Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
They are not really good at this.
According to Fox News, “two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options.”
(VIA FOX NEWS) – Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation for potential wrongdoing related to the Trump–Russia probe, including allegedly making false statements to Congress, Justice Department sources told Fox News Digital.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred evidence of wrongdoing by Brennan to FBI Director Kash Patel for potential prosecution, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital.
The sources said that the referral was received and told Fox News Digital that a criminal investigation into Brennan was opened and is underway. DOJ sources declined to provide further details. It is unclear, at this point, if the investigation spans beyond his alleged false statements to Congress.
As for Comey, DOJ sources told Fox News Digital that an investigation into the former director is underway, but could not share details of what specifically is being probed.
The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources described the FBI’s view of the duo’s interactions as a “conspiracy,” which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. The FBI and CIA declined to comment. (read more)
Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
President Trump holds an almost two-hour cabinet meeting in front of the media where he and other cabinet secretaries take questions from the assembled press pool in the cabinet room. Full video below. WATCH:
Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
I’ll put the entire cabinet meeting in another post. It is interesting that RFK Jr. was not present (?).
For this outline, let’s focus on the issue that is exploding the MAGA and anti-MAGA universe on social media right now. President Trump and Pam Bondi’s response to a question about Jeffrey Epstein and the controversial DOJ/FBI memo that now states there is no “third party” or “client list” connected to the Epstein sex trafficking.
Obviously, President Trump is not happy with attention focused on the Epstein issues. The most likely reason for the frustration expressed is simply that President Trump is unaware how much the Epstein issues are -and have been- part of the background focus within the base of his support. Here’s the segment. WATCH:
First, kudos to Marco Rubio for his stone faced and remarkably unaffected disposition within the exchange. It takes time and experience to remain stoic at this level. Exceptional control.
Second, everyone here has a reasonable BS detector – meaning we can tell when a person is not telling the truth. It is transparently obvious AG Pam Bondi is extremely uncomfortable with the Epstein issue, and her responses indicate she is not being honest or forthright. You could say, she’s lying; however, the facts of her presentation are a little more complicated.
The main issue around Bondi’s less-than-fulsome response is the motive. Is she lying because she’s just grossly incompetent about the issue, or is she lying because she is nefarious in her intent. The Occam’s Razor answer to her obvious parseltongue is a combination of both.
Former AG Pam Bondi, now Attorney General Pam Bondi is entirely over her head when it comes to highly sensitive and critically important issues. She does not have the intellectual acumen to engage on a subject that is both complex and sensitive. Bondi is an unmoored ship, floating in the direction of tides, waves and winds on any particular subject.
When a controversial issue arises, the character of the individual becomes more visible. Direct honesty is challenging to an unmoored person because they are always guesstimating, attempting to navigate and find the best position with themselves as the focus of the issue, not the issue itself.
In general terms, when a person is unmoored, the personal character trait of ‘how does this affect me’ surfaces quickly and visibly whenever a topic of discomfort surfaces. If that topic is one of high public interest, the prism of self-interest, brutally visible, then creates the realization of distrust. This outward appearance cannot be hidden and begins the person into a downward spiral that becomes even more clear when the predictable anger defensive mechanism is triggered. We see all of that in Bondi’s reaction to the question.
This aspect of Pam Bondi’s character was why CTH was out front of the nomination in saying this could be a problem. If she was willing to go along with the fabrication of a false witness in the Zimmerman case, what does that tell us about predicting her behavior as the U.S. Attorney General? That reality was the source of our concern. Now people are starting to see it surface.
Bondi is both lying from incompetence, simply her words do not pass the standard of common sense, and she is lying from a position that the DOJ/FBI claims just simply do not add up.
Unfortunately, both Bondi and Trump’s response to the Epstein issue now open a huge gate for the opposition to exploit. Elon Musk and his legions of anti-Trumpers, both new and old, will now enjoy enhanced support as their attack exploits will benefit from visible obfuscation. MAGA people will begin to distrust, that opens the door for anti-MAGA elements to engage in the issue that both Bondi and Trump obfuscate. This is not good.
Lastly, regarding President Trump. There is a membrane around the President that is very difficult to penetrate. President Trump has guards around him that do not allow information to enter against their priority interests. Trump’s handlers, specifically Bondi’s key ally, Susie Wiles, have an agenda for President Trump, and they control his domestic political worldview by controlling the information that reaches him.
Yes, President Trump has handlers, monitors, who steer the subjects they want into his field of vision. If there is an issue they do not prioritize, he simply does not see it. The same applies to all Presidents and all Executives in positions of power, the issue is not exclusive to President Trump, and we all have reference points – albeit with less consequence.
