Saturday, July 25, 2026

Chump and Hegseth insult the fallen

William Vaillancourt (DAILY BEAST) reports:

A Pentagon website has removed the names of four U.S. service members killed in Donald Trump’s war with Iran from its list of casualties.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System, a Defense Department website that keeps track of those killed during Operation Epic Fury, currently has a tally of seven “hostile” and seven “non-hostile” casualties, for a total of 14. But that’s four less than the number of deaths the site had listed on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

It’s also less than the number that Trump himself has acknowledged. One death, he said on Thursday, “is too many, but it’s 18.”

According to the Times, there are conflicting reasons for the website removing the names of the four service members who died over the last week.

[. . .]

One retired general told the Times that this episode is one example of the Trump administration’s trouble being forthright with the public about the war.

“The administration seems to have a real hard time being honest about what is going on — not just about casualties, but about the whole war in general,” retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, said.


Chump and Hegseth dishonor our fallen.  They spit on them with their actions.  Note that Chump was happy to use the four earlier this week when he lied that the four were in the war because they opposed Iran getting nuclear weapons.  But then it was time to pull the four from the official death toll.


To pretend -- as Chump and Hegseth do -- that the four did not die in the war is appalling.  It insults the service the four gave.


"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS): 

Friday, July 24, 2026.  Chump is losing it as midterms loom and the Iran War continues, Markwayne Mullen is getting on Chump's bad side, Pete Hegseth becomes a bigger nightmare, Chump wants to turn Saudi Arabia into a nuclear power, and much more. 


This morning Ben (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) explains the state of Chump's deranged mind.



The war continues with no end in sight.  No plan either.  Except maybe to wreck the economy.  Laura Stevens (NEW YORK TIMES) notes, "Global oil prices hovered around $100 a barrel on Friday in choppy trading, after continued strikes by Iran and the United States fueled investor concerns that the widening conflict could throttle energy shipments from the region indefinitely." NYT's Tony Romm reports:

A widening military conflict with Iran entered a dangerous new phase this week, spooking energy markets and sending global oil prices to $100 a barrel. The anxiety spilled into gas prices, which topped $4 a gallon in much of the country, according to AAA. And the tumult coincided with the return of Mr. Trump’s trade brinkmanship, as the White House formalized a slate of new tariffs on dozens of countries on Friday.

The duties apply to some of the largest U.S. trade partners, including the members of the European Union, and they are expected to be the first of more to come. Tariffs are taxes that apply to imported goods, so again the president’s actions threatened to raise costs for some American companies and consumers.

The forces, taken together, complicated the nation’s economic outlook in familiar ways. Once, economists figured that an end to the hostilities in the Middle East would spell a gradual return to normal. Instead, the renewed fighting cast those assumptions into doubt, leaving the nation’s long, hard fight against inflation as vexing as ever.

“The longer the war is in place, at this current level of intensity, the worse it is for consumers,” said Olu Sonola, the head of U.S. economics at Fitch Ratings.


Yes, the midterms are looming.  102 days until November 3rd.  That's election day.  Of course, early voting starts sooner.  In New York, for example, it's October 24th that early voting kicks off.  And that is influencing a few members in Congress.  Zachary Leeman (MEDIAITE) notes:

Four House Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday in a vote to restrict President Donald Trump’s war powers as the Iran conflict drags on.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tom Barrett (R-MI) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) crossed party lines and supported the war powers resolution which calls for a halt to the war. The Senate is also expected to consider a similar resolution later in the day.

The House resolution, calling for congressional approval for the war, passed in a 214-208 vote.

CNN’s Lauren Fox reported on the vote and noted that support for these resolutions is largely symbolic and non-binding and used to send a message to the White House. She added that Republican lawmakers are growing concerned with the unpopularity of the war and how it will influence their reelection chances.


And those  Republicans aren't the only ones sensing the mood of the country.  On polling, Josh Fiallo (DAILY BEAST) reports: 

President Donald Trump’s growing unpopularity has thrust Democrats into a massive lead over Republicans in a major new poll.

A national Emerson survey has found that Democrats are enjoying an 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, which simply asks voters whether they will vote for the Republican or Democrat in their local House race.
The positive movement for Democrats is up three points from Emerson’s survey last month and should set off alarm bells at the RNC, which is staring down the possibility of losing majorities in both the House and Senate just over 100 days from Election Day.

The prediction market Kalshi gives Dems an 83 percent chance of winning a majority in the House and a 44 percent chance of doing the same in the Senate—way up from the 18 percent chance Dems were given to flip the Senate when Trump was sworn in for his second term.

With more bad news for Chump, Anna Commander (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Democrats have regained an advantage on one of the country’s most pressing political issues—the economy—a new Fox News poll released on Wednesday shows. According to the July 2026 survey, Democrats now hold their strongest lead over Republicans since 2006 on registered voters’ trust in handling the economy, marking a notable shift in public opinion.
The findings from the conservative news outlet come as economic concerns continue dominating voters’ priorities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with inflation, affordability and household finances remaining central issues.

The poll also found President Donald Trump’s overall approval rating still underwater, with particularly weak marks on his handling of the economy. While the fight against crime remains among Trump’s comparatively stronger issues, voters expressed growing dissatisfaction with rising costs and say inflation has caused them hardship.



Midterms are often viewed as a referendum on the sitting president, and the party in the White House historically suffers losses. President Donald Trump saw Democrats flip 47 House seats in the 2018 midterms during his first term in office.

Trump’s approval rating has slipped since his return to the Oval Office as poll respondents cite cost of living as a top concern. In the Emerson poll, for instance, Trump’s approval rating sat at only 39 percent, while 57 percent disapproved of his job performance.

Democrats believe the sliding approval gives them an opening to win back swing voters and flip control of both chambers.


Chump is growing unhinged over the upcoming elections -- he's snapping at Republicans in the Senate, he's issuing one lie after another, he's lost it. 




Chump is freaking out over his inability to end the war on Iran as elections loom. Kathleen Culliton (RAW STORY) notes: 

President Donald Trump recently threw a curse-riddled temper tantrum inside the Oval Office over his own failure end the war in Iran, according to an inside source.

Trump called Iranian leaders "scumbags" and lunatics" and was heard "unleashing a series of expletives," the Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday night.

Trump is increasingly frustrated that a conflict he once thought would be over in a matter of weeks has dragged on with no end in sight," the Wall Street Journal reported.

"Some of Trump’s advisers now worry that the war—which has resulted in higher prices, falling approval ratings and the deaths of more than a dozen U.S. servicemembers—is consuming his presidency."

