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The Least Transparent Administration
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Susan Monarez, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was ousted last month after refusing to comply with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s demands, she recently attested in the Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) and affirmed in Senate testimony ([link removed]) this week.


According to Monarez, Kennedy pressured her to fire top CDC officials and preapprove vaccine recommendations from a panel that he recently restructured to include several vaccine skeptics ([link removed]) .


This week, that panel — the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — voted to restrict eligibility recommendations ([link removed]) for certain childhood vaccines ([link removed]) .
* ACIP is meeting again on Friday, and is also expected to ([link removed]) consider Covid-19 ([link removed]) and hepatitis B ([link removed]) vaccine ([link removed]) recommendations.
* Kennedy’s sweeping overhaul of vaccine advisory committees has alarmed medical groups, prompted states to prepare their own immunization schedules, and drawn bipartisan scrutiny ([link removed]) , with senators from both parties raising sharp questions about his leadership and decision-making.


We’re investigating Monarez’s ouster ([link removed]) . The public deserves to know more about the circumstances surrounding her removal — including whether it was driven by political interference, efforts to silence career health policy experts, or a push to promote pseudoscience campaigns. As our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu noted in a statement ([link removed]) this week, “For many, including vulnerable populations such as children and seniors, these decisions are a matter of life and death.”
* We sent multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week for records that could shed light on Monarez’s ousting — including communications sent between Kennedy, senior HHS officials, and Monarez, and meeting materials, agendas, or notes from August 25, when Kennedy and his top aides pressured Monarez to resign.
* We’re also seeking any recordings of meetings ([link removed]) between Monarez and Kennedy, after Senator Markwayne Mullin alleged a recording existed that he claimed showed Monarez lied about her interactions with Kennedy.

* Additionally, we requested the agencies’ communications with Congress and the White House referencing Monarez’s removal, vaccine policy, or other senior CDC resignations, and any dissent memoranda or complaints submitted by HHS officials related to Monarez’s removal.



** New Lawsuit Demands Answers About Epstein Files, DOJ Review Process
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Did top Trump administration officials interfere with the Justice Department’s review of the Epstein files?


That’s the question we’re seeking to answer through our new lawsuit ([link removed]) , filed this week against the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).


More information has recently come to light about the relationship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein — including through the newly-released House Oversight records that appear to show the president drew and signed a sexually suggestive image ([link removed]) for Epstein in 2003 — but the public deserves more answers, including about the administration’s potential efforts to shield Trump from scrutiny over the friendship.
* We filed suit ([link removed]) to learn more about the relationship and to understand whether the file review process was designed to protect Trump.
* “The public has a right to know whether this process was guided by facts and law — or by political loyalty,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said in a statement ([link removed]) this week.


Our lawsuit came after the DOJ and FBI failed to respond to multiple FOIA requests regarding potential interference by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel in the review of the Epstein files. The requests and our litigation follow reports that FBI personnel reviewing the files were instructed to flag records mentioning Trump ([link removed]) .
* We’re seeking records that could shed more light on that directive, including communications, training materials, and internal guidance provided to DOJ and FBI staff during the review of the Epstein files.
* Our lawsuit also demands the release of documents reflecting dissent expressed by agency staff about the review.


In July, the DOJ and the FBI issued a short, unsigned memo ([link removed]) claiming that their “exhaustive review” of the Epstein files found no “client list” and no evidence to support the investigation of uncharged individuals — contradicting earlier statements from Bondi ([link removed]) , who claimed that she had an Epstein client list “sitting on [her] desk.”
* The government’s assertion raises serious questions about potential political interference and the integrity of the review, as does a July report ([link removed]) from Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin.
* “Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Patel promised a transparent review of the Epstein files, but instead the administration produced little more than a political fig leaf,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “Our lawsuit seeks the records that can help show how Bondi, Patel, and others may have put their thumbs on the scale of this review to protect Donald Trump.”



** On the Records
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**
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** The Trump Administration Helped Weapons Manufacturer Hurt by Its Own Reckless Tariffs
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We obtained records that reveal the Small Business Administration (SBA) worked behind the scenes to try to mitigate the damaging impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on a politically connected weapons manufacturer.
* The internal emails, reported on this week by Salon ([link removed]) , show that a senior SBA official sought financial assistance from a United States Trade Representative staffer on behalf of Barnett Crossbows, a Florida-based manufacturer run by an outspoken ([link removed]) Trump supporter that was negatively impacted by Trump’s tariffs.


