The Epstein Scandal Explodes, The Economy Slows, MAHA Moms Revolt, And Yes - F*ck Trump
2pm EST today - Dr. Jenna Norton and Colette Delawalla join us for an important event on the fight against anti-science
Morning all. First, a programming note. A typical Hopium day will now be our morning newsletter and an afternoon discussion landing between 4 and 5pm EST. Some days those discussions will be live, airing between 11am and 3pm (like today). We’ve started listing our upcoming Live events and interview releases on our Events page so you can bookmark those of greatest interest to you. You can always find an event or discussion you missed under the Podcast tab on the main Hopium site, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify too.
This week we’ve had informative discussions with Iowa Dem Chair Rita Hart, Rep. Delia Ramirez, and Dr. Phillips O’Brien. I also released a new Wednesday night talk, Trump Is Weak, And Now We Must Become Strong. All are there for you this weekend if you are looking for a pod or a lively conversation.
The 4th quarter GDP growth report came in this morning, and it was disappointing. Growth slowed from 4.4 percent in q3 to 1.4 percent in q4. GDP growth in 2025 overall was 2.2 percent, down from 2.8 percent in 2024. Under Trump the economy has slowed, and this anemic 4th quarter result is not what Trump wanted heading into his State of the Union address next week.
Today at 2pm EST we will be doing a check in on the battle against anti-science with Colette Delawalla of Stand Up For Science. You can join us live by clicking here, and a recording of our discussion will be released late this afternoon for those who can’t make it live. Among the things we’ll be discussing is SUFS’s March 7th National Day of Action. Learn more about that here.
I am also excited to announce that joining our 2pm conversation today is a true hero of our fight against anti-science, Dr. Jenna Norton, of the NIH. Here’s what the NYT wrote about Dr. Norton this earlier this month (gift link):
The National Institutes of Health employee behind The Bethesda Declaration, a scathing public critique of the Trump administration’s cuts to biomedical research, sought federal whistle-blower protections on Monday, saying her superiors had retaliated against her by putting her on “nondisciplinary administrative leave.”
The employee, Jenna Norton, a program director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, was put on paid leave after the 43-day government shutdown ended in November. The complaint asks for “appropriate compensatory damages,” and for Dr. Norton to be reinstated.
Dr. Norton has carved out a profile as an outspoken critic of President Trump, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the N.I.H. director. She has participated in weekly protest “vigils” held on Saturdays just outside the agency’s campus, and helped organize an event that became part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations in October.
She has also made numerous media appearances and given interviews criticizing the administration and the president who, she told NPR in October, “is asking us to do things that are illegal and harmful to the American public.” In a text message on Monday, she said she was “eager to return to the critical research my colleagues and I were doing before our work was dismantled.”
In a related story, “MAHA Moms” went into open rebellion against Trump this week. An excerpt from a new NYT story, MAHA Moms Turn Against Trump: ‘Women Feel Like They Were Lied To’:
The MAHA Moms have turned on President Trump.
When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threw his support behind Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign for the White House, his corps of health conscious, mostly female, followers embraced the president, who pledged to address Americans’ concerns about “toxins in our environments and pesticides in our food.”
Some of the women, who call themselves the MAHA Moms after Mr. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement, abandoned the Democratic Party to vote for Mr. Trump.
But the executive order Mr. Trump issued Wednesday to increase domestic production of glyphosate — a widely used weedkiller and possible carcinogen that has been the target of thousands of lawsuits, including one brought by Mr. Kennedy — stunned and infuriated the activists.
It now threatens to turn the brief MAHA-Trump marriage into a divorce.
“Women feel like they were lied to, that MAHA movement is a sham,” said Alex Clark, a health and wellness podcaster for the conservative group Turning Point U.S.A., which is closely allied with the president. “How am I supposed to rally these women to vote red in the midterms? How can we win their trust back? I am unsure if we can.”