Trump's frustration stems from his growing fear that he cannot negotiate the lasting peace he promised the American people after launching a war without Congressional permission he promised would only last would last “four to five weeks,” the Journal reported.




The tariffs and the war on Iran have wrecked the economy; however, other factors -- actions Chump has taken -- have harmed the economy as well.  That would include Chump's war on immigrants.  Jill Keppeler (UPI) notes how Chump's attack on immigrants has caused "economic shock" in Los Angeles: 

Latino-owned businesses in areas targeted by federal immigration raids last year in Los Angeles County suffered an "immediate economic shock" as well as lasting effects, a report released Wednesday says.

The surge in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June 2025 created a "chilling effect" that drove customers from businesses anchoring the county's commercial corridors serving Latino and immigrant communities, the study says.
The authors of the report used focus groups and entrepreneur surveys, as well as data on foot traffic. They said businesses closest to the raid sites were hit hardest. In two weeks, businesses in the nine sites studied had 46,000 fewer customer visits and an estimated $3.16 million in accumulated losses.

The authors note that those estimates only include "formal" businesses and not street vendors, home-based businesses and food trucks, common Latino small businesses.

In surveys, 59% of business owners reported that sales dropped by more than 50%, 68% temporarily closed and 51% had staff miss work out of fear.



Migrant workers like Lorenzo Salgado Araujo have helped drive the Texas economy for the past century and arguably since 1821.
Texas employers have relied on cheap migrant labor for decades, if not centuries. Legal and undocumented immigrants built this state, whether it was recent arrivals from Central America, Mexicans from the last century, or European refugees in the mid-1800s - or even white Americans illegally entering Texas when it was part of Mexico.
Yet many Texans, fired up by race-baiting politicians, are ready to throw economic growth away, and President Donald Trump is ready to make that sacrifice. Current immigration policies have shaved 0.2% off of gross domestic product and reduced consumer spending by $60 billion in 2025, Yale University researchers found.
Since Trump took office, Texas job growth has slowed from an average of 2% a year to .01% in 2025, the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank reported. New immigration policies restraining the labor supply help explain why Texas only added 10,000 new jobs last year.


ICE?  How's it doing in terms of the administration?  How's it pleasing Chump?   Zachary Leeman (MEDIAITE) reports: 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is facing “growing tensions” with White House officials just months into his role, according to a new report.

NBC News’ Julia Ainsley and Gabe Gutierrez reported exclusively on Thursday, citing a senior official with President Donald Trump’s administration and a senior DHS official, that Mullin has managed to ruffle feathers and irk the administration multiple times after just four months with DHS.
Mullin reportedly first ran into trouble after pausing ICE’s vehicle stops policy following fatal shootings in Texas and Maine. Trump quickly and publicly reversed that decision because Mullin never got approval through the White House, according to the administration official.

“Every Cabinet secretary knows that they have to come to the White House for major policy decisions,” the source said. “The president sees, hears, reads everything.”

Mullin also “misspoke” during a CNN interview recently when discussing a Supreme Court ruling on protected status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria, saying hundreds of thousands could apply for legal status when they could not. This, according to the report, was “annoying” to some in the administration.

The DHS secretary has also reportedly raised concerns with the nomination of Lance Schroyer as ICE director. The former incident commander with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is a longtime ally of Mullin, but some are concerned he lacks the proper experience for the ICE director role.

Joe Sommerlad (INDEPENDENT) adds, "Trump’s border czar Tom Homan and others 'aren’t particularly thrilled with him,' NBC’s source said, believing that Schroyer lacks the necessary experience."   And the mood within ICE?  Not good.  Not good at all.  Zachary Leeman (MEDIAITE) notes:

ICE officers described the agency as a “powder keg ready to blow” in a new lengthy report that includes accusations of pushing untrained officers onto the streets and pushing employees to exhaustion.

The Washington Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli and Christian Datoc reported on Wednesday — citing “current ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers, as well as retired senior ICE officials still dialed into daily operations” — that morale at ICE has fallen “lower” than it was under former President Joe Biden.
“No one is happy. If you hear [Border Czar] Tom Homan saying, ‘Morale’s stronger than ever,’ I say, ‘No, it’s not. No, it’s not.’ I see it. I’ve been out in the field. I see it. I’ve seen senior officers quit,” one ICE officer told the outlet.

Another officer with more than a decade of experience said people are “being pushed to a breaking point. I don’t know where it will go, but it’s nowhere good.”



Mullen is muddling through -- at best -- as Secretary of Homeland Security.  How are others in the administration doing? 


Senior officials have been deserting Donald Trump’s second presidential administration at a record rate far exceeding the turnover during his first term in office, new figures show.
The exodus has seen 27 Senate-confirmed officials leave their positions in the last 18 months, up from 11 over the same period in his first term, according to an analysis from the Partnership for Public Service, reported by The Hill.
The figures show the number of officials leaving their jobs during Trump 2.0 is six times higher than the average number during the first 18 months under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.


And they've put someone on leave at the Pentagon. Giulia Carbonaro (NEWSWEEK) reports:

A senior Pentagon official has been placed on leave after he was secretly filmed criticizing President Donald Trump’s administration and the changes it has implemented at the Department of Defense.

Right-wing activist James O’Keefe released a video on Wednesday reportedly showing Brandon Newsom, a senior official in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, being filmed with a hidden camera. Newsweek has not independently verified the footage.
In the footage, Newsom can be heard saying that he wanted to “stay and stick it out” at the Pentagon, adding: “So that way, when the time comes, I can undo whatever’s been done [by the Trump administration].” When asked about what he would undo, he talked of “a lot of times” when working at the Pentagon “challenges my morals,” saying he would not have “one specific prayer service” and undo employee “schedule policy.”

He also called Trump “a textbook narcissist” and described the Iran war as “completely stupid” and “driven by one man’s ego.”








With a serial liar in the Oval Office, truth is not to be tolerated.  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth understands that and he's thrived as a result in Chump's eyes.  Lucy Strathmore (2PARAGRAPHS) reports that's not the case for everyone:

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who has opposed the U.S. war against Iran since its beginning in February, slammed President Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week for asking Congress for an additional $500 billion in Pentagon funding.

[NOTE: Hegseth testified this week at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that the war in Iran has so far cost the U.S. $37.5 billion, which many critics believe vastly underestimates the price tag. Stephen Semler, co-founder of the Security Policy Reform Institute (SPRI), assessed the cost at $103 billion.]
As seen below on Bloomberg, Paul said of the Department of Defense budget and Hegseth: “We currently spend a trillion. He wants $1.5 T. That’s a $500B increase.”

Paul added: “No one in the history of the country has ever asked for this much money. This is more money than — you can’t even print that fast. It threatens our country. You know, the biggest threat we have right now is our debt. We are more in danger of devaluing our currency than Iran invading the United States.”

