•Major Jason Watson Calling for Impeachment of Trump/Vance is Arrested June 1, 2026: US News: A U.S. Air Force major on active duty delivered a passionate speech on Capitol Hill, calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and emphasizing that Congress has a constitutional obligation to act. Speaking alongside activists, veterans, and impeachment advocates, Major Jason Watson referenced several alleged constitutional violations. He urged lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings and encouraged Americans to engage in peaceful civic participation. After his address, Major Watson was arrested on the steps of the Capitol, drawing significant attention to the demonstration and igniting renewed discussions about free speech, protest, and political accountability. The event also included remarks from activists, constitutional scholars, and supporters of Representative Al Green, who urged Congress to take immediate action.

Watch his speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7M29U-xSg

July 2, 2026 Update

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/07/02/air-force-major-arrested-on-capitol-steps-during-protest-calling-for-trump-impeachment/

July 7, 2026 Update

https://www.newsweek.com/major-jason-watson-update-lawyer-shares-details-of-investigation-12166067

•America250 vs Freedom250: Congress allocated $150 million for America’s birthday celebrations to the bipartisan America250 organizers, who carried out a variety of successful events. These included America Block Party concerts featuring popular musical headliners and groups, New Year-style ball drops, and spectacular drone shows in major cities across the nation on the Fourth of July.

A time capsule was buried near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, with plans to have it opened in 250 years. The capsule contains an Alaskan diamond, poems from various states, an AI-generated prediction of what life will be like in 2276, and more.

Meanwhile, the Trump/Vance administration directed at least $68 million of those funds to the Trump-aligned Freedom250 for the Great American State Fair, with no accountability regarding how the money was spent. In addition, an unspecified amount of private donations was solicited by the group. MS Now reported that Trump donor Event Strategies Inc. received a no-bid contract to organize the fair. The actual cost to taxpayers remains undisclosed.  

•$14 Million Freedom Trucks: The original grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for this program was secured by America250 but later switched to the Trump-created Freedom250 under the Trump/Vance administration.

The Trump/Vance version of the Freedom Trucks— a set of traveling museums housed in six double-wide 18-wheeler trucks— deviates from the original plan to present American history. Instead, it promotes a narrative that celebrates a white, Christian reinterpretation of the nation’s story, while also glorifying Trump. The exhibits are curated by PragerU, a right-wing nonprofit education and media organization (not a university) that aims to deliver a message of aggressive capitalism and Judeo-Christian nationalism to American children.

Freedom250 Events

GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR

As one joke goes: “Americans turned out by the dozens” to Trump/Vance administration’s idea of a state fair – held in Washington, DC –  (which is not a state).

•$103 million to Freedom 250: See the Public Citizen investigation of where the money went in the creation of the  Trump/Vance administration’s “Freedom250” various events and connected corporate deals: https://www.citizen.org/article/maga-250-103m-in-federal-contracts-flow-to-trumpified-freedom-250-events/

•$45 million Great American State Fair: Attendance at the Great American State Fair, including on the 4th of July, remained low. Videos and photos show, and news agencies report  thousands or fewer per day through July 3 – with attendance of less than 5000 on the 4th. The free-admission fair set to run from June 25 through July 10 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was plagued with problems, including bad weather. 

Soccer fans were present at the most successful feature at the fair – the Jumbotron FIFA Fan Zone area during World Cup game times. The Fan Zone was expected to stay open until the World Cup games ended.  

The July 4th plans at the fair included a stump speech by Trump and a 40-minute fireworks show beginning at 10:30pm – billed by Trump as “the largest, longest fireworks display ever in the history of the world.”

The fair has been plagued with issues, including all scheduled performers but Vanilla Ice dropping out to be replaced with a Trump speech and rally. The Ferris wheel and other electricity-reliant features saw power outages, the food was expensive ($25 pretzels, $20 hamburgers,  $9 lemonade), and there was no air conditioning, shade or anywhere to sit. 