Across the country on Thursday, many women who identified with the movement expressed similar feelings of betrayal from the president. But Mr. Kennedy, who issued a statement saying that Mr. Trump’s order would strengthen “our defense readiness and our food supply,” was spared the wrath of the movement’s leaders, if not its rank and file.
“Secretary Kennedy has done everything he said he’s going to do,” said Vani Hari, a healthy eating activist and one-time Democrat (she worked to elect President Barack Obama) who has advised the administration on food policy. “He has upheld his commitment to the American people. Now, whether his boss is doing that is another story.”
Ms. Hari has millions of social media followers. “There is a level of anger and frustration like I’ve never witnessed before,” she said.
On her Instagram page, some of that anger was directed at Mr. Kennedy. “This begs the question why didn’t sec Kennedy have a say and stop it,” one commenter wrote.
Trump is now seeing push back from another part of his fraying coalition - pro-life groups. From the Catholic Review, ‘Unborn children are dying’: Pro-life leaders challenge ICE detention of pregnant women:
Dozens of national pro-life leaders are calling for the reinstatement of federal guidance that would generally prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining pregnant women and new mothers in a letter sent to the Trump administration.
“Medical advocacy groups and investigative reporting have documented prolonged detention of women with high-risk pregnancies, delayed emergency treatment, miscarriages, and stillbirths,” the Feb. 13 letter, signed by more than 30 pro-life leaders across the ideological and religious spectrum, reads. “Simply stated, unborn children are dying because of this policy.”
The letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons comes from two groups: Rehumanize International, a human rights nonprofit, and Secular Pro-Life, an atheist-led anti-abortion organization. Several Catholics signed the letter, including Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action; Charles C. Camosy, pro-life ethicist; and Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of “The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto.”
“There’s room for good faith disagreement on what our immigration law should be and how we enforce it, but it should be a foundational principle that we don’t put innocent children in danger while attempting to punish their mothers,” Libresco Sargeant told OSV News in emailed comments. “We should always try to avoid taking pregnant or nursing women into custody when justice and prudence allow it, and we should treat mother and child with proactive care on the rare occasions when they must be held. Current policy doesn’t hold to those principles.”
It simply has to be noted how much less fear there is of Trump now. Open defiance of him and his regime are becoming commonplace, every day activity. He is facing push back on many, many fronts these days, from Congress to Europe and even from pro-life groups. As we discussed in our weekly get together the last few weeks have been full of regime retreats, reversals, and capitulations. It is very possible that the sustained, and successful, defiance of the regime in Minnesota, at the Super Bowl, in Congress these past few weeks; his many clear governing failures; and his remarkable unpopularity has created a permission structure for people of all sorts to join in the “hey Trump, F-U” kind of thing we are seeing now, across the country, and in this incredible, new ass-kicking ad from Illinois Senate candidate Juliana Stratton.
Sound on, watch this!!!!!!!!!!!
Trump is weaker today. Here’s G. Elliott Morris’ latest tracker on the approval of elements of his agenda. Just ugly across the board:
Late many other polls released in recent days Trump is as of this morning at his lowest point this term in Civiqs' daily tracking poll:
We also have to note how much the Epstein scandal exploded this week, and how it is becoming far more dangerous to Trump and frankly his entire regime. Look at this Reuters image of former Prince Andrew after his release yesterday:
The scandal is now not just taking down Princes abroad, it is starting now to manifest in the states, creating another vector to keep it in front of voters, every day. The New Mexican government has launched a truth commission looking into Epstein’s activities on the Zorro Ranch:
A leading statewide Republican candidate in Texas has just been outed as the secret buyer of the Zorro Ranch, and yes this headline is not from The Onion:
The Oversight Committee Dems, led by ranking member Robert Garcia, deposed Les Wexner, one of Epstein’s most high profile associates, in Ohio this week.
So not only is the Epstein scandal developing nexuses that will keep it in the news in several foreign countries, it is starting to become a serious matter in several states here in the US too (with Florida, of course, being a notable exception). Trump’s attempt to contain the Epstein scandal has failed, spectacularly, and it has now clearly become a deeply threatening modern day "cancer on the Presidency.”
