Today in Politics, Bulletin 202. 9/8/25 Ron Filipkowski Sep 8 ∙ … Trump’s birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein was released today by Oversight Dems, who posted a photo of the card which Trump and Vance said didn’t exist: “HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist. Trump talks about a ‘wonderful secret’ the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files!” … WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.” … Trump supporters widely claiming on social media that the signature is not his since he only signed his first name. Dep. WH Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich: “Time for Newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!” … Charlie Kirk: “Does the below from the WSJ look like this actual signature from the President? I don’t think so at all. Fake.” … Trump is suing WSJ and their parent company Newscorp owned by Murdoch for defamation when the story was published months ago, claiming that there was no card signed by him and they made up the entire story. … JD Vance posted this on July 17: “Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” … But several reporters pointed out that over 20 years ago when this was signed that Trump often signed only his first name - particularly in notes to friends and close acquaintances. … They also pointed out that this card has been locked away with Epstein’s estate papers and would have had to have been forged over 20 years when there would have been no incentive for anyone to forge Trump’s signature. … Several women pointed out that this drawing appears to be a girl, not a woman. … CNN reporter Aaron Blake: “A bunch of Trump allies are claiming the Epstein birthday letter contains a signature that doesn't match Trump's. But there are a bunch of ‘Donald’ signatures from the same era that look very much like the one on the Epstein letter.” He then posted letters Trump signed to Rudy Giuliani and Larry King during that time period with the same signature. … Keith Olbermann also posted a note Trump sent him during the same period with the exact same signature. … So did George Conway. … And many others. … WaPo: “Speaker Mike Johnson backed off his claim that President Trump was an FBI informant in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Last week, Johnson told reporters that Trump cares deeply about the crimes Epstein committed and said that Trump ‘was an FBI informant to try to take this stuff down.’ On Sunday, his office released a statement modifying that claim.” … “The Speaker is reiterating what the victims’ attorney said, which is that Donald Trump — who kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago — was the only one more than a decade ago willing to help prosecutors expose Epstein for being a disgusting child predator.” … “During the event, Brad Edwards, an attorney who represents many of the victims, told reporters that Trump has done an ‘about-face’ on Epstein since 2009. Edwards said that when he spoke to Trump in 2009, Trump was ‘friendly’ to the victims’ plight, and ‘did not think that it was a hoax and was trying to help. And now it seems like all of a sudden somebody is in his ear, and he’s not. So I’m hoping he’ll come back to where he was back in 2009, be on the side of the victims and stand with us.’” … At no point in time did Edwards ever say Trump was an “FBI informant.” Johnson just lied about that. … The Supreme Court ruled that racial profiling is now legal when conducting immigration detentions. Justice Kagan’s dissent noted that ICE in LA was stopping individuals based solely on 4 factors: 1. Race; 2. Whether they were speaking Spanish or English with an accent; 3. Location where they were found; 4. Type of work they were doing. The District Court ruled that was illegal racial profiling. 6 Justices disagreed. … Kagan: “The 4th Amendment protects every individual’s right to be free from arbitrary interference from law enforcement officers. After today, that may no longer be true for people who look a certain way, speak a certain way, or work a certain type of legitimate job that pays very little. Because this is unconscionably irreconcilable with our nation’s constitutional guarantees, I dissent.” … Immigration lawyer Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “It is not hyperbole to say that thanks to today's decision, every Latino citizen in Los Angeles should consider carrying their passport or birth certificate with them at all time. The Supreme Court has now essentially greenlit Trump's DHS demanding their papers at any point.” … It’s actually any person of color with an accent everywhere in the US since this decision now applies nationwide. Unless you want to sit in an ICE detention center in shackles waiting for a friend or relative to bring it down there. … Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY): “SCOTUS is out of control. It is abusing the shadow emergency docket by reversing well-considered lower court opinions without full briefing, oral argument, or even any explanation whatsoever. Now ICE will continue to make unconstitutional arrests based solely on race.” … AG Pam Bondi: “Another massive victory at the Supreme Court. Now, ICE can continue carrying out roving patrols in CA without judicial micromanagement.” … And this decision come a day AFTER a new poll is out showing Trump underwater with Latino voters by a whopping 34 points. Latino voting expert Mike Madrid: “Hispanics went from -6 to -34 for Trump since Feb. The shortest political honeymoon in history.” … The number of Latino voters who flipped from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024 was the difference in the election. It was the single biggest move of any demographic between the two elections by far. Obviously a lot of buyer’s remorse now according to the polls. With good reason. … US Navy veteran James Brown says he "100%" regrets his vote for Trump after his wife was taken into detention by ICE. To Newsweek: "Trump advertised that he was getting criminal illegal immigrants and deporting them—which I agree with. They're not telling the truth about what's actually happening to a lot of legal immigrants.” … Donna Hughes-Brown has lived in US as lawful permanent resident for 37 years. But she wrote a bad check for $25 in 2015—she paid it back and got probation. So she is a “criminal illegal alien” according to Trump. She is now separated from her 4 kids and 5 grandkids and locked up at an ICE detention