Monday, July 21st, 2025 - Trump–Epstein fallout; Colbert canceled; Deportation disasters; Israel strike hits church; GENIUS Act

Today’s Headlines: Fallout from a Wall Street Journal report revealing a bizarre birthday note allegedly from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein continues, with Trump denying authorship and suing the WSJ, Rupert Murdoch, and others for $10 billion in a defamation suit filed in Judge Aileen Cannon’s district. Meanwhile, VP JD Vance quietly visited Murdoch just before the story broke, and the DOJ moved to unseal grand jury records on Epstein as reports suggest Trump’s name triggered special review protocols within the FBI. Over in entertainment, CBS abruptly canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert shortly after Colbert slammed parent company Paramount for a Trump-linked $16M “settlement”—timed suspiciously with FCC approval requests for the Paramount–Skydance merger. Congress also voted to slash $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funds, disproportionately affecting rural NPR stations. On immigration, new reporting exposed unacknowledged passengers on deportation flights and the botched deportation of an elderly asylum recipient, now hospitalized in Guatemala after vanishing from ICE custody. Internationally, an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza church killed civilians and earned Netanyahu an apology call to the Pope, frustrating the Trump White House amid fragile ceasefire talks in Syria. And in financial news, the so-called GENIUS Act passed, boosting crypto markets by letting banks treat stablecoins as assets, not liabilities—just in time for “crypto week” on the Hill. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WSJ: Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. CNBC: Trump sues Murdoch for $10 billion over WSJ story on Epstein birthday letter The Independent: JD Vance flew to Montana for secret meeting with Rupert Murdoch and Fox News execs  ABC News: DOJ files request to unseal Epstein grand jury records after uproar over files NBC News: FBI personnel were told to flag Epstein files mentioning Trump, Senate Democrat says Variety: Writers Guild Demands Investigation Into Stephen Colbert ‘Late Show’ Cancellation, Has ‘Significant Concerns’ About Bribery at Paramount  Axios: Skydance CEO met with FCC chair ahead of CBS canceling "The Late Show"  Axios: Congress votes to strip more than $1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS  404media.co: Flight Manifests Reveal Dozens of Previously Unknown People on Three Deportation Flights to El Salvador The Morning Call: Allentown grandfather’s family was told he died in ICE custody. Then they learned he’s alive — in a hospital in Guatemala, they say ABC News: Netanyahu calls Pope Leo XIV after deadly Israeli strike on Gazan church Axios: "He's a madman": Trump's team frets about Netanyahu after Syria strikes Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices