Trump News for Friday, July 18, 2025

President Trump Sues WSJ, News Corp for Defamation Over Alleged Epstein Letter

TMZ Staff, TMZ

No TACO this time from President Trump ... as promised, he's filed a defamation lawsuit over the Wall Street Journal story claiming he wrote a racy 50th birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump filed Friday in federal court in Florida -- just about…

Trump signs GENIUS Act into law

Anand Sinha, TheStreet

President Donald Trump signs the stablecoin regulation bill into law.

The president made an eyebrow-raising claim while speaking at a bill signing ceremony.

The Daily Beast, Daily Beast

President Donald Trump accidentally suggested he is not a “smart president” while speaking at the White House on Friday. The president was addressing the...

Trump Threatens, Then Sues Murdoch Over Epstein Story Using Tactics His Supporters Used To Call A ‘Massive Attack on Free Speech’

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Donald Trump admitted yesterday that he called Rupert Murdoch and demanded the Wall Street Journal kill its story about Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. When Murdoch couldn’t deliver, Trump promised to sue the media company and gleefully looked forw…

A court docket says Trump is suing Murdoch, but there's something weird

Jacob Shamsian,Kelsey Vlamis,Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, Business Insider

Donald Trump threatened to sue over a Wall Street Journal story that linked him to Jeffrey Epstein. A docket appears, but something's off.

Inside Trump’s Unsuccessful Attempt to End the Epstein News

Ashley Parker, Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic

The president was adamant about doing nothing. But the story wouldn’t go away.

Trump says no one cares about Epstein. Why won't his base let it go?

NPR

One of the narratives at the heart of President Trump's political movement is this: American society is dominated by a shadowy group of elites, and those elites are deeply corrupt. <br><br>Nothing represented that theory more than the case of Jeffrey Epstein.…

Trump’s attack on NPR and PBS, briefly explained

Cameron Peters, Vox

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The House passed a bill clawing back billions in feder…

WATCH: President Trump signs first major federal cryptocurrency bill into law

ABC News

The bill outlines regulations aimed at making a specific kind of digital currency called stablecoins more accessible and mainstream.

"I don't think I changed his mind" — NVIDIA CEO comments on H20 AI GPU sales resuming in China following a meeting with President Trump

c.cale.hunt@gmail.com (Cale Hunt) , Cale Hunt, Windows Central

NVIDIA's H20 AI GPUs are once again allowed to be sold in China following a reversal of restrictions by the Trump administration, and NVIDIA's CEO claims it wasn't he who changed the US President's mind.

Trump sues Murdoch for libel over Jeffrey Epstein letter story

BBC News

Trump had threatened to force Murdoch to "testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump is beginning to implement his sweeping student-loan repayment changes

Ayelet Sheffey, Business Insider

Trump's Department of Education is starting to implement student-loan repayment changes from the "beautiful bill," including limits on debt relief.

New U.S. Postal Service head says he doesn't believe in privatizing the mail agency

Hansi Lo Wang, NPR

Postmaster General David Steiner told USPS workers he doesn't believe in privatizing the agency. President Trump has expressed support for such a move, which would likely hurt services in rural areas.

Trump claims Epstein files are faked, but many documents have been public for years

James Hill, ABC News

Trump alleged, without evidence, that former Biden officials doctored the files.

Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed

Jonathan Stempel, Yahoo Entertainment

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump cannot pursue his nearly $50 million lawsuit against the journalist Bob Woodward for publishing tapes from interviews for...

Migrants deported to El Salvador sent to Venezuela in prison swap, Bukele says

Laura Romero, ABC News

The migrants were deported to El Salvador’s mega-prison in March.

Why CBS Snatched Its Talk-Show King’s Crown

David Sims, The Atlantic

The surprise cancellation of "The Late Show" is just the latest blow to the genre.

Trump’s Cabinet Is Cashing in on Crypto

AJ Dellinger, Gizmodo.com

One in five Trump nominees have crypto holdings, according to an analysis.

Republicans Are Trying to Turn Biden’s Autopen Use Into a Huge Scandal. Here’s the Truth.

Frank Bowman, Slate Magazine

The Biden pardon brouhaha embraces at least five sets of pardons.

CBS cancelled the Late Show with Stephen Colbert just days after he...

