Today in Politics, Bulletin 186. 8/5/25

… Trump said before Dep AG Todd Blanche releases the transcript of his interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, he “wants to make sure that people who should not be involved, or who aren’t involved, or who aren’t hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate and very unfair to a lot of people.”

… Blanche was Trump’s criminal defense attorney before the election.

… Q - Did you approve the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell? Trump: “I did not know about it. It’s not an uncommon thing.”

… It is absolutely unprecedented for a convicted sex offender to be transferred to a minimum security Club Fed. Never happens. And there is no way Blanche didn’t get Trump’s approval on it.

… Maxwell’s interview with Blanche in prison was recorded and the Trump admin is deciding whether to release a transcript of it to the public. CNN broke the story: “The existence of the recording has not been previously reported and comes at a time when the Trump admin is facing pressure to be more transparent with the information it has related to Epstein. The admin has been transcribing and digitizing the recording. Discussions over potential publication of the transcripts and the audio are ongoing.”

… “Maxwell’s team has just told SDNY it is opposed to the govt’s motion to unseal the grand jury transcripts, arguing that because she hasn’t seen them and is ‘actively litigating her case,’ it shouldn’t be made public. From her filing: ‘Jeffrey Epstein is dead. Ghislaine Maxwell is not. Whatever interest the public may have in Epstein, that interest cannot justify a broad intrusion into grand jury secrecy in a case where the defendant is alive, her legal options are viable, and her due process rights remain.’”

… So she is supposed to be cooperating with the govt, which is why they moved her to a minimum security Club Fed, but she is objecting to their motion to release the transcripts? There is no way she would oppose this motion if the govt really wanted the grand jury transcript released, which should tell everyone that they really don’t want it out. It is much better for them politically to have a judge deny their motion because Maxwell and victims objected - then they can claim that they tried.

… Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) posted a clip of AG Pam Bondi last year where she said that in criminal cases there is no legal basis for people’s names to to be redacted from reports unless they’re “a child, a victim, or a cooperating defendant.” McGovern put the clip with a story that said Bondi redacted Trump’s name from the Epstein files and tagged her with this comment: “Care to explain, Pam Bondi?”

… George Conway responded to McGovern’s post: “But he is a child.”

… Rep. James Comer’s House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas for these people to appear for depositions on Epstein: Hillary Clinton: October 9. Bill Clinton: October 14. Merrick Garland: October 2. James Comey: October 7. William Barr: August 18. Former AG Alberto Gonzales: August 26. Former AG Jeff Sessions: August 28. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller: September 2. Former AG Loretta Lynch: September 9. Former AG Eric Holder: September 30.

… Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN): “The Clintons will be receiving subpoenas to testify in front of the Oversight Committee about information in the Epstein files. The Deep State should be scared to death right now.”

… Ranking Committee Dem Rep. Robert Garcia also had his subpoena issued: “The Epstein Files Subpoena is out! The files, that Oversight Democrats forced Republicans to vote on, has been issued. We have asked for the files by August 19. We are going to end this White House cover-up.”

… Politico: “Trump and Rupert Murdoch cut a deal postponing Murdoch’s deposition in Trump’s $20 billion libel case regarding publication of the Epstein birthday card letter until after WSJ's forthcoming motion to dismiss. Barring health issues, neither Murdoch nor Trump will be deposed for months.”

… Transportation Secretary and now NASA administrator Sean Duffy announced that the primary focus of the agency over the next several years will be to build a nuclear power plant on the moon: “Energy is important. If we are going to be able to sustain life on the moon to then go to Mars, this technology is critically important. We have to marshall all our resources, all of our focus on going to the moon, which is what we’re going to do.”

… Politico: “The reactor directive orders the agency to solicit industry proposals for a 100 kilowatt nuclear reactor to launch by 2030, a key consideration for astronauts’ return to the lunar surface. The first country to have a reactor could ‘declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the US,’ the directive states. The directive also orders NASA to designate a leader for the effort and to get industry input within 60 days. The agency is seeking companies able to launch a reactor by 2030 since that’s around the time China intends to land its first astronaut on the moon.”

… NPR: “The Trump admin has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions. If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere. The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.”

… “It is unclear why the Trump admin seeks to end the missions. The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years. An official review by NASA in 2023 found that ‘the data are of exceptionally high quality’ and recommended continuing the mission for at least 3 years. Both missions measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe.”

… CBS: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ will serve as a model for state-run migrant detention centers, and she told CBS that she hopes to launch a handful of similar detention centers in multiple airports and jails across the country, in the coming months. Potential sites are already under consideration in AZ, NE and LA: ‘The locations we're looking at are right by airport runways that will help give us an efficiency that we've never had before.’"

