VIDEO OF THE DAY: Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyer issues major statement as Trump hints at presidential pardon
The imprisoned sex trafficker, a depraved accomplice in Jeffrey Epstein's decades-long predation on underage girls, is clearly angling for a presidential pardon. Donald Trump definitely wants all things Epstein to quickly go away — including the infamous Epstein files currently in the DOJ's possession — and just yesterday reasserted his right to issue such a pardon. Enter Todd Blanche, Donald's one-time personal attorney-turned deputy attorney general of the United States, who met with Maxwell and was given a list of 100 different people in exchange for... well, we'll let you connect the dots. Donald has found himself in quite the pickle. Trump's goons can't just release the Epstein files in their entirety — like they repeatedly promised to do once he returned to power. Why? Because Donald is in the goddamn files. But the president's attempt to sweep the scandal under the rug three weeks ago has backfired badly, as large swaths of his red-hatted base simply aren't having it. They want names. They want heads. Pay very close attention to what happens next. The Trump administration is not interested in uncovering "new" information. They want to bury it. Maxwell's team knows it, and they will play whatever cards necessary to reduce or commute her sentence accordingly.

Take Action: Tell the Trump team: Don’t cut a deal with convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell!

JD Vance says "I have no idea" if Trump’s Epstein letter "exists" — despite Trump calling it "fake"
Vice President JD Vance tried to clarify his criticism of a recent Wall Street Journal article on a "bawdy" letter Donald Trump reportedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday — a report Vance originally called "bullshit" — but only managed to further muddy the water. After being pressed by MSNBC's Chris Hayes on the Trump claim that the entire story is "fake news," Vance equivocated, admitting that he has "no idea" if the incredibly creepy letter actually exists before laughably attacking the WSJ as some sort of left-wing operative out to assassinate Donald Trump's character. The MAGA cult leader, of course, has insisted that the letter in the Journal report is “fake” and has since sued the paper for $10 billion. "This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story," Trump told the WSJ in reply to the original report, adding, "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." Someone in the Oval Office should probably tell JD to stick to the script. Or at least glance over Donald's latest, half-baked denials before chiming in with his own. Mustn't ruffle Dear Leader's feathers!

Take Action: Support The Michael J. Fox Foundation's mission to find a cure for Parkinson's!

Top scientist takes on the GOP's crusade of ignorance
Jasmine Clark for Georgia: Trump, RFK Jr., and the rest of their cronies in Congress have taken a chainsaw to our scientific research, public health, and climate initatives and are waging an all out-war on science and the truth. PhD scientist Dr. Jasmine Clark has had enough, and she's running for Congress in order to restore sanity to the government and make America a global leader in scientific development once again. Will you chip in to help jump-start her campaign and flip the House blue?

FEMA says it's sending $608 million to states to build migrant detention centers
Donald Trump and ICE Barbie sidekick Kristi Noem have announced new plans to redirect more than $600 million from FEMA's shelter-and-services program — money meant to provide humane shelter for migrants — to states willing to build new ~~detention centers~~ concentration camps like Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz." Trump, of course, has threatened to shutter FEMA altogether and has denied emergency funding requests from "blue" states while curiously granting aid to "red" ones, and the wannabe dictator has repeatedly insisted that states do more to fund their own disaster recovery efforts, despite the fact that FEMA exists for that very purpose. Just another cruel, hellish, vindictive day in Trumplandia. But hey, how about those egg prices, eh?

Take Action: Demand Congress investigate Trump's cuts to FEMA and the Weather Service!

Border Patrol agents share grim video mocking migrants with Coldplay kiss cam
The cruelty IS the point.

Trump spending $10 million of taxpayer money to promote his Scotland golf course
And the grift goes on and on and on and on...

Take Action: Demand the Senate reject Trump's corporate USPS board nominees!

Immigration agents told a teenage US citizen: "You've got no rights." He secretly recorded his brutal arrest
On the morning of May 2, teenager Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio was driving to his landscaping job in North Palm Beach with his mother and two male friends when they were pulled over by the Florida highway patrol. In one swift moment, a traffic stop turned into a violent arrest. A highway patrol officer asked everyone in the van to identify themselves, then called for backup. Officers with US border patrol arrived on the scene. Video footage of the incident captured by Laynez-Ambrosio, an 18-year-old US citizen, appears to show a group of officers in tactical gear working together to violently detain the three men, two of whom are undocumented. They appear to use a stun gun on one man, put another in a chokehold, and can be heard telling Laynez-Ambrosio: “You've got no rights here. You're a migo, brother.” Afterward, agents can be heard bragging and making light of the arrests, calling the stun gun use "funny" and quipping: "You can smell that … $30,000 bonus." It is so good to be great again.

Join the Families First National Day of Action on July 26th!
Families First: Today, kids, parents, grandparents, caregivers, and immigrants across the country will raise their voices (and a lot of homemade signs) to protest the Republican budget that will cause millions to lose health care and tear apart immigrant families. Bring your art supplies and kiddos; these are peaceful and family-friendly events. There are over 200 events planned. Find one in your community at https://www.familiesfirstnow.org/#take-action.