Paul isn't the only Republican member of Congress feeling wary about Hegseth.  Alexander Bolton  (THE HILL) notes:

Senate Republicans are growing increasingly concerned about what they say is a lack of a clear plan to end the military conflict with Iran, warning that rising U.S. casualties and stubbornly high gas prices are going to hurt their party in the midterm election.

GOP lawmakers came away dissatisfied from a hearing Tuesday at which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified in support of the administration’s request for another $80 billion in emergency funding for the Iran war.
[. . .]

A Republican senator who requested anonymity said that the conflict’s impact on gas prices is a huge political problem for GOP candidates heading into the November election.

“People are worried about it because otherwise they’d be cheerleading,” the GOP lawmaker said. “Nobody wants to be critical.

“Gas prices are high,” the senator added. “That’s a big worry.”  



On Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testified to Congress about the war with Iran, which, after four months of fighting and a highly touted ceasefire, has since devolved into a series of tit-for-tat attacks. When Hegseth wasn’t blaming former President Joe Biden for allegedly bequeathing him a toothless fighting force, he repeatedly claimed that the “overarching objective” of the Iran war is “ensuring Iran never has a nuclear weapon.”
It’s an assertion that administration officials have made since the day the war began, yet it doesn’t appear to be remotely true — and Democrats need to be saying it more loudly. 

This is not to say that the U.S. doesn’t want to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb — it’s that the war the U.S. is actually waging has virtually nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear program.

Indeed, from the earliest days of the war, U.S. military strikes have been focused primarily on Iran’s leadership, its conventional military capabilities and its military-industrial base. Few if any of the attacks targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. 

Relying on U.S. classified assessments, Reuters reported in May that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are largely unchanged since last summer, when U.S. and Israeli planes attacked Iran’s nuclear reactors and enrichment facilities. But Iran is still approximately a year away from building a bomb, according to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.
Any effort to restart the program was made more difficult by last June’s U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which — lest we forget — President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted “obliterated” the country’s nuclear program. 


Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's purge high-ranking military officers has ousted officers speaking out about their serious concerns with his leadership, according to a new report.

Former officers, who say they were forced to retire after questioning command decisions, are now determined to go on the record despite a sense of loyalty to the organization, MS NOW's Priya Sridhar reported Thursday.
“For many of us, part of it is a sense of loyalty to the organization that is bigger than these clowns," one officer told Sridhar. "We know that in the organization, there are still good people trying to do good things and we don’t want to say things that might hurt them."

Among their concerns is the ousting of Gen. Christopher Donahue, the final soldier to leave Afghanistan in a retreat that Hegseth has repeatedly attacked as "humiliating."
An officer argued to MS NOW that it was hypocritical of Hegseth to claim his focus is on warfighters and then remove people like Donahue.

"[Hegseth] is intimidated by people who have real warfighting background and don’t just talk about the warrior ethos,” the former officer said, adding, “I think he just can’t stand people around who will call him on his b-------.”


At the heart of the conflict with Iran, Chump insists, is the nuclear capabilities of Iran.  Yet at the same time, he's announced the go-ahead for Saudi Arabia on nuclear. 





How may Iranians were among the hijackers on 9/11?

Oh, that's right: Zero. 

How many were from Saudi Arabia?

15.

Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. 


President Trump went to war with Iran in part to force compliance with two longstanding American demands: Tehran must stop enriching nuclear fuel for at least two decades, and it must allow international inspectors to go anywhere and see anything to verify the country is not producing a bomb.

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump took the reverse approach to Saudi Arabia, its close ally in the region. To seal a deal for Westinghouse and other American companies to seize a big piece of the business in building two nuclear reactors on Saudi territory — and more to come — it opened the door to allowing the kingdom to begin enriching its own nuclear fuel after two years.

And it gave in to the kingdom’s demand that it not have to abide by an inspection agreement that applies to more than 140 other countries. Those rules, the Saudis said, are just too intrusive.

Now Mr. Trump will have to make the case to Congress, and to allies throughout the Middle East, that in loosening the nuclear standards for one close ally, he is not ushering in a new age of proliferation, especially in a region of the world already on fire. If the daily missile exchanges with Iran finally give way to resumed negotiations, there is no question Iran will seize on the concessions made to Riyadh and insist on the same.


Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

The Senators’ Right to IVF Act reintroduction comes nearly two years since Donald Trump promised free IVF for all, which he’s still failed to deliver

***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s remarks at a press conference introducing the Right to IVF Act***

Washington, D.C. — Nearly two years after President Donald Trump promised free IVF for all Americans on the campaign trail, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are reintroducing the Right to IVF Act, a sweeping legislative package that would make it easier to access in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) for the millions of hopeful parents who depend on it to build their family. This pro-family legislation would establish a nationwide right to access IVF, lower the costs of IVF treatment, expand IVF coverage for military families and require all employer-sponsored insurance programs to cover IVF.

“Republicans are not pro-family and they won’t lift a finger to help families get IVF—the Texas Republican Party just recently made banning IVF a part of their official party platform,” said Senator Murray. “I have fought for a long time to make sure at least servicemembers and veterans, especially wounded warriors, can get the IVF care they need to build a family. But the reality is that we have a Republican Speaker of the House who believes an embryo should have the same rights as an adult woman with children who count on her. America’s pro-IVF majority should wake up to the fact that Trump could not care less about IVF—he broke that promise and he is happy to let Republicans attack IVF and all of our reproductive rights. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting to make sure all Americans can access and afford health care to build their families.”

“Almost two years after promising free IVF for all Americans if he were elected, Donald Trump has still failed to deliver,” said Senator Duckworth. “Trump and Republicans’ ‘support’ for IVF is nothing but lip service. They want us to have more babies, yet they’ll do nothing to actually help make it easier for the millions who struggle with infertility to start and grow their families. The Right to IVF Act would immediately make IVF treatment more affordable for millions of hopeful parents across the country. From middle class families, to our brave servicemembers and Veterans, to federal employees and more—every American deserves the right to access the treatment and tools they need to build the family of their dreams without burning through their savings. If Republicans really support IVF, then let’s get this done. No more delays.”

“For millions of American families, IVF isn’t politics—it’s hope,” said Senator Schumer. “Donald Trump ran on a promise that he would make IVF free, and yet he has done nothing but attack women’s reproductive rights and undermine access to fertility care—another lie in his long list of broken promises to American families. Our Right to IVF Act is essential to putting a deeply personal health care decision back in the hands of American families. While Donald Trump and Republicans erect barriers between hopeful parents and IVF, Democrats will never stop fighting to protect access so that every family can build the future they dream of.”

