Top Items:
Axios:
Trump's “Russiagate” crusade enters fraught new territory … - For MAGA, the new focus on “Russiagate” offers a unifying reprieve — a return to familiar territory where Trump is the victim of a conspiracy, not the subject of one. — It's a retribution campaign that's deeply personal …
RELATED:
Politico:
The Epstein bombshell explodes — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco — Good morning. It's Thursday. I'm Adam Wren. Let's get straight to the news. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley will run for Senate in North Carolina …
Discussion:
Raw Story, PoliticusUSA and So What
NBC News:
White House tightens its grip on Jeffrey Epstein messaging
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story and Mediaite
Kate Plummer / Newsweek:
Barack Obama Sees Death Threat Surge After Trump's Treason Claims
Barack Obama Sees Death Threat Surge After Trump's Treason Claims
Discussion:
Global Project … and NewsMax.com
Joe Walsh / CBS News:
House Speaker Johnson says Jeffrey Epstein case is “not a hoax”
House Speaker Johnson says Jeffrey Epstein case is “not a hoax”
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, New York Post, Reuters and NewsMax.com
NBC News:
House Democrats force Republicans to take vote after vote on Epstein files
House Democrats force Republicans to take vote after vote on Epstein files
Discussion:
Reuters
Punchbowl News:
7/24/25 ☀️ AM: … President Donald Trump has lost control of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
7/24/25 ☀️ AM: … President Donald Trump has lost control of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
NBC News:
Live updates: DOJ meets with Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell; Trump to visit Federal Reserve
Live updates: DOJ meets with Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell; Trump to visit Federal Reserve
Discussion:
New York Times and NOTUS
Politico:
‘The rule was going down’: Inside the House GOP's Epstein meltdown
‘The rule was going down’: Inside the House GOP's Epstein meltdown
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, New York Times, CNN and The Independent
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
‘The bill is going to come due’: House GOP braces for Epstein crisis to intensify
‘The bill is going to come due’: House GOP braces for Epstein crisis to intensify
Al Weaver / The Hill:
Graham, Cornyn call for special counsel in Obama case
Graham, Cornyn call for special counsel in Obama case
Discussion:
NBC News, USA Today, Washington Examiner, UPI, New York Sun, The Moderate Voice, New York Post, Mediaite, Daily Kos and Fox News
Rolling Stone:
Trump White House Rages Over ‘South Park’ Episode, Calls Show ‘Fourth-Rate’ — The president cowed Paramount execs, but the company's talent is rebelling. Now, the administration is melting down … “The Left's hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after South Park …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Mediaite, The Hill, Forbes, Fox News, NewsMax.com, Slate, The Daily Caller, TMZ.com, The Wrap and Fortune
RELATED:
Paul Dallison / Politico:
South Park skewers Trump over Epstein files, depicts him in bed with Satan … After a two-year break, “South Park” returned to TV on Wednesday night with an explosive episode aimed squarely at Donald Trump that depicted the president in bed with Satan and referenced Jeffrey Epstein.
Roger Cohen / New York Times:
France Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood, Macron Says — The announcement sets France apart from the United States and most of its close allies, and could cause friction with President Trump. — President Emmanuel Macron announced late Thursday that France would recognize Palestine …
Discussion:
Fox News
RELATED:
Joey Garrison / USA Today:
Trump to sign order pushing cities and states to remove homeless people from streets — Amid record high homelessness, Trump wants to move homeless people from the streets and into treatment centers. — WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump is set to take executive action that looks …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CBS News, The Hill, Bloomberg, New York Daily News, The Post Millennial, The Daily Signal, NewsMax.com and Newsweek
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Diana Nerozzi / New York Post:
Trump to sign executive order forcing homeless off America's streets
Discussion:
NPR
Megan Brenan / Gallup:
Independents Drive Trump's Approval to 37% Second-Term Low — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump's job approval rating has dipped to 37%, the lowest of this term and just slightly higher than his all-time worst rating of 34% at the end of his first term.
