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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.

babylonsister

US 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.

BumRushDaShow

Social 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.

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More 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.

BumRushDaShow

'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.

Zorro

Hegseth 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.

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Pete 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.

BumRushDaShow

New 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.

BumRushDaShow

Democrats 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.

BumRushDaShow

Trump 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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Bessent hails new 'Trump accounts' as 'backdoor way to privatize Social Security'

17 min ago - 07/30/2025 02:48 PM EDT Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday framed the president’s new “Trump accounts” as a transformative tool for long-term wealth building and a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security.” Bessen ... (Politico)

Canada will recognize Palestinian state in September if certain conditions met

30 min ago - Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September if the West Bank's governing body meets certain conditions. The prime minister said the Palestinian Authority must commit to holding an election and other democrat ... (CBC)

Defense Department will continue providing critical weather satellite data to NOAA

1 hr ago - July 30, 2025, 1:26 PM A little over a month since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it and the National Weather Service (NWS) would no longer be receiving critical satellite weather data used in forecasting hu ... (ABC News)

US wants back millions in COVID relief from local governments over missing reports

1 hr ago - Updated 2:54 PM EDT, July 30, 2025 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Treasury is seeking to recoup COVID-19 pandemic relief funds from hundreds of local governments that received millions of dollars but never complied with requirements to repo ... (AP)

Despite grand claims, a new report shows noncitizen voting hasn't materialized

2 hrs ago - July 30, 2025 5:00 AM ET After President Trump and many other Republicans warned that vast numbers of non-U.S. citizens would influence last year's election, states and law enforcement have devoted more resources than ever before to root out those in ... (NPR)

Virginia councilman set on fire in personal attack at his office: Police

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Supreme Court sets date to consider whether to review Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal

2 hrs ago - The Supreme Court has officially set a date — Sept. 29 — to consider at a private conference whether it will review Ghislaine Maxwell’s challenge to her sex trafficking convictions. This typical scheduling development might not normall ... (Deadline: Legal Blog)

House Democrats Sue ICE for Barring Them From Detention Facilities

2 hrs ago - House Democrats Sue ICE for Barring Them From Detention Facilities The 12 Democrats accused the Trump administration of violating the law when it turned them away from immigrant detention sites and imposed a new policy limiting congressional access. ... (New York Times)

Kamala Harris says she's not running for California governor

2 hrs ago - Former Vice President Harris announced on Wednesday that she will not run for governor of California, putting an end to speculation that she would seek her state’s top executive role after her loss to President Trump in November. “In recent ... (The Hill)

Divided Fed holds key interest rate steady, defying Trump's demands for aggressive cuts

3 hrs ago - Published Wed, Jul 30 20252:00 PM EDTUpdated 1 Min Ago WASHINGTON – A divided Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to keep its benchmark interest rate steady, despite a barrage of criticism from President Donald Trump and dissents from two top off ... (CNBC)

Longtime Congressman Danny Davis to announce plans to retire: Sources

4 hrs ago - Published 3 hours ago • Updated 3 hours ago Congressman Danny Davis is set to soon announce his retirement and throw his support behind another state rep to fill his role. Sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NBC Chicago that Da ... (WMAQ-TV Chicago, IL)

Ex-CIA agent hits back at Tulsi Gabbard after she accused Obama of 'treasonous conspiracy' against Trump

4 hrs ago - A former CIA officer who helped lead the intelligence assessments over alleged Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election has said Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, is ignorant of the practices of espionage after she ac ... (The Guardian)

Top White House pandemic preparedness official resigns, officials say, in sign of broader disarray

4 hrs ago - "When reports circulated in February that the White House had selected biosecurity expert Gerald Parker as the head of its Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, there was palpable relief among infectious disease experts. As former com ... (statnews)

Texas GOP unveils new planned congressional map

5 hrs ago - 07/30/25 10:47 AM ET Texas Republicans unveiled a proposal for new congressional maps Wednesday as a redistricting battle heats up across the country. The maps are expected to create five new House seats that President Trump won by double digits in ... (The Hill)

FDA's top vaccine official leaves post after less than four months

5 hrs ago - The top vaccine official at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Vinay Prasad, has left the federal agency less than four months after being appointed as the head of the division overseeing biological products like blood, vaccines, and cellular ... (The Guardian)

US medical groups fill gap with own vaccine guides amid 'information crisis'

6 hrs ago - Wed 30 Jul 2025 08.00 EDT Last modified on Wed 30 Jul 2025 08.01 EDT The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is adopting a recommendation from independent advisers to drop thimerosal, a preservative found in about 4% of flu vaccines, des ... (The Guardian)

Trump announces 25% tariff on India and unspecified penalties for buying Russian oil

7 hrs ago - By JOSH BOAK and RAJESH ROY Updated 8:59 AM CDT, July 30, 2025 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’ll impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India’s purchasing of R ... (AP)

Weather Service Assures North Dakotans There Is 'No Threat' of Tsunami in Landlocked State

7 hrs ago - Jul 30th, 2025, 12:03 am The National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota assured North Dakotans there was “no threat” of a tsunami in the landlocked state on Tuesday. After a social media user asked, “where is the tsunami wa ... (MEDIAite)

In 1st, entire Arab League condemns Oct. 7, urges Hamas to disarm, at 2-state confab

8 hrs ago - Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration Tuesday condemning for the first time Hamas's onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostag ... (Times of israel)

Trump to launch effort to improve Americans' access to their medical records -- but privacy concerns loom

8 hrs ago - PUBLISHED Jul 30, 2025, 6:00 AM ET President Donald Trump on Wednesday will make a fresh push to improve Americans’ access to their own medical records, tasking dozens of major health and technology companies with solving an issue that has long ... (CNN Politics)