Now….
Let’s Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map
Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $172,500 raised, $250,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Donate to all four endorsed House challengers with one click | Learn More | Enjoy our new conversations with Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), and Janelle Stelson (PA-10). Now including funds already raised with our friends at FridayAction for a joint event we are doing in late March.
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $376,400 raised, $500,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our new campaign to expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas. Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $10,000 to each of our five state parties.
Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $35,900 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and learn more. Amazing start everyone!
Winning Ohio - $60,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue! | Watch my conversation with David Pepper, who does a great overview of the opportunities we have in Ohio this year. Note a generous donor has sent $21,000 worth of Hopium-infused contributions directly to the candidates which are not included in our on-line goal tracker.
Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $78,500 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my conversation with Gov. Cooper and a new, terrific one with NC Dem Party Chair Anderson Clayton
Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $130,700 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff
Keep working hard everyone. The momentum is with us, and we need to keep fighting as hard as we can - Simon
LOVE to see Trump's poll numbers now consistently below 40% favorable across multiple polls. It was always more than annoying to see them hover around 40% for an extended period of time. That period has come to an end, and we're all going to work hard to push them even lower.
Called my MAGA Congressman Tim Burchett this morning. He is now Chair of the DOGE Committee in the House. Suggested his Committee investigate Noem's $70 million tricked-out airplane, the no-bid contracts going to her pals, the $10 billion in unappropriated money to Trump's "Peace Board," the $2 billion Kennedy wants to build a rival WHO, the administration officials living rent free in housing meant for the military, Vaught's use of $15 million in Congress-appropriated funds for US AID to pay for his personal security. The staffer hung up before I could finish my list. But there will be more calls. They can't hide.
Some random thoughts and reporting from SW Wisconsin. I live in small town, rural farm country. Lots of pro-Trump, anti-Biden, anti-Dem signs & stickers, etc. all over since 2016. Including a truck with a giant sticker of Trump's face SMH. I'm happy to report that there are now almost ZERO pro-T signs anywhere (even at places that kept them up during the entire Biden administration), just one or two MAHA signs, and LOTS AND LOTS of things like "True Patriots Defend the Constitution." Our Vernon Dem HQ used to close after presidential election season each year but it stays open with regular hours & events now. We donate some money pretty regularly & their events are well-attended; they are active with public school initiatives and local elections and so much more.
We've been working on signage for our front lawn - some overtly Dem and some simply pro-democracy. Two faves with rave reviews are: "Fascism=Bad; Democracy=Good" and "True Blue Patriots Vote Blue." We also keep an American flag flying, which many of our very liberal friends scoffed at, but I said I was damn sick of the dastardly co-opting of my flag - especially since my two sons and daughter-in-law are Army National Guard.
Finally, my husband and I regularly talk about the best ways to be part of the Resistance. He is an artist and poet, as well as a retired teacher & social worker. I work full time still but spent years as a professional writer & editor. We have been studying the essays and pamphlets from our nation's founding days (mostly Ben F and Thomas P right now) and are considering some old-style pamphletting, perhaps using aliases. One of our first thoughts was Simon's idea of Letter to America and/or Declaration of Independence.
Finally, some thoughts about the horrors being revealed in the Epstein files. Not only must we reveal all about these horrors from the past, but we must root out the current iteration of this cabal (which we must all realize did not just stop operating when Epstein died & Maxwell as jailed), AND we must recognize that we all have a lifetime's work ahead of us to build a more perfect union once past the immediate crises. We must right the wrongs which were allowed to be part of our nation's birth (yes, I'm talking reparations), close gaps in our laws, and create a BETTER Constitution and establish a BETTER and STRONGER system of checks-and-balances. Perhaps the parliamentary system Simon has suggested.
And we must have our eyes wide open about what the true root of all evil is: the obsession with power, from the Epstein class to the poorest & lowliest of imbalanced family systems.
Thanks for everyone here and all you do to inspire me and help me to aspire to be bold.