In March 2025, SBA Deputy Chief of Staff, Ben Grayson, emailed United States Trade Representative staffer Sam Scales, writing that Trump’s tariffs had caused “significant strain on the company’s financials.”
* “Is there anything your office can do?” Grayson asked. He noted that the SBA was already working to provide the company with a loan to offset the tariff damage.
* “This is exactly why transparency is so important,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. “The public has a right to know when government resources are being used behind closed doors to shield an administration from the consequences of its own economic decisions.”
* Barnett Crossbows, whose products are sold at Walmart, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Amazon, is a well-known name in the hunting and Second Amendment rights communities.



** Other Stories We’re Following
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** Trump Administration Accountability
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* White House plans broad crackdown on liberal groups (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump, allies seek to punish speech they dislike following Kirk killing (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Deputy AG Todd Blanche says ‘organized’ Trump protesters could be investigated (Politico ([link removed]) )
* DOJ deletes study showing domestic terrorists are most often right wing (404 Media ([link removed]) )
* Trump deploys National Guard to Memphis, calling it a ‘replica’ of his crackdown on Washington (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Pentagon watchdog has completed review of Hegseth’s use of Signal, sources say (CNN ([link removed]) )
* Fired prosecutor challenges Trump’s claims to sweeping power in lawsuit (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Trump is shutting down the war on cancer (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* New CDC advisory panel members include more Covid vaccine critics (CBS News ([link removed]) )



** Voting Rights
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* Election deniers now hold posts on local US election boards, raising concerns for midterms (Guardian ([link removed]) )
* Some Republican states resist DOJ demand for private voter data (Stateline ([link removed]) )
* The Justice Department sues Maine and Oregon, ratcheting up demands for voter data (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Federal court hears arguments in Alabama appeal of absentee ballot ruling (Alabama Reflector ([link removed]) )



** State and National News
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* Google secretly handed ICE data about pro-Palestine student activist (Intercept ([link removed]) )
* National park to remove photo of enslaved man’s scars (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* An overhauled CDC panel is set to issue guidance on COVID shot access and childhood vaccines (Georgia Recorder ([link removed]) )
* ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off air for Charlie Kirk comments after FCC pressure (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* IRS official sues the agency, saying it leaked private data to news sites (New York Times ([link removed]) )



** Abortion and Reproductive Rights
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* Abortion bans push families deeper into poverty and drive up crime, economists say (19th News ([link removed]) )
* Rural hospitals often scrap labor and delivery services after mergers, study finds (Stateline ([link removed]) )
* Abortion pill providers targeted by new Texas law refuse ‘anticipatory obedience’ (Guardian ([link removed]) )
* Ohio abortion regulations appeal: Attorneys for the state and women’s health clinics make arguments (Ohio Capital Journal ([link removed]) )
* Florida seeks to join federal lawsuit challenging abortion pill mifepristone (WUSF ([link removed]) )
* Washington will replace Planned Parenthood’s lost Medicaid funding with state dollars (Washington State Standard ([link removed]) )



** Threats to Education
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* US Education Dept. unites conservative groups to create 'patriotic' civics content (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Ed. Dept. Will Emphasize ‘Patriotic Education’ in Grant Competitions (Education Week ([link removed]) )



** Government Transparency and Public Records Law
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* FCPS open records rules violated law; school district says it will revise policy (Lexington Herald Leader ([link removed]) )
* Environmental group sues Racine to release expected water use at Microsoft data center (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ([link removed]) )
* Microsoft data centers will use up to 8.4M gallons of water each year, records show (Wisconsin Public Radio ([link removed]) )



** Immigration
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* 60 violations in 50 days: Inside ICE’s giant tent facility at Ft. Bliss (Washington Post ([link removed]) )
* Trump: ‘I’ll call a national emergency’ in DC over ICE cooperation (The Hill ([link removed]) )
* 500 Texas National Guard troops arrive in El Paso to help US Border Patrol (El Paso Times ([link removed]) )
* ​Airlines sell 5 billion plane ticket records to the government for warrantless searching (404 Media ([link removed]) )
* “Operation Lone Star 2.0”: DPS arresting thousands of undocumented immigrants across Texas to aid Trump’s mass deportation (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )

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