President Trump is blind to the importance of the Jeffrey Epstein story, because he is disconnected from realizing the importance of the issue to his support base. It really is that simple. To him, this looks like a distraction, because from his well managed perspective this is not an issue the guards have drawn attention to.
President Trump’s primary way of sensing the priorities of the electorate were rallies and meetings with ordinary people and MAGA supporters. However, when he won the election he is now circled by people who -at times- have a completely different agenda and priority focus than the ordinary people left outside.
I understand this dynamic from my own personal engagement with people close to President Trump, in combination with watching closely how information flows into his psyche. That said, I am relatively optimistic the Epstein issue will soon be explained to President Trump in a way that changes how he approaches it.
Unfortunately, it takes time for information to penetrate the politically protective membrane around President Trump; but when it does, he will react to it. The ammunition this issue has provided to his enemies will quickly be noted by Dan Scavino Jr., Melania Trump and Barron Trump.
Despite the ugliness, President Trump is a man of honest temperament, and he can quickly adapt. However, Pam Bondi is structurally incapable of recovering, but I suspect she will appear on Sean Hannity in an effort to rehabilitate herself.
Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference after meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. As Netanyahu remarked, “President Trump’s decision to act with us …. has made a remarkable change in the Middle East.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu also emphasized the need to “change the government of Gaza” as part of the current objective within the conflict. Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized repeatedly that President Trump and himself are connected in common purpose. According to the Israeli Prime Minister, the government of the USA and the government of Israel have never been as deeply intertwined as they are at this moment in history. WATCH:
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Pay close attention to the tone and emphasis of the remarks from Prime Minister Netanyahu as well as the content. For Netanyahu there is a domestic political need to stay as close to President Trump as humanly possible, and he is showcasing that intent in every word and inflection. Netanyahu’s power is directly related to his proximity to Trump.
Benjamin Netanyahu fears distance from President Trump more than any element around him. Remember, the need for control is a reaction to fear. Netanyahu will do anything to keep close proximity.
Posted originally on CTH on July 8, 2025 | Sundance
The Term-1 effect of deflation created by tariff policy is resurfacing in Term-2 even with larger tariff impacts across the network of global manufacturing exports. [DATA SOURCE]
In essence, there is little to no end result in price increases in the final price of consumer goods (Consumer Price Index). In fact, there is a slight deflationary aspect on CPI data from imported durable goods. The lower price of arriving imported durable goods is effectively putting downward pressure on US consumer prices. This is identical to the Term-1 result. A pattern is repeating. [PCE personal consumption expenditure / CPI consumer price index]
It sounds counterintuitive, but tariffs do not impact the final price of goods to USA consumers; there are just too many factors, too many elements within the Total Cost of Goods (TCG) within supply chain. Global energy prices, domestic energy prices, currency evaluations and fluctuations, state/govt subsidies to manufacturers, labor negotiations and production profit offsets are only a few of the components.
Additionally, and this is where U.S. consumers do not get a fulsome explanation from corporate media analysts, the tariff rate is applied to the ‘cost’ the exporter pays, not the final consumer price. A pair of jeans from China may be sold to the import company for $5 per pair. A 30% tariff raises the price of the jeans by $1.50 to $6.50. The tariff rate does not apply to the retail price of $50 paid by the consumer.
CEA ANALYSIS – The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), after decomposing the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index into imported and domestic components, found that the prices of imported goods have not only fallen this year, but also declined faster than overall goods prices since February. These findings contradict claims that tariffs or tariff-fears would lead to an acceleration of inflation.
More commonly referred to as PCE or PCEPI, the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index is an inflation gauge watched closely by policymakers and financial markets. Overall goods prices in the PCE index have increased by 0.4 percent from December 2024 through May 2025, which corresponds to a 1 percent annualized rate.
Meanwhile, the imported component of PCE goods prices fell by 0.1 percent from December 2024 through May 2025. CEA’s directional findings using this method of analyzing the PCE are consistent across core goods (excluding food and energy), durables (which last for at least three years), and nondurables. The import contribution to inflation includes both the direct impact of imported final goods for consumption and indirect effects of imported intermediate inputs.
Similar analysis for the widely used Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows that imported goods have deflated 0.8 percent while overall goods prices have remained constant. There are a number of differences between PCE and CPI inflation, including scope of products included and weighting methodologies, so finding a similar pattern for CPI highlights the robustness of the results. (read more, pdf)
Posted originally on CTH on July 7, 2025 | Sundance
Apparently, according to multiple sources citing a TSA internal memo, U.S. airline travelers no longer need to remove their shoes when going through the security screening process. [There’s nothing on TSA website]
Perhaps the USA will soon catch up to The Netherlands, where everything including your personage are scanned as you pass through the newer tech systems/gateways and you do not need to take off anything, nor remove anything from carryon luggage. It makes travel much faster.
