Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump's Name Is on Contributor List for Epstein Birthday Book … An introductory letter to a book celebrating Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday, handwritten by Ghislaine Maxwell. — President Trump's name appeared on a contributor list for a book celebrating the 50th birthday …
Discussion:
New Republic, Forbes, The Independent, The Guardian, Boston.com, HuffPost, Mediaite, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Rolling Stone and New York Magazine
RELATED:
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
She's Baaack! Trump Re-Installs Alina Habba as U.S. Attorney — A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM's Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. — Habba's Nomination Sacrificed for a Workaround — We're not rid of Trump's utterly unqualified former personal lawyer after all.
Discussion:
NBC News, CBS News and Washington Post
Adam Cancryn / CNN:
What Powell is telling allies as Trump pressures him to resign — Video Ad Feedback — 'It's not new': Jerome Powell corrects Trump over building plan — 'It's not new': Jerome Powell corrects Trump over building plan — Acting Columbia president speaks out after $220 million settlement with Trump admin.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, IJR, The Hill and The Independent
Wall Street Journal:
Jeffrey Epstein's Birthday Album Included Letters From Bill Clinton, Leon Black
New York Times:
Alina Habba Is Named Acting U.S. Attorney in New Jersey
Alina Habba Is Named Acting U.S. Attorney in New Jersey
Discussion:
MSNBC, Los Angeles Times, Axios, America, America, Blaze Media, NewsMax.com, Washington Post, Townhall, Politico, RedState, NOTUS and Fox News
David Gilmour / Mediaite:
Bill Clinton Praised Jeffrey Epstein's ‘Childlike Curiosity’ in Birthday Letter: WSJ
Bill Clinton Praised Jeffrey Epstein's ‘Childlike Curiosity’ in Birthday Letter: WSJ
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Times, The Wrap, FOX 11 Los Angeles, The Independent, Raw Story and MSNBC
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
Trump Demands Reporters Stop Talking About Him And Epstein In New White House Scrum — Claims ‘I Have Nothing To Do With The Guy!’
Trump Demands Reporters Stop Talking About Him And Epstein In New White House Scrum — Claims ‘I Have Nothing To Do With The Guy!’
Discussion:
The Hill, TMZ.com, PoliticusUSA, UPI, The Independent, Raw Story, New York Post, The Post Millennial and CBS News
Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
Trump floats the possibility of tariff rebate checks
Trump floats the possibility of tariff rebate checks
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, NewsNation, USA Today, Bloomberg, WJXX-TV, Breitbart, Raw Story, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, The National Pulse, NewsMax.com, National Review and Newsweek
Akayla Gardner / Bloomberg:
Trump Says He Could Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell But Hasn't Thought About It
Trump Says He Could Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell But Hasn't Thought About It
Reuters:
Habba set to remain as top prosecutor in New Jersey after White House maneuver
Habba set to remain as top prosecutor in New Jersey after White House maneuver
Discussion:
New York Post, Bloomberg and The Gateway Pundit
Philip Rotner / The Bulwark:
Why the Huge Conflicts of Interest Among Trump's Epstein Team Matter
Why the Huge Conflicts of Interest Among Trump's Epstein Team Matter
Discussion:
Mediaite
New York Times:
Under Siege From Trump and Musk, a Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis — Scrambling to pay legal fees, Media Matters has dialed back its criticism, trimmed its staff and contemplated closing entirely. — Media Matters, a nonprofit group that has played a key role in liberal politics …
Wall Street Journal:
White House Seeks Payments From Other Universities—Including Harvard—After Columbia Deal Sets Precedent — The Trump administration is in talks with several schools about future funding following allegations of antisemitism — The White House is seeking fines from several universities …
Discussion:
HotAir, The Washington Free Beacon, New York Post, The Free Press, Reason, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg, Reuters and New York Sun
RELATED:
Jessica Blake / Inside Higher Ed:
Columbia Deal a ‘Threat’ to Higher Ed, Experts Warn — The $221 million settlement extends beyond tackling antisemitism. Some experts said it's an example of “coercion,” while others say Columbia had it coming. — The Trump administration's landmark settlement with Columbia University threatens …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, NPR, The Hill, Bloomberg, Bangor Daily News, NBC News, New York Post, Reason, The Forward, CBS News, NewsMax.com, Fox Business, The Daily Signal, NewsNation, U.S. Department of Education, UPI and Balkinization
Andrew Solender / Axios:
“Such bulls**t”: Not every Democrat wants to talk about Epstein … - House Democrats' messaging arm sent members an alert Wednesday urging them to “amplify” a Wall Street Journal report that President Trump is in the Epstein files and demand that “House Republicans stop covering up for Trump.”
RELATED:
Tal Axelrod / Axios:
Scoop: DNC targets vulnerable House Republicans with Epstein ads
Scoop: DNC targets vulnerable House Republicans with Epstein ads
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Democrats, Mediaite, WisPolitics, Nashville Banner, NRCC and Politico
Matt Shuham / HuffPost:
I Watched 20 Arrests In Trump's America. Here's What They Looked Like. — “This is fishing in a stocked pool. You tell them, ‘Show up at this location,’ and then they show up and you grab them,” one federal agent involved with immigration court arrests told HuffPost.
