The R&R Daily Brief: July 15, 2025
Yesterday's News in Five Minutes or Less Because Even We Can't Talk About Everything
Hey friends!
Welcome to Tuesday's brief! There's a new podcast episode dropping today covering the major political developments we're tracking—including the Biden auto pen scandal that just keeps getting worse, Trump's surprising shift on Ukraine weapons, and the ongoing fallout from the Epstein investigation. Today's newsletter covers the auto pen controversy that could invalidate thousands of Biden's final acts, Trump's dramatic Ukraine policy reversal, Supreme Court victories for conservative governance, and the latest on immigration enforcement. Grab your coffee and let's dive in!
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Biden Auto Pen Scandal Explodes as Chief of Staff Approved Pardons - New emails reveal Biden's staff controlled key clemency decisions while president may have been mentally incapacitated
Trump Announces $10 Billion Ukraine Weapons Deal, Gives Russia 50-Day Ultimatum - President reverses course with massive NATO arms sales while threatening 100% tariffs on countries trading with Russia
Supreme Court Allows Trump to Fire Nearly 1,400 Education Department Workers - Conservative majority hands Trump another victory in his effort to dismantle federal bureaucracy
Federal Judge Orders Halt to Los Angeles Immigration Raids - Court finds "mountain of evidence" that ICE engaged in racial profiling during mass enforcement operations
Epstein Investigation Sparks Internal War Between Bondi and Bongino - FBI Deputy Director considers resignation amid clash with Attorney General over handling of "client list" memo
MORNING RUNDOWN: TUESDAY (ET)
WHITE HOUSE EVENTS TODAY:
12:30 PM: President Trump departs White House for Pittsburgh energy event
2:30 PM: "Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Event" in Pittsburgh with pool coverage
6:50 PM: President returns to White House with open press coverage
PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES:
President Trump travels to Pittsburgh for energy policy event focused on innovation initiatives. Public remarks expected during the event with full media access. No specific executive actions scheduled.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES:
Vice President JD Vance's schedule for today is unavailable, suggesting no public events are scheduled or information is not publicly accessible.
CAPITOL HILL:
Senate: Committee hearings on nominations and oversight starting at 10:00 AM. No floor votes scheduled.
House: Committee hearings and markups from 3:00 PM focusing on technology, defense, and budget bills. No floor votes scheduled.
July 15, 2025
TOP STORY
BIDEN AUTO PEN SCANDAL EXPLODES AS CHIEF OF STAFF APPROVED PARDONS
The Biden auto pen controversy reached new heights of scandal this week with revelations that Chief of Staff Jeff Zients personally authorized the use of automated signatures for high-profile preemptive pardons while President Biden may not have been mentally competent to make such decisions.
According to explosive new reporting from The New York Times, emails show that on Biden's final day in office, Zients sent a "reply all" email at 10:31 PM stating: "I approve the use of the auto pen for the execution of all of the following pardons." This came just minutes after aides had forwarded him a summary of Biden's supposed decisions from a late-night meeting.
The Damning Timeline: The newly revealed emails paint a picture of a president potentially incapacitated while his staff wielded unprecedented executive power. On January 19, Biden allegedly met with aides until nearly 10 PM to discuss pardons. But the email chain shows:
10:03 PM: An aide sent a draft summary of Biden's "decisions" to Zients' assistant
10:28 PM: The summary was forwarded to Zients and deputy chief Bruce Reed requesting approval
10:31 PM: Zients replied authorizing auto pen use for "all the following pardons"
The pardons signed via auto pen included controversial preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, the January 6 committee members, and multiple Biden family members.
Constitutional Crisis Questions: President Trump has called this "maybe one of the biggest scandals that we've had in 50 to 100 years," arguing that "I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing."
The Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project, which first exposed the auto pen usage, discovered that Biden used the device for approximately 25 pardon and clemency warrants from December 2024 to January 2025. "Whoever controlled the autopen controlled the presidency," the watchdog group stated.
Legal Implications: Constitutional scholars note that the pardon power rests solely with the president. If Biden was mentally incapacitated or unaware of specific pardon decisions, those actions could potentially be legally void. The situation has prompted multiple congressional investigations and calls for a special counsel.
Mike Howell of the Oversight Project told media: "There's nothing routine about the level of incapacitation we saw out of President Biden, which the whole country witnessed when he malfunctioned on stage at the debate."
Biden's Defense: In a rare 10-minute interview with The New York Times, Biden insisted "I made every single one of those" decisions, though he acknowledged using the auto pen "because there were a lot of them." However, the Times noted Biden's interview contained "many verbal stumbles and fragmented thoughts."
The scandal continues to unfold as House and Senate investigations proceed, with Trump's Justice Department now examining whether Biden's mental state allowed unelected officials to unconstitutionally exercise presidential powers.
Further Reading:
Right: Biden Pardons Were Signed With Autopen While He Was On Vacation, Watchdog Finds - The Daily Wire
Right: Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office - Fox News
Center: Biden defends frequent autopen use on clemency amid Republican investigations - Axios
Left: Trump doubles down on autopen claims as Biden blasts president, supporters as 'liars' - ABC News
Left: Presidents have used autopens for decades. Now Trump objects to Biden's use of one - Associated Press
POLITICS
TRUMP ANNOUNCES $10 BILLION UKRAINE WEAPONS DEAL, GIVES RUSSIA 50-DAY ULTIMATUM
President Trump announced a major policy reversal Monday, unveiling a $10 billion weapons sale to NATO allies who will immediately transfer the arms to Ukraine, while giving Russia a 50-day deadline to agree to peace terms or face "very severe tariffs" of 100%.
