RalphHightower · RalphHightower · Sep 23, 2025 · Sep 23, 2025 · Sep 23, 2025 · Sep 23, 2025
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ Rose Fabia, 66, a former employee at the [Department of Veterans Affairs](https:
 
 One person at the dinner, Kendall Davis, sparred with protesters, rejecting their assertion that he is a blind supporter of [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) and implicitly advocating for his policies. Davis, a young Black crypto owner, said the industry has made him a multimillionaire after he previously was homeless. He characterized his attendance as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine with a sitting [presidents](https://www.whitehouse.gov/).
 
-“I don’t feel any type of remorse for coming here. My dad is Black. He’s proud of me. My grandma is Black. She’s proud of me. They’re [Democrats](https://www.democrats.org/),” he said. “Nobody in my family has ever ate with the [presidents](https://www.whitehouse.gov/). Let me say this: If it was [Joe Biden](https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov%) or [Barack Obama](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/), I would’ve came, too.”
+“I don’t feel any type of remorse for coming here. My dad is Black. He’s proud of me. My grandma is Black. She’s proud of me. They’re [Democrats](https://www.democrats.org/),” he said. “Nobody in my family has ever ate with the [presidents](https://www.whitehouse.gov/). Let me say this: If it was [Joe Biden](https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/) or [Barack Obama](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/), I would’ve came, too.”
 
 Other people spotted at the dinner included Sandy Carter, the COO of blockchain-based Unstoppable Domains.
 

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ On March 15, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) had ordered the [the United
 
 > *As soon as the missiles began flying and [Washington](https://dc.gov/) realized it had no way to reach the Iranian public, it made a cynical about-face.*
 
-But as soon as the missiles began flying and [Washington](https://dc.gov%) realized it had no way to reach the [Iranian public](https://irangov.ir/), it made a cynical about-face. On June 13, the day [Israel](https://www.gov.il/) launched its attack on [Iran](https://irangov.ir/), [VOA](https://www.insidevoa.com/) Persian journalists — who'd been left on administrative leave for months with no clarity about their future — were abruptly called back. One journalist told me they were lured back with vague suggestions that cooperating might look favorable during an upcoming restructuring.
+But as soon as the missiles began flying and [Washington](https://dc.gov%l/) realized it had no way to reach the [Iranian public](https://irangov.ir/), it made a cynical about-face. On June 13, the day [Israel](https://www.gov.il/) launched its attack on [Iran](https://irangov.ir/), [VOA](https://www.insidevoa.com/) Persian journalists — who'd been left on administrative leave for months with no clarity about their future — were abruptly called back. One journalist told me they were lured back with vague suggestions that cooperating might look favorable during an upcoming restructuring.
 
 On June 20, Kari Lake, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s [USAGM](https://www.usagm.gov/) adviser, [laid off most of the Persian journalists anyway, including my source,](https://apnews.com/article/voice-of-america-layoffs-trump-global-media-7a862bdc530dd3d48657c00d2df54539) and 639 others across [VOA](https://www.insidevoa.com/). This wasn’t mismanagement; it was sabotage — of staff morale, institutional integrity and [America](https://www.usa.gov/)’s global credibility.
 

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ By Paul Waldman, author and commentator
 
 During [Donald Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s first term as [president](https://www.whitehouse.gov/), no fewer than eight people [served](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General) as [attorney general](https://www.justice.gov/). Nearly all of them disappointed him in one way or another, usually because they and [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) disagreed over ideas such as “following the law” or “not taking orders from the [president](https://www.whitehouse.gov/).” In 2018, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) famously [whined](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-attacks-jeff-sessions-i-don-t-have-attorney-general-n910986) “I don’t have an [attorney general](https://www.justice.gov/)” after Jeff Sessions recused himself from an investigation into [Russia](http://kremlin.ru/)’s efforts to meddle in the [2016 election](https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections2020.pdf), rather than quash it on [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s behalf.
 
-So for his second term, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) knew what he wanted at the [Justice Department](https://www.justice.gov/): a committed loyalist who would turn the [department](https://www.justice.gov%) into his [personal law firm](https://www.justice.gov/) and defend him in public with a fervor bordering on the comical.
+So for his second term, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) knew what he wanted at the [Justice Department](https://www.justice.gov/): a committed loyalist who would turn the [department](https://www.justice.gov/) into his [personal law firm](https://www.justice.gov/) and defend him in public with a fervor bordering on the comical.
 
 [Pam Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general) checked both boxes. So why is she struggling?
 