Jason Kottke, kottke.org

CBS cancelled the Late Show with Stephen Colbert just days after he criticized the $16 bribe the network paid to Trump. Here&#8217

WATCH: Ukrainian woman shares story after losing mom and sister to Russian strike

ABC News

ABC News' Ian Pannell talked to 21-year-old Valeria, whose mom and 11-year-old sister died after a Russian missile crashed into their building in Kyiv late last month.

CBS Has Been Screwing Up Late Night Since the 1960s

JM McNab, Cracked.com

The Colbert situation is bad, but not unprecedented

One of the Democrats Trump unlawfully fired from the FTC is back

Lauren Feiner, The Verge

Four months after President Donald Trump defied Supreme Court precedent to remove two Democratic commissioners from the Federal Trade Commission without cause, one of those commissioners is returning to work. US District Court Judge Loren AliKhan called the a…

Gavin Newsom Brought The Receipts After Trump Claimed He "Never Wrote A Picture" In Response To The Epstein Files, And It's Sooo Good

Lee Moran, Buzzfeed

The California governor flipped the president's own words right back at him.

DHS: Filming Cops, ICE Officers is A ‘Violent Tactic’

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The DHS has been hyping assault stats for weeks, making it sound like there’s an actual war on ICE officers. The reality was much more underwhelming: the 700% increase touted in press releases reflected a mere 69 more assaults on officers than during the same…

There’s a bigger story behind Colbert’s cancellation

Constance Grady, Vox

On Thursday, CBS announced that it was going to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert after Colbert’s contract ends in May 2026. The news comes at a politically fraught moment for CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global. It’s also the capper on the l…

For No Reason at All, Let's Revisit Trump's Creepy Comments About His Daughter

Susan Rinkunas, Jezebel

Barf Bag: Because a certain news cycle is now definitely going to carry over into next week, it's time to take a trip down memory lane.

Energy Transfer LP (ET) Gets Initiated With a New Buy Rating at TD Cowen

Noor Ul Ain Rehman, Yahoo Entertainment

Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) is one of the best cheap stocks under $50 to buy now. On July 7, Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET) was initiated with a new Buy...

WATCH: Trump directs Pam Bondi to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein case

ABC News

President Donald Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The new revelation about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, explained

Andrew Prokop, Vox

Just how close was Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein? The president’s onetime friendship with Jeffrey Epstein — the well-connected financier who was indicted for sex trafficking underage girls and died in prison in 2019 — has long been a matter of public record…

Trump Hopes to Kill ‘Woke’ AI Models

Jeremy Gray, PetaPixel

President Trump is working on an executive order that targets so-called "woke" artificial intelligence (AI) models. [Read More]

Opinion - 4 reasons why Trump should reject China’s invitation to its military parade

Vincent C. Chen, opinion contributor, The Hill

A wiser, stronger strategy would be to reserve a presidential visit to China for when Beijing demonstrates genuine reform.

Appeals Court Judge Claims (Against All Historical Evidence) That The First Amendment Doesn’t Apply To Non-Citizens

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

We’ve written before about how attacks on free speech often start with unpopular speakers who lack political power. That’s why a new dissenting opinion from Trump-appointed Judge Paul Matey should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about the First Amend…

Here Are the Winners and Losers of the CBS-Colbert Saga

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

By Opheli Garcia Lawler Published: July 18th, 2025

What it would take to escape the two-party system

Rebeca Ibarra, Noel King, Vox

Earlier this month, Elon Musk said he wanted to form a new political party. He’d been teasing the idea ever since clashing with President Donald Trump over his “big, beautiful bill,” which Musk accused of exploding the deficit. In June, Musk ran a poll on X a…

With The Late Show Ending, The Era Of Traditional TV Is On Its Deathbed

staff@slashfilm.com (Ryan Scott), /FILM

While the circumstances around The Late Show's cancellation are suspect, there's no denying it's reflective of larger changes to the traditional TV landscape.

