Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files — Bondi also told president at the meeting that Justice decided to not release more Jeffrey Epstein documents because of the presence of child pornography and the need to protect victims
Discussion:
Mediaite, Reuters, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, The Independent, Daily Mail, The Wrap, Forbes, MSNBC and The Guardian
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Luke Goldstein / The Lever:
Court Records Reveal Feds' Shifting Story On Epstein Files
Court Records Reveal Feds' Shifting Story On Epstein Files
Discussion:
NOTUS, USA Today and New York Magazine
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Epstein Fiasco Takes Darker Turn as Dem Senator Drops New Bomb — A few days ago, as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal gripped Washington, Senator Ron Wyden offered a striking revelation in an interview with The New York Times. The Oregon Democrat said that his investigators had discovered …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Off Message
Paul Krugman:
About That Japan Deal — So the Trump administration has triumphantly announced a trade deal with Japan, and I guess I should post something about it, even though my regular morning post — on a completely different topic — is already up. — There are three main things you should take away from this deal:
Discussion:
New York Times, Axios, Reuters, Washington Times, Bloomberg, Politico, Reason, Fox Business, Cafe Hayek, The Independent, The Japan Times, Raw Story, Associated Press, RTÉ, Al Jazeera, Townhall and Semafor
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Courtenay Brown / Axios:
U.S., Europe closing in on trade deal with 15% tariffs, reports say
Discussion:
Financial Times, Reuters, NewsNation and Bloomberg
David Pressman / New York Times:
I Watched It Happen in Hungary. Now It's Happening Here. — As the most recent U.S. ambassador to Viktor Orban's Hungary, I'm often asked if the Trump administration's tactics and policies feel familiar. The short answer is yes. But the more important — and unsettling — question is this …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Dasha Burns / Politico:
‘POTUS is clearly furious’: White House is frustrated by all-consuming Epstein coverage … “POTUS is clearly furious,” said a person close to the White House, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss the mood inside the West Wing. “It's the first time I've seen them sort of paralyzed.”
Discussion:
The Independent and New Republic
Zach Montague / New York Times:
Judge Denies Request to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts in Florida — The president and his subordinates, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, have come under enormous pressure to release further details about the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
Judge denies DOJ request to unseal Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts in Florida
Discussion:
Washington Post, NOTUS, Chicago Tribune, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Post Millennial and The Hill
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Judge denies Trump request to release Epstein transcripts
Judge denies Trump request to release Epstein transcripts
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, New York Post, WTOP News and NBC News, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Hegseth Signal messages came from email classified ‘SECRET,’ watchdog told — The revelation contradicts the Trump administration's longstanding claims that no classified information was shared by the defense secretary's account during the “Signalgate” scandal.
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CNN:
Pentagon watchdog has evidence Hegseth's Signal messages included classified information, sources say — The Pentagon's inspector general has received evidence that the military plans shared from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Signal account to a group chat earlier this year were taken …
Marco Rubio / United States Department of State:
Investigation of Harvard University Participation in the Exchange Visitor Program — The U.S. Department of State is opening an investigation into Harvard University's continued eligibility as a sponsor for the Exchange Visitor Program. — All sponsors participating in this program …
Discussion:
CNBC, Financial Times, Fox News, Associated Press, UPI, The Hill, CBS News, Al Jazeera, IJR, NewsMax.com and Washington Times
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Rachael Bade / Politico:
Democrats Are Running Circles Around Republicans on Epstein … When it comes to fighting President Donald Trump, Democrats across the nation have complained for months about the sluggish reflexes of party leaders in Washington. — Who would have guessed that a MAGA-fueled conspiracy theory would change all that?
Discussion:
HuffPost, Raw Story, MSNBC and PoliticusUSA
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New York Times:
Lawler Will Seek Re-election to House, Forgoing Run for N.Y. Governor
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NBC News, CBS News, New York Post, Axios, Mike Lawler for Congress, The Daily Caller, Politico, Washington Post, Associated Press, Fox News, NOTUS, abc7NY, NewsMax.com, Gothamist and The Hill
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Scalise: House ‘will deal with’ Epstein issues after August recess if needed
Scalise: House ‘will deal with’ Epstein issues after August recess if needed
Discussion:
CBS News, RedState, New Jersey Online, So What, Associated Press, The Hill, Bangor Daily News, CNBC, Washington Times and Scripps News
Calen Razor / Politico:
Capitol agenda: Johnson tries to contain Epstein dissent
Capitol agenda: Johnson tries to contain Epstein dissent
Discussion:
MSNBC, Punchbowl News, Raw Story, Newsweek, The Hill, Axios, NewsMax.com, The Independent, Reuters and NewsNation
Washington Post:
U.S. deportees, freed from Salvadoran prison, describe ‘horror movie’ — Three Venezuelans, released last week from the Terrorism Confinement Center, said they were repeatedly beaten and denied access to lawyers. — just now — Julio González Jr. had agreed to be deported to Venezuela.
