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Good evening, everyone. Lots of news today. I spent the day tracking everything happening with Mitch McConnell, and, as I explain in the video update, I think his team is actively playing games with the public. Meanwhile, more Epstein news broke as survivors shared their stories publicly. Trump was attacked as a “pedophile protector.” And tonight, Trump is facing more heat after a federal judge handed down an order laying out exactly which financial records he’ll have to turn over to the BBC. And more.
My reporting on McConnell and Epstein has ruffled a lot of feathers. I’m not stopping. This week I’ll be on Capitol Hill with Epstein survivors, and I’ll have important updates from there.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re exactly who this newsletter is for. Independent journalism like this doesn’t run on access, it runs on people like you. So if you’ve been on the fence, this is the week to jump in: subscribe to support the work, or upgrade your subscription if you’re already here. Every subscriber makes it possible for me to keep showing up, asking the questions others won’t, and following the story all the way through.
Let’s keep pushing forward, together.
Epstein:
Five Jeffrey Epstein survivors, Liz Stein, Maria Farmer, Annie Farmer, Lara Blume McGee, and Dani Bensky, spoke to Vanity Fair about being groomed and abused by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, describing remarkably similar patterns: elaborate promises of mentorship, modeling, or career opportunities followed by escalating manipulation and abuse. Maria Farmer says she reported an “international pedophile ring” to the FBI in 1996, naming Epstein, Maxwell, Donald Trump, and Les Wexner as men she’d seen associating with Epstein, but says the report went nowhere for over a decade; Epstein avoided federal prosecution in 2008 through a controversial non-prosecution deal brokered in part by Alex Acosta.
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The survivors say they’ve been repeatedly failed by the political process since Trump returned to office promising to release the Epstein files, describing performative meetings with lawmakers, being ignored by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi at a House hearing, and having their personal identifying information exposed in the DOJ’s subsequent document release while accused enablers’ names were redacted. Both Trump and Bill Clinton, who survivors say Epstein and Maxwell discussed as close associates, have denied any wrongdoing, with Trump saying he’s been “totally exonerated” and Clinton stating he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. The survivors say they’re still fighting for basic accountability, arguing it should be the government’s job, not theirs, to investigate and name the people who enabled Epstein’s abuse.
Trump discovery:
A federal magistrate judge in Florida has ordered the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to begin producing financial documents subpoenaed by the BBC in Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit, rejecting the trust’s arguments that the request was improper, premature, or overly burdensome. The ruling stems from Trump increasing his claimed damages from $5 billion to roughly $10 billion, alleging a BBC documentary about his January 6 speech devastated the value of his businesses, brand, and future financial prospects, a claim Judge Enjoliqué A. Lett said put his finances squarely at issue and entitled the BBC to test it through discovery.
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The trust, which the parties acknowledge owns nearly all the businesses and properties Trump claims were harmed, failed to show that its roughly 400 associated entities were unrelated to those claims, leading the judge to reject most of its objections. Lett did narrow the scope somewhat, limiting the records to documents from January 1, 2023, to the present rather than an unrestricted timeframe, but ordered the trust to begin producing documents within ten days and continue with weekly productions until the subpoena is fully satisfied.
Trump in Detroit:
Donald Trump spent nearly an hour speaking at a campaign event for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan, but did not mention Rogers until about 46 minutes into his remarks. Instead, Trump focused on familiar political grievances, attacked United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, criticized electric vehicles, and claimed he had “done more” for Michigan autoworkers than their own parents. The speech also came days after Trump’s contentious appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where he insulted several journalists, including CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. The appearance underscored Trump’s continued focus on personal attacks and campaign-style rhetoric while offering few new policy announcements.
Trump claimed Sunday that “America is respected again... like we’ve never been respected before,” citing his attendance at the G20 and G7 as evidence. However, Trump did not attend the G20 summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2025; he boycotted it and sent Vice President JD Vance instead, after accusing South Africa’s government of mistreating white farmers, a claim that has been widely disputed. Trump did attend the G7 summit separately.
A heckler shouted "Pedophile protector!" at Trump, to which Trump responded, "He's a communist!"
Mitch McConnell:
Sen. Mitch McConnell has not been medically cleared to leave his rehabilitation facility, according to a Monday statement from Congress’s Office of the Attending Physician, and will miss Kentucky’s Fancy Farm Picnic this Saturday as he continues recovering from a June fall. McConnell, 84, was hospitalized June 14 after falling at home and has not returned to the Senate since, saying only that he’s undergoing “intense physical therapy” per his doctors’ orders. The physician’s office said he’s seen daily by doctors and undergoes multiple physical therapy sessions each day to rebuild strength and reduce fall risk, adding that childhood polio “continues to be a significant factor in his mobility.”
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McConnell has regularly spoken at Fancy Farm, a rural western Kentucky picnic that draws politicians from across the state every August, making his absence notable. His office shared a photo of him with his wife, Elaine Chao, reportedly taken Sunday, as part of the update.
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McConnell has faced growing questions over the past six weeks about his health and return timeline, with occasional office updates failing to quiet the concerns. Former McConnell campaign aide Scott Jennings urged him last week to “routinely update his constituents on how he’s doing,” while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said McConnell “owes” an explanation to those he represents after missing a month of votes. McConnell’s spokesman, David Popp, maintains that McConnell continues working from the facility, including on defense appropriations, foreign policy, the farm bill, and constituent services.