The Billionaire Class Has Bought Up All of Media So We Can’t Laugh at Them Anymore

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

The world is being run by thin-skinned losers who have swapped patronage for censorship

The laws of quantum physics rule out a universe that came before ours

Karmela Padavic-Callaghan, New Scientist

Instead of the big bang, some physicists have suggested that our universe may have come from a big bounce following another universe contracting – but quantum theory could rule this out

DHS, ICE To Expedite Ejecting Migrants Into Whatever Hellhole Will Have Them

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The Trump administration’s maximum cruelty version of immigration enforcement has sent swarms of masked officers to anywhere someone looking kind of foreign might be found. Due process has been eliminated, with the administration relying on its invocation of …

Inside the federal government’s purge of climate data

Kate Yoder, Vox

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For 25 years, a group of the country’s top experts has been fastidiously tracking the ways that climate change threatens every part of the United St…

The Dispute Behind the Violence in Syria

Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic

A strong central government in Damascus appeals to Trump but not to his allies in Israel.

NASA Staff To Mark Moon Landing Anniversary with a Protest Against Trump

Passant Rabie, Gizmodo.com

The White House's 2026 budget proposal threatens dozens of active and upcoming science missions designed to explore the cosmos.

Court orders Bolsonaro to wear ankle tag and puts him under curfew

BBC News

A court in Brazil also bars the ex-president from using social media and put him under 24-hour surveillance.

24,000 e-bike batteries recalled because the US can’t get its shit together

Thomas Ricker, The Verge

The US federal government's consumer watchdog has issued a recall for "about 24,000" batteries sold with cheap VIVI e-bikes at retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and AliExpress for prices between $365 and $950. At least 14 incidents of overheating batteries have…

UK sanctions Russian spies for malicious activity

BBC News

Three Russian intelligence units and 18 officers have been sanctioned, the Foreign Office says.

The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE

William Turton, Christopher Bing, and Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, Gizmodo.com

The administration is collapsing the guard rails between agencies that help protect American's privacy.

Donald Trump Celebrates Stephen Colbert Firing That Allegedly Wasn’t About Pleasing Donald Trump

JM McNab, Cracked.com

By JM McNab Published: July 18th, 2025

Consumer sentiment improved in July, despite Trump's tariff threats

Max Zahn, ABC News

The U.S. economy has largely defied economists' fears of a tariff-induced slowdown.

Sheryl Crow and the Lowdown Blast Trump, AI in New Song ‘The New Normal’

Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone

Sheryl Crow and her touring band the Lowdown take on artificial intelligence, the president, weird science, and more on new song "The New Normal."

Trump suggests there is no 'smoking gun' in the Jeffrey Epstein files

Michelle Stoddart, Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News

President Donald Trump on Friday implied there is no "smoking gun" in the Jeffrey Epstein files as he seeks to downplay a case that's long animated his MAGA supporters.

"The Daily Show" Destroyed Trump's Latest Biden Attack By Showing Literally Just 1 Clip That Proved He Was So, So Wrong

Ed Mazza, Buzzfeed

Jordan Klepper took down the president's surprise comments about his predecessor.

Everyone Is Saying ‘F*** You, CBS’ in Reaction to Colbert Cancellation

Opheli Garcia Lawler, Cracked.com

Jimmy Kimmel, Andy Cohen and a slew of other critics aren’t thrilled with the sidelining of the nice Catholic boy

The EU can be shut down with a few keystrokes

Bite Code!, Bitecode.dev

On a QWERTY keyboard

Can U.S. Math Research Survive NSF Funding Cuts?

Emma R. Hasson, Scientific American

A 72 percent reduction in federal funding is devastating to math research. The American Mathematical Society is offering $1 million in backstop grants—but it’s likely not enough.

Donald Trump loyalist Scott Jennings twisted himself up in knots trying to defend the president’s mental acuity.

The Daily Beast, Daily Beast

Scott Jennings has been accused of sounding like Joe Biden’s aides in a discussion about President Donald Trump’s health. CNN’s token MAGA pundit tried to...

Celebrities React to Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' Cancellation

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Stephen Colbert’s dropping the mic on late-night TV next year, and looks like the talk-show king is seriously beloved ... 'cause the celebs are freaking out over the news. Ben Stiller, Rachel Zegler, "Severance" star Adam Scott and others flooded…

The Best Trump Burns That Probably Got Stephen Colbert Fired

Matt Solomon, Cracked.com

Epstein and Elon provide plenty of punchlines

‘Five-Alarm Fire’: Texas Dem Sounds Off on Trump’s Bid to Gerrymander Midterms

Nikkimccannramirez, Rolling Stone

Rep. Greg Casar called for a mass Democratic response to efforts by Trump and Texas Republicans to create new GOP seats ahead of the midterms.

