Epstein Files
The House Oversight Committee voted 41-0 to advance a contempt resolution against Leon Black for declining to comply with a subpoena regarding his payments to Jeffrey Epstein. Black has sued the committee. Black has argued the subpoenas seek private information without a legitimate legislative purpose.
Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson stated in a Vanity Fair profile that President Trump ordered the withholding of Epstein files. The White House said Trump has released thousands of pages.
US Politics
Speaker Mike Johnson recessed the House early, officially ending all activity until after the midterm elections. Rep. Thomas Massie criticized the move on the floor and accused Johnson of blocking votes on his second Epstein Transparency Act as well as his impeachment resolution against Secretary Pete Hegseth. Johnson described the impeachment resolution as a stunt and called the session productive.
In other news, the House Judiciary Committee released internal ActBlue records showing instructions to approve donations flagged as foreign, including one from a Hong Kong IP address and another linked to Canada. Committee documents indicated the platform’s passport verification checked only the character count. Logs recorded 22 fraud campaigns and 237 prepaid-card donations from foreign IPs in one month before the election. ActBlue stated a third-party review found 99.99 percent of 2023 donations carried a U.S. address or passport number. ActBlue has disputed the committee’s findings as partisan.
Geopolitics
The Houthis released footage they said showed the downing of a Saudi F-15. Ground clashes increased near Bab al-Mandab, and oil prices rose. Saudi Arabia claimed a Houthi drone targeted Mecca, but the Houthis denied the claim. The East-West pipeline damage is estimated to require five to six weeks for repair. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the F-15 downing claim.
Meanwhile, Turkey is expected to ratify a defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in October. Regional analysts stated the pact could draw Ankara into confrontation with the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab. Turkey has maintained an embassy, training base, and spaceport project in Somalia.
Also related to fighting in the Middle East, a UN fact-finding mission report stated there are reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces committed war crimes in strikes on a school in Minab and a sports center in Lamerd. The same report found Iran committed crimes against humanity during protests that began in late December.
Related to the Ukraine conflict, a Danish helicopter monitoring a Russian frigate in the Baltic was reportedly fired upon with flares. Denmark summoned Russia’s ambassador. Russia’s Defense Ministry awarded the frigate commander for decisive actions. Russia stated the helicopter approached too closely and performed dangerous maneuvers.
Preparedness
A Preppgroup essay cited Great Depression unemployment data, current U.S. debt levels, labor force participation rates, infrastructure grades, and semiconductor concentration to argue that traditional stockpiling is insufficient for extended economic disruptions. The essay recommended focusing on skills and community networks.
Artificial Intelligence
Bill Gates described AI as an alien intelligence requiring new international oversight and announced a $1 billion Gates Foundation commitment to AI applications in education, health, and agriculture. China’s spy chief called for Party control over AI development. Anthropic reported China-linked use of its models in Taiwan-related simulations.
Attorney Preston Byrne argued that Amodei’s proposed regulatory framework for frontier AI labs would replicate prior online content moderation structures and raise First Amendment issues.
Education & Health
An essay criticizes the children’s book My Life with Anxiety for teaching seven-year-olds that ordinary nerves are a lifelong condition to manage with a CBD gummy and by having friends visit at home instead of going out. The author argues such books recast normal human feelings—anxiety before a tryout, a flutter of nerves, even grief—as diseases that set a child apart from “neurotypical” peers and must be treated or avoided. He writes that this lesson trains kids to fear their own inner life and look outside themselves for relief rather than stay with discomfort and grow stronger. The author presented the book as a way to reduce stigma and promote empathy.
Sources
ActBlue’s Internal Logs Reveal Foreign Donations Waved Through, Whistleblowers Silenced
The donor is foreign, but correctly entered their billing address.
Russia, Denmark Trade Blame Over Baltic Helicopter Flare Incident
There’s been another dangerous incident and major ‘close call’ involving a Russian ship in international waters off Europe.
Turkey’s Saudi Pact Risks Costly Houthi Clash, Red Sea Disruptions
Ankara does not want a clash with the Houthis.
Adapt or Watch Your Prep Fail: The Crises That Outlast Your Supplies
Choose capability over inventory. Choose community over isolation. Choose skills over supplies.
Gates Trades Climate Scare for Global AI Overseer
This guy just wants global authoritarianism. He tries it however he can. Climate, health, now AI.
Who Aligns the Aligners? Amodei’s AI Safety Plan Risks New Censors
This censorship apparatus is about to be rebuilt from scratch, except this time for AI instead of social media.
House Panel Pushes Contempt for Black’s Epstein Subpoena Defiance
The House Oversight Committee unanimously voted 41-0 to advance a contempt resolution of Black, 75, to the full chamber.
Houthis Drop Video of Saudi F-15 Shootdown as Yemen Clashes Escalate
The Houthis have released new footage which appears to confirm the earlier Saudi F-15 jet shootdown, with aircraft falling in the Marib area.
Tucker Carlson: Trump Directly Ordered Epstein Files Cover-Up
The order to cover it up came from Trump.
How a Picture Book Teaches Kids to Numb Their Nerves
This book isn’t teaching her to cope. It’s teaching her to numb.
UN Report: US War Crimes in Iran Strikes, Tehran Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity
A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes.
Massie Slams Johnson’s Early Recess as War and Epstein Files Languish
“We’re calling off Congress? And we’re in the majority?” Massie railed from the House floor. “I’m trying to get justice for the Epstein survivors. I’m trying to stop a war.”
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: ActBlue, Russia’s Defense Ministry, Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials, Black’s lawsuit, the White House, and the book’s publisher.
by davefairtex 