center in KY. … Raphael Rashid, a journalist in Seoul who covers S. Korean politics: “S. Korea's entire media establishment across political spectrum has united in unprecedented editorial consensus expressing profound betrayal, outrage, national humiliation, and fundamental breach of US-ROK alliance re: mass arrest of Korean workers at Hyundai's Georgia plant. The general sentiment: while Korean media occasionally unite on domestic issues, these are usually severely politicized. Here, the level of scorn spanning from conservative establishment to progressive outlets is extraordinarily rare. They are furious.” … Chosun Ilbo: Scathing language calling this a "merciless arrest operation" that represents something "that cannot happen between allies" and a "breach of trust." Notes Trump personally thanked Hyundai's chairman just months ago. Chosun calls the situation "bewildering" and emphasizes the contradiction: Trump pressures Korean companies to invest while simultaneously arresting their workers. … Dong-A Ilbo: Delivers perhaps the most damning question in its headline: "How are we supposed to build factories?" while noting Korea was "specifically targeted" and describing this as "shocking" behavior between allies. Dong-A asks "who would invest" under these conditions when Korean workers are treated like a "criminal group." Notes this threatens 17,000+ jobs already created by Korean companies in GA. "The Korean govt must demand a pledge from the US to prevent recurrence." … JoongAng Ilbo: Calls this an incident that "shook the values and trust of the ROK-US alliance" occurring at the very "site of economic alliance." Describes public being "appalled" at seeing Koreans dragged away in chains and cable ties. JoongAng characterises this as a "show-off style crackdown targeting an allied nation" and "an act that undermines the credibility of the alliance." Suggests this may have been Trump's political theatre ahead of midterm elections. … Korea Economic Daily: Headlines this as an "absurd arrest of Koreans" incident. "It is hard to understand in terms of common sense why quotas for visas are given to Australia, Singapore and Chile, but not a single visa to Korea." KED notes that "this incident is a significant blow to the ROK-US economic alliance," warning that if this is used as "leverage" in trade negotiations, "it would be a behaviour of betraying the trust of the alliance." … Maeil Business Newspaper: Uses headline: "When they told us to build factories, that was one thing... US arrests 300 Korean workers." Calls situation "shocking" and "absurd", notes you cannot supervise trillion-won investments without Korean personnel. Maeil states that it's "ridiculous that they would go after a company that has made a deliberate decision to invest in the US," ending with a simple but blunt message: "an alliance requires courtesy." … Seoul Economic Daily: Calls this "shocking". "Our citizens' rights must never be violated again," describes the arrest footage as "horrifying". Uses particularly strong language, that the Korean workers were treated like "prisoners of war." “While we do not understand the political motivations of the far-right Republicans in the US in this reckless crackdown, it is also painful to see how our diplomacy failed to recognize a massive operation that had been planned for months." … Rashid: “In Korea, public humiliation isn't just personal embarrassment, it's an attack on dignity that reverberates through society. The fact that the workers were filmed being shackled and footage was deliberately released by ICE makes it worse. Korea has deep historical memory of being humiliated by foreign powers and the visuals of Koreans in chains being paraded by a foreign power triggers collective memories of subjugation that go beyond this just being ‘unfair’. This is public humiliation of the nation itself.” … Trump was is now trying to do damage control on the raid: “If you don't have people in this country right now that know about batteries maybe we should help them along and let people come in and train our people to do complex things. ICE was doing it because they were here illegally but we have to work something out where we bring in experts where people can be trained so they could do it themselves.” … He also posted on Truth Social: “Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers. Together, we will all work hard to make our Nation not only productive, but closer in unity than ever before.” … Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent challenged another member of the admin to a fist fight for the 3rd time in the last few months. This time it was repulsive Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte at the new MAGA Executive Club in DC: “Bessent lashed out at Pulte in an expletive-laden diatribe. The Treasury secretary had heard from several people that Pulte had been badmouthing him to Trump.” … Bessent to Pulte: “Why the fuck are you talking to the president about me? Fuck you. I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face.” … “Pulte appeared stunned, and the tense encounter prompted club co-owner and financier Omeed Malik to intervene. But Bessent wasn’t having it - he sought to get him kicked out: ‘It’s either me or him. You tell me who’s getting the fuck out of here. Or we could go outside.’ Pulte responded: ‘To do what?' To talk?’ Bessent: “No, I’m going to fucking beat your ass.’” … “Malik separated the men, walking Bessent to another part of the club to calm down. During the seated dinner, Bessent and Pulte were placed on opposite ends of the table, and the party went off without further episode.” … Elon Musk, who reportedly also had a physical altercation with Bessent when he worked in the WH, posted a link to the story to his 225 million followers with this caption: “Hmmmmmm” The comments section to these Bulletins is becoming quite a raucous affair! I read them every morning and appreciate the fact that it has become quite a community with people sharing their own perspectives with each other on things in the Bulletin as well as other things in the news. Thank you also for so many kind words - I’m thankful you appreciate my work - I try to be consistent and never put out less than my best each day. 