Proposed Epstein Strategy Session Rekindles Tarmac-gate Memories

An interesting segment on the 08/06/25 edition of MSNBCโ€™s All In with Chris Hayes (Velshi subbing) delved into the widely reported “strategy session” that was supposed to take place at Vice President JD Vance’s residence to deal with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The scandal has engulfed the Trump White House and is leading to accusations of a coverup.ย 

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The MSNBC segment aptly pointed out the hypocritical Republican reaction back in 2016, when then AG Loretta Lynch was spotted at an airport tarmac chatting with former President Bill Clinton. The DOJ was at that time investigating Hillary Clinton–then the Democratic presidential candidate–over her email server. Many Republicans were very outraged by that meeting, accusing Bill Clinton and Lynch of conspiring to bury the email server probe. The firestorm surrounding the tarmac meeting almost led to AG Lynch’s resignation.

It is therefore quite interesting how the same Republican party which pushed for Lynch’s resignation sighting DOJ independence, is now very comfortable with the prospect of current AG Pam Bondi sitting down with Trump admin officials for a “strategy session” regarding the Epstein scandal which implicates President Trump. 

What happened to their clamour for DOJ independence? It is a very hypocritical stance, and MSNBC’s All In crew deserves major kudos for calling it out

Jeffrey Epstein & The Deep State

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently came out and declared the Jeffrey Epstein case officially closed. Epstein is the billionaire who was charged with child sex trafficking in 2019, but later died in prison while awaiting trial. The government declared his death a suicide, but there have been serious questions raised by some very credible voices, as to whether he really took his own life.

Part of the firestorm that has predictably erupted following DOJ’s abrupt closure of the Epstein case, stems from this theory that he was an intelligence asset tasked with a honey pot scheme aimed at compromising powerful U.S. figures. The argument in a nutshell, is that Epstein would befriend powerful figures and lure them into his illicit activities with minors, while secretly recording them for “kompromat”. These powerful figures, usually politicians, would then feel compelled to go with whatever the Deep State wanted–afraid to be exposed.

Among the loudest voices advancing this Deep State theory is longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon, who is now calling for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate everything about Epstein. Bannon argues that it is only through a special prosecutor probe of Epstein, that we will finally break the stranglehold the Deep State has on America.

It will be interesting to see how Bannon’s request for a special counsel probe plays out, or whether Congress decides to look into the matter via its various available investigative tools. 

As someone who has consistently called for a new Church-type probe, I think this push for an Epstein special counsel probe dramatically increases the odds that a Church-type committee investigating our intelligence agencies, is where we will finally endโ€”especially if it turns out that Epstein was indeed an intelligence asset.

Are DOGE Cuts To Blame For The Tragedy In Kerr County Texas?

A bombshell report on MSNBCโ€™s All In with Chris Hayes show raises questions as to whether cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency(DOGE) cuts to the National Weather Service(NWS) may have negatively impacted storm preparation efforts in Kerr County Texas flood that has left as many asโ€ฆpeople dead

The crux of Hayesโ€™ argument is that the person whose job it was, to issue weather warnings for Kerr County had opted for the DOGE buyouts (early retirement essentially) and that a replacement was never named for him. Hayes argues that had he still been employed, there would have been better coordination of the weather warnings, mitigating the loss of lives and property.

Of course there will never be a way to verify whether this key position would have saved lives and property from the generational floods, but thereโ€™s a legitimate debate as to whether DOGE cuts to NWS generally, have negatively impacted their forecasting/warning capabilities. Is NWS for example, even ready for this hurricane season after the DOGE cuts?

These are the types of questions the public needs to start asking now, before another weather-related disaster hits.

President Trumpโ€™s 062925 Interview On Fox News

U.S. President Donald Trump sat down with Fox Newsโ€™ Maria Bartiromo on 06/29/25 for a wide ranging interview that covered the recent U.S. bombing of Iranโ€™s nuclear facilities, the Big Beautiful Bill, immigration, tariffs and many other topics.

One very interesting exchange happened when host Maria Bartiromo asked President Trump how his administration intends to tackle the massive layoffs/job losses that will assuredly happen as a result of developments in artificial intelligence. Trump responded that he will solve that by “bringing in more companies”–a strange answer that appeared to shock Maria. 

It wasn’t clear whether the president meant bringing in more AI companies to hire more people, or whether he meant bringing in other companies to offset the job losses caused by AI. What’s clear is that neither option adequately addresses the core question raised by Maria. 

I was left wondering whether Fox News, or any other media outlet for that matter, would have let former President Biden off the hook with such an inadequate answer to real and present concerns surrounding AI? My guess is they would would have found a way to tie such an inadequate response to his “mental unfitness for office.” 

Is The Media Covering Up The Damage In Israel?

