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July 15, 2025
House GOP blocks release of Epstein files
(Axios) House Republicans on Monday night voted against attaching a Democratic amendment to landmark cryptocurrency legislation that would force the Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. It's the outcome Democrats anticipated, and one they plan to gleefully cite as President Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the DOJ's handling of the documents. "The question with Epstein is: Whose side are you on?" Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the author of the Epstein measure, told Axios ahead of the vote.
Go to discussionBongino still in limbo as Trump fumes and JD Vance seeks to play mediator, sources say
(CNN) Several of President Donald Trump’s top officials went to work on Monday with a key question unanswered: would Dan Bongino show up? Hours later, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed he did. But his long-term future as deputy director of the FBI appeared uncertain. Bongino did not go into the office Friday and largely excommunicated himself from most of his colleagues after a major fallout with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Go to discussionTrumpflation spikes in June as tariffs show up in the data
(Yahoo Finance) Inflation ticked higher in June, according to new government data released Tuesday, as investors continued to look for signs that President Trump's tariffs may be starting to work their way through to consumers. The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.7% on an annual basis in June, an uptick from May's 2.4% gain, driven by a reversal in falling gas prices. Economists had expected headline inflation to come in at 2.6%.
Go to discussionICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings
(Washington Post) The Trump administration has declared that immigrants who arrived in the United States illegally are no longer eligible for a bond hearing as they fight deportation proceedings in court, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. In a July 8 memo, Todd M. Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told officers that such immigrants should be detained “for the duration of their removal proceedings,” which can take months or years.
Go to discussionElon Musk's Nazi Robot Just Landed a Contract With the Department of Defense
(Gizmodo) The U.S. Department of Defense announced new contracts with Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI on Monday that will give the federal agency access to the latest AI agents. The contract with each company has a ceiling of $200 million, and while it’s not surprising that DoD is pushing hard into AI, the inclusion of Elon Musk’s xAI will raise plenty of eyebrows after Grok’s recent erratic behavior.
Go to discussionTop DOJ Ethics Adviser Says Pam Bondi Fired Him
(Huff Post) The Justice Department’s senior ethics attorney, a position tasked with ensuring all employees abide by the department’s moral principles, announced Monday that Attorney General Pam Bondi had fired him. Joseph Tirrell said he received notice from Bondi on Friday and shared a copy of her letter to him on LinkedIn. The notice did not provide any reasoning for his firing, which was effective immediately, but says he may appeal the decision.
Senators face crucial vote on $9.4 billion rescissions package
(Roll Call) A key test of Republicans’ appetite to defend Congress’ power of the purse arrives this week with the expected vote in the Senate on a White House proposal to cancel billions in previously agreed-to spending on foreign aid and public media broadcasting. The Senate could vote as soon as Tuesday on a procedural motion on the Trump administration’s request to rescind $9.4 billion in appropriations, including $8.3 billion in international assistance and $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund NPR and PBS.
Go to discussionSupreme Court allows Trump to resume Education Department layoffs
(The Hill) The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Trump to resume efforts to dismantle the Department of Education in an apparent 6-3 vote along ideological lines, lifting a judge’s order to reinstate employees terminated in mass layoffs. The administration’s victory enables the president to move closer to fulfilling of one of his major campaign promises to oversee the elimination of the the Education Department, which was created in the 1970s.
Go to discussionLandlord seeks to evict Republican congressman over unpaid rent at D.C. apartment
(NBC News) Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., is facing a lawsuit seeking his eviction over alleged failure to pay thousands of dollars in rent at a property in Washington, D.C., according to court papers. In a complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court last week, Bozzuto Management Company said the congressman did not pay a total of $85,009 in rent between March and July. Monthly rent for the property, according to the court filing, is $20,833.
Go to discussionStudy finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma
(NBC News) Aluminum in childhood vaccines is a target of vaccine skeptics, who blame the ingredient on myriad health concerns. But a study of more than 1 million people, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum in vaccines and an increased risk of 50 chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and autism.
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