Coward Trump Used Reporters as Human Shields on Air Force One

Trump is handing Republicans a 3-1 FCC majority, a disgraced anti-trafficking group got $244M to rep migrant kids, and $323M was rerouted from national parks to the White House lawn

Good afternoon. I’m Ryan Rose, and this is AlterNet America.

Trump snuck off Air Force One in a catering cart while reporters sat on it as decoys against an Iranian assassination threat. Trump is breaking a decades-old norm to hand Republicans a 3-1 FCC majority. A Utah anti-trafficking group whose founder was accused of trafficking just got a no-bid $244 million contract to represent migrant kids. And the National Park Service quietly rerouted $323 million to White House grounds projects while cutting funds at Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon.

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Trump Used Reporters as Human Decoys on Air Force One

Trump spent years trying to cut Meals on Wheels from the federal budget. Now he is Meals on Wheels.

Facing a credible assassination threat from Iran when he left last month’s NATO summit in Turkey, Trump told the press he’d ride the original Air Force One “for old time’s sake.” In reality, it was part of an elaborate ruse.

After boarding on camera, Trump was quietly rolled off the plane in a catering cart, according to two U.S. officials. He made his escape to England on a third military plane, then secretly returned to the original jet after landing. The press and some staff stayed aboard, none the wiser.

Only a few officials were briefed, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Communications director Steven Cheung had hinted the administration would use “distraction and misdirection.” When the Times asked for fresh comment, the White House reissued the statement with that line quietly removed.

On the ride home, Trump told reporters, “I’m number one on their list, before you. But if I go, you go. Right?” The one time he wants to keep journalists close is when he needs them as human shields.

Trump Hands GOP a 3-1 FCC Majority, Leaves Democratic Seat Empty

“The FCC is supposed to be bipartisan. Trump heard “buy partisan.”

The FCC is split 3-2 along party lines, with the president’s party getting the extra seat. Presidents have always let the other party choose its own commissioners, which even Trump did in his first term when he nominated Democrat Geoffrey Starks at Chuck Schumer’s suggestion.

This time, he nominated Republican Danielle Thumann Severs, who works for Chairman Brendan Carr. He refused to fill the Democratic seat, giving Republicans a 3-1 majority.

Carr has spent his time as chairman investigating and threatening the broadcast licenses of networks he claims are biased against Trump. With a third Republican on the commission, he doesn’t need to threaten.

The scariest part is that the FCC only needs three members to function. If Trump has three Republicans confirmed, he can fire the last Democrat and run the commission with no opposition at all.

There is a federal law that says no single party can hold more than three of the five FCC seats, but the only way to enforce it is through the courts.

Disgraced Anti-Sex-Trafficking NGO Gets $244 Million to Rep Migrant Kids

The party of “protect the children” just handed a quarter-billion dollars to an organization whose own founder was accused of trafficking the people working for him.

On August 7, the Trump administration gave Our Rescue — formerly Operation Underground Railroad — a no-bid $244,034,658 contract to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children. That’s seven times the total assets the group reported in 2025.

Our Rescue got famous in 2023 via the film Sound of Freedom, which glorified founder Tim Ballard. Shortly after, multiple former employees accused Ballard of sexual assault and trafficking, saying he coerced them into a “couples ruse” during stings and assaulted them while demanding they “remain in character.”

The current CEO, Derek Benner, spent a decade at Homeland Security Investigations, where the agency ran a fake school. The so-called University of Farmington was used to lure foreign students and arrest 250 of them.

The most recent deal follows a no-bid $150 million contract to Burke Law Group, a Texas firm with 24 attorneys, only two of whom handle immigration and asylum cases. Both awards came after the administration let the Acacia Center for Justice contract expire, jeopardizing legal aid for about 26,000 children. A federal judge had to order the government to pay the $65 million it already owed.

In related news, the arsonist lobby just landed a fire department contract.

Trump Raided National Parks to Gild the White House Lawn

Some men look at the Grand Canyon and feel awe. Others think, “This could use less funding.”

Internal National Park Service documents show $323 million was rerouted to White House grounds projects this year, an increase of nearly 5,000% over what was spent in 2024. Another nearly $100 million went to projects on the National Mall, a tenfold jump from two years ago.

The White House and Mall spending exceeds the total budgets of nine of the largest national parks. Meanwhile, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon all saw multimillion-dollar cuts.

The parks already had a maintenance bill of $23 billion before the cuts. When you reduce the number of staff, trails go un-repaired, campsites go un-maintained, and fires burn longer before being responded to.

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, which is currently on fire, accused Trump of “raiding wildfire prevention funding to pay for his vanity projects.” The state has requested federal wildfire assistance multiple times this summer and been denied.

Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee offered a simple choice: your nearest national park, or “another monument to Trump?”

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