“No one chooses infertility,” said Senator Booker. “It’s a medical condition that leaves too many families and individuals feeling alone long before they ever seek treatment. When people turn to IVF, they’re choosing hope. They’re choosing the chance to build the family they’ve always dreamed of. But that hope comes with a price tag that is simply out of reach for far too many. The medications, procedures, and cycles can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Families and individuals already carrying the emotional weight of infertility are then hit with financial barriers that no one should have to face trying to bring a child into this world. We have to change that. We have to remove those barriers and make IVF affordable and accessible to everyone who needs it. Because the ability to build a family should not be reserved for the wealthy or the lucky, it should be within reach for us all.”

Companion legislation is being introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11), Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Laura Gillen (D-NY-04).

“Like so many people in our country facing fertility challenges, my husband and I turned to IVF as our last hope to have kids. After years of appointments, injections, and setbacks, and thanks to our remarkable physicians, we have two beautiful daughters,” said Rep. Trahan. “No one should lose the chance to start or grow a family because of their zip code. The Right to IVF Act guarantees the right to family-creating fertility care in every state and puts it within reach for the millions of families who need it.”

“Deciding when and how to build a family is a deeply personal choice that belongs to families, not politicians,” said Rep. Walkinshaw. “For millions struggling with infertility, IVF offers hope and a path to parenthood. I’m especially proud the Right to IVF Act includes my legislation requiring IVF coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, ensuring the federal government leads by example. I’m honored to join Senator Duckworth, Congresswoman Trahan, and this coalition to protect IVF nationwide and expand access for servicemembers, veterans, federal employees, and working families.”

“For many Americans, fertility treatments like IVF are essential to start families of their own,” said Rep. Larsen. “This comprehensive legislation will guarantee access and expand coverage for IVF and other fertility services. The legislation also includes my bill with Senator Murray, the Veteran Families Health Services Act, to ensure fertility treatments are included in servicemembers’ and veterans’ health benefits. I will keep working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to make sure that women and men in uniform and working families do not have to sacrifice their dreams of having a family.”

“There are few experiences as hard as wanting to start a family and not being able to,” said Rep. DeLauro. “That is why I am fighting to ensure Americans have access to IVF treatments when they want to start one. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Right to IVF Act – because building a family in the United States should never be difficult.”

“I am proud to help lead this critical bill ensuring millions of Americans can access IVF to build their families, no matter where they live,” said Rep. Gillen. “Families struggling to conceive go through indescribable heartbreak and stress. The last thing they should worry about is legal challenges to IVF delaying or outright halting procedures. Infertility is not a partisan issue. I will continue to work across the aisle in Congress to protect access to IVF and adjacent reproductive technologies that have helped countless individuals experience the joy of parenthood.”

Last Congress, Senate Republicans shamefully blocked the Right to IVF Act, exposing the hollowness of Republicans’ empty claims to support IVF for the millions of Americans who rely on it to build their family. This marked the fourth time Senate Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide, with previous instances including her Access to Family Building Act that builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022.

While Senate Democrats continue their efforts to protect IVF and reproductive freedom, Senate Republicans continue making it abundantly clear through their anti-choice extremism and record Medicaid cuts that they would rather undermine access to basic health care for millions of Americans than make it easier for their constituents to start and build a family.

Building on the lawmakers’ previous efforts to protect and strengthen access to IVF, this pro-family, pro-freedom legislative package includes:

  • Senator Murray’s Veteran Families Health Services Act, which would expand the fertility treatments and family-building services that are covered under servicemembers’ and veterans’ health care to include—among other things—the option for individuals to cryopreserve their gametes (freeze their eggs or sperm) ahead of deployment to a combat zone and IVF for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance.
  • Senator Duckworth’s Protect IVF Act, which would establish a nationwide right for patients to access IVF and other ART services, a right for doctors to provide IVF treatment in accordance with medical standards as well as a right for insurance carriers to cover IVF without prohibition, limitation, interference or impediment. By establishing a statutory right, this would pre-empt any state effort to limit such access and ensuring no hopeful parent—or their doctors—are punished for trying to start or grow a family.
  • Senator Booker’s Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act, which would increase affordability of fertility care—including IVF—by requiring employer-sponsored insurance plans and public insurance plans to cover fertility treatments. Additionally, it would standardize a baseline of high-quality fertility treatment coverage under private health insurance plans, while protecting Americans against excessive out-of-pocket costs.
  • Senator Duckworth’s Family Building FEHB Fairness Act, which would require Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program—the largest employer-sponsored health insurance plan in the world—carriers to cover IVF and ART to help more hardworking Americans start and grow their families.

In addition to Murray, Duckworth, Booker and Schumer, the legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—and advocating for women veterans and their access to reproductive health care has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. Senator Murray called on VA to provide abortion care to veterans early in the Biden administration, and she applauded the Biden administration’s announcement later in the year that would begin to provide abortion care for veterans and their eligible dependents to protect the health and life of the individual and in cases of rape or incest. Murray has helped lead the charge in calling out Republicans for their attacks on, and attempts to undo, this limited and commonsense policy.

Senator Murray leads the Veteran Families Health Services Act, comprehensive legislation that would expand fertility treatments—including IVF—and family-building services for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and she has sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation on multiple occasions. She introduced new legislation last summer with Senator Duckworth to help cover IVF costs for servicemembers and military families—and slammed Speaker Johnson for working behind the scenes to strip an amendment mirroring that legislation from the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. Senator Murray voted against the NDAA earlier this month, citing—among other things—the failure to include her provision to expand IVF care for servicemembers and veterans. Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration’s initial move to ban abortion care at VA in August, and sounded the alarm again in December when the Trump administration quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at VA.

Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

The Right to IVF Act is supported by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association, Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law), Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, Stand with IVF, AllPaths Family Building, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Atheists, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Society for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Society of Reproductive Biologists & Technologists, Society for Reproductive Surgeons, California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, Endocrine Society, Equality California, Families USA, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, Guttmacher Institute, Hadassah, Human Rights Campaign, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, Indivisible, Justice + Joy National Collaborative, Legal Momentum, Military Family Building Coalition, MomsRising, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Council on Jewish Women, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women’s Political Caucus, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Reproductive Freedom for All, Service Women’s Action Network, Silver State Equality, What to Expect Project and Women’s March.

“The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) welcomes the bicameral reintroduction of the Right to IVF Act, which would achieve accessible and affordable fertility care for all Americans,” said ASRM Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer Sean Tipton. “This visionary and comprehensive effort would protect patients’ ability to build their families through safe, evidence-based treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF). By safeguarding access to assisted reproductive technology (ART), preserving the physician-patient relationship, and expanding coverage for the individuals and families who need it most, this legislation reflects the standard of care that all patients deserve.”

