President Donald Trump forcefully shot down a Wall Street Journal report on Thursday night claiming that he wrote a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein that included a sketch of a naked woman, saying he’d sue the outlet for claiming otherwise.

“This is not me,” Trump told the outlet. “This is a fake thing.”

He followed that up with a lengthy statement a few hours after its publication, stating that the paper’s owner Rupert Murdoch and editor-in-chief Emma Tucker were “warned directly” by Trump that the letter “was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued.”

“President Trump will be suing the Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly,” Trump said.

pic.twitter.com/s4Pd84hb2x

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 18, 2025

The Wall Street Journal article claimed that it had obtained a “letter bearing Trump’s name” that was included in a birthday book created for Epstein. It claims that the letter was part of a leather-bound album, and that Trump framed his letter within “the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker.”

Notably, the paper did not include an image of the letter it claimed to have reviewed. It says the letter was part of the trove of Department of Justice papers that have come to be known as the “Epstein files.” Neither the DOJ nor the FBI responded to its requests for comment, it disclosed.

Trump has sought to shut down furor surrounding the Epstein disclosures, which started when the DOJ announced nearly two weeks ago that there would be no major release pertaining to Epstein. It also announced that there was no “client list” and concluded that there was no evidence calling into question Epstein’s suicide.

After lashing out at the Wall Street Journal article, Trump publicly stated that he’d asked his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to release “any and all” pertinent Grand Jury testimony on Epstein that a court would allow.

Bondi said she was “ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”

President Trump—we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts. pic.twitter.com/hOXzdTcYYB

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) July 18, 2025

Trump has already said that he asked Bondi to release any credible evidence on Epstein to the public.

Trump’s initial post refuting the Wall Street Journal’s report argues that if the letter was genuine, there is no chance it wouldn’t have “been revealed by Comey, Brennan, Crooked Hillary, and other Radical left Lunatics years ago.”

All of the documents in question were in the government’s possession during the Biden administration.

“It certainly would not have sat in a file waiting for ‘TRUMP’ to have won three Elections,” Trump said. “This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS!”

While it is well-documented that Trump and Epstein were friendly when they both lived in New York City, there is no evidence that Trump was involved in any of Epstein’s criminal wrongdoing. Epstein was not accused of sexual relations with young girls until 2006, years after the two had a falling out.

Though headlines on Epstein have driven the news cycle for the last week, with many right-wing commentators and influencers criticizing Trump’s handling of the situation, it appears to have had no standing on Trump’s voters. Polling shows that Trump’s approval rating has gone up with Republican voters since the Epstein announcement.

CBS will pull the plug on late-night comedian Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” next year in a “purely financial decision,” the network announced on Thursday.

Colbert’s late-night comedy news show will air its final episode in May 2026, according to a statement released by CBS. The announcement marked the end of a nearly 11-year run Colbert has had hosting “The Late Show,” which first began in 1993 under former host David Letterman.

The network said that it is scrapping “The Late Show” franchise and will not move on to another host after Colbert.

“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television,” CBS said in a statement.

“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” it continued.

Colbert announced the news from his host chair at the top of his Thursday episode.

“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Colbert said.

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who was a guest on Colbert’s program on Thursday night, suggested on social media that the cancelation of “The Late Show” may be about more than purely “financial reasons.”

“Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled. If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Schiff said in a post on X.

Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled.

If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.

— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) July 17, 2025

The end of “The Late Show” comes as late-night comedy programming has seen a severe decline in recent years. Colbert’s show has seen a significant decline.

CBS saluted Colbert in its statement announcing an end to “The Late Show” after more than three decades.

“The show has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist,” said CBS. “The accomplishments of ‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”