
Trump On Epstein Controversy: 'I Don't Understand Why It's Still Going' - Anderson Cooper 360 - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
If President Trump trying to put the lid on the Jeffrey Epstein story, why does he keep talking about what's in the pot? Plus, the President defends his decision to give Russia more than a month and a half to come to terms with Ukraine even as Moscow continues its attacks.
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'Looks Like Bribery!': Critics Say This 1 Colbert Joke May Have Gotten 'Late Show' Canceled
CBS stunned fans of 'The Late Show' on Thursday after it announced that it would cancel the Stephen Colbert-led program, a move that renewed attention to a recent jab that the host made toward the network's parent company over its heavily panned $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) shared a clip from Colbert's Monday monologue on social media where he slammed Paramount Global for settling a lawsuit with Trump, who claimed that a '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to aid her chances of winning the election. That settlement notably arrived as Paramount looks to merge with Skydance Media in a multibillion-dollar deal, one that requires approval from the Trump administration to proceed. 'As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended. I don't know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company,' Colbert quipped. 'But, just taking a stab at it, I'd say $16 million would help.' The host proceeded to point out that Paramount once described the lawsuit as 'completely without merit' before joking that the company put a price tag on its 'dignity' and referred to the settlement as a 'big fat bribe.' Colbert, a frequent Trump critic, previously made fun of Paramount back in May amid reports that the company was ready to settle the lawsuit. Warren echoed Colbert's sentiment as she wrote on X that the deal 'looks like bribery' and America 'deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.' In May, Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and more lawmakers sent a letter to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone warning her not to make a 'grave mistake' by settling the lawsuit. At the time, Sanders — when asked by Colbert about the letter to his 'ultimate boss' — quipped that it could be the host's 'last show' before stressing that such a deal could set a dangerous precedent for other media companies. CBS canceled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like deserves to know if his show was canceled for political and share his message. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 18, 2025 Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is set to appear on Thursday's episode of 'The Late Show,' also criticized CBS' move. 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,' Schiff wrote on X. Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better. — Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) July 17, 2025 Other critics alleged that the move by CBS was political motivated although the network claims it was 'purely a financial decision.' CBS sells out…again. — Martin Heinrich (@SenatorHeinrich) July 18, 2025 Stephen Colbert's show was canceled three days after he called out Paramount, CBS's parent company, for folding to Trump with a $16M settlement for a lawsuit that even they called 'without merit."People deserve to know if this is a politically motivated attack on free speech. — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) July 18, 2025 Colbert to be canceled May 2026.A direct result of Paramount paying Trump 60 million. — Steve Martin (@UnrealBluegrass) July 18, 2025 'This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,' top CBS executives said in a statement announcing the news. 'It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.' — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 18, 2025 Colbert has the highest ratings of any late night host."Financial reasons" my ass. This is political. — Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) July 18, 2025 On the one hand: There *is* an economic rationale for this. Late night shows aren't cheap (w/ giant talent salaries) and they don't deliver traditional strong ratings hand: I don't believe them. It's not the money in this case. — Michael Socolow (@MichaelSocolow) July 17, 2025 If Donald Trump is going to get Stephen Colbert canceled, Stephen Colbert should talk about Donald Trump & Jeffrey Epstein every night on his show until it's off the air. — Evan (@daviddunn177) July 18, 2025 Stephen Colbert doesn't need CBS anyway. Wherever he ends up, people are going to watch him even harder now. All CBS did was solidify the fact that they'll be know until the end of time as just another spineless corporation that couldn't do the right thing. — Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley) July 18, 2025 Related... CBS Cancels 'Late Show,' Ending Stephen Colbert's Run After Decades On Air 'Brace Yourself': Stephen Colbert Spots Trump Moment That Quickly 'Went Off The Rails' Stephen Colbert Exposes The Most Baffling Part Of Trump's Latest Rant
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Trump requests release of documents related to Epstein case
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Asian markets on course to end week on a positive note
Asian markets headed into the weekend on a broadly positive note Friday, as investors took up New York's latest record highs sparked by healthy US retail data and upbeat earnings from some of Wall Street's big names. The readings helped divert attention away from Donald Trump's tariffs saga, with dozens of countries yet to cut deals with the US president two weeks before his August 1 deadline. However, Japanese investors were a little more anxious after news that rice prices once again doubled in June, compounding problems for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of weekend elections in which the grain has been a hot topic. The Nasdaq and S&P scaled fresh peaks Thursday after figures showed US retail sales rose more than expected last month and reversed May's decline, indicating the world's top economy remains in good health. Another modest jobless claims report provided extra assurance. That came on top of forecast-topping earnings from streaming behemoth Netflix, which further fanned buying in tech firms that followed Trump's decision to allow chip giant Nvidia to export its H20 semiconductors to China. Hong Kong stocks led most of Asia higher thanks to tech leaders, while there were also gains in Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta. Seoul and Wellington dropped. Tokyo was also in the red as nervous investors eyed Sunday's vote, with opinion polls suggesting Ishiba's ruling coalition could lose its majority in the upper house, having lost control of the lower house last year. A poor show for the premier -- who has been battered by a cost of living crisis -- could put pressure on him to step down and likely usher in a period of uncertainty in the world's number four economy. "Cost-of-living concerns have dominated the campaign for this weekend's upper house election," wrote Stefan Angrick, head of Japan and frontier markets economics at Moody's Analytics. "Ishiba's government has boxed itself in, promising only some belated and half-hearted financial support that will do little to improve the demand outlook." Adding to the premier's problems was news that rice prices had soared 99.2 percent in June year-on-year, having rocketed 101 percent in May and 98.4 percent in April. Public support for his administration has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office in October, with people also angry at his failure to reach a deal to avoid the worst of Trump's tariffs. "While Ishiba's base applauds his refusal to bow to Trump's every tweet, the unwillingness to give even an inch on low-hanging fruit like a partial tariff rollback or mild defense spending boost suggests a man more committed to defiance than diplomacy," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes. "It's tempting to say the trade friction was out of Ishiba's control... But markets, like politics, don't reward stubborn idealism. They reward adaptability. And on that score, Ishiba has failed to hedge his leadership risks." - Key figures at around 0230 GMT - Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 39,778.85 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.0 percent at 24,741.54 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,530.73 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1628 from $1.1600 on Thursday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3435 from $1.3415 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 148.45 yen from 148.60 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.54 pence from 86.43 pence West Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $67.55 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $69.54 per barrel New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 44,484.49 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 8,972.64 (close) dan/rsc Sign in to access your portfolio