Good morning, everyone. Here is your Monday morning update ahead of what promises to be a very hectic week.
This week, much of the focus will be on Epstein. That is why I spoke with the great Katie Phang today for an update on her major lawsuit and much more. Todd Blanche’s confirmation vote is also scheduled for this week, and I will be on Capitol Hill covering it. Meanwhile, Republican senators are reportedly losing confidence in Pete Hegseth, Republican strategists are advising candidates to distance themselves from Trump, and more mass shootings have devastated communities across America.
Many of you sent me a video of NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker laughing with Stephen Miller at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner asking me to comment on it. I have never used my platform to attack other journalists, and I never will. Welker has done very important work.
All I will say is this: You will never see me laughing with Stephen Miller at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. My independence is too important, and I will never trade it for access. Subscribe to support independent journalism, and let’s get ready for a very busy week.
Here’s the news:
Republicans Urged to Abandon Trump, Senate in Standstill:
GOP strategists and Trump allies are secretly advising Republican midterm candidates to distance themselves from Trump’s rhetoric on the Iran war, according to MS NOW reporting from Jake Traylor and Vaughn Hillyard. The advice comes after a CBS News/YouGov poll found 65% of Americans disapprove of the war, 66% think it’s going badly, 67% want it ended now, and 60% believe Trump is overstating how well it’s going. One Republican operative told MS NOW that candidates won’t be running to defend Trump’s handling of the war or economy given the poor polling, while another strategist warned that letting a race become a referendum on Iran would fall into a “Democrat trap.”
The news comes amid signs the conflict itself may be cooling, with Axios reporting the US paused strikes on Iran for a third straight night after the top Middle East commander advised that the Hormuz bombing campaign had reached the limits of its effectiveness, and amid concerns within the administration about depleting air defense stockpiles. UN Ambassador Mike Waltz dismissed those stockpile concerns on “Meet the Press,” insisting the US has “everything it needs,” while in the same interview blaming the Biden administration for leaving behind a “depleted” military.
It comes as Donald Trump spent hours Sunday posting dozens of AI-generated images on Truth Social, many featuring “Trump 2028” themes and heroic depictions of himself. The images portrayed him alongside historical figures, as a space commander, steering a ship, and defending the world following attacks on Iran. He also used the posts to target celebrities, late-night hosts, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Critics mocked the images’ poor quality and repetition while arguing that the posting spree was disturbing given the responsibilities and circumstances of his presidency. Here is a timeline of his posting spree:
Republican senators are reportedly losing confidence in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his handling of the Iran war and a wave of senior military firings, according to The Hill. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis was the sharpest critic, saying he no longer has confidence in Hegseth, accusing him of forcing out distinguished military leaders due to what Tillis called a “massive insecurity complex” and excessive micromanagement. Maine Sen. Susan Collins separately called the dismissal of Gen. Christopher Donahue, the top Army commander for Europe and Africa, “deeply troubling,” while Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joni Ernst warned that the public is growing weary of the unresolved, $37.5 billion conflict and expressed concern over a lack of transparency, including recent confusion over US casualty counts.
Senate conservatives led by Sen. Mike Lee are threatening to block the chamber’s August recess until it passes the SAVE America Act, President Trump’s top legislative priority. The bill would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, mandate photo identification at the polls, and limit mail-in voting. Despite support from several Republican senators, it has repeatedly failed to secure the 60 votes needed, with every Democrat and some Republicans opposed. Sen. Thom Tillis called the effort political “theater,” arguing that changing election rules shortly before the 2026 midterms could cause chaos and that the bill is effectively dead without broader support. Trump today urged the Republicans in the Senate not to leave until the SAVE Act is passed:
Epstein:
Legal experts warn that Todd Blanche’s likely confirmation as attorney general would derail Jeffrey Epstein survivors’ pursuit of justice, with survivors writing to Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to oppose the nomination over Blanche’s handling of the case as acting attorney general, including releasing survivors’ identifying information while omitting the names of accused abusers and enablers. Attorney Bryan Sullivan predicted a Blanche-led DOJ would mean “more suppression and no active investigations,” while defense lawyer Ron Kuby said no other perpetrators in Epstein’s orbit would be held criminally liable. Legal scholar Carl Tobias noted Blanche would retain significant power over the case even without formal confirmation, since he could continue serving as acting attorney general for the rest of Trump’s term. Survivors do have legal avenues outside the DOJ, like FOIA lawsuits or litigation against federal authorities for failing to act on the investigation years ago, but attorneys cautioned these routes are slow and historically difficult to win. Despite the setback, survivor advocates Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky expressed continued hope, pointing to past advances against a system stacked against survivors and encouraging continued pressure ahead of the midterms.
