Trump’s Top Advisers used the White House Situation Room — Normally Reserved for National Security — to Manage the Epstein Files Crisis

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By Oregon Live. President Donald Trump’s top advisers conducted multiple meetings in the White House Situation Room without the president last summer as they tried to decide what to do about the Jeffrey Epstein files.

That’s according to The New York Times, which published a detailed report Wednesday about the White House’s struggles as it faced a ballooning political problem around Trump’s refusal to release the files pertaining to the late sex offender.

Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche and FBI director Kash Patel were among those who attended the meetings. The Times report details infighting that unfolded as officials hunkered down in the Situation Room, a place normally reserved for matters of national security, to navigate the crisis.

Vance advocated for releasing all the files, even ones that included unsubstantiated claims about Trump. But that view wasn’t popular with the Trump team. Wiles reportedly later said privately that Vance was an Epstein conspiracy theorist. Distrust between then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI’s Patel and Dan Bongino apparently boiled over.

There was “surreal” debate over an uncorroborated claim made against Trump years earlier and whether the president would be OK with releasing it. The claim was about Trump “flicking and sucking a young woman’s nipples,” The Times reported. (Read more from “Trump’s Top Advisers used the White House Situation Room — Normally Reserved for National Security — to Manage the Epstein Files Crisis” HERE)

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‘Was Never In On This’: Top Official Reportedly Stormed Out Over Epstein Cover-Up, Stayed Only to Save Trump from a Bigger Disaster

By Atlanta Black Star. One of President Donald Trump’s most loyal public defenders had spent years telling his podcast audience that the truth about Jeffrey Epstein was being hidden from the American people.

Now, according to a detailed account from The New York Times excerpted from Times reporters’ upcoming book, “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump,” former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino entered the FBI’s top ranks promising transparency on the Epstein case, only to become increasingly frustrated by a White House strategy he believed would convince Trump supporters that information was still being withheld.

As senior administration officials scrambled to contain the fallout, Bongino was reportedly reaching a breaking point.

The Times investigation into the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files portrays Vice President JD Vance as one of the strongest internal voices pushing for broader disclosure while depicting Bongino as increasingly enraged by what he viewed as a disastrous effort to shut down public demands for transparency.

The report suggests Bongino repeatedly warned White House officials that the issue was not going away, resisted being tied to the administration’s approach, and at one point threatened to walk away entirely before advisers persuaded him to stay to avoid inflicting political damage on Trump. (Read more from “‘Was Never In On This’: Top Official Reportedly Stormed Out Over Epstein Cover-Up, Stayed Only to Save Trump from a Bigger Disaster” HERE)

Trump Can Counter Media’s Iran Coverage By Being Honest About The War

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Fox News hosted President Trump on Thursday to talk about the progress of the war in Iran, and he did the usual, which is to say he declared the war effectively complete, while at the same time acknowledging that it’s actually still ongoing. And then he dumped all over the admittedly fallacious news media for its war reporting, saying that for Iran, “The only thing they have is fake news,” which he accused of doing Tehran’s “publicity.”

Here’s the problem with that: A lot of us who are rooting for a successful end to this conflict aren’t so upset with the media. We know how they operate. What’s frustrating us to the point of furious tears are the wildly inconsistent, contradictory and otherwise obviously untrue statements Trump is making about the war on a near-daily basis.

Literally since the start of the war, the president has said it’s over; that it’s still going; that we’re close to a deal with Iran; that Iran isn’t really trying to make a deal; that Iran really wants a deal; that Iran needs to open the Hormuz Strait; that the Hormuz Strait would be open in short order; that we control the strait; that the U.S. wants help from other allies; that the U.S. doesn’t need help from any allies; that Iran must unconditionally surrender; that a deal might not include unconditional surrender; that regime change is a requirement to end the war; that the war might very well end with the existing regime.

Here are just a few of Trump’s real-life, whiplashing inducing declarations on the war since early March, in reverse chronological order:

“[I] have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening.”— June 11

(Read more from “Trump Can Counter Media’s Iran Coverage By Being Honest About The War” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Clinton Judge Brazenly gives White House Ultimatum over Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund

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U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema has told the Trump administration that unless it provides statements denying the establishment of the “anti-weaponization” fund, a lawsuit would continue against the president.

