$1.5 trillion defense budget stalls as Trump admin escalates Iran War
ALSO INSIDE: Todd Blanche admits to withholding handwritten notes in Epstein Files
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
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Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
Voters opted for the “change” candidate in 2024, but much of Donald Trump’s second term has felt like a rehash of his first: baseless claims about rigged elections, demanding for an increased military budget, provocations of war with Iran, and an octogenarian Republican senator whose health has repeatedly threatened his grip on Congress.
The difference, however, is the scale. What were once campaign talking points or stalled proposals have become major legislative and foreign policy priorities in this administration. Trump’s voter suppression efforts have heightened and formalized into what is known as the SAVE Act, the proposed defense budget has gone up by roughly $1 trillion, and the US has engaged in active warfare against Iran that has resulted in thousands of deaths. The escalation, according to US Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), is due to a president obsessed with his legacy and a Republican-controlled Congress that has failed to provide a check on the executive branch.
“This is all about Donald Trump; Donald Trump’s fragile ego,” McGovern said. “This guy is crazy. He’s obsessed with himself. Everything that happens in Washington is about Donald Trump. We’ve never had a more self-obsessed president in our history. And he’s dangerous because everything is about him.”
Trump’s second term has been laser focused on legacy projects: violent attempts to end longstanding conflicts with Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, along with vanity construction projects that have consumed millions of taxpayer dollars and reduced portions of the White House to rubble. Even among his most ardent supporters, the president’s priorities have been a source of disillusionment at a time when household costs keep rising.
“He’s making billions of dollars off the presidency. His family is too,” said McGovern. “Meanwhile, regular people are getting screwed. People can’t afford their groceries, can’t afford their health care, they can’t afford to go to college, they can’t afford to retire, they can’t afford anything. And all the talk here in Washington is not about how we help people; it’s about Donald Trump, it’s about how we feed his ego. And it’s really sad.”
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McGovern has served through six presidential administrations and watched Congress become increasingly paralyzed by partisan politics. It’s gotten to the point where the go-to move of Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune is to send lawmakers home and call an early recess, while Trump refuses to sign bipartisan legislation that’s already sitting on his desk.
“We had a housing bill that he was about to sign. Housing is unaffordable for most Americans, and this would have helped a little bit — it was a step in the right direction. There was bipartisan support for it,” McGovern continued. “The president said he supported it, then it came to his desk, and now he won’t sign it. He’s not signing it because he’s obsessed with this SAVE Act. His obsession — it’s not about how do we improve the quality of life for people in this country. It’s about him. Everything is about him.”
The SAVE Act is a voter suppression bill that Trump has said would allow him to ensure that Republicans don’t lose another election for 100 years. It also has no chance of passing — and in fact, has already failed as a standalone bill and as an amendment to the defense budget. Johnson is now preparing to attach it to the national budget, where it’s expected to meet the same fate.
Rather than shifting gears and focusing on popular policies that could actually pass, like the housing bill collecting dust on his desk, Trump is focused only on pet projects that benefit him personally — a decision that may ultimately come back to bite him.
“We’ll see what happens in the midterm elections,” McGovern said. “I think this is an opportunity for people to stand up and say, ‘Enough — we’re sick of it. We don’t want this. This is not what our country is about. We want to go in a different direction. And we’re sending you a message, Donald: we’re sick of you. And we’re going to put a check on you. And we’re going to turn this country around.’”
Attempts to Sanewash
House gridlock clouds GOP push for more wins before August recess
Renewed war with Iran threatens to derail congressional agenda
Far-Right Spin
Could Mitch McConnell’s Absence Sink the $1.5 Trillion Defense Bill?
Mike Johnson Has Plan To Pass Save America Act, But It Will Face Several Tripwires Along The Way
DOJ refuses to release handwritten notes within Epstein Files
An unknown number of handwritten materials contained within the government’s case file on Jeffrey Epstein have been intentionally withheld from public view, according to a court brief filed earlier this month by Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The admission came in response to a lawsuit filed by independent journalist Katie Phang, who has accused the Department of Justice of obscuring portions of the Epstein Files, in direct violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Phang asked the courts to force the DOJ to remove certain redactions and release handwritten notes referenced throughout the files.
“Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Court provide the following relief,” Phang’s lawsuit states. “Remove all unlawful redactions; explain the bases for any remaining lawful redactions; re-produce all materials that were produced but then unlawfully retracted; produce all materials that have not been produced that, by law, should be.”
The published files repeatedly reference handwritten materials, including detailed memos Epstein wrote about his criminal network and investigators’ accounts of witness testimony that contain greater detail than what is found in the typed reports. Law enforcement used a handwritten paper trail to build their 2006 case in Palm Beach, and investigators’ notes obtained by the Post and Courier provide incriminating information from a victim who alleged President Donald Trump had her trafficked across state lines to him on multiple occasions when she was a minor.
