“Senate Republicans are signaling their dismay over President Trump’s provocative decision to advance a $5 billion ‘pocket rescission,’ which is becoming a major obstacle to establishing a bipartisan spending deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of this month,” The Hill reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think the best way to clear President Trump’s name is to release all the files. I actually don’t think he’s done anything criminal; I think he may be covering for some rich and powerful people that are friends of his. And in fact, some of those billionaires are running ads against me in Kentucky right now.”
— Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), quoted by The Hill, on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Story Trump Can’t Kill
Playbook: “You could almost forget, amid the political feeding frenzy this summer over the non-release of the Epstein files, that at the heart of this case lie the most heinous crimes imaginable.”
“That stark reality will be brought jarringly back into focus here in D.C. this morning when we hear directly from 10 of Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors in what should be a remarkable news conference on the steps of the Capitol.”
The Bulwark: “Six weeks ago, Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House of Representatives into recess early to dodge some uncomfortable votes about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. But the unfortunate thing about recess is you’ve got to return eventually—and with Congress back in session, the Epstein story is grinding ahead again.”
Tara Palmeri: “This moment in D.C. is a real inflection point. Will survivors push Republicans into a corner, forcing them to stand up for transparency? After all, who wants to be on record voting against the release of files—hiding behind claims of ‘protection’ that are just gaslighting, sweeping the truth under the rug. It’s a classic move in sexual-assault cases.”
Exchange of the Day
NBC News anchor Hallie Jackson interviewed a group of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims:
JACKSON: Show of hands, who would like to see President Trump definitively rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, every single one of you, Marikje, are you frustrated he hasn’t done so yet?
MARIJKE CHARTOUNI: Oh, absolutely, yeah. I mean, just toying with the idea is an insult.
JACKSON: What would you say to the President if he could hear you right now about this, about the potential part, and about the case, about all of this that’s in the ether right now?
MARIJKE CHARTOUNI: I would ask why he’s putting so much attention on the criminals and why he seems to value them more than us.
JACKSON: Does anybody else have thoughts on that?
AMANDA ROBERTS: I would say it’s so big right now because this administration ran their campaign on this. These were promises that they had made, and, and, and if you’re in that level and in that capacity, it’s your diligence, it’s your duty to do what your constituents, what your the American public, is asking you for. So that’s all we’re asking.
JESS MICHAELS: And it’s, it’s not just one side or the other. This is a non-partisan issue. Everyone is asking, even his base is asking.
JACKSON: Has anyone heard from anybody at the White House or any of their representatives?
GROUP: No.
‘The Most Serious War Criminal of Our Time’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Russian President Vladimir Putin “perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time,” while warning against appeasing him, TVP World reports.
He added: “We must ensure that Russia can no longer sustain its war economy. I am talking about economic exhaustion, which we must achieve — for example, through tariffs on those who still actively trade with Russia. And here we again come back to the United States.”
The Trump Administration Gets a Serious Scolding
David Graham: “The Trump administration broke the law. Its officials knew they were breaking the law. And they’ll likely try to do so again.”
“In its most distilled form, that’s the conclusion of Charles Breyer, the federal judge overseeing a suit brought by California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guardsmen and Marines in and around Los Angeles in June. In a scathing opinion… Breyer said that the administration had acted illegally.”
Trump Views Push to Release Epstein Files as ‘Hostile Act’
The White House has warned Republican lawmakers that pushing for the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files would be seen as “a very hostile act” by President Trump, CNN reports.
Trump May Be Forced to Refund $210 Billion in Tariffs
“The majority of the sweeping tariffs President Donald Trump imposed during his second term face one final litmus test that will determine whether he can continue to levy them – and also whether businesses are eligible for massive refunds,” CNN reports.
“American businesses have paid over $210 billion as of August 24 to cover the tariffs that US courts have determined are illegal. On Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that the court’s decision, if upheld by the Supreme Court, could result in the US Treasury having to ‘give back’ tariff revenue collected.”
MAGA Has Won the War on Science
Jill Lawrence: “The trajectory from heart and lung transplant surgeon Bill Frist of Tennessee to gastroenterologist Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is emblematic of the dark Republican Party journey on science and health — from the Bush family to the Trump family, from American greatness to self-defeating denialism on everything from vaccines to cancer research.”
