Today in Politics, Bulletin 171. 7/15/25 Ron Filipkowski Jul 15 ∙ … Pam Bondi came out of hiding today, as the AG who spent seemingly every waking hour on Fox has kept a low profile since the Epstein Files controversy exploded last week. She was asked her response to the MAGA base upset that she is blocking release of the files. She ignored the question: “We're going to fight to keep America safe again and we're fighting together as a team. We've got a war on drugs.” … So Bondi basically told MAGA to STFU and go away. … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced an amendment to release the Epstein files in the Rules Committee, and it was rejected after Rep. Ralph Norman (SC) was the only Republican to vote for it. Always cowardly Chip Roy (R-TX) skipped the vote. These are the Republicans who voted to block the release: Charwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) Erin Houchin (R-IN) Nick Langworthy (R-NY) Austin Scott (R-GA) Morgan Griffith (R-VA) Brian Jack (R-GA) … Elon Musk responded: “Extremely troubling.” … Khanna then brought the amendment to the floor: “Last night the Speaker's Rules Committee voted to block my amendment that called for the full release of the Epstein files. You ask why did they vote this way? Because these rich and powerful men donate to the politicians in DC. They are foreign leaders who we don't want to offend. They interact with our intelligence agencies that we don't want to disobey.” … Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX): “We will not stop demanding the truth. We demand the immediate release of Epstein files - no more games, no more lies, no more protection for predators hiding behind the rich and powerful.” … Rep. Mary Scanlon (D-PA): “Why would they try to prevent the truth about Epstein's abuse and those he enabled from coming out? That's anybody's guess. But with this previous question the entire Republican conference has the opportunity to correct that mistake. They can vote today to release the Epstein files.” … Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA): “What is Bondi hiding? She needs to release the Epstein files. I also note the Epstein files that have already been released show that Trump is all over the files. He’s in multiple pictures with Epstein. There’s multiple videos of Trump with Epstein. There are plane logs of Trump on Epstein’s plane.” … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD): “Why after promising after all these years to release the Epstein files will Trump not release them? We know they were friends. We know they hung out. We know they have all these pictures together. That doesn’t look good if they cover up all the info. The whole country is saying release the files. That’s what Trump said. That’s what Vance said. That’s what the AG said. That’s what the FBI director said. And now suddenly they want to sweep the whole thing under the rug. Why don’t we have a real hearing?” … Nikki Haley: “Release the Epstein files and let the chips fall where they may. This is why people don’t trust government. You can never go wrong with being transparent. Redact victims’ names but release the rest.” … But that was voted down 211-210. … Gavin Newsom: “Why try so hard to block a list that ‘doesn’t exist?’” … MAGA activist Laura Loomer responded to Republicans voting down release of the Epstein Files to the American public: “Uhm, does anyone care about the midterms anymore? What are we doing?” … While this was going on, Trump was asked about Bondi’s handling of it outside the WH: “These files were made up by Comey and Obama, and made up by the Biden people. It’s going to be up to her. Whatever Bondi thinks is credible in there she ought to release.” … Trump supporter Alexander Augustine reacted to Trump’s statement on X with this statement, which drew 30,000 likes in 2 hours: “Bro, he thinks his supporters are straight up retarded.” … I responded on X that Trump has thought that since 2016. … MAGA influencer Evan Kilgore: “Donald Trump thinks were idiots.” … Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) to CNN: “Find them guilty and hang them publicly.” Q - Do you trust what the Justice Department is saying about Epstein? Burchett: “I don’t.” … Bondi was then asked about Trump’s statement. Q - The President said you would release credible files related to Epstein. Are you prepared to do that? Bondi: “Our memo speaks for itself. We’ll get back to you on anything else. I haven’t seen all of his statements.” … Again, that sounds like another ‘no’ from Bondi, who is just going to stonewall this for Trump. … CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “I was told the president was very angry with Dan Bongino and also the FBI director Kash Patel to a degree, which is why you saw Patel put out that statement over the weekend saying he had no plans to resign.” … The first polls since the Epstein controversy were released today by two conservative pollsters. The conservative Democracy Institute, whose final poll before the 2024 election exactly matched the results, asked voters if they agree with Trump not releasing the files: • 67% of MAGA voters oppose the move • 71% of 2024 first-time voters disapprove • 63% of all Americans disagree. … MAGA attorney Robert Barnes reacted to the poll: “The most upset voters about the Epstein Files are exactly who the poll has identified - young, independent, working class, new 2024 Trump voters. The same voter group also unhappy about Iran War risks and Ukraine escalation. If Trump loses these voters, the GOP is toast in 2026.” … Mark Mitchell with Trump’s favorite Rasmussen poll: Independent Trump Approval a week after Inauguration was up 6 points. Trump’s Approval with independent voters is now down 19 points. A major part of Trump's new coalition are PISSED.” … Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) on CNN: "It's all part of this larger conspiracy environment that Trump