Top Items:
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
FBI agents were told to ‘flag’ any Epstein records that mentioned Trump, Sen. Durbin says — FBI agents assigned to review files in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein were instructed to “flag” any documents that mentioned President Donald Trump, Sen. Richard Durbin said
Discussion:
The Hill, Variety, NewsMax.com, Mediaite, Forbes, The Federalist, The Dispatch, emptywheel, IJR, Alternet.org, US Newsper, USA Today, Raw Story, New Republic and The Week
RELATED:
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Donald Trump sues Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, WSJ reporters for libel, court records show — U.S. President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Friday against Dow Jones, News Corp (NWSA.O), Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal reporters, raising claims under federal libel law, court records show.
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Trump's approval hits new low as Epstein pressure mounts — This is one of those classic weeks in a Trump presidency where too many stories are moving too fast for an individual writer to keep up. There are new tariffs, expansion of deportation operations, a will-he-or-won't-he dance …
Discussion:
masslive.com, Must Read Alaska, Raw Story, Newsweek and New York Magazine
Washington Post:
Trump sues Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch over Epstein letter story — The lawsuit accuses the newspaper and its parent company of libel after it published an article about a lewd letter bearing Trump's name among the birthday notes collected as a gift for Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday.
Discussion:
USA Today, Rolling Stone, Telegraph, Politico, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Axios, Alternet.org, Los Angeles Times, So What, Daily Mail, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Townhall, Straight Arrow News, The Independent and KFTC-TV
The United States Senate Committee on Finance:
As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury's Undisclosed Epstein File — Finance Committee Ranking Democrat Continues Years-Long, Follow-the-Money Investigation of Epstein Finances — Watch a video of Wyden deliver his remarks here — Donald Trump says a lot of outlandish stuff.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill and The Dean's Report
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
As Trump threatens the WSJ over new Epstein report, his ‘picture’ claim looks sketchy
Discussion:
CNBC, USA Today, Politico, Axios, HuffPost, The Guardian, Raw Story, New Jersey Online, Truth and Consequences, HotAir, RedState, Newsweek, Townhall, Forbes, New Republic, The Independent, New York Magazine, New York Daily News, NPR and CNN, more at Mediagazer »
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
Trump Says He Doesn't ‘Draw Pictures.’ But Many of His Sketches Sold at Auction.
Trump Says He Doesn't ‘Draw Pictures.’ But Many of His Sketches Sold at Auction.
Discussion:
New Republic
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Justice Department asks federal judge to release Epstein grand jury transcripts
Justice Department asks federal judge to release Epstein grand jury transcripts
NBC News:
Trump sues Wall Street Journal's publisher and 2 reporters over Epstein article
Trump sues Wall Street Journal's publisher and 2 reporters over Epstein article
Discussion:
Raw Story, PoliticusUSA and twitchy.com
Business Insider:
A court docket says Trump is suing Murdoch, but there's something weird
A court docket says Trump is suing Murdoch, but there's something weird
Discussion:
CNN, MSNBC, New York Sun, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Caller, The Parnas Perspective, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent and The Hill
Charlie Sykes / To the Contrary:
Trump's Love Letter to Jeffrey Epstein
Trump's Love Letter to Jeffrey Epstein
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
Elizabeth Crisp / The Hill:
Trump: ‘I absolutely love’ that Colbert ‘got fired’ — President Trump said Friday morning that he was thrilled by the news that CBS is canceling the decade-running “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” — “I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Breitbart, Vox, Deadline, Variety, That Park Place, USA Today, Axios, Ace of Spades HQ, The A.V. Club, masslive.com, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, New Jersey Online, Townhall, Adweek, The Wrap, twitchy.com, Decider, Daily Kos, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Free Beacon, Raw Story, Plain Dealer, HuffPost, Mashable, Fox News, Newsweek, New York Daily News, NewsMax.com and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »
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Alan Sepinwall / Rolling Stone:
Politics, Not Performance, Killed ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ — Yes, the long reign of late-night has been coming to a slow end due to the internet, but don't be fooled: There's much more than money at the root of this show's demise — At the start of Thursday night's episode …
