The Morning Sixpack - July 24, 2025
Trump targets Fed, EPA, and Clinton probe as he escalates fights over Fed spending, climate rollback, and Russia intel politicization
Idaho Judge Ends Bryan Kohberger’s 15 Minutes of Infamy with Multiple Life Sentences
Bryan Kohberger will spend the rest of his life behind bars, sentenced to multiple consecutive life terms for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.
The Ada County courtroom in Boise witnessed a somber scene Wednesday as District Judge Steven Hippler handed down a sentence that ensures Kohberger, 30, will never see freedom again. The judge was clear and resolute: “I remand the defendant...where he will remain until he dies.” Besides life without parole for each of the four murders, Kohberger faces additional fines and a decade-long sentence for a related burglary.
Victims’ families and friends laid bare the lingering trauma, focusing on their grief and the crippling anxiety that followed the horrific crime. Kohberger’s admitted role in the stabbing deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin left two roommates alive but shattered. “He took away my ability to trust the world,” one roommate painfully recalled, describing panic attacks and fear that still haunt her.
Kohberger’s plea deal spared him the death penalty but barred any appeals or attempts at leniency. The judge shut down speculation that Kohberger might offer a motive or seek media attention, stating there is no rational reason for such calculated, cold-blooded violence. “It’s time that he be consigned to the ignominy and isolation of perpetual incarceration,” Hippler declared.
Despite exhaustive investigation, the chilling motive behind the murders remains a void. Legal experts note that prosecutors never need to prove motive, only intent—and Kohberger’s silence on why he committed these crimes leaves a haunting gap, preventing true closure for those left behind.
The case shocked the college community in late 2022, when four students were found stabbed in an off-campus house. Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, was linked by digital and physical evidence, including surveillance footage, cell phone data, and DNA on a knife sheath found at the crime scene. His arrest in Pennsylvania closed the chapter on a terrifying mystery, but the unanswered question of “why” still lingers.
Source: mydailygrind.news
House Panel Drops Subpoena Bombshell on Bill and Hillary Clinton Over Epstein Ally Ties
A House Oversight subcommittee just took a major step, voting to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton amid new scrutiny over their connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Republican-led Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee, pushed by Rep. Scott Perry, greenlit the subpoenas without a formal roll call, signaling serious intent to expand investigations into Maxwell’s network. The subpoena list doesn’t stop at the Clintons—it includes former top Justice Department officials like James Comey, Robert Mueller, and Merrick Garland, among others.
Epstein’s ties to the Clintons are no secret. Bill Clinton himself admits in his 2024 memoir, Citizen: My Life After the White House, that he flew on Epstein’s infamous “Lolita Express” multiple times—though he claims ignorance of Epstein and Maxwell’s dark crimes. Visitor logs confirm Epstein’s at least 17 visits to the White House during Clinton’s presidency, and Maxwell even toured the White House in 1993 with Epstein.
Oversight Committee Chair James Comer still needs to formally issue these subpoenas, but the message is clear: this probe is turning up the heat. The panel also plans to subpoena the Justice Department for all communications between Biden officials and DOJ regarding Epstein, aiming for a full picture of government knowledge and involvement.
Maxwell, now serving a 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking conspiracy, is scheduled to sit for a deposition with the committee on August 11 at the Tallahassee prison. This unfolding saga is about to pull more powerful players under the spotlight—and no one’s off the hook—except Trump.
It is clear as day that this “investigation” is a Trump-motivated persecution. It’s part of the authoritarian’s playbook: Eliminate your enemies. Trump has also called for bringing Obama to justice on treason charges—see below.
This could get really ugly—and soon.
Source: nypost.com
ICE Cranks Up Ankle Monitor Use, Turning Immigrant Homes Into Digital Prisons
The Trump administration is dramatically expanding its use of GPS ankle monitors to track immigrants, escalating surveillance on hundreds of thousands waiting for deportation.
An internal ICE memo from June orders agents to slap ankle monitors on nearly everyone enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program whenever possible. That’s a huge jump from about 24,000 currently wearing the devices to potentially over 180,000 adults. Pregnant women get wrist monitors instead, but the message is clear: the government wants eyes—and shackles—on as many as possible.
Advocates say this tech-heavy crackdown turns homes into “digital cages,” punishing even those who obey the law and show up for every court date. The bulky devices are uncomfortable, stigmatizing, and a constant reminder that freedom is conditional. As Laura Rivera of Just Futures puts it, this is government overreach extending control far beyond physical detention.
Behind the scenes, the Geo Group—a private prison giant with close ties to Trump’s circle—benefits massively. Their subsidiary BI Inc. makes and manages these ankle monitors, profiting millions as ICE pushes to ramp up capacity. But the company’s stretched-thin staff and recycled, aging equipment raise questions about how sustainable this mass monitoring really is.
