🔵 Trump Under Fire

Author

Citizen Frank
July 08, 2025

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, July 8.

President Donald Trump became defensive when asked about his administration’s handling of the federal government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, particularly the deceased sex offender’s so-called client list.

“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House before a Cabinet meeting. “We have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things. Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.”

Trump’s Department of Justice and FBI caused confusion this week after they released a memo finding there was no evidence that Epstein blackmailed powerful men with his client list or that he was murdered.

 
 

State and federal officials announced on Monday that 10 people were arrested for engaging in a “planned ambush” on an ICE detention facility in Texas over the Fourth of July holiday.

The individuals were charged with attempted murder of a federal officer, according to court records.

The incident occurred at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, on Friday, according to Nancy Larson, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

A Border Patrol official declared Monday that agents will be sticking around Los Angeles until their “mission is accomplished” as Mayor Karen Bass lashed out at federal law enforcement conducting an apparent immigration sweep at a local park.

Heavily armed officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the military units deployed by President Trump arrived at MacArthur Park in force, with the agents seen carrying rifles and traveling across the grounds on foot, horseback and in armored vehicles.

Bass, who was due to meet with California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the morning, showed up in the middle of the operation to yell at the agents to get out of the park, slamming the action as a “political stunt.”

An impostor pretending to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress by sending them voice and text messages that mimic Rubio’s voice and writing style using artificial intelligence-powered software, according to a senior U.S. official and a State Department cable obtained by The Washington Post.

U.S. authorities do not know who is behind the string of impersonation attempts but they believe the culprit was probably attempting to manipulate powerful government officials “with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts,” according to a cable sent by Rubio’s office to State Department employees.

Using both text messaging and the encrypted messaging app Signal, which the Trump administration uses extensively, the impostor “contacted at least five non-Department individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor, and a U.S. member of Congress,” said the cable, dated July 3.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will start his two-day tour of rural South Carolina on Tuesday, making stops in some of the state’s reddest counties that have been economically and environmentally devastated over the years.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain said that Newsom’s visit to the Pee Dee, Midlands, and Upstate regions was rooted in showing rural residents that they had not been forgotten despite “decades of Republican control” that “hollowed” out the areas. The two-day event, dubbed by state Democrats as “On the Road With Governor Newsom,” will have the governor meeting with people in coffee shops, community centers, and cafes.

Seven of the eight counties Newsom is scheduled to visit went for President Donald Trump in November, including two where he got 75% of the vote.

The IRS said in a new federal court filing that churches can endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking the loss of their tax-exempt status.

The move upends a 70-year-old interpretation of the U.S. tax code, whose Johnson Amendment has barred certain non-profit groups, including churches, from endorsing political candidates without putting their tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

President Donald Trump has long called for Johnson Amendment to be repealed.

In a new interview with American political commentator Tucker Carlson, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made several notable claims, including an allegation that Israel, with support from the United States, attempted to assassinate him. This assertion adds another dimension to the ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The interview also covered Iran’s nuclear program, diplomatic efforts, and the broader U.S.-Iran relationship.

Pezeshkian’s statement about the failed assassination attempt drew particular attention, reflecting the continuing conflict and mistrust between Iran and U.S. ally Israel.

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