RELATED:
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
The Worst ICE Agents Are Coming
The Worst ICE Agents Are Coming
Discussion:
Axios, CBS News, Al Jazeera and The Gateway Pundit
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
SCOTUS's immunity ruling looks even worse now — 🗣️ Paid subscribers keep Public Notice free. If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us. 👇 — Can you believe it has been over a year since the conservatives …
Discussion:
Washington Times, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, CNN, MSNBC and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Jeffrey Toobin / New York Times:
The Line Trump Crossed by Accusing Obama of Treason
The Line Trump Crossed by Accusing Obama of Treason
Discussion:
The Hill, El País, LewRockwell, CBS News, Newsweek, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Mail, American Thinker, Staten Island Advance, New Republic, Raw Story and Mediaite
Julie Turkewitz / New York Times:
Convicted Murderer Released by Trump From Venezuelan Prison Is Free in U.S. — At least some American officials knew that Dahud Hanid Ortiz had been convicted of a triple murder when he was put on the plane to the United States. — He killed three people in Spain and fled to Venezuela …
Discussion:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, El País and Military and Veteran …
The Barbed Wire:
Author of Texas Abortion Ban Denies He Paid for Abortions Amid Bombshell Allegations from Former Exotic Dancer — State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, who authored Texas' “trigger ban” on abortion, said in a statement on Friday that he has never paid for an abortion.
Discussion:
The Texas Tribune, Current Revolt and Texas Scorecard
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: — Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe.
Discussion:
NPR, STAT, National Homelessness …, Los Angeles Times, OutsideTheBeltway, Raw Story, RedState, One America News Network, Washington Examiner and CBS News
RELATED:
Josephine Walker / Axios:
What to know about civil commitment, Trump's new policy for homelessness
What to know about civil commitment, Trump's new policy for homelessness
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Times, Fox News, Breitbart, The Guardian, Washington Post and USA Today
ABC News:
Foreign aid to be airdropped in Gaza as mass starvation looms in Gaza — Jordan and the United Arab Emirates will be participating in the aid drops. — A woman and a child react after identifying the body of a family member at the Nasser hospital, among Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes …
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill, Algemeiner.com, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, New York Times, The Daily Signal, Metro.co.uk, The Forward, Reuters, Stop Trump Coalition and BBC
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump Flies to Scotland, Leaving Chaos Swirling in Washington — The five-day visit will be a mix of personal business and golf with some diplomacy thrown in. — President Trump headed to Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit, hoping to leave behind the chaos of Washington …
Discussion:
USA Today, NPR, Washington Post, Democrats, The Independent, Breitbart, CBS News, Associated Press, Daily Mail, WTOP News, Politico, RTÉ and San Diego Union-Tribune
RELATED:
Emerson Polling:
July 2025 National Poll: Six Months In, Trump's Approval Split while Majority Disapprove of Administration's Handling of Epstein Files — Home Polls July 2025 National Poll: Six Months In, Trump's Approval Split while Majority Disapprove of Administration's Handling of Epstein Files
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Examiner, USA Today, New Jersey Online, The Hill, The Guardian and Florida Politics
RELATED:
Mike Allen / Axios:
Disgruntled independents sink Trump's approval to second-term low
Disgruntled independents sink Trump's approval to second-term low
Discussion:
Raw Story, Mediaite, Eschaton, Semafor, The Independent, The Hill, Gallup and PoliticusUSA
Andrew Freedman / CNN:
Two senior NOAA officials were just placed on leave. Both led ‘Sharpiegate’ inquiry — Two high-ranking officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with a connection to the likely incoming NOAA administrator were placed on administrative leave Thursday …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Undaunted Search for the Truth — If not for Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, we might never have learned anything about Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation, its implication of wealthy, powerful, influential men, and the existence of massive files documenting all of it.
Discussion:
The Dispatch and The Guardian
Noam Levey / NPR:
Trump voters wanted lower medical bills. But for millions, bills are about to go up — President Trump rode to reelection last fall on voter concerns about prices. But as his administration pares back federal rules and programs designed to protect patients from the high cost of health care …
Brian Beutler / Off Message:
How Liberalism Sabotages Itself — Our intentional blindness to bad faith is a loophole fascists use to gain respectability and power. — The progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan recently participated in an episode of the popular online series Jubilee, which is a bit like speed-dating, but for public political debate.
ProPublica:
His Former Company Got Caught Employing Undocumented Workers. Now He's Profiting Off an Immigrant Detention Camp. — Disaster Management Group is one contractor behind the nation's largest detention camp, to be built at Fort Bliss. It's run by Nathan Albers, who previously co-owned …
Discussion:
Breitbart
Jake Spring / Washington Post:
Park gift shops could remove books on slavery and the Civil War — Among the books flagged for possible removal were “The 1619 Project” and a book about former Interior secretary Deb Haaland. — Just now — National parks employees have raised the idea of removing books on slavery …
Reuters:
Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia — A previously unreported order by Elon Musk to cut satellite communications over a portion of Ukraine disrupted a counteroffensive by Kyiv in the autumn of 2022. Reuters investigated the billionaire's order …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Reuters, The Kyiv Independent, Al Jazeera, The Sun and PC Gamer, more at Techmeme »
Matt Ford / New Republic:
The Supreme Court Has Hit Rock Bottom — The Supreme Court's most recent term may be over, but its work on behalf of President Donald Trump continues. The justices announced on Wednesday evening in Trump v. Boyle that they would stay a lower court order that had blocked Trump from firing …
Discussion:
UPI


