Thursday, July 24, 2025. Chump's mess of lies only gets worse, his playing damsel in distress appear to be impacting his polling numbers, his war on immigrants now includes a snitch program, and much more.
Where are we this morning? Ben breaks it down.
Are you exhausted after all those developments? This isn't going away. Every day for three weeks now. Chump's been convinced that it's going away. It's not happening. Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson might have called a Congressional recess to try to shut this topic down for six weeks but that didn't work. Nothing is working.
Johnson was called out today on MORNING JOE.
Chump gets exposed more and more each day. The conversation is not dying down, the talk is not going away.
Chump lies and tries to blame Barack Obama but he's the liar exposed. You saw it above yourself. Attorney General Pam Bondi told him in May that he was in the files and you saw him lying on camera saying that didn't happen. As Max Matza (BBC NEWS) notes, "That contradicts an account given earlier this month by the president, who responded 'no, no' when asked by a reporter whether he had been told by Bondi that his name appeared in the files."
Sadie Gurman, Annie Linskey, Josh Dawsey and Alex Leary (WALL STREET JOURNAL) reported yesterday on Bondi informing him in May. As Mike noted last night, "Chump was informed back in May that he was in the Epstein Files. That's why Pam Bondi went from February telling everyone in a FOX "NEWS" appearance that she was going to be releasing them shortly to not releasing them and then waiting until slow news day July 4th to try to sneak out an announcement claiming that she'd never had the Epstein files. "
It's one lie after another and they keep getting exposed for the liars that they are.
Today on NPR's MORNING EDITION, this was noted:
Michel Martin: Is it normal for the Attorney General to share that kind of information with the President?
Elie Honig: Not at all. And the question that this begs to me is why would the Attorney General go and tip off the President that, "Hey, you're named in these closed criminal, criminal investigative files"? Whatever "named" may mean. That is highly abnormal. And if we look back at the history of attorney generals through both parties that would be seen as a breach of the Attorney General's independence.
POLITICO hails the Bondi news as "the biggest story in Washington: the WSJ’s report that the Justice Department told President Donald Trump in May that his name was among many included in the Jeffrey Epstein files."
This is not going away. And grasp that there is so much more than what Ben covered above. Yes, even with all that he covered -- a ton -- in the video above, there is still more. Marcia, for example, noted that Epstein's brother is making the media rounds and she noted Ashleigh Fields (The Hill);s report:
Donald Chump plays the damsel in distress and lies to his supporters trying to get them to be the big brave men who'll stand up for his honor. He is not the victim. The victims are women and girls that Epstein exploited -- that maybe Chump exploited. On MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell tried to do a media rest there on his show last night.
"Real people were hurt here."
Donald Chump can play the victim all he wants, he can go coquettish and girlish to try to get others to defend his pathetic ass. But he is not the victim and he was not the victim.
He's someone credibly accused of assaulting multiple women.
But he's playing the victim yet again.
Question: When, if ever, does Donald Chump play a grown man?
Is that the only thing he can't pretend to be?
Is his non-stop wallowing in victimhood the reason men are turning against him in the polls? Martha McHardy (NEWSWEEK) reports:
President Donald Trump's approval rating among men has dropped to a second term low, according to one poll, marking a significant shift in a demographic long seen as a pillar of his political base.
According to new CBS/YouGov polling, just 47 percent of men said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 53 percent disapprove—putting the president 6 points underwater among the key demographic.
The drop coincides with Trump's slipping in approval among the voting bloc on his handling of the economy, inflation and immigration—three central issues in his winning campaign in 2024.
Men have traditionally been one of the strongest bases of support for Republicans. And in 2024, 55 percent of male voters supported Trump.
The cries to release the files only grow louder each day. Malcolm Ferguson (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:
Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis just wants President Trump to “release the damn files” in regard to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased pedophile and Trump’s former friend.
“The promise to release the files during the campaign was either overplayed and we got a nothingburger if the files get released, or it’s something really disturbing and that’s actually an even more compelling reason to release it,” Tillis said at an Axios event on Wednesday.
Last night on THE NEWSHOUR (PBS), guest Faiz Shakir talked about how this relates to Chump's actions as president:
And some of that narrative, I think that behooves Democrats at this point is, well, you did Medicaid cuts, you did tax cuts for the rich, you did some tariffs, you did all these things on DOGE, all these things you're doing, what's the narrative? What's the framework by which we should think about what you're doing? And Epstein provides it, a sense that, when it's wealthy and well-connected people, we go to the mat to protect them. And when it's not, oh, we go to war against them. And I think Epstein is going to help feed this narrative, help it make it clear to a lot of people who Donald Trump fights for most aggressively. It happens to be people like Jeffrey Epstein.