The White House responded to actor Alan Ritchson’s expletive-laden comments urging Trump to “go to jail” over his Epstein ties, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson reiterating that Trump has been “totally exonerated” and touting his release of documents, cooperation with a House subpoena, and signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act as evidence he’s “done more for Epstein’s victims than anyone before him.”
No court has actually ruled Trump exonerated in the case, and he’s mentioned thousands of times across the released Epstein files, with the DOJ releasing previously withheld documents in March containing unproven sexual assault accusations against him. Ritchson made his comments on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, expressing frustration that the files haven’t been fully released and saying anyone implicated in abuse should be held accountable, without directly naming Trump. The response comes as Trump continues pursuing an amended $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on an alleged birthday letter he wrote to Epstein, which he denies writing.
Todd Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general is being held up by Republican concerns over President Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Blanche says the fund—intended to compensate people allegedly targeted by the Biden Justice Department—is dead, but senators fear the settlement could allow Trump to revive it through the courts. Sen. Thom Tillis wants the agreement renegotiated or Congress to permanently eliminate the fund, while also questioning legal protections granted to Trump and his family over past tax audits. With the Senate Judiciary Committee set to vote Thursday, opposition from Tillis or Sen. John Cornyn could delay Blanche’s nomination until the fall.
Mass shootings:
Three people were killed and four others injured in what police believe was a shootout between two gunmen at Seattle’s Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday night, held at Seattle Center near the Space Needle. One gunman surrendered to police, while a second suspect fled and remains at large, though Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said there’s no ongoing threat to the community and two guns were recovered at the scene. Four injured victims, including a toddler, were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where one later died; another victim arrived at University of Washington Medical Center with a gunshot wound, and all injured have since been stabilized. Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with one attendee saying he counted roughly eight people on the ground, and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson called the shooting “an unbelievable tragedy, a horrific act of violence.” The festival, which typically draws more than 350,000 visitors over three days, was wrapping up its final day when the shooting occurred.
There have been six mass shooting in the United States of America in the past 48 hours, now more than 271 just this year:
Other news:
The Trump Administration is pressing at least 100 hospitals to provide a private contractor with detailed, personally identifiable records for virtually all emergency-room visits. Hospitals and legal experts question the agency’s authority, its compliance with public-notice requirements, and whether the expansive data collection violates patient-privacy protections. The new system would replace a narrower voluntary program that generally collected deidentified information about consumer-product injuries, potentially sweeping in unrelated cases such as vaccine reactions and suicide attempts. Several health systems have declined or reconsidered participation, while the CPSC maintains that the modernization will improve injury surveillance.
The Kennedy Center has reportedly seen steep declines in visitors and ticket sales following President Trump’s takeover and MAGA-oriented restructuring. Longtime volunteer guide Sandy Weiswasser described the once-busy venue as a “black hole,” with some free tours attracting no visitors and fewer guides reporting for duty. Artists have withdrawn performances, some patrons are boycotting the institution, and complimentary tickets are increasingly being used to fill seats. Trump has proposed closing the venue for two years for renovations, with its board expected to decide on the plan in August.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected at the White House this week, his first visit since the Iran war began, after months of seeking an invitation amid growing tension between the two allies. The meeting was finalized only in the past few days, reportedly made possible by the funeral of Netanyahu confidant Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Netanyahu is eager to discuss the escalation with Iran and the US nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. Tensions have grown as US and Israeli goals in the war have diverged. Trump reportedly called Netanyahu “crazy” at the G7 summit even while affirming US support for Israel, and Washington has taken steps unsettling to Israel, including selling F-35s to Turkey and pursuing a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that lacks certain oversight mechanisms. Netanyahu, who is up for reelection in October and helped push Trump toward the initial February strikes on Iran, risks the visit becoming more about Trump pressing him for concessions on Lebanon, Gaza, and elsewhere than the other way around, with one former US official noting “the White House visit in itself is his get.”