John Sununu Mulls Another Senate Bid
Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-NH) is interested in running for Senate again to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who ended his Senate career back in 2008, NOTUS reports.
“This would be a huge win for national Republicans who view Sununu as one of their last chances to make the New Hampshire race competitive this election cycle against the likely Democratic candidate, Rep. Chris Pappas. Former Sen. Scott Brown — who represented Massachusetts and previously lost to Shaheen in 2014 in New Hampshire — has declared he’s running on the Republican side.”
Disclosures Show Ilhan Omar Is Worth Millions
Earlier this year, Ilhan Omar (D-MN.) complained to Business Insider she’s been the subject of a “coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign” claiming she’s worth millions of dollars.
Said Omar: “Maybe try checking my public financial statements and you will see I barely have thousands let alone millions.”
However, the Washington Free Beacon did check Omar’s latest disclosure which shows Omar and her husband, Tim Mynett, are worth at least $6 million and as much as $30 million.
Xi Muses on Living to 150 in Rare Hot-Mic Moment
“Chinese President Xi Jinping commented on the possibility of people living to 150 during a hot-mic moment with his Russian and North Korean counterparts, a rare glimpse of an unscripted chat between three of the world’s most prominent strongmen,” Bloomberg reports.
Inside the Democratic Plan to Retake the House
“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is engaged in a major effort to redefine what his unpopular party stands for, readying a new Democratic agenda intended to turbocharge efforts to recapture the House in 2026 and make him speaker,” the Washington Post reports.
“Jeffries has heard the many complaints from Democratic lawmakers clamoring for a proactive agenda following the party’s devastating losses in the 2024 election — one that doesn’t revolve entirely around fighting President Donald Trump. He’s racing to release a plan to revive a depressed base and sell voters on a Democratic Party that hears their concerns on affordability, safety and helping the working class.”
“But the effort is running up against the harsh political realities of the moment, from Trump’s aggressive efforts to revamp the congressional map through redistricting in Republican-led states to a tarnished Democratic brand with abysmal approval ratings, according to polls.”
Xi Signals China Won’t Be Bullied Again
“China’s leader, Xi Jinping, presided over a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday featuring fighter jets, missiles and goose-stepping troops as he issued a defiant warning to rivals not to challenge his country’s sovereignty,” the New York Times reports.
“His message was underscored by the leaders gathered by his side in the viewing gallery, representing states that have challenged or questioned American dominance of the global order. He was flanked by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, along with the leaders of Iran, Pakistan and other mostly authoritarian nations.”
Wall Street Journal: “China flexed its growing military power and its deepening ties to Washington’s adversaries with an extravagant parade that cast leader Xi Jinping as the standard-bearer of a new global order.”
CNN: “China’s military parade unveils newest weapons as Xi welcomes leaders challenging Western order.”
Giuliani Describes Car Accident
For those wondering, Rudy Giuliani recounted the story of his car accident on his podcast.
Grand Jury Rebukes Trump Prosecutors Again
“Federal grand jurors in the nation’s capital have refused to indict two people who were charged separately with threatening to kill President Donald Trump, more evidence of a growing backlash against Trump’s law enforcement intervention in Washington, D.C.,” the AP reports.
“It is extraordinarily rare for a grand jury to balk at returning an indictment, but it has happened at least seven times in five cases since Trump last month ordered a surge in patrols by federal agents and troops in the District of Columbia.”
Said former U.S. Attorney Brendan Ballou to CBS News: “Not only have I never heard of this happening, I’ve never heard of a prosecutor who’s heard of this happening.”
Quote of the Day
“Any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question: Once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next.”
— Gov. JB Pritker, at a press conference.
Republicans Having Trouble Selling Trump’s Tax Law
“Two months after President Trump called it ‘the most popular bill ever signed,’ congressional Republicans are facing a sputtering effort to sell their sprawling domestic policy law — and they’re getting fresh advice Wednesday from top administration officials,” Politico reports.
Playbook: “It’s a sure sign that the big GOP summer push to sell the BBB to voters didn’t go as smoothly as the White House would have liked.”
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