Seat of Dishonor

So Mohammed bin Salman, the man the CIA says ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is given the most elaborate reception at the White House that Trump can muster. He sits next to Trump in an Oval Office so encrusted with gold that it would make Genghis Khan jealous.

Then a reporter from ABC, Mary Bruce, asks about that murder and is viciously denounced by Trump for disrespecting the visitor. Later, a still angry Trump says the network’s license should be revoked.

This is just another day in Trump’s America, where he brags about how open he is with the press — except of course when a reporter asks questions he doesn’t like. For example, why he hasn’t ordered the release of the Epstein files, which was the ABC reporter Bruce’s second sin yesterday, according to Trump.

Meanwhile, the House and the Senate both voted to release those very Epstein files, so that seemingly never-ending sex-trade saga may be reaching its climax. But given the buildup, you’ve got to wonder if the versions that finally surface might feel more like an anticlimax.

The evil person at the center of all this, Epstein, is dead, so the most important question here is whether there ever will be any real justice brought upon the rest of those who victimized so many young women and girls in this sordid matter. For one possible answer, just look what happened to the alleged perpetrator of Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.

He ended up in the seat of honor next to the President.

HEADLINES:

• Epstein files bill passes resoundingly in House with only 1 no vote (ABC)

• Judge rejects ‘racially gerrymandered’ maps in Texas that gave Republicans extra districts (Guardian)

• ICE Agents Raid a Church With No Explanation (TNR)

• Tennessee Judge Temporarily Blocks National Guard Deployment in Memphis (NYT)

• Trump administration to announce dismantling of much of Education Dept. (WP)

• The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation (ProPublica)

• Greg Abbott Declares Major Muslim-American Group ‘Terrorist Organization’ (Newsweek)

• Is Trump a lame duck? (Silver Bulletin)

• MTG Won the Battle. Can She Win the War? (Bulwark)

• Inside the war tearing the Heritage Foundation and the American right apart (Vox)

• Chaotic tariffs are crushing Michigan (WP)

• Trump says Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria. The reality is more complicated (AP)

• Nearly 1 in 30 clinical trials, including cancer research, affected by NIH cuts, paper says (CBS)

• Ex-Harvard president Larry Summers steps back from public role after Epstein email release (BBC)

• Meta Did Not Violate Antitrust Law, Judge Rules (NYT)

• Opposition from Michigan, USC pauses $2.4B Big Ten deal (ESPN)

• California farms applied millions of pounds of Pfas to key crops, study finds (Guardian)

• AI agents aren’t replacing remote workers any time soon — here’s why (The Hill)

• AI Data Centers Are Banging on Crypto’s Door (WSJ)

• How to Cheat at Conversation (Atlantic)

• ‘We’re Off To See The World!’ Shout Saluting Trump Boys Setting Sail On D.C. Reflecting Pool (Onion)