There were a lot of corporate displays, but a dozen of the state booths were empty as some states declined to participate in a partisan rally or to foot the cost of $100,000 or more to develop exhibits and send representatives for the 16-day fair. Private sponsors took over the North Carolina booth after NC joined the states declining to participate. The private group featured a video display of the Confederate flag.

A viral video of opening ceremonies on Thurs, June 25th appeared to show people walking out in the middle of Trump’s speech.  Extremely hot weather closed the planned rodeo feature, the Vanilla Ice performance was canceled, and the Fair was shut down early on Friday.

Fox News ran a live cam video showing about 50 attendees on the enormous empty fairgrounds running in the background as reporters told viewers there were thousands attending. The very sparse attendance was also captured in photos by Getty Images. 

Troubles continued on July 3rd with poor attendance. Parts of the stage broke down while dancers rehearsed their routines. No injuries were reported. The large arch mock-up constructed on the grounds oozed a yellow substance. Organizers announced over the loudspeakers that the fair was being shut down until 5pm and directed attendees to the nearest exit.

A video on the organizer’s website: Freedom250.org paints a cheerier picture of the kickoff of the obviously partisan event. Under the banner “The President’s Own US Marine Band” patriotic songs were performed by the band and speeches from lessor known officials attracted a sparse crowd that, in the video, grew suddenly from about 25 bored looking people sitting on a few rows of folding chairs to a lively colorful group of 2,000 or so in MAGA hats, and/or Trump or Charlie Kirk T-shirts and large American flag signs. 

A pastor’s prayer about our “Christian nation” and an obscure official’s pep talk on the patriotism of having more children to “populate the country” plus a message about “Donald J. Trump, our greatest president ever,”  followed. Then some odd angry guy with big muscles yelled into the microphone a long history of fighting the British for freedom and the blood of American warriors.

Throughout the video, there were interesting lighting changes, reverting from daytime to dusk and back to daytime between the stage and the audience as  Stealth bombers, F-35s, and other examples of  “American Air Supremacy” did flyovers.  

It’s odd that news agencies (even Fox) failed to get any videos or photos of the “better attended” kickoff event. That may lead some to think the organizers may have embellished their video (tricks were revealed in another video of a performance where a group of 12 onlookers was replaced by a large crowd). But – even if tricks were used to enhance the crowd size – nothing could beat Trump’s estimate that 45,000 people were present. Most news agencies estimate the crowd at each day of the fair so far to have been in the hundreds at most.

Musical members of the Joint Forces Choir and soloists did an admirable job of belting out energetic popular covers and a couple of Christian hymns, “Glory Glory Hallelujah His Truth is Marching On”. The US Army Downrange Rock Band played “From Sea to Shining Sea” and several singalong covers of “Sweet Caroline” and “Sweet Home Alabama” –  then back to more classical tunes from the Marine Band. Then ‘O America” and that famous ballad in Italian from a tenor. They were all terrific – (Maybe instead of wars, we could have singing competitions.)

Lee Greenwood sang ‘God Bless the USA” and then introduced “The 46th & 47th President of the United States, our Commander-in-Chief, Donald J. Trump.” (Maybe Greenwood just got mixed up on those numbers since Biden was the 46th president.) The crowd chanted USA USA.

Trump bragged and lied and droned on for the next 40 minutes with the poor Marine musicians trapped in the background.  

“The most exceptional nation on Earth, which is becoming more exceptional. America is back. Two years ago, we were dead and being laughed at.  No more – now we are the most powerful and respected nation on the face of the Earth,” said Trump.  “And the world is much safer – Peace in the Middle East –  Before you know it, oil will be $2.50 a gallon for gas. Most secure border in history – Zero illegal aliens.  ICE and Border Patrol are Heroes. A Boom is coming,” according to Trump. 

