[Friday, July 18] US News Headlines from r/politics

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DAILY BRIEFING

1. The Epstein Scandal: Investigations, Lawsuits, and Political Fallout

The scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein has metastasized into the dominant national crisis, compelling direct legal action from the President and prompting a multi-front response from the Department of Justice and Congress that is revealing deep political fissures.

The crisis ignited with a Wall Street Journal exposé alleging a 2003 birthday letter sent to Jeffrey Epstein “bore Trump’s signature, drawing of naked woman” and contained the message, “May every day be another wonderful secret” [1, 2]. Compounding this, a former casino executive has alleged that Trump and Epstein, whom he called “best friends,” were once “caught bringing underage girls to a casino floor” [3]. After publicly threatening legal action, the President launched a significant legal offensive [4]. Court records now confirm the filing of libel lawsuits targeting Dow Jones, its parent company News Corp, executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, and specific Wall Street Journal reporters [5]. In public statements, the President has claimed the files are “faked,” a statement media outlets are contrasting with reports that many documents have been public for years [6].

The administration’s response has included a directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony from the original Epstein case [7]. The Department of Justice formally petitioned a court to unseal these records in what is being reported as a move to “contain [a] firestorm” [8]. However, the move was met with immediate skepticism, with critics dismissing it as a public relations “smokescreen” and a “red herring” [9]. Congressional oversight is intensifying. Senator Ron Wyden unveiled details of “Treasury’s Undisclosed Epstein File,” accusing the administration of sitting on Epstein-related bank records [10]. In a significant allegation, Senator Dick Durbin claims FBI agents were instructed to “flag” any mentions of President Trump found within the voluminous case files [11].

The controversy is creating severe political challenges. Reports have detailed a “GOP-led plot to defy Trump on the Epstein files,” suggesting a growing schism within the Republican party on the issue, with House Republicans now considering a vote on their release [12]. While reports indicate “MAGA world” has leaped to the President’s defense, polling suggests the sustained scandal is taking a toll, with one report indicating the President’s approval rating is “sliding” as the crisis unfolds [13].

References: Area 1
[1] Wall Street Journal: Birthday letter to Epstein bore Trump’s signature, drawing of naked woman, https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/politics/epstein-birthday-letter-trump
[2] Trump Once Gave Epstein A Racy Birthday Card With A Strange Note: Report | “May every day be another wonderful secret,” the 2003 note said., https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-epstein-birthday-card_n_68798331e4b007ebff475699
[3] Ex-Casino Boss Claims Trump and ‘Best Friend’ Jeffrey Epstein Were Once Caught Bringing Underage Girls to Casino Floor, https://people.com/ex-casino-boss-claims-trump-epstein-brought-underage-girls-casino-floor-11774374
[4] Trump threatens to sue ‘Wall Street Journal’ over article about his Epstein ties, https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5471583/trump-wall-street-journal-epstein-files-bondi
[5] Donald Trump sues Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, WSJ reporters for libel, court records show, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/donald-trump-sues-dow-jones-news-corp-rupert-murdoch-wsj-reporters-libel-court-2025-07-18/
[6] Trump claims Epstein files are faked, but many documents have been public for years, https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-claims-epstein-files-faked-documents-public-years/story?id=123837954
[7] Trump Tells Bondi to Seek Release of Epstein Grand Jury Testimony, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/us/politics/trump-epstein-bondi-grand-jury-testimony.html
[8] Justice Department asks court to unseal Epstein grand jury records to contain firestorm, https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-grand-jury-justice-department-ece8a837f9bd179771f801a765e242e4
[9] “‘Desperate defensive move’: Trump’s call to unseal Epstein testimony seen as “red herring”, https://www.salon.com/2025/07/18/trumps-call-to-release-epstein-transcripts-panned-as-desperate-move/
[10] As Trump Downplays Epstein, Wyden Unveils Details of Treasury’s Undisclosed Epstein File, https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/as-trump-downplays-epstein-wyden-unveils-details-of-treasurys-undisclosed-epstein-file
[11] FBI agents were told to ‘flag’ any Epstein records that mentioned Trump, Sen. Durbin says, https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/18/trump-epstein-fbi-durbin.html
[12] Inside the GOP-led plot to defy Trump on the Epstein files, https://www.axios.com/2025/07/18/trump-jeffrey-epstein-files-massie-khanna-bill
[13] Trump Approval Rating Sliding As Epstein Scandal Hits, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-approval-rating-sliding-as-epstein-scandal-hits.html

2. Executive Branch: Domestic Policy and Governance

The administration is advancing a broad and transformative domestic agenda through executive actions and regulatory shifts, impacting civil rights, immigration enforcement, and environmental and healthcare policy.

