The following transcript has been edited for readability and clarity:
Donald Can’t Escape the Epstein Files — No Matter How Hard He Tries
If you believe Donald, there’s absolutely nothing to the Epstein files. In fact, there may not even be files. Or if there are, it’s all the fault of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama — excuse me, Barack Hussein Obama — and crooked Hillary Clinton.
Yet he keeps doing things that call attention to the very scandal he wants us to forget. Worse than that, it seems that practically every agency in the federal government is now being pulled in to help him bury whatever this story might be.
And quite frankly, we don’t know. So not only is Donald out there lying and trying to distract us by blaming other people — but now Todd Blanche, a higher-up at the Department of Justice, is reportedly going to speak with convicted felon and abettor of a notorious sex trafficker of women, young women, and girls — Ghislaine Maxwell — to “get to the truth.”
Do we seriously think that’s what that conversation is going to be about?
And then, of course, there was the release over the weekend of the Martin Luther King Jr. files — as if Donald thinks that would be enough to sate the demand for the Epstein files.
Sorry, Donald. People want the Jeffrey Epstein files released.
Maybe it was also meant to draw attention to the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. was what used to be called a “womanizer,” and somehow that’s supposed to make the public care less about other prominent people’s private lives.
Of course, this is Donald — or rather, MAGAworld — equating two completely different things.
Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. may have been a womanizer. That’s documented. But his relationships were consensual and, quite frankly, none of our business. And let’s not forget: those files were compiled by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI as part of a smear campaign to undermine King’s moral authority and political power.
And then Donald went further. Today, he came out and claimed that his chief intelligence agent — someone to whom he now apparently listens — has proven, mind you, that Hillary Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama are guilty of treason.
Really? Maybe we’d like to see a little more detail on that.
And I’m sure there’s more happening behind the scenes that we don’t yet know about. But here’s what we do know: House Speaker Mike Johnson is essentially shutting down the House of Representatives — a full week ahead of the scheduled August recess — so that Republicans can avoid having to address the growing Epstein scandal, which is entirely the fault of Donald.
At this point, it’s safe to say that the entirety of the American government — every agency that matters — is doing Donald’s bidding. The whole machine is now being used to help cover up whatever crimes, humiliations, or horrors Donald allegedly committed.
Let’s dive in.
Donald’s New Target: Obama
Donald’s latest buzzword, distraction, or conspiracy theory — whatever you want to call it, it’s probably all of the above — is none other than former President Barack Obama.
Why? How?
You’d think that someone who’s been out of office for nearly a decade would be irrelevant to Donald by now. He’s not part of our day-to-day political lives anymore. I’m not saying he’s irrelevant historically, but he’s effectively a historical figure at this point.
With pressure mounting around the Epstein scandal, Donald is clearly desperate for a scapegoat. So once again, he’s landed on Obama.
At a press conference today with Philippine President Marcos — where the stated topic was trade — Donald launched into a bizarre, unhinged tirade accusing Obama of election interference and treason.
He said:
“It would be President Obama. He started it. And Biden was there with him. And Comey was there. And Clapper, the whole group was there. We caught Hillary Clinton. We caught Barack Hussein Obama. They're the ones. And then you have many, many people under them. Susan Rice. They're all there. The names are all there. You ought to take a look at that and stop talking about nonsense. They tried to rig the election, and they got caught. And there should be very severe consequences for that. But it’s time to start after what they did to me. And whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people.”
“Obama’s been caught directly. So people say, oh, you know, a group. It’s not a group. It’s Obama. His orders are on the paper. The leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? He’s guilty. It’s not a question, you know, I like to say, let’s give it time. It’s there. He’s guilty.”
“This was treason. President Obama — it was his concept, his idea — but he also got it from crooked Hillary Clinton. Crooked as a three-dollar bill.”
There it is: crooked Hillary. As if we hadn’t heard that enough already.
So yes: crooked Hillary, sleepy Joe, Barack Hussein Obama...
Actually, wait — he didn’t mention Joe Biden this time. I wonder why?
Ah — right. James Comer apparently has that one covered, because now we’re told Biden signed something with an autopen. So Donald can stick to Obama and Clinton.
But here’s the thing: I have no idea what crimes he is even alleging. And apparently, he thinks that whatever “they” did to him must be punished.
What exactly did they do?
He got into office in 2016.
And he got reelected in 2024.
So seriously — the attacks were so absurd that President Obama’s office actually responded. Which almost never happens. Usually, the best move is to ignore Donald altogether.
But not this time.
Obama’s spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush released the following statement:
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election, but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”
I have a different take on that part — but it doesn’t really matter. That was 2016. Donald got into office — whether legitimately or not — and nothing will be done about it now. Even if we found out he knowingly accepted Russian help and that it did influence votes.
The real point here is: this is a distraction. From Epstein. From the files. From everything he doesn’t want us looking at.
Everyone knows that — except Donald, apparently, who can’t stop drawing attention to it.
Thankfully, Obama is finally drawing a line in the sand. And frankly, it’s long overdue. Because what good is “respect for the office” if the person in it has none?
The Fallout of Donald’s Economic Policies
As Donald flails to distract from Epstein, the economic fallout of his policies is becoming impossible to ignore — starting with the auto industry.
We saw this coming. But now the financial reports are confirming it.
Even though many of Donald’s new tariffs haven’t taken effect yet, car manufacturers that build vehicles in Canada, Mexico, and South Korea — and then export to the U.S. — are already being hit with tariffs as high as 25%.