Discussion:
Reuters, El País, Associated Press, Daily Kos and The Independent
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Cooper plans to enter North Carolina Senate race next week — Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is preparing to launch his Senate campaign next week, multiple sources told Axios. … - Cooper, a popular former governor, will instantly become the Democratic favorite to challenge …
Discussion:
National Review and PoliticusUSA
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Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
JD Vance Claims One of Our Worst Traditions as His Own — More than most recent vice presidents, JD Vance seems to be locked out of the room where it happens. — Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, is by most accounts the president's point person on mass deportation and immigration enforcement.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
E.P.A. Is Said to Draft a Plan to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change — According to two people familiar with the draft, it would eliminate the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse-gas emissions threaten human life by dangerously warming the planet.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Rolling Stone, New Republic, Climate Depot, Reason and National Review
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Jake Spring / Washington Post:
EPA drafts rule to strike down landmark climate finding
EPA drafts rule to strike down landmark climate finding
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, IJR and Blaze Media, more at Techmeme »
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Oath Keepers founder freed by Trump warns of more Epstein pain — Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers, warned that President Trump's dismissal of what he's dubbed the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax” will cause “trouble” in the MAGA world.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, HuffPost, New Republic and Mediaite
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pbump:
How to create a ‘buried’ report
How to create a ‘buried’ report
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Times, New Jersey Online, Mediaite, The Federalist, American Greatness, Blaze Media, The Daily Caller, masslive.com, New Republic and RedState
Jonathan Chait / The Atlantic:
Trump's Epstein Denials Are Ever So Slightly Unconvincing
Trump's Epstein Denials Are Ever So Slightly Unconvincing
Discussion:
MSNBC and LateNighter
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Skydance Tells FCC It Will Create CBS News Ombudsman, Eliminate DEI at Paramount — The company said it would commit to a “comprehensive review” post-transaction. … Skydance has told the Federal Communications Commission that once its acquisition of Paramount Global is complete …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Variety, Adweek, New York Post, Mediaite, Forbes, Deadline and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
American Convicted of Murder Is Freed by Trump From Venezuela Prison — The Trump administration said it was protecting Americans unjustly held abroad. One of the rescued men, Dahud Hanid Ortiz, killed three people, according to court documents. — When the State Department secured …
Discussion:
El País, New Republic, The Independent, The Guardian, Raw Story and Newsweek
Paul Rosenzweig / The Atlantic:
What a Democrat Could Do With Trump's Power — When Democrats return to power, how much of Trump's damage can they undo? — In this first year of his second term, President Donald Trump has claimed broad powers to unilaterally restructure much of how the U.S. government functions.
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Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
When you're a star, the Supreme Court lets you do it
When you're a star, the Supreme Court lets you do it
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Instapundit, The Guardian, Raw Story and Slate
Financial Times:
Macrons file US lawsuit over claims France's first lady was born male — Case against rightwing influencer Candace Owens is a rare defamation suit from a serving world leader — Kaye Wiggins in New York, Leila Abboud in Paris and Lauren Fedor in Washington
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, Axios, Washington Post, Business Wire, Reuters, The Hill, Variety, Politico, TMZ.com, Breitbart, Deadline, New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, E! Online, The Wrap, New York Sun, Advocate, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Susan Greene / Daily Mail:
Pete Hegseth hit by deeply embarrassing allegations as leaked letter calling for his removal rips through the Pentagon — An effort is under way among some Pentagon officials to denounce Pete Hegseth as unfit to serve as Defense Secretary, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and New Jersey Globe
Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
11 tips for becoming a columnist — Here's my advice for handling the awesome responsibility of this job. — So you wanna be a columnist, eh? — Young aspiring journalists and wizened elders often ask how I scored this sweet gig. Truth is, I don't entirely know.
Christian Paz / Vox:
Some Democrats may finally be ready to play dirty over redistricting — A new kind of political battle is emerging between America's parties — one centers on the composition of Congress and congressional redistricting. This process usually occurs every decade, after the US Census finishes …
Discussion:
Politico, USA Today, Pluribus News, Spectrum News 1, The Daily Caller, ABC7, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Punchbowl News and NewsNation
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Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
U.S. Quietly Drafts Plan to End Program That Saved Millions From AIDS — PEPFAR, the campaign to end H.I.V. globally, would morph into an effort to detect disease outbreaks and sell American products, according to documents obtained by The Times. — The federal program to combat H.I.V …
Discussion:
Advocate, Washington Post and The Bulwark
Jack Silvers / The Daily Beast:
GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox Business Interview — GERONTOCRACY — Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana had a frightening freeze-up on Tuesday afternoon. — Another GOP member of Congress has had what appears to be a health scare, with septuagenarian Senator John Kennedy freezing during a Fox Business interview on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Daily Mail, RedState, Raw Story and New Republic
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China's Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule — In an industry once known for cushy perks, some founders are now asking staff to commit to a 72-hour weekly schedule. You're either in or you're out. — Would you like to work nearly double the standard 40-hour week?
Discussion:
New York Post and Fox News
Eric Katz / GovExec.com:
Russ Vought bills CFPB $5M for his security detail — The director of the White House's budget office wears multiple hats, including the temporary head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. — The Office of Management and Budget is now billing CFPB $4.7 million for Russ Vought's security detail …
Martha McHardy / Newsweek:
Jeffrey Epstein's Former Attorney Who Secured Plea Deal Dead at 80 — Roy Black, the prominent defense attorney who helped secure Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal, has died, according to his law partner. — Black died on Monday at his home in Coral Gables at the age of 80 after an illness, his law partner Howard Srebnick said.
Discussion:
Miami Herald, New York Daily News, WPLG-TV, The National Pulse, Raw Story, The Hill, NewsMax.com and The Daily Caller
