The Morning Sixpack - July 28, 2025
Trump targets Harris and celebs over campaign cash, struggles with Epstein fallout, seals EU tariff deal, frees convicted killer, balloon record broken
Trump Demands Kamala Harris, Beyoncé, Oprah, and Sharpton Be Prosecuted Over Alleged “Illegal” Endorsement Payments
Donald Trump is now calling for criminal charges against Kamala Harris, Beyoncé, Oprah, and Al Sharpton, claiming they took illegal campaign payments.
On Truth Social, Trump accused the Harris campaign of paying $11 million to Beyoncé, $3 million to Oprah, and $600,000 to Al Sharpton for endorsements—which he says breaks federal law.
He ranted that “all hell would break out” if politicians openly bought celebrity backing, adding, “Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!”
The problem? Trump’s math doesn’t add up. Public campaign filings show Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, received $165,000 for an October Houston rally. Oprah’s Harpo Productions was paid $1 million to produce a livestream town hall. Sharpton’s National Action Network got $500,000 for get-out-the-vote initiatives.
All of these payments were within legal bounds for fair-market services—not personal endorsements. Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, outright called Trump’s $11 million claim “a lie.”
This isn’t Trump’s first pass at this talking point. He’s repeatedly lobbed these accusations and even tried to drag Bruce Springsteen and Bono into the mix, despite records showing neither was paid by Harris’s campaign (and Bono didn’t even endorse her). These claims play well with his base, but they keep hitting the same wall: a lack of evidence.
At this point, Trump’s demands for criminal prosecution feel less like legal arguments and more like political theater. He’s throwing out big, unverified numbers to rile up headlines—and, as usual, facts seem to be optional.
And since we’re in that era, “Whatabout…” Elon Musk spending nearly $300 million to get Trump elected? Where’s the outrage there?
Source: Mediaite
Epstein Files Fallout Becomes Trump’s Biggest Political Crisis Yet
Donald Trump is fuming as the Epstein files scandal swallows his agenda, fractures his administration, and refuses to fade from the headlines.
Weeks of botched messaging, contradictory statements, and a tone-deaf memo have left the president’s team in chaos. Attorney General Pam Bondi—who promised the “client list” was on her desk—signed off on a July 4th weekend memo declaring no Epstein client list exists, no further files will be released, and that Epstein’s death was definitively a suicide. The move backfired, sparking outrage from Trump’s base, congressional investigations, and fresh calls for transparency.
Even Trump’s usual distractions aren’t working. Despite a flurry of announcements—reopening old investigations, dropping MLK Jr. FBI files, even accusing Barack Obama of treason—the Epstein scandal won’t die down.
Trump himself lashed out online, posting, “We had the Greatest Six Months of any President in the History of our Country, and all the Fake News wants to talk about is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax!”
Inside the administration, the finger-pointing is brutal. Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are privately blaming each other for the fiasco, especially after footage released to “debunk” Epstein conspiracy theories was revealed to have a three-minute gap. Bongino even considered quitting, furious over how the release of incomplete evidence made the administration look like it was hiding something.
Now Congress is circling. A GOP-led House committee is preparing to subpoena Epstein’s criminal files, forcing the Trump White House to decide between protecting secrets or appeasing its own base. Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell in prison—signaling that, despite Bondi’s memo, the administration knows this firestorm isn’t going away anytime soon.
Now, we all know that Blanche is tampering with the witness (Maxwell) and that she will SING like no con has ever sung before. You can bet your ass she will a) vindicate Trump and b) throw a lot of his enemies under the pedo-bus.
AND—she’s going to get a get-out-of-jail-free card. Count on it.
Source: The Washington Post
Wall Street Shrugs at Trump’s 50% Tariffs, Betting He’ll Blink Again #TACO
Stocks keep hitting record highs even as Donald Trump slaps tariffs as steep as 50% on dozens of countries—and Wall Street doesn’t seem to care.
Investors aren’t panicking this time, despite levies on major U.S. trade partners like the EU and Mexico.
Why? Traders are betting on “TACO”—short ”for Trump Always Chickens Out—believing his tariff threats are more negotiation theater than actual policy. As one analyst put it, markets are in “headline fatigue” mode, treating Trump’s bluster like noise rather than a crisis.
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History supports that view. When Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, markets cratered—losing $3.1 trillion in a single day—only for stocks to roar back when he delayed those same tariffs a week later. Each time he’s pulled back, the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq have soared, reinforcing the belief that he’ll back off when the market starts bleeding.
But the fallout is real, even if traders are numb to it. Inflation jumped 2.7% year-over-year in June, and the Yale Budget Lab notes the U.S. now faces an effective tariff rate of 20.6%—the highest since 1910.
