Good morning, everyone. We’ve got some major developments to cover.

First: Donald Trump is escalating his campaign of retribution. This morning, he ordered the FBI to raid the home of his former National Security Advisor—a stunning move against one of his own former insiders.

Second: Trump is openly threatening a full federal takeover of Washington, D.C.—a power grab with enormous implications for democracy and civil liberties.

Third: Over the past 48 hours, since the White House launched its TikTok account, I’ve been pressing the same simple question—where are the Epstein files? I’ve posted it on every single video. Those comments have racked up millions of views and more likes than the White House’s posts themselves. That tells me the public is demanding answers.

As a journalist, I’m not backing down. I will keep pushing, I will keep asking, and I will keep holding power to account until the truth comes out. Yes, TikTok may silence me. Yes, Trump may target me. But this work matters too much to stop. And I can only do it because of you—your support, your engagement, your belief in accountability. So subscribe today, share this message, and together let’s keep exposing the truth and holding the most powerful people in the world to the fire.

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With that, here’s the news:

  • Trump is pushing Republicans to gain 100 House seats in 2026 through aggressive gerrymandering, ending mail-in voting, voter suppression, and even overturning the Voting Rights Act, despite lacking the authority to enforce such measures and evidence showing voter fraud is extremely rare.
  • Donald Trump threatens a complete takeover of Washington, D.C. if the Mayor does not report accurate crime statistics.
  • A federal judge ordered the closure of Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail in Florida within 60 days, ruling it caused severe harm to the Everglades and violated environmental protections, marking a major win for environmental and Native groups but a blow to Trump’s detention agenda.
  • FBI agents raided the DC-area home of former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton, as Trump ally Kash Patel tweeted “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”
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  • A UN-backed report confirmed that parts of Gaza, including Gaza City, are experiencing a “man-made” famine amid Israel’s offensive and restrictions on aid, warning that without an immediate ceasefire and large-scale humanitarian access, starvation will rapidly spread and child malnutrition will soar, marking the first officially declared famine in the Middle East.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly endorsed and appeared on podcasts by former pastor Joshua Haymes, who promotes extreme Christian nationalist views including support for ICE raids, the “great replacement” conspiracy, nostalgia for the Confederacy, stripping women of voting rights, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, and calls for public executions—sparking alarm over extremist influence at the highest levels of government.
  • The Trump administration is expanding its immigration crackdown by subjecting all 55 million US visa holders to continuous vetting, including social media reviews for “anti-American” views, raising concerns it seeks to revoke visas based on speech rather than conduct and fueling fears of discriminatory targeting.
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law to hold a November special election asking voters to approve a Democratic-tilted congressional map for 2026, 2028, and 2030 if Texas enacts a similar GOP-tilted plan.
  • Trump left the White House to deliver pizza and hamburgers to law enforcement and National Guard troops in DC, joking about upgrading the city’s grass to resemble his golf courses, claiming: “I know more about grass than any human being anywhere in the world.”
  • A federal judge ruled that Trump’s former lawyer and campaign surrogate, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.
  • A New York state appeals court threw out Trump’s half-billion-dollar penalty for inflating property values, but upheld the fraud verdict, leaving the door open for AG Letitia James to appeal to the state’s highest court.
  • The Trump administration escalated efforts to oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook after she declared she had “no intention of being bullied” into resigning.
  • The Trump administration is struggling to expand use of the death penalty, with Attorney General Pam Bondi authorizing capital punishment in 19 cases—including reversals of Biden-era decisions—but judges have blocked most efforts, criticizing the government for bypassing constitutional and procedural rights despite Trump’s campaign promise to resume federal executions.
  • After more than 30 years in prison, Erik Menendez was denied parole by a California board, which cited his prison rule violations, disputed remorse, and ongoing risk to public safety; his brother Lyle now faces his own parole hearing, with Gov. Gavin Newsom holding final authority over whether either brother can be released.
  • Orlando officials condemned Florida’s overnight removal of the rainbow crosswalk memorial outside the Pulse nightclub, calling it a “cruel political act” and part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ broader attacks on LGBTQ communities, while survivors, advocates, and city leaders decried the move as an insult to the 49 victims of the 2016 massacre.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News that no summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planned, undermining Donald Trump’s push for a peace meeting; Lavrov blamed Ukraine for rejecting Trump’s proposed terms—including ruling out NATO membership and addressing territorial issues—while Russia simultaneously launched its largest aerial assault in weeks, striking across Ukraine and injuring workers at a U.S.-owned electronics plant, as Zelenskyy accused Moscow of avoiding talks and urged tougher Western sanctions and security guarantees.
  • Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the longest-serving member of Texas’ congressional delegation, announced he will retire after three decades in the House if courts uphold the GOP’s newly redrawn congressional map, which merges his Austin-based district with fellow Democrat Greg Casar’s seat into one Democratic stronghold and creates a neighboring Republican-leaning district.
  • Despite publicly vowing to uncover environmental causes of autism, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shut down long-standing federal research into chemical exposures and autism, eliminated entire scientific divisions, and cut tens of millions in funding, raising fears among experts that his new $50 million autism initiative will manipulate data to revive debunked vaccine theories while discarding decades of evidence linking genetics and environmental toxins to the disorder.

    • Good news:

  • In Southern California, twin boys Caden and Cameron Turner gained a surrogate grandmother, Janet “Nana J” Firestein Daw (thank you for emailing me this story Janet, you are amazing!!!), through the Facebook group Surrogate Grandparents USA; what began as an online connection quickly grew into a deep, family-like bond, with Nana J joining holidays, trips, and daily life, filling the Turners’ longing for grandparental support while also giving Daw the chance to experience the joy of being a grandmother.
  • Scientists at the University of Florida created a personalized mRNA vaccine that, in early human trials, rapidly reprogrammed patients’ immune systems to attack glioblastoma within 48 hours; tested on four individuals and inspired by COVID-19 vaccine technology, it bypasses chemotherapy and radiation, shows promise as a potential universal cancer treatment, and has sparked both hope and skepticism as trials expand, including to children.
  • Ethel Caterham of Surrey, England, born August 21, 1909, has celebrated her 116th birthday as the world’s oldest living person, recognized by Guinness World Records after the April death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas; Caterham, who attributes her longevity to positivity, moderation, and “never arguing with anyone,” is also the U.K.’s oldest resident, a grandmother of three and great-grandmother of five, and chose to mark the milestone quietly with family while receiving global well-wishes, including from Guinness and the King.

    • See you this evening.

    — Aaron