Good afternoon. Today, I was on Capitol Hill meeting with key members of Congress, including Senator Cory Booker — with more updates coming soon. This kind of real-time, independent reporting doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of you.
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With that, here’s the news:
Despite mounting pressure from allies and the public, Trump will not appoint a special prosecutor in the Epstein case, with the White House stating that releasing more files is up to the DOJ and possibly the courts, not the president.
Donald Trump’s dismissal of the Epstein files controversy as a “hoax” has sparked backlash from his own MAGA base—including hat-burning protests—and growing calls from figures like Mike Pence and Speaker Mike Johnson for full document disclosure, as skepticism mounts over federal transparency and key prosecutors are abruptly dismissed.
Senator Ron Wyden revealed that four major banks flagged over $1.5 billion in suspicious Jeffrey Epstein transactions—many involving payments to women and wealthy clients—only after his 2019 arrest; Wyden is demanding public release of the confidential reports, criticizing both the banks’ delayed action and the Trump administration’s refusal to disclose more financial records.
Senate Republican Markwayne Mullin blocked a resolution by Democrat Ruben Gallego to release Jeffrey Epstein-related files, calling it “political theater,” as Democrats and some Trump supporters demand transparency, while GOP leaders defer decisions to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI, despite growing public and political pressure.
Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in his lower legs, a common condition for those over 70, and recent bruising on his hand is attributed to frequent handshaking and aspirin use, according to his doctor.
Medicaid officials under the Trump administration allowed ICE access to personal health data—including addresses and social security numbers—to locate undocumented immigrants, sparking outrage over privacy violations and fears it may deter people from seeking medical care.
ICE agents arrested Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, an Oregon chiropractor and father married to a U.S. citizen, while he was dropping off his child at preschool—marking the first known federal immigration arrest at an Oregon school—amid rising concerns over the Trump administration's rollback of protections at sensitive locations.
A U.S. citizen and military veteran detained by ICE said agents ignored his identification, broke his car window, and forcibly removed him despite his repeated claims of citizenship and innocence, stating, “Clearly it didn't matter that I was a citizen, or a veteran.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis diverted disaster relief funds to hastily build the “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention center ahead of Trump’s visit, awarding contracts to political donors, as outrage grows over inhumane conditions, lack of transparency, and the jailing of a 15-year-old migrant despite claims the facility was for adults only.
A 15-year-old Mexican boy with no criminal record was mistakenly detained at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration facility—meant for adults—as part of Trump and DeSantis’s aggressive deportation push; officials denied the incident until pressed by reporters, highlighting concerns over inadequate safeguards and growing family separations.
ICE deported approximately 100,000 people from January to June 24; 70,583 were convicted criminals, mostly for traffic or immigration violations. Less than 1% had murder convictions, under 2% for sex crimes, and nearly 30% had no criminal record.
Trump’s AG Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Alcatraz, reviving plans to reopen it as a federal prison—an idea California Rep. Nancy Pelosi called the administration’s “stupidest initiative yet.”
The House of Representatives is expected to vote tonight (or possibly tomorrow) on Trump’s $9bn in cuts to public media and foreign aid; the Senate passed the measure last night. Congress must act by tomorrow to avoid obligating the funds.
House Republicans have delayed a final vote on Trump’s DOGE spending cuts due to internal backlash over Speaker Mike Johnson’s handling of Epstein-related transparency demands, with some GOP members pushing for a new resolution to appease their base before proceeding with the foreign aid and public media cuts.
Outrage has erupted in Eswatini and across Africa after the U.S. deported five foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes—whose home countries refused reentry—to the small kingdom, as part of Trump’s broader strategy to offload “unreturnable” deportees to third countries, sparking accusations of neocolonialism, racism, and threats to regional stability.
Republicans advanced Emil Bove’s federal appeals court nomination despite a whistleblower allegation that he urged DOJ lawyers to ignore court orders. Democrats boycotted the judiciary committee vote.
Trump’s defense spending increase will add 26 megatons of carbon emissions—equal to emissions from 68 gas power plants—raising total Pentagon emissions to 178 Mt CO2e and causing an estimated $47bn in global damages, according to CCI analysis.
The U.S. Department of Justice is recommending a single-day sentence and three years of supervised release for Brett Hankison, the former officer convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during the fatal 2020 raid, citing his clean record, lack of injuries caused, and psychological stress—despite the maximum possible sentence being life in prison.
Following the Air India crash that killed 260 people, the airline reported no issues with fuel switches on other Boeing aircraft, while a U.S. investigation is focusing on the captain’s possible role in shutting off fuel to the engines—though Indian pilot groups have denounced the claims as baseless and families of victims have criticized the preliminary report as vague.
Good News:
For the first time in over a century, Paris has reopened the Seine River for public swimming after a $2.3 billion cleanup effort tied to the 2024 Olympics, with three free swimming spots now open daily and more planned, as improved water quality is evidenced by returning rare mussels and increased aquatic biodiversity.
At the Minnesota Zoo, a rare wild Przewalski’s horse foal named Marat—rejected by his mother after a medical emergency—has been adopted by a domestic pony named Alice, who had just lost her own foal, forming a heartwarming bond that highlights resilience, maternal instinct, and the critical role of conservation efforts in saving the world’s last wild horse species.
A Ph.D. student’s discovery that two museums held separate halves of the same fossil led to the identification of a new Jurassic reptile species, Sphenodraco scandentis—the earliest known tree-dwelling member of the rhynchocephalian order—highlighting the enduring value of museum collections and the hidden diversity of ancient reptiles.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
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