First Draft: Trump and AIPAC Take Out Thomas Massie

The Republican who championed the Epstein files release and opposed Israel is toast, the president's latest revenge victim in an insanely expensive race. In DC, another Trump tax bombshell explodes.

On this day in 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Romer v. Evans that states could not deny LGBTQ+ citizens protection against discrimination – a milestone in the fight for equal rights some now see at risk from Donald Trump’s extremist Court.

Good morning, friends. Prem here. Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday wherever you are. Some nice DC news is that one of the most beloved fountains in Malcolm X Park is back on after years out of order, thanks in part to Donald Trump’s insistence on “beautifying” the capital for the nation’s 250th birthday. A source tells me, however, of an odd “odor” wafting around the fountains. Yet another thing that smells fishy in Trump’s America…

In today’s ‘First Draft,’ Trump and pro-Israel interests spend big to stamp out a Republican maverick; an extraordinary report details the U.S. and Israel’s original plan for regime change in Tehran; and Trump’s financial corruption reaches unbelievable heights. Let’s dig in.

Massieve Loss

Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech on May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Kentucky. Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images.

Nearly $33 million. That’s how much was thrown into one Republican House primary in Kentucky. The most expensive such primary ever. And it was enough to beat Thomas Massie.

Millions were dropped by outside groups and Trump allies seeking to boost Massie’s challenger, Ed Gallrein. It paid off, Gallrein winning 55% to 45%.

Massie told supporters he had called his opponent to concede. Though he couldn’t resist a crack at Gallrein, he said he was committed to “basic decency” in politics, adding: “We’ve been honorable the whole time and we’re going to stay that way.”

The spending in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District surpassed even that seen in two vastly expensive House primaries in 2024, successful challenges against then Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman in New York and Cori Bush in Missouri. Bowman and Bush had something in common beyond progressive politics: they were leading critics of the Israeli government and advocates for Palestinian rights. Yes, your guess is correct: many of the same groups and individuals who spent against Bowman and Bush spent to get rid of Massie, AIPAC prominent among them.

It should be said that Massie is no one’s idea of a progressive, hidden or otherwise. Hardline positions include abortion (anti), guns (pro), and birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants (you guessed it, anti).

Nonetheless, his breaks from Trump created headlines, and not just thanks to colorful quotes like this one, when he told a minion of pro-Trump troll Laura Loomer: “I thought you knew. I vote with Republicans 91% of the time, and the 9% I don’t, they’re taking up for pedophiles, starting another war, or bankrupting our country.”