Monday, July 13 – the state strikes back

0:00 A dozen state attorneys general just sued to block the biggest media merger in history, because the federal government won't.

0:08 And in New York, a federal strike team is threatening to cut unemployment benefits for millions – without showing their work.

0:17 Let’s start with that media merger, because it tells you everything about who’s enforcing the rules right now.

0:24 On July 13, a bipartisan coalition of 12 state attorneys general filed a federal antitrust lawsuit to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

0:39 The states say the deal would let a handful of companies control what you watch and how much you pay for it – and that workers would lose bargaining power in the process.

0:49 The Trump-aligned Department of Justice has, so far, declined to challenge the merger.

0:56 The states are stepping in to fill a deliberate void – a void consistent with the Project 2025 playbook of hollowed-out federal enforcement.

1:06 Meanwhile, the Labor Department sent a federal strike team to New York on the same day, claiming unemployment fraud costs taxpayers nearly $2 million a day.

1:18 But the move fits a pattern: back in June, Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling threatened – for the first time in history – to withhold states' administrative funding over fraud allegations, without requiring the states to release public, disaggregated data to back up the claims.

1:39 New York, already $11 billion in federal unemployment debt, could lose access to the IT systems that also run food stamps and cash assistance – hurting the very people who need those benefits.

1:52 The Guardian reported last month that the department is making claims about fraud without supporting evidence. This looks less like oversight and more like a pretext to cut benefits.

2:05 Across the country, a New Mexico attorney general’s report laid bare a two-tiered crisis in school discipline.

2:13 In Gallup-McKinley County, Native American students lose eight to ten times as many instructional days to out-of-school suspensions as white students – for the same kinds of infractions.

2:27 Hispanic students lose three to four times as many.

2:31 This is a structural violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, but the Trump administration’s Education Department has gutted enforcement – rescinded guidance, withdrawn investigations.

2:44 The federal office meant to protect students of color has largely walked away. Then there’s the Strait of Hormuz.

2:51 News reports say the administration is floating a 20% toll on commercial ships passing through that narrow waterway – a de facto tax on oil and gas that could raise gas prices by up to a quarter a gallon and cost households another $200 to $400 a year.

3:11 It’s not official yet – no executive order – but the risk of retaliation from Iran and other gulf states is real, and the burden would fall hardest on lower-income families.

3:24 On Capitol Hill, Senator Mitch McConnell’s prolonged health secrecy after a fall – and his delayed disclosure of pneumonia – has exposed a Senate rulebook gap.

3:36 There is no rule requiring members to disclose conditions affecting their ability to vote or lead. Four-point-five million Kentuckians have no formal way to assess their senator’s fitness.

3:48 The Project 2025 agenda, which prizes party loyalty over institutional norms, makes reform unlikely without public pressure. Finally, a couple of clarifications.

4:02 The research bundle for this date found no evidence of a Ukrainian drone attack killing civilians in Russia; what the sources actually show are Russian strikes on Ukraine.

4:14 And a Fox News opinion piece on a Texas Senate candidate’s Second Amendment argument? That’s political commentary, not federal policy – it doesn’t belong in a briefing about what the administration is doing.

4:28 This isn’t just a collection of today’s headlines. We read Project 2025 itself, piece by piece – 147 actions logged and reframed so far, part of a constant watch on 1,160 distinct moves we’ve tracked. We document.

4:47 We do not reverse anything. But we do see the blueprint.

4:52 Over the next week, look for the state AGs’ lawsuit to face an early test – the court will decide whether to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the Paramount-WBD merger.

5:04 And the Labor Department’s strike team will begin its work in New York; expect more pressure on states that resist. No action required of you – just know the calendar. That’s Monday, July 13.

5:18 A day when the states pushed back, and the administration kept pushing. Gus Calloway for Project Daylight. Keep your feet under you. We’ll be here tomorrow.