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Isaac Rabbani A new report shows there is absolutely a winning constituency for economic and social progress. But Democrats aren’t pursuing it. The post Working-Class Voters Are Not Centrists appeared first on The Nation.

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is running for fellow Democrat U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ soon-to-be vacated seat. And in a new video, she demonstrates how she has outdone all other candidates in the race so far. Posted on Instagram, the video features McMorrow’s response to whether she, as a U.S. senator, would vote to release the Epstein files.  “Yes! Oh my God,” she replies emphatically before adding, “We should release the files immediately because Americans deserve to know what the truth is, so we do not have two systems of justice in this country: one that protects you if you’re rich and powerful, and one for the rest of us.” YouTube Video McMorrow catapulted onto the national stage after delivering a powerhouse speech on the Michigan Senate floor, in which she dissected the GOP’s attempts to paint her as someone “grooming” children, exposing the abject hypocrisy of so-called “conservative Christians.”  The Epstein scandal presents a catch-22 for President Donald Trump, as he and his minions either fabricated a conspiracy in order to manipulate the public or—even more cravenly—are actively covering up the heinous crimes perpetrated by the wealthy and powerful against minors.

In a desperate ploy to change the subject from the bungled Epstein files saga, Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday released documents relating to the late Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Neither case is timely, but releasing documents related to the case offers red meat for right-wing propaganda networks to run with. That way  they can ignore the fact that President Donald Trump’s MAGA base is enraged that Bondi said there are no files in the Department of Justice’s possession that incriminate the powerful people who were friends with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders,” Bondi said in a statement, which said that the DOJ was releasing 230,000 pages of documents relating to the assassination. “The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure.” Bondi announced the release of the MLK files, even though his daughter, Bernice King, said she did not want them released because they would not be instructive and would only open painful wounds. “I wonder why I have to be confronted once again with something that was very confusing and distressing for me as a five-year-old. I am, honestly, not prepared to revisit the gruesome details of this painful history. For me, there is no real value in it; there is only reliving the trauma,” she wrote in a piece published in Vanity Fair. Bernice King went on to post an image of her father looking displeased with the text, “Now, do the Epstein files.” Bondi on Monday also said she turned over documents relating to the Clinton email investigation to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who is still probing the non-issue eight years later. It’s likely an effort to throw a bone to Trump’s base, which is enraged about the administration’s claim that there is nothing more to be released about Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche Apparently realizing that this wouldn’t be enough to make the Epstein scandal go away, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday released a statement reiterating that there are no documents in the DOJ’s possession from the Epstein case that incriminate other people, but said that the DOJ will speak with jailed Epstein associate Ghislane Maxwell to see if she has any information about Epstein that could lead to future investigations. “This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead. The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written. Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” Blanche wrote. He added, “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.” Meanwhile, over on Capitol Hill, the House is mired in a state of paralysis due to the Epstein files brouhaha. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)—who is blocking a bipartisan bill that would legally compel the Trump administration to release the files—is refusing to put his own toothless resolution on the floor that would urge the release of files relating to Epstein, but holds no legal weight to actually force them into public view. He wants to wait to put his nothingburger resolution up for a vote after Congress returns from a five-week-long August recess, hoping that maybe the scandal will have blown over by then. That has congressional Republicans fuming. “Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies,” GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia—who is defying Trump to fight for the release of the Epstein files—wrote in a post on X. “They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.” What’s more, Democrats on the House Rules Committee—a powerful committee that tees up legislation for votes on the House floor—planned to offer other amendments relating to the Epstein files to bills this week. But because Republicans on that committee didn’t want to have to vote against those amendments, as directed by GOP leadership, Republican leaders decided that the Rules Committee simply wouldn’t meet at all. Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman wrote: “THE HOUSE FLOOR is frozen because House Republicans are rebelling against @SpeakerJohnson strategy for dealing with the EPSTEIN FILES. The HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE is supposed to hold the line for the leadership and vote down any Democratic amendments. But they are unwilling to kill Epstein amendments, which means Johnson’s leadership team cannot bring anything to the floor. JOHNSON tried to push a non-binding resolution, but declined to bring it to the floor. JOHNSON is caught between a House Republican Conference that is wary about voting against Epstein related measures and a president who wants nothing to do with revisiting the sordid episode.” Ultimately, the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein is haunting Trump and the Republican Party. 

Unlike other outlets, PoliticusUSA is run by the wealthy or corporations. We are truly independent, and we need your support. Please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber. Subscribe now Republicans Are Shutting Down The House To Protect Trump Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has been working for days on a strategy to block his own members from joining with Democrats to prevent the passage of legislation that would require the DOJ to release the Epstein files. Johnson understands that any bill that comes out of the House on the Epstein files will have overwhelming support in the Senate, likely enough to override a Trump veto, so the House is Trump’s last line of defense to block the release of the files. PoliticusUSA is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. So, the Speaker is refusing to hold a vote. What House Republican leadership has decided to do is shut down the legislative process by putting the House on ice for 6 weeks. Meredith Lee Hill of Politico posted on X: House Rules Committee isn’t returning AT ALL tonight and likely not AT ALL THIS week amid Epstein + other issues, per sources Scalise confirms to me it’s “not likely” Rules return – meaning House would leave without advancing immigration and several other bills. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wants answers for why Republicans are shutting down the House for six weeks: Ummm so let me get this straight: Republicans have ground Congress to a halt and are considering adjourning the entire House for 6 weeks to avoid releasing the info they have on Epstein? What is going on here? What is going on here is that Republicans and the White House are shutting it down so that members can’t make any moves to release the Epstein files, and Trump hopes that the scandal will go away over the next month and a half. House Republican leadership is so afraid of the files being released that they are willing to shut down the House before the August recess, which is usually a busy period before members go home for a month, in the hope of stopping the momentum behind releasing the files. If Trump has nothing to hide, why are House Republicans going to this extreme to cover for him? AOC is right. There is something going on here. Republicans are covering up the abuse and assault of women and girls on the orders of Donald Trump. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Leave a comment