“The Beautiful reflecting pool that was vandalized so horribly is back. The American Dream is back – something you never thought would happen after the past years of incompetence. …and the Best is yet to come…The Triumphal Arch, the National Garden of Heroes, etc., etc.  

Winding down, Trump introduced his cabinet and department heads and senators present in the audience, and FIFA’s president. “Every day of my administration, we are delivering one historic victory after another. Drill Baby Drill. 600% Drug reductions at TrumpRX.gov (click here). Abolish DEI …and Dept of Education, Men and Women only, no transgender… Give me Liberty or Give me Death” (See the link above for more of this speech.)

The whole thing was topped off by a rousing chorus of “Fun to Stay at the YMCA” as Trump hobbled off stage fist-pumping.

•White Nationalist March in DC: Hundreds of identically dressed white-masked members of the neo-fascist white supremacy hate group Patriot Front carried US and Confederate flags and marched in formation on July 4th in Washington, DC. 

• https://www.reuters.com/pictures/photos-show-hundreds-masked-patriot-front-white-nationalists-marching-dc-2026-07-04/
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/04/neo-fascist-patriot-front-washington-dc
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/trump-freedom-truck-museum-exhibit

See live cam video: https://www.earthcam.com/usa/dc/washingtonmonument/?cam=wamo

ODD DECISIONS & PROJECTS by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

•$306,000: Average Trump Tariffs cost per small business importer and approximately $1,700 per US consumer while failing to revive local manufacturing as promised. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/in-the-first-year-president-trumps-tariffs-have-cost-small-business-importers-306000-on-average/

•$16 Million: Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool failed Trump project to turn it “American flag blue” an algae-fighting system though no-bid contract awarded to friends and donors of President Trump. NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/us/politics/reflecting-pool-paint-contract-trump.html

•$40 Million: National Garden of American Heroes  Trump-proposed project to feature 250 life-sized statues of famous figures, including George Washington, Elvis Presley, Ronald Regan, Kobe Bryant and also statues of various Confederate leaders torn down during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Congress passed funding, but construction has not begun. https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/05/13/trumps-other-vanity-projects-will-cost-1625-million-in-addition-to-14-billion-ballroom-possibly-funded-by-taxpayers/

•$45 Million: Trump’s 2025 birthday event, coinciding with the Army’s 250th anniversary, included a massive military parade that cost an estimated $25 to $45 million. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/15/trump-military-parade-cost-army.html

•$60 Million: Trump Birthday June 14, 2026 UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) “Freedom 250”   event on the south White House lawn was partially offset by corporate contributions. https://time.com/article/2026/06/11/white-house-ufc-event-cost/

•$100 Million:  Trump-proposed “Independence Arch” planned in Washington, DC, at 250 feet is taller than the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial nearby. Estimated cost – work has not begun. https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/05/13/trumps-other-vanity-projects-will-cost-1625-million-in-addition-to-14-billion-ballroom-possibly-funded-by-taxpayers/

•$257 Million: John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Performing Arts “Renovation” cost over a two-year period was passed by Republicans in Trump’s 2025 tax and spending law. (Does not include adding Trump-planned gold and marble embellishments, adding “Donald J. Trump” to the center’s name,  or subsequent court-ordered removal of DJT name addition.) 

The center, built in 1958, was funded by $78 million in private and federal contributions. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/kennedy-center-officials-pledge-transparency-renovations-after-trump-takeover-2026-04-22/

•$377 Million: Renovations of Executive Residence in the fiscal year 2026 budget are a huge increase over the $39 million spent in fiscal year 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/03/trump-plans-spending-377m-on-executive-residence-renovations-and-wants-174m-more-00858810

•$600 Million:  Tear down the White House East Wing to build the Trump Ballroom; estimated cost so far. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/16/records-reveal-600m-estimate-trumps-ballroom-project-with-half-taxpayers/

•$1.4 billion: Trump Ballroom Security upgrades. https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/05/13/trumps-other-vanity-projects-will-cost-1625-million-in-addition-to-14-billion-ballroom-possibly-funded-by-taxpayers/

• $9.7 billion in Trump GRIFT https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/trump-family-corruption-tracker

•$2.25 billion in 2025: from foreign payments, corrupt oligarchs, and investors

•$635 million Meme Coins: Trump profited in sales and licensing fees tied to Trump and Melania tokens (the collectible has since dropped 94% in value). 