Other news:
US military veterans are calling the Pentagon’s reclassification of Iran war casualties a “huge disrespect” for families, after a weekend update to the Defense Casualty Analysis System added over 140 wounded service members and introduced a new “Overseas Operations” category splitting the casualty count starting July 7, separate from the earlier US-Israel war on Iran. Four service members killed by Iranian forces, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, now fall under that new category; Marine Corps veteran Tristeza Ordex said the exclusion of 19-year-old Gonzales, who paid “the ultimate sacrifice,” from full recognition as a war casualty feels like erasure.
Retired Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith compared the move to Vietnam-era casualty data manipulation, tying it to the administration’s argument that an April ceasefire reset the clock on the War Powers Act’s 60-day authorization limit, with the new casualty category beginning July 7 reflecting that legal interpretation. The reclassification has drawn bipartisan criticism, with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie calling it an “absurd ruse” that lets Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth avoid congressional authorization while breaking the law, and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand vowing to keep pushing for transparency on the war’s true human cost.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow a sweeping executive order restricting mail-in voting to take effect for November’s midterms, after a divided Massachusetts-based appeals court upheld a lower court’s block last week, finding it would “sow confusion” and risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The March order requires states to build voter eligibility lists using DHS and Social Security data, bars the Postal Service from sending mail ballots to anyone not on those lists, mandates secure barcoded envelopes, and allows the federal government to withhold funding from noncompliant states.
Nearly two dozen states and D.C. sued shortly after the order was issued, and US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in June that Trump lacked constitutional authority to direct how states administer elections, since that power belongs primarily to the states and, to a lesser extent, Congress. The administration isn’t appealing on the order’s underlying legality but on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, arguing it’s premature to challenge rules that haven’t been finalized, a claim that also succeeded in a separate May ruling by a D.C. federal judge in a case brought by the DNC and voting rights groups.
Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in U.S. custody for at least two more weeks as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where they face rape, sex trafficking, and other criminal charges. A federal judge scheduled an Aug. 13 detention hearing to decide whether the brothers should remain jailed while extradition proceedings continue, a process that could take months. Their attorney argues the allegations are politically motivated and maintains the brothers are innocent, while the White House has said President Trump will not intervene in the case. The latest U.K. charges involve four new accusers and are the newest development in a yearslong international legal battle that has also included criminal investigations in Romania. Tate has been complaining about his prison treatment:
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Former FBI Director James Comey is asking a federal judge to dismiss charges accusing him of threatening President Donald Trump over his 2025 Instagram post showing seashells arranged to spell "86 47." Comey's attorneys argue the post was protected political speech, saying the phrase "86" commonly means "get rid of" or "eject," not a call for violence, and that the Justice Department's interpretation contradicts common usage and First Amendment protections. Prosecutors contend the post constituted a "true threat" against the president and have charged Comey with threatening the president and transmitting those threats across state lines. If the case proceeds, Comey is expected to plead not guilty, with his arraignment scheduled for September and a jury trial set for October.
The Justice Department has moved to dismiss its criminal case against David Huerta, the president of SEIU California, who was arrested during a 2025 protest against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Los Angeles. Prosecutors said they will seek to permanently dismiss the case if Huerta continues to comply with the conditions of his pretrial release, marking a reversal after initially charging him with felony obstruction before reducing it to a misdemeanor. Huerta said the case was an attempt to punish him for exercising his constitutional right to protest, while his attorneys argued it was intended to silence criticism of the administration's immigration policies. The decision comes after several setbacks for the Justice Department in prosecuting protesters accused of interfering with federal immigration enforcement operations.
Oregon authorities and the FBI are investigating an incident in which masked men posing as ICE agents allegedly conducted a fake traffic stop, forcibly detained a driver, and assaulted the victim before releasing them about 20 minutes later. According to police, the suspects wore tactical gear marked "POLICE," claimed to be immigration agents, and used emergency-style lights to pull the vehicle over. The case comes amid growing reports of people impersonating ICE officers, as critics argue the agency's use of masks, plain clothes, and unmarked vehicles makes it easier for criminals to pose as federal agents. Officials are continuing to investigate the attack, which left the victim injured and later targeted by suspicious messages from someone claiming to offer legal assistance.
Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students and is serving four consecutive life sentences, now says he wants to withdraw his confession and go to trial. In a statement, Kohberger claimed he is innocent and argued his guilty plea was based on "false promises and blatant disinformation," though he did not provide specific evidence to support those claims. His plea agreement spared him the death penalty in exchange for admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, but his latest filing seeks to reopen the case rather than appeal the conviction. The families of the victims strongly condemned the move, calling it a waste of time and expressing confidence that prosecutors would again secure a conviction if the case returns to trial.
France and Spain are battling some of the worst wildfires in decades, with more than 360,000 people evacuated as fires continue to spread ahead of another extreme heatwave. French President Emmanuel Macron said the country is facing its most difficult wildfire situation since World War II and warned that the coming days will be critical as temperatures are expected to reach 40°C (104°F). Officials fear the fires burning near Bordeaux could last for months, with firefighters racing to contain the blazes before hotter, drier weather intensifies conditions. The crisis has prompted large-scale evacuations across southern Europe and renewed concerns about increasingly severe wildfire seasons fueled by extreme heat.
Scientists have identified a rare transmissible cancer spreading among brown bullhead catfish in a lake that spans Vermont and Quebec, making it only the fourth known contagious cancer in animals. Researchers found that the cancer cells behave more like parasites, passing from fish to fish rather than developing independently in each animal. They believe the discovery could help scientists better understand how cancer spreads, particularly the process of metastasis, in humans. The study also found a possible link between elevated arsenic levels in the lake and the geographic distribution of the cancer, though the disease cannot infect humans or other species.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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