good morning. it’s tuesday, july 22, and this is the record🗞️.hey, it’s marlena. it’s tuesday, july 22.today’s episode is about distraction politics—how sugar swaps, resignations, and silence cover up real harms.we’re covering:→ coke’s cane sugar pivot and trump’s credit claim→ fema’s top rescuer quitting after texas floods→ ice masks and mass deportation denials→ tesla losing billions thanks to gop rollbacks→ harvard canceling a pro-palestine journal issue→ trump allies scrambling to meet ghislaine maxwell→ stephen colbert’s return to slam trump
📰 headline 1: coke’s cane sugar pivot is a trump distractionwhat’s happening: trump says he convinced coke to switch from high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar.what to know: nutrition experts say the recipe hasn’t really changed. it’s a marketing stunt.my take: swapping syrup isn’t swapping systems. it’s a distraction from epstein, racism, ice abuses—put coke on blast.
📰 headline 2: fema’s top rescuer resigns after texas flood failureswhat’s happening: ken pagaret is stepping down amid outrage over poor flood response.what to know: many people died; frustration runs deep behind the scenes.my take: this isn’t just bureaucratic failure, it’s a human tragedy and climate crisis warning.
📰 headline 3: ice masks and trump-era deportation defenseswhat’s happening: former ice director tom homan defends officers wearing masks and dismisses critics.what to know: he refuses to accept polls showing americans oppose mass deportations, saying “i don’t believe the polls.”my take: if you’re the oppressor but think you’re the victim, you’re more dangerous than you realize.
📰 headline 4: tesla loses billions after gop emissions rollbackswhat’s happening: new gop law kills penalties for missing emissions, wiping out tesla’s regulatory credits revenue.what to know: without those credits, tesla faces quarterly losses again.my take: when fossil fuel lobbyists write laws, even elon musk loses.
📰 headline 5: harvard cancels pro-palestine journal under pressurewhat’s happening: a nearly finalized special issue on palestine and education was pulled citing “procedural” reasons.what to know: political and antisemitism fears fueled the cancellation.my take: as a jewish american, if antisemitism is used to silence palestinian rights, that’s the problem. this is academic censorship.
📰 headline 6: trump allies rush to contact ghislaine maxwell’s lawyerswhat’s happening: they want her to name names, but she won’t talk without a deal.what to know: house speaker mike johnson blocked a vote to release epstein files while mlk’s files were released.my take: that’s misdirection and racism disguised as transparency.
📰 headline 7: stephen colbert returns to slam trumpwhat’s happening: colbert’s first monologue since his show’s cancellation was a fierce takedown of trump and paramount’s $16m settlement.what to know: senate investigates if the settlement was a bribe to silence the network.my take: when comedy goes quiet, follow the money.
🧠gut check:everyone’s exhausted, and that’s okay.this isn’t failure — it’s grief and clarity.don’t let distractions drown out the truth.you’re not imagining it — things are rigged to overwhelm us.
→ take a breath. look up. hold something real today.
sign-off:that’s the record🗞️. media of resistance starts here. see you tomorrow.
📌 show notes:– follow @redefiningtherecord– fund the record (coming soon)– hosted by marlena jane– recorded in california with one dog, zero filters
