Tuesday, July 15 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Tuesday. How are we already halfway through July?? I swear it JUST began. | - Epstein files spark MAGA revolt
- Trump visits Pittsburgh
- Mike Waltz grilled on 'Signalgate'
- Inflation climbs in June
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Let's talk about en-er-gy. Let's talk about you and me: |
President Trump, desperate to turn the page on the Jeffrey Epstein saga that continues to consume Washington, is focusing on his economic agenda today. Trump is en route to Pittsburgh to promote his energy and technology agenda. He will reportedly announce $70 billion in investments for Pennsylvania. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) organized the summit — and published an op-ed for Fox Digital this morning to preview it. But back in Washington, some in MAGA World are turning on the president over Epstein — and Republican senators want to stay as far as possible from the controversy. (They already have their own headaches fending off Democrats' attacks on Medicaid cuts and the tariffs.) Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI reached a joint conclusion that Epstein did not have a famous client list and was not murdered — Trump even encouraged his supporters not to "waste time" on the Epstein files. But that's a drastic U-turn from the sentiment from some in Trump's orbit just last year — and it's raising eyebrows. |
- Attorney General Pam Bondi in February suggested she had the client list sitting on her desk. But now, she insists it does not exist.
- In 2021, now-Vice President Vance accused the government of covering up a client list, telling journalists to be "ashamed" of themselves for not asking questions. But now the White House, which Vance serves in, denies that list exists.
- FBI Director Kash Patel was adamant in 2023 that the Epstein files be released. "Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are," he said at the time. But now, he insists, "the conspiracy theories just aren't true, never have been."
- In a 2024 Fox News interview, Trump said he would release the Epstein files. But a video from that interview has resurfaced showing Trump's full answer. "I guess I would. I think that less so because, you don't know, you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would," Trump said.
- Conservative activist Charlie Kirk said this past weekend that he's "done talking about Epstein" and that he is going to "trust [his friends] in the administration."
But this change of heart within some in the Trump administration hasn't convinced everyone. Several of his high-profile, loyal supporters — such as his former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and prominent conservative activist Laura Loomer — are skeptical of his administration's newfound desire to forget the saga. And some conservatives are keeping up the pressure: - Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson accused Bondi of making up "a bunch of ludicrous claims on cable news shows that she couldn't back up, and this current outrage is the result."
- And so was fellow former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. "Good grief! That was no bueno, guys," Kelly said on her popular podcast and YouTube show.
- Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, thinks the White House needs to show "more transparency" in the controversy.
The Hill's Emily Brooks reports in The Movement that conservative influencers and personalities strongly believe withholding the Epstein files will cost Republicans in the midterms. But for what it's worth, national GOP strategists think that assertion is premature. NEW — someone who was once held in the same cell as Epstein added his perspective: Former mob boss Michael Franzese was once held in the same jail cell with Epstein. He told NewsNation on Monday night there's "just no way" he committed suicide. He explained the layout of the jail cell to explain his reasoning. Read his reasoning Jon Stewart has some thoughts: "Surprisingly, MAGA World, for the first time in memory, isn't just slavishly acquiescing to Trump's reality distortion field," Jon Stewart said on "The Daily Show." Coming later: In The Hill's Evening Report, Jonathan Easley will preview the administration's upcoming plans on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, as Washington addresses the next generation of technologies with the potential to dramatically reshape society. Click here to sign up to get the next issue in your inbox. |
A horizontal promotion, if you will: |
Democrats are grilling President Trump's ex-national security adviser Mike Waltz in his confirmation hearing to become the U.N. ambassador. How he got this new gig: Remember Signalgate? You know, the scandal over when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials discussed sensitive military plans in a group that that accidentally included a journalist? Waltz was later dismissed from his gig, and Trump immediately nominated him for U.N. ambassador. How is his confirmation hearing going?: Waltz said there were no disciplinary consequences for national security leaders discussing sensitive military attack plans on a group chat. From Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.): Coons said he was hoping to "hear from you some sense of regret, over sharing what was very sensitive timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app that's not, as we both know the appropriate way to share such critical information." 💻 Watch Waltz's confirmation hearing |
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Inflation ticks up a bit: |
U.S. inflation surged by 2.7 percent in June as President Trump's tariffs have begun to affect prices. The numbers: "The Labor Department's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.3 percent on the month to hit an increase of 2.7 percent compared to last year. The Federal Reserve's target for inflation is 2 percent." Was this expected?: Yes. "Economists were expecting an annual rise in the June index of between 2.6 percent and 3.0 percent, so the increase is in line with their expectations." Keep in mind: "Though some of Trump's tariffs started earlier, his wide-ranging 'reciprocal' tariffs were announced in early April, though many of them have been paused until Aug. 1. U.S. inventories take roughly three months to clear and there was a huge pull-ahead in orders from U.S. importers prior to the tariffs, so the April-to-July price lag confirms many economic forecasts." Read more context on the new inflation figure, via The Hill's Tobias Burns |
The Supreme Court gave the green light: |
The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to carry out mass layoffs at the Department of Education as part of his effort to "dismantle" the federal agency. The ruling: 6-3 along ideological lines What this means for the Education Department, via The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran. For more Supreme Court coverage, sign up for The Gavel, The Hill's weekly courts newsletter, written by Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld. It publishes every Wednesday. |
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Pittsburgh this afternoon. (All times EST) |
12:30 p.m.: Trump leaves for Pittsburgh.
2:30 p.m.: Trump participates in the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation event in Pittsburgh. 💻 Livestream
6:50 p.m.: Trump returns to the White House.
Wednesday: The Hill and NewsNation are hosting the inaugural Hill Nation Summit to interview Washington's top leaders. Speakers include: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro, House Democratic Vice Chair Ted Lieu (Calif.), former DNC co-Vice Chair David Hogg and more. 🎤 Full speaker list 📝 Request to attend |
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🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Gummy Worm Day. 🎢 Guess who went to the happiest place on earth?: Vice President Vance and his family were spotted at Disneyland last weekend. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) gave him a hard time for the trip. 📹 The Vance family at Disneyland |
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