Friday, July 11, 2025
Run Away
Speaking Of Epstein
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Small Pleasures
That these horrible people have to spend time with each other.
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.
Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn't have a celebrity "client list," and that he wasn't murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn't come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he's still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
We Could Get REALLY MEAN
Finger On The Pulse
Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has told the BBC his fellow Democrats allowed the US-Mexico border to be "under siege" during Joe Biden's presidency.
In sometimes sharp words, Kerry - who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 and a US senator from Massachusetts - said he told Biden the party had "missed" on the issue of immigration for years.
Obviously anyone paying attention knows this is not what happened but, also, too, Gallup
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
...
Perhaps because of Americans’ opposition to immigration policies that Trump has enacted to remove undocumented immigrants from the U.S., their evaluation of his work on immigration is mostly negative. Thirty-five percent approve of his handling of the issue, including 21% strongly approving, while 62% disapprove, including 45% strongly.
I've seen Dems lose their shit when an issue is 55-45% against them. Right now immigration is 62-35% against Trump.
Democrats did handle immigration extremely badly, just as people like me tried to explain: they agreed with Trump about his signature issue.
They have also handled it badly since, not understanding that while many Americans are assholes, it was an obvious call that the majority would not like videos of armed and masked agents of the state violently kidnapping people.
Professional Dems will still resist this because they earned their vacation home money on this advice and they can never be wrong.
Where We Are
Can't Even Stick To That Fake Story
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Values Voters
State Sen. Angela Paxton announced Thursday she has filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation,” Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, said in a post on X. “But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”
Though with Paxton it is indeed another one.
Sure Why Not
In the annals of Donald Trump’s crypto corruption, the $100 million Aqua 1 Foundation deal stands out for more than just its size: There’s very little evidence that Aqua 1 Foundation exists at all. The Aqua 1 website, which was registered on May 28, 2025, contains no information about the company beyond some fintech buzzwords and an e-mail address. The company’s original X account was suspended, as was an account for an apparently affiliated company called BlockRock RWA (“RWA” refers to the practice of creating blockchain tokens for “real world assets”). Searching public databases, including of businesses in the United Arab Emirates, I’ve been unable to find any corporate registration, official filings, or other documents attesting to the existence of World Liberty Financial’s newest and biggest investor.What if we built a fraud system based on fake money and then got Congress to make our fake money real? I anticipate no problems.
Over To You, John and Sam
* US JUDGE BLOCKS PRESIDENT TRUMP'S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER IN NATIONWIDE CLASS ACTION @reuters.com
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) July 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Still Embarrassed Years Later
US President Donald Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his strong grasp of the English language on Wednesday. But the African leader was educated in Liberia, where English is the official language.