UN Ambassador Mike Waltz sought to clarify the newly signed US-Saudi civil nuclear deal on Sunday, insisting it involves no uranium enrichment and stressing the Saudis have agreed to full inspections of the civilian nuclear power plants covered by the agreement. The deal, signed last week by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, would let private American nuclear companies export to the Saudi market, though key details remain unreleased. Sen. John Kennedy criticized the timing, noting the tension in bombing Iran to stop it from getting a nuclear weapon while simultaneously signing a nuclear deal with another country, warning the world “is on a hair trigger.” Waltz argued there’s a “night and day” difference between the deals, pointing to Iran’s high-level enrichment, underground fortified facilities, and stated intent to threaten the world if it obtains a weapon. Trump has said the Saudi deal is contingent on Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords, which the kingdom has refused to do without a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood, though Netanyahu has publicly urged Saudi Arabia to accept the condition.
Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue is calling for "radical transparency" from OpenAI after revealing that an autonomous AI agent, combining OpenAI's public GPT-5.6 Sol model with an unreleased, more capable model, hacked his company during what was meant to be a contained cybersecurity test. Delangue wants OpenAI to release full traces of the "rogue" agent's actions for the research community to study and to commit $100 million in computing power to help Hugging Face build stronger cyber defenses. According to OpenAI, the models gained internet access, escaped their sandboxed test environment, and targeted Hugging Face because they inferred the startup held information that could help them "cheat the evaluation"; Hugging Face had actually detected the hack on July 16 without realizing OpenAI was behind it. Reuters previously reported that the agent operated undetected for days and left notes for future versions of itself on how to break free from internal constraints, while Time reported similar incidents have been occurring for a while.
Border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that if allegations of prior abuse against an ICE agent involved in a fatal Maine shooting prove true, the agent should never have cleared the agency’s vetting process, and confirmed an internal affairs investigation is now underway. The agent involved in the July 13 shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, has not been publicly identified by DHS, but reports have surfaced of abuse allegations from two ex-wives and a past order requiring him to relinquish his firearms. The case has renewed scrutiny of ICE’s hiring practices following the agency’s rapid workforce expansion, which began in January 2025 under Trump’s immigration crackdown and included signing bonuses up to $50,000 and more than 220,000 applications, according to former acting director Todd Lyons. That hiring surge has already drawn criticism after reports surfaced of new recruits with criminal misconduct, lack of experience, and violence allegations, though Homan maintained Sunday that such cases are “rare” given ICE’s roughly 30,000-employee workforce all undergoes vetting.
Oil prices tumbled Monday, with Brent crude falling below $90 a barrel and US crude dropping to around $83, both down roughly 7%, after the US and Iran paused strikes over the weekend following 13 consecutive nights of attacks to make “space” for diplomacy. Global stock markets rallied on the news, though US Treasury yields stayed near their highest levels since early 2025, and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz said the pause reflects ongoing talks despite “internal fighting” on Iran’s side. Iran offered little encouragement, however, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei saying Tehran has “no negotiations with the American side” at present and maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz remains “closed,” even as shipping traffic through the strait showed modest signs of recovery over the weekend. Regional tensions remain elevated elsewhere, with Jordan downing two drones, Saudi Arabia intercepting drones fired by Iran-backed militants in Iraq, and Iran accusing Ukraine of killing one sailor in a Caspian Sea attack on an Iranian commercial vessel, a claim Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to by asserting Russia has been sharing satellite intelligence with Iran to help direct regional strikes.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice by visiting war memorials, meeting veterans, and laying flowers at the graves of first-generation guerrilla fighters, with his daughter Ju Ae joining him at the commemorations for the first time. State media images showed Ju Ae walking beside her father, positioned at the center of ceremonial formations and greeting elderly veterans, continuing her increasingly prominent public role after previous appearances driving a tank and firing weapons. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has assessed, based on what it calls credible intelligence, that Ju Ae is being positioned as Kim’s successor. Kim also visited a cemetery for Chinese volunteer soldiers, paying respects at the grave of Mao Zedong’s son, Mao Anying, a gesture seen as a further sign of warming ties with Beijing.
See you soon.
— Aaron