Stephen Colbert May Have Never Had More Eyes on ‘The Late Show’ Last Night. Unfortunately, His Lead Guest Was Adam Schiff

Tara Ariano, Cracked.com

By Tara Ariano Published: July 18th, 2025

Settlement in Meta Privacy Suit Spares Board Members Zuck, Sandberg, and Thiel From Testifying

Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo.com

The lawsuit had been ongoing for many years and would have forced top-level executives to speak before the court.

We Now Know Why Stephen Colbert Delivered His Cancellation Announcement With Googly Eyes on His Hand

Tara Ariano, Cracked.com

What is this, ‘Inception’? ‘Memento’? Some other Christopher Nolan movie?

Dem Senators Use Epstein Scandal To ‘Pressure’ Trump FCC To Drop Bogus Inquiry Into CBS

Karl Bode, Techdirt

When last we checked with CBS/Paramount, company executives had just paid Trump $16 million in bribe money to settle a completely baseless lawsuit, effectively purchasing regulatory approval of their $8 billion merger with Skydance. It was arguably one of the…

What is Trump's vein condition and how serious is it?

BBC News

The US president has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, according to the White House.

NASA workers plan 'Moon Day' protest on July 20 to oppose mass layoffs, budget cuts. 'This year has been an utter nightmare that has not stopped.'

jdinner@space.com (Josh Dinner) , Josh Dinner, Space.com

Workers from within NASA will protest the space agency leadership's "preemptive over-compliance" of the White House's proposed budget, gutting science and eliminating jobs.

Tariff war must end quickly, German finance minister tells G7 partners

Maria Martinez, Yahoo Entertainment

DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) -German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil made clear in a meeting with his counterparts from the Group of Seven major economies ...

Trump threatens to sue over article about Epstein. And, what's next for public media

Brittney Melton, NPR

President Trump has threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal over an article alleging ties to Jeffrey Epstein. And, Congress has passed the rescission package affecting public media and foreign aid.

What to Do With the Most Dangerous Book in America

James Shapiro, The Atlantic

At a perilous American moment, the Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro explains why he wanted to read The Turner Diaries.

For Sale: Trump is leveraging power of his office to reap profits for family businesses

Yahoo Entertainment

Why It’s Not OK to Burn 500 Tons of Food Aid

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Apparently, asking Republican brown-nosers about the morality of burning food meant for starving children is the new trolley problem.

Fed's rate-cut delay intact as inflation fears override Trump pressure

Howard Schneider, Yahoo Entertainment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The case for a U.S. interest rate cut remains unresolved as Federal Reserve officials head into their policy meeting later this month, ...

Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Three Conspiracy-Theory Theories

Jon Allsop, The New Yorker

Trump rode the paranoid style of MAGA politics to power. Has he discovered that he can’t control it?

How Dartmouth Became the Ivy League’s Switzerland

Rob Wolfe, The New Yorker

Rob Wolfe writes about the policy of “institutional restraint” pursued by Sian Beilock, the president of Dartmouth College, in her dealings with student protests and Donald Trump’s Administration.

Can This Man Save Harvard?

Franklin Foer, The Atlantic

To fend off illiberalism from the White House, the university’s president also has to confront illiberalism on campus.

The Road Map to Restoring American Democracy

Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic

How the political system can recover from a crippling lack of trust

Federal workers say they're exhausted, anxious, and left in the dark after 6 months of DOGE

Allie Kelly,Nicole Einbinder,Alice Tecotzky,Ayelet Sheffey,Juliana Kaplan, Business Insider

6 months into DOGE, Business Insider spoke with 22 federal workers who stayed. They're mourning fired colleagues and trying to find a way forward.

CBS Cancels Stephen Colbert's Show 3 Days After He Calls Out Paramount for Trump Lawsuit

Lauren Tousignant, Jezebel

"America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted after Colbert's announcement.

Democrats press Trump administration on US deal with El Salvador to detain migrants

Armando Garcia, ABC News

The letter calls on officials to turn over any agreements between the U.S. and El Salvador regarding the detaining of migrants at the notorious CECOT mega-prison.

CBS Cancels 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,' Ending Its Run in Late-Night TV

info@hypebeast.com (Hypebeast), HYPEBEAST

SummaryCBS has canceled The Late Show, marking the network’s full exit from late-night television after more than three decadesThe decision is officially attributed to financial challenges, despite the show’s strong ratings and cultural impactThe move comes a…

What did Trump tell supporters to 'not waste Time and Energy' on? Take our quiz

Holly J. Morris, NPR

This week, President Trump didn't want to talk about a thing. If you know what that thing is, you'll get at least one question right. Plus: Emmys! Babies! Tennis!