“No one should have to wonder whether they’ll be able to access the care they need to build their family,” said Danielle Melfi, CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association. “By safeguarding the right to IVF and expanding insurance coverage for veterans, federal employees, and the individuals and families who need it most, this legislation reflects a comprehensive commitment to helping more people build the families they dream of. RESOLVE applauds Senator Duckworth and the bill’s sponsors for continuing to put patients and families first.”

###






Posted by at

Friday, July 24, 2026

The GOP idiots in the House

Insider trading?  The House addressed it Wednesday.  Sort of.  Alice Gibbs (NEWSWEEK) reports:

 The House of Representatives has passed the Stop Insider Trading Act, a measure Republicans have touted as a major ethics reform designed to prevent lawmakers from profiting from information gained through their official duties. 

But while the bill would impose new restrictions on members of Congress and their families, it would not apply to President Donald Trump.

The legislation passed the House 232-198 on Wednesday, with a handful of Democrats joining Republicans in support, though it also drew criticism from Democrats, ethics groups and some Republicans who argued it falls short of a true stock-trading ban. Among the complaints was that the measure exempts the president and vice president while allowing lawmakers to keep stocks they already own.

The exemption is especially notable given Trump’s recently disclosed trading activity. Financial disclosures filed with the Office of Government Ethics showed thousands of stock transactions in accounts associated with the president during the first quarter of 2026, involving hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of securities.


If Chump's health holds -- he's getting weaker every day -- and he completes his term?  That's two more years as president.  They left him out.  He will only hold the office two more years and they left him out.  It is very likely that the next president will be a Democrat.  They think they're going to have this kind of power in 2029?  They not only worship their false god Chump, they can't think beyond tomorrow and plan for a time in the not to distant future. 

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS): 

Thursday, July 23, 2026.  An Epstein associate turns up dead, the price of oil per barrel soars, Chump continues his war on Iran and the American economy, and much more. 





Iranian attacks on nine U.S. locations across the Middle East in the two weeks since the cease-fire broke down show that the country maintains an ability to inflict damage on precise targets, despite the Trump administration’s repeated claims that Iran’s military capabilities have been diminished or destroyed.

A New York Times visual analysis of U.S. military bases and other sites found the strikes have caused damage to living quarters and working areas, drone shelters, radar systems and other structures.

One of the attacks, on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded others. A military official told The Times that nearly a dozen troops were also wounded severely enough by Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan and other countries this month that they were flown to a U.S. military hospital in Germany for treatment.


And the price of oil is climbing.  Steve Kopack (NBC NEWS) reports:

The price of oil surged nearly 5% on Wednesday as U.S. officials talked down the chance of new peace talks after an 11th straight night of strikes on Iran and with major disruption now facing two of the world’s key supply routes.

International Brent crude oil rose almost 5% to more than $95 per barrel for the first time in almost six weeks. U.S. crude oil rose more than 4% to more than $88 per barrel.
While Brent is widely considered the international oil benchmark, it also influences U.S. gas prices.

Those pump prices rose again Wednesday, extending their climb above $4. The national average price per gallon rose 5 cents from Tuesday to $4.06 per gallon, according to AAA data tracked by NBC News.


Leo Sands (NYT) adds, "The price of oil surged to $98 a barrel on Thursday morning, as Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen claimed strikes on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, and neither the United States nor Iran showed any letup in their fighting."  98 dollars a barrel.  And when he started this war of choice,  he claimed it would only last days. 



Desi Lydic: You might remember back in March when President Trump quickly launched his quick war in Iran and conservative media told you how quick it was quickly going to go 

THE DAILY SHOW then offered a clip fest of TV MAGAs repeatedly claiming that the war was over and over.  


No, this is not what Chump promised as Steve Benen (MS NOW) reminds:

Around this time two years ago, then-candidate Donald Trump seemed to recognize the political potency of energy prices as a campaign issue, which led the Republican to make some rather specific promises.

“We intend to slash prices by half within 12 months, at a maximum 18 months,” he said in August 2024. Trump went on to claim, “We’re looking to cut them in half, and we think we’ll be able to do better … You will never have had energy so low as you will under a certain gentleman known as Donald J. Trump. Have you heard of him? So we think your energy bills will be down by 50% to 70%. How good would that be?”

In theory, it would have been quite good indeed. But this week, his presidency hit the 18-month mark, and it’s clear that he’s failed spectacularly to deliver on his promise.

That's all Chump ever offered: Empty and meaningless words from a serial liar.  



President Donald Trump’s net approval rating has hit its lowest level ever, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by the American Research Group between July 16 and 20, revealed that a total of 30 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of his job as president, while 67 percent disapproved. This gave Trump a net approval rating of -37 percent, his lowest rating yet.

 

And even MAGA is catching on.  Megan Messerly (POLITICO) reports:

Half of President Donald Trump’s MAGA base thought the Iran war was worth its economic costs in May. Now, just a little more than a third do.

That precipitous, 13-point drop in just two months, according to a new POLITICO Poll, reveals how the president’s most die-hard supporters are starting to agree with the majority of Americans who have long opposed the U.S.’ involvement in the war.
Additionally, 37 percent of self-identified MAGA Trump voters say the U.S. should continue its involvement only if it doesn’t increase costs, up from 29 percent who said the same in May, according to the survey, conducted by independent polling firm Public First. Nearly 1 in 5 MAGA voters believe that the U.S. should end its war in Iran, regardless of the costs.


Survey analyst G. Elliot Morris reports voters aren’t falling for President Donald Trump’s scheme to blame oil companies for high prices. They know it’s the president’s fault — and they think we’re here because he’s nuts.

The national average price of gasoline is back above $4 a gallon as fighting with Iran resumed in recent weeks, reports Morris. Rather than haggle out a lasting peace accord for the war Trump started, Trump’s response has been a well-lauded proposal to hunt down price-gougers with a probe of oil companies, despite oil companies warning Trump what his Middle Eastern aggression would do to prices.
“Polls suggest voters aren’t buying the ruse,” said Morris. “In our latest Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll, fielded July 14–17, 51 percent of Americans say Trump and his administration are most responsible for the price of gas right now, whereas 12 percent put the blame primarily on oil and gas companies.”


Behaving erratically and coming off unhinged, Chump has earned a reputation.  Kathrine Frich (DAGENS) reports:

When a former leader returns to power, voters watch closely to see if the second act matches the promises.

A year and a half into this sequel, public opinion has started to solidify.

