Good evening, everyone. What a day, to say the least. We have a lot of news to cover tonight. Right now, the White House is being pressured on two fronts. The first is a war in Iran that Americans are already souring on, a conflict that has taken the lives of six Americans and sent oil prices soaring. The second is the release of the Clinton depositions in the Epstein files investigation, raising new questions about Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Taken together, the White House is scrambling this evening to keep public perception on its side as we head into a critical election season. This evening I also sat down with SEIU’s President April Verrett to talk about the labor union’s efforts this year.
Meanwhile, attacks against our work are coming in full force, both over our coverage of the war in Iran and our continued focus on the Epstein files. I will not stop. If you are wondering why the attacks are happening, the answer is simple. Over the past 30 days alone, we have reached more people than every other major media company except the Daily Mail and Fox News. And with your help, we are going to surpass them too.
Here’s the news:
- The House Oversight Committee released roughly four-and-a-half hours of video each from last week’s closed-door, under-oath depositions of Bill and Hillary Clinton in its Jeffrey Epstein probe; Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for Clinton Foundation travel in the early 2000s but denied knowledge of any crimes, Hillary Clinton said she did not recall meeting Epstein and described Ghislaine Maxwell as an “acquaintance,” and neither has been charged, with transcripts to be released later after review.
- During questioning, Rep. Lauren Boebert asked whether any released Epstein files referenced 2016 claims about Podesta emails and “Comet Ping Pong” being used as code, prompting a lawyer to characterize the question as relating to the “wacky Pizzagate scam,” and Clinton to respond that Pizzagate was “totally made up,” calling it an outrageous allegation that led to a gunman firing inside a local pizzeria and saying she couldn’t believe it was being referenced.
- This was the moment Hillary Clinton threatened to end the deposition after Lauren Boebert admitted to posting unauthorized images of Clinton:
- This was the moment former President Bill Clinton noted that President Donald Trump told him that he had a falling out with Jeffrey Epstein due to the fact that they had a bad land deal, contradicting Trump’s prior claims that he fell out with Epstein because of the way Epstein treated masseuses at Mar a Lago:
- Bill Clinton said that, as he recalls, Donald Trump described the end of their friendship as being solely due to a real estate bidding dispute, adding, later in the deposition (not below), that Trump never said anything to make Clinton think he was involved in anything improper regarding Epstein.
- New questions have emerged this afternoon concerning Donald Trump’s health as a new rash has appeared on his neck:
- The number of U.S. service members killed since the start of Operation Epic Fury has risen to six, according to U.S. Central Command, which said two previously unaccounted-for troops were recovered from a facility struck during Iran’s initial regional attacks, with major combat operations ongoing and the fallen’s identities being withheld pending family notification.
- According to CNN, the six US service members were killed when a direct Iranian strike—believed to be a drone or projectile that penetrated air defenses—hit the center of a fortified but makeshift tactical operations center (a triple-wide trailer used as office space) at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port just after 9 a.m. local time, with no warning sirens or evacuation alert, causing an explosion that blew out the walls, left parts of the structure burning for hours, and initially left some troops unaccounted for until their remains were later recovered.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States military’s “hardest hits are yet to come” in the conflict with Iran and that the next phase of military operations will be even more punishing on Iran than current actions, signaling an escalation in U.S. military efforts against Iranian targets amid the ongoing conflict.
- Today, Melania Trump presided over the United Nations Security Council, becoming the first First Lady to do so:
- In a tense exchange, Martha MacCallum said the president has authority to take military action for 60 days, while Rep. Jason Crow countered that such action requires an imminent threat, stating that as a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees he has seen no evidence of an imminent threat and that Congress would be obligated to be informed if one existed.
- Secretary Marco Rubio said the U.S. struck Iran preemptively because it was “abundantly clear” Tehran would retaliate against American forces if attacked by Israel or anyone else, arguing waiting would have led to higher U.S. casualties, and adding that Washington knew Israeli action was coming and expected it would trigger attacks on U.S. troops — remarks critics say suggest Israel’s move drew the U.S. into the conflict.
- The U.S. Embassy in Amman temporarily evacuated personnel due to an unspecified threat, as the first 48 hours of Operation Epic Fury saw U.S. Central Command strike more than 1,250 targets across Iran — including IRGC headquarters, missile sites and naval assets — while the UAE reported intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hundreds of drones, resulting in three deaths and dozens of minor injuries.
- Americans are being told to immediately depart 15 countries in the Middle East due to what officials describe as “serious safety risks.”
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and warned it would fire on or set fire to any ship attempting to transit the waterway, a critical route for about 20% of global oil exports, effectively threatening to choke global energy flows amid the broader Middle East conflict.
- Energy prices surged as tanker disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional production facilities rattled global supply, with European natural gas jumping more than 40% after QatarEnergy halted LNG output, U.S. crude rising over 6% to $71.23 per barrel, Brent climbing to $77.74, and concerns mounting that prolonged conflict could push oil above $80 or even $90 per barrel while driving higher gasoline prices and inflation worldwide.
- French President Emmanuel Macron announced the most significant shift in France’s nuclear doctrine since the Cold War by pledging to increase the country’s roughly 300 warheads and expand nuclear cooperation with European allies through joint drills and potential deployments, citing threats from Russia and China and uncertainty about US security guarantees while maintaining that France will retain sole control over its nuclear arsenal.
- The conflict expanded regionally as the IDF said it struck over 70 Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in Lebanon amid deadly Israeli counterstrikes, and U.N. agencies warned against attacks on schools after Iranian state media reported a strike on a girls school in southern Iran that killed more than 160 people.
- The Office of Congressional Conduct said there is “substantial reason to believe” that Rep. Mace may have engaged in improper reimbursement practices by seeking payments that exceeded her actual reimbursable expenses under the House reimbursement program.
- A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s reinstated policy requiring members of Congress to give seven days’ notice before visiting ICE detention facilities, ruling that Democratic lawmakers are likely to succeed in arguing the requirement is illegal and exceeds statutory authority, and finding the administration failed to cite concrete safety concerns while likely using restricted funds to enforce the policy.
- According to Politico, the Democratic National Committee canceled its planned midterm convention due to a major fundraising shortfall, including trailing the Republican National Committee by $100 million and recently taking out a $15 million loan, and instead will focus resources on state campaign efforts, while scheduling its 2028 presidential nominating convention for August 7 to 10, 2028, with Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Philadelphia under consideration as host cities.
- California Republicans have begun submitting more than 1.3 million signatures to place a 2026 ballot initiative before voters that would amend the state constitution to require ID for in person and mail voting and mandate proof of citizenship verification, drawing millions in national GOP funding and showing competitive polling support, while Democrats and labor groups prepare opposition campaigns arguing the measure could disenfranchise voters.
- Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana announced he will not seek reelection, citing the need for multiple surgeries related to prior Navy SEAL injuries and extended recovery time with his family, a retirement that could ease pressure on House GOP leadership’s slim majority but make Montana’s 1st District more competitive for Democrats in the midterms.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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