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1/ The Trump administration moved to repeal the scientific finding that allows the federal government to regulate greenhouse gases, calling it a $1 trillion drag on the economy. The EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” states that greenhouse gases threaten public health and forms the legal basis for most federal climate rules. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said repealing it would be “the largest deregulatory action in the history of America” and would “drive a dagger into the heart of the climate change religion.” The proposal cited a Department of Energy report led by climate skeptics who claimed U.S. emissions don’t “significantly” affect global climate trends or public health. (New York Times / NPR / Washington Post / Politico / Wall Street Journal / USA Today / Associated Press / Axios / CNBC / The Hill)

2/ Ghislaine Maxwell offered to testify before Congress but only if granted immunity, advance access to questions, and a delay until the Supreme Court rules on her appeal. Her attorneys said she would otherwise invoke her Fifth Amendment rights. The House Oversight Committee rejected those conditions and said it “will not consider granting congressional immunity.” Maxwell also suggested she would testify publicly if Trump granted her clemency, writing she would be “willing – and eager – to testify openly and honestly.” Trump, meanwhile, said Jeffrey Epstein “stole” young women from his Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre, who was 16 at the time. “He stole her,” Trump said, adding, “she had no complaints about us whatsoever.” Giuffre later accused Epstein of trafficking her and died by suicide in April. Trump nevertheless insisted he banned Epstein for hiring away staff — not for misconduct — calling the two issues “sort of a little bit of the same thing.” (CNN / Politico / Associated Press / CNN / Washington Post / Axios / NBC News / NPR / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / USA Today / The Hill)

3/ In April 2025, the Trