00:00The Epstein files are out and President Trump's name is in them.
00:05The birthday wishes he swears are fake and the racy references making headlines.
00:10Plus, ICE cracks down in Chicago.
00:12The first arrests and the backlash from City Hall and the State House.
00:16And a win for ICE at the Supreme Court.
00:19The justices rule agents can roam where day laborers gather.
00:24The stories that matter, clear and credible.
00:28From across the country to around the world.
00:30These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News.
00:36Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli.
00:38This morning, new Epstein files and Donald Trump's name is front and center.
00:43A congressional panel has the so-called birthday book from Jeffrey Epstein's estate.
00:48And Democrats are posting pages publicly.
00:50First came a page with a doodle bearing the president's name.
00:54Now, late last night, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee posted another page.
00:59It features a photo of Epstein holding a large check with a caption joking about, quote,
01:05selling a fully depreciated woman to Donald Trump for $22,500.
01:11Earlier yesterday, Democrat Robert Garcia reposted a picture on X of an alleged birthday note
01:17Trump had sent Epstein in 2003, saying, quote,
01:21The note Trump says doesn't exist.
01:23Time to end this White House cover-up.
01:25The note reads in part,
01:27Happy birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret.
01:31President Trump has already sued the Wall Street Journal,
01:34the first outlet to report on the alleged card, calling the story defamation.
01:38Until now, the public had not seen it.
01:40The House Oversight Committee, led by Republican James Comer,
01:44subpoenaed documents from Epstein's estate last month.
01:47But in a statement last night, he accused Democrats of, quote,
01:51cherry-picking documents and politicizing information.
01:55The White House is pushing back hard.
01:57In a post on X, press secretary Caroline Levitt insisted, quote,
02:01It is very clear.
02:03President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.
02:06Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Butowich went further,
02:10posting side-by-side shots of Donald Trump's known autographs
02:13to argue the card is fake.
02:16The letter and the image were both turned over by the Epstein estate,
02:19meaning they were in his possession.
02:21The estate also handed over Epstein's will,
02:24bank records, and pages from his contact book.
02:27Both sides of the panel say this is just the start,
02:29with more documents and more names still to come,
02:33including former President Bill Clinton
02:34and high-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz,
02:37who are listed as friends of Epstein.
02:39This morning, a new immigration crackdown is underway in Chicago.
02:44Immigration and Customs Enforcement calling it Operation Midway Blitz.
02:48In a statement Monday, ICE said the mission is aimed at, quote,
02:52criminal illegal aliens who flock to Chicago because of sanctuary policies.
02:57Officials also dedicated the operation to Katie Abraham of Illinois,
03:01killed earlier this year in a drunk-driving hit-and-run.
03:04The driver, a Guatemalan citizen, in the U.S. illegally,
03:09was caught in Texas days later trying to flee to Mexico.
03:12ICE says the Blitz is already netting arrests and will expand.
03:17We have successfully arrested some criminal aliens over the last few days.
03:21We just began our surge.
03:22We're going to be bringing in our partners, our other DHS partners,
03:27DOJ partners, CBP partners coming in.
03:31So they'll be coming in and participating in this ICE-led operation.
03:35The Chicago mayor and Illinois governor, J.B. Pritzker,
03:38say they received no advance notice.
03:41It is unclear how long the Blitz will last,
03:43but ICE insists it has always operated in Chicago
03:46and will keep targeting those it calls dangerous criminal aliens.
03:51In a win for the Trump administration,
03:54the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for ICE
03:56to resume so-called moving raids in Los Angeles.
04:00The 6-3 ruling blocks a lower court opinion
04:03that had banned agents from stopping migrants at big-box stores,
04:07bus stops and car washes
04:08after critics said those sweeps relied on stereotypes,
04:12Spanish speakers looking for day labor.
04:15Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that it is, quote,
04:18common sense to question people who meet certain criteria,
04:22including limited English proficiency.
04:25Homeland Security celebrated the decision
04:27as a victory for public safety and the rule of law,
04:30but Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted the ruling, saying, quote,
04:33we should not have to live in a country
04:35where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino,
04:38speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job.
04:42Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
04:44touched down in Puerto Rico Monday
04:46an unannounced visit that signals the Pentagon
04:48is ramping up its fight against Latin America drug cartels.
04:53Governor Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon posted images
04:56of Hegseth arriving alongside Joint Chiefs Chair
04:59General Dan Cain.
05:00Their visit comes just days after this U.S. strike
05:03in the Caribbean Sea.
05:05A Venezuelan boat blown up, 11 people killed,
05:08President Trump says they were members of a drug cartel
05:11in the gang Tren de Aragua,
05:13though the White House has not released evidence.
05:15Vice President J.D. Vance backed the strike,
05:18writing, killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens
05:21is the highest and best use of our military.
05:25Over the weekend, outside a military base in Puerto Rico,
05:27Mothers Against War led a protest,
05:30accusing the administration of using cartels
05:33as a pretext for a wider conflict with Venezuela
05:36and the Maduro regime.
05:37The Washington Post reports the Pentagon is weighing
05:41whether to launch missions directly from Puerto Rico,
05:44including fighter jet deployments.
05:46Hegseth also visited the USS Iwo Jima,
05:49telling troops they're on the front lines
05:51of defending the homeland.
05:52France's government has now collapsed
05:55after lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister
05:58Francois Baru in a stunning rebuke.
06:02364 MPs voted against Baru,
06:04far more than the 280 votes needed to bring him down.
06:08The confidence vote was triggered by Baru himself
06:10as he tried to force through an austerity plan
06:13that cut public holidays and froze government spending.
06:17After just nine months in power,
06:18he's now out as the second most powerful figure in France.
06:23French President Emmanuel Macron
06:24is expected to name a new prime minister
06:27in the coming days.
06:28Whoever he chooses will be France's fourth prime minister
06:31in just 12 months.
06:33Finally this morning, a new mural
06:35by famous street artist Banksy
06:37is sparking debate in London.
06:39The work, splashed across the wall
06:41of Britain's Royal Courts of Justice,
06:43shows a judge in a wig and gown
06:45using his gavel to strike a protester.
06:48Banksy posted a photo of the piece
06:50on Instagram Monday.
06:52Many see it as a critique
06:53of how pro-Palestinian activists have been treated.
06:56But the controversial art won't last long.
06:59Officials say it will be removed.
07:01For now the mural is covered up,
07:03monitored by security guards and surveillance cameras.
07:06Before we head out,
07:07here's what we're tracking today.
07:08This morning, House Democrats and Republican leaders
07:11are both set to hold press conferences
07:13after their closed-door policy meetings.
07:15Expect Jeffrey Epstein to be a topic.
07:17Later in Boston, nearly 20 religious groups
07:20head to court to try to block the Trump administration
07:22from carrying out immigration raids
07:24in houses of worship.
07:26Then at 1 p.m., press secretary Caroline Levitt
07:29holds a briefing from the White House.
07:31Also at 1, all eyes on Apple, the tech giant,
07:34unveils its new line of iPhones,
07:36facing pressure from the trade war
07:38and struggles in AI that could push prices up
07:41for the first time in five years.
07:43Hey, be the smartest person in line at Starbucks.
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07:52And while you're there,
07:54Fenty iced caramel macchiato
07:57for your buddy named Negrelli.
07:59How about that?
08:02Those are your unbiased updates for this Tuesday.
08:04We'll see you back here tomorrow.
08:05For all of us here at Straight Arrow News,
08:06I'm Craig Negrelli.
08:07Have a great day.
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