The lawsuit against the fund was filed by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has argued that the billion-dollar fund was just another mechanism for the president to pay off his friends and allies.

President Donald Trump has touted the need for the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to compensate Americans who have been unfairly prosecuted by the government, including J6ers.

The fund was created in a settlement after the president dropped his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax documents.

Administration lawyers argued that the issue was moot, citing testimony from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who told members of the U.S. House that it would not go through. However, he would not provide a written statement saying the same. (Read more from “Clinton Judge Brazenly gives White House Ultimatum over Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund” HERE)

Federal Judge Rules She Lacks Authority to Reinstate Fired Yosemite Ranger who Flew Trans Pride Flag

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A federal judge ruled on Friday that she has no authority to reinstate a park ranger who was fired from Yosemite last summer after flying a trans pride flag on their day off.

Shannon “SJ” Joslin, who identifies as nonbinary, sued the Department of the Interior, which includes the National Park Service, earlier this year after being fired for hanging the flag across the park’s El Capitan rock formation in California last year.

The former ranger in their lawsuit asked the Biden-appointed judge to reinstate Joslin and to keep the government from launching a criminal investigation.

Joslin had argued in the lawsuit that the government had “enforced its rules selectively based on the message that the pride flag sends,” and that Joslin’s firing was “vindictive, retaliatory, [and] intended to communicate disapproval of a particular point of view.”

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston wrote in her ruling obtained by Fox News Digital: “The government claims for its part that Joslin was fired for reasons that had ‘nothing to do’ with “speech,” adding, “But the government has another more fundamental and more persuasive point: under the laws that Congress has passed, and under the legal precedent that a federal trial court must follow, this Court does not have authority to decide whether Joslin was fired for unconstitutional or illegal reasons, nor to block a hypothetical criminal case against them.” (Read more from “Federal Judge Rules She Lacks Authority to Reinstate Fired Yosemite Ranger who Flew Trans Pride Flag” HERE)

Justice! Scottish Axe Girl Vindicated after Judge’s Epic Ruling: ‘F*****g creep and an immigrant’

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The trial for a Bulgarian immigrant to Scotland took an unexpected turn when the judge made a ruling surrounding claims of racism.

Ilia Belov, a 22-year-old Bulgarian immigrant, was convicted on Thursday following a violent incident with a group of young girls that took place last September, resulting in one female, then 12 years old, being dubbed the “Scottish axe girl.”

The young lady and her family had said for months that she had acted in self-defense when she wielded an axe and a blade in order to protect herself and her friends from abusive migrants.

This week, the judge of Dundee Sheriff Court, Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith, convicted Belov after seeing what was described as “proof beyond reasonable doubt.”

As reported by the Irish News, Scottish axe girl, now 13, claimed Belov made sexual remarks to her as she and friends walked to a bus stop: “He kept saying, ‘Come here sexy. I will show you how to have a good time,'” the girl recalled. She also said Belov shoved her to the ground while his sister, whom he called for help, arrived and attacked another girl. (Read more from “Justice! Scottish Axe Girl Vindicated after Judge’s Epic Ruling: ‘F*****g creep and an immigrant’” HERE)

Trump Executes Leader of Notorious Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua with Lethal Strike

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Donald Trump announced the killing of Tren De Aragua cartel leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka ‘Nino,’ in a swift and lethal kinetic strike’ by US Southern Command.

The President has made protecting the border and taking down criminal gangs and cartels a priority in his second term and celebrated the killing of the leader of what he called ‘one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.’

‘Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who have long been waging war against our Citizens, while weak leaders left America helpless and defensive,’ he wrote on Truth Social.

The President shared a video of the fiery strikes to his social media page.

Trump also thanked Venezuela for coordinating the strike with US Southern Command. (Read more from “Trump Executes Leader of Notorious Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua with Lethal Strike” HERE)

Trump’s Explosive Secret Call with Charlie Kirk over Epstein just Weeks Before TPUSA Boss’ Assassination

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Donald Trump ‘scolded’ Charlie Kirk over his criticism of the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, according to an upcoming book.

Trump told aides he was unhappy with Kirk, along with other influential supporters, for framing the botched release of the files as a ‘cover-up’ and pleading for further disclosure. . .