… CNN: “Corey Lewandowski has become a permanent advisor to Noem at DHS, although officially his status is that of a special govt employee with a limited term of service. He is not officially part of the department’s leadership, but DHS documents refer to him as the chief advisor to the secretary. During the trip to Argentina, Lewandowski was photographed alongside Noem, and later he participated in bilateral meetings with Chilean and Ecuadorian officials together with DHS reps.”

… “This indicates the significant influence Lewandowski has gained within DHS. He has overseen employee dismissals, demanded placing them on admin leave, and called agency heads to ‘keep them in line.’ In at least one case, he approved billion-dollar FEMA grants.” A source: “He is effectively the chief of staff. Everyone fears him because he has almost exclusive authority to fire people.”

… “Lewandowski now frequently appears alongside Noem, who is conducting an aggressive PR campaign supporting Trump’s immigration policies. His influence over FEMA has only grown as DHS appointed more than half a dozen loyalists to FEMA leadership to control the agency from within. His power continues to expand. He regularly bypasses Dep Secretary Troy Edgar, effectively acting as the department’s second-in-command. When he wants to reject a proposal, he often writes ‘Denied’ or ‘No’ in bold marker on documents.”

… Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a MAGA favorite for crazy statements over the years, is now fuming at Noem for poaching FL deputies to become ICE agents: “Everyone in law enforcement recruits, and we actively recruit because we’re working in an environment today where the majority of the people do not want to work in law enforcement. We’re assisting ICE, and we’ve been spending a lot of time and effort, and the next thing we know, the people who we have submitted to ICE, who have been ICE trained on our dime, received a direct email from the admin. I mean, that’s biting the hand that’s feeding you, and I am angry.”

… Judd said he expected an apology from Noem: “It’s not that they’re recruiting, it’s that they used our data that we submitted to them in order to talk directly to our people. And at the same time, they didn’t send this out to the state-level officers because they didn’t want to make our governor, DeSantis mad.”

… He said Sheriffs all over FL are pissed: “We all offer a recruiting bonus. And we recruit. It’s not the fact that they did it, it was the way they did it, and that they used our professional data that we sent them. Noem needs to put her big girl pants on and hold (ICE Director) Madison Sheahan accountable. It’s not right. It’s not professional. It is bush-league work, is what it is.”

… Controversy erupted last night with MAGA fuming after a directive was published by DHS stating that states and cities must certify that they will not boycott Israel or they will be denied FEMA disaster relief. DHS later changed the wording to try and put out the firestorm and issued this statement: “There is NO FEMA requirement tied to Israel in any current NOFO. FEMA grants remain governed by existing law and policy and not political litmus tests. DHS will enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) movement, which is rooted in anti-semitism.”

… So if you don’t support the policies of the current Israeli government, DHS considers you to be anti-semitic.

… The DHS post was then hit with a Community Note fact-check on X: “Misleading - DHS Terms and Conditions only now removed the section stating ‘boycott means refusing to deal, cutting commercial relations, or otherwise limiting commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies.’”

… The America First Post: “While DHS removed the explicit requirement for states and cities to certify they won’t boycott Israel to receive disaster aid, the clause was reworded as a ban on ‘discriminatory prohibited boycotts.’ DHS confirmed that boycotting Israel is still considered a form of antisemitic ‘discrimination,’ meaning the policy remains in effect, just vaguely rephrased.”

… Trump was wandering around on the roof of the WH today. He was asked if he was planning to make additional changes to the building in addition to destroying the Rose Garden for his massive ballroom: “Missiles, nuclear missiles.”

… Presumably that was supposed to be a joke, but I assume nothing these days.

… Trump gave another unhinged interview filled with lies on CNBC this morning, with host Joe Kernen sometimes trying to fact-check him, sometimes laughing at him, sometimes shaking his head, but generally letting Trump unload his firehose of lies. Trump on his EU trade deal: "They paid $600 billion and because of that I reduced their tariffs from 30% down to 15%. They gave me $600B. It’s a gift. They gave us $600B to invest in anything I want. Anything. I can do anything I want with it."

… This is complete fiction. The EU is giving him nothing to invest. The broad outline (it isn’t an agreement with specifics) said that the EU will encourage member countries to invest $600B over the next several years in the US. They based that estimate on the amount that Europeon countries were going to spend on US oil and weapons, which they were planning to do anyway before the agreement. Trump is getting no money to “invest.”

