FBI Insider: "We Cannot Run a Republic Like This"
Cryptic message from FBI's Deputy Director. Updates on the situation in Gaza. What the new tariff deal means for you. Planned Parenthood gets a reprieve. Plus: Who's mad about Sydney Sweeney's genes?
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If you're reading this, you're in a rare space where people with different views read the same news. I think of us as a like-valued but not like-minded community. We care about evidence-based information presented with compassion, and we care deeply about human suffering, wherever it occurs. Usually we can navigate our differences, but the thorniest topic is one we are addressing today: Israel and Gaza.
I know many of you are heartbroken by what's unfolding. Parents unable to feed their children. Families torn apart. People held captive for 660 days. The human cost is devastating, and reasonable people can feel anguish about all of it while disagreeing about causes and solutions.
Here's the information dispute we're navigating: Israel says it's not starving civilians and blames Hamas for Palestinian suffering. Aid groups, UN agencies, and images from Gaza show widespread malnutrition and hunger-related deaths.
Those focused on Israel's security argue Hamas’ intransigence and existential threat justifies difficult measures. Those focused on Gaza's civilians argue nothing justifies extraordinary preventable suffering. I understand why both perspectives feel urgent and moral.
My job is to report verified information about events that shape our world. I know this is difficult to read and it’s difficult for us to report, but it’s the job. I’ve done my best to be clear about what's documented and what's disputed. I’m sure some of you will feel upset or disappointed in some way — I hear that and I understand. When you read this I invite you to bring your compassion — not just for the side with which you most identify, but for everyone caught in this tragedy.
Today we also cover the potential impact of the EU trade deal here in the US; a reprieve for Planned Parenthood, albeit possibly temporary; and a new report calculating the ripple effect of cuts to food aid. We also get into some culture controversy and tech News That Doesn’t Suck.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Time Out: Israel has begun a daily “humanitarian pause” in three parts of Gaza — Gaza City, Deir al‑Balah, and Al‑Mawasi — from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The IDF says they’ve designated “secure routes” for convoys from the UN to deliver food and medicine. The IDF also announced it has resumed supplying power to Gaza’s main desalination plant, which should restore access to clean water to roughly 900,000 people.
Progress: Over 100 trucks of aid were delivered into Gaza yesterday, the UN said. Jordan and the UAE airdropped 25 tons of aid into the strip yesterday, their first airdrop in months. Israel airdropped seven pallets of flour, sugar and canned food. Airdrops are considered dangerous and can get into the wrong hands; land routes are preferred. The UN reports it has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt ready to enter.
Hunger: According to Doctors Without Borders, 25% of young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women in Gaza are malnourished; rates of severe malnutrition in children under five have tripled over the last fortnight. José Andrés, head of the World Food Kitchen, warned yesterday that “mass deprivation” has caused “the collapse of society,” with desperate people fighting over aid and armed gangs looting aid trucks and attacking aid workers. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies claims of starvation in Gaza. His chief political opponent, Yair Lapid, today said that “Israel must ensure there is no starvation in Gaza — both because it reflects the values of the Jewish people and because there is no reason to assist Hamas’s propaganda campaign.” He also blamed Hamas for prolonging the war at the cost of civilians. Aid groups are calling for far more aid to enter the strip; Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will permit a “minimal” amount of aid to enter. (You can see photos and videos of the situation in Gaza, many of them deeply disturbing, here.)
US Involvement: Trump broke with Netanyahu today, saying he’s seen images of children in Gaza suffering from “real starvation.… You can’t fake that.” He made the comments during a meeting with the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said more aid needs to enter with “speed and volume”. Trump announced that the US will work with European allies to set up “food centers” in Gaza. Trump noted that Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for limiting aid to Gaza. Even if aid delivery increases, experts worry about the long-term effects of prolonged malnutrition, which requires specialized treatment.
Repeating History or Wartime Posturing? With ceasefire negotiations going nowhere, senior Israeli and American officials, including Trump, are threatening to change “tactics” to end the war — seemingly suggesting an escalation in military force to break the will of Hamas and force a surrender. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said yesterday he thinks Israel is “going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin.… Take the place by force then start over again.” In case you weren’t aware, the US firebombing of Tokyo is considered one of the most destructive acts of war in history. 100,000 people died in a single night and millions were left homeless.
Hostages: 50 hostages are believed to be still held in Gaza, about half of whom are alive. They’ve been in captivity more than 650 days.
Deal, or…: The US and EU have struck a trade deal, averting a disastrous trade war just days before Trump’s August 1 deadline. Details are still murky, but here’s what we know. The EU agreed to pay a 15% tariff on about 70% of the goods it ships to the US. Several items are exempted from tariffs on both sides, including aircraft parts, semiconductors, certain chemicals, some raw materials, and generic drugs. The deal also ends a decades-long agreement to keep pharmaceutical products tariff-free, raising the prospect of Trump subjecting them to higher rates in the future, which he threatened to do this week. The EU also agreed to increase investment in the US by $600 billion (this commitment isn’t legally binding) and to buy $750 billion of US natural gas, oil, and nuclear fuel. Overall, the feeling seems to be one of relief, if not happiness. One European business leader said “those who expect a hurricane are grateful for a storm.”
Sacré Bleu: One exception. France’s prime minister slammed the deal as a “dark day” for the EU, which he accused of having “resign[ed] itself to submission.” Other senior French officials called on the EU to demonstrate “our capacity to retaliate.” “Donald Trump only understands force,” France’s trade minister argued.
What It Means For You: “This doesn’t enhance trade,” one US expert warned. “It just sets a tax on European goods in the United States.… You’re going to pay more for your European imports.” Take cars, for example. So far tariffs haven’t led to significant price hikes, because sellers have swallowed a lot of the costs of tariffs to date. But Mercedes-Benz warned it expects “significant increases” to prices in coming years.
