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Posted by Matt Kiser

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1/ The Justice Department fired the federal prosecutor who led the criminal sex-trafficking cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Maurene Comey is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, who Trump fired in 2017. Her firing follows pressure from Trump’s supporters over the administration’s refusal to release more Epstein records. Influential pro-Trump figures, including Laura Loomer, demanded Comey’s firing and accused the DOJ of hiding evidence to protect elites. Trump has called the Epstein files “bullshit” and claimed they were “made up by Comey” and others. Comey said her dismissal was conveyed “summarily” by a memo signed by a political appointee, not her supervisor, and that no cause was given. One official, however, said: “Being a Comey is untenable in this administration.” (Associated Press / CNN / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / USA Today)

2/ After being fired without explanation, Maurene Comey warned her former Justice Department colleagues that “fear is the tool of a tyrant.” Comey said her termination showed that “if a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain.” She urged staff to resist intimidation, calling for “righteous indignation at abuses of power,” and to remain committed to “truth above all else.” The Justice Department has refused to explain the decision. (Politico / CNBC / Associated Press / ABC News / New York Times / NBC News)

3/ Trump rejected calls to appoint a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump dismissed demands from allies like Rep. Lauren Boebert and activist Laura Loomer, who said the issue could “consume his entire presidency.” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, however, confirmed that Trump wouldn’t recommend a special prosecutor, saying “That’s how he feels.” (USA Today / Politico / Wall Street Journal / The Hill)

4/ Senate Republicans pushed through Emil Bove’s nomination for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit after cutting off debate and ignoring a whistleblower request. Every Democrat walked out of the Judiciary Committee hearing in protest after Chairman Chuck Grassley refused to delay the vote or allow testimony from whistleblower Erez Reuveni, who alleged that Bove encouraged lawyers to defy court orders during Trump’s deportation push. “This lacks decency. It lacks decorum,” Sen. Cory Booker said, who objected before leaving the hearing. More than 900 former DOJ lawyers and 75 retired judges opposed Bove’s nomination, citing his work as Trump’s defense lawyer, his role in firing DOJ staff tied to Jan. 6 cases, and his push to drop bribery charges against Mayor Eric Adams. Grassley, nevertheless, defended the vote, calling the misconduct claims “unsubstantiated.” (NPR / CBS News / NBC News / Politico / New York Times)

5/ The Senate voted 51–48 to rescind $9 billion in federal funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The bill eliminated $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and cut $7.9 billion from foreign aid programs. Two Republicans – Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski – joined Democrats in voting no, saying it gave the White House too much control over congressionally approved funds and failed to specify what programs would be cut. They also warned the rescissions would damage rural public media and gut foreign aid programs. The House must pass it by Friday to prevent the funds from being automatically released. Trump, meanwhile, has threatened to withhold endorsements from House Republicans who voted against the cuts. (NPR / New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Variety / Ars Technica)

6/ The House passed the GENIUS Act, sending the first major federal crypto bill to Trump for final approval. The bill, which won bipartisan support, sets rules for stablecoins – a win for an industry that spent over $130 million backing pro-crypto candidates. Crypto-backed PACs have already raised $141 million for the 2026 elections. The House also passed the Clarity Act, which would shift crypto oversight away from the SEC and toward the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal agency that regulates markets for derivatives, like futures and swaps, and has some authority over commodities trading. The bill, however, faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Trump and his family also stand to benefit from the new rules through financial ties to World Liberty Financial, which launched its own stablecoin, USD1. “This is a vote to give Trump the pen to write the rules that would put more money in his family’s pocket,” Rep. Maxine Waters said. (New York Times / Axios / NPR)

The midterm elections are in 474 days.

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Posted by Matt Kiser

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1/ Trump disavowed his supporters demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, calling them “weaklings” who “bought into this bullshit.” Trump accused his “PAST supporters” of doing “the Democrats’ work” and said he didn’t want their support, calling the case a “hoax” that “nobody cares” about. “I don’t want their support anymore!” The statement follows a Justice Department memo concluding there was no Epstein “client list,” contradicting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s earlier claims that such documents existed and were under review. Bondi now says she was referring to general case files, not a list, and has refused to commit to releasing more. Trump’s base, meanwhile, has fractured parts of the MAGA movement with conservative figures like Laura Loomer and Alex Jones accusing Trump of betrayal. Loomer warned the scandal could “consume his presidency.” House Speaker Mike Johnson also split from Trump, calling for “transparency” and urging Bondi to clarify her role. Rep. Thomas Massie launched a discharge petition with Democrat Ro Khanna to force a vote compelling the DOJ to release all Epstein-related files. Other Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, have backed the move, which could trigger a full House vote after the recess. Trump, meanwhile, insists any further release is up to Bondi, but repeated that only “credible information” should be made public. (NBC News / CNN / CBS News / Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / Axios / New York Times / Axios / The Guardian / Associated Press / Politico / ABC News / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump told House Republicans he was considering firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, showing them a draft termination letter, but hours later publicly said it was “highly unlikely.” In that meeting, Trump asked if he should remove Powell and said “almost all of them said I should,” but added, “I’m more conservative than they are.” A senior White House official said Trump would “likely” act soon, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted that Powell’s firing was “imminent.” Trump later denied the reports, saying “we’re not planning on doing anything,” but added: “I don’t rule out anything […] unless he has to leave for fraud.” Trump has demanded the Fed cut interest rates by up to 3 points, calling Powell a “total stiff” and “terrible,” while accusing him of wasting money on a “palace,” saying, “I think it sort of is” a fireable offense. Powell has defended the $2.5 billion renovation and asked the inspector general to review it. The Fed, meanwhile, has held rates steady while warning Trump’s tariffs could push inflation higher. (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / CNBC / Axios)