In a move prompting the Urban League to declare a national “‘State of Emergency’ for Civil Rights,” the Office of Personnel Management has set a deadline for a “government-wide purge of transgender and nonbinary inclusion” [1, 2]. This coincides with the administration shutting down the LGBTQ-specific optional service of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline [3]. Further actions include preparations to drop seven major housing discrimination cases, a move that critics argue will weaken fair housing enforcement [4]. In a separate action, the Department of Justice published a proposed rule to grant “relief to certain individuals” currently precluded by federal law from possessing firearms, described as a “major change to gun laws” [5].

Immigration enforcement is escalating through new surveillance and procedural changes. The IRS is reportedly building a system to share millions of taxpayers’ private data with ICE, and DHS has begun handing over personal data of Medicaid recipients to the agency [6, 7]. Concurrently, the Department of Homeland Security has reportedly classified the act of filming ICE officers as a “violent tactic,” and Secretary Kristi Noem allegedly “threaten[ed]” a reporter who asked about potential racial profiling [8, 9]. These policies have drawn legal challenges, including a lawsuit from young immigrants who claim the administration has exposed them to deportation [10].

Major regulatory reversals are underway in environmental and economic policy. The Environmental Protection Agency has formally announced its intent to eliminate its scientific research arm while also exempting “Scores of Plants From Biden’s Pollution Rules” [11, 12]. On healthcare, multiple analyses project a dramatic spike in costs, with research showing that health insurance under the ACA will cost the average person 75% more next year [13]. Finally, the President has signed an executive order that “creates a new classification of federal employees” and has signed the “GENIUS Act,” the nation’s first major crypto bill, into law [14, 15].

References: Area 2
[1] US Faces ‘State of Emergency’ for Civil Rights Under Trump: Urban League Report, https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-civil-rights-emergency-urban-league
[2] Federal HR office sets deadline for government-wide purge of transgender and nonbinary inclusion. The Office of Personnel Management has become the enforcement arm of Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda., https://www.advocate.com/news/opm-transphobic-memorandum-deadline
[3] Trump administration shuts down LGBTQ youth suicide hotline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ youth service, which has provided queer youths with specialized services since 2022, was officially terminated Thursday., https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/trump-shuts-down-lgbtq-youth-suicide-hotline-rcna219090
[4] Trump Administration Prepares to Drop Seven Major Housing Discrimination Cases, https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-drop-housing-discrimination-cases-housing-pollution
[5] Trump admin proposes major change to gun laws, https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-proposes-major-change-gun-laws-2100969?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_main
[6] The IRS Is Building A Vast System To Share Millions Of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE, https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/17/the-irs-is-building-a-vast-system-to-share-millions-of-taxpayers-data-with-ice/
[7] Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE, https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/18/politics/medicaid-ice-personal-data
[8] DHS: Filming Cops, ICE Officers is A ‘Violent Tactic’, https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/18/dhs-filming-cops-ice-officers-is-a-violent-tactic/
[9] ‘Don’t You Dare Ever Say That Again’: Kristi Noem ‘Threatens’ Reporter Over Question of ICE Racial Profiling, https://www.latintimes.com/dont-you-dare-ever-say-that-again-kristi-noem-threatens-reporter-over-question-ice-racial-587136
[10] Young Immigrants Who Have Faced Abuse and Neglect Sue Trump Administration for Exposing Them to Deportation, https://time.com/7303651/immigration-youth-sue-trump-lawsuit-sijs/
[11] E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/climate/epa-firings-scientific-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU8.083k.Kdvw5ewZpkW4&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
[12] Trump Exempts Scores of Plants From Biden’s Pollution Rules, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-17/trump-exempts-scores-of-plants-from-biden-s-pollution-rules
[13] ACA health insurance will cost the average person 75% more next year, research shows, https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5471281/aca-health-insurance-premiums-obamacare-bbb-kff
[14] Trump’s latest executive order creates new classification of federal employees, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5407623-trumps-executive-order-new-classification-federal-employees/
[15] Trump signs first major crypto bill, the GENIUS Act, into law, https://www.theverge.com/news/710100/trump-signs-genius-act-crypto-stablecoins-world-liberty-financial

3. Foreign Policy and National Security

The administration is executing an unconventional foreign policy marked by transactional diplomatic agreements, escalating trade threats, and visible strains on traditional alliances.