•$575 million Real Estate and hospitality portfolio.

•$594 million Crypto Sale:  raked in by Trump according to financial disclosures on his cryptocurrency business World Liberty Financial released June 30, 2026. (https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5948701-trump-crypto-venture-profits/)

•$400 million Luxury Boeing 747 jet “gift” from Qatar in May 2025 was retrofitted at US taxpayer expense. The actual costs of the refurbishment, reported to be between $400 million and $934 million, have been ordered: “classified”. After Trump’s term is over, plans are that the jet will become the property of Trump’s future presidential library – according to Trump.

•$86.5 million Media and Tech Settlements: from media and tech companies he sued.

ANTI IMMIGRATION ACTIONS

•$170 Billion for Immigration Enforcement: Congress republicans passed the Trump/Vance administration’s Big Beautiful Bill allocating $45 billion for detention and $30 billion for ICE. https://www.wlrn.org/immigration/2026-01-23/politifact-fl-immigration-after-one-year-under-trump-where-do-mass-deportation-efforts-stand

•70,000 Detained (jailed): Immigrants, 74% with no criminal record, are being picked up on the street, at workplaces, churches, and at their regular annual check-ins and held against their will under inhumane conditions in makeshift camps and warehouses, private prisons, and federal prisons with no monitoring or accountability. At least 32 have died in ICE custody. 

Cost of Detention:

•$10 million per day ($152 per detained person)

•$40 million to deport 300 immigrants to countries other than their own. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5742585-dhs-ice-spending-minneapolis-chicago-los-angeles/

605,000 Deported

During Trump’s 2nd term, 605,000 people have been deported, and 1.9 million people self-deported according to the Department of Homeland Security without producing data. https://www.wlrn.org/immigration/2026-01-23/politifact-fl-immigration-after-one-year-under-trump-where-do-mass-deportation-efforts-stand

100 immigration judges fired by Trump/Vance

In 2025. In Jan 2026, the administration fired Immigration Appeals judges in San Francisco – one of the busiest courts in the nation – with 120,0000 immigration cases before them. After advertising for  “Deportation,” the administration, in May 2026, swore in 82 candidates to replace fired immigration judges in cities including Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, New York and more. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/10/nx-s1-5672386/the-trump-administration-fired-nearly-100-immigration-judges-in-2025-whats-next and https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/eoir-announces-77-immigration-judges-and-5-temporary-immigration-judges

Shutting down THE U.S. Border to Asylum Seekers

With an OK from a June 25, 2026, US Supreme Court majority decision, the Trump/Vance administration has closed the southern border to Asylum seekers and ended the program for Asylum seekers to make appointments for legal entry. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/press-release/supreme-court-allows-trump-to-block-asylum-seekers/

Refugee Admissions halted for all except White South Africans

Hundreds of Afghans who assisted the US during the war in Afghanistan. Thousands of refugees already approved and in transit to the US have been stranded. People from 19 countries have been banned from entering the US – and those from 20 other countries have partial restrictions. https://afsc.org/news/trumps-executive-orders-immigration-explained

TPS

1.3 million people currently have Temporary Protected Status, a program to provide work authorization and deportation protection for people from countries unsafe to return to. The majority of the US Supreme Court just agreed with the Trump/Vance Administration that Homeland Security can rescind TPS without judicial review and can cancel it for 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian immigrants, many of whom have lived in the US for decades. https://immresearch.org/iri-insights/tps-title/

DACA & Birthright Citizenship

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a program to protect the over 834,000 undocumented young immigrants brought to the US as young children, allowing them to live and work legally. Most grew up here and consider the US their home. The first and now the 2nd Trump/Vance administration is attempting to end it. Congress has failed to create a path to citizenship. 

