the letter, the issues at OIGs are more widespread. “Numerous OIGs have reported to Committee staff about alterations of work schedules, delays in agency responses to OIG requests, and recruitment and retention issues,” the letter stated.

To replace the ousted OIG staff, Trump has nominated loyalists with dubious ethical records. Trump nominated former Representative Anthony D’Esposito, who hired his lover, for the IG for the Department of Labor and Thomas March Bell, who was accused of mishandling taxpayer dollars, for the Department of Health and Human Services.

“IGs must have the courage and independence to hold their agencies accountable and to deliver for the American people. By law, they must be watchdogs, not lapdogs,” the letter states.

The lawmakers requested that the agency heads give a response by August 29 “to clarify how you will dutifully uphold our nation’s federal oversight and IG laws.”

Younger Republicans are turning against Donald Trump, according to a survey by Pew Research Center.

A recent Pew survey found that the largest drop in Trump’s support by far was among his youngest voters in 2024, between the ages of 18 and 39. Only 69 percent of Trump’s youngest voters said that they approved of his job performance, down from 92 percent when he entered office, according to the survey. In the last two months alone, Trump’s job performance approval dropped 11 points among this demographic.

It’s not entirely clear why this happened, but there is one theory.

The same survey found that 53 percent of Republicans said that they disapproved of the administration’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, with the disapproval rating being higher among younger Republicans. It seems that the president’s ties to the alleged sex trafficker, and his administration’s refusal to publish a long-awaited client list, has resonated more with the party’s newer members. Apparently, not everyone is buying Trump’s knee-jerk reaction to dismiss the Epstein matter as a Democratic hoax.

And it doesn’t look like the president—who privately referred to survivors of Epstein’s abuse as “Democrats”—intends to course-correct anytime soon.

Of course, one must imagine that there may be something wonky at play here—what young Republican would actually respond to a poll?

Trump’s approval rating has slipped nine points since he entered office. Another group that saw a massive loss of enthusiasm for the commander in chief was adults who did not vote in 2024. Trump’s approval rating among this group sank from 45 percent to 32 percent since the beginning of his term.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid right outside of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s rally on Thursday at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles.

Newsom held an event to announce his own redistricting efforts in California, a direct response to the Trump administration and the Texas GOP gerrymandering their House map to favor Republicans in the 2026 midterms.

“BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED!” Newsom’s press team posted, purposely mocking Trump’s social media syntax as they have been for days now. The post also included a video showing mostly masked Border Patrol agents milling about in full tactical gear.

Newsom also acknowledged the raid during his speech.

“Right outside, at this exact moment, are dozens of dozens of ICE agents,” Newsom said, the crowd booing in response. “Donald Trump … you think it’s coincidental?”

“No!” the crowd fired back.

“We know what Donald Trump knows: He’s going to lose the midterms. He knows, de facto, his presidency ends in seventeen months, when Speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries is back in the House,” Newsom continued. “He’s a failed president. Who else sends ICE at the same time we’re having a conversation like this? Someone who’s weak. Someone who’s broken. Someone whose weakness is masquerading as strength. The most unpopular president in modern history.”

Newson is right—ICE at his event was no coincidence. Trump and the governor have traded barbs for years now, and it only looks to be ratcheting up even further now.

As the Trump administration keeps the Epstein files tight to its chest (the documents reportedly contain numerous redacted mentions of Trump), media appearances by victims of the notorious late pedophile have hampered the president’s hopes of redirecting the public eye anywhere but on his former friend Jeffrey Epstein.

A vexed Trump, Rolling Stone reports, has privately taken to calling some survivors of Epstein’s abuse “Democrats,” suggesting they may be trying to sully his reputation for political purposes.

Citing two sources familiar with the president’s private remarks, Rolling Stone reported Thursday that Trump has, behind closed doors, repeatedly taken issue with such media appearances, claiming that some of the victims “are just trying to make him look bad, or implying that he did something wrong during his time as one of Epstein’s friends and party companions.”

The president has reportedly claimed that some speaking out are “clearly of a ‘Democrat’ political affiliation,” even floating the idea that some could be in cahoots with “prominent liberal attorneys or groups.”

The magazine did not name specific people about whom the president has reportedly complained. However, several of Epstein’s accusers, named and anonymous, as well as victims’ relatives, have vocally criticized the administration’s bungling of the Epstein case as of late.

This has, per CNN, posed “a growing political threat to Trump,” whose approach to the scandal has reflected a concern for “ending a political problem” over “alleviating any further agony” for those affected by Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell (whom Trump conspicuously hasn’t ruled out pardoning, raising concerns that he may corruptly grant her clemency in exchange for clearing his name of Epstein-related wrongdoing).

