Good morning. It was a quiet news night—until it wasn’t. Speaker Mike Johnson now claims Donald Trump acted as an FBI informant in the Epstein case. That’s an explosive allegation, and we’ll treat it like we treat everything else here: we’ll verify what’s real and separate it from what’s politically convenient.
This afternoon, I’m sitting down with another Epstein survivor to make sure her voice is heard. You’ll get that interview tonight or first thing tomorrow. Here’s the deal: my promise to you is unchanged—facts, not rumors. No spin. No hype. Just truth you can cite. That’s also why the pressure campaign against this platform is relentless—especially on TikTok—because we have not stopped, and will not stop, demanding the full release of the Epstein files every single day.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Donald Trump acted as an FBI “informant” against Jeffrey Epstein, saying Trump was “horrified” by Epstein’s crimes and had severed ties after ejecting him from Mar-a-Lago; Johnson’s remarks followed reports Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump his name appeared in Epstein’s files, fueling speculation over a “client list” that victims and bipartisan lawmakers are demanding be fully released, even as the Justice Department maintains no such list exists.
Donald Trump said the Justice Department has “done its job” by releasing 33,295 pages of Jeffrey Epstein case records and called for an end to demands for more transparency, dismissing the push as a “Democrat Epstein Hoax”; however, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress argue most files remain withheld or heavily redacted, with a bipartisan petition underway to force full disclosure, while Epstein survivors stress that meaningful accountability requires releasing all documents.
Trump is weighing military strikes against drug cartels operating inside Venezuela as part of a broader pressure campaign on Nicolás Maduro, after ordering a deadly strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat that killed 11; with U.S. naval forces massed in the Caribbean and Maduro labeled a “narco-terrorist,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled more operations could follow, though critics in Washington question the legality of the strikes and whether drugs are being used as a pretext for regime change.
South Korea vowed “all-out efforts” after U.S. federal agents arrested 475 people—mostly South Korean nationals—during an immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant construction site in Georgia, the largest single-site enforcement operation in DHS history; the arrests, made amid Trump’s crackdown on migrants, sparked outrage in Seoul where officials warned of a diplomatic crisis after South Korean companies pledged hundreds of billions in U.S. investments just weeks earlier.
A draft of the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy shifts focus from countering China to prioritizing homeland security and Western Hemisphere operations, a reversal from Trump’s first term when Beijing was labeled the top threat. The plan, led by policy chief Elbridge Colby, reflects a more isolationist stance aligned with VP JD Vance, emphasizing drug interdiction, militarized border operations, and asking allies to shoulder more of their own defense.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed Friday to stay in the mayoral race despite pressure from President Trump and others to drop out in favor of Andrew Cuomo to block Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
House leaders will allow Trump’s 30-day emergency takeover of the D.C. police to expire Sept. 10 without a vote, after Mayor Muriel Bowser agreed to coordinate indefinitely with federal law enforcement, though new GOP-backed measures are advancing to expand federal control over D.C.’s government, including eliminating the elected attorney general and rolling back youth crime policies.
Florida Rep. Cory Mills faced his ex-girlfriend Lindsey Langston, currently Miss United States and a GOP committeewoman, in court as she sought a restraining order, alleging he threatened her, refused to leave her alone, and might release sex videos; Mills denied wrongdoing, claimed he no longer had such material, and said the case was politically motivated by rival Anthony Sabatini. The judge delayed a ruling after time ran out, while Mills remains under ethics investigation and faces calls for censure amid prior allegations of assault and misconduct.
Donald Trump threatened to send National Guard troops into Portland after being misled by a TV report that mixed recent small protests with old 2020 footage from the George Floyd demonstrations; while he falsely described the city as in chaos and repeated conspiracy theories about “paid agitators,” Portland officials and Oregon’s attorney general rejected federal intervention and warned they would take legal action if Trump deployed troops.
Trump signed an executive order creating a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” designation to blacklist and sanction countries that illegally detain Americans, expanding tools similar to terrorism sanctions; with at least 54 U.S. citizens held across 17 countries including Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, and Venezuela, the order empowers Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose penalties, restrict travel, and target regimes or groups that use Americans as bargaining chips, a move praised by former detainee Paul Whelan as a potential deterrent if enforced.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, promoting her new book Listening to the Law, said court rulings are “not just an opinion poll” and should not impose judges’ values, as the court considers a request to overturn same-sex marriage rights; she defended the 2022 abortion ruling as respecting democratic choice despite majority public support for abortion and same-sex marriage, while critics warn the conservative-majority court may roll back more rights.
Health officials warn that Chagas disease, a potentially deadly parasitic illness spread by “kissing bugs,” is now confirmed in human cases across eight U.S. states—including California, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas—with experts urging it be classified as endemic to improve surveillance and public health response.
One year after 26-year-old American Turkish activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper while volunteering in the West Bank, her family continues to demand an independent U.S. investigation—amid Israeli claims it was accidental, U.S. inaction despite calling the killing “unprovoked and unjustified,” and mounting frustration over double standards as other U.S. citizens have also been killed by Israeli forces.
Israel ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to a designated “humanitarian zone” in Khan Younis as its forces pressed deeper into the city, destroying buildings and displacing hundreds of thousands, while Trump said the U.S. was in “very deep” negotiations with Hamas after the group released a video of two Israeli hostages; the offensive, which Israel calls a fight for Hamas’s last bastion, has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and drawn international condemnation amid warnings of famine and humanitarian catastrophe.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings accused OpenAI of failing to protect young users after suicides allegedly linked to ChatGPT, warning that the company’s multibillion-dollar restructuring could be blocked unless it strengthens safety. In a letter to OpenAI’s board, they demanded immediate reforms, citing the nonprofit’s duty to ensure AI is safe and beneficial, while OpenAI chair Bret Taylor pledged expanded safeguards such as parental controls and crisis interventions.
Donald Trump announced the 2026 G20 summit will be held at his Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, praising its proximity to the airport and calling it the “best location,” while insisting he would not personally profit. He tapped Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to organize the agenda and NEC Director Kevin Hassett as point person, with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez celebrating the event as a boost to the city’s global profile.
Texas Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is preparing to launch a U.S. Senate campaign next week, entering a race already featuring former Rep. Colin Allred. Talarico, seen as a rising star after leading Democratic walkouts against Trump-backed redistricting and gaining national attention — including an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast — could energize Democrats hoping to flip Texas if Republicans nominate Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom polls show weaker than incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