A newly released survey asked citizens to sum up the commander-in-chief, and the top choice is stark.
According to YouGov polling cited by Daily Express, most Americans choose the word “dangerous” to describe Donald Trump.

Fifty-two per cent of respondents picked that exact term. The numbers do not improve much from there.
These divides arrive at a truly difficult moment. The president is sitting at a negative 24 per cent net approval rating.

That figure is worse than his polling numbers at the exact same point in his first term.

Voters are frustrated by recent controversies, including the sluggish release of the Epstein files. Global living costs have also skyrocketed amid the Iran conflict.

And on the topic of oil and our serial liar, what about Venezuela?  Will Neal (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Donald Trump is facing intense scrutiny over the billions his administration has raked in from Venezuela that now appear to have vanished into thin air.

Analysis by the Financial Times suggests the White House has brought in $13 billion from Venezuelan oil sales so far after capturing despot Nicolas Maduro in January and installing vice president Delcy Rodriguez in his place.
The raid saw the U.S. seize control of oil exports in Venezuela, which account for as much as 25 percent of the country’s GDP.

Trump, 80, also eased sanctions against the regime, which the FT notes was “expected to provide a major boost” to Venezuela’s economy, which was struggling “even before last month’s devastating earthquakes.”

The White House has been unclear on the oil money. An executive order said any oil funds would remain Venezuelan property, and be held in U.S. accounts in a “custodial capacity.”
But Trump has said the U.S. is “making a lot of money” from Venezuelan oil, and the U.S. Department of Energy has said the funds “will be disbursed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people.”

Economists told the newspaper that any evidence of a recovery in Venezuela six months after Maduro’s capture remains “relatively muted,” suggesting a significant share of the $13 billion seized by the U.S. may not have made its way back to the country.
“Trump’s invasion of Venezuela has been about oil, power, and graft from the very beginning, with billions of dollars in Venezuelan oil revenue being controlled by the Trump administration without transparency or safeguards,” Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro, 51, told the FT.

Malcolm Ferguson (THE NEW REPUBLIC) observes, "It seems clear that the most corrupt president in history is withholding oil revenue from Venezuelans who badly need it, as oil makes up nearly a quarter of the entire country’s GDP. In January, Semafor reported that Trump would be keeping proceeds from the first $500 million sale of Venezuelan oil in an offshore bank account based in Qatar. It might be worth checking up on that account."  Back in June, Roxanna Vigil sounded the alarm at the Council on Foreign Relations:

In the first four months of the United States exerting control over Venezuela’s oil exports, almost one hundred million barrels of oil worth an estimated $8 billion have flowed through a process marked by no transparency and minimal oversight. While the Trump administration has repeatedly framed this control as benefiting both countries, it has not publicly disclosed how much Venezuelan oil it has sold, how much revenue it has collected, or how it has used those funds since seizing control of the country’s oil exports following the January 3 military intervention that deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Based on tanker-tracking data from Bloomberg and reports on discounts applied to Venezuelan crude, the estimated value of U.S.-controlled oil exports has increased from $600 million in January (about 380,000 barrels per day) to about $3.7 billion in April alone (about 1.1 million barrels per day). The largest recipients of Venezuelan oil since January 3 have been the United States (43 percent), India (26 percent), and Spain (8 percent).

[. . .]

Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company, known as PDVSA, has not published oil revenue figures since 2016, and the Trump administration has not publicly disclosed the exact figures it controls. It is also unclear who within the administration oversees those funds. Trump said he would control the revenue when he announced the first fifty-million-barrel tranche on social media just days after Maduro’s ouster. However, Executive Order 14373, which establishes Foreign Government Deposit Funds as property of the Venezuelan government held in custody by the Treasury Department, indicates that the secretary of state will give the Treasury instructions for disbursements.

Except for a few details shared with Congress and in Executive Order 14373, the Trump administration has provided almost no information on the system it has established to sell Venezuelan oil, collect the revenue, and use the funds. The administration has also not released the written agreements it has entered into with the Venezuelan government, traders, buyers, banks, and other entities involved in the process. Both Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately committed to Congress to share a copy of the written agreements governing U.S. control of Venezuelan oil exports, though it is unclear whether those copies were delivered to Congress, and no copies have been made public.

Despite Rubio’s insistence before Congress that commodities trading companies Trafigura and Vitol were a “short-term fix” to quickly sell the first tranche of oil, both companies—each of which has a history of bribery schemes related to oil sales—remain involved in Venezuela five months later. A third trader, GE Warren, has since entered the picture, and the Trump administration has offered no explanation for their ongoing role. In mid-April, the State Department witness told Congress that accounting firm KPMG would conduct quarterly audits of how Venezuelan oil revenues are being spent, to include a retrospective audit “from the beginning,” but said he did not know when the reports would be available.


Chump's war on Iran continues the destruction of the US economy that Chump began with his ill advised tariffs.  Jobs are not being created.  This topic was addressed yesterday on USA TODAY's podcast THE EXCERPT:

Dana Taylor:  The unemployment rate fell in June and normally that's good news, but economists are saying - not so fast. The US added just 57,000 jobs in June while previous months were revised down. Also, the labor force participation rate fell.  In other words, the job market may look steadier on paper than it really is. Hello and welcome to USA TODAY's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026. Here to dig into the numbers and explain what's really going on is USA TODAY Money Reporter Rachel Barber. It's so good to have you here, Rachel.

Rachel Barber:  Yes, thanks for having me, Dana.

Dana Taylor:  So let's start with the basic tension in this latest jobs report. The unemployment rate fell in June, but economists say that may have happened for the wrong reasons. Why?

Rachel Barber:  So the unemployment rate, if you break it down, is really just a function of how many people are unemployed that would like to be employed. And so what economists are saying is given the fact that the labor force participation rate fell, which the labor force participation rate is just a fancy way of saying the percent of people 16 and older who are looking for work or working, saying because that fell, the unemployment rate dropping from 4.3 to 4.2 percent is most likely more so a function of the fact that people have just stopped applying for jobs rather than the fact that a lot of people are getting hired. So that's a troubling sign in what would usually be considered a bright spot in this jobs report.

Dana Taylor:  Rachel, I mentioned that the US added just 57,000 jobs in June or previous months were revised down. Just how weak is that number?

Rachel Barber:  So when you compare it to other months this year, the US has added well over 100,000 jobs. In the prior three months, for example, we saw negative job growth or job losses in February, but every other month this year has been positive. But when you compare it back to 2025, for example, the US added only 181,000 jobs over the entire year.  So in a way, this is kind of on track or even a little bit of an improvement from the averages we saw last year, but also last year was a historically weak year for hiring in the United States. So kind of depends on your timeline, but for the most part, this is a weak print.



