Juan Escalante

@juanescalante.com

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📲 Making sense of politics, news, and tech 📩 hello@juanescalante.com 📍 Los Angeles ⬇️ Subscribe to my newsletter bit.ly/doubleclicknews

“How it started / how it going” meme. Top: video still captioned “Trump calls Spain a ‘terrible NATO partner,’” showing Trump seated with a NATO official against a NATO-branded backdrop. Bottom: Fox News headline “Trump to present FIFA World Cup winners with trophy,” with subtext noting FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he and Trump would deliver the trophy at a New York/New Jersey stadium.

A black shirt that reads BRENDAN CARR IS A DUMMY in white font

BRENDAN CARR IS A DUMMYYYYYY NOW WITH MERCH

Screenshot of a Miami Herald headline that reads:

They found a Miami-area plastic surgery clinic through social media. Both died
South Florida, often deemed the epicenter of the cosmetic surgery industry in the U.S., has hundreds of clinics.

A fawn pug with a dark muzzle lies with her head resting sideways on a tan fleece blanket, gazing at the camera with one large, expressive brown eye visible. A white pillow and an open laptop are visible in the background behind her.

screenshot of a post from the @TrumpMobile account on X promoting the T1 Phone. The post shows a close-up product photo of a gold-colored smartphone with an American flag engraved on the back alongside the words “TRUMP MOBILE.” The flag depicted has only 11 stripes — an error, as the U.S. flag has 13 stripes representing the original colonies. The post text reads: “The T1 Phone has arrived!! Those who pre-ordered the T1 Phone will be receiving an update email. Phones start sh…”

Screenshot of a New York Times breaking news alert dated May 12, 2026. A photo shows a densely packed crowd of travelers with rolling suitcases and backpacks waiting in a winding airport security line. The headline below reads: “U.S. Inflation Jumps 3.8%, the Fastest Rate in 3 Years.” The subtext states that consumer prices rose in April at the fastest rate since May 2023, driven by sharp increases in energy costs caused by the war with Iran. Photo credit: Vincent Alban/The New York Times.

A screenshot of the AAA Fuel Prices website showing state gas price averages for regular unleaded as of May 8, 2026. The national average is $4.546. Prices range from a low of $3.984 in Oklahoma to a high of $6.160 in California. Other notable prices include Hawaii at $5.652, Washington at $5.764, Oregon at $5.335, Nevada at $5.234, Alaska at $5.249, and Illinois at $4.989. Most Midwest and Southern states fall between $4.00 and $4.40.

Screenshot of a New York Times breaking news alert dated May 5, 2026. The headline reads: “Republicans Propose $1 Billion in Immigration Bill for Trump’s Ballroom Project.” The subheadline notes the money would go toward security improvements as part of an East Wing construction project, including a new ballroom that President Trump has said would be built with private dollars. Above the headline is a photo of two people photographing the White House from a distance, with the Washington Monument visible in the background.

A hand wearing a black latex glove holds a novelty collectible packaged in the style of a vintage Star Wars action figure card. The card reads “Cerveza Cristal” and is branded by Dreadful Things. Inside the blister pack is a tiny miniature Cerveza Cristal beer bottle. The card’s background features a large Cerveza Cristal bottle being held by a shadowy hand, styled to look like a dramatic Star Wars scene. The packaging notes “Ages 21 and up” and item number 081978.

Screenshot of Politico Playbook:

POLITICO

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Things aren't looking great for FBI
Director Kash Patel.
Speculation ramped up this week over which ranking administration chief will go next after Pentagon head Pete Hegseth ousted his Navy secretary - with President Donald Trump's blessing. Now, a top White House official tells Dasha that Patel is likely the next Cabinet-level official to go.
f'It's only a matter of time," the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said of the FBI director.
There are several reasons, the official said, but top among them is the number of negative stories centered on the FBI director is "not a good look for a Cabinet secretary," and Trump is fed up with the level of distraction.
Earlier this month, The Atlantic published a story recounting allegations that Patel had episodes of
"conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences." Patel denied the allegations and sued The Atlantic for defamation. The New York Times reported in February that Patel instructed FBI agents to provide a full-time security detail for his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. The FBI told The Times she needed the protection because she faced death threats.

