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July 19, 2025

The Big Picture: Epstein Politics

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Some dogs instinctively like to chase cars.

That’s not unlike political outsiders, who speak out against the powers that be in government.

But what happens when the dog actually catches the car?

That’s what has happened with President Trump, the MAGA movement and Jeffrey Epstein, the financier sex offender, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

His death spurred conspiracy theories, many of which were promulgated by the very people in the government now investigating his death and his ties to influential people.

The backstory of why this started to matter with MAGA is because it ties in with this belief, spurred on during the height of the QAnon movement, that there is a satanic cabal of pedophiles running the government.

Trump indicated during the 2024 presidential campaign that he would get to the bottom of it. So it’s no surprise that influential people in his base are having a hard time accepting that Epstein, in fact, died by suicide and what Attorney General Pam Bondi has said, that there is no “client list.”

Trump has added fuel to the fire, saying he wants all “credible” information released. But given Trump’s ties to Epstein — they were friends from the 1980s to the early 2000s until a property fight ended it — Democrats have been wondering aloud about what information the president doesn’t want released.

Then the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday on a bawdy letter from 2003 the paper says Trump signed by Trump wishing Epstein a happy birthday. Trump denies writing it. He used the story to employ a familiar strategy from the Trump playbook – blame the media in hopes of deflecting and rallying his base around a common enemy.

All of it has meant the first real controversy within the ranks of Trump’s base, as a CNN poll this week found only 3% of people are satisfied with the transparency around the case.

— Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent

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ICYMI: Top Stories

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Trump signs crypto legislation into law: President Trump has signed the country’s first major standalone piece of crypto legislation into law. At a signing ceremony on Friday, Trump said the law will make the U.S. dollar and cryptocurrency “stronger and bigger and better than ever before.” The GENIUS bill adopts regulations for cryptocurrency known as stablecoins. Bill advocates believe it will transform the world of commerce. Critics argue the regulations are too light.

Putting pressure on Putin: Congressional Democrats and Republicans are coming together to push back against Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The lawmakers are, in part, capitalizing on Trump’s rocky relationship with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to get stronger sanctions against the country. More than 160 members of Congress have signed onto the sanctions bill.

Proposed change to the voting maps: Some congressional Republicans want non-U.S. citizens excluded from census counts that determine how presidents and members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected -- the 14th Amendment clearly states the census should include the "whole number of persons in each state." The once-in-a-decade census count tracks the population of each state.

A younger political playing field: There’s a growing number of younger folks with political aspirations. At least 10 candidates under the age of 40 – all Democrats – are eyeing congressional seats in the midterm elections. In recent years a playbook has emerged for young candidates – so far, with mixed results.

From RINO to retirement: There are consequences for Republicans that defy the president. Sometimes they’re labeled by others in the party as a “moderate” or “RINO.” But some, like North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, opt to forgo reelection altogether. It signals a shift in what it means to be a conservative.

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

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Going Deeper: Incoming Impact of Federal Cuts on American Ed

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The public education system is buckling up for some huge change.

The president's recently enacted megabill makes sweeping cuts and changes to the American education system. The cuts include slashing food aid to schools and reducing Medicaid coverage. And the policy changes include the establishment of a national school voucher program.

On top of the cuts, a Supreme Court ruling this week means the Trump administration can resume dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. (The ruling is not the final word as the case continues to work its way through the lower courts.)

Get caught up with reporting from NPR's Sequoia Carrillo, Cory Turner and Elissa Nadworny.

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

The Shot: It’s a ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Summer

Netflix

The movie KPop Demon Hunters is taking the world by storm. No, literally. It’s the No. 1 streamed movie globally on Netflix right now, and its punchy soundtrack is quickly climbing the charts. (Their song “Golden” has more than 124 million streams on Spotify).

The animated movie follows the fictional all-female KPop group Huntr/x. The group (as you likely guessed) are demon hunters on a world tour. NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour called the film “loads of fun” and “packed with some of the catchiest bangers you'll hear all summer.”

-- Saige Miller, NPR Politics producer

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