The number of Americans not working has climbed to a record high under President Donald Trump.

According to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the ranks of Americans classified as “not in the labor force” (NILF) swelled to 105.8 million in June, marking the highest level ever recorded.

That means the total number of Americans classified as “not in the labor force” is now higher than it was during the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic.
The category includes everyone age 16 and older who is not working, from retirees and students to people who have stopped looking for a job.

About 5.3 million Americans—roughly 5 percent of the total—are no longer searching for work because they have become discouraged. Another 23.3 million, or around 22 percent, are out of the workforce due to long-term illness, disability, or other benefit programs.
[. . .]
The economy added just 57,000 jobs in June—barely half of the 115,000 economists had expected. The Labor Department also sharply revised previous figures lower, reporting 31,000 fewer jobs were created in April and another 43,000 fewer in May than originally estimated.

One of the biggest drags came from the leisure and hospitality sector, which lost 61,000 jobs in June instead of ramping up for the busy summer travel season.

Yesterday on MS NOW's MONEY POWER POLITICS WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE, the topic of tariffs was addressed as well as today's economy. 



As Stephanie pointed out, manufacturing jobs are decreasing under Chump and Hugh Cameron (NEWSWEEK) notes:


President Donald Trump’s administration is taking credit for a manufacturing “renaissance” in the United States, though data on employment gains since he returned to office last January tell a less triumphant story.

Reviving and restoring America’s migrating manufacturing base was one of the marquee pledges of Trump’s successful 2024 campaign. And this aim has been used as a justification for many of his policies, notably tariffs but also his signature tax legislation—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)—that was signed last July.
[. . .]
But despite this conviction, payroll figures from the Department of Labor tell a slightly different story, with manufacturing employment having declined by 75,000 roles since his inauguration, compared to significant gains made under his predecessor.
[. . .]
Other industry groups have blamed the legislation for wiping out jobs in many sectors, such as the pro-clean energy advocacy group E2, which in a recent analysis estimated that this had cost the country nearly half a million jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in energy investments and tax revenue since being signed into law.

And payroll figures from the Department of Labor likewise show that manufacturing employment has declined rather than improved since Trump returned to office. The economy added around 3,000 manufacturing roles last month, though this modest gain is one of the few positive readings over the past year and a half.

All told, the economy has lost 75,000 manufacturing roles between January 2025 and June of this year. 




Turning to Todd Blanche, America's acting Attorney General who wants to become Attorney General so badly that he's apparently saying whatever he thinks his listener wants to hear in private. Jennifer Bendery (HUFFINGTON POST) reports:

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is disputing he told Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that he “made a mistake” by creating a $1.7 billion slush fund for payouts to people claiming they were wronged by the government, like Jan. 6, 2021 rioters.

Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, shared this tidbit with reporters last Tuesday, right after a meeting with Blanche. He and a top aide, who attended the private meeting with Blanche, even said it was a direct quote.
But in his written responses to follow-up questions from the committee, where he’s awaiting a vote to be confirmed to his post, Blanche denied Friday that he said that.

“In our meeting this week, you said, ‘I made a mistake’ by creating this slush fund,” Durbin asked in his written questions. “Do you stand by this characterization of this slush fund?”

“I contest the accuracy of this statement,” Blanche replied.

Claude Wooten (2PARAGRAPHS) reports on Blanche's interaction with another US senator:

President Trump’s acting Attorney General Todd Blanche repeatedly refused to answer written questions posed by U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) regarding the development of the Department of Justice’s $1.776 Billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Along with other inquiries, Tillis asked who was involved and who determined the amount of the fund.
[. . .]
Political scientist Norman Ornstein, an emeritus scholar at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., replied: “Blanche is daring @SenThomTillis to vote against him. It is a real test of Tillis's spine and moral character. He knows full well how utterly unqualified and dangerous Blanche is. If he provides the vote to confirm this monster, that will be the act that defines his public service.”


Blanche appeared Wednesday of last week before Durbin, Tillis and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It did not go well.  His efforts to clarify issues since have also not gone well.  Also not going well?  His efforts to avoid the judge's ruling in Katie Phang's case.   Henry Giardina (QUEERTY) reports: 

Journalist Katie Phang has stayed on the DOJ’s neck since the first Epstein file release. This April, she filed suit against Todd Blanche for failing to release the files in exact accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The suit wasn’t only about the estimated 3 million Epstein files that remain under wraps: it called out the shocking redactions made seemingly without any motivation other than helping Tr*mp keep his reputation afloat.
Now, less than a month after Phang won her case, we’re finally getting some answers around Blanche and the FBI’s role in redacting the names of powerful men in the files, while leaving victims exposed and vulnerable to attack.
It should surprise exactly no one to learn that in training videos created to guide FBI agents through the redaction process, protecting Tr*mp was detailed as the most important priority in blacking out identifying names.

On a new episode of Phang’s podcast on the MeidasTouch network, Phang interviews The Daily Beans journalist Alison Gill about the recently-unearthed training tapes, and exactly who and what they were meant to protect.
Speaking with her sources inside the bureau, Gill confirms that the training videos exist both on the classified FBI channel BeauTube and on an open, accessible site. In both cases, insiders confirmed something interesting.

“The very first instructions [to the FBI] was to hide Tr*mp and other politically popular peoples’ names,” Gill says.

Not very good news for Blanche, Tr*mp, or anyone involved in the cover-up. According to Gill, this guidance didn’t sit well with certain FBI analyists, who actually do care about victims’ safety. But their concerns apparently were not taken into consideration. Instead of being told to focus on keeping Epstein survivors and victims protected, workers in the FBI’s information management division were coached to “find, log, and redact D*n*ld Tr*mp’s name.”

This tedious work involved creating two separate spreadsheet databases detailing when, where, and in what context Tr*mp’s name showed up allegedly over 1 million times in the files.





Blanche is facing major pushback on his nomination including from Epstein survivors.  Peter Charalambous and Lauren Peller (ABC NEWS) report:

Two dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged abuse are again urging Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to vote against confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general. 

In a letter to both senators, the group said that Blanche's recent meeting with Epstein victims was nothing more than "a box-checking exercise arranged only after his confirmation was put at risk."
"Survivors received an hour of deflection, interruption and gaslighting," the letter said. "Todd Blanche showed no remorse for the horrific release of materials that exposed survivors' identities and images. He also gave no indication that he believed there were investigative leads worth pursuing, or that he intended to seek accountability beyond Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."
Sen. Tillis last week required Blanche to meet with the victims to secure his vote, and Blanche met with them late Thursday at the Department of Justice. Blanche described the meeting as "productive" -- saying he encouraged them to provide any information that could support an investigation -- but acknowledged they conveyed "frustration" with the process. 