The result? Billions of dollars in lost profits, starting with General Motors.
GM just announced that its second-quarter profit dropped by more than a third. They've already lost over a billion dollars thanks to Donald’s tariffs. And there’s a straight line between those tariffs and the company’s losses.
And it’s not just GM.
Stellantis — the maker of Jeep, Chrysler, and Ram — announced a €2.3 billion loss in just the first half of the year. That’s roughly $2.7 billion, and they blamed Donald’s tariffs specifically, along with Republican economic policies more broadly.
This matters. Because eroding profits in the auto industry directly affect American workers — and our ability to compete with China.
Again, we all saw this coming. Everyone warned this would backfire.
So maybe — finally — American companies, workers, and voters will stop buying the false narrative that Republicans care about American business.
They don’t.
Habba Is Out — And That’s a Win
Donald is actively driving industry out of the country while claiming his tariffs will bring it back. Meanwhile, his effort to fill the government with loyalists just hit a wall.
Today, there was a rare piece of good news: New Jersey judges handed Donald a significant loss, blocking Alina Habba from becoming the state’s U.S. Attorney.
In a highly anticipated decision, Chief Judge Renée Bumb and her colleagues bypassed Habba and named someone else. Donald had appointed her back in March as a temporary U.S. Attorney, but for her to stay permanently, she needed the judges’ approval — and she didn’t get it.
According to The New York Times, Habba’s brief time in the office:
“Shattered morale inside the U.S. Attorney’s Office and left many prosecutors looking for a way out, according to sixteen close observers.”
Sounds exactly like someone Donald would hire.
Habba also gave interviews right after her appointment in which she suggested they could “flip New Jersey red” — even though her job was supposed to be bipartisan.
Of course, that’s meaningless in the current Republican Party.
But this time, the system worked. Habba is out. And Donald has lost a loyalist in a key position, in a key state.
That’s how it’s supposed to work — checks and balances, judges doing their jobs without fear or favor.
If only that were happening across the country.
MAGA Falls for a Fake Letter
The courts weren’t the only place Republicans embarrassed themselves today.
We all know Donald’s base isn’t exactly known for fact-checking. But even by their standards, this one was gobsmacking.
A fake resignation letter from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell started circulating in MAGA circles — and they fell for it.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah and right-wing influencer Benny Johnson both shared the obviously fake letter.
Think about that: a sitting U.S. senator and a conspiracy-pushing content creator are now functionally interchangeable.
Anyway, they shared the letter, which falsely claimed Powell would resign by day’s end. Once they realized it was fake, they quietly deleted the posts — no retraction, no clarification.
Just vanished.
To make things worse — and funnier — the letter included multiple typos, and the Federal Reserve seal was so distorted it appeared to be AI-generated.
Mike Lee, by the way, is one of the worst senators out there. But let’s be honest — this isn’t just about Lee.
This is about the broader right-wing ecosystem, where people like Benny Johnson, Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro wield enormous influence.
And many of them are idiots. Worse, they think you are too.
War on the Press
While Republicans flounder, Donald continues to escalate his war on the media.
Today, he celebrated a $60 million settlement from Paramount, calling it a victory over “fake news.” He bragged about it on his failing social media platform and used the opportunity to threaten other outlets.
“This is another in a long line of victories over the fake news media who we are holding to account for their widespread fraud and deceit. The Wall Street Journal, the failing New York Times, the Washington Post, MSDNC, CNN, and all the other mainstream media liars are on notice that the days of them being allowed to deceive the American people are over.”
He also claimed that the future owner of CBS would give him $20 million in free advertising and programming — just days after CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Colbert, a longtime critic of Donald, wasn’t about to let it go.
On his show, Colbert responded to Donlad’s gloating:
“On Friday, Donald Trump posted, ‘I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. Thank you.’
How dare you, sir. Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: Go f*** yourself?”
Honestly — works for me.
Defunding PBS and NPR
These settlements and threats come just as Donald and congressional Republicans have voted to strip funding from public broadcasting — including PBS and NPR.
These are vital institutions. Especially in rural areas, where Donald’s own base often relies on them most.
But they’re not backing down.
PBS issued a strong, hopeful message in response to the attacks:
“Before we go, we want to take a moment to address some important news involving the NewsHour. As you likely know, Congress last week approved President Trump’s request to rescind all federal funding for PBS and NPR. It’s an unsettling moment for all who believe in the mission of trusted, independent journalism. But your voices, your advocacy, and your unwavering support remind us why this work matters.
There are undoubtedly challenges ahead for the entire PBS system, including our family of member stations across the nation — most critically those who serve smaller and more rural communities.
As for us at the NewsHour, we’re not going anywhere. And we remain as committed as ever to bringing you the news, the analysis, and the stories that you’ve come to rely on over our nearly five decades on the air.
Your belief in the power of public broadcasting helps sustain our work. And your loyalty, especially now, fuels it. And we are profoundly grateful.
And we will continue our work as journalists without fear or favor.”
That made me proud.
It also reminded me of two things: First, that we’re lucky there are still people in this country who believe in the power of journalism and act with integrity. And second — that money is the root of the problem.
Paramount, which owns CBS, is worth billions. And they just lit $60 million on fire so they could keep their corporate relationships with Donald intact.
PBS and NPR, by contrast, are underfunded and nonprofit. They’re not selling out the American people — they’re trying to inform them.
That’s why they’re being targeted.
Because they don’t exist to make money. They exist to tell the truth.
And in today’s America, that makes them dangerous.