Crypto’s Wild West Era Is Over

Luc Olinga, Gizmodo.com

The GENIUS Act brings crypto out of the shadows and into the American financial system.

PBS, NPR And Public Media Set To Lose Federal Funding As Package Of Spending Cuts Clears Congress

Ted Johnson, Deadline

UPDATED, with additional comments: PBS, NPR and public stations are facing the loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding, as the House cleared final passage of...

WATCH: Attempted abduction victim did ‘everything right’ to fight off attacker

ABC News

An attempted abduction was caught on camera in Florida, with police saying the victim did "everything right" to fight off her attacker.

Is Colbert’s Ouster Really Just a ‘Financial Decision’?

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

CBS no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Jerome Powell defends $2.5 billion Federal Reserve renovation project amid criticism from the Trump administration

Katherine Li, Business Insider

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell defended the bank's $2.5 billion headquarters renovation budget amid feud with Trump over interest rates.

Trump Claims He ‘Never Wrote a Picture in My Life.’ He Actually Drew Plenty of Them

Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone

President Donald Trump denied a Wall Street Journal report alleging he wrote a letter and drew a bawdy picture for Jeffrey Epstein.

WSJ: Trump Wrote Jeffrey Epstein Birthday Note with Naked Lady Sketch, Trump Threatens to Sue

TMZ Staff, TMZ

President Trump is fired up over a Wall Street Journal report claiming he wrote a note celebrating Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday, and it included a racy drawing of a naked woman ... but Trump is already threatening to sue. The bombshell WSJ…

Trump threatens to sue 'Wall Street Journal' over article about his Epstein ties

Stephen Fowler, NPR

President Trump is threatening to sue The Wall Street Journal for reporting on his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while calling for some additional Epstein files to be made public.

WATCH: AG Pam Bondi visits Alcatraz for briefing after Trump's order to reopen prison

ABC News

Attorney General Pam Bondi visited Alcatraz on Thursday to assess the viability of reopening the infamous prison.

WATCH: Trump lashes out at supporters over Epstein files

ABC News

President Trump blasted some of his own supporters, who have criticized the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

WATCH: Committee advances former Trump attorney for key appeals court role

ABC News

Democrats walked out of the Senate Judiciary Committee before Republicans voted to advance Pres. Trump's nomination of Emil Bove.

Trump orders production of more Epstein material after pressure

BBC News

Trump's supporters and opponents alike have demanded more disclosures related to the disgraced financier.

Iran's president injured during Israeli strikes, U.S. intelligence sources say

James LaPorta, CBS News

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured during an Israeli strike, sources told CBS News — though it's unclear if he was intentionally targeted.

I built a random number generator for cryptography using Frigate, and here's how it works

Adam Conway, XDA Developers

It's a proof of concept, and can be massively improved, but it works.

Democrats are right to flirt with Trump-Epstein conspiracies

Eric Levitz, Vox

Democrats want you to know that President Donald Trump definitely might be protecting a cabal of child abusers. Or so the party’s recent messaging suggests. For years, extremely online conservatives have been agitating for the release of the “Epstein Files” —…

BREAKING: WSJ: Trump sent Epstein birthday letter reviewed by DOJ

NBC, Yahoo Entertainment

The Wall Street Journal reveals Trump sent Epstein a bawdy birthday letter, framed by a nude sketch and ending with: “Happy birthday — and may every day be...

Stephen Colbert Holds Off on Criticizing Paramount, President Trump in Gracious 'Late Show' Cancellation Announcement

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

Colbert focused on his co-workers and the show’s incredible run in a heartfelt opening monologue

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to end in May 2026

BBC News

The network called it a financial decision tied to the "challenging backdrop in late night" television.

Relentless immigration raids are changing California's way of life

BBC News

A month since Donald Trump called in the National Guard, raids continue to spark violent protests - and fear.

CBS Cancels Stephen Colbert and ‘The Late Night’ Franchise, Citing ‘Financial Reasons’

Keegan Kelly, Cracked.com

Colbert has been openly critical of Paramount’s attempts to cozy up with President Trump