Screenshot of a New York Times breaking news alert dated April 23, 2026. Headline: “Soldier Used Classified Information to Bet on Maduro’s Ouster, U.S. Says.” The article states the soldier made more than $400,000 betting on outcomes related to Venezuela after learning of a U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro. Photo shows figures including a DEA agent near a military helicopter at dusk. Photo credit: Vincent Alban/The New York Times.

Screenshot of today’s evening AXIOS newsletter that reads:

Florida House Republicans are waving the caution flag on using their state in a last-ditch effort to pull ahead of Democrats in the mid-cycle redistricting race.
Why it matters: Speaker Mike Johnson told us he's "not worried at all" when asked if he's concerned about the GOP's Florida maps blowing up in the party's face.
• But his Florida delegation isn't so sure.
• "I like my lines," Rep. Maria Elvira
Salazar (R-Fla.) told us. She's warning about slipping GOP support among Latinos.
• "I do have some concerns about five,"
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) told us, saying she's "very confident" they could squeeze two, maybe three seats from snap redistricting.
• Florida lawmakers will start a delayed special session next week that includes a look at redistricting. But there's opposition in the state Legislature.

A photo of a menu where black font reads on white paper:

GUACAMOLE
We use fresh Avocado with tomatoes, onions, and Cilantro.
$16.75
OR MARKET PRICE

Screenshot from politico playbook that reads:

"Once [Noem] was gone, it's like, 'phew,' steam let off," said JESSICA VAUGHAN, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies.
"And it was more intense than I had even realized
- how frustrated people were."

Screenshot from the New York Times breaking story

What We're Covering Today
• Labor Department: Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will step down from her post to take a job in the private sector, a White House spokesman announced on social media on Monday, as an
internal investigation into her leadership of the department was in its final stages. Investigators were reviewing allegations of widespread misconduct, including the use of department resources for personal trips and having an affair with a member of her security team. Read more ›

Screenshot from the New York Times that shows a photo of a cargo ship with the headline text:

U.S. Attacks Iranian Cargo Ship While Preparing for New Round of Talks

President Trump said the Iranian cargo ship defied an American blockade of Iran’s ports. The attack occurred hours after a White House official said the U.S. was dispatching a delegation to Pakistan for peace talks.

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) speaks at a podium labeled “Dignity Coalition” outside the U.S. Capitol, her hand raised mid-speech. Rep. Veronica Escobar and other attendees stand alongside her. A sign reading “Dignity and Stability for Long-Term Immigrants and American Communities” is visible to the right. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.

A screenshot from an Associated Press story that reads:

• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that a ceasefire and negotiations with the U.S. on ending the war is "unreasonable" as he accused the U.S. violating three of Tehran's 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. It comes as the not yet day-old ceasefire appears at risk of fraying over significant disagreements between the parties.
• The United States and Iran both claimed victory Wednesday after the two countries and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire to halt more than a month of war, even as more drones and missiles hit the Islamic Republic and Gulf Arab states.
• Israel has pushed forward its war against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, striking dense commercial and residential areas of Beirut without warning, killing at least 112 people and wounding hundreds of others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the ceasefire deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah, contradicting what Pakistan, the deal's broker, and other nations had said. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and the U.S. demanded that Iran immediately reopen it.

Rolling stone headline that reads:

WAR GAMES
'A WHOLE CIVILIZATION WILL DIE TONIGHT, WARNS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE HOPEFUL

Gold background image with black letters that reads “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” with a black banner with 2026 overlayed in white font

A screenshot of a Pokémon card showing pikachu celebrating a birthday. The card is yellow and the ability is called “birthday surprise.”

View from a freeway in Los Angeles of Universal Studios Hollywood’s theme park buildings rising above the treeline, with a large Minion character figure perched on top of a silver building and colorful Dr. Seuss-style ride structures visible to the left. A hillside with dry brush rises in the background under a clear blue sky. Cars are visible on the freeway in the foreground.

Screenshot of a tweet that reads

@RapidResponse47
X.com

Deranged liberals cook up insane conspiracy theories when @POTUS goes 12 hours without

Screenshot of a tweet from @PokeTCGAlerts showing four screenshots from the Pokémon game Pokopia of a fan-made Waffle House recreation. The top two images show the exterior of the building at night with a yellow “Waffle House” sign. The bottom two images show the interior filled with fighting-type Pokémon including Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Tyrogue posing inside the diner.