A “major prisoner swap” has been executed to free Americans held in Venezuela. In a highly unusual tripartite deal, El Salvador released hundreds of U.S. deportees from one of its “notorious prison[s]” as its part of the agreement [1, 2]. This action coincides with a directive instructing American embassies worldwide to “rein in criticism of foreign elections,” a move reportedly reinforced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s instruction that all U.S. diplomats “have to talk like Trump,” signaling a significant shift in diplomatic posture [3, 4]. Diplomatic frictions are escalating elsewhere, with Brazil’s President Lula da Silva stating that President Trump was “’not elected to be emperor of the world’” [5].

Key European allies are publicly acknowledging a new security reality. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Europe had been “free-riding on US” defense spending for decades, and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, suggested future weapons support for Ukraine must come from Europe, not the Trump administration [6, 7]. This strategic pivot occurs as President Trump is reportedly pushing for a new minimum tariff of 15% to 20% on all goods imported from the EU [8]. Simultaneously, a NATO weapons deal for Ukraine advanced by the administration has sparked “MAGA anger,” with supporters expressing sentiments such as “‘Not our war,’” highlighting a significant ideological rift within the President’s base on foreign intervention [9].

References: Area 3
[1] Major Prisoner Swap Frees Americans in Venezuela for Migrants in El Salvador, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/world/americas/venezuela-us-prisoner-swap-migrants-el-salvador.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU8.3anM.VgZTXfvtwCNX&smid=nytcore-android-share
[2] El Salvador releases hundreds of US deportees from notorious prison in US-Venezuela swap, https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/politics/venezuela-us-prisoner-swap-trump
[3] Trump administration tells embassies to rein in criticism of foreign elections, https://apnews.com/article/foreign-elections-state-department-rubio-trump-9257a253aedb8a1dbfd85d91b34f31c5
[4] Rubio Tells All U.S. Diplomats They Have to Talk Like Trump, https://www.thedailybeast.com/marco-rubio-bans-diplomats-from-criticizing-foreign-elections/
[5] Brazil’s President Lula says Trump was ‘not elected to be emperor of the world,’ as US-Brazil spat escalates, https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/17/americas/trump-not-emperor-world-lula-intl?utm_medium=social&utm_source=blueskyCNN&utm_content=2025-07-17T17:04:50
[6] Germany’s Merz tells BBC Europe was free-riding on US, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg6v0pk964o
[7] Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe’s support to Ukraine – not Trump’s, Kallas suggests, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/ukraine-war-briefing-weapons-will-be-europes-support-to-ukraine-not-trumps-kallas-suggests
[8] Trump pushes for 15-20% minimum tariff on all EU goods, FT reports, https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/trump-pushes-15-20-minimum-tariff-all-eu-goods-ft-reports-2025-07-18/
[9] ‘Not our war’ - Trump’s Nato weapons deal for Ukraine sparks MAGA anger, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14e2ydv4d6o.amp

4. Congressional and Partisan Politics

Congress passed major legislation this week amid partisan turmoil and signs of intra-GOP friction. The House gave final approval to a signature Trump priority: a “$9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid” [1]. The bill’s passage was reportedly delayed by the Epstein controversy and exposed GOP fissures, with some members airing “concerns about Trump’s use of rare tool to cut funds” [2]. In a notable display of bipartisanship, a crypto regulation bill was also passed with significant opposition support, as “102 House Democrats, Including Jeffries,” joined the GOP [3]. This cooperation contrasted with ongoing “infighting” reports, exemplified by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene taking aim at the very same Trump-backed crypto bill [4]. The high-stakes battle over redistricting is also intensifying. In a major victory for Republicans, Florida’s state justices have upheld a controversial map decried by opponents as a “racist gerrymander,” while in response, California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he wants his state to actively “counter Texas on redistricting” [5, 6].

