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July 30, 2025
Trump says Epstein poached young women from Mar-a-Lago. That raises new questions about what he knew.
(CNN) President Donald Trump wants to move on from his administration’s fiasco over the Jeffrey Epstein files, but he keeps hampering that effort by opening his mouth. The most recent instance has to do with precisely why the two men had a falling out about two decades ago. Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the employees who he said Monday that Epstein poached from him, triggering their breakup, were young women who worked in the spa at his Mar-a-Lago club.
Go to discussionUS placed on rights watchlist over health of its civil society under Trump
(The Guardian) A group of global civil society organizations have placed the US on a watchlist for urgent concern over the health of its civic society, alongside Turkey, Serbia, El Salvador, Indonesia and Kenya. On Wednesday, a new report released by the non-profit Civicus placed the US on its watchlist following “sustained attacks on civic freedoms” across the country, according to the group.
Go to discussionSocial Security is making it harder for seniors to do routine tasks by phone in latest anti-fraud effort
(CNN) Senior citizens soon won’t be able to simply call the Social Security Administration to change their address or check the status of their benefit claim. Instead, they will have to first verify their identity online or go to a field office if they are unable to do so. In its latest effort to thwart fraud, the agency is expanding its online authentication requirement for address changes, claim status requests, benefit verification letters and tax statements, according to a regulatory filing Social Security recently submitted to the Office of Management and Budget.
Go to discussionMore churches are suing ICE over arrests in places of worship: 'Congregations have gone underground'
(The Independent) Another group of Christian denominations is suing Donald Trump’s administration to stop immigration enforcement arrests in their churches. A lawsuit from Baptist, Lutheran and Quaker groups accuses Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of chilling First Amendment protections and infringing on religious freedoms. The groups filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block the policy on Tuesday.
Go to discussion'Dangerous and unprecedented': RFK Jr. under investigation after major purge
(Raw Story) Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday launched an investigation into U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s purge of independent experts from a panel on vaccine recommendations. Last month, Kennedy announced that he was "retiring" all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, despite promising during his Senate confirmation hearing to keep the committee intact.
Go to discussionHegseth team lashes out at Pentagon's internal 'Signalgate' review
(Washington Post) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team on Tuesday denounced the Pentagon’s internal review of his actions in the “Signalgate” affair, calling the independent inquiry “clearly a political witch hunt” and asserting without evidence that details of the nonpartisan review were leaked to the news media by “Biden administration holdovers.” The remarks appeared in a written statement by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Go to discussionPete Hegseth has discussed running for political office in Tennessee, sources say
(NBC News) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has privately discussed the idea of running for political office next year in Tennessee, according to two people who have spoken directly with him about it. If Hegseth were to follow through on the discussions, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so.
Go to discussionNew York Democrats unveil their own mid-decade redistricting scheme, targeting future elections
(NBC News) As Texas Republicans slowly move forward with plans to redraw congressional maps mid-decade, Democrats in New York plowed ahead Tuesday with their own scheme to counter any GOP redistricting efforts. But the effort faces a long, arduous path forward, and it wouldn't be scheduled to go into effect for years, illustrating the limited options at Democrats' disposal as they hunt for ways to counter the GOP redistricting play in Texas.
Go to discussionDemocrats try again to revive the Voting Rights Act but face long odds
(AP) Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Tuesday to restore and expand protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, their latest long-shot attempt to revive the landmark law just days before its 60th anniversary and at a time of renewed debate over the future administration of American elections. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia unveiled the measure, titled the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, with the backing of Democratic leaders.
Go to discussionTrump has spent almost a third of his presidency at his own properties, new report shows
(The Independent) During his recent five-day trip to Scotland, Donald Trump spent most of the time on his own golf courses and hotels. This appears to be par for the course for the president, who has spent almost a third of his second presidency so far at properties that he owns, according to new analysis by Forbes. Out of his first 191 days back in office, 75 of them have been spent at his own businesses at various locations including Florida, New Jersey, Virginia, Nevada, and now Scotland.
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