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ The [Democrats](https://www.democrats.org/) are right to demand that [Trump](htt
 
 The Epstein files are arguably the most high-profile wedge issue on the right. Far-right conspiracy-peddling pundits are furious about it, including [Laura Loomer](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/11/pam-bondi-dan-bongino-epstein-files-00448695), [Tucker Carlson](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/tucker-carlson-maga-trump-rcna217473) and [Alex Jones.](https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/14/media/trump-maga-media-epstein-files-conspiracy-bondi). It’s also causing fissures within the [administration](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/): [FBI](https://www.fbi.gov/,) [Deputy Director Dan Bongino](https://www.fbi.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/deputy-director-dan-bongino) is considering resigning over the way [Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general) has handled the matter, [NBC News reports](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/dan-bongino-weighs-resigning-fbi-heated-confrontation-pam-bondi-epstei-rcna218388).
 
-[Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s Epstein flip was a huge subject of conversation at the [Student Action Summit](https://www.tpusa.com/SAS!) hosted by the conservative activist group [Turning Point USA](https://www.tpusa.com/) this weekend. “It’s not even about [Pam Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general) to me. It’s like, look, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/), we elected you because you were supposed to be different,” said Sharon Allen, a 24-year-old attendee [told NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-faces-revolt-maga-base-epstein-files-rcna218385). “So you have to prove to us you’re different. … You can fire her [Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general)], do whatever, but at the end of the day, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/), you are president. We trusted you to get rid of these people and expose these people.”
+[Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s Epstein flip was a huge subject of conversation at the [Student Action Summit](https://www.tpusa.com/SAS!) hosted by the conservative activist group [Turning Point USA](https://www.tpusa.com/) this weekend. “It’s not even about [Pam Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general) to me. It’s like, look, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/), we elected you because you were supposed to be different,” said Sharon Allen, a 24-year-old attendee [told NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-faces-revolt-maga-base-epstein-files-rcna218385). “So you have to prove to us you’re different. … You can fire her [Bondi](https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general), do whatever, but at the end of the day, [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/), you are president. We trusted you to get rid of these people and expose these people.”
 
 [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)'s base isn't taking it well because a grand reveal of a hidden conspiracy is central to their worldview. The premise that [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) would expose a shadowy network of corrupt elites is central to his rhetorical strategy as a right-wing populist — and it tracks broadly with [QAnon conspiracy theories dating back to Trump’s first term](https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html) which held that [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s secret mission in office was to expose a satanic child sex trafficking ring. That [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) has failed to fulfill this long fantasized-about idea — and is so transparently [trying to change the subject by trying to fabricate a new Epstein conspiracy theory](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/jeffrey-epstein-trump-rolls-new-conspiracy-theory-conspiracy-theory-rcna218606) — is devastating to a lot of people on the right who are convinced that everything bad in America can be explained by way of a simple and evil conspiracy theory.
 

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ By [Steve Benen](https://www.msnbc.com/author/steve-benen-ncpn433601)
 
 Shortly after [Donald Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) grudgingly left the [White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) following his 2020 defeat, he was effectively banned from most major social media platforms and made few television appearances. In his absence, [The New York Times described](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/us/politics/ron-johnson-wisconsin-misinformation.html) [Wisconsin](https://www.wisconsin.gov/Pages/Home.aspx) [Sen.](https://www.senate.gov/) [Ron Johnson](https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/) as [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s successor as the [Republican Party](https://www.gop.com/)’s “foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation.”
 
-[Ron Johnson (T-WI)](https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/) is the [Senate](https://www.senate.gov/)'s conspiracy theories crackpot equivalent of the [House](https://www.house.gov/) of [Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA14)](https://greene.house.gov/). Johnson's conspiracy theories include:
+[Ron Johnson (T-WI)](https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/) is the [Senate](https://www.senate.gov/)'s conspiracy theories crackpot equivalent of the [House](https://www.house.gov/) of [Marjorie Taylor Greene (T-GA14)](https://greene.house.gov/). Johnson's conspiracy theories include:
 
  1. [Covid-19](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ron-johnson-tries-rope-god-his-bizarre-take-vaccines-n1286987)
  2. [Jan. 6 attack](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/ron-johnson-eyes-his-own-investigation-capitol-attack-n1268052)

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ By [Steve Benen](https://www.msnbc.com/author/steve-benen-ncpn433601)
 
 As the public first learned of [The Wall Street Journal’s report](https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796) on [Donald Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)’s alleged 2003 birthday letter [to Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-threatens-wsj-new-epstein-report-picture-claim-looks-sketchy-rcna219545), the [president](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) responded with unsubtle threats. “[President](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) will be suing [The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/), NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly,” [he wrote online](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)/114871422727186590.), referring to himself in the third person for reasons unknown.
 
