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3:55 PM ET, July 18, 2025

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 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
RELATED:
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 …
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.
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: Raw Story, New Republic and NewsMax.com
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 …
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
The United States Senate Committee on Finance:
As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury's Undisclosed Epstein File
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
America Is a Good Place and Worth Fighting For
Discussion: New Jersey Online
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Nearly All The Trump II Depredations Run Through DOJ
Discussion: Politico and Crooks and Liars
Charlie Sykes / To the Contrary:
Trump's Love Letter to Jeffrey Epstein
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
As Trump threatens the WSJ over new Epstein report, his ‘picture’ claim looks sketchy
Financial Times:
Donald Trump calls for release of Jeffrey Epstein testimony
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.
RELATED:
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 …
Inae Oh / Mother Jones:
Colbert's Cancellation Is a Dark Warning
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
CBS staff in turmoil over ‘Trump shakedown’ after Stephen Colbert and The Late Show are canceled
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CBS to Cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Citing ‘Financial Decision’
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: Scripps News and The Texas Tribune
RELATED:
Berkeley Lovelace Jr / NBC News:
Cost of Obamacare expected to soar as subsidies expire and insurers hike premiums  —  People who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act could see increases of more than 75% each month, one expert said.  —  People who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act …
Discussion: CNN and KFF
Anna Wilde Mathews / Wall Street Journal:
Obamacare Insurers Seek Double-Digit Premium Hikes Next Year
Discussion: Forbes
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.
RELATED:
Tom Jones / Poynter:
Defunding NPR and PBS passed the Senate — and it's a direct hit to rural America  —  If passed by the House, the cuts will jeopardize emergency alerts and local news access for millions.  —  As feared, President Donald Trump, with the help of Congress, is making good on his threat …
Miriam Waldvogel / The Hill:
How will PBS/NPR cuts impact your local stations?
Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Trump's NPR and PBS Funding Cuts Were Decades in the Making
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.
RELATED:
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 …
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.
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.
Eric Katz / GovExec.com:
Trump creates ‘Schedule G’ to add more political appointees to agencies top ranks  —  President Trump created another new category of federal employee on Thursday evening, issuing an executive order to expand the number of political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation and will serve …
Discussion: Washington Times
RELATED:
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Creating Schedule G in the Excepted Service
Discussion: Federal News Network and E&E News
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.
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 …
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.
David R. Lurie / Public Notice:
The emerging coup  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers make Public Notice possible.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us.  👇  —  Six months into the second Trump administration, two things are becoming clear …
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.
Discussion: ABC News and Fox Business
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.
Ellie Wolfe / The Baltimore Banner:
Conservative legal group with Trump ties sets its sights on Hopkins medical school  —  A conservative legal group founded by a member of the Trump administration has filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, alleging racial discrimination.
Reuters:
El Salvador to send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, sources say  —  El Salvador's government will send detained Venezuelans to Caracas in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, two U.S. government officials told Reuters on Friday.
Discussion: Bloomberg, The Independent and Newsweek
Sam Sabin / Axios:
Scoop: Top Secret Service official targeted in “swatting” attack  —  A top Secret Service official was the target of a “swatting” incident at his home on the Fourth of July, according to an agency official. … - The voice on the phone appeared to be trying to mimic the agent's …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Zohreen Shah / ABC News:
Muslim donors flood Mamdani's campaign for NYC mayor, see national impact
Discussion: Breitbart and NewsMax.com
New York Times:
Trump Administration's N.I.H. and F.D.A. Cuts Could Curtail New Drug Development, Budget Office Says
Discussion: US Newsper
Lee Moran / HuffPost:
Comedians Pull Off Brazen Epstein Prank Inside Trump Tower Gift Shop
Discussion: Raw Story
Olivia Julianna / The Contrarian:
How Many More Have to Die Before Texas Gets Serious About Preparedness?
Discussion: WFAA-TV
Reuters:
Trump loyalist Katie Miller crosses battle lines to continue work for Elon Musk
Discussion: Raw Story
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
White House Partners With PragerU to Make AI-Slopified Founding Fathers
ProPublica:
He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared.
 Earlier Items: 
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
White House struggles to defend Trump's ‘Unabomber’ anecdote amid ridicule
Discussion: Alternet.org
John D. Hutson / The Bulwark:
The Dangerous Plan to Turn Military Lawyers Into Immigration Judges
Brooke Shafer / The Hill:
ICE will soon have nation's Medicaid data: What to know
Discussion: Wired and USA Today
Alex Thompson / Axios:
How trolling Trump became a strategy for Newsom
Discussion: twitchy.com and Raw Story
Mike Fox / MSNBC:
ICE detentions are an affront to the Fourth Amendment — and we're all paying the price
Discussion: The Daily Signal
Andreas Kluth / Bloomberg:
The State Department Upheaval Makes China Great Again
ABC News:
Unreleased Epstein files include logbooks for private island, records show
Discussion: Alternet.org
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy
 
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