He works for the super wealthy. That's the boil down. He is not concerned with We The People. He is not bothered by girls being molested. He exists to be the biggest rat in the swamp and fight to protect the super wealthy.
Let's move over to immigration. Senator Ron Wyden's office issued this press release:
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., slammed the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice for massively expanding the DNA collection of immigrant children and adults to permanently store in a national criminal database that could be weaponized by the Trump administration.
Wyden demanded answers from the Trump administration, which has failed to explain why it has vastly expanded DNA collection from immigrants by 5000%. Department of Homeland Security agents fail to clearly notify immigrants their DNA is being taken, fail to follow the department's own policies, and often threaten individuals with arrest or criminal charges if they refuse to give their DNA, according to reports.
“Governments exercising such broad discretion to involuntarily collect and retain DNA are repressive authoritarian regimes also engaging in gross human rights violations, such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, torture, and more,” Wyden wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “In fact, the U.S. Government has condemned the involuntary collection of DNA by the People’s Republic of China and has sanctioned entities engaged in this practice, yet this practice appears to be ongoing on our own soil.”
The collection of samples includes more than 133,000 children as young as four years old, whose DNA will be used by law enforcement for every potential future investigation.
Legal experts have warned that the Administration's secret, mass-collection of immigrant DNA may also violate constitutional due process rights. The Trump administration has green lighted DHS agents’ ability to detain and collect samples from immigrants without prior judicial authorization.
In order for Congress and the American people to understand the Trump administration’s collection of DNA from immigrants, Wyden requested answers to the following questions by August 1, 2025:
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What is the United States Government’s interest in collecting and retaining DNA from noncitizens in the course of immigration detention and enforcement?
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Which agencies, including DHS subcomponent agencies, has the Attorney General authorized to participate in the collection of DNA from noncitizens?
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Please describe in detail how DHS is able to access and utilize DNA samples and related information collected in the course of immigration detention and enforcement once the samples and information are retained in CODIS and any other databases.
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Please describe in detail how DOJ is able to access and utilize DNA samples and related information collected in the course of immigration detention and enforcement once the samples and information are retained in CODIS and any other databases.
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When DHS or subcomponent agencies collect DNA material from individuals in immigration detention and enforcement, where are DNA samples stored following collection?
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To date, how many adult noncitizens have DHS officials collected DNA from during immigration detention and enforcement activities? Further, how many DNA samples from adult noncitizens have been collected by DHS since January 2025?
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To date, how many minors (18 years old and younger) have DHS officials collected DNA from during immigration detention and enforcement activities in the last five years?
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Further, how many DNA samples from minors have been collected by DHS since January 2025?
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What Department-wide guidance and/or agency-specific guidance is provided to DHS officials regarding the collection of DNA from noncitizens?
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How often is DNA collected by DHS, without judicial authorization, being used in criminal investigations and prosecutions?
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Does DHS policy prohibit intimidation, coercion, or the threat of criminal prosecution to compel a noncitizen to provide a DNA sample?
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Does DHS or any subcomponent currently have a process in place to expunge DNA and related information stored in CODIS that were collected in the course of a noncitizen’s detention?
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Does DHS by practice or policy notify individuals whose DNA and related information have been collected during immigration detention?
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What information are DOJ and DHS, respectively, able to extract from the DNA they retain? Is DNA accessed to determine any ethnographic or racial information about the individual?
Wyden has consistently advocated in the Senate for humane immigration reform. In July, he criticized the Trump administration’s hostile immigration policies and joined colleagues to introduce a bill to require immigration enforcement agents to display clear identification. In March, he slammed the Trump administration for its resurrection of a draconian immigration order that requires immigrants to register with the federal government and carry proof of their registration at all times. In April, he reintroduced legislation to guarantee legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigration court. In June, he reintroduced legislation to protect TPS and DED recipients from Trump’s attacks on immigrants.
The text of the letter is here.
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Highlighted testimony from Alejandro Barranco — a veteran and the son of Narciso, who was violently detained by masked CBP agents in Orange County
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing to set the record straight on President Trump and Stephen Miller’s cruel mass deportation campaign, blasting the Administration for intentionally stoking fear and scapegoating immigrants.