Troubling reports on social media are increasingly suggesting that the public is not being told the truth about the extent of damages the state of Israel has sustained, and is sustaining, in its war with Iran. On Thursday 06/19/25, Col Wilkerson appeared on MSNBC’s All In w/Chris and all but confirmed these troubling reports. He told host Hayes that Prime Minister Netanyahu, and indeed the citizens of Israel, are stunned at how effective the Iranian missiles have been–essentially that they they underestimated their capabilities.

Long story short, it appears that initial indications suggest that Israelโ€™s PM Netanyahu may have grossly underestimated Iranian military capabilities when he he recently launched a preemptive attack.

The Trump administration has recently showed signs of an eagerness to join Israel in its bombardment of Iran. It will be interesting to see how they process these new reports that Israel is actually suffering more than PM Netanyahu is publicly admitting.

Detention By U.S. Marine Raises Questions About Posse Comitatus Act

A segment on the 06/13/25 edition of CNNโ€™s Outfront w/Erin Burnett show featured a video showing a U.S. Marine detaining a man outside a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Youโ€™ll remember that the Trump administration recently sent U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles to deal with riots stemming from aggressive immigration practices of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Per Outfront host Erin Burnett, it was unclear at the time they aired this video, the circumstances that led to this manโ€™s detention by the Marine. The detention however, has naturally ignited a huge debate about the Posse Comitatus Act, which on its face, appears to prohibit any use of the military on U.S. soil for law enforcement purposes.

To be clear, this is a question that has percolated in legal circles for decades, especially as it relates to counterterrorism operations following the 9/11 attacks. This case in Los Angeles now presents a perfect opportunity for a Posse Comitatus lawsuit which hopefully, will result in the Supreme Court settling this burning legal question once and for all.

Economists Questioning Accuracy Of Trump Adminโ€™s Economic Data

A troubling report on CNNโ€™s Outfront with Erin Burnett says that economists are beginning to question whether the economic data coming out of the Trump administration is accurate/reliable.

As host Erin Burnett correctly points out, economists around the world regard the economic data coming out of the U.S., as the gold standard, in large part due to their belief that itโ€™s free from political manipulation.

If U.S. numbers canโ€™t be trusted anymore, as this report suggests, it is bound to affect the U.S. economy negatively in key sectors that rely on that โ€œgold standardโ€ perception. I think we can all agree that regardless of what political party is in power in the United States, economic data must remain independent.

House Speaker Grilled Over โ€œBig Beautiful Billโ€

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House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on CBSโ€™ Face The Nation (05/25/25) to discuss among other things, the recent House passage of the Trump administrationโ€™s budget billโ€”dubbed โ€œBig Beautiful Billโ€. The Billโ€™s fate now lies with the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.

Among the issues raising concerns with the budget bill, is that it is projected to increase the national debt significantly, something Republican lawmakers lamented throughout the Biden administration. The bill also makes significant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps(SNAP), programs crucial for working families generally, and specifically, the working poor.

Speaker Mike Johnsonโ€™s Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the nation, so cuts to Medicaid and food stamps are bound to have relatively more disastrous effects on families there. Asked by host Margaret Brennan how he can justify pushing such cuts knowing full well that his state is one of the poorest in the nation, Speaker Johnson responded that all the bill cuts is waste, fraud and abuse.

It will be interesting to see how Speaker Johnson and other House Republicans use this excuse once their poor constituents start complaining about the cuts. Even more interesting, will be the way Republicans defend this tricky position as we approach the 2026 midterm elections. 

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Is Corruption The Dem Ticket To Victory In 2026?

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Ever since President Trump beat his Democratic challenger Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Democrats have been in disarray, struggling to find a compelling narrative with which to challenge the new Trump administration.

Corruption is slowly becoming the galvanizing issue that is uniting Democrats in their opposition to the Trump administration. My posts on X(formerly Twitter) referencing these corruption stories generate a lot of engagement(retweets, likes, comments) which supports my assertion that corruption is clearly a hot topic for Democrats as we approach the 2026 midterms. Below are examples of such posts.

Will Democrats capitalize on this corruption issue to victory in the 2026 midterms? Only time will tell.

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President Trumpโ€™s Interview On MTP 050425

President Trump sat down for an extensive interview with NBC Meet The Pressโ€™ Kristen Welker on 05/04/25. As expected the interview covered all the major topics of the dayโ€”economy, immigration, military, foreign affairs, and in typical Trump fashion, even some humorous moments. Hey, heโ€™s not a tv ratings magnet for nothing.๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ

One of the most humorous moments for me, came when host Kristen Welker asked him when problems in the economy can be attributed to his actionsโ€”ostensibly referring to the damage the tariffs are doing to the economy. President Trump responded by saying that when the economy does good, he should get the credit, and when it struggles, his predecessor Biden should bare the blame.๐Ÿ˜‚

It will be interesting to see how this position holds, as the effects of tariffs become visibly evident from the empty store shelves. Will MAGA blame the empty shelves on Bidenโ€™s economic policies? Hmm, as Trump famously says, โ€œWeโ€™ll see what happens.โ€