In related news, the Trump/Vance attempt to end Birthright Citizenship was ruled against by the US Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026 decision, which affirmed that every child born in the US is a citizen. https://www.nilc.org/work/daca/ and https://www.nilc.org/press/nilc-statement-scotus-birthright-citizenship-decision/

Cost of Immigration Enforcement:

One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

•$170 billion funding ICE and Homeland Security operations. (https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5742585-dhs-ice-spending-minneapolis-chicago-los-angeles/ and (https://www.npr.org/2026/01/21/nx-s1-5674887/ice-budget-funding-congress-trump)

Sending ICE agents,  National Guard troops and Marines:

•  Los Angeles, CA – $193 million/  plus $41 million in local costs to manage protests, as reported on NPR. $1 billion in economic disruption, according to the LA Board of Supervisors
• Chicago, IL – $59 million (estimate, Chicago Tribune)
• Minneapolis, MN – $18 million per week & $203 million in economic disruption. $6 million in police overtime. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/24/nx-s1-5739701/ice-surge-trump-finance-cost-cities

WARS

•Genocide: UN Independent Investigation report on children released June 23, 2026, declared genocide in Gaza and the West Bank by Israeli forces. 20,179 children were killed, and 44,143 injured due to hostilities from October 2023 to October 2025 prior to the October 2025 ceasefire; 21,000 were newly disabled. Since the ceasefire was announced, the killings and injuries have been reduced but not ended. Doctors interviewed reported and showed photos and X-rays of child deaths due to single gunshot wounds, suggesting careful aim by snipers and newly deployed Quadcopter attack drones. 

The UN Independent International Commission called on Israel to cease committing violations and crimes targeting children and end occupation and blockades of essential food and medicine.  The Commission called the attacks deliberate war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Read the press release and full report: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/06/israel-continues-commit-genocide-and-other-atrocity-crimes-deliberately

•73,000:  Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza (October 7, 2023 – October 3, 2025) plus an estimated 14,000 trapped under rubble and presumed dead and 170,000 injured. https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/HumanTollGaza

•$31 billion:  US military aid to Israel plus $12 billion on related operations in the Middle East since October 7, 2023. https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/WiderMiddleEastCosts

•$2 billion per day:  US cost of Iran War –  a breakdown of the cost to the US of the Iran war by war budget expert Linda Blimes, who predicts costs will reach one trillion. (Harvard Kennedy School) https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/why-war-iran-so-expensive

•$113.3 Billion – Cost of War Tracker: The first 108 days (Feb 28 through June 16, 2026) of the US war against Iran cost the US $113.3 billion based on the Pentagon’s briefing to Congress (which independent analysis suggests is an undercount).  https://iran-cost-ticker.com/full Also see:  https://www.cfr.org/articles/was-it-worth-it-the-true-cost-of-trumps-iran-war

•US & Israel vs Iran & Lebanon Dead & Wounded: US -13  soldiers killed/346 wounded. Israel – 13 soldiers killed/3,704 civilians wounded. Iran – 5,007 soldiers killed; 1,508 civilians killed/21,079 wounded. Lebanon – 2,020 killed/6,436 wounded/1.2 million displaced. https://iran-cost-ticker.com/full

•$127 billion:  US cost of war in aid to Ukraine includes loans to Ukraine, weapons, money to train troops, budget support and humanitarian aid since Russia invaded in 2022. A large portion of the aid goes to US companies producing weapons. These are Biden-era commitments for aid – there has been no new legislation since Trump took office. https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-much-us-aid-going-ukraine

•$1.5 trillion: Trump Defense Budget 2027: This enormous proposed increase is still moving through Congress. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/03/trump-plans-spending-377m-on-executive-residence-renovations-and-wants-174m-more-00858810