Trump’s White House vehemently denied Rolling Stone’s story, with a spokesperson insisting that “none of [it] is true.”

The reported remarks, however, would be consistent with the president’s tendency to try positing conspiracies in order to remove political thorns from his side—as seen at the outset of the scandal, when Trump’s knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss the Epstein issue, once a MAGA cause célèbre, as a Democratic hoax.

California has its own plan to combat the Trump administration’s national redistricting efforts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Election Rigging Response Act Thursday, a Democratic gerrymandering plan intended to offset efforts to strip liberal areas around the country of their electoral votes.

“We’ve got to meet fire with fire,” Newsom said. “We cannot stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district.”

California will invite residents to vote on whether or not to pursue redistricting in their own state, in reaction to Donald Trump’s heavy hand in Texas politics. The vote will take place on November 4.

Last month, the president demanded that Texas Republicans create five more House seats by redrawing its congressional map, eliminating a handful of blue districts. The move elicited shock and contempt from two of the country’s most populous regions—California and New York—both of which threatened to draw their own new maps should Texas comply. If they do, the two states will give a significant edge to Democrats.

Trump issued similar demands of five other states, claiming that there were nationwide opportunities for redistricting efforts to help the GOP ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Those states include Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Florida.

“This is a serious moment, America. Wake up to what is going on,” Newsom said. “These are sober times.”

Newsom pointed to an aggressive rise in ICE raids, censorship at the Smithsonian, federal kowtowing to Russia, voter intimidation, and infringements on civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, and more as evidence that Trump was “putting America in reverse.”

“It’s about power,” Newsom said. “And we are about to give power back to the people.”

Mayor Eric Adams’s campaign has chosen to lean fully into his reputation for unseriousness and folly.

On Thursday, the mayor’s social media team posted a video of Adams appearing at various events across the city with the audio from the children’s movie The Boss Baby, following a popular TikTok and Instagram Reels trend.

“Every night, at dinner, I’ll be there. Every birthday party, I’ll be there. Every Christmas, I’ll be there,” the audio plays as clips of Adams at festivals and press conferences roll.

“I’m an on-the-ground mayor,” the post’s caption reads. “I’ll be there every step of the way as we make this a safer and more affordable city for all.”

Absurd posts like these—and that Trump pardon—are the only things keeping Adams from fading into relative obscurity. From multiple smoothie-making videos to poorly edited montages, to corny pop music–based skits, the Adams campaign is posting its way through it.

Trumpworld has long theorized about a shadowy deep state pulling the strings in Washington. During a 2023 Fox News appearance, Pam Bondi said deep-state actors had been “hiding in the shadows” throughout Trump’s first term. In his second, they’d “have a spotlight on them.”

Now, as U.S. attorney general, Bondi is purportedly living up to that promise. On Thursday, she produced a rare specific example of supposed deep-state evildoing: A man threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent stationed in D.C. for Trump’s takeover.

According to court records and video footage of the incident, the man, Sean Charles Dunn, who happened to work for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, approached a group of officers in front of a D.C. Subway sandwich shop at around 11 p.m.

Dunn reportedly called the heavily armed officers “fucking fascists,” yelling, “I don’t want you in my city!” before hurling a wrapped-up sandwich at the chest of a Customs and Border Protection agent, who—clad in tactical gear—was clearly unharmed. Dunn ran off but was apprehended, later saying, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.”

Clips of the incident went viral on social media, with users finding humor and many opportunities for puns in the episode. (A sampling: “Our gyro,” “Assault with a deli weapon,” “The suspect was acting provolone.”)

Pam Bondi, however, thinks the incident is no laughing matter. In fact, by her lights, Dunn’s sandwich throwing is the deep state manifest. In a post announcing Dunn’s firing, Bondi claimed, quite grandiosely, that “this is an example of the Deep State we have been up against for seven months as we work to refocus DOJ.”

Bondi continued, “You will NOT work in this administration while disrespecting our government and law enforcement”—a statement rendered laughable by the fact that, as NPR reported last week, a J6er who called for police officers to be killed during the Capitol riot enjoys a senior role at the department.

Jared Wise, now a DOJ adviser, spent his January 6, 2021, calling officers “Nazi[s]” and “Gestapo,” and shouting, “Yeah, fuck them! Yeah, kill ’em!” He is “a valued member of the Justice Department,” said a spokesperson, “and we appreciate his contributions to our team.”