Good morning. I’m Corinne Straight, and this is AlterNet America.
The U.S. Mint is striking a gold coin with Trump’s face on it, and even Republicans are calling it excessive. JD Vance admitted the administration “screwed up” the Epstein files release. The Trump administration is seeking to extradite an American who gave more than $1 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. And the EPA is proposing to weaken pollution rules on heavy trucks in a way its own analysis says will increase smog pollution.
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The Mint Is Putting Trump’s Face on a Gold Coin
Trump is finally getting some change he can believe in: a gold $1 coin with his face on it.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday that the U.S. Mint would strike the new coins to celebrate the nation’s 250 years of independence. The move is part of a broader effort to fuse Trump’s likeness with American money, including his signature on new notes this year and a proposed $250 bill with his portrait.
There is one small obstacle. An 1866 law enshrined the tradition that only deceased people can appear on U.S. currency, precisely to avoid the appearance that America was a monarchy.
The Treasury Department says it’s fine. It cited the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 and explained that the images reflect Trump “and his vision for America.”
The rebukes came from both parties. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said the country had entered “the end stages” and predicted grifters would sell “worthless knockoffs.” Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan called the coins “ridiculous and un-American.”
It is not clear what the Trump coins will cost, when they’ll be available, or who exactly can afford a commemorative gold coin during the presidency of a man who calls affordability a “hoax.”
JD Vance Admitted the Epstein Files Release Was Botched
The clearest admission yet that the Trump administration mishandled the Epstein files did not come in a press conference. It came on The Joe Rogan Experience.
“If people want to say we mishandled the Epstein release, guilty,” Vice President JD Vance told Rogan on Wednesday’s episode. “We did mishandle it — especially the communications of it.”
Then he said it again, in case anyone missed it. “We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files.”
Vance pinned part of the blame on then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose claim about having binders of documents on her desk made “people mistrust the entire effort.” He said she “overstated what we had and what we didn’t have.”
He offered some numbers. Investigators collected 6 million documents, about 3 million tied to the Epstein estate. Vance said the release should have gone out as quickly as possible, with time only for victim redactions.
He also claimed Epstein had connections to “the highest levels” of both American and Israeli intelligence. No other issue created as much sustained fallout for the administration last year, including a revolt from congressional Republicans.
It took a year, a congressional revolt, and a Joe Rogan episode for the vice president to admit the Epstein release was mishandled. That’s how accountability works now. It doesn’t come from the press corps, because the press corps has been bought. It comes from independent outlets funded by readers, not corporations. If that’s the kind of journalism you want to exist, become a paid subscriber today.
The U.S. Wants to Extradite an American for Feeding Gaza
It turns out the fastest way to become a national security threat is to give away millions in humanitarian aid.
James “Fergie” Chambers is a self-described communist and an heir to the family that owns Cox Communications. In mid-2023, he sold about $250 million in stock back to his family and started funding progressive and humanitarian projects, including more than $1 million to humanitarian work in Gaza.
Spanish authorities detained him in Ibiza on Friday. He is now being held without bail in Madrid, and the Trump administration is asking Spain to extradite him on charges of material support for Hamas. The indictment is sealed.
Attorney Stanley Cohen, who has 40 years working on terrorism cases, says this is the first known instance of the U.S. seeking extradition of a citizen charged with supporting Hamas. He called it a conscious decision to target someone for political purposes.
The legal theory here is old. Author Trevor Aaronson pointed back to the Holy Land Foundation case, where prosecutors argued money is fungible, meaning that even funding schoolbooks in Gaza theoretically frees up money Hamas could use elsewhere. Under that logic, any dollar spent on humanitarian aid in a conflict zone can be recast as terrorism financing.
The Spanish high court has 40 days to decide. Six members of Spain’s congress warned the case fits a pattern of “growing repression from the Trump administration against the Palestinian solidarity movement.”
The EPA Wants Your Air to Contain More Truck
The EPA just put a price on your respiratory system, and it’s about $6,000 per diesel engine.
The EPA is proposing to weaken Biden-era rules that cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles like buses and large trucks. Administrator Lee Zeldin called the old rules “unnecessary and unworkable.” The agency’s own analysis says the changes would increase ozone-forming nitrogen oxide pollution by 4.2% in 2030 and 11.6% by 2055.
The proposal scales back provisions meant to keep emissions technology working while trucks are in use. It also kills a requirement that engines automatically reduce power when their emissions systems fail, replacing it with a friendly alert to the driver.
The payoff is money. The EPA estimates the changes save the trucking industry between $4,130 and $6,152 per diesel engine affected.
The American Trucking Associations asked for exactly this. The group even requested an option to let manufacturers pay penalties instead of complying, as long as they were “working on” compliant engines. The EPA included that option.
The Environmental Defense Fund notes heavy trucks make up only 5% of vehicles on U.S. roads but are the largest source of pollutants that cause asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and preventable deaths.
Fight Back Against the Oligarch Takeover of the Media
The stories you just read exist because readers like you fund them, not billionaires. The oligarchs are quickly snapping up American media with new cable networks and newspapers being absorbed every day. Every newsroom they gobble up is one less news source reporting on Trump’s corruption or a Republican lawmaker stonewalling their constituents. The single best way to fight back is to fund the independent media they can’t buy. If you’ve been reading AlterNet America on a free subscription, please upgrade to a paying membership now.
POSITIVE STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:
Over 100 House Democrats Voted to Block Military Aid to Israel. For the first time, a majority of House Democrats voted to block billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. On Wednesday, 103 Democrats backed an amendment from GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, the only Republican to back it, though it ultimately failed 104-314. Two years ago, only 37 Democrats voted to block aid to Israel on a similar measure. Rep. Greg Casar, who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the days of an “unaccountable blank check” for Netanyahu’s wars are over. Even the top three House Democrats split on the vote, with several members saying nothing on this issue will be the same again.
USPS Says It’s Not Implementing Trump’s Anti-Mail Voting Order. Trump signed an executive order in March telling the Postal Service to only deliver mail ballots if states handed over a list of preapproved voters, essentially asking the mail carrier to decide who gets to vote. Two federal courts blocked it, USPS confirmed this week it’s complying with those injunctions. The DOJ is appealing both, because the administration’s legal strategy at this point is just filing appeals. Meanwhile, the DOJ has also sued 30 states to get access to unredacted voter rolls and is currently 0-for-15 in court, which is the kind of streak that would get a baseball manager fired.
Hunter Biden Won $1.7 Million From a Trump Ally Who Made Up a Story About Him. A federal judge awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million in his defamation suit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. Byrne, a Trump ally who has pushed false 2020 election claims, alleged in 2023 that Biden offered to have his father unfreeze $8 billion in Iranian funds in exchange for a bribe. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, a Reagan appointee, found ample evidence that Byrne knew the story was false and kept repeating it anyway as part of a “coordinated strategy.” Wilson wrote that Byrne “fabricates awesome and farfetched narratives to garner attention.” Byrne fired his attorney, missed court appearances, and never showed up for the jury trial.
The Yellowstone Bison From the Viral Tourist Video Won’t Be Euthanized. Yellowstone officials confirmed no “management action” will be taken against the bull bison that tossed a tourist 8 feet into the air on Friday near Bridge Bay Campground. The tourist, 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel, suffered a few broken bones but is on the mend. Park Service guidance recommends staying at least 75 feet from bison, and Carl and his grandson appeared to be at least that far away when the animal charged anyway. It’s mating season, which park officials note means the males are especially agitated. For once, the wild animal that did exactly what wild animals do gets to keep living.