Those handwritten records have not been released by the DOJ, and the typed report documenting the woman’s allegations against Trump appears to be a watered-down version of what prosecutors were told.
Marina Lacerda, an Epstein survivor whom law enforcement tracked down after finding a handwritten note with her name in his trash, said Epstein kept a ledger documenting his cash payments. He also detailed gifts to girls paid by check, such as money for rent or medical visits. A prosecution memorandum confirms that law enforcement obtained the notes Epstein kept on his trafficking expenses, but the DOJ has not published the notes themselves.
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“He did write checks and stuff — he did write also in a book,” Lacerda said. “West Palm [Police] found me was because he threw my name away in the garbage, fucking idiot. He threw my name out with something about me getting paid.”
The omissions appear to be a direct violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed by Congress last year requiring the DOJ to release the entirety of its investigation into Epstein, subject only to narrow exceptions for victims’ personal information and matters of national security. Blanche’s decision could also violate prior court rulings maintaining that the government is required to turn over agents’ interview notes should those notes contain any information not included in the final typed reports.
In response to Phang’s lawsuit, Blanche admitted that his department intentionally withheld handwritten notes, claiming that releasing them could violate the privacy of Epstein’s victims and that the information they contain is already found elsewhere in the published portion of the Epstein Files.
“The Department has not produced underlying handwritten notes for FD-302 interview reports because, by their nature, the underlying notes are substantially similar to the ultimate reports, and have accordingly been deemed duplicative of the typewritten reports memorializing the interviews,” the court filing states. “Their handwritten nature further complicates the redaction process and increases
the risk of inadvertent disclosure of victim [personally identifiable information].”
But discrepancies between the handwritten and typed accounts of Trump’s alleged abuse undermine Blanche’s claim that the documents are merely redundant. This would not be the first time the acting attorney general (who is also Trump’s former personal attorney) has attempted to suppress information that connects Epstein to the president. FBI agents were instructed to redact mentions of Trump before the files were released. As first reported by the American Freakshow, the DOJ initially omitted the interview with the woman who claims Trump had her trafficked to him, and after the omission was uncovered, published only the typed version, which left out details found in the handwritten notes.
Blanche’s admission comes just days before his two-day confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which begins July 15. His handling of the release of the Epstein Files will be a centerpoint of the hearing, as many in Congress believe Blanche is involved in a widespread cover-up in order to protect Trump.
“Blanche oversaw the department’s abysmal release of the Trump/Epstein files,” US Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wrote in an op-ed for The Contrarian. “The redactions were a mess, exposing victims’ identifying information. Serious, credible allegations against Trump were withheld. After stellar reporting by journalists discovered DOJ’s omissions, DOJ released some of the files about the Trump allegations. But even now, files are still being held back.”
It’s easy for individual members of Congress to get overlooked by national outlets as they quietly skate to reelection again, and again, and again. The following is an overview of different congressional representatives you may not have heard of, with fun facts about their origin stories they’ve tried to keep out of the public narrative.
US Rep. Gary Palmer, Alabama’s 6th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Palmer has:
Seen his net worth fluctuate from $1.6 million to $3.4 million, before settling around $2.7 million
Sponsored 111 bills, three of which have been signed into law
Accepted campaign contributions from fraudulent crypto exchange FTX
Started his sixth term after promising to only serve five
Condemned the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and blamed Trump for inciting the rioters, but voted against certifying the 2020 election and impeaching Trump for his role in the insurrection
Fun Facts
Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Palmer earned his conservative bona fides by co-founding the Alabama Policy Institute, a think tank that pushed for more private prisons, successfully petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court to constitutionally define marriage exclusively as between a man and a woman, and later became a major player in the creation of Project 2025.
Palmer has brought that same agenda to Capitol Hill, where he has consistently voted against abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights, while fully embracing the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans. His positions seem to come from the more conspiratorial wing of the infosphere: the news he shares on his congressional website is almost exclusively dominated by far-right media publishers like New Tang Dynasty, Yellowhammer, and Fox News.
Recently, Palmer appears to have developed a particular fixation with the transgender community. He accused the National Institute of Health of concealing research on puberty blockers and called for a transgender employee at an Alabama space camp to be fired because of a post he saw on the disinformation media account Libs of TikTok.
COURIER’s newly-launched Epstein investigation project
For too long, the Epstein Class has dealt in wealth, power, and politics to avoid accountability and deny victims & survivors their due justice. The public deserves the truth, but the Trump Administration is failing its legal obligation to deliver it.
That’s why we’re expanding our coverage to follow the money and investigate the power players in and outside the government. With a new database by Thorian AI, we have unprecedented access and ability to navigate more than 1.2M files and we’re sharing access—and what we’re finding—with you.
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