The Morning Sixpack - September 9, 2025
Crackdowns, denials & war-posturing: ICE hits Chicago, PR becomes launchpad, Seoul fumes, Epstein note resurfaces, AI props a weak economy.
You don’t know how hard it was NOT to make this Morning Sixpack all about Trump and Epstein. If you care, let me know and I’ll make a Substack about the sordid affair(s).
Let’s GO!
ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz” Descends on Chicago
Immigration enforcement just got a new Hollywood-style codename—and Chicago’s the stage. The Department of Homeland Security says it’s launching “Operation Midway Blitz,” ramping up ICE activity in the city while Mayor Brandon Johnson insists nobody gave him a heads-up.
The feds claim this is all about nabbing “the worst of the worst” criminal aliens, tying the mission to the tragic drunk driving deaths of Katie Abraham and Chloe Polzin earlier this year. Their accused killer, Julio Cucul Bol, is now in custody after trying to flee. Katie’s father said bluntly: “Hopefully, no other children will have to go through this Russian roulette that the state is playing.” He even added, “Say what you want about Donald Trump. He at least acknowledged me, looked me in the eye, said, ‘We’re going to clean things up.’”
Chicago leaders aren’t buying it. Governor JB Pritzker blasted Trump’s team for failing to coordinate with state officials, while Mayor Johnson warned the operation could lead to wrongful detentions. He reminded residents that ICE has a history of detaining U.S. citizens and cited “more than 500 documented incidents of human rights abuses” under Trump’s watch.
Meanwhile, Trump poured gasoline on the fire from his Truth Social account, writing, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning … Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” That’s not exactly subtle. And Democrats like Senator Dick Durbin are calling the blitz a political stunt designed to scare communities rather than make them safer.
A CBS News poll backs that up: 58% of Americans oppose Trump’s idea of sending the National Guard into cities beyond D.C. The divide is stark—Republicans cheer it on, Democrats slam it. In the middle of all this, Chicago residents are left to wonder whether “public safety” is really the point—or just the latest reality show episode in Trump’s ongoing drama. Methinks Trump watched The Running Man and thought it was a how-to documentary.
Source: CBS Chicago
“Operation Midway Blitz”? Sounds less like law enforcement and more like the name of a failed USFL franchise. It tracks, since Trump bankrupted the USFL, too.1
Epstein’s Birthday Book Lands Trump in Awkward Spotlight
The long-denied “Trump letter” in Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book is now in Congress’ hands—and it’s every bit as crude as reported. Lawyers for Epstein’s estate just turned over the infamous 2003 book of letters, including one bearing Trump’s signature and a second with a raunchy joke about Trump from another Epstein associate.
The Trump letter is hard to forget: Typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, ending with “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The kicker? Trump’s name scrawled below the waistline, doubling as pubic hair. Trump has loudly denied writing or signing it, calling the whole thing “a fake,” and he’s even suing the Wall Street Journal and its reporters for defamation ($10 Billion). His press secretary doubled down, insisting, “It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahhaa Bwahahahahahaaahahahahahahaha
But here’s the problem—Congress now has the book, and Democrats aren’t holding back. Rep. Robert Garcia flat-out accused Trump of lying: “President Trump called the Epstein investigation a hoax and claimed that his birthday note didn’t exist. Now we know that Donald Trump was lying and is doing everything he can to cover up the truth.”
On the flip side, Oversight Chair James Comer accused Democrats of cherry-picking documents, promising a “thorough” investigation.
Adding fuel, another letter in the book from Mar-a-Lago businessman Joel Pashcow mocked up a fake check and made a disgusting joke about a woman linked to both Epstein and Trump in the 1990s. The woman, who cut ties with Epstein in 1997, called it a “deeply disturbing hoax” through her lawyer. Regardless, it paints a vivid picture of the gross frat-boy antics surrounding Epstein and his circle—including Trump.
Trump, of course, has tried to distance himself. He now claims he and Epstein fell out because Epstein poached Mar-a-Lago staff. But the Justice Department has already told him his name shows up multiple times in Epstein-related files—though being named isn’t proof of wrongdoing. Still, the White House is calling any story about Trump’s Epstein ties “fake news.” At this point, though, the “birthday book” is very real—and so are the questions it raises.