References: Area 4
[1] House gives final approval to Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid, https://apnews.com/article/pbs-npr-budget-cuts-trump-republicans-b0044285659ab708e23eb2dc2f3eabfa?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-07-18-%249+billion+cut
[2] GOP airs concerns about Trump’s use of rare tool to cut funds despite backing bill, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5405211-trump-rescission-bill-gop-concern/
[3] 102 House Democrats, Including Jeffries, Help GOP Send Crypto Bill to Trump’s Desk, https://www.commondreams.org/news/genius-act-vote
[4] MTG Takes Aim at Trump-Backed Crypto Bill as Split Deepens, https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-takes-aim-at-donald-trump-backed-crypto-and-stablecoin-bill-as-split-deepens/
[5] Florida justices uphold DeSantis’ racist gerrymander, https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/florida-gerrymander-ron-desantis-rcna219656
[6] Newsom Wants California to Counter Texas on Redistricting, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/us/california-texas-redistricting-newsom.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XU8.7jOj._FGAKv2pOC_M&smid=url-share

5. Media Landscape and Cultural Flashpoints

The abrupt cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” by CBS has escalated into a major political and cultural event, fueling a national debate on media freedom and corporate influence. The decision was linked by one report to a “Trump deal quip” made on the show, with analysis framing the sequence of events as: “Mock a Trump bribe on Monday, get canceled by Thursday” [1, 2]. President Trump publicly celebrated the news, stating he “absolutely love[s]” that Colbert “got fired” and suggesting “Jimmy Kimmel Is Next” [3]. The Writers Guild of America has responded by demanding an investigation, citing “significant concerns” about potential bribery at parent company Paramount [4]. The incident is being framed by commentators as a “dark warning” that “reveals how billionaires and presidents are reshaping American media,” occurring as Congress has moved to cut billions in funding for institutions like PBS and NPR [5].

References: Area 5
[1] CBS axes Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ after Trump deal quip, https://www.dw.com/en/cbs-axes-colberts-the-late-show-after-trump-deal-quip/a-73322132
[2] Stephen Colbert’s Cancellation Is Exactly What It Looks Like | Mock a Trump bribe on Monday, get canceled by Thursday. The Late Show’s death reveals how billionaires and presidents are reshaping American media., https://newrepublic.com/article/198120/stephen-colbert-cancellation-ellison-trump
[3] Trump Says ‘I Absolutely Love’ That Stephen Colbert Got ‘Fired’ and ‘I Hear Jimmy Kimmel Is Next’, https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/trump-absolutely-love-stephen-colbert-fired-jimmy-kimmel-next-1236464640/
[4] Writers Guild Demands Investigation Into Stephen Colbert ‘Late Show’ Cancellation, Has ‘Significant Concerns’ About Bribery at Paramount, https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/writers-guild-bribery-investigation-colbert-cancellation-1236464878/
[5] Colbert’s Cancellation Is a Dark Warning, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/stephen-colbert-cancelled-cbs-trump-paramount/

6. President Trump: Personal Scrutiny

The President’s personal health and past conduct are facing renewed public and media scrutiny. The White House has formally disclosed that President Trump has been diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency, though the announcement did not provide details on its severity [1]. Separately, the AP has published an investigation alleging the President “is leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses,” citing multiple instances of potential conflicts of interest [2]. His past statements are also being re-examined; his assertion that he has “never wrote a picture in my life” is being contrasted with multiple instances of his sketches being sold at auction, and fact-checkers are investigating a 2006 Howard Stern clip where he appeared to laughingly agree with being called a “‘sexual predator’” [3, 4].

References: Area 6
[1] The White House Says Trump Has Been Diagnosed With Chronic Venous Insufficiency. Here’s What That Means., https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chronic-venous-insufficiency-donald-trump_l_6879749ce4b06b3f48aa4b81?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=us_main
[2] For Sale: Trump is leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses, https://apnews.com/article/trump-businesses-trump-organization-white-house-conflicts-of-interest-b970b5681b27f86dcd461ff473be23fa
[3] Trump said he ‘never wrote a picture in my life.’ Here are four., https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/18/trump-epstein-drawings/
[4] Investigating claim Trump laughingly agreed with being called a ‘sexual predator’ on ‘Howard Stern Show’. The moment, which aired in February 2006, shows the future president reacting to the remark during an episode filled with jokes and laughter., https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/video-trump-howard-stern-show-sexual-predator/

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