YAHOO – In a sweeping update to airport security procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made a significant policy change: all travelers, regardless of PreCheck status, will now be allowed to keep their shoes on during security screening.
This marks the most significant revision to TSA’s screening process in more than two decades and effectively ends one of the most notorious post-9/11 requirements for air travel in the United States.
[…] Starting Monday, July 7, TSA officers nationwide will begin implementing the updated protocol. The policy applies to all U.S. airports and all passengers, whether they are enrolled in TSA PreCheck or not. The only known exception at this time is for individuals who are unable to present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification, a federal standard that was fully enforced back in May 2025. (read more)
Posted originally on CTH on July 7, 2025 | Sundance
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the DOJ/FBI investigative report citing that Jeffrey Epstein did not have a client list, did not use sex trafficking for blackmail and acted alone in the trafficking of thousands of underage girls for his own personal sexual deviances. That’s their story and they’re sticking to it. WATCH:
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Sketchy. All of it.
The previous meeting DOJ/White House meeting with the CONservative “influencers” to discuss Jeffrey Epstein remains unresolved in motive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive at the White House shortly.
Posted originally on CTH on July 7, 2025 | Sundance
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing against the backdrop of multiple headline events. Anticipated Start Time 1:00pm ET. Livestream Links Below.
Posted originally on CTH on July 7, 2025 | Sundance
Yesterday, the DOJ and FBI released a memo concluding Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, maintained no “client list,” and engaged in no blackmail – effectively debunking theories of his motives. This DOJ/FBI memo contradicts Attorney General Pam Bondi’s prior claims of reviewing such a client list. Many people are wondering what is going on?
If the memo content is accurate, Jeffrey Epstein trafficked in sex with thousands of minors for his own gratification. He was not providing underage girls to high profile clients and did not maintain a client list. Additionally, there is no evidence to support a supposition that Epstein’s actions were part of a system to generate blackmail of influential people.
Oddly, perhaps not, there is no information as to the source of his wealth or financing of his sick activity. Apparently, Jeffrey Epstein was able to conduct all of these targeting acts, and live a luxurious lifestyle surrounded by codependent enablers, from an unknown source of material wealth and income.
Yes, it all seems odd and irreconcilable.
You are not weird, strange or alone if you do not understand. None of it makes sense.
(VIA AXIOS) – President Trump’s Justice Department and FBI have concluded they have no evidence that convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein blackmailed powerful figures, kept a “client list” or was murdered, according to a memo detailing the findings obtained by Axios.
The administration is releasing a video — in both raw and “enhanced” versions — that it says indicates no one entered the area of the Manhattan prison where Epstein was held the night he died in 2019.
The video supports a medical examiner’s finding that Epstein died by suicide, the two-page memo claims.
Why it matters: The findings represent the first time Trump’s administration has officially contradicted conspiracy theories about Epstein’s activities and his death — theories that had been pushed by the FBI’s top two officials before Trump appointed them to the bureau.
As social media influencers and activists, Kash Patel (now the FBI’s director) and Dan Bongino (now deputy director) were among those in MAGA world who questioned the official version of how Epstein died.
Patel and Bongino have since said Epstein killed himself. But it has become an article of faith online, especially on the right, that Epstein’s crimes also implicated government officials, celebrities and business leaders — and that someone killed him to conceal them.
The memo says no one else involved in the Epstein case will be charged. (Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking and related offenses.)
Zoom in: According to the memo, investigators closely examined footage of Epstein’s Manhattan prison cell between around 10:40pm on Aug. 9, 2019, when Epstein was locked in his cell, and around 6:30am the next day, when he was found unresponsive. (MORE)
Posted originally on CTH on July 7, 2025 | Sundance
Appearing on CNBC to explain the big picture economics, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlines how debt and deficit hawks are seemingly blind to the need for GDP growth to deal with federal spending.
From the outset of President Trump’s MAGAnomic policies in his T-1 and T-2 platform, growing the U.S. economy, expanding the size of the GDP is a key facet to dealing with debt and deficits. President Trump has always promoted economic policy that expands the size of the pie rather than focus on making smaller portions of each spending slice.
Secretary Bessent also explains the current status of the tariffs as delivered by the Trump administration. The next few days are exceptionally busy with incoming requests to renegotiate trade terms, and avoid countervailing duties. WATCH:
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Big picture: Trump, Lutnick and Greer are now transmitting 1. Baseline tariffs (10-20%), 2. Reciprocity tariffs (trade imbalance) and 3. Section 232 tariffs (ex. Steel and Aluminum). Countries are notified and their tariff rate begins on August 1st.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
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