Reporter Katie Phang recently nabbed a huge win against interim AG Todd Blanche and his crusade to keep the Epstein files under wraps. After months of stalling by the administration of President Donald Trump and ignoring the letter of a new law demanding the release of the sex-trafficker’s files, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan opened the floodgates on Trump’s longtime friend. Sullivan sided with former MS NOW show host Katie Phang in her lawsuit demanding the Trump administration adhere to the Epstein Transparency Act.Now, fresh off her big win, Phang tells “Left Hook” podcaster Wajahat Ali that Blanche, Trump and his entire crew appeared to be a bunch of idiots who had no real plan to protect Trump from being implicated in the Epstein files.“They're damned if they do and damned if they don't,” howled Phang. “You either produce it and now we have information that I and others can track down and do more reporting on, or you don't … it means they're trying to hide s——.”“If I were them I'd comply,” Phang told Ali. “I'd say ‘here are the names of the co-conspirators. Here are the names of the bad people that sent these terrible f—— emails. Here are the names of possible perpetrators. Have a nice day.’ But they are so dumb the way that they play this game. They had no f—— strategy and p—— off a federal judge like Emmett Sullivan … [who] told [Trump conspiracist] Michael Flynn to his face ‘you are a traitor to this country.’”Sullivan’s ruling means Blanche now must explain to a court why he shouldn't be forced to release names redacted from emails and documents that reference potentially damning videos and allegations of abuse of minors. Also included in redacted info includes the potential names of Epstein’s co-conspirators, as well as potentially damaging FBI interview notes from a victim who claimed Epstein introduced her to President Donald Trump when she was only 13.Phang told Ali that she had no doubt Sullivan put Trump administration in terrible danger.“Starting last year right … in the spring of 2025 they convene in the situation room about the Epstein files and it's not just the vice president of the United States, JD Vance there,” said Phang. “It was also then-attorney general Pam Bondi. It was FBI director Kash Patel. It's the deputy director of the FBI, Dan Bongino. It was then-deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. … It's the White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. It's the White House council … and a slew of other people. If something [fatal] had happened to that situation room pretty much … the entirety of the trump administration upper echelon would be f—— exterminated.”“The fact that you convene all those people repeatedly in the Situation Room you don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to figure out that there is something politically toxically horribly bad for the President of the United States [in those files],” she said.Phang added that she deliberately targeted Blanche in the suit to make him the prime target.“Unlike in other lawsuits when the DOJ is being sued and they parade in some junior federal prosecutor who has to go hat-in-hand to sit there and explain what happened or why they didn't do it, I only sued one person,” Phang said gleefully. “So, Todd Blanche … is gonna have to show up. You can't just send in some lackey.”
Lady Liberty is visual shorthand for our dynamic country and its promise of freedom. She isn't merely a stodgy statue mired in another era — she is timeless.
A large panel fell seemingly dozens of feet from above onto the stage during a rehearsal for a performance at an event for President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250, according to video posted by attorney Aaron Parnas.“The stage is falling apart at the rehearsal for Freedom 250’s July 4th celebration,” Parnas wrote.After the panel fell, someone can be heard on the video saying, “I was waiting for something like that to happen.” Critics blasted the administration while others issued warnings.“This is incredibly dangerous stuff,” wrote journalist Ryan Grim. “Trump cutting safety corners with stage building is the kind of thing somebody can genuinely be prosecuted for if someone dies, which is not uncommon if you slap it together like this. This equipment is deadly when falling from those heights.”“Literally a miracle no one was hurt here,” noted journalist Philip Lewis.“In all seriousness, that actually looks really dangerous for the performers. It’s scary how unsafe this all seems,” observed journalist Pablo Manríquez.“The sheer incompetence of this administration is really rather astonishing. Everything these people touch is shoddily done. This era is replete with evidence that experience and professionalism actually matter,” wrote author Jennifer Erin Valent.“If there was ever a metaphor for how historians will look back at Trump’s presidency at this moment in time, it’s this,” wrote health care consultant and National Organization for Women vice president Melanie D’Arrigo.“The Freedom 250 rehearsal stage falling apart is the perfect analogy for the Trump administration,” The Lincoln Project commented.“Glad everyone’s ok — it’s also hard to imagine a better metaphor for the current state of [America] than this,” wrote the progressive media outlet The Tennessee Holler.“Trump’s state fair is *literally* falling apart,” remarked liberal political commentator Harry Sisson.One commenter added, “Those performers are incredibly lucky. That falling piece of debris looked heavy, sharp and came down at incredible speed.”Trump’s Freedom 250 July 4th event is also besieged by a massive heat wave enveloping part of the country.“U.S. Capitol Police have already restricted Thursday night’s rehearsal for ‘A Capitol Fourth Concert’ to essential personnel, posting on X that they came to the decision after consulting with the Capitol’s Office of the Attending Physician,” The New Republic reported.“For safety reasons, the public will not be able to attend tonight’s rehearsal concert,” the Capitol Police’s post read. “Everyone is sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. The National Weather Service is forecasting an extreme heat watch with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.”
