Update - since going to press this morning we had a bit of news - Pope Leo XIV! We will learn more about him in the days to come, but here are two social media posts that give us a decent early understanding:
And….
Now, let’s get to it…..
Morning all. I got together with the plucky, proud, patriotic paid subscribers of our wonderful community last night. A recording and transcript of my initial talk and the Q and A session is above. Get to it when you have the time and share with others you think would benefit from the discussion.
Highlights From Our Discussion Last Night
I still think the current dynamic of our politics is 1) As Trump keeps breaking things that will be hard if not impossible to repair we need to keep working with great urgency 2) He is failing, weaker, decaying and things are likely to get worse for him as the tariffs really kick in over the next few weeks. His public performances have become wilder, more incoherent, desperate and clownish - a sign that his struggles are getting to him. And he has now told us he want us to “pay more, get less” (LOLOLOL!!!!!!) 3) We are getting stronger, our movement is learning and gaining strength, the circle of defiance is growing and I am incredibly grateful for all the work this community is putting in to mitigate the damage being done and win elections this year and next.
And yes, congratulations on our big win in North Carolina!
I am in the process of reworking our “actions” that we take together, and want to focus on these three in the coming weeks:
We link his terrible tariffs with his even more terrible reconciliation bill, and work to undermine both of them, together.
We keep fighting to get Dems to more aggressively open up that Second Front, pen a Letter to America, introduce and debate state and local “articles of condemnation” and commit to owning July 4th this year. We have to firmly cement our identity as patriots and theirs as betrayers.
We develop and lean in hard to a big comprehensive argument against their multi-pronged and barbaric assault on our health, our public health system, science, research and academic freedom. I am calling this our Third Front.
Spurred on by my recent conversations with Jane Kleeb and Rachel Janfaza we discussed the need for us to make voter registration a major new priority for our work together in the 2026 cycle. More on this, soon.
We also talked about how elected Dems and the Party across the country are doing far more to engage voters now than is commonly understood. Town Halls have become a thing, in all 50 states, and we are seeing these kind of videos spread all across all social media becoming far more common (this one from Rep. Adam Smith of Washington):
I talked about the Substack platform is changing and how Hopium itself will have to grow and evolve in the coming months. Expect a few Live events each week, a greater roster of friends and contributors, and even new merch! I also will be exploring ways to bring Hopium out into the physical world by making myself available to speak at more DC area events, host a few ourselves and perhaps do a national Hopium tour in the fall.
Our next live event is tomorrow at 1pm with legal analyst and independent journalist Katie Phang. You can learn more how to join us live here, with the easiest way to just click on this link at 1pm ET tomorrow and you will join the party! Live links can always be found on our Events page.
And finally, I reminded everyone that while Trump is increasing costs (pay more, get less!!!!) for you and your family, Hopium is lowering them - an annual paid subscription here is now 10% off through the end of May.
Other Things We Are Tracking Today
Bill Gates Accuses Elon Musk of Killing Children with USAID Cuts - From The Financial Times:
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates ratcheted up his feud with Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through what he said were misguided cuts to US development assistance.
Gates, who is announcing a plan to accelerate his philanthropic giving over the next 20 years and close down the Gates Foundation altogether in 2045, said in an interview that the Tesla chief had acted through ignorance.
In February, Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) in effect shut down the US Agency for International Development, the main conduit for US aid, saying it was “time for it to die”.
The co-founder of Microsoft, and once the world’s richest man himself, said the abruptness of the cuts had left life-saving food and medicines expiring in warehouses and could cause the resurgence of diseases such as measles, HIV and polio.
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” he told the Financial Times.
“I have said innumerable times publicly I think vaccine mandates are criminal" - meet Trump’s new Surgeon General Nominee, Casey Means, a “wellness influencer.”
Trump Cabinet Secretaries Are On The Hill Today, And Of Course It Is Ugly - As I am going to press video has started to flow of Trumpian quislings struggling on the Hill this morning. Excited to share this remarkable performance from the the top law enforcement officer of the United States, Kash Patel, who admits that he is in fact not following the law right now:
Ford is raising the price of 3 of its cars by $2,000 - From Reuters:
Ford Motor has hiked prices on three of its Mexico-produced models effective May 2, becoming one of the first major automakers to adjust sticker prices following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Prices on the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, Maverick pickup and Bronco Sport will increase by as much as $2,000 on some models, according to a notice sent to dealers, which was reviewed by Reuters.
GOP senators hope to avoid Trump agenda from becoming a ‘train wreck’ - From The Hill:
Republicans are looking to regroup on President Trump’s agenda, which one GOP lawmaker says is becoming a “train wreck.”
Senate Republicans met at the Library of Congress on Wednesday to plot a path forward on the stalled budget reconciliation bill amid growing tensions between conservatives, who want to make deep cuts to government spending, and moderates, who worry about the impact on Medicaid and other federal benefits.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) goal of getting “one big, beautiful bill” to Trump’s desk by Memorial Day won’t be met, and now there’s a danger that negotiations of the tax bill will slip past July 4, the target date set last week by Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent.
“We are keeping very close tabs on it,” a Republican senator said of the negotiations in the House, adding that the two chambers are heading in separate directions, with little direct negotiation.
“Sooner or later we have to pass the same thing, and I’m worried that this is potentially a train wreck. We can’t really get on the same page,” the lawmaker warned.
The 8th Amendment
As part of our Owning The Fourth campaign, we are reviewing one amendment to The Constitution each day. Today is May 8th so here is the 8th Amendment:
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Our Campaigns And Actions
Keep self reporting all. So much going on across the country - thank you. Our campaigns and actions section is getting overhauled, but have two keep projects hope you will support today:
1 - Help Abigail Spanberger Win Virginia - Virginia will be one of the big battlegrounds of the November, 2025 elections and we have a great candidate for Governor, Abigail Spanberger. Watch my interview with Abigail, donate, volunteer, and learn more here. Given how many federal employees live in Virginia, this race is also now on the front lines of the Trump/Musk assault on the federal government.
We’ve raised more than $91,000 so far towards our June 30th goal of $250,000 - thank you all. Let’s keep working it for Abigail!
2 - Support The Hopium House 7 - We’ve begun our work to help flip the House next year by supporting and shoring up the 7 newly-elected battleground House Dems we helped elect last year. Catch our interviews with Reps Derek Tran, Janelle Bynum and Tom Suozzi and give to all 7 through a single donation on our new ActBlue page. Learn more about this important effort here.
We’ve already raised over $72,000 towards our $200,000 June 30th goal - thank you all!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you - Simon
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