Padilla emphasized that far from the Trump Administration’s stated plan to target violent criminals, less than 10 percent of immigrants whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken into custody have serious criminal convictions, and there has been a staggering 500 percent increase in the number of arrests of noncitizens without criminal records. He stressed that these ICE sweeps often illegally profile and target people based on their race, accents, or occupation, while hurting the economy by ripping away farm workers, service industry employees, and other essential workers.
Padilla called out Republicans for attempting to distract from the sharp turn in public opinion away from the President’s immigration policy by relitigating complaints from the Biden presidency more than six months into Trump’s second term. An all-time record 79 percent of Americans believe immigration is a good thing for the country.
He also criticized the $150 billion funding surge to carry out Trump’s enforcement agenda in Republicans’ billionaire-first reconciliation bill, underscoring that ICE’s budget is now larger than the budget of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Prisons combined.
“It’s clear why we’re here today: we’re here because Donald Trump is scapegoating immigrants,” said Padilla in committee. “It’s always been his outlet. This is their break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option when public sentiment turns against them and their agenda. It hasn’t been about only targeting violent criminals and it’s certainly not about fixing or modernizing our immigration system.”
Padilla questioned three witnesses on the Trump Administration’s harmful immigration enforcement. He asked Deborah Fleischaker, a former ICE Acting Chief of Staff and longtime Department of Homeland Security official, to set the record straight that the Biden Administration encouraged ICE to do its job to detain violent criminals. He also highlighted the need for additional funding beyond immigration enforcement to support the hiring of more immigration judges and asylum officers.
Padilla heard further from Alejandro Barranco — a Marine veteran and the eldest son of Narciso Barranco, who was violently detained by masked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Orange County — about the dangers of indiscriminate immigration enforcement, including sweeping up hardworking people with no history of violent crime.
- PADILLA: The way they present it, the way they talk about President Biden’s administration and prior Democratic administrations is like it was never a priority for Democratic administrations to go after criminals, and that Democrats and Democratic administrations just didn’t care about the presence of dangerous people in our communities. Simply not true. … Ms. Fleischaker, you were in ICE leadership. In your view, in your experience, did the Biden Administration ever restrain ICE from pursuing serious criminals?
- FLEISCHAKER: We absolutely did not stop ICE agents from enforcing the law and going after public safety threats. In fact, we encouraged them to do so. We very much want to want to find and arrest public safety threats in the community. […]
- PADILLA: I don’t think anyone here would disagree with the idea of rooting out the ‘worst of the worst,’ even if we disagree over what immigration policy should be, but I believe it’s unacceptable that these raids are so indiscriminate that they end up sweeping up people with no history of violent crime, hardworking people trying to give their children a better life, like Alejandro’s father, Narciso. Alejandro, question is for you. … Is there anything else that you would like to share about the cruelty with which your father was treated or what your family’s gone through?
- BARRANCO: I think that the way they treated him and the way they handled that situation was very unprofessional. It showed men who were not trained. It doesn’t seem like it. … They were running with guns in their hand, with fingers on the trigger, pointing it at civilian vehicles. And honestly, I don’t think that’s for the best of public safety, and I believe that they should have better training and go out and chase after the real criminals.
- PADILLA: Well, I couldn’t agree more, and the more resources, personnel, funding, and otherwise that’s directed at again, just broad-based enforcement is less focus, less prioritization of those violent criminals that we know are out there, the Administration knows are out there, but they’re not the clear priority or focus.
Padilla also expressed concern about indiscriminate immigration raids creating widespread fear, keeping people home from work, businesses, church, and public spaces, while limiting the reporting of crimes. He heard from Dr. Giovanni Veliz, a retired Minneapolis Police Department Commander, about the importance of building trust with immigrant communities to combat crime and keep police officers safe.
Video of Senator Padilla’s opening remarks is available here, and his questions are available here.
More information on the hearing is available here.
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Let's note this CNN video.
Yes, classified material was shared. We're going to pick up the topic tomorrow hopefully. If not, let me just note that Marc Short's a damn liar.
Winding down, Senator Elizabeth Warren's office issued the following:
“The Paramount payoff is part of a corrupt pattern of Trump exploiting the power of the presidency both to profit personally and to punish his perceived enemies.”
“The moment we turn a blind eye to these deals is the moment we start to lose our democracy.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) published an op-ed in Variety making the case that the Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s cancellation may be another one of Donald Trump’s attempts to get big corporations to buy his favor and bow down before him.
Senator Warren has been leading the charge to determine if Paramount is bribing President Trump in exchange for approval of its multi-billion-dollar megamerger with Skydance, and has fought relentlessly across the board against President Trump's corruption.