thrives in, whether it be birtherism or other things. Now the Frankenstein monster has returned to his front door - his MAGA base is demanding a release of all of this information and Democrats agree with MAGA base. He's alone in a corner right now." … Naftali Bennett: “As a former Israeli PM, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty: The accusation that Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false. Epstein’s conduct, both the criminal and the merely despicable, had nothing whatsoever to do with the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein never worked for the Mossad.” … “This accusation is a lie being peddled by prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t. They just make things up, say it with confidence and these lies stick, because it’s Israel. There’s a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won’t take it anymore.” … Punchbowl: “President Trump told Texas Republicans on a call this morning that the GOP will seek to get 5 new red seats in the mid-decade redistricting effort in Texas. Big change in Texas that will have massive impact on the 2026 midterms.” … CA Gov. Gavin Newsom: “Two can play this game.” … House Dem Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Trump has ordered Texas Republicans to try to produce 5 additional seats. I have no expectation that they are going to try to show any political courage by refusing. Texas Republicans are likely going to continue to act like political punks and bend the knee. In doing so, they will jeopardize their own electoral careers.” … Trump was asked about it today: Q - Are you calling for a complete redraw of the Texas congressional map? Trump: “No, just a very simple redraw - we pick up 5 seats. And then a couple of other states where we will pick up seats also.” … Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who could be a target of TX Republicans redistricting efforts: "I need people of color to understand that the scheme of the Republicans has consistently been to make sure that they mute our voices. I fully anticipate that's where they are going with this map." … Quorum Report said that Jeffries and DNC Chair Ken Martin have told Texas Dems not to show up for the special session to redraw districts, which would deny Republicans a quorum to proceed under state law. … AG Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate and whose wife just filed for divorce, then threatened to arrest any Democratic Rep who failed to show up: “If Democrats ignore their duty to their constituents by breaking quorum, they should be found and arrested no matter where they go. The people of TX elected them to do a job, not run away and hide like cowards. Lawmakers must answer the special session call and pass the important priorities that the Governor has put forward. My office stands ready to assist local, state, and federal authorities in hunting down and compelling the attendance of anyone who abandons their office and their constituents for cheap political theater.” … Newsom responded: “Nothing screams democracy quite like threatening to arrest elected officials. Keep it up, Ken. Really showing the American people your true colors.” … The grass roots organizing group Indivisible, which organized several of the protests of the Trump admin including ‘No Kings’, is conducting three online training sessions called ‘One Million Rising’ to train people in community organizing for upcoming protests and campaigns. That is the link for anyone who wants to sign up. The first one is tomorrow night at 8 PM ET. … CNBC: “Consumer prices rose in June as President Trump’s tariffs began to slowly work their way through the US economy. The consumer price index, a broad-based measure of goods and services costs, increased 0.3% on the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.7%. The annual rate is the highest since Feb and still above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.” … “Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core inflation picked up 0.2% on the month, with the annual rate moving to 2.9%, with the annual rate in line with estimates. The monthly level was slightly below the outlook for a 0.3% gain.” … Economist Heather Long: “You can see the jump in inflation in June. Some key imports are starting to spike in price. Price hikes in June alone: Durable goods +0.5% Linens +5.9% Oranges +4.7% Olives +4.4% Cookware +4% Audio equipment +2.9% Major appliances +2.4% Coffee +2.2% Sports equipment +1.8% Toys +1.4% Some items did see decreases: Eggs -10.8% New vehicles -0.2% Bottom line: This is just the beginning. But we need to watch food closely. Increases there are really tough on middle class and moderate-income households.” … Trump just imposed a 17% tariffs on Mexican tomatoes. 50% of the tomatoes in the US come from Mexico. … Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was asked on CNBC on why we are now putting 50% tariffs on copper: "If all you do is import, aluminum, and copper, how are you going to fight a war? We need steel to be made domestically, so that if we want to fight a war, we can make our own ships, our own missiles." …. Atlantic columnist David Frum: “Almost all America's copper imports come from Canada, Chile, and Peru, so that offers a fair idea of the countries that Lutnick wants to go to war against.” … The 30-year Treasury yield rose today to 5%. Reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive into the top 10 stories of the week, and then Ask the Editor with Ben where I answer 5 of your questions. You can submit your questions for Ask the Editor as a reply to this story. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Minutes after the rising inflation report was released, Trump threw out another distraction on Truth Social: “I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist. And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud. Schiff said that his primary residence was in MD to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CA because he was a Congressman from CA. Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Schiff needs to be brought to justice.” … Sen. Schiff responded: “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason. So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot. This is just Trump’s latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies. So it is not a surprise, only how weak this false allegation turns out to be. And much as Trump may hope, this smear will not distract from his Epstein files problem.” … Lots of reaction to Trump’s announcement yesterday that he will impose secondary tariffs on Russia and provide additional weapons in 50 days if Putin doesn’t agree to a cease fire. EU Special Envoy Kaja Kallas to the Telegraph: "On one hand, it is very positive that President Trump is taking on a strong stance on Russia. On the other hand, 50 days is a very long time if we see that they are killing innocent civilians." … Trump’s former NSA John Bolton was asked on CNN if this signals that Trump’s friendship with Putin is over: “Those who believe that the decision represents a fundament change in the president’s views are wrong. I think Putin pushed him just a little too far and Trump is now trying to turn the tables on Putin a little bit. But he’s not done with Putin - I don’t think the friendship is over. I just think he’s disappointed that Putin didn’t give him what he thought he was going to get - which was a cease fire right after he was inaugurated.” … Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko: "On the one hand, I’m happy about the wave of support from the US. But on the other hand, I do not understand why Vladimir Putin is being given 50 days. In 50 days, many more people could be killed in the capital and throughout Ukraine, many more buildings could be damaged. Therefore: Why such a delay?" … Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov joined Russian media hosts in mocking Trump: “50 days. It used to be 24 hours, then there was 100 days. We’ve been through all this before.” … Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC): “Putin will use the 50 days to win the war or to be better positioned to negotiate a peace agreement after having murdered and potentially collected more ground as a basis for negotiation.” … Fox senior political analyst Brit Hume: “It’s clear from what the President has said that he got played by Putin.” … Trump made a comment that suggested his rhetoric indicating a possible change of heart on Ukraine might be caused by an unhappy and cranky Melania: “I go home and I tell the First Lady, ‘you know I spoke to Putin today and we had a wonderful conversation.’ And she says, ‘oh really, another Ukrainian city just got hit.’” … Financial Times: “Trump has privately encouraged Ukraine to step up deep strikes on Russian territory, even asking Zelensky whether he could strike Moscow if the US provided long-range weapons, according to people briefed on the discussions. ‘Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?  Can you hit St Petersburg too?’ Trump asked on the call. Zelenskyy replied: ‘Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.’ Trump signaled his backing for the idea, describing the strategy as intended to ‘make them feel the pain’ and force the Kremlin to the negotiating table.” … Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA): “MAGA did not vote for more weapons to Ukraine. MAGA voted for no more US involvement in foreign wars.” … Trump was asked about the report today and said he has no intention of providing Ukraine with long range missiles. … The House voted down 196-222 a procedural motion to allow consideration of Trump’s crypto initiatives, which included the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman: “This is a huge blow to the week for the House GOP. It was supposed to be Crypto Week. Now they can’t do anything with the crypto bills or the defense spending bill. They have to reconsider the rule to get the floor moving again.” … Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) explained why she voted against it: “I support crypto but cannot get behind anything that allows for a backdoor to CBDC. There was a vote to allow legislation to come to the floor that would enable that to happen. Thus I voted no. Happy to support any pro-crypto bill, but I will NOT back CBDC.” … CNBC rated Top 10 states for overall quality of life taking into account a number of factors: 1-Vermont, 2-Maine, 3-NJ, 4-MN, 5-CT, 6-Hawaii, 7-ND, Tied 8-MA, NE, VA. … The bottom states for overall quality of life: 50-TN, 49-TX, 48-IN, 47-UT, 46-LA, 45-GA, 44-AL, 43-AR, 42-OK. … One year after the shooting at the Trump rally in PA, Republicans continue to claim that God saved Trump so he can save America. Speaker Mike Johnson: "God miraculously saved the president's life - I think it's undeniable - and he did it for an obvious purpose. His presidency and his life are the fruits of divine providence. He points that out all the time and he's right to do so." … WaPo: “The Trump admin has declared that immigrants who arrived in the US illegally are no longer eligible for a bond hearing as they fight deportation proceedings in court. Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, told officers that such immigrants should be detained ‘for the duration of their removal proceedings,’ which can take months or years. Lawyers say the policy will apply to millions of immigrants.” … Miami Herald: “Hundreds of immigrants with no criminal charges in the US are being held at Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility state and fed officials have characterized as a place where ‘vicious’ and ‘deranged psychopaths’ are sent before they get deported. Mixed among the detainees accused and convicted of crimes are more than 250 people who are listed as having only immigration violations but no criminal convictions or pending charges in the US.” … MAGA activist Jack Posobiec launched a wild new conspiracy: “The DEI acronym was chosen by the Left to mock God. The word ‘of God’ is Dei in Latin.” … Republicans continue to try in vain to get some traction on their attempted distraction of some Biden pardons being signed by autopen. