Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
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.
Discussion:
NBC News, HuffPost, Telegraph, Politico, The Hill, MSNBC, New York Magazine, HotAir, Vox, New Yorker, Axios, NPR, Townhall, PREVAIL, The Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Times, Metro.co.uk, The Independent, emptywheel, KFTC-TV, Raw Story, Straight Arrow News, Advocate, Alternet.org, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, Not the Bee, American Prospect, El País, Forbes, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Scripps News, Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The American Conservative, Off Message, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Daily Caller, The Post Millennial, RedState, The Parnas Perspective, The National Pulse, The Wrap, CBS News and Semafor, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Oliver Darcy / Status:
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 …
Discussion:
CNN, twitchy.com, Mediaite, Raw Story, Townhall, Alternet.org, The Independent, MSNBC and PoliticusUSA
Meredith Kile / People:
Ex-Casino Boss Claims Trump and ‘Best Friend’ Jeffrey Epstein Were Once Caught Bringing Underage Girls to Casino Floor — A former executive at Trump's Atlantic City casino told CNN that the duo brought three girls to the gambling floor who were not yet 21. The White House is calling his story “fabricated”
Discussion:
New Republic
Rolling Stone:
Team Trump Was on ‘F-cking Warpath’ to Kill Story About Salacious Letter to Epstein — The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump wrote a birthday note to his “pal” about how they have “certain things in common” — Donald Trump wrote a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s …
Discussion:
Politico, NewsMax.com, Townhall, The Independent, Newsweek, The Guardian, TMZ.com, Breitbart, Raw Story, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner and CNBC
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:
MSNBC
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Trump Tells Bondi to Seek Release of Epstein Grand Jury Testimony — The attorney general plans to ask a court to release the papers. But even if the request succeeds, it would fall far short of critics' demands to release all investigative materials. — President Trump announced Thursday night …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Not the Bee, Salon, Raw Story, Washington Times and Mediaite
Newsweek:
Trump Responds After Report on Birthday Letter to Jeffrey Epstein — President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal over a news article published on Thursday saying he sent a letter to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein's 50th birthday. — The Context
Discussion:
Associated Press, Breitbart, GB News, NPR, Blaze Media, twitchy.com and One America News Network
Michael Gold / New York Times:
House Republicans Dangle Possible Vote on Epstein Files, After Voter Backlash — The House Rules Committee laid the groundwork for an eventual vote to call for release of the Epstein files, reflecting Republican uneasiness with the president's refusal to divulge information from the investigation.
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Sun, Daily Caller News Foundation, Politico, NOTUS, The Guardian and Raw Story
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Sketchy Epstein Lie Instantly Exposed — INK-CRIMINATING — Turns out there are plenty of examples of Trump doing the exact thing he claims to have never done. — Donald Trump distanced himself from claims he sent a spicy, signed drawing of a naked woman to Jeffrey Epstein by insisting that he never drew pictures.
Discussion:
The Independent, The Guardian and Mediaite
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Trump and Epstein had a relationship, but there's no evidence of Trump wrongdoing
Discussion:
The Post Millennial and CNBC
The Independent:
Reported birthday card from Trump to Epstein shines new light on their friendship as fallout from files release mounts
Reported birthday card from Trump to Epstein shines new light on their friendship as fallout from files release mounts
Discussion:
Raw Story, Crooked Media, Advocate, The Post Millennial, Mediaite and The Independent
Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
House Republicans grasp for response to demands for transparency in Epstein case
House Republicans grasp for response to demands for transparency in Epstein case
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, The Hill, Associated Press, NBC News, Politico, Washington Times and Daily Caller News Foundation
CNN:
Top oversight Democrat sends letter to Fox News demanding answers on edits to Trump's 2024 Epstein comments
Top oversight Democrat sends letter to Fox News demanding answers on edits to Trump's 2024 Epstein comments
Discussion:
Raw Story, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Wrap, The Independent, MSNBC and New Jersey Online
Charisma Madarang / Rolling Stone:
Trump Claims He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.’ He Actually Drew Plenty of Them
Trump Claims He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.’ He Actually Drew Plenty of Them
Discussion:
USA Today
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
MAGA's Epstein Fault Line
MAGA's Epstein Fault Line
Discussion:
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and The Independent
Washington Post:
Trump tells Justice Dept. to seek release of Epstein grand jury testimony
Trump tells Justice Dept. to seek release of Epstein grand jury testimony
Discussion:
Al Jazeera
Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
Trump isn't interested in naming a special counsel for the Jeffrey Epstein case, White House says
Trump isn't interested in naming a special counsel for the Jeffrey Epstein case, White House says
Tatiana Siegel / Variety:
Trump Was Attempting to Block Publication of Embarrassing WSJ Jeffrey Epstein Story
Trump Was Attempting to Block Publication of Embarrassing WSJ Jeffrey Epstein Story
Discussion:
RedState, The Wrap, Townhall, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, MSNBC, Raw Story, Blaze Media, Washington Times and The Hill
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:
Punchbowl News
RELATED:
NBC News:
Trump's cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid clear Congress — The $9 billion package passed the House and the Senate with only Republican votes through the rarely used “rescissions” process. Trump is now expected to sign it into law. — WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House voted 216-213 …
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Trump's Budget Chief Gives The Middle Finger To Congress And The Constitution
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, Christian Science Monitor, Talking Points Memo and Bloomberg
Savannah Kuchar / USA Today:
House passes Trump's cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid; next stop president's desk
House passes Trump's cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid; next stop president's desk
Discussion:
24sight News, Washington Times and The Japan Times
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CBS to Cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Citing ‘Financial Decision’ — TV's ongoing problems with late night have come for Stephen Colbert, with CBS announcing Thursday that it plans to end his “Late Show” after the next TV season, citing a “financial decision.”