-The [Republican](https://www.gop.com%) [added soon after](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)/114871752316281496), “[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/) printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.”
+The [Republican](https://www.gop.com/) [added soon after](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/114871752316281496), “[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/) printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.”
 
 It seems he wasn’t kidding. [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/18/trump-sues-epstein-murdoch-wsj.html):
 

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ title: "Jen's Press Briefing 2025-07-24: Jen Helps Tulsi Gabbard Answer Question
 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIiFMGzBfS8?si=zWabobc4cNKBCJDA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
 Jul 24, 2025  [#WhiteHouse](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) [#TulsiGabbard](https://www.odni.gov/index.php/who-we-are/leadership/director-of-national-intelligence) [#Russia](http://kremlin.ru/)
-Jen Psaki offers her version of answers to questions at the [White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) press briefing at which [DNI](https://www.odni.gov/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://www.odni.gov/index.php/who-we-are/leadership/director-of-national-intelligence) struggled to make her case for her new report on [Russian](http://kremlin.ru/) interference in the 2016 election, her apparent contribution to the [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) [administration](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/)'s effort to distract from [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com%)'s Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 
+Jen Psaki offers her version of answers to questions at the [White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/) press briefing at which [DNI](https://www.odni.gov/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://www.odni.gov/index.php/who-we-are/leadership/director-of-national-intelligence) struggled to make her case for her new report on [Russian](http://kremlin.ru/) interference in the 2016 election, her apparent contribution to the [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) [administration](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/)'s effort to distract from [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/)'s Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 
 
 For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/
 

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ title: "Donald Trump’s Sycophantic Personal Lawyer, Todd Blanche & Perjurer, G
 
 ## [Mike Johnson perfectly explains the flaws in the GOP’s Ghislaine Maxwell gambit](https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/ghislaine-maxwell-mike-johnson-murkowski-epstein-trump-rcna220816)
 
-*[Sen.](https//www.senate.gov/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) also expressed skepticism over the [DOJ](https://www.justice.gov/)’s questioning of Maxwell as [Republican](https://www.gop.com/)s try to quell backlash to [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com%) over the Epstein files.*
+*[Sen.](https://www.senate.gov/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) also expressed skepticism over the [DOJ](https://www.justice.gov/)’s questioning of Maxwell as [Republican](https://www.gop.com/)s try to quell backlash to [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/ ) over the Epstein files.*
 
 July 24, 2025, 2:32 PM EDT
 By [Ja'han Jones](https://www.msnbc.com/author/jahan-jones-ncpn371241)
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Speaking to reporters Wednesday, [Johnson](https://mikejohnson.house.gov/) said
 
 Even [Johnson](https://mikejohnson.house.gov/), [a lawyer who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mike-johnson-january-6-house-speaker-nominee-rcna122081), understands what seemingly every reputable lawyer understands: the obvious incentive for Maxwell to lie.
 
-And [Johnson](https://mikejohnson.house.gov/) isn’t the only [Republican](https://www.gop.com/) to raise this concern. [Sen.](https//www.senate.gov/) [Lisa Murkowski (T-AK)](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) of [told CNN’s Kaitlin Collins](https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1948196361775804664) that it seems [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) is trying to “move to other news” when it comes to his [administration](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/)’s handling of the Epstein files — and that the tactic isn’t working. When [Collins](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/kaitlan-collins#about) asked the senator whether she thinks Maxwell is credible, [Murkowski](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) took a long pause before answering.
+And [Johnson](https://mikejohnson.house.gov/) isn’t the only [Republican](https://www.gop.com/) to raise this concern. [Sen.](https://www.senate.gov/) [Lisa Murkowski (T-AK)](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) of [told CNN’s Kaitlin Collins](https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1948196361775804664) that it seems [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) is trying to “move to other news” when it comes to his [administration](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/)’s handling of the Epstein files — and that the tactic isn’t working. When [Collins](https://www.cnn.com/profiles/kaitlan-collins#about) asked the senator whether she thinks Maxwell is credible, [Murkowski](https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/) took a long pause before answering.
 
 “I don’t know that I find her credible,” she said.
 

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ The Epstein scandal has become quicksand for [Trump](https://www.donaldjtrump.co
         - [The Rachel Maddow Show](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show)
             - [MaddowBlog](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show) 
                 - ["Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."](https://www.harpercollins.com/products/ministry-of-truth-steve-benen)
-- [New York Times (NYT)](https://www.nytimes.com%)
+- [New York Times (NYT)](https://www.nytimes.com/)
 - organizations 
 - universities 
 - political parties