… Trump was asked about migrant farm workers: "People that live in the inner city are not doing that work. They've tried to get them, we've tried, everybody tried. They won't do it. These people (migrants) do it naturally. Naturally - they don't get a bad back, because if they get a bad back, they die."

… There are no quiet parts anymore. That shit ended a long time ago. It’s just all out there in the open now.

… Trump: “I have the best poll numbers I ever had because people love the tariffs. Kernan: No, you don’t have the best poll numbers in overall numbers. You don’t. Among Republicans, maybe. Trump: I have poll numbers where I’m at 71%. Kernan: Those are Republicans. Trump: No, with Republicans I’m at 94%. Kernan: Some polls have you in the 30s. Trump: They're fake polls. I’m in the 70s.”

… Kernan also fact-checked Trump on the lie he’s been telling that downward revisions in jobs numbers weren’t released until after the election to help Kamala Harris: “The revision last year was in August. There was still plenty of time for voters to see those weren't real jobs. Trump: No. It was after the election in November. I believe it was in November. Kernan: It was in August. Trump: The numbers were rigged.”

… Matthew Gertz with Media Matters: “This is completely backwards - the BLS announcement on Nov. 1 showed weak growth of 12,000 jobs in October and downward revisions to Aug/Sept of 112,000. Then after the election, the October figure was revised upward. It’s impossible to tell if Trump is lying, dumb, or sundowning.”

… Trump on Texas redistricting: "We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up 5 seats. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas as you probably know. And we are entitled to 5 more seats."

… He did not get the highest vote total by percentages - not even close. He got the most raw vote total as a function of the population of Texas steadily increasing over the years.

… CNN’s Aaron Blake: “Trump - ‘I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.’ Fact check: Trump's 56% in Texas 2024 isn't even in the top 10. He ranks 15th, historically. He won less than Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush.”

… CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) right after Trump’s interview: “TX Republicans argue redistricting is about making the state more competitive. But you just heard Trump say the quiet part out loud - that the GOP is 'entitled' to 5 more House seats. Which is it? McClain: Of course I'm going to side with the president. I think what we're doing is right.”

… McClain: “For the first time in a long time we’re playing by the rules of the game. Blitzer: But the rules of the game are redistricting happens every 10 years after the census. McClain: There's nothing that says we can't do it now. Trump is gonna fight for the Republican Party. That's his job.”

… Back to Kernan and Trump: “You've talked how you want success, not retribution. The DOJ is now tapping a grand jury to look into the intelligence community's assessment of what was happening with Russia. You have nothing to do with directing that? Trump: Nope. I have nothing to do with it. I will tell you this - they deserve it. I was happy to hear it.”

… I’m sure we all believe he had nothing to do with it. Just like he had nothing to do with Maxwell getting moved to Club Fed.

… Trump was asked about tariffs on India, which he has threatened to increase dramatically since they buy Russian oil: "We settled on 25%, but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours."

… Nikki Haley: “India should not be buying oil from Russia. But China, an adversary and the number one buyer of Russian and Iranian oil, got a 90-day tariff pause. Don’t give China a pass and burn a relationship with a strong ally like India.”

… Trump was asked if he will replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “I love Scott, but he wants to stay where he is. I asked him just last night, 'Is this something you want? Nope, I want to say where I am.'“

… Trump said he's considering former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, WH economist Kevin Hassett and two other people he didn’t name.

… Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi: “The economy is on the precipice of recession. That’s the clear takeaway from last week’s economic data dump. Consumer spending has flatlined, construction and manufacturing are contracting, and employment is set to fall. And with inflation on the rise, it is tough for the Fed to come to the rescue.

… “Unemployment remains low, but that’s only because labor force growth has gone sideways. The foreign-born workforce is shrinking, and labor force participation is declining. Telling is the economy-wide hiring freeze, particularly for recent graduates, and the decline in hours worked.”

… “It’s no mystery why the economy is struggling; blame increasing US tariffs and highly restrictive immigration policy. The tariffs are cutting increasingly deeply into the profits of American companies and the purchasing power of American households. Fewer immigrant workers means a smaller economy.”

Reminder that there is no Bulletin on Wednesdays because I do my live podcast Uncovered and also my Ask the Editor show with Ben where he asks me questions that you have submitted to the bottom of this column. If you have a question or want me to comment more on a topic post them to this. I read the replies to each Bulletin every morning, and your questions have been really great since we started it.

If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… TX Gov Greg Abbott was on Fox today talking about his plan to hunt down and arrest Democratic Reps who refuse to show up for his illegal gerrymander. He was asked first about the few who are rumored to be still in TX: “Texas officers are on the streets right now looking for those Democrat House members to arrest them and take