Headlines

July 18, 2025

CNBC

Trump Denies Epstein Letter

A newly surfaced letter allegedly signed by Donald Trump for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, featuring suggestive artwork and a risqué message, has reignited scrutiny of their past ties, prompting Trump to deny authorship and threaten legal action against The Wall Street Journal.
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Associated Press

ICE Masks Create Controversy

The growing use of masks by immigration agents under the Trump administration has sparked nationwide controversy, with critics warning that concealing officers' identities erodes public trust, undermines accountability, and threatens core democratic norms in American policing.
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NPR

Congress Cuts $9B in Public Media, Aid

Congress has approved a $9 billion funding rollback that eliminates federal support for public broadcasters like NPR and PBS, alongside significant cuts to foreign aid, sparking bipartisan concern over the impact on local stations and vulnerable communities.
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Newsweek

The Coldplay/CEO Scandal

A surprise appearance on a Coldplay concert jumbotron has thrust Astronomer CEO Andy Byron into scandal, sparking affair rumors after footage showed him intimately embracing a colleague, the company’s chief people officer — who is not his wife.
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Times of Israel

Iran Strikes: Limited Impact

A new U.S. intelligence assessment reveals that only Iran's Fordo nuclear site sustained major damage in last month’s airstrikes, as President Trump reportedly rejected a broader campaign targeting six facilities over fears of deeper Middle East entanglement.
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ABC News

Trump Diagnosed With CVI

Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory condition in older adults caused by faulty leg vein valves, though his physician emphasized the condition is benign and that the president remains in excellent health.
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The Hill

Trump Tells Bondi: Release Files

President Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval to release grand jury transcripts related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, responding to mounting pressure from his supporters and calling the ongoing scrutiny a politically motivated "scam."
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CNN

Powell Defends $2.5B Fed Renovation

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell defended the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters in a detailed rebuttal to the Trump administration, rejecting accusations of extravagance and emphasizing the project's long-standing oversight and critical structural repairs.
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Variety

Colbert Is Getting Cancelled

CBS announced it will cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after the 2025–2026 season, citing financial concerns amid changing viewer habits, marking the end of a late-night era on the network that began with David Letterman in 1993.
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New York Post

Mamdani's Property Stance Criticized

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing fierce criticism after a resurfaced video shows him calling for the “abolition of private property” and advocating Marxist ideas, fueling GOP attacks ahead of the 2026 midterms.
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USA Today

Gen Z Faces Dating Challenges

A deep and growing political divide between Gen Z men and women is making dating increasingly difficult and complicated, as many young people prioritize shared political values and often reject potential partners whose views differ from their own.
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The Washington Post

Friends, But No Evidence of Wrongdoing

Although Trump had a social relationship with Epstein years ago and took several flights with him, extensive investigations and publicly released documents show no credible evidence linking Trump to Epstein’s criminal activities or any wrongdoing on his part.
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NBC News

ICE Accesses Medicaid Data

The Trump administration has reached a new agreement allowing ICE limited weekday access to personal information of nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees in an effort to identify and deport undocumented immigrants, prompting legal challenges from states like California.
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CBS News

House Passes Crypto Bill

After overcoming a right-wing Republican rebellion, the House passed the landmark bipartisan GENIUS Act to regulate stablecoins and the cryptocurrency market, sending the bill to President Trump's desk amid ongoing debates over digital asset oversight and consumer protections.
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The Atlantic

Nobody Can Control Epstein Story

The Epstein case has evolved into a sprawling, complex, and unstoppable conspiracy narrative that even Donald Trump struggles to control, exposing deep fractures in American politics, media ecosystems, and the public’s increasingly fragile trust in truth, justice, and accountability.
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Louisville Public Media

DOJ Recommends One Day Sentence

The DOJ has recommended a one-day prison sentence for former Louisville officer Brett Hankison, convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights for his role in the deadly raid, sparking outrage from Taylor’s family and community advocates who view it as a grave miscarriage of justice.
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The Free Press

Predator Yes, Spy No

Jeffrey Epstein was undeniably a predator and con man who exploited powerful people, but despite widespread conspiracy theories suggesting he was a Mossad spy running a blackmail operation, investigative reporter Daniel Bates finds no credible evidence to support those claims.
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The London Standard

Eight Born via 3-Person IVF Technique

In a groundbreaking medical milestone, eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using a pioneering three-person In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique called mitochondrial donation treatment, offering new hope to families at risk of passing on devastating genetic diseases.
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MassLive

Roger Waters Faces Legal Peril

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters could face up to 14 years in prison under UK anti-terror laws after publicly declaring his support for Palestine Action, a group recently banned and labeled a terrorist organization by the British government following a series of high-profile protests.
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Daily Mail

Brigitte Macron's Secret Despair

Brigitte Macron has been left "absolutely devastated" after a Paris court overturned defamation convictions against conspiracy theorists who falsely claimed she was born male, unleashing a surge of online abuse that has driven France’s first lady to despair.
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