Daily Briefing: Birthday card blow-up

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. The internet is determined to find the Coldplay concert "cheaters."

Quick look at Friday's news:

• President Donald Trump is threatening to sue the Wall Street Journal over a letter he reportedly sent Jeffrey Epstein.
• $9 billion in spending cuts head to the president's desk for signature.
• Jeremiah or Conrad?!

Trump denies report he wrote Epstein lewd 50th birthday letter

President Donald Trump denied on social media a report in the Wall Street Journal that claims he wrote a letter to Jeffrey Epstein for Epstein's 50th birthday. Shortly afterward, Trump announced in another social media post that he is directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce more Epstein documents amid public clamor for the records.

How we got here: Controversy around the Trump administration's handling of records involving the convicted sex offender is reaching a fever pitch. The administration's attempt to close the book on Epstein has enflamed parts of the MAGA base, who have speculated about a potential Epstein "client list" that the government is shielding from public view.

• Trump says "not the way I talk": Trump's alleged birthday letter was part of a leather-bound birthday book with dozens of other letters that was presented to Epstein in 2003, the Journal wrote. The Trump letter ends with “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the Journal. Trump's signature on the letter, which was written in the form of text inside a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman, is "a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair," the Journal wrote.

Keep reading: How do American voters feel about Trump team's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case?

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

President Trump underwent medical tests and an ultrasound to examine swelling in his legs and was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, the most common vascular disease in the U.S., according to medical experts.  Known as CVI the condition occurs when the leg veins become damaged and don’t work as they should. Veins work against gravity to push used blood out of the legs through muscle contractions. When these veins don’t work, typically due to damaged valves, it can cause blood to pool in the legs and lead to symptoms like swelling and ulcers. What causes chronic venous insufficiency?

More news to know now

• Two are dead and several injured following a strike on a Catholic church in Gaza.
• What's a stablecoin? The House passed landmark bills to regulate the cryptocurrency
• Poll: Trump's immigration approval rating is at an all time low in his second term.
• Meet the man on a mission to donate platelets to every American Red Cross donation center in the nation. 
• "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" will end next May.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Public broadcasting, foreign aid cuts clear final hurdle

President Trump's push for $9 billion in spending cuts — slicing into public broadcasting stations PBS and NPR, as well as the United States' foreign aid efforts — crossed the Congressional finish line just after midnight July 18. The House approved the measure in a 216-213 party line vote. Around $1 million will be taken from public broadcasting, including PBS and NPR. Local stations, which are much more reliant on federal grants than their national counterparts, are expected to bear the brunt of that lost funding. The measure now heads to the president's desk for signature into law.

An LGBTQ+ suicide lifeline ends

“Despite our political differences, we should all agree that every young person’s life is worth saving. I am heartbroken that this administration has decided to say, loudly and clearly, that some young people’s lives are not.”

~ Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, on the termination of specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The program faced shutdown Thursday as part of federal budget cuts that include an overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The LGBTQ+-focused 988 lifeline program, which marked its third anniversary on July 16, has served an estimated 1.5 million young people since its inception, according to the Trevor Project.

Today's talkers

• Denise Richards alleged abuse by estranged husband Aaron Phypers.
• Before Connie Francis died, a new generation fell for "Pretty Little Baby."
•  T.J. Watt is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
• Gen Z men and women have a deep political divide. It's made dating a nightmare.
• Caitlin Clark will miss the WNBA All-Star Game and 3-point contest due to injury.

Which of the Fisher boys will Belly choose?!?

The internet's favorite love triangle is back. We're pining over Season 3 of Amazon Prime Video's "The Summer I Turned Pretty," which headlines new TV series and specials that will stream this weekend. If wistful seaside romance isn't your thing, you can hop aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to explore with Season 3 of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" or head on over to Yosemite National Park for a romp with nature with Netflix's "Untamed." Or sing to your screen while watching "Billy Joel: And So it Goes," a two-part documentary on HBO Max that takes a look at the long life and career of the "Piano Man" himself. Maybe you'll find your new obsession.

• Check out an exclusive peek at Marvel's “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” set in the retrofuturistic 1960s.

Photo of the day: A beautiful backdrop for golf

The Open Championship's opener completed with five different golfers tied for first place at the Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. The golfers will have a chance to create some distance from the rest of the pack when the second round begins Friday morning.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.