Discussion:
New Republic, The Guardian, NPR, The Atlantic, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, The Daily Caller, The Mahablog, US Newsper, Mediaite and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Inae Oh / Mother Jones:
Colbert's Cancellation Is a Dark Warning
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Reuters, Fox News, Newsbusters, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Decider, That Park Place, The National Pulse, Newsweek, Not the Bee, TheGrio, USA Today, IJR and Variety, more at Mediagazer »
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
CBS staff in turmoil over ‘Trump shakedown’ after Stephen Colbert and The Late Show are canceled
CBS staff in turmoil over ‘Trump shakedown’ after Stephen Colbert and The Late Show are canceled
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, RedState, Variety, The Contrarian, The A.V. Club, The Hill, The Guardian, New York Times, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, Megyn Kelly, Newsbusters, Mercury News, Gothamist, Al Jazeera, Real Patriotism …, Fox News, Straight Arrow News, twitchy.com, Mashable, MSNBC and US Newsper
Amalia Huot-Marchand / The Hill:
Writers Guild calls on NY attorney general to investigate Colbert cancellation, Trump ‘bribe’
Writers Guild calls on NY attorney general to investigate Colbert cancellation, Trump ‘bribe’
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Wrap, The Guardian, Deadline and Variety, more at Mediagazer »
David Wildstein / New Jersey Globe:
Habba tells staff she loves her job, hopes to stay as she awaits judicial meeting (Updated) — U.S. Attorney Alina Habba told her staff on Thursday that her tenure as a federal prosecutor could come to an end on Tuesday when she hits the 120-day limit for appointments made by the U.S. Attorney General …
Discussion:
Above the Law, New Republic, Raw Story and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
An Enigma Wrapped in a Wonderful Secret — Hey, look, former Trump lawyer Alina Habba is apparently about to be out as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. Seems good! Now on to the big stuff. Happy Friday. — ‘We Have Certain Things In Common, Jeffrey’ — by Andrew Egger
Discussion:
CNN, The Independent, New Jersey Online, NewsMax.com, USA Today, NBC News, The Moderate Voice and Rolling Stone
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
America Is a Good Place and Worth Fighting For
America Is a Good Place and Worth Fighting For
Discussion:
Axios, Esquire, Alternet.org, RedState, New Jersey Online, American Greatness and Daily Caller News Foundation
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
U.S. swaps Venezuelans sent to El Salvador for Americans held by Caracas — The Venezuelans, labeled terrorists and violent criminals by President Trump, had been deported to the notorious CECOT prison, setting off a tense legal battle over executive power.
Discussion:
Reuters, Scripps News, RedState, Al Jazeera, USA Today and Raw Story
RELATED:
Axios:
Inside the GOP-led plot to defy Trump on the Epstein files — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is moving forward with plans to force a vote on requiring the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, despite attempts by President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to take steam out of his efforts.
Discussion:
Truthout, The Hill and The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali
RELATED:
Lee Moran / HuffPost:
Comedians Pull Off Brazen Epstein Prank Inside Trump Tower Gift Shop — The Good Liars' stunt comes as MAGA backlash to President Donald Trump over the Epstein files grows. — Pranksters this week trolled President Donald Trump by placing Jeffrey Epstein-themed postcards in the gift shop at Trump Tower in New York City.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Jack Silvers / The Daily Beast:
Pranksters Fill Trump Tower Gift Shop With Epstein Postcards
Pranksters Fill Trump Tower Gift Shop With Epstein Postcards
Discussion:
Pharyngula
Selena Simmons-Duffin / NPR:
ACA health insurance will cost the average person 75% more next year, research shows — Health insurance premiums are going way up next year for people who buy their insurance on Healthcare.gov or the state-based marketplaces, according to an analysis out Friday.
Discussion:
Peterson-KFF Health …, The Hill, Forbes, The Lever, Daily Kos, Scripps News, The Texas Tribune and CBS News
RELATED:
Berkeley Lovelace Jr / NBC News:
Cost of Obamacare expected to soar as subsidies expire and insurers hike premiums
Cost of Obamacare expected to soar as subsidies expire and insurers hike premiums
Discussion:
CNN, Wall Street Journal, KFF and Yellowhammer News
New York Times:
Where Congress's Cuts Threaten Access to PBS and NPR — President Trump's proposal to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasters threatens scores of radio and TV stations across the United States that air PBS and NPR programs.