Strange Situation: US car manufacturers are unhappy with the deal: While European car makers face 15% tariffs, US manufacturers often assemble their cars in Mexico and Canada, meaning they’re subject to a 25% tariff. So, in an odd twist, US cars (with parts made in Canada and Mexico) could be subject to higher tariffs than European cars. Yes, you read that right.
Deadline Looms: Trump today shortened his arbitrary deadline for Russia to agree to a peace deal from 50 days to “about 10 or 12 days from today.” He said he was “disappointed” with Putin, and complained “we just don’t see any progress being made.” He’s threatening sanctions and “maybe” secondary tariffs. These would target companies in other countries that import goods like gas and oil from Russia. You can read an explainer here.
Offer Rejected: Austria’s foreign minister claimed on Friday that Trump offered “Putin Crimea and several [of Ukraine’s eastern regions] on a silver platter … and also ruled out Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” But Putin apparently refused, preferring to continue the war. The minister also said that Austria is considering joining NATO after decades of officially staying neutral.
Beyond Individuals: A new analysis finds that cuts to food assistance included in the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will likely harm over 27,000 retailers — many of them in rural counties. Grocery stores and other businesses in areas where many shoppers use food assistance programs will suffer a sharp reduction in income. Think about the ripple effect: individuals will have less money to buy food, so local groceries could close and tens of thousands of workers across the country could lose their jobs. Many of these stores are in “food deserts,” areas where residents lack access to retailers selling healthy and affordable foods, making their potential closure all the more devastating. You can read more about this here.
Good Math: The GOP is justifying its cuts to food assistance as a money-saving measure. But a 2019 analysis by the USDA found that SNAP benefits have a 1.5 multiplier to GDP. In other words, every $1 provided in food benefits generates $1.5 for local economies.
Healthcare Win: A federal judge today ruled against the administration’s attempt to defund Planned Parenthood by preventing it from receiving Medicaid funding. “Patients are likely to suffer adverse health consequences where care is disrupted or unavailable,” the judge wrote. Planned Parenthood warned in its lawsuit that the cuts could force it to close 200 clinics across 24 states, leaving over one million patients without healthcare. The administration will likely appeal this ruling.
Alternative Accusations: Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against multiple LA protestors because the arrests reportedly relied on false and misleading testimony from immigration officers. It’s very unusual for the DOJ to file and then dismiss cases, especially so many in quick succession, one expert noted. In one case, an agent accused a protestor of shoving an officer, but video footage seems to show the exact opposite. And another indictment named the wrong defendant! Read the details here.
Epstein Latest: Trump said today he “never had the privilege of going to [Epstein’s] island,” though he said he was invited. “In one of my very good moments, I turned it down,” he said. (Trump’s name is mentioned in the flight logs of Epstein’s plane.) He also reiterated that he’s “allowed to give” Ghislaine Maxwell “a pardon,” but claimed he hasn’t been approached to do so. “Right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it,” he said.
Bipartisans for Transparency: Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) claim they have enough votes to pass a measure that would force the DOJ to release files related to Epstein and Maxwell when Congress returns from recess at the end of August. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is opposed. “Why is it painful for Mike Johnson to call a vote on this?” Massie asked.
More Demands: Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) today demanded the DOJ release recordings and transcripts of its two interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, conducted last week. Durbin also demanded the DOJ promise not to offer Maxwell a pardon or commutation in exchange for information, warning of “the potential for a corrupt bargain between the Trump administration and Ghislaine Maxwell.” Maxwell reportedly shared information on roughly 100 people with the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney. This issue continues to divide Trump’s base.
Revelations: Dan Bongino, former conspiracy podcast host and now the deputy director of the FBI, published a cryptic post to social media yesterday in which he warns the things he’s learned at the FBI have “shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this.” We don’t know what he’s talking about, but you can read the full post here. Remember, Bongino reportedly considered resigning from his post over the administration’s handling of the Epstein case.
Pleading Her Case: Maxwell today pushed the Supreme Court to take up her pending appeal, which argues she should have been protected by a highly controversial 2007 plea deal Epstein made with federal authorities. Under that deal, the US agreed “it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein.”
Culture Not Noise
Who’s Got Great Genes? American Eagle's new marketing campaign with it-girl Sydney Sweeney has generated a firestorm of controversy. The campaign focuses on Sweeney’s inherited traits — no, seriously. Video clips include close-ups of Sweeney’s blue eyes as she explains that genes “often [determine] traits like hair color … and even eye color,” with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great
genesjeans.” (Yes, with that strikethrough included.) Maybe someone should have realized that promoting the “great genes” of a white person with blond hair and blue eyes might not be appropriate for a world that has dismissed — with some recent troubling exceptions — the notion that certain genes are preferable to others; and especially at a time when darker-skinned Americans find themselves in the crosshairs of federal policy. (Could this have been calculated to appeal to those who approve of this direction?) American Eagle quickly posted a photo of a non-white person with a similar tagline, which critics dismissed as “damage control.” Meanwhile, others are unhappy with the campaign’s sexualization of Sweeney, drawing comparisons to Calvin Klein’s infamous campaign with then-15-year-old model Brooke Shields. Any guesses why American Eagle launched these Sweeney jeans? (Besides recovering from a tariff-related $68 million dollar operating loss last quarter.) Apparently the campaign is meant to increase awareness of… domestic violence. The jeans have a little butterfly motif on the back pocket to represent domestic violence awareness, and all proceeds are going to Crisis Text Line, a mental health nonprofit. What better way to support victims of domestic violence than celebrating a woman’s good looks — sorry, great jeans?
News That Doesn’t Suck
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