Read the full op-ed here and below:
Variety - Elizabeth Warren on Colbert's 'Late Show' Cancellation: Is the Paramount Trump Payoff a Bribe?
July 23, 2025
President Donald Trump and CBS parent company Paramount want you to think that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled for “purely financial” reasons. Really?
During the 2024 election, Donald Trump sued CBS, making claims CBS called “meritless.” Legal experts could see from a mile away that Trump’s claims were bogus. Paramount seemed ready to fight the allegations, and it looked like they’d win that fight handily. Then Trump took office in January 2025.
From the first moments of his presidency, Trump quickly made it clear that he was happy to use his executive power to enrich himself. He was eager to hand out favors — for the right price — and threaten punishment for those who pushed back. There’s a reason that billionaire CEOs paid millions of dollars to get front-row access to his inauguration.
This is where questions about a Paramount payout to Trump come in. Right now, Paramount is trying to merge with Skydance, another huge media company. This deal is worth $8 billion – and, by the way, it could raise prices for millions of viewers. But here’s the kicker: this merger can only go through if it’s approved by the Trump administration.
Instead of fighting Trump on his “meritless” lawsuit, Paramount settled, handing $16 million to Trump’s presidential library. This looks like bribery in plain sight, and that’s exactly what Stephen Colbert said on his show: “This kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: it’s 'big, fat bribe.’” Three days later, Paramount-owned CBS canceled Colbert’s show. And Trump didn’t waste a moment before celebrating the news.
Was it a coincidence that CBS canceled Colbert just three days after he spoke out? Are we sure that this wasn’t part of a wink-wink deal between the president and a giant corporation that needed something from his administration? If CBS made this decision for "purely financial" reasons, why the timing? And why did Trump say "I hope I played a major part in" getting Colbert fired? These are fair questions, and ones that I have asked Paramount and Skydance.
The Paramount payoff is part of a corrupt pattern of Trump exploiting the power of the presidency both to profit personally and to punish his perceived enemies.
ABC News handed over $15 million to Trump’s presidential library in a settlement for another questionable defamation lawsuit. Trump was even more direct with Mark Zuckerberg, reportedly telling him that the price for being “brought in the tent” of the new Trump administration was to settle another doubtful lawsuit. Zuckerberg immediately bowed down, ending Meta’s fact-checking program and dumping $22 million into the Trump library. And Trump is running the same play again: immediately after Paramount folded, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal over an article that exposed details about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
As Trump works to dampen any criticism in the media, he has also launched attacks on other independent institutions. In his first few months in office, Trump has aggressively threatened both universities and law firms in an effort to force them to bend to his will. The pattern is the same: Trump threatens to bring down the weight of the federal government on a single institution, and, too often, the targets feel they have no option but to bow down to an all-powerful Trump.
And for everyone in the free press, the academic world and the legal system, Trump has delivered his message with ruthless bluntness: If you criticize him, you could be forced to pay dearly.
The wealthy and well-connected have long had outsized influence in Washington, but Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in American history. He is using that corruption to gain control over independent organizations and people who might hold him to account. Every threat, use of intimidation, and potential bribe undermines our democracy as it moves Trump closer to absolute control.
I recently introduced my Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act to close at least one bribery loophole. This bill would block anyone from dumping tens of millions of dollars into a president’s library slush fund while that president still sits in the Oval Office. It would mean Paramount couldn’t funnel nearly $16 million to Trump’s library while it seeks favors from his administration. It would mean Qatar couldn’t “gift” Trump a $400 million private jet destined for some future library. This is a basic, common-sense reform that would help ensure that the government works for the American public, not just for people willing to pay for presidential favors. But that’s just Step One.
Trump and his billionaire friends may think they can turn the power of the federal government into a tool they can deploy to make themselves richer while the rest of us stand quietly by. But we understand that the moment we turn a blind eye to these deals is the moment we start to lose our democracy.
In the coming weeks, months, and years, all of us must show Trump that we see his march toward authoritarianism and we will not be silenced. Democrats need to embrace the fight against corruption as a top priority. Republicans need to grow a spine and get behind common-sense anti-corruption measures. All Americans need to speak up. Because yes, it’s a shame that CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but it is a threat to all of us that the top late-night show in the country may have been canceled in order to curry favor with a wannabe king.
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The following sites updated:
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Chump the holy stooge8 hours ago
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Lemon-Garlic Grilled Cod8 hours ago
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All over the world, we all hate Chump8 hours ago
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