What to Watch This Week
Happy Monday.
Good morning! It’s Monday, July 21, 2025. Want to feel old? One year ago today, Joe Biden ended his campaign for re-election. Not much has happened since then, right?
Here’s what I’m watching for this week…
EPSTEIN FALLOUT — The latest mini-revelation involving Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein comes courtesy of the New York Times, which reports on an Epstein victim who urged the FBI in the 1990s to “take a broader look at the people in Mr. Epstein’s orbit, including Donald J. Trump, then still two decades from being elected president.”
The report gives some clues as to how Trump’s name might appear in the Epstein files (some of which might now be released), but offers no evidence of wrongdoing by the president — a sign that this story might be slowing down. One thing that might pick it back up, though? Congressional procedure!
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Trump’s least favorite congressional Republican, and Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced a resolution that would “require the Attorney General to release all documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein.” The duo plan to unveil a discharge petition for the measure; in the House, when a discharge petition fetches signatures from 218 members (a simple majority), it can force a vote on a bill without sign-off from the speaker.
Some Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), have already announced plans to sign the petition; it would take six Republicans to force a vote, assuming all 212 Democrats sign on. The sponsors will be able to start collecting signatures this week; theoretically, a vote could be forced this week as well, but House GOP leaders might start the chamber’s August recess early to postpone the vote by a few weeks.
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS — Redistricting isn’t just for every ten years any more. The Texas legislature will convene today for a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) with an 18-item agenda that includes one issue of national importance: a potential move to redraw the state’s congressional district lines.
President Trump has urged Texas Republicans to move forward with the mid-decade redistricting effort, which party hands hope could result in as many as five new Republican-leaning congressional districts for the 2026 midterms. With control of the House likely to be decided by only a handful of seats, the redrawing would have a major impact on the balance of power in Washington.
Democrats in states like California are threatening to respond in kind, but their options are limited by the state constitution.
HARVARD YARD — Lawyers for the Trump administration and Harvard University will appear in federal court in Boston today, looking to U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs to fully resolve their dispute over $2 billion in federal research funding frozen by the administration.
Both sides have asked Burroughs, an Obama appointee, to issue a summary judgement, a ruling in their favor that would dissolve the case without a trial. It will be the highest-profile test in the Trump administration’s legal dispute with American universities.
RECESS TIME — We already know the House might skip town early this week, and start their “August” recess in July, partially to avoid a vote on Jeffrey Epstein. But what about the Senate? The upper chamber is currently scheduled to depart on July 31, but President Trump doesn’t seem thrilled with that plan.
“Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed. We need them badly!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
Obviously, Trump generally gets what he wants in GOP-controlled Washington — but there is little lawmakers savor more than their recesses, especially now that Republicans are anxious to get back to their home states to try to sell the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to their constituents. We’ll see which of those impulses wins out.
SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN — The last time government funding expired, Democrats entered the dispute without a uniting plan, leading to a fracture over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to avert a shutdown.
If you read this piece in Politico this morning, it becomes clear that — with only about 25 legislative days scheduled until the next funding deadline (September 30) — Democrats are no more organized around a strategy than they were the last time.
California may not be able to do a redistricting. Have seen a bit of news, that states, that the present redistricting system, which is embedded in the California Constitution, limits the redistricting to once every ten years. Have not verified it, but the source sounded right, from my memory of how the system was set up.
The democrats have proven themselves to be useless so no hope with any of the issues. As far as discovering anything in the Epstein files, forget it. Trump’s minions have already scrubbed the files.