Discussion:
Washington Post, PhillyVoice, Plain Dealer, Salt Lake Tribune, UPI and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Tom Jones / Poynter:
Defunding NPR and PBS passed the Senate — and it's a direct hit to rural America
Defunding NPR and PBS passed the Senate — and it's a direct hit to rural America
Discussion:
Puck, NBC News, NPR, New York Times, The Hill, Axios, OutsideTheBeltway, The Nevada Independent, NewsMax.com, Variety, Rolling Stone, The Wrap, Fox News and Advocate, more at Mediagazer »
Génesis Miranda Miramontes / NBC Los Angeles:
3 deputies killed after explosion reported at East LA sheriff's training facility — At least three deputies were killed after an explosion was reported early Friday at an LA County Sheriff's Department training facility in East Los Angeles. — The explosion is believed to have occurred …
Discussion:
ABC7, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, CBS News, RedState, Breitbart, UPI, Raw Story, One America News Network, Townhall, LAist, Todd Starnes, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, Boston Herald, VINnews, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Straight Arrow News, Deseret News and The Post Millennial
Carter Sherman / The Guardian:
Trump administration to destroy nearly $10m of contraceptives for women overseas — As part of president's end to foreign aid, destruction of the long-acting contraceptives will cost US taxpayers $167,000 — The Trump administration has decided to destroy $9.7m worth of contraceptives rather than send them abroad to women in need.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News and Politico
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Senators Say Trump Nominated Judge To Their State They've Never Even Met — When a president is nominating someone to be a federal judge, they typically work with the two U.S. senators from that state to vet nominees and ultimately agree on someone together. These are lifetime appointments, after all.
Amalia Huot-Marchand / The Hill:
Indiana's Camp Atterbury to be used to house detained migrants — Indiana's Camp Atterbury and New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be temporarily used to detain immigrants lacking permanent legal status, according to a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Associated Press:
Trump appointees pushed more marble in Fed building renovation White House now attacks — President Donald Trump has looked to the marble finishes and hefty price tag of the Federal Reserve headquarters to claim grounds to fire Chair Jerome Powell, with whom he has tussled for years over interest rates.
Discussion:
New Republic and Washington Times
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Scoop: Why Dems didn't try to thwart Trump's funding clawback — House Democrats passed up what appeared to be a golden opportunity to block a bill codifying $9 billion in DOGE cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid. In leadership's telling, victory was never a real possibility.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Off Message, NBC News and Punchbowl News, more at Mediagazer »
BBC:
Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions — Israel has demolished thousands of buildings across Gaza since it withdrew from a ceasefire with Hamas in March, with entire towns and suburbs - once home to tens of thousands of people - levelled in the past few weeks.
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Asks Manhattan Court to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Testimony — The president has been under intense political pressure from his base after Attorney General Pam Bondi withheld portions of investigative files on the disgraced financier. — The Justice Department asked …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Hill, Daily Caller News Foundation, CNN, Forbes and The Guardian
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: Israel seeks U.S. help on deals to move Palestinians out of Gaza … - The spy chief, David Barnea, told White House envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel has been speaking in particular with Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya. … - Barnea suggested that the U.S. offer incentives to those countries and help Israel convince them.
Discussion:
Daily Caller News Foundation
Shawn Cohen / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: ICE Barbie Kristi Noem makes telling move after her cozy living arrangement with Corey Lewandowski is exposed — Donald Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has moved from her private residence into a U.S. military installation, after her cozy living arrangement …
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Scoop: Trump's new Alcatraz could cost $2 billion … - A “supermax” prison complex that would cost more than $2 billion. … - A scaled-back prison that would cost $1 billion and not occupy the entire island. — Putting the project out to bid for private prison contractors to build and operate.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Daily Kos, Straight Arrow News, The Independent, KQED, Reuters and Raw Story