It has been one of the most popular days thus far at President Donald Trump's state fair, but now it's over. Washington, D.C., has reached a level of heat that it is becoming dangerous, and organizers of the fair decided to shut things down until this evening after 5 p.m., the digital signs read. The timeline raised questions from some folks who know the hottest time of day is likely around 5 p.m. "However, it’s going to be hotter at 5pm," said White House correspondent Wid Lyman. The hourly forecast shows temperatures will begin to fall around 7 p.m."It is miserably hot and humid today, genuinely feels like a sauna when you step outside," Fox congressional correspondent Bill Melugin wrote on X.July 3 is the federal holiday being observed for Independence Day, so many people in the area have off work, making it a perfect day for activities. After lackluster crowds, thousands came to the fair on Friday, only to be told it had to be shut down. Friday was also the day that some of the Trump heirs attended. First son Donald Trump Jr. was on hand with his new wife and Tiffany Trump was also there with her husband. Tourists were angry about it, saying they'd never heard of something as absurd as closing a state fair due to heat. "I've never heard of the fair closing bc it's hot and I live in SW MO where they do the fair mid August," said one person. One reason for heat fears is that the biggest attraction, the Ferris wheel, has gondola seats that are largely enclosed, and it isn't air-conditioned. There are also restrictions about what can be brought into the fair, including water bottles. Only clear bottles can be brought inside. Still, those who have spent the week mocking another of Trump's 250 failures were filled with jokes. "All 21 people at Trump’s state fair please go to the nearest exist the fair is closing," quipped democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko. "Hearing that the "Great American State Fair" may be closing until July 5. Supposedly, an announcement on site," joked Joel Siegel of Spectrum News. As one former Washington, D.C. resident explained, "As a former D.C.-er, let me explain a few things: D.C. is built on a swamp. Humidity even in the 70's F is unpleasant. In the 90's, you feel as if you are being melted into a puddle. In the 100's? Your brain capacity will be low. Is it as bad as Arkansas? Not quite, but it's sticky dehydration. Other than the D.C. National Zoo, which is built inside a small, steam-oven like canyon (but at least has some shade trees), the Mall in D.C. is the hottest spot in the city. It is a long, open trek, getting from 1 building to another. On the 4th, many buildings will be closed by Trump's fools."
The Great American State Fair on the National Mall closed early Friday as a dangerous, record-breaking heat wave gripped the nation's capital, forcing organizers to suspend the event with plans to reopen at 5 p.m., CNN reported.The shutdown comes as Washington, DC, braces for highs near or above 100 degrees for a second straight day, with a heat index expected to climb as high as 113 degrees. At least 20 locations broke or tied daily temperature records Thursday, with cities including New York and Newark registering hotter conditions than Phoenix, the desert city known for extreme heat.DC has activated an extreme heat alert through July 5 as hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on the capital for holiday events. Organizers of National Mall celebrations, including the fair, are adding water stations, cooling tents and air-conditioned buses in an effort to keep attendees safe.The fair isn't the only casualty of the heat. Philadelphia canceled its Friday Independence Day parade, one of the nation's largest, "due to extreme heat," while Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Haddon Township, New Jersey, also scrapped their parades.A new analysis published Friday by World Weather Attribution found that the intensity of the heat and humidity this week would have been "virtually impossible" without fossil fuel pollution driving climate change."When a historic 4th of July celebration is disrupted... it shouldn't take another scientific study to wake people up," said climate scientist Friederike Otto, per CNN.The heat is also straining the region's power grid. Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered data centers in the Mid-Atlantic to switch to backup power this week to preserve capacity for residential air conditioning, as more than 19,000 Con Edison customers in the New York area lost power Thursday.Officials are urging anyone attending outdoor Fourth of July events to take frequent breaks in the shade, stay hydrated and watch for signs of heat-related illness, particularly among older adults, children and outdoor workers.
