Today in one sentence: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee for a six-hour interview; Trump staged a visit to the Federal Reserve to publicly call for Chair Jerome Powell to “do the right thing” and lower interest rates while accusing him of mismanaging a $2.5 renovation billion project; Trump signed an executive order directing cities and states to remove homeless people from public spaces and force them into treatment or institutional settings to "restore public order"; the Trump administration sued New York City, claiming the city’s sanctuary laws obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause; Trump signed an executive order banning “third-party, pay-for-play” payments to college athletes; the FCC approved the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance after Skydance promised to drop all DEI programs and add a news ombudsman at CBS; and a Florida man who sued Gawker into bankruptcy over a sex tape and got dropped by WWE after racist comments is dead at 71.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee for a six-hour interview, according to her lawyer, who called the session “very productive” and said Maxwell “answered every single question.” Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking minors for Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department initiated the meeting after Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel reversed course and announced they wouldn’t release anymore Epstein records or surveillance video, citing privacy concerns. The move contradicted months of public promises and came after Bondi had claimed the Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk.” This month, however, the DOJ released a two-page memo denying the list exists and reaffirmed Epstein’s 2019 death was a suicide – statements that have upset Trump’s base, which believes the government is hiding a “client list” of powerful Democrats who abused minors and helped cover up Epstein’s death.

In the spring, Bondi told Trump his name appeared in sealed files, along with others, though DOJ officials said those references don’t suggest wrongdoing. Blanche – who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer – also attended that briefing. Blanche’s role in brokering the Maxwell meeting has fueled accusations from lawmakers and critics that the DOJ is politicizing the case to protect Trump – especially as the DOJ simultaneously asked the Supreme Court to reject Maxwell’s appeal to overturn her conviction based on Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement.

On Wednesday, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena both Maxwell and the DOJ in a bipartisan move that defied Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. Three Republicans backed the motion, including Reps. Scott Perry and Nancy Mace. The subpoena demands internal DOJ communications and records involving Bondi, former FBI Director James Comey, and the Clintons. Maxwell has also been ordered to appear for a deposition at her prison on August 11. The revolt has fractured Republicans, forced an early recess, and reignited a discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie to compel a floor vote on releasing all Epstein documents. “Democrats smelled blood in the water,” one Republican said.

Trump, who once called Epstein a “terrific guy,” was reportedly featured in a 2003 birthday book compiled by Maxwell, writing “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret” inside a sketch of a naked woman that was signed “Donald” below her waist to mimic pubic hair. Trump sued The Wall Street Journal for defamation, calling the letter a “fake thing” because “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” The birthday album reportedly also includes letters from Bill Clinton, who praised Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.” Trump now calls the Epstein case a “hoax” pushed by “weaklings” and has tried to redirect attention by accusing Obama of treason. (New York Times / ABC News / Politico / NPR / New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Politico / CNN / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Wall Street Journal)

🍭 Dept. of Shiny Things Trump Is Doing to Distract from the Jeffrey Epstein Files.

1/ Trump staged a visit to the Federal Reserve to publicly call for Chair Jerome Powell to “do the right thing” and lower interest rates while accusing him of mismanaging a $2.5 renovation billion project. Trump claimed the project had ballooned to $3.1 billion, calling the spending “out of control.” Powell, however, cut him off and said, “You just added in a third building […] built five years ago” and stood by the Fed’s estimate of $2.5 billion, which staff said reflected inflation, security upgrades, and preservation costs. While Trump said he didn’t see the costs as a “fireable offense,” he did say, “I just want to see one thing happen, very simple: Interest rates come down.” Trump is the first president to visit the Fed in almost 20 when George W. Bush attended the swearing-in ceremony of Fed Chair Ben Bernanke in 2006. Trump later posted that the renovation “would have been much better if it were never started” and again demanded that Powell “LOWER INTEREST RATES!” (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / CNBC / CNN)