Discussion:
Poynter, CNN, NPR, Associated Press, Newsbusters, Meidas+, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, Rolling Stone, Townhall, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Guardian, Mediaite, New York Times, Instapundit, RTÉ, Breitbart, New York Sun, Washington Examiner, Deadline, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, New Jersey Online, twitchy.com, Vanity Fair, Lawyers, Guns & Money, RedState, That Park Place, The Wrap, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, Alternet.org, Mercury News, The Daily Caller, Hollywood in Toto, WUSA, Adweek, Straight Arrow News, The Post Millennial, The A.V. Club, New York Post and New York Daily News, more at Mediagazer »
Miriam Waldvogel / The Hill:
How will PBS/NPR cuts impact your local stations? — Congressional Republicans stripped more than $1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) this week, a move that could force local radio and television stations to consolidate, cut services or shutter altogether, particularly in rural areas.
Discussion:
PhillyVoice, Fox News, semipublic.co, Variety, NPR, CNN, New York Times, Deadline, RTÉ, Slate, Bloomberg, New York Post, ABC News and Los Angeles Times, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Bolsonaro Ordered to Wear Ankle Monitor After Police Search — Brazil's Supreme Court sent police to raid the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro and attach a monitor to his ankle just as Donald Trump piles pressure on the country to drop criminal charges against the right-wing leader.
Discussion:
Reuters
RELATED:
Terrence McCoy / Washington Post:
Spurred by Bolsonaro's son, Trump mulls sanctions on Brazilian judge
Spurred by Bolsonaro's son, Trump mulls sanctions on Brazilian judge
Discussion:
El País, Bloomberg, Foreign Policy and Semafor
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:
CNN, Forbes, CBS News, Peterson-KFF Health …, The Texas Tribune, KFF and The Floridian
Andreas Kluth / Bloomberg:
The State Department Upheaval Makes China Great Again — Never before has a country forfeited so much soft power with so little justification amid such intense competition with a rival. — She had not seen the axe coming for her specifically, one Foreign Service Officer told me.
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
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 …
RELATED:
Cameron Peters / Vox:
DOJ seeks a single-day prison sentence for an officer convicted in the Breonna Taylor raid
DOJ seeks a single-day prison sentence for an officer convicted in the Breonna Taylor raid
Discussion:
New York Times
Emily Davies / Washington Post:
White House shares diagnosis in rare acknowledgment of Trump's age — Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, White House physician says, a diagnosis common in people over 70. — The White House on Thursday said that President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a mild but chronic illness related …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
For Sale: Trump is leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses — If one theme has emerged in President Donald Trump's second term, it's this: He's leveraged the power of his office for personal gain unlike anyone before in history.
Associated Press:
Most US adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, AP-NORC poll finds — Republican elected officials are promoting their recently passed tax and spending bill as a win for working Americans, but a new survey shows that Americans broadly see it as a win for the wealthy.
Discussion:
Salon
Wall Street Journal:
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 …
ABC News:
Unreleased Epstein files include logbooks for private island, records show — The Department of Justice released an index of the evidence earlier this year. — Jeffrey Epstein in court in West Palm Beach, Fla., July 30, 2008. — Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post via AP
Discussion:
Alternet.org