Source: Wall Street Journal (gift article)
If this is what Trump’s friends gave Epstein for his 50th, I’d hate to see what they did for his bachelor party. Probably best left in the vault.
White House Scrambles to Deny Trump’s Epstein “Birthday Letter”
The White House says the infamous Epstein birthday note with Trump’s signature is a fake—and they’re threatening lawsuits to prove it. On Monday, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the image of the letter, showing a naked female outline framing a message that ends with, “may every day be a wonderful secret.” The signature at the bottom reads “Donald,” but the White House insists it doesn’t match.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed it flatly: “It’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.” She blasted the reporting as false and promised Trump’s legal team will continue its defamation case against The Wall Street Journal. Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich added his own flair on X, posting: “Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!”
Vice President JD Vance rushed to the defense too, accusing Democrats of exploiting Epstein’s name. “The Democrats don’t care about Epstein. They don’t even care about his victims. The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies,” he said. In other words, blame-shifting 101.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson made things messier. Last week, he claimed Trump was an FBI informant working against Epstein. By Monday, he backtracked, admitting he “hadn’t used the right terminology” and clarifying he had no information about Trump wearing a wire. That’s a big pivot from “undercover hero” to “well, actually…”
Trump’s team isn’t just denying—they’re going nuclear. They’ve filed suit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal, calling the entire story “false, malicious, and defamatory.” The Oversight Committee, however, isn’t stopping at the card—they also have Epstein’s will, his 2007 non-prosecution deal, his contact books, and his bank records. The drip-drip of Epstein files may just keep coming.
Source: NOTUS
The denials are coming so fast you’d think the White House is auditioning for “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”—except here, the points do matter.
Pentagon Eyes Puerto Rico as Trump Expands “War on Cartels”
The Pentagon is quietly moving to use Puerto Rico as a launchpad for military operations against Latin American drug cartels. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine slipped into the island Monday, part of a buildup that already includes eight U.S. warships in the Caribbean. The visit comes days after Trump bragged about a strike that killed eleven “narco-terrorists”—though the administration has yet to prove who was actually on that boat.
They could have been fishermen. Who knows? When the US deems itself judge, jury, and LITERAL executioner, how will we ever know?
Vice President JD Vance was quick to cheerlead the new doctrine, declaring on social media that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” Critics aren’t convinced. The White House claims the suspects belonged to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, but so far, all we’ve got are Trump’s words about “tapes” nobody else has seen.
Puerto Rico’s Republican governor, Jenniffer González-Colón, backed the move, calling the island “the United States’ border in the Caribbean.” Hegseth, speaking aboard the USS Iwo Jima, told troops: “Make no mistake: What you’re doing right now, it’s not training. This is the real-world exercise, on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America.”
Translation: Buckle up, the Caribbean is now a live war theater.
But legal questions are mounting. Democrats—and even Republicans like Rand Paul—want answers on why the administration is bypassing the Coast Guard and treating drug smuggling as a battlefield mission. Paul summed it up: “If the new policy is that we blow you up if we think you might be a drug dealer, that’s kind of a worrisome policy.”
When Rand Paul sounds like the adult in the room, you know the policy is shaky.
For Puerto Rico, this could mark the biggest military footprint since Hurricane Maria’s aftermath in 2017. For Trump, it’s another flex of power in his second term—blurring the line between law enforcement and war.
And for Congress? They’re still waiting for a Pentagon briefing that was canceled last week because officials “weren’t ready to answer questions.” Comforting.
Source: Washington Post
If the new “border strategy” is turning Puerto Rico into a permanent aircraft carrier, someone should at least be honest about it—preferably before the bombs drop.
South Korea Seethes After U.S. Raids Hyundai Plant
South Korea’s media is calling Trump’s Georgia Hyundai raid a “betrayal” and a “national humiliation”—words you don’t throw around lightly. Nearly every major outlet in Seoul, from conservative to progressive, has blasted the ICE arrests of 300 Korean workers at Hyundai’s battery factory, branding it a breach of trust that undermines the U.S.-South Korean alliance.
