The News You Need on Thursday, May 7th, 2026.
Trump turns to Putin for fertilizer, his entourage's insider trading, his strange relationship with assassins and other news you need today.
Trump Corruption Watch
Trump’s New Airport Grift
Miami Herald
Scott: There’s never been a grifter like Donald J. Trump. He carries the art to new heights.
Consider his new “deals” with Palm Beach County.
The sitting president has graciously permitted the county to name its airport, previously called Palm Beach International (PBI), the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” but this permission came at a price: Palm Beach County commissioners voted on Tuesday on a non-exclusive licensing agreement, obtained by the Miami Herald, that would require the Florida county to use the President’s name for the airport and any merchandise sold inside. The Palm Beach authorities were given no choice in the matter, as Ron DeSantis enacted a special Florida law compelling it.
Proceeds from this branding will flow, of course, to the Trump family, though the path appears to be convoluted.
No prior president has ever wielded his name, power and position for personal gain in such a manner, and most constitutional scholars agree that it’s illegal.
Palm Beach County commissioners approved a trademark deal with one of Donald Trump’s family companies to rename the county’s airport after the president in a 4-3 vote Tuesday, with one Democrat backing the plan. The agreement gives Trump extra power over how his name is used in the airport rebranding, including giving him veto power over how his image and biographical information is used in marketing materials. It also requires airport stores to source airport-branded merchandise from retailers Trump’s companies choose…
Democratic commissioners Gregg Weiss, Joel Flores and Bobby Powell Jr. voted against the agreement, primarily citing concerns that they didn’t have enough time to review the agreement since they had just received it on Monday. They were also apprehensive about the fact that there is no termination clause in the agreement, and the county has no way out of it unless there is a change in state law. Their vote comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law in late March forcing the name change, but hinging it on a requirement that the county approve a trademark deal with Trump’s companies. The company that manages Trump’s trademarks, DTTM Operations LLC, applied for the trademarks for “Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” in February. The latter name is what appears in the proposed new logo for the airport.
Since the beginning of Trump II, even the most sophisticated news consumers have felt overwhelmed by a daily tsunami of fearful developments.
Charles: Whenever I read Scott Horton on Bluesky, I am always the best educated person in the room that day. This is because he’s not only a great lawyer and a fine journalist, he’s also the most assiduous consumer of media who I’ve ever met.
This means that when you get the news you need from us, you’ll get the benefit of his reading of newspapers in Italy, France, Germany, Russia and many other places.
Get all the news you need from Scott and I, free for two weeks.
