Obama addresses rumors
Plus: Mariah Carey’s 16th album is coming
One of the most famous political figures in America finally put the rumors to rest. No, I’m not talking about that scandal, I’m talking about former First Lady Michelle Obama, who talked about her marriage on her podcast with husband on as guest. Meanwhile, the White House made a rare disclosure about POTUS’s health.
Welcome to this week’s issue of Whig. Read to the end to find out what Christina Aguilera thought of the Burlesque musical. — Hunter Schwarz
Trump files suit over WSJ Epstein reporting:
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that President Donald Trump contributed a lewd drawing and suggestive poem that concluded with the line “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret” as an entry to an album for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
Trump told the Journal “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women,” “It’s not my language. It’s not my words,” and filed a lawsuit Friday against the paper in a federal court in Miami. Trump has, of course, made many “pictures” aka doodles in his life.
Pence says “release all of the files”:
Trump’s former No. 2 is calling for full transparency from the administration over Epstein. “I think the time has come for the administration to release all of the files regarding Jeffrey Epstein's investigation and prosecution,” former Vice President Mike Pence told CBS News last Wednesday.
Calling for protecting the names of the alleged victims, Pence added, ”I think the time has come for the administration to release all of the files regarding Jeffrey Epstein's investigation and prosecution.”
Trump’s condition:
The White House said last Thursday Trump suffers from chronic venous insufficiency, a condition with swollen ankles among its symptoms. Captain Sean Barbabella, a White House physician, said the condition is “benign and common,” and one doctor told the BBC somewhere between 10% and 35% of people experience it as they age.
Lawmakers looking to make edits to OBBB after the fact:
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation last week that would end cuts to Medicaid hospital funding two weeks after he voted to do just that by passing Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and he’s not the only one looking to reverse parts of the legislation. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) announced a bill Sunday she introduced that would undo OBBB’s changes to how gambling losses are deducted.
Why the DOJ can’t keep lawyers:
Out of the 110 lawyers who work in the Justice Department branch in charge of lawsuits against Trump administration policies, 69 have quit or announced plans to quit since the 2024 election, according to Reuters. That’s a high turnover rate, and one former employee says it’s because people are being asked to go against the constitutional system they came to defend.
"Many of these people came to work at Federal Programs to defend aspects of our constitutional system," one lawyer who left the unit during Trump's second term told the news agency. "How could they participate in the project of tearing it down?"
The online gun company DJTJ is on went public and shares are down:
First son Donald Trump Jr. is on the board of GrabAGun Digital Holdings, which went public Wednesday with a stock ticker “PEW,” and shares immediately plunged.
“To be able to come back to the New York Stock Exchange and actually take a gun company public feels like such a vindication of all the insanity, all of the ‘woke’ nonsense that we’ve been watching and facing for the last decade in America,” Jr. told Fox Business Wednesday before shares went public.
Obama addresses rumors:
The former FLOTUS had her husband former President Barack Obama on her podcast “IMO” last week. “This is the episode that everyone’s been waiting for,” brother and co-host Craig Robinson said.
Addressing rumors about her marriage, Michelle Obama said, “There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting on my man and we’ve had some really hard times, we’ve had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I am married to.”
Hunter Biden says his dad was on Ambien during the debate:
Former first son Hunter Biden said in an interview with podcast host Andrew Callaghan, “I know exactly what happened in that debate” between his father former President Joe Biden and Trump last year.
“He flew around the world, the mileage that he could have flown around the world three times,” Biden said. “He's 81 years old. He's tired as s---. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep, he gets up on the stage and looks like a deer in the headlights.”
A spokesperson for the former POTUS didn’t respond to a request to comment from People. The younger Biden also spoke in the episode about addiction and being the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories.
16 Swag track debut on Hot 100:
Justin Bieber blasts in at No. 2 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 with “Daisies” behind Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” which is No.1 for a seventh week. “Daisies” is one of 16 songs from Bieber’s surprise album Swag that debuts on this week’s chart. It’s clocking on business for all of us now, and standing on that more and more every day.
Mariah Carey’s 16th album is coming:
Carey announced today her 16th studio album Here For It All will be out September 26. The album will be Carey’s first on Gamma, an independent label founded by music executive Larry Jackson. The black-and-white shot for the album art is gorgeous, dahhling.
Who do you think Colbert’s final guests will be??:
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert said last Thursday CBS would end his show in May 2026. 😢 Who do you think they’ll book as guests for his final run of episodes, and will that include every living former U.S. president or no??
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon called Colbert “one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it,” and Late Night host Seth Meyers said, “I’m going to miss having him on TV every night but I’m excited he can no longer use the excuse that he’s ‘too busy to hang out’ with me.”
CBS said the decision to cancel the show was financial, and “not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” but it came days following a monologue Colbert gave about CBS's parent company Paramount Global reaching a settlement over 60 Minutes with Trump that Colbert called a “big fat bribe.” Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Adam Schiff are skeptical that this really wasn’t political. Trump wrote on his social network, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” adding “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.”
I now pronounce thee, Mr. and Mrs. XCX:
Charli XCX and The 1975 drummer George Daniel married Saturday at London’s Hackney Town Hall, according to BBC. Charli wore a Vivienne Westwood Nova Cora mini dress looking brat as ever.
Coldplay keeps the kiss cams:
During their first show Saturday since camera caught that viral moment last week, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin cheekily warned the audience at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, that they might be seen on screen.
“We’d like to say hello to some of you in the crowd. How we’re gonna do that is we’re gonna use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen,” Martin said. “So please, if you haven’t done your makeup, do your makeup now.” Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who was spotted on camera during the band’s Boston show, resigned Saturday after the controversy.
Gaga opens Mayhem Ball in Vegas:
Lady Gaga opened her Mayhem Ball last Wednesday with a three-night run in Las Vegas, and the show continues in the goth opera direction of her Coachella set. Rolling Stone called it “legacy defining.” See the pics here. I love how she updated the look for “Paparazzi.”
I’m just glad Katy Perry is OK:
During her Lifetimes Tour stop at Chase Center in San Francisco Friday, The butterfly prop Katy Perry used to fly around the arena unexpectedly dropped down during her performance of “Roar.” Professional as ever, Perry got right back to singing. I’m glad everyone is safe. Maybe it’s time we ground our pop stars? Please, protect Pink.
Remembrances pour in for Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died Sunday at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica. “Every time I ran into Malcolm, we would have deep and fun conversations about basketball, life, and business. He will truly be missed,” Magic Johnson wrote on X. RIP 🕊️
Xtina gives Burlesque musical five stars:
Aguilera was in London for the opening of Burlesque The Musical last week and on Instagram she wrote “BLOWN AWAY!!” and gave it five stars. The musical was directed and choreographed by Todrick Hall.
Thanks for reading! See you next week. ⭐
Correction: A previous version of this newsletter called the reported drawing Trump allegedly gave Epstein “suggestive” and the poem “lewd,” and not the other way around. I regret this error.