Trump's WSJ Epstein Fury … On Thursday, anticipation rippled through political and media circles as insiders awaited a potentially explosive Wall Street Journal story examining Donald Trump's ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.  The article, said to be in the works for days …

Trump's Budget Chief Gives The Middle Finger To Congress And The Constitution  —  Russ Vought said to expect more massive spending cuts because Trump is “not cowing to a legislative branch's understanding of its own authorities and powers.”  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's budget …

Maurene Comey warns her former colleagues: ‘Fear is the tool of the tyrant’ … NEW YORK — One day after being fired by the Justice Department, Maurene Comey told her former colleagues that “fear is the tool of a tyrant,” appearing to take aim at the upper ranks of DOJ and perhaps the president …

White House shares diagnosis in rare acknowledgement of Trump's age  —  Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, White House physician says, a diagnosis common in people over 70.  —  Summary656  —  The White House on Thursday said that President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a mild …

Justice Dept. Asks for 1-Day Sentence for Ex-Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Raid  —  The move was a stunning reversal of Biden-era efforts to address racial disparities in local law enforcement.  —  The Justice Department's civil rights chief has asked a federal judge to sentence …

Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients' personal data, including addresses, to ICE  —  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation's 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities …

Jeffrey Epstein's Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album.  One Was From Donald Trump.  —  The leather-bound book was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell.  The president says the letter ‘is a fake thing.’  —  It was Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday, and Ghislaine Maxwell was preparing a special gift to mark the occasion.

A Crisis of MAGA Faith  —  How's this for a vibe check: A Quinnipiac University poll yesterday found that a whopping 63 percent of voters disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the Epstein-files controversy, with a scant 17 percent approving.  Happy Thursday.  —  What Would William of Ockham Say?

This Democrat Won't Let Go of the Jeffrey Epstein Case, Either  —  Senator Ron Wyden has found that four banks waited until Mr. Epstein's arrest on federal charges to flag $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions.  Mr. Wyden wants the documents made public.  —  President Trump and his administration …

Speaker Johnson eyes GOP-led Epstein documents measure to quell outrage  —  Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is discussing backing a measure in support of disclosing more information related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, two sources told The Hill.

7/17/25 ☀️ AM: … “If Texas goes, we are going.” … Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chair of the delegation, hosted the meeting with Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.  —  California Democrats were overwhelmingly on board with drawing a new map, but members want input in how the lines are drawn.

When institutions crumble, strongmen step in  —  Trump wants to be the sole authority.  With trust in institutions cratering, he sees his opportunity.  —  What would it take to put the swirling conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein to bed?  Nothing complicated; just an authoritative …

Alligator Alcatraz isn't meant for minors.  A 15 year old ended up there anyway  —  In the rush to open a detention camp in the Florida Everglades for “some of the most vicious” migrants illegally in the country, state and federal officers detained a 15-year-old boy with no criminal record …

New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites  —  President Donald Trump rejected a military plan for more comprehensive strikes on Iran's nuclear program that would have lasted weeks, NBC News has also learned.

Trump administration shuts down LGBTQ youth suicide hotline  —  The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ youth service, which has provided queer youths with specialized services since 2022, was officially terminated Thursday.  —  The Trump administration on Thursday afternoon officially terminated …

DOGE Put Free Tax Filing Tool on Chopping Block After One Meeting With Lobbyists  —  A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts.

Flight Manifests Reveal Dozens of Previously Unknown People on Three Deportation Flights to El Salvador  —  The flight manifests for three legally contested deportation flights from Texas to El Salvador contain dozens of additional, unaccounted for passengers than a previously published Department …

Trump's approval rating on immigration and government spending has slipped, new AP-NORC poll finds  —  Only about one-quarter of U.S. adults say that President Donald Trump's policies have helped them since he took office, according to a new poll that finds underwhelming marks for him on key issues …

Top oversight Democrat sends letter to Fox News demanding answers on edits to Trump's 2024 Epstein comments  —  A top oversight Democrat sent a letter on Thursday to Fox Corp chairman Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott demanding answers about Fox's editing of a Donald Trump interview …

Trump faces backlash as 69% believe Epstein details concealed, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds  —  Most Americans think President Donald Trump's administration is hiding information about accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and give it poor marks on the issue after pledging to make public documents in the case, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election  —  Sixteen and 17-year-olds would be able to vote at the next general election, under government plans to lower the voting age.  —  The pledge is part of a raft of measures being introduced through a new Elections Bill.

White House Prepares Executive Order Targeting ‘Woke AI’  —  Order would be one of several expected to outline Trump's vision for winning AI race with China  —  White House officials are preparing an executive order targeting tech companies with what they see as “woke” artificial-intelligence models …

Fascism For First Time Founders  —  from the democracy-is-actually-important-for- innovation dept  —  Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train.

Former Voice of America Employee Indicted for Threatening Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene  —  For Immediate Release  —  U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia  —  WASHINGTON - An indictment unsealed today in the District of Columbia charges a Maryland resident with influencing …

Trump's Coke push will cost thousands of farm jobs, corn group warns  —  President Trump's push to switch the sweetener in Coke to cane sugar could cost thousands of U.S. jobs, an influential corn industry group said. … - The company later issued a statement that did not confirm …

Disinformation warriors are ‘grooming’ chatbots  —  Russian hackers are exploring ways to inject propaganda into the training data of generative AI models  —  Is the EU a good thing?  Rows have raged over that question for many years so I turned to the newly launched ChatEurope for a fresh take.