Paola, a compliant asylum seeker and mother, knows this all too well. After being forced to wear an ankle bracelet, she tells her son it’s “nothing serious,” while privately fearing it only makes deportation easier if she loses her case. The cost of this expanded surveillance? A crushing psychological weight on people already living under the gun.
Can “Anonymous” and/or Musk disable the GPS system? That would mess up society but it certainly would show these assholes that they don’t have as much power as they think they have.
Source: washingtonpost.com
Tulsi Gabbard Claims Obama Admin ‘Treasonous’ Over 2016 Russia Intel—But the Facts Tell a Different Story
Tulsi Gabbard just dropped a bombshell allegation, accusing the Obama administration of a “treasonous conspiracy” to politicize U.S. intelligence and smear Trump’s 2016 victory—but the evidence doesn’t back her up.
Gabbard’s “smoking gun” comes from declassified emails and a classified House report she says prove the Obama team twisted intelligence to falsely claim Russia helped Trump win. Yet, the documents show the opposite: Officials consistently said Russia’s goal wasn’t to hack vote counts but to run a covert influence campaign, using stolen material and social media to sow division.
The claim of a “180-degree shift” in intelligence assessments before and after the election? Not supported. Emails from 2016 clearly state there was “no indication of a Russian threat to directly manipulate the actual vote count.” The public intelligence released in early 2017 confirmed this.
Gabbard also leans heavily on a dissenting intelligence “whistleblower” who refused to endorse the idea that Putin preferred Trump. But internal debate is normal in intelligence circles, and bipartisan investigations agreed that Russia’s interference was real and aimed at helping Trump while hurting Clinton.
As for the Steele dossier, Gabbard calls it “discredited,” but it was never the cornerstone of the FBI’s Russia probe. The Justice Department’s own inspector general found the dossier played only a supporting role and was not the trigger for investigations into Trump’s campaign.
Gabbard’s narrative is a politically charged rewrite, ignoring the overwhelming bipartisan consensus that Russia interfered to boost Trump, not a fabricated scheme by Obama officials. It’s a classic case of weaponizing partial facts to fit a predetermined conclusion.
PLUS—because Trump would do all the things he and his admin have accused others of doing, he thinks they would do it. It’s normal. In short, Trump is a mob boss and thinks everybody wants a piece of his turf.
Source: apnews.com
Trump Heads to Fed for Rare Visit Amid Sharp Criticism of Powell and $2.5 Billion Renovation
President Donald Trump is making a highly unusual stop at the Federal Reserve this Thursday to scrutinize its $2.5 billion office renovations—and to send a pointed message to Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
It’s the first presidential visit to the Fed since George W. Bush in 2006, but this isn’t your typical goodwill tour. Trump’s visit comes amid his ongoing feud with Powell, whom he’s dubbed “Too Late” for refusing to slash interest rates, hurting families and the economy alike. Trump’s team isn’t just mad about monetary policy—they’re zeroing in on the lavish renovations, accusing the Fed of hiding expenses and wasting taxpayer money.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair has been vocal, hinting the Fed tried to block inspections by releasing virtual tours instead of granting access. Blair’s public posts made clear the administration was pushing hard for this in-person visit—and Trump’s arrival signals the White House isn’t backing down.
Even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in, calling for a review of the renovation project given the Fed’s massive $100 billion annual losses. The message is clear: Accountability is overdue and the Trump camp is ready to call out waste wherever they see it.
While Trump once toyed with firing Powell over these issues, he now seems resigned to letting Powell finish his term next May. But this visit is a bold statement—one that says the Fed’s leadership and spending habits are under the microscope like never before.
Source: upi.com
Trump EPA Moves to Dismantle 2009 Climate ‘Endangerment Finding’
The Trump administration is trying to erase a cornerstone EPA finding that fuels nearly all federal efforts to fight climate change, risking a massive rollback of greenhouse gas regulations.
The “endangerment finding” from 2009 (I’m surprised this is report is still online) declared that pollutants like carbon dioxide and methane from fossil fuels threaten public health and can be regulated under the Clean Air Act. It’s the legal bedrock for rules on power plants, vehicles, and oil and gas emissions. Now, the EPA’s latest proposal, under White House review, aims to revoke that finding—something environmentalists warn would hand a giant victory to Big Oil and sabotage climate progress.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin framed it as a “dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion,” celebrating deregulation that he claims will lower costs, boost energy production, and bring back auto jobs. But critics like Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists see it as a “giveaway to the fossil fuel industry” that evades responsibility for climate harms.
This move comes amid record-breaking global heat, climate-fueled wildfires, and more intense hurricanes—all stark reminders of the stakes involved. The Trump EPA argues past administrations overstepped legal bounds and imposed “trillions” in costs, citing new Supreme Court decisions to challenge the 2009 ruling’s validity.
Legal battles lie ahead. Revoking the finding would cripple the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases, undoing Biden-era climate policies and making future climate action all but impossible. The question is not if courts will get involved, but how long this fight will drag on—while the planet heats up in real time.
Source: npr.org