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. … AP: “President Trump was loudly booed at the men’s final of the US Open on Sunday, where extra security caused by his visit led to lines long enough that many people missed the start of play, even after organizers delayed it. Trump briefly emerged from his suite about 45 minutes before the match started and heard a mix of boos and cheers from a stadium that was still mostly empty. No announcement proceeded his appearance, and it was brief enough that some in the crowd missed it.” … “Trump appeared again to more boos before the National Anthem. Standing in salute, the president was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the anthem, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder. Trump was shown on the big screen again after the first set ended, and elicited a roar of louder boos and some piercing whistles.” … Award winning photographer Andres Kudadacki caught Trump putting some kind of blue pill in his mouth: … “Organizers pushed the start of the match back half an hour to give people more time to pass through enhanced screening checkpoints reminiscent of security at airports. Still, thousands of increasingly frustrated fans remained in line outside as the match got underway. Many seats, especially those in upper rows, stayed empty for nearly an hour.” … Ivanka was not present, but her daughter Arabella Kushner was. She looked thrilled sitting behind a napping Trump and scrolling Dan Scavino (who has posted for Trump on his social media accounts for years and is the only other person with his password besides personal assistant Natalie Harp). … “Since returning to the WH and prior to Sunday’s US Open swing, Trump has gone to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500, as well as UFC fights in Miami and Newark, the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia and the FIFA Club World Cup final in NJ.” … Trump will also now reportedly attend the NY Yankees game this Thurs. … Trump was at an event at the Museum of the Bible today in DC. HUD Secretary Scott Turner gave the opening prayer, which was naturally about Trump: “Father, we thank you for our president, Donald J. Trump, whom you have anointed and appointed for this time, for such a time as this. Lord, thank you that the president prioritizes prayer.” … Trump then spoke: “I am delighted to announce that moments ago I personally delivered my Trump family Bible given to me by my mother. It will now be displayed right in the heart of our nation’s capital and it’s an honor.” … At least he donated one that has never been used. … Since Trump is always uncomfortable talking religion, he quickly veered away from that after reading his prepared remarks to talk about crime: "Joe Biden and the Biden admin, they were mean people. What they did to people, what they did to J6 patriots, these were mean people. These were really radical, horrible people." … Trump then complained that crime would be down to "virtually nothing" in DC because he sent troops in, but complained about domestic violence arrests being counted in crime stats: "These are much lesser things. Things that take place in the home they call crime. You know, they'll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife they say, 'this is a crime. See?'" … Trump trashed Tom Hanks today: “Our great West Point has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move! We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!” … One X user responded: “Tom Hanks was instrumental in raising funds for DC’s WWII Memorial when Congress appropriated only 10% of the funds needed. He also raised funds for the National WWII Museum, narrated documentaries on WWII and co-produced Band of Brothers. Naturally, Trump hates this.” … A reporter asked Trump about grocery prices: “The price of beef continues to rise and other items keep going up, is there any way to address the cost of beef? Trump: Once our policies kick in, the price of beef will go down. It will all go down.” … A federal appeals court today refused to overturn the $83.3 million judgment E. Jean Carroll received in her defamation lawsuit against Trump. … Hakeem Jeffries has named the 4 Democrats who will serve on the new J6 Committee that has been formed by Mike Johnson at Trump’s request where they will attempt to rewrite the history of the insurrection to blame Democrats. Jamie Raskin, Eric Swalwell, Jared Moskowitz and Jasmine Crockett will represent Dems. … Axios reported that Jared Kushner met with Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and close Netanyahu advisor Ron Dermer today to discuss their plans for postwar Gaza. … Trump’s former FEMA Dir Cameron Hamilton is starting to speak out about his brief tenure before he was fired for saying that the agency should not be abolished: “The relationship with DHS and myself really became adversarial in a way that was really unnecessary. That’s when the divide started to happen between myself and DHS leadership, which was saying, ‘No, we don’t want it. We want it cut, shut down.’ My argument was, ‘This is extremely irresponsible.’” … DOG KILLER  Kristi Noem gave Hamilton a lie detector test in March to determine if he had leaked information about a private meeting between senior officials to Politico: “They said in their statement my character, my judgment, my stability, my ethics were all in question. I wanted to choke some people, that’s for sure. When my character started being attacked, and I was polygraphed, it became a very hostile relationship.” … Hamilton also said he passed the test but “there was no apology.” … He said he knew when he testified before Congress that if he disagreed with Trump on abolishing FEMA, he was probably going to be fired but he did it anyway: “I didn’t think they were going to let me testify, but they did. So, before I go to the testimony, I packed up my whole office.” That was helpful because he was fired the next day. … Ryan Routh, who is representing himself at his trial for allegedly plotting to assassinate Trump, made a filing seeking to exclude new evidence provided in discovery by DOJ right before trial begins: “The deadline has passed. If you would like to trade admitting the evidence for my subpoena of that baboon Donald J Trump, bring that idiot on - it’s a deal. If you do not want to trade for the dumbass, then give me all the other witnesses on my list.” … Routh continued: “By the way, I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining for everyone. Give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst. Or how about a round of golf with the racist pig - he wins he can execute me. I win I get his job (sorry hillbilly Vance).”