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, PoliticusUSA, Mediaite and New Jersey Online
RELATED:
Will Sommer / The Bulwark:
MAGA Inches Closer to a Ghislaine Maxwell Alliance — DONALD TRUMP'S JEFFREY EPSTEIN DISASTER has now been dragged into its third week, with the Wall Street Journal's report Wednesday confirming that Trump's own name is in the Epstein files and that he knew it back in May.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, All Rise News, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail
RELATED:
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
DOJ slides into DMs of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell
DOJ slides into DMs of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell
Discussion:
New York Post, New Republic, USA Today, The Mahablog and Boston.com
Andrew Hay / Reuters:
Columbia ends uncertainty with Trump deal, head says — Columbia University's agreement to pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump's administration to resolve federal probes and restore most of its suspended federal funding ends a period of …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, CBS News, U.S. Department of Education, Associated Press, The Hill, New York Times, The Washington Free Beacon, Reason, STAT, Washington Post, The Guardian, Rolling Out, israelhayom.com, New York Sun, The Forward, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, The Independent, NewsNation, New York Post and Semafor
RELATED:
David Pozen / Balkinization:
Regulation by Deal Comes to Higher Ed
Regulation by Deal Comes to Higher Ed
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Post, The Guardian, Salon, Inside Higher Ed, CNN, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Associated Press, Daily Kos, The Forward, Executive Functions, Politico, The Hill, New York Post, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Fox Business, The Daily Signal, NewsMax.com, Programmable Mutter, Jewish Insider, OutsideTheBeltway, Forbes, Gothamist, Breitbart, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, masslive.com, The Wrap and CBS News
New York Times:
As Starvation Rises, Israeli Minister Says Israel Is ‘Driving Out’ Gazans — Amichay Eliyahu's comments came amid growing hunger in the territory, where Israel controls the delivery of food. — Amid rising starvation in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli government minister said on Thursday …
RELATED:
TMZ.com:
Hulk Hogan Dead at 71 — EXCLUSIVE — Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has died at 71 years old, TMZ Sports has learned. — Medics were dispatched to the WWE icon's Clearwater, Florida home early Thursday morning ... with operators stating it was regarding a “cardiac arrest.” — CARDIAC ARREST CALLED IN
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsNation, The Hollywood Reporter, MSNBC, New York Post, Daily Mail, The Wrap, Mercury News, Fox News, Breitbart, The Sun, NBC News, NBC New York, WTOP News, The Floridian, Washington Post, New Jersey Online, Washington Examiner, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, New Republic, Mediaite, Orlando Sentinel, E! Online, RedState, Newsweek, Boston Herald, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media, PinkNews, The National Pulse, KARE-TV, HuffPost, NewsMax.com, twitchy.com, The Post Millennial, israelhayom.com, That Park Place, Free Thinking Through …, Page Six and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Robin Pogrebin / New York Times:
Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship — The artist said that she made the decision after she said she learned that her painting of a transgender Statue of Liberty might be removed to avoid provoking President Trump. — Amy Sherald — the artist who rocketed to fame …
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
The Supreme Court Is Now Asking Judges to Do the Impossible … The Supreme Court expanded Donald Trump's power yet again on Wednesday, granting him the authority to fire Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission in direct violation of federal law.
Discussion:
Law Dork, Techdirt, Washington Post, UPI, Newsweek, Balls and Strikes, Roll Call, Reason, HotAir, Washington Times, RedState, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Fox News and The Daily Caller
Emily Peck / Axios:
Social Security recipients set to face an $18,000 benefit cut in just seven years — Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the “big, beautiful bill,” per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Committee for a …, Fox Business and Fingerlakes1.com
Jacob Bogage / Washington Post:
IRS considers eliminating non-English language tax services — To comply with an order making English the official language, Treasury officials say the IRS may need to get rid of free interpreters and translation services. — Trump administration officials are considering eliminating multi …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Nick Reisman / Politico:
New York's Kathy Hochul opens the door to redrawing House lines … “I'm not surprised that they're trying to break the rules to get an advantage,” Hochul added. “But that's undemocratic, and not only are we calling them out, we're also going to see what our options are.”
Discussion:
Gothamist
New York Times:
Fed Staff Members Cite Tariffs and Inflation for Costly Renovations — A sprawling $2.5 billion project to renovate the central bank's headquarters in Washington has become the focal point of attacks from the Trump administration. — Federal Reserve staff blamed tariffs and inflation …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNBC, Washington Examiner, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Out, Bloomberg, San Diego Union-Tribune and NewsMax.com
HuffPost:
Sen. Angus King Admits His Vote For Anti-Abortion Judge Was ‘A Mistake’ — The Maine senator says he was “not fully” aware of Josh Divine's record, but “took Josh Hawley's advice” to confirm him to a lifetime federal judgeship. — WASHINGTON — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) admitted Thursday that he made …
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News
Jack Detsch / Politico:
Pentagon suspends participation in think tank events … The move would sideline the Pentagon from national security dialogues that it has used for decades to advance its policy and explain the department's rationale. Former Defense Secretaries Jim Mattis, Mark Esper and Lloyd Austin …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Caller and NewsMax.com
Nicole Narea / Vox:
Why tariffs haven't caused runaway inflation — yet — Initial predictions about runaway inflation and empty shelves after President Donald Trump announced his sweeping tariffs in April have yet to materialize. — Some in the Trump administration have taken that as a sign that he should double down on tariffs.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Jazmine Ulloa / New York Times:
‘I Want to Clear My Name’: Deported Migrant Takes First Step to Sue the U.S. — Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, who was held in a prison in El Salvador, filed a claim Thursday against Homeland Security, accusing it of wrongful detention. — A Venezuelan migrant took the first step …
Lila Shroff / The Atlantic:
ChatGPT Gave Instructions for Murder, Self-Mutilation, and Devil Worship — OpenAI's chatbot also said “Hail Satan.” — On Tuesday afternoon, ChatGPT encouraged me to cut my wrists. Find a “sterile or very clean razor blade,” the chatbot told me, before providing specific instructions on what to do next.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Futurism
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
LA Grand Juries Are Refusing to Indict ICE Protestors — A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM's Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. — U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli Under Pressure From Bondi — A major new development out of Los Angeles …
Discussion:
New Republic, masslive.com, Los Angeles Times and Lawyers, Guns & Money
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Donald, the Call Is Coming From Inside the House — U.S. chipmaker Nvidia really wants to be able to sell AI components in China; U.S. foreign policy hawks are keen to stop that from happening. President Biden formerly placed strict export controls on the chips.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Fox Business, Reason and Fox News