4/ The Justice Department asked at least nine states to turn over their voter rolls, with two states complying and others reviewing the requests. Separately, Republican election clerks in Colorado said a consultant claiming to work with the White House contacted them to request access to voting machines. Some clerks rejected the request outright, calling it a security risk. The White House, however, didn’t confirm its connection to the consultant, but said it supports ensuring only citizens are on voter rolls. (Washington Post)

5/ The Trump administration deported five men from Vietnam, Laos, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen to Eswatini in southern Africa, restarting third-country deportations after a recent Supreme Court ruling. Homeland Security said the men had criminal records including murder, child rape, and assault. The Eswatini government confirmed the men are being held in a local prison and plans to return them to their home countries, but didn’t say how long they will be held. ICE guidelines allow deportation to third countries within six hours, even without assurances against torture. (Politico / USA Today / New York Times / NBC News / Axios)

poll/ 79% of Americans want the government to release all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Two-thirds said the government is covering up evidence, including 82% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans. Belief that Epstein was murdered (39%) outweighed belief in the official suicide ruling (20%). 40% said they were unsure. (YouGov)

poll/ 61% of Americans oppose Trump’s domestic spending bill, his largest legislative action since returning to office. 51% said the bill would hurt the economy, while 29% said it would help it. 16% expect their families to benefit. (CNN)

The midterm elections are in 475 days.

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Posted by Matt Kiser

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1/ The Supreme Court allowed Trump to move forward with dismantling the Education Department and laying off nearly half its staff. In an unsigned order, the justices lifted a lower court ruling that had paused the plan and required the reinstatement of about 1,400 employees. The department had over 4,000 employees before Trump returned to office, but his cuts would leave it with about half that number – part of a broader effort to shut down the agency without congressional approval. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the decision “indefensible” and said the court was enabling Trump’s “intent to break the law” by giving him “the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon, meanwhile, called the court’s decision to allow Trump to gut her department a “significant win,” saying it removed “handcuffs” from efforts to return education to the states. The layoffs have already weakened civil rights enforcement, delayed school funding, and disrupted support for student loans and special education. A federal judge warned the cuts would “cripple” the department and cause “irreparable harm,” especially to vulnerable students. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / CNBC / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

2/ A group of 24 states and Washington, D.C., sued the Trump administration for withholding $6.8 billion in education funding due July 1. The lawsuit says the freeze violates the Constitution, the Impoundment Control Act, and other laws by blocking money Congress approved for after-school care, teacher training, and programs for migrant children and English learners. The Education Department, however, told states the funds were under review to ensure they matched “the President’s priorities.” California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the freeze “blatantly illegal,” while New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Congress allocated these funds and the law requires they be delivered.” A White House spokesman claimed the money had been “grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda.” (New York Times / Washington Post / CBS News)

3/ House Democrats are attempting to force a House vote to make Attorney General Pam Bondi release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Ro Khanna proposed an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill requiring Bondi to post the full Epstein file online within 30 days. Rep. Marc Veasey introduced a resolution demanding the Trump administration “put up or shut up,” amid claims that officials once promised major disclosures that never materialized. The Justice Department memo released last week said Epstein left no “client list” and died by suicide in 2019. That conclusion didn’t sit well with MAGA, who expected the files to implicate prominent Democrats as part of a broader cover-up – even as Trump himself had a documented past with Epstein. MAGA allies accused Bondi of misleading the public after she told Fox News the files were “on her desk,” then later walked that back. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, a former podcaster who promoted Epstein conspiracies, threatened to resign after a “pretty heated” meeting with Bondi at the White House. “This destroyed his career,” one person said. Far-right activist Laura Loomer has called for Bondi’s removal, saying she “lied on national TV” and has created a “PR crisis.” Trump, nevertheless, insisted Bongino was “in good shape” and that Bondi was doing “FANTASTIC.” He called the Epstein story “a waste of time,” because Epstein was “somebody that nobody cares about.” (Axios / Salon / The Hill / USA Today / NBC News / CNN / Axios / CNN / Politico / Washington Post / Politico / USA Today / Axios / NBC News)

• Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified. “There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.” (Wired)

4/ Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the Justice Department’s top ethics lawyer without explanation on the same day she dismissed at least 20 other DOJ staffers tied to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump. Joseph Tirrell, a career official who advised Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and others on conflicts and disclosures, had also approved $140,000 in pro bono legal services for Smith. Bondi cited Article II of the Constitution in the termination letter, which misspelled Tirrell’s name as “JOSPEH.” (ABC News / Bloomberg / UPI)

5/ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended FEMA’s response to the Texas floods, calling it “the best response we’ve seen,” even as internal records showed the agency missed thousands of calls after she failed to renew key contracts. FEMA answered 36% of calls on July 6 and 16% on July 7 after Noem let call center contracts expire for five days under a policy requiring her personal sign-off on spending over $100,000. Nevertheless, she denied any delay, saying “there was no break in contracts” and dismissed the reporting as “fake news.” Noem also claimed critics were “playing politics” as the death toll rose past 120. Trump, who previously said FEMA should “go away,” now says he wants the agency “remade” to limit federal disaster aid and shift more burden to states. (Politico / The Guardian / NBC News / New York Times)

6/ Trump said the U.S. would send new weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, through a NATO plan funded by European countries. He called it a “really big deal,” stressing, “We’re not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they’re going to be paying for it.” At the same time, Trump gave Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to a peace deal or face 100% “secondary tariffs” targeting both Russian goods and countries like China and India that buy Russian oil. “Ultimately talk doesn’t talk. It’s got to be action. It’s got to be results,” Trump said of his talks with Putin. (Reuters / CNN / Washington Post / Axios / Bloomberg / Politico / USA Today / New York Times / Associated Press / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

The midterm elections are in 477 days.

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