The outrage isn’t just about the images of Korean workers shackled like criminals. It’s the contradiction. Trump demanded billions in Korean investment for American factories—then his government turned around and arrested the very people sent to build them. Chosun Ilbo called it “merciless” and said flatly this “cannot happen between allies.” Dong-A Ilbo asked the obvious: “How are we supposed to build factories?”
Korean media rarely unites, but this time even business dailies joined the pile-on. Korea Economic Daily called the arrests “absurd,” pointing out that countries like Australia and Chile get work visas while Korea gets cuffs. Maeil Business put it bluntly: “An alliance requires courtesy.” Meanwhile, JoongAng Ilbo described it as political theater staged for Trump’s midterms, a “show-off style crackdown targeting an allied nation.”
I mean, what kind of pussy are you to sucker punch your friends who would never see it coming?
The timing couldn’t be worse. South Korea just pledged $350 billion in U.S. investment—factories, steel, robotics, chips. That deal was meant to cement economic ties. Instead, Seoul is openly questioning whether any rational business should trust America again. When your closest ally feels “backstabbed,” that’s not just a PR problem—it’s a geopolitical migraine.
While South Korea fumes, Trump is managing to do abroad what he’s already done at home: Divide, humiliate, and alienate. As China, Russia, and North Korea hold hands on the world stage, America under Trump looks less like a leader and more like a flailing bully. MAGA promised greatness—what it’s delivering is an America that even its allies are embarrassed to be seen with.
Source: The Daily Politicus USA
Only Trump could take a $350 billion investment deal and turn it into a full-blown international incident. That’s not “The Art of the Deal”—that’s the art of self-sabotage.
America’s “No-Recession” Recession: AI and Hospitals Are Holding Up the Tent
The U.S. may not be “officially” in recession, but big chunks of the economy are already there.
The NBER’s scoreboard hasn’t flashed red, but the field says otherwise: Multiple core indicators are flat or contracting, and labor markets are shrinking. As UC-Santa Cruz economist Pascal Michaillat puts it, “Falling vacancies and rising unemployment are, in my view, a more reliable indicator of widespread economic distress,” estimating a 71% chance the U.S. was in recession by May. Translation: Waiting for the referees (NBER) means you find out the score after the game.
Under the hood, the pain isn’t evenly spread. Moody’s Mark Zandi finds agriculture, manufacturing, and construction in recession—exactly the goods sectors most exposed to tariffs and retaliation—while healthcare, tech, and real estate keep the lights on. Geography mirrors this split: Parts of the Midwest and Rust Belt are soft, while California, Texas, and New York are “holding their own.” That’s not balance; that’s triage.
Two narrow engines are doing the heavy lifting. AI Capex is papering over broader weakness—Pantheon says GDP growth in the first half would’ve been roughly half without AI-related spend—while healthcare is carrying the jobs report on its back. Since Trump’s second term began, 86% of net new jobs have come from healthcare and social assistance. That’s not a boom; that’s a bigass bill.
Consumers are tired, except the rich ones. Real spending has cooled, with high-income households buoyed by an AI-juiced market while lower earners absorb higher rates and slower hiring. Whether the NBER eventually stamps “recession” is a technicality; the practical reality is a rolling downturn propped up by a few superstar sectors. If those wobble, the façade goes with them.
Source: Financial Times
Call it what you want—if your economy needs GPUs and hospital gowns to stand upright, you’re not “thriving,” you’re leaning on the furniture.
Trump bought the New Jersey Generals and immediately pushed the USFL to abandon its successful spring schedule to take on the NFL in the fall—a suicidal move that scared off TV partners and sponsors. At the same time, he recklessly overpaid for star players, driving up costs across the league and burning cash the USFL couldn’t sustain. His ego-driven gamble left the league broke, divided, and ultimately dead after its laughable $3 “victory” against the NFL.
Just started reading and I always prefer to write what is happening in my mind at that moment. It lets the ME be ME! If you want "to make this Morning Sixpack all about Trump and Epstein" then let it fly.
I physically cannot read “the letter”. No one has reprinted it in its entirety. What gives?