4PM ET 08/22/2025 Newscast

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update – 4PM ET 08/22/2025

Date: August 22, 2025
Host: FOX News Anchor (Lisa Brady)
Correspondents: Fox News Correspondent, Rein Schmelz, Edward Lawrence, Kristin Goodwin
Notable Speaker: Trey Gowdy, Colorado Governor Jared Polis

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Episode Overview

This concise newscast covers major breaking news stories including a significant development in the Jeffrey Epstein case, legal updates on human smuggling charges, a record day for Wall Street, severe incidents involving funeral homes in Colorado, and action at the Pentagon following U.S.-Iran tensions. The episode provides rapid-fire news segments, focusing on government transparency, legal accountability, market reactions, and public safety.

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Segment Breakdown & Key Insights

1. Jeffrey Epstein Case Updates

[00:02 – 00:36]

• DOJ Interview with Ghislaine Maxwell Released:

  • Lisa Brady (Host): Announces new DOJ interviews released involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned former girlfriend.
  • Fox News Correspondent: Reports Maxwell claimed "there was no client list and provided no incriminating information about high profile individuals."
  • The House Oversight Committee has received the first batch of documents following a subpoena to the DOJ for Epstein-related records.
  • Noted that the Trump administration previously faced criticism for withholding more case records.

• Notable Quote [00:13]:

  • Fox News Correspondent: "Former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department there was no client list and provided no incriminating information about high profile individuals during her interview."

• Context:

  • Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Her attorney maintains her innocence, insisting she never participated in abuse.
  • Epstein's death in custody is referenced as background.

2. Legal Update: Human Smuggling Charges

[00:36 – 00:52]

• Lisa Brady (Host): Reports that Kilmar Abraham Grego Garcia, accused of human smuggling, has been released from a Tennessee jail, now en route to Maryland to await trial.
  • His attorney denies Garcia's reentry into the U.S. after deportation was for prosecution, noting prior immigration court rulings.

3. Financial News: Wall Street Soars

[00:53 – 01:27]

• Lisa Brady (Host): Highlights a significant rally, with the Dow climbing 841 points to a record close (45,625) after a pivotal speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

• Expert Analysis [01:27]:

  • Trey Gowdy (guest): “The markets are taking off on the fact that the Fed chairman has now opened the door for a possible rate cut in September. He says the risks though to inflation are rising while the risks of the labor market are falling. But he says with expectations for inflation well anchored at the 2% target, that possibly opens the door for a rate cut.”
  • Fox Business’ Edward Lawrence reports from Jackson Hole on the economic climate and Fed signals.

4. Tragic News: New York Tour Bus Crash

[01:44 – 02:01]

• Lisa Brady (Host): Reports a fatal tour bus rollover east of Buffalo, New York, returning from Niagara Falls to NYC. Multiple fatalities, including children.

5. Pentagon Shakeup: Firing Over Iran Strike Assessments

[02:30 – 03:00]

• Lisa Brady (Host): Reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Cruz, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The dismissal followed disagreement with the initial intelligence assessment of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which displeased President Trump.
• Based on AP sources.

6. Colorado Funeral Home Scandal

[03:00 – 03:43]

• Governor Takes Action:

  • Colorado Governor Jared Polis: Calls for the resignation and possible prosecution of Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter, after 20 decomposing bodies found at Davis Mortuary. Cotter reportedly gave fake ashes to families, violating trust and dignity in handling remains.
  • Polis declares a disaster emergency to marshal state resources for the investigation.

• Notable Quote [03:14]:

  • Jared Polis: “No one should ever have to wonder if their loved one is being taken care of with dignity and respect after they've passed, and Mr. Cotter must be held to account for his actions.”

• Kristin Goodwin (Fox News): Notes some bodies may have been concealed for over a decade; a criminal probe is underway.

7. Related Case: Colorado Springs Funeral Home

[03:43 – 03:58]

• Another funeral homeowner in Colorado Springs faces a denied plea deal after admitting to mistreatment of nearly 200 bodies, with families seeking harsher punishment. The rejected agreement would have synchronized a state and federal sentence.

