Good morning, Wake Up Right fam! I opened yesterday’s newsletter with my thoughts on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and got so many passionate responses [on both sides of the argument]. So I thought… Let’s open it up to everyone. Share your thoughts below, and I’ll share some of your responses in tomorrow’s newsletter.

• 📈 Nasdaq closed at an all-time high

• 🦠 U.S. measles cases hit a 33-year high

• ❎ Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of X

• 😰 Managers oversee 2X as many workers as 5 years ago

• 💰️ Senate GOP raised record-high $85 million in 1st half of 2025

^{Sources: CNBC, WSJ, Newsweek, Axios, Axios}

Dems warn their base wants blood

House Democrats are waving red flags over a surge of rage and radicalism within their own base – with some voters threatening, "there needs to be blood" in opposition to President Donald Trump.

The details: More than two dozen House Democrats [most requested anonymity] told Axios their constituents are increasingly demanding violent or unlawful action. Here are a few excerpts:

• "Our own base is telling us that what we're doing is not good enough ... [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,"

• "Some [Democrat voters] have suggested ... what we really need to do is be willing to get shot” when visiting ICE facilities.

• One lawmaker was told to prepare for "violence ... to fight to protect our democracy."

• Another lawmaker said: "People online have sent me crazy s*** ... told me to storm the White House and stuff like that.”

Who is making these threats? Lawmakers say they’re coming largely from white, wealthy liberals in urban or suburban districts.

Some Democrat lawmakers are listening: Rep. LaMonica McIver from New Jersey was recently charged with assaulting ICE agents. And Sen. Alex Padilla of California was briefly detained after storming a Homeland Security briefing.

Left-wing violence: There has been a 700% rise in assaults against ICE agents this year. Last week, 10 people were charged with an organized ambush on ICE agents, where one local officer was shot.

What the White House is saying: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol agents. “I would encourage AOC and other Democrats to actually meet with the United States Border Patrol. These are honorable Americans who are simply trying to do their job to enforce the law.”

[Source: Axios, NY Post]

Biden doctor pleads the 5th

President Biden’s longtime physician invoked the Fifth Amendment repeatedly while testifying to Congress on Wednesday — refusing to answer questions about Biden’s cognitive fitness and potential coverups.

The details: During a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, Dr. Kevin O’Connor pleaded the 5th when asked:

• “Were you ever told to lie about the president’s health?”

• “Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duties?”

The GOP response: House Oversight Chair James Comer called it proof of a “conspiracy to cover up” Biden’s cognitive decline, accusing O’Connor of hiding behind the Fifth.

Zoom out: O’Connor faced criticism earlier this year after Joe Biden revealed he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer, with many wondering how his doctor hadn’t caught it in an earlier stage (or whether it was known and not disclosed to the public).

Up next: The committee has five more depositions lined up, including top former Biden aides Anita Dunn, Ron Klain, and Steve Ricchetti.

[Source: Daily Caller]

⚧️ The Trump administration is suing California over Title IX violations related to allowing males to compete in female sports. Read more.

✅ An appeals court has thrown out the conviction of Doug Mackey, the conservative influencer who was jailed for posting memes about Hillary Clinton in 2016. Read more.

🤖 Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, posted anti-Semitic content and referred to itself as “MechaHitler” on X, prompting action from xAI engineers. Read more.

🧼 A former Bath & Body Works store manager in Layton, Utah, said she was fired after refusing to address a transgender employee by their preferred pronouns. Read more.

🇩🇪 German government statistics show that foreign-born individuals are roughly 5X more likely to commit crimes than native-born individuals. Read more.

🇧🇷 President Trump hit Brazil with a 50% tariff over the current regime's "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro and an "unfair trade relationship." Read more.

👎️ The Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal from Florida to let it enforce an immigration law that would ban illegals from entering the state. Read more.

🆓 Hamas has agreed to release 10 hostages as part of ongoing ceasefire talks. Read more.

🕶️ As many as six U.S. Secret Service agents have been suspended for conduct during the assassination attempt on President Trump. Read more.

🪰 USDA has ordered the shutdown of livestock trade through the southern border following the detection of a new case of New World Screwworm. Read more.

✉️ President Trump sent letters dictating new U.S. tariff rates to: Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, and Sri Lanka. Read more.

🎥 Biden's doctor pleads the 5th over and over. Watch.

🎥 Susie Wiles says her "nasty" spat with DeSantis is in the past. Watch.

🎥 Before and after satellite images show the destruction of the deadly Texas floods. Watch.

🎥 Entire house is swept away during New Mexico flash floods. Watch.

🎥 Trump tells chatty African leaders to "wrap it up." Watch.

🎥 Chris Cuomo SLAMS Democrat Senator for “cheap shot at dead kids to score points against Trump.” Watch.

🎥 Charlie Kirk explains the concern voters have with the Trump admin's handling of the Epstein files. Watch.

🎥 Illegal alien gets tased by ICE after resisting arrest at Walmart. Watch.

🎥 President Trump says he's tired of Putin giving him "bullsh*t." Watch.

* indicates this is a sponsored partnership

Shop the Wake Up Right store!

A few months ago, I was at a butcher in my neighborhood and saw a diagram of a cow, with all the cuts of meat labeled. And that gave me an idea for a t-shirt:

DOGE Butcher Shop — but instead of the cow, we use a pig. And the cuts of meat in the diagram represent all the waste, fraud, and abuse being butchered by the Trump admin.

Over the last few weeks, I worked with a really talented graphic designer who brought it to life. And on Friday I got a sample in the mail and I’m happy to say, it came out better than I’d hoped.

Also, my wife told me I had to mention that the t-shirt it’s printed on is Comfort Colors. Apparently, they’re well-known for high-quality materials. I just chose them because they are printed in the U.S. and made with 100 U.S. cotton.

If you love this newsletter and want to rep the Wake Up Right fam, you can do so with the link below!

Click here to check out the Wake Up Right Shop.