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said there is only one way to test the legality of autopenned pardons: "Someone who has been pardoned will have to be indicted, and I would promote that Anthony Fauci is a prime specimen for this." … All Trump’s J6 pardons were done by autopen. … NBC: “Rep. James Comer (R-KY), has been leading the probe into Biden’s cognitive state during his presidency, with Republicans alleging that Biden's occasional use of an ‘autopen’ to sign documents - a practice other presidents have done as well - demonstrated that he wasn’t fully in control or aware of what his admin was doing. But documents show that some of the letters and subpoena notices Comer has sent out in connection to his investigation have been signed using a digital signature — not written by the congressman himself. … “Comer’s committee has taken up Trump’s push in Congress. He has sent 16 letters to former Biden WH officials requesting transcribed interviews. In all 16 of those letters, metadata reveals his signature was a digital picture inserted into the letter.” … Investigative journalist Roger Sollenberger: “Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) is being evicted for failure to pay months of rent at his DC penthouse. The owner claims Mills owes $85,000. He was served with notice for failure to pay in Jan. Ledger shows he paid late nearly every month since moving in, missing several months entirely. When Mills was served in Jan, the owner notified him that he had until Feb 26 to pay. On Feb 20, his girlfriend reported him to the police for assaulting her at that penthouse.” … “Mills' company has also failed to pay its debts. They got bad news earlier this month, when its lender told investors that the investment fund supporting his company had failed and would be shut down.” … WaPo: “Rep. Dan Crenshaw is facing growing reelect threats in TX-02. State Rep. Steve Toth just officially announced his primary challenge, while a new Democratic candidate, business executive Shaun Finnie, just filed an FEC report with $1M in receipts over one week ($680K in self-funding, $339K in money from others).” … Trump was asked today about his effort to dismantle the Dept of Education: “We want to bring education back to the states with very little supervision from the federal govt - like almost nothing. Make sure kids can speak English, that’s about all we need.” … CNN: “More than 75 former fed and state judges called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Emil Bove, President Trump’s former personal attorney, to a prestigious appeals court judgeship. The group pointed to a series of controversies Bove has been at the center of over the past 6 months while serving as a high-ranking DOJ official. Those include investigating FBI and DOJ officials who worked on cases related to the J6 insurrection and dropping federal charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams.” … “The letter also noted allegations that Bove ‘explicitly plotted to violate court orders and direct law enforcement officers to engage in illegal acts’ in an effort to further Trump’s deportation agenda, referring to a whistleblower report from a former Justice Department attorney.” … The Atlantic: “5 months into its unprecedented dismantling of foreign-aid programs, the Trump admin has given the order to incinerate food instead of sending it to people abroad who need it. Nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food—enough to feed about 1.5 million children for a week—are set to expire tomorrow. Within weeks food meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be ash.” … Mike Waltz had his confirmation hearing for UN Ambassador after his nomination for NSA was pulled after the Signal scandal. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) to Waltz: "You denied, deflected, and then you demeaned and degraded the people who objectively told the truth and criticized your actions. Smearing people, attacking folks, singling them out just compounds what I think what is disqualifying about you for this position. It also shows profound cowardice." … “Why can’t you say, I was wrong, I made a mistake, I take responsibility for my actions. Unfortunately what you are doing is perfectly in line with how this admin operates. I’ve never seen an admin that says it has made no mistakes, can’t learn constructively from things they did wrong, and has no sense of self-reflection or integrity.” … Trump today: “My uncle was at MIT, one of the great professors. 51 years - 3 degrees in nuclear, chemical and math. Ted Kaczynski was one of his students? Do you know who that is? There is very little difference between a mad man and a genius.” … Andrew Feinberg from The Independent: “Trump just claimed his late MIT professor uncle, John Trump, taught Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and recalled asking his uncle about him. He's either lying or he hallucinated the entire thing. John Trump could have never taught Kaczynski, who went to Harvard and Michigan (which explains a lot, go Badgers) — not MIT.” … Disgusting and reprehensible Trump sycophant Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) just reported one of the most dismal possible fundraising quarters you will ever see from an incumbent member of Congress - posting a total of only $53,187 for Q2 of 2025. … WaPo’s John Hudson: “Before departing to Pittsburgh today, Trump spoke with reporters and the TV pooler zoomed in on his hand.” This has been on ongoing issue for months but nobody has asked him about it yet.