8. Final Market Recap

[03:58 – 04:17]

• Lisa Brady (Host): Reiterates Wall Street’s gains: Dow up over 800 points. S&P and Nasdaq also rally but fall short of records.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department there was no client list and provided no incriminating information about high profile individuals during her interview.”
  – Fox News Correspondent [00:13]

• “The markets are taking off on the fact that the Fed chairman has now opened the door for a possible rate cut in September…”
  – Trey Gowdy [01:27]

• “No one should ever have to wonder if their loved one is being taken care of with dignity and respect after they've passed, and Mr. Cotter must be held to account for his actions.”
  – Governor Jared Polis [03:14]

• Tragic tour bus crash details: Multiple fatalities, including children, as a bus overturns en route from Niagara Falls to NYC.
  – Lisa Brady [01:44]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jeffrey Epstein/Maxwell Case – DOJ Interview: [00:02–00:36]
• Human Smuggling Legal Update: [00:36–00:52]
• Stock Market Surge & Fed Commentary: [00:53–01:44]
• Fatal NY Bus Crash: [01:44–02:01]
• **Pentagon/DIA Dismissal Over Iran: ** [02:30–03:00]
• Colorado Funeral Home Scandal: [03:00–03:43]
• Colorado Springs Case/Plea Deal: [03:43–03:58]
• Market Recap: [03:58–04:17]

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Tone & Style

• The episode maintains Fox News’ brisk, urgent, and fact-focused delivery, prioritizing headlines and direct quotations from primary sources, with succinct expert and official statements.

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Summary

This update delivers breaking developments across law, finance, public policy, and public safety, with high-profile names, government accountability, and emotional statements shaping the news day. The cast ensures listeners receive key facts and quotes amid ongoing national debates and rapidly evolving stories.

Transcript

[Fox News Anchor]

This is a Fox News alert. A surprise in the Jeffrey Epstein case on Lisa Brady. The Justice Department just releasing interviews between its number two official and Epstein's imprisoned.

[Fox News Correspondent]

Former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department there was no client list and provided no incriminating information about high profile individuals during her interview. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch releasing the audio and transcript of the DOJ interview with the associate of Jeffrey Epstein from House Oversight Committee also receiving the first round of documents from the Department of Justice regarding Jeffrey Epstein after issuing a subpoena.

[Fox News Anchor]

Fox's Rein Schmelz @ the White House. Maxwell is serving a 20 year sex trafficking sentence for helping to lure teenage girls for abuse. Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial. Maxwell's attorney says she is innocent and never participated in sexual abuse against anyone before her Justice Department interview. The Trump administration faced backlash over a decision not to release more records from the case. An attorney for Kilmar Abraham Grego Garcia says he's now out of a Tennessee jail, heading home to Maryland to await trial on human smuggling charges. He denies he was brought back to the US to face those charges after being deported to El Salvador where an immigration judge had previously ruled he could not be sent. New highs on Wall Street. The Dow up 841 points at the bell to a record close 45,625 after a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in Wyoming.

[Trey Gowdy]

The markets are taking off on the fact that the Fed chairman has now opened the door for a possible rate cut in September. He says the risk risks though to inflation are rising while the risks of the labor market are falling. But he says with expectations for inflation well anchored at the 2% target, that possibly opens the door for a rate cut.

[Fox News Anchor]

Fox Business Edward Lawrence in Jackson Hole. A tour bus crash in New York has killed multiple people, including children. Police say the rollover happened east of Buffalo as that bus was heading back to New York City. From Niagara Falls, America is listening to Fox News.

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[Fox News Anchor]

Just getting reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency's initial intelligence assessment of damage to Iranian Nuclear sites from U.S. strikes angered President Trump. Two people familiar with the decision, telling the Associated Press that Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Cruz will no longer serve as head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency. Colorado's governor deploys emergency resources to help with an investigation of decomposing bodies found at a funeral home.

[Colorado Governor Jared Polis]

Colorado Governor Jared Polis calling for Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter to resign and, if warranted, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This after state inspectors found roughly 20 decomposing bodies hidden behind a door at Davis Mortuary, a funeral home operated by Cotter, who investigators say admitted to giving fake ashes to relatives who asked for their loved ones to be cremated. Polis declaring a disaster emergency to mobilize state resources to respond, saying in a statement, I am sickened for the families, adding, no one should ever have to wonder if their loved one is being taken care of with dignity and respect after they've passed, and Mr. Cotter must be held to account for his actions. Kristin Goodwin, Fox News Officials say some.

[Fox News Anchor]

Of those bodies may have been there for more than a decade. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has opened a criminal probe. Meantime, a Colorado judge rejects a plea agreement for a funeral homeowner in Colorado, Colorado Springs, who admitted abusing nearly 200 bodies languishing in a room temperature building for years as the owner and his wife lived a lavish lifestyle. That plea deal called for a 20 year sentence running concurrently, not consecutively, with a 20 year federal sentence. Families who were given fake ashes asked for a more severe punishment. Recapping the Wall street rally, the Dow up more than 800 points, the S and P and the Nasdaq also rallying, but they fell short of a record close. And Lisa Brady, this is Fo.

[Trey Gowdy]

Hey, I'm Trey Gowdy, host of the Trey Gowdy Podcast. I hope you will join me every Tuesday and Thursday as we navigate life together and hopefully find ourselves a little bit better on the other side. Listen and follow [e-mail].