Top Items:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
3 ways Trump might try to defuse the Epstein mess — President Trump isn't ready to course-correct over how his administration has handled the Jeffrey Epstein evidence. — But officials and advisers are considering at least three ways Trump could try to defuse an issue that …
Discussion:
The Guardian, USA Today, Daily Caller News Foundation, CNN, Newsweek, Alternet.org, Reuters, Mediaite and New York Post
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Brian Stelter / CNN:
MAGA media's conspiracy theories put Trump in power — and now they're coming back to bite him — The conspiracy-soaked culture that propelled President Donald Trump to political power is now coming for him. — Some of the most influential voices in right-wing media are rejecting Trump's call …
Discussion:
Salon, New Republic and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Democrat demands House vote on ‘FULL Epstein files’ release — Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is calling on House Republicans to hold a vote demanding the Trump administration release the “FULL Epstein files.” — “Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected?”
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Alternet.org, New York Sun, NewsMax.com, The Post Millennial and Washington Examiner
Adam Wren / Politico:
Playbook: Trump's Epstein headache isn't going away — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco — Good Monday morning. It's Adam Wren in the seat on what is shaping up to be a newsy week. Let's get to it. Get in touch. — In today's Playbook ...
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Straight Arrow News and Newsweek
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Tucker Carlson leads MAGA's worried warriors in questioning Trump
Discussion:
OutsideTheBeltway, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Daily Mail and Mediaite
Andrew Solender / Axios:
House Democrats try to force release of Epstein files
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
July 13, 2025 — This weekend saw the development of an extraordinary rift in MAGA world.
July 13, 2025 — This weekend saw the development of an extraordinary rift in MAGA world.
Discussion:
New York Post, Michael-In-Norfolk and Plain Dealer
Andrew Goudsward / Reuters:
Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit — The U.S. Justice Department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University …
New York Times:
Biden Says He Made the Clemency Decisions That Were Recorded With Autopen … Toward the end of his term as president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. reduced the sentences of nearly 4,000 federal convicts and pre-emptively pardoned dozens of politically prominent people he saw as potential targets …
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NewsNation, HotAir, National Review, The Guardian, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, New York Sun, Fox News, IJR, The Federalist, Not the Bee and RedState
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The Bulwark:
America Thirst — Welcome to the era of Trump-branded globalism.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Alternet.org
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Excerpts From The Times's Interview With Biden on Clemency Decisions
Excerpts From The Times's Interview With Biden on Clemency Decisions
Discussion:
Fox News, Mediaite, Commentary Magazine, Townhall, Washington Examiner, Rolling Stone, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Axios and The Hill
Axios:
Trump to announce “aggressive” Ukraine weapons plan — President Trump will announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on Monday that is expected to include offensive weapons, two sources with knowledge of the plans tell Axios. … - U.S., Ukrainian and European officials hope the weapons will shift …
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Greg Sargent / New Republic:
The Young GOPer Behind “Alligator Alcatraz” Is the Dark Future of MAGA — The other day, Stephen Miller went on Fox News and offered a plea that got surprisingly little attention given its highly toxic and unnerving implications. Miller urged politicians in GOP-run states to build their own versions of …
Discussion:
Miami Herald, Washington Examiner, CNN, Fox News and Rolling Stone
Lauren McGaughy / ProPublica:
Why Gov. Greg Abbott Won't Release His Emails With Elon Musk — We asked Abbott for his and his staff's emails with Elon Musk and Musk's companies. The governor's office won't turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”
Discussion:
The Verge and The Texas Tribune
Andy Bounds / Financial Times:
EU warns Trump's 30% tariffs would eliminate transatlantic trade — Bloc's trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič issues caution as ministers meet to consider retaliatory measures against US — Trade between the EU and US will be “almost impossible” …
Discussion:
New Yorker, Newsweek, UPI, Al Jazeera, Washington Times and CBS News
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Ana Swanson / New York Times:
It's No Bluff: The Tariff Rate Is Soaring Under Trump
Discussion:
New York Times, Fox Business and Reason
Caroline Graham / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: Jeffery Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is ready to reveal ‘truth’ of the pedophile client list, say insiders. So, why are Republicans blocking her? — Ghislaine Maxwell is willing to speak in front of Congress about The Epstein Files, sources tell Daily Mail.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Post Millennial, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, Not the Bee and Newsweek
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Judd Legum / Popular Information:
How QAnon and Epstein sparked Trump's political crisis
How QAnon and Epstein sparked Trump's political crisis
Discussion:
CNN, USA Today and To the Contrary
Politico:
Trump's megabill is creating a budget nightmare for states … “We don't put these budgets together that have a lot of fluff and rainy day funds that are easily accessible,” said Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association.
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Arlette Saenz / CNN:
Obama's blunt message for Democrats: ‘Toughen up’ — Former President Barack Obama issued a call to action for Democrats at a private fundraiser in New Jersey on Friday evening, urging those frustrated by the state of the country under President Donald Trump to “stand up for the things that you think are right.”
Discussion:
The Hill and Daily Caller News Foundation
The City:
NYC Immigration Arrests Just Shot Through the Roof, New Data Shows — Newly obtained federal records offer the clearest picture yet of how aggressively the Trump administration has pursued its mass deportation agenda — with a sixfold increase in arrests in early June. — Support local news today!
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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Washington Post:
Texas just gutted free speech on college campuses. Is your state next? — New laws in the Lone Star State will silence dissent and undermine faculty authority. — Laura Benitez is state policy manager and Jonathan Friedman is Sy Syms managing director for PEN America's U.S. free expression programs.
Discussion:
Jewish Insider
Ben Penn / Bloomberg Law:
Bondi Fires Her Personal Ethics Chief as DOJ Purge Continues — Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics adviser, removing the Justice Department's top official responsible for counseling the most senior political appointees, according to two people familiar with the move.
Discussion:
UPI
Andrew Solender / Axios:
House Democrat floats radical solution to Congress' age problem — Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is proposing something unprecedented: Having Congress' ethics office effectively adjudicate whether lawmakers are too cognitively impaired to do their jobs.
Discussion:
The Independent and NewsMax.com
Safid Deen / USA Today:
Chelsea put on show in Club World Cup final — only to have Trump steal their moment — EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chelsea star Cole Palmer was like much of the world wondering why President Donald Trump was obliviously standing in the middle of their trophy celebration after winning the FIFA Club World Cup.
Thomas Joscelyn / The Bulwark:
Unfit to Serve: Jeanine Pirro Made Excuses for Jan. 6th — SEN. THOM TILLIS OF NORTH CAROLINA, a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, drew a line in the sand during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper last week. “The president should know if there is anyone coming up for a nomination through …
Discussion:
Metro.co.uk
Perry Vandell / Arizona Republic:
Gov. Hobbs demands inquiry into federal response that led to Grand Canyon Lodge fire — The Dragon Bravo Fire, sparked by lightning on July 4th, destroyed structures on the Grand Canyon's North Rim, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. — Gov. Katie Hobbs questioned …
Discussion:
Associated Press, UPI, Straight Arrow News, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Not the Bee, New York Daily News, Oregonian, Metro.co.uk and New York Times


