Trump's WSJ Epstein Fury

According to people familiar with the matter, The Journal is facing pressure from the White House over the story. In fact, Trump is said to have personally called Emma Tucker, The Journal's editor-in-chief, to voice his objections. The specifics of the call remain unclear, but it's hard to imagine Trump voiced anything but outrage. It's unclear whether Trump reached out to Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation owns The Journal.

While the specifics of what The Journal intends to report remain under wraps, the story is said to contain new material shedding light on the Trump-Epstein relationship.

Spokespeople for The Journal declined to comment. A spokesperson for Murdoch also declined to comment. The White House did not respond to inquiries.

The apparent standoff over the story arrives at a politically delicate moment. Trump has been under growing pressure from MAGA Media and his base to release files related to Epstein. Figures like Tucker Carlson and Laura Loomer have expressed outrage and accused Trump’s administration of stonewalling the release over the so-called “Epstein Files,” igniting a rare public rift between Trump and segments of his own MAGA base.

The Journal’s reporting, if it runs, could further complicate that dynamic—especially if it probes Trump’s own proximity to Epstein, whom he once described as a “terrific guy” before later distancing himself from the convicted sex offender. The two men shared some social circles in the 1990s and have been photographed together.

For The Journal, the delayed publication underscores the high-wire tension of reporting on Trump in the current media landscape, particularly while inside Murdoch's conservative media empire. Under Tucker, who took the reins from Matt Murray in 2023, the paper has sought to publish hard-hitting political stories.

For now, the status of the Epstein-Trump story remains unclear, though it is quickly become part of the story itself.

Public Media Reckoning: The fate of $1.1 billion in federal funding for public media outlets now rests in the hands of the House of Representatives. On Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate approved Donald Trump’s package to claw back billions in foreign aid and money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The funds distributed to NPR, PBS and local stations around the country. But have come under attack by Trump and Republicans for supposed political bias and promotion of “woke” ideology. If the House votes to rescind the funds, PBS will be “forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,” network chief Paula Kerger said in a statement. “Nearly 3-in-4 Americans say they rely on their public radio stations for alerts and news for their public safety,” NPR boss Katherine Maher said in a statement, calling the broadcaster a “lifeline.”

Netflix in the Green: Netflix delivered strong earnings Thursday, with revenue jumping 16% to $11.08 billion and profits rising from last year. The company raised its full-year forecast, saying it’s seeing healthy growth in both subscribers and advertising sales. Netflix, of course, no longer shares quarterly subscriber numbers, but the company said more members and higher prices are driving its momentum. All told, the streaming giant appears to be thriving—even without disclosing to Wall Street exactly how many new users it’s adding.