“Call it TACO, or corporate resiliency, or whatever you want. Tariffs are coming due in the form of higher inflation, thinner margins, or a combination of both,” warned Callie Cox, chief strategist at Ritholtz Wealth Management.
Investors may be calm, but August 1 could be the real test. That’s when the latest wave of tariffs actually kicks in, and if inflation keeps ticking up, Wall Street’s confidence could crack fast. Until then, they’re gambling that Trump, as usual, will find a way to walk it all back before it really bites.
Source: ABC News
Trump’s Prisoner Swap Backfires: Convicted Triple Murderer Freed, Location Unknown
Dahud Hanid Ortíz, a convicted triple murderer, was quietly flown into Texas in a prisoner swap brokered by Trump—and now no one’s saying where he is.
Ortíz’s release has ignited outrage from Spain and Germany, whose governments were blindsided by his inclusion despite his gruesome criminal past. A dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizen, Ortíz was sentenced to 30 years in Venezuela but was whisked to the U.S. without public explanation or detention. The State Department’s silence has only fueled fear among victims’ families and legal authorities.
According to court documents, Ortíz brutally killed three people in Spain in 2016, including two women and a man mistakenly targeted. He even admitted his crimes in emails, yet the Trump administration put him on the same plane as Americans it claimed were “wrongfully detained.” U.S. officials say he wasn’t on any list of detainees sought by the administration, sparking internal disputes and claims of a vetting failure.
While the White House praises the swap as a diplomatic win, this glaring oversight is eroding trust. Venezuela’s interior minister accused the U.S. of “defending their murderer,” and Spain’s lawyer for a victim said, “The United States has been completely silent... At this moment, no one knows Dahud’s whereabouts. So the fear is real, isn’t it? Of course.”
This is more than a bureaucratic mess—it’s a PR disaster that risks putting a dangerous man on the loose without accountability. The Trump administration owes Americans and international partners a clear explanation, not silence.
Source: The Washington Post
Trump Claims to Seal “Major Trade Deal” with EU
After weeks of brinkmanship, Donald Trump and the European Union finally struck a deal imposing a 15% tariff on most EU goods entering the U.S., averting what could have been a costly trade war.
That’s the headline, but is 15 percent inflation a good thing? Of course, it isn’t.
The agreement, announced in Scotland following talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sets a middle ground between Trump’s previously threatened 30% tariffs and the EU’s hope for a 10% rate. Key sectors like aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals will be exempt, and no additional tariffs will stack on existing ones.
In exchange, the EU committed to purchasing $750 billion in U.S. energy and investing $600 billion more in the U.S. economy, plus “hundreds of billions” in military equipment—though exact figures remain vague. Trump called it “the biggest of all the deals,” while von der Leyen praised its tough negotiations and the stability it brings.
European leaders welcomed the deal cautiously. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz highlighted relief for the auto industry, which sees its tariffs cut nearly in half from 27.5% to 15%. Ireland and Italy noted the deal creates predictability but warned of the higher costs and challenges tariffs bring. Netherlands’ Prime Minister Dick Schoof admitted “no tariffs would have been better” but still backed the deal for market clarity.
This deal is a critical reset for a $1.97 trillion U.S.-EU trade relationship that had been teetering on the edge of disruption. While not perfect, it stops the slide into open conflict and lays the groundwork for a more stable transatlantic economic partnership.
But it does set up the U.S. for some serious price inflation. Next year ain’t gonna be easy, folks.
Source: CNBC
This one’s for you, Steve.
Balloon-Popping Showdown: David Rush and Friend Smash World Record in Under 8 Seconds
David Rush, a serial Guinness World Record holder, and his buddy blasted through popping 10 balloons between their bodies in just 7.5 seconds—shattering previous records.
Rush, who already boasts over 181 titles, first beat the standing record of 17 seconds with a 15-second run alongside Jonathan "Hollywood" Hannon. But that was quickly trumped by rivals popping 10 balloons in 11 seconds. Not to be outdone, Rush and Hannon doubled down and sliced their time nearly in half, delivering an unofficial 7.5-second feat now under review by Guinness World Records.
This quirky competition showcases just how creative and competitive the world of record-breaking can get, proving that some records aren’t about endurance or strength but pure, ridiculous speed and coordination.
While it’s unofficial for now, if confirmed, this will add yet another jaw-dropping achievement to Rush’s already staggering list—and it’s clear he’s not done setting the bar absurdly high.
The balloon-popping frenzy continues to captivate, and we can only wait to see what crazy stunt Rush targets next.
Source: UPI