Kirk hosted a Turning Point USA event on July 11 that became a platform for young MAGA supporters to bash then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and her handling of the Epstein files.

Trump later called Kirk to reprimand him, according to Regime Change, the book by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Days after Trump’s reported call with Kirk, the TPUSA co-founder changed his tune.

‘Honestly, I’m done talking about Epstein for the time being. I’m going to trust my friends in the administration, I’m going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it – ball’s in their hands,’ he said on his show on July 14. (Read more from “Trump’s Explosive Secret Call with Charlie Kirk over Epstein just Weeks Before TPUSA Boss’ Assassination” HERE)

SpaceX Shares Surge 18% in Trading Debut as Elon Musk’s Rocket Company Surpasses $2 Trillion Valuation

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SpaceX opened trading Friday at $150 per share under the ticker SPCX following the largest IPO in history, with shares quickly climbing above $160 and pushing the company’s market capitalization beyond $2 trillion.

CNBC reports that SpaceX began public trading on the Nasdaq exchange Friday morning after pricing its initial public offering at $135 per share. The opening price of $150 represented an approximately 11 percent gain over the IPO price, though initial indications to trading desks had suggested a higher opening around $175.

Shortly after the market opened, SpaceX stock climbed above $160 per share, valuing Elon Musk’s aerospace and AI company at more than $two trillion in market capitalization. This milestone came as the company completed the largest IPO in history, raising $75 billion dollars through the sale of 555,555,555 Class A common stock shares. Almost 100 million shares have traded as of this writing.

Elon Musk and SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell participated in the opening bell ceremony, with Musk appearing remotely from the company’s Starbase headquarters in Texas while Shotwell rang the bell at the Nasdaq in New York City. The company also launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on the same morning, sending 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Shotwell told CNBC that SpaceX is looking for long-term investors and emphasized that the company’s focus remains on futuristic goals rather than quarterly earnings. “I wasn’t sure we would go public,” Shotwell said. “What folks who invest in SpaceX need to know is that what we’re doing is very futuristic.” (Read more from “SpaceX Shares Surge 18% in Trading Debut as Elon Musk’s Rocket Company Surpasses $2 Trillion Valuation” HERE)

More Democrats Support Mass Deportations, Removal of Criminal Migrants, New Poll Shows

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Americans — including Democrats — have grown more supportive of mass deporting illegal immigrants and booting those who have broken the law out of the country, according to a new poll.

The survey found that some 80% of voters supported “deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes” — a five-point jump from April when just 75% of those polled favored giving the “worst of their worst” a one-way ticket out of the US, a new Harvard/Harris a new Harvard University/Harris poll shows.

The uptick since April was seen across party lines, and was most pronounced among Democrats, many of whom have vehemently opposed President Trump’s nationwide illegal immigration crackdown.

According to the poll, 71% of Democrats now support deporting criminal migrants, compared to 63% in April — an 8-point increase in just one month.

Republican support held steady but still inched up from 89% in April to 90% in May, and the proportion of independents in favor jumped from 73% in April to 79% a month later.

As for deporting any immigrant in the country illegally, 56% of polled voters expressed support, a modest 1% increase since the poll was conducted in April. However, the rise in support takes an interesting turn when broken down by party affiliation. (Read more from “More Democrats Support Mass Deportations, Removal of Criminal Migrants, New Poll Shows” HERE)

Police Chief Arrested in Florida after Grand Jury Hands Down 70-Count Child Sex Indictment

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An Ohio police chief is facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars after being slapped with a 70-count indictment for alleged sex crimes involving a child.

Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert, 44, was taken into custody without incident Tuesday night in Seminole, Florida, by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

A Clermont County grand jury indicted the Blanchester, Ohio, resident on 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor — all third-degree felonies. . .

The allegations stem from offenses that authorities claim occurred between 2005 and 2010, while Essert was an instructor at the “Young Marines” and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus in Sharonville, Ohio.

Officials said the alleged victim was a student of Essert’s and that the crimes took place across multiple locations in Clermont and Hamilton counties. (Read more from “Police Chief Arrested in Florida after Grand Jury Hands Down 70-Count Child Sex Indictment” HERE)