2AM ET 07/19/2025 Newscast

Summary

Fox News Hourly Update – 2AM ET 07/19/2025 Newscast Summary

Release Date: July 19, 2025

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1. Tragic Explosion at Los Angeles County Training Facility

Debra Valentine opens the newscast with a heartbreaking report from Los Angeles:

Debra Valentine [00:02]: "Tragedy in LA. I'm Debra Valentine, FOX News. Three Los Angeles County veteran deputies are dead after an explosion Friday at a training facility."

Christina Coleman provides detailed coverage of the incident:

Christina Coleman [00:13]: "Sources tell Fox News the deputies were handling explosives when the blast occurred around 7:30 in the morning in the parking lot of the department's Biscaluse Center Training Academy in East Los Angeles. The sheriff says this is the deadliest incident at the agency in more than a century."

Additional insights from Christina Coleman reveal the broader context:

Christina Coleman [00:27]: "Officials tell FOX 11 that construction workers installing electric vehicle chargers in a former tenant's personal storage unit found grenades on Wednesday here in Santa Monica. The bomb squad was called in. Fox 11 reports the grenades are related. The sheriff says combined the deputies have at least 74 years of experience."

The investigation into the cause of the explosion remains ongoing, with authorities scrutinizing all possible factors.

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2. Justice Department Seeks to Unseal Epstein Case Documents

Debra Valentine transitions to a high-profile legal matter:

Debra Valentine [00:47]: "The Justice Department is asking a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking case."

Jared Halpern elaborates on the developments:

Jared Halpern [00:58]: "A motion from the Trump administration says the case of Jeffrey Epstein is a matter of public interest and cites a department memo that evidence does not exist to charge additional parties. President Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury records following backlash and criticism over the Justice Department's handling of the case."

He provides background on the Epstein saga:

Jared Halpern: "A New York grand jury returned an indictment charging Epstein with sex trafficking offenses in 2019. A month later, the financier committed suicide in his jail cell, and the court dismissed the indictment. Epstein's longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence at the White House."

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3. Venezuela Releases US Citizens in Exchange for Deportees

Debra Valentine reports on an international exchange:

Debra Valentine [01:39]: "Venezuela has released 10 jailed US citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the US to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown."

This exchange marks a significant diplomatic effort to address deportation and incarceration issues between the two nations.

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4. President Trump Signs Bipartisan Cryptocurrency and Funding Legislation

Debra Valentine announces key legislative actions:

Debra Valentine [03:08]: "President Trump Friday signed recently approved legislation supporting a type of bitcoin."

Kevin Cork provides an in-depth analysis of the legislation:

Kevin Cork [03:23]: "President Trump referenced a Congressional Republican investigation while signing a bipartisan bill. The Genius Act passed the House in the early hours. It regulates a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoins. The House also passed a bill rescinding $9 billion in federal funding to public media and foreign aid."

Trump's response to the funding cuts is notably critical:

Kevin Cork [03:38]: "After the House vote, the president wrote, 'House approves $9 billion cuts package, including atrocious NPR and public broadcasting where billions of dollars a year were wasted. Republicans have tried doing this for 40 years and failed. But no more. This is big.'"

This legislation reflects ongoing tensions over federal funding priorities and the regulation of emerging financial technologies.

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5. Democratic Backlash and Intelligence Document Declassification

Debra Valentine highlights the political fallout:

Debra Valentine [03:56]: "Democrats are fuming over this funding clawback affecting PBS, NPR, foreign aid."

Kevin Cork discusses revelations from the intelligence community:

Kevin Cork [04:19]: "Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Friday declassified documents related to investigations during the Obama administration into Russia's alleged impact on the 2016 election."

Tulsi Gabbard shares her concerns:

Tulsi Gabbard [04:28]: "In that report, the intel community had assessed that Russia played no significant role in influencing our election. Those findings, according to Director Gabbard, were suppressed after the FBI led by Director James Comey said the bureau was going to dissent from the draft conclusions based on some new guidance."

She continues:

Tulsi Gabbard [04:45]: "Then CIA Director John Brennan, Secretary of State John Kerry, and a host of high-level Obama administration officials met at the White House to look into so-called Russian election meddling."

Gabbard urges further investigation:

Tulsi Gabbard [04:50]: "I'm asking the Justice Department to investigate the documents. Russia has denied interference."

This disclosure intensifies debates over the integrity of intelligence assessments and the transparency of government investigations.