2/ Trump signed an executive order directing cities and states to remove homeless people from public spaces and force them into treatment or institutional settings to “restore public order.” The order instructs federal agencies to prioritize grants for jurisdictions that enforce bans on camping, loitering, and drug use, and calls for reversing court rulings that restrict involuntary commitment. It shifts funding away from Housing First policies and blocks support for harm reduction programs. (Washington Post / USA Today / CBS News / The Hill / Bloomberg / NPR)

3/ The Trump administration sued New York City, claiming the city’s sanctuary laws obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. The lawsuit names Mayor Adams, the City Council speaker, and city agencies including the NYPD and Department of Correction. The Justice Department said the city released undocumented immigrants with criminal records despite ICE detainer requests. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / ABC News / Bloomberg / NBC News)

4/ Trump signed an executive order banning “third-party, pay-for-play” payments to college athletes, aiming to stop booster-funded Name, Image, and Likeness recruiting deals. The order allows brand endorsements, but directs schools to block outside money used to lure players and instructs federal agencies to enforce rules, protect non-revenue sports, and clarify athletes’ employment status. The White House called the current system a “chaotic environment” and warned, “many college sports will soon cease to exist” without federal guardrails. (The Hill / Bloomberg / The Guardian / NBC News / CBS Sports)

5/ The FCC approved the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance after Skydance promised to drop all DEI programs and add a news ombudsman at CBS. The deal gives Skydance full control of Paramount, including CBS, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures. “It is time for a change,” Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr said. Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez, however, called the vote “cowardly capitulation,” warning the FCC was “imposing never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions.” The approval followed a $16 million settlement between Paramount and Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. “A big fat bribe,” Colbert called it on The Late Show before CBS canceled the program, which had run for decades. In response, Trump said, “I love that Colbert got fired.” Colbert responded to Trump’s celebration, saying: “Go fuck yourself.” Paramount also signed a $1.5 billion streaming deal with South Park, which responded by mocking the company’s settlement with Trump, the cancellation of Colbert’s show, and Skydance’s promises to scrap DEI programs and monitor CBS News for bias. The episode depicted Trump repeatedly in bed with Satan, mocked his genitals, and portrayed him suing the town of South Park for criticizing him. In the final scene, the show aired a fake AI-generated PSA, resembling the style of Christian “He Gets Us” ads, but instead it focused on Trump. The ad showed Trump wandering naked in the desert as a narrator said: “No matter how hot it gets, he’s not afraid to fight for America.” As Trump removed his clothes, a small animated penis with googly eyes appeared and said, “I’m Donald J. Trump, and I endorse this message.” The narrator concluded, “Trump. His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large.” The PSA directed viewers to HeTrumpedUs.com, a parody website mimicking Christian marketing campaigns. The White House, meanwhile, called the South Park PSA “a desperate attempt for attention” and said the show “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Bloomberg / Rolling Stone / Business Insider / Politico / The Hill / Variety / Hollywood Reporter / HuffPost / Entertainment Weekly / New Republic)

6/ A Florida man who sued Gawker into bankruptcy over a sex tape and got dropped by WWE after racist comments is dead at 71. Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea), who called himself a “Real American,” died of cardiac arrest in Florida. His lawsuit against Gawker – secretly bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, who had been outed as gay by the site in 2007 — ended with a $140 million verdict and forced the gossip site to shut down. The jury found Gawker had invaded Hogan’s privacy by publishing a one-minute clip of him having sex with his friend’s wife. Hogan said the sex tape was recorded without his knowledge or consent and wasn’t newsworthy. Gawker, however, claimed First Amendment protection, arguing he was a public figure who often spoke about his sex life, making the footage public interest. The case drew warnings from the ACLU and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who said it showed how wealthy individuals could weaponize privacy claims to punish the media. WWE cut ties in 2015 after leaked audio caught him making racist comments about his daughter’s boyfriend — then quietly reinstated him three years later. Whatcha gonna do now, brother? (Washington Post)

The midterm elections are in 467 days.

Last year today: Day 1282: "A clash."
Two years ago today: Day 916: "Doing things."
Five years ago today: Day 1282: "Just not right."
Seven years ago today: Day 551: Concerned.
Eight years ago today: Day 186: Beleaguered.