The dramatic shift marks Trump's growing frustration with Vladimir Putin, who the president accused of peddling "bullshit" about peace negotiations. "My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The Deal Structure: Under the arrangement, NATO allies will purchase American-made weapons including Patriot missile systems, artillery shells, and long-range offensive missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia. The allies will then immediately transfer these weapons to Ukraine, with some systems potentially arriving within days.
"We're sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, 100%," Trump explained. "So what we're doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to NATO, and then NATO is going to be giving those weapons [to Ukraine]."
The Putin Ultimatum: Trump's 50-day deadline represents his most direct threat yet to Russia: "We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days." The threatened "secondary tariffs" would target countries like China and India that purchase Russian oil, potentially devastating Moscow's economy.
Strategic Shift: This represents a complete reversal from Trump's earlier isolationist stance. On inauguration day, he froze all weapons shipments to Ukraine for 90 days. The change comes after Putin repeatedly stalled peace negotiations while intensifying attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
Further Reading:
Right: Trump to supply missiles to Ukraine, gives Russia 50-day ultimatum - Axios
Right: What to know about the US-NATO Ukraine weapons deal Donald Trump just announced - The Hill
Left: Trump says he struck deal to send US weapons to Ukraine through NATO - CNN Politics
Left: US is selling weapons to NATO allies to give to Ukraine, Trump says - Associated Press
EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION SPARKS INTERNAL WAR BETWEEN BONDI AND BONGINO
The Trump administration faces internal turmoil over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reportedly considering resignation after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the release of a controversial memo concluding Epstein had no "client list" and died by suicide.
The Wednesday Showdown: Sources familiar with the matter described a contentious White House meeting where Bongino and Bondi clashed over the public rollout of the Epstein review. Also present were FBI Director Kash Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
"Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn't end on friendly terms," said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry and didn't show up to work Friday, leading some to believe he had quit.
The MAGA Backlash: The Justice Department memo, which stated there was no evidence Epstein kept a "client list" or was murdered, triggered fierce criticism from Trump's base. Influential figures like Laura Loomer called for Bondi's firing, while Steve Bannon dedicated his Monday show to questioning the administration's transparency.
Trump's Defense: Despite the controversy, Trump has firmly backed Bondi, writing on Truth Social: "What's going on with my 'boys' and, in some cases, 'gals?' They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!"
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump bristled at Epstein questions: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years... Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable."
Further Reading:
Center: Epstein files fallout: FBI's Dan Bongino clashes with AG Pam Bondi over handling of Trump walk back - Axios
Left: Trump defends Bondi amid MAGA fallout over her handling of Epstein investigation - CNN Politics
Left: Deputy Director Dan Bongino's position at FBI still in limbo, sources say, following fallout with Pam Bondi - CNN Politics
COURTS
SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP TO FIRE NEARLY 1,400 EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WORKERS
The Supreme Court handed President Trump another major victory Monday, allowing his administration to proceed with laying off nearly 1,400 Education Department employees as part of his broader plan to dismantle the agency.
The Ruling: In an unsigned order, the conservative majority lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked the mass layoffs since May. The decision enables Trump to resume his effort to cut the department's workforce in half and transfer core functions like student loan management to other agencies.
Liberal Dissent: Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a scathing 19-page dissent, calling the majority's decision "indefensible" and warning it "hands the Executive the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out."
"When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary's duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it," Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Immediate Impact: Within two hours of the ruling, the Education Department sent termination notices to employees, with layoffs set to resume August 1. The cuts will hit the Office for Civil Rights particularly hard, losing about half its staff and seven of 11 regional offices.
Trump's Victory Lap: Trump celebrated on Truth Social: "The United States Supreme Court has handed a Major Victory to Parents and Students across the Country, by declaring the Trump Administration may proceed on returning the power back to the States, where it belongs."
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it "a significant win for students and families," saying the court "confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels."
Further Reading:
Right: Supreme Court allows Trump to lay off nearly 1,400 Education Department employees - Fox News
Center: Supreme Court allows Donald Trump to resume Education Department layoffs - The Hill
Left: Supreme Court allows Trump to proceed with mass firings at Education Department - CNN Politics
IMMIGRATION
FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO LOS ANGELES IMMIGRATION RAIDS
A federal judge in Los Angeles delivered a significant blow to Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, ordering a temporary halt to raids across Southern California after finding "a mountain of evidence" that agents were engaging in unconstitutional racial profiling.
The Ruling: U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued two temporary restraining orders prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement from stopping people without reasonable suspicion and requiring agents to provide immediate access to lawyers for those arrested.
The orders apply to Los Angeles and six surrounding counties, potentially severely restricting the administration's ability to continue raids that have "sown fear and terror in immigrant and Latino neighborhoods" since they began June 6.
Evidence of Racial Profiling: Civil rights groups alleged that ICE and Border Patrol agents were "rounding people up based on their race" and "arresting people they encounter in public solely because they have brown skin or because they're doing work often done by immigrants."
Agents repeatedly raided Latino worker hubs including car washes, day laborer gathering spots, and street vendor corners. They also pulled people who appeared Latino from cars and arrested them at bus stops and on sidewalks.
Administration Response: The ruling represents the latest legal setback for Trump's mass deportation plans. The administration has raised ICE arrest quotas and reversed earlier directives to avoid targeting agricultural sites, despite mixed signals from the White House.
Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel called it "an extraordinary victory" and "a complete repudiation of the racial profiling tactics and the denial of access to lawyers that the administration has utilized."
Further Reading:
Right: Trump Backs ICE Crackdown As Farmworkers Say They Feel 'Hunted' - Newsweek
Right: Child predator among more than 300 nabbed in cannabis farm ICE raid, largest of Trump's second term - Fox News
Left: ICE is arresting migrants in worksite raids. Employers are largely escaping charges. - The Washington Post
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