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Conclusion

The Fox News Hourly Update for the early hours of July 19, 2025, delivered a comprehensive overview of critical events ranging from a tragic explosion in Los Angeles and significant legal maneuvers in the Jeffrey Epstein case to international diplomatic exchanges and pivotal legislative actions by President Trump. Additionally, revelations from former intelligence officials have sparked further political discourse. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and reactions presented during the newscast, providing a clear narrative for those who did not tune in.

Transcript

[Debra Valentine]

Tragedy. In la, I'm Debra Valentine, FOX News. Three Los Angeles county veteran deputies are dead after an explosion Friday at a training facility. Fox's Christina Coleman reports from la.

[Christina Coleman]

Sources tell Fox News the deputies were handling explosives when the blast occurred around 7:30 in the morning in the parking lot of the department's Biscaluse Center Training Academy in East Los Angeles. The sheriff says this is the deadliest incident at the agency in more than a city century. Officials tell FOX 11 that construction workers installing electric vehicle chargers in a former tenant's personal storage unit found grenades on Wednesday here in Santa Monica. The bomb squad was called in. Fox 11 reports the grenades are related. The sheriff says combined the deputies have at least 74 years of experience.

[Debra Valentine]

An investigation continues into the cause of the explosion. The Justice Department asking a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts of Jeffrey Epstein Epstein's sex trafficking case.

[Jared Halpern]

A motion from the Trump administration says the case of Jeffrey Epstein is a matter of public interest and cites a department memo that evidence does not exist to charge additional parties. President Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury records following backlash and criticism over the Justice Department's handling of the case. A New York grand jury returned an indictment charging Epstein with sex trafficking offenses in 2019. A month later, the financier committed suicide in his jail cell and the court dismiss the indictment. Epstein's longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20 year sentence at the White House. Jared Halpern, Fox News.

[Debra Valentine]

Venezuela has released 10 jailed US citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home. Scores of migrants deported by the US To El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. America's listening to Fox News.

[Rich Hudson]

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[Debra Valentine]

President Trump Friday signing recently approved legislation supporting a type of bitcoin. Fox's Rich Hudson reports from the White House on that. And another bill.

[Rich Hudson]

This is not an auto pen, by the way, which is a big scandal.

[Kevin Cork]

President Trump referencing a Congressional Republican investigation while signing a bipartisan bill. The Genius act passed the House in the early hours. It regulates a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoins. The House also passed a bill rescinding $9 billion in federal funding to public media and foreign aid. After the House vote, the president wrote, quote, House approves $9 billion cuts package, including atrocious NPR and public broadcasting where billions of dollars a year were wasted. Republicans have tried doing this for 40 years and failed. But no more. This is big.

[Debra Valentine]

Democrats are fuming over this funding clawback affecting PBS NPR foreign aid. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Friday declassified documents related to investigations during the Obama administration into Russia's alleged impact on the 2016 election. Fox's Kevin Cork reports from Washington.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

In that report, Gabbard alleges that officials manipulated and withheld key intelligence from the public. The intel community had assessed that Russia played no significant role in influencing our election. Those findings, according to Director Gabbard, were suppressed after FBI led by Director James Comey said the bureau was going to dissent from the draft conclusions based on some new guidance. Then CIA Director John Brennan, Secretary of State John Kerry and a host of high level Obama administration officials met at the White House to look into so called Russian election meddling.

[Debra Valentine]

Gabbard says she's asking the Justice Department to investigate the documents. Russia has denied interference. I'm Debra Valentine. This is Trump's news.

[Rich Hudson]

It's an interesting time for business. Tariff and trade policies are dynamic, supply chains are squeezed and cash flow tighter than ever. If your business can't adapt in real time, you're in a world of hurt. You need total visibility from global shipments to tariff impacts to real time cash flow. That's NetSuite by Oracle, your AI powered business management suite. Trusted by over 42,000 businesses. NetSuite is the number one cloud ERP for many reasons. It brings accounting, financial management, inventory, HR into one suite. You have one source of truth giving you the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. With real time forecasting, you're peering into the future with actionable data. And with AI embedded throughout, you can automate a lot of those everyday tasks, letting your team stay strategic. Netsuite helps you know what's stuck, what it's costing you, and how to pivot fast. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, download the free ebook Navigating Global 3 Insights for Leaders at netsuite.com fox that's netsuite.com fox.