Some senators may vote for him just because of their own ties to the Epstein class.  Take Susan Collins who has a long history of siding with Epstein.  Troy Matthews (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) reports: 


Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) accepted campaign donations from known Jeffrey Epstein associates, while taking legislative action to block the release of the Epstein files. More names of Collins' donors with Epstein ties have been identified since the first MeidasTouch report.

In September of 2025, Collins accepted a $10,000 donation from Epstein associate Casey Wasserman, including $7,000 to her campaign committee and $3,000 to Dirigo PAC, a political action committee sponsored by Collins. Wasserman also hosted a Hollywood fundraiser for Collins.
Wasserman was forced to sell his business after his close friendship with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell became public. Wasserman had taken multiple flights with Epstein and exchanged emails of a sexual nature to Maxwell, saying among other things, "I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?"

In another email, Maxwell asked Wasserman whether it will be foggy enough during an upcoming visit "so that you can float naked down the beach and no one can see you unless they are close up?"
Collins also accepted $2,800 from Epstein associate Leon Black. Black resigned as CEO of Apollo Global Management due to his relationship with Epstein. Black and Jeffrey Epstein knew each other for decades, “Often socialized and dined together,” and Black was a lucrative client for Epstein until Epstein’s death.
Black was accused of sexual assault by a woman interviewed by the FBI and federal prosecutors as part of investigations into potential co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, but denied any wrongdoing. Black described his relationship with Epstein as one largely limited to tax strategy, estate planning and philanthropic advice.



A French professional model recruiter who for over a decade arranged for the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to meet multiple models, was found dead at his home near Paris on Monday.

Daniel Siad’s body was found in his house in Colombes, a suburb of the French capital, Marie-Céline Lawrysz, deputy public prosecutor at the Nanterre Judicial Court, told CNN in a Wednesday statement.
An autopsy will be performed on the body to determine the cause of death.







Daniel Siad, 69, was reportedly under investigation by French prosecutors for trafficking tied to the late sex offender and for separate allegations of sexual crimes.
His attorney, Menya Arab-Tigrine, told ABC News that Siad's death was discovered by the sister of a neighbor. The attorney said she believed Siad had suffered a heart attack but was waiting for an official report.

Siad's name appears more than 2,000 times in records released by the U.S. Justice Department in response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act. His correspondence with Epstein often contained references to young women he had scouted -- in Sweden, Eastern Europe and elsewhere -- that he thought would be of interest to Epstein.
[. . .]
Siad's death comes less than a week after the BBC published a detailed story about an alleged Epstein victim, who was identified by the pseudonym "Anya." According to the article, Anya had alleged that Siad had introduced her to Epstein, which she claimed led to years of manipulation and abuse by Epstein.

She described Siad as "essentially a professional trafficker," according to the BBC.





Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is withholding foreign-language Epstein documents that could be used to bring new charges against convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, a legal analyst warned.

Former MS NOW anchor and attorney Katie Phang — who personally sued Blanche over Epstein file compliance and won a court order forcing him to act — made the accusation on her YouTube channel.

Her analysis was prompted by the death of modeling scout Daniel Siad, 69, found dead Monday at his home in the Paris suburb of Colombes, BBC News reported.

Siad was under French investigation for allegedly helping run Epstein's international sex trafficking network. French authorities had never interviewed him before he died, BBC News reported. Phang argued his death made the Justice Department's handling of the case more urgent, not less.
"The passage of time is hurting the ability to prosecute these cases," she explained in a broadcast on Wednesday.


Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:


***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full opening remarks***

Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) hearing on the future of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) research—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a former chair and senior member of SVAC, delivered the following opening remarks.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

“Look, I think Senators on both sides of this aisle have a real appreciation of VA’s research enterprise, which has been at the forefront of cutting-edge science for more than 100 years, it’s led to breakthroughs like the pacemaker, the first successful liver transplant, the nicotine patch, and CT scanning. 

“But I am not sure that the Trump administration has that same appreciation. And I am very concerned the actions by this administration have demoralized VA research staff, and have created instability in research funding, and put up barriers that has slowed the research process.

“On the very first day of the Trump Administration, all VA research staff became subject to a hiring freeze and probationary firings. As a result – research at the Pittsburgh VA to predict stroke risk was put on hold, enrollment into clinical trials for advanced cancer was delayed, and a clinical trial in Florida on preventing dementia and heart disease was cancelled.

“And look, Mr. Chairman, I could go on. I have heard a lot of stories like that.

“The Department also enforced vacancy cuts and staffing caps on its facilities. Though these cuts technically exclude research staff, a study at a VA site in the Pacific Northwest was delayed because staffing caps prevented them from hiring nurses who were needed to administer that study.

“These workforce actions have also taken a toll on employees at VA’s Central Office responsible for getting new research studies up and running.

“VA researchers now report startup times for their studies often stretch to more than a year. Those delays are partially due to a wildly inefficient hiring process for VA research staff. Researchers are reporting to us that the time to hire a new member of their staff now often takes up to six months. As a result, a planned study on RSV missed its enrollment window and could not even enroll participants. Another clinical trial closed after it took six months to hire a researcher. The study’s principal investigator and its lead clinician both resigned from the VA after this debacle.

“VA researchers are not only being undermined by delays and cuts at the Department, but also by instability and cuts at other federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, which frequently provides funding for our VA researchers. For example, a VA researcher’s NIH grant for studying opioid use disorder among minority veterans was cancelled—why? Because it was deemed ‘DEI-related.’

“Large VA research sites are also reporting their non-VA federal funding is down one-third or more compared to the previous year.

“And in one final blow to research, the Office of Management and Budget published a proposed rule that would require all federal grants, including those for VA research, to be approved by political appointees. That doesn’t make sense—let the political appointees overrule the scientist on what research is worth pursuing and funding.

“Given the current state of VA research under this administration – there is a demoralized workforce with limited access to non-VA federal funding – so it is really inexplicable to request a decrease in funding for VA research for fiscal year 2027.

“I am speaking here in place of Senator Blumenthal, but I can tell you right now as Vice Chair of Appropriations it is my intention to rip up Trump’s budget up and write a new one.

“I really hope our VA witnesses will take the concerns raised in this hearing seriously and commit to taking action to address them. If VA wants to ensure it can recruit and retain the brightest minds to conduct research and provide clinical care for our nation’s heroes, it has to work to restore the trust it has lost with many of its research staff.

“This committee and this congress should stand up for research. And it should stand up for science. And it should stand up for veterans—that’s where I am, Mr. Chairman.”

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