Trump says Epstein case boosting polls, criticizes Obama: Unbiased Updates, July 23, 2025

The files are sealed, but the pressure is mounting

Now Donald Trump says the Epstein controversy is helping, not hurting him

Plus, Trump goes on the offensive, accusing Barack Obama of treason, the claim, the context, and the fallout

And the Prince of Darkness takes his final bow, Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76 after one last show for the fans

How the long ride on a crazy train is now over. the stories that matter clear and credible from across the country to around the world

these are your unbiased updates from straight arrow news good morning i'm craig degrelli we begin with the battle over the jeffrey epstein files

it's reaching a fever pitch on capitol hill and in federal court two manhattan judges are now

fast tracking a decision on whether to unseal grand jury transcripts tied to both epstein and

Jolene Maxwell. The Justice Department has until August 5th to justify the release

citing what the judges call extraordinary circumstances, but also warning that private

details from more than 1,000 victims are interwoven throughout. Meanwhile, the political

pressure is intensifying. Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly shut down the House early just to avoid

a vote on whether to force the files be made public. That move set off a firestorm

Accusations of a cover-up, some from within his own party. The Democrats are not letting go

From California to Congress, they're hammering Donald Trump and Republicans, saying the public deserves answers and are accusing them of protecting the powerful

Donald Trump and his son and his closest friends spent years fanning the flame of this theory

And now we're holding them accountable. Do they want to protect the rich and the powerful or do they want the truth

Tuesday night, President Trump added fuel to the fire, saying the Epstein saga has actually

helped his approval ratings. You know, it's amazing. I watch people on television. Well, what about Donald Trump's

polling numbers Yeah they the best numbers I ever had And with this made up hoax that they talking about my numbers have gone up four and five points They want to do anything to get us off the subject of making America great again

Shalane Maxwell, now serving 20 years for sex trafficking, has just been subpoenaed by House Republicans

Victims, Epstein's estate, and Maxwell's lawyers all now have two weeks to weigh in on what, if anything, should be made public

President Trump is not just dismissing the Epstein questions, he's changing the subject

In the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump accused former President Barack Obama of treason

calling him the, quote, leader of the gang, behind what he claims was an attempted coup in 2016

in trying to make it seem like Russia had helped him win the election

The woodshot that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold

Tulsi Gabbard, what they did to this country in 2016, starting in 2016, but going up all the way

going up to 2020 of the election. They tried to rig the election and they got caught. But the

leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him

Those remarks came as Trump sat beside the president of the Philippines and followed a

question about a controversial new report from Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi

Gambard. The report has already been vetted and debunked by Republican-led Senate findings

Still, she went on cable news last night claiming the Obama administration manufactured intelligence

about Russia. Obama's office issued a rare rebuttal. A spokesman said in part

these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. With a major tariff deadline just weeks away in August, President Trump

is unveiling a fresh wave of trade deals aimed at shoring up America's position before time runs out

In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump touted a massive deal with Japan

featuring 15 percent reciprocal tariffs on exports to the United States. He claims Japan will open its markets to U.S. cars, trucks, rice and more

while investing 550 billion dollars in the U.S. economy. The president says the United States will keep 90 percent of the profits and that the deal will create hundreds of thousands of jobs Also announced Tuesday deals with the Philippines and Indonesia After a meeting with

the Philippine president at the White House, Trump set a 19 percent tariff on imports from both

countries. In return, the Philippines will drop all tariffs on American goods and Indonesia agreed

to cut tariffs to zero on 99 percent of trade. As for China, Donald Trump said he may go there in

not too distant future. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson confirmed talks are underway to extend the

current trade truce before it expires August 12th. The U.S. and China remain in a 90-day hold on heavy

tariffs while negotiations continue. This morning, a power struggle is brewing in New Jersey between

the Trump administration and a panel of federal judges over who gets to serve as the state's top

federal prosecutor. Just hours after the judges, most appointed by Presidents Obama and Biden

rejected President Trump's pick, Alina Habba, the Justice Department fired the woman they chose

instead, Desiree Lee Grace. Habba, a Trump loyalist and sometimes personal attorney

was appointed as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey back in March. Her 120-day term

expired this week before the U.S. Senate could confirm her. When that happened

the judges voted to install Grace, her deputy, as the permanent replacement. But she's now out

fired by Trump's Justice Department. It's a rare and high-profile standoff, and for now unclear

who will lead one of the most powerful U.S. attorney offices in the country

In New York, class is out. The semester is over, but Columbia University is just now

handing out the punishment. The Ivy League school has suspended more than 70 students

for staging pro-Palestinian protests on campus, including the May takeover of the Butler Library

that ended with dozens arrested, and another demonstration during alumni weekend. A student group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest

says the penalties range from one to three years, with some students expelled

The group also accuses Israel and the United States of starving Gaza

using that word in a press release defending the protests Columbia has now faced two years of turmoil with many Jewish students saying they been intimidated on campus and fearful to attend class

Things got so tense, the university canceled graduation in 2024. Finally this morning, remembering a legend who rewrote the Rules of Rock

the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, has died at 76, just weeks after his final performance

Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, he went from juvenile delinquent to heavy metal messiah. He dropped out of school at 15

served time for burglary, and found salvation in a microphone. Ozzie co-founded Black Sabbath

and built a sound and an attitude that defined a generation. His raw, howling voice became an

anthem for outsiders, headbangers, and rule breakers worldwide. In a 2023 Rolling Stone

interview, he spoke candidly about battling Parkinson's and undergoing spinal surgeries. Earlier this year, he and his wife Sharon revealed he could no longer walk

But earlier this month, he stood tall on stage one last time

belting out hits to 45,000 fans in Birmingham, while more than 5 million watched online

This morning, tributes are rolling into the man whose lyrics proclaimed that he was going off the rails on a crazy train

Before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. At 11 o'clock, sentencing begins for Brian Koberger after accepting a plea deal

to avoid the death penalty in those Idaho student murders. At noon in Los Angeles, a doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry's overdose

is expected to plead guilty. And later this afternoon, President Trump is set to speak at an AI summit in Washington

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Go to san.com slash newsletters. By the way, be sure to check out this week's Weapons and Warfare

The team is in Greeley, Colorado, where the Air National Guard is tracking ICBM launches from the back of a semi truck

Catch the new episode now on the SAN app or at SAN.com

Those are your unbiased updates for this Wednesday. We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli

Have a great day