Screenshot of a tweet from @DHSgov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) reading “Luke 23:46 — On this solemn day, we reflect on the ultimate sacrifice our Savior made for all humanity. Trust in God’s plan.” The tweet includes a dark, painterly image of the crucifixion with the text “Father Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit” and a citation of Luke 23:46.

Cartoon by Kuper titled “Five Stages of White House Employment.” A conveyor belt moves figures from left to right: a cheerful man in a red cap waving goodbye, a man shaking hands with a Trump-like figure at a podium, the same figure firing someone, a man standing stiffly with a sword at his back, and finally a figure being pushed through a door. The progression illustrates hiring, orientation, termination, and expulsion.

Screenshot from THE HILL publication that reads:

Luna hosts Russian lawmakers to mixed GOP reactions, outrage from others
BY LAURA KELLY 03/26/26 07:07 PM ET

Screenshot from WAPO headline that reads:

Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran

If President Donald Trump approves the plans, such an effort would mark a new phase of the war that could be significantly more dangerous to U.S. troops than the first four weeks.

A pug wearing a colorful rainbow-striped zip-up sweater sits on a white pedestal between two smiling people.

Screen shot from a WSJ headline that reads —

WSJ
BREAKING
House GOP Leaders Reject Bill to Fund DHS, Likely Extending
Standoff
Republicans instead plan to propose an eight-week bill to fund the entire department, including back pay for TSA workers.
• 139 March 27

Screenshot of special state house election results showing democrat Emily Gregory beating Republican Jon Maples

A screenshot from an AXIOS newsletter that reads:

Zoom in: Trump said yesterday he won't make a deal with Democrats to reopen DHS until they pass the SAVE America Act, the GOP's signature election bill.
• The Senate is entering week two of its
"extended debate" on the SAVE Act, but it's all but certain to fail.
• The president also rejected Thune's request yesterday to strip out money for ICE and fund the agency through reconciliation.

Screenshot from a WAPO article that reads:

In an effort to kick-start that conversation, Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago who is ruminating on a possible presidential run in 2028, is publicly endorsing the Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration reform law pushed by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Florida).

A photo of a pug sitting down while wearing a multi colored zip up sweater

A chaotic press scene with a large crowd of journalists and cameras. At the center, a tall bald man in a navy suit and tie is extending his hand outward, appearing to speak. To his left, a young person with short dark hair has their back to the camera. Multiple TV cameras and photographers are visible in the background.

A screenshot of a news article from myRGV.com, dated March 7, 2026, with the headline “McAllen mariachi family’s ICE detainment sparks bipartisan rebuke,” bylined to Omar Zapata. Below the headline and social sharing buttons, a photo shows a young Latino man in a mariachi uniform playing trumpet during rehearsal at McAllen High School. In the soft-focus foreground, another musician holds a violin bow. Behind him, a whiteboard displays a handwritten setlist of Spanish-language song titles, including “Enamorada,” “Y Las Nubes,” and “Nueve Sobre Mojado.” A third musician in a purple shirt is partially visible at the right edge. The image is credited to Delcia Lopez of The Monitor.

A wide-angle photograph of the interior of the U.S. House of Representatives chamber, showing a group of people — some in suits, others in casual clothing — moving along the side of the chamber near the wooden gallery seating. Several individuals appear to be law enforcement or security personnel. An inset circle in the upper right highlights a man in a white shirt crouching or climbing over the wooden chamber seats. The scene appears chaotic and tense.

Screen shot of tweet from U.S. SENATOR TIM SHEEHY. It reads:

@TimSheehyMT:

Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing. He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation.

This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.

A political cartoon titled “Chuck Schumer in Middle Earth.” A caricature of Chuck Schumer dressed in hobbit-style robes and a green cloak gestures toward Sauron in full dark armor. A speech bubble from Schumer reads: “Well, he DID pinky promise not to use the One True Ring.” Illustrated by JDuquette.

A man in a white button-down shirt and dark pants stands on a green lawn in a backyard, gesturing while speaking to a small seated audience under a covered patio. String lights and a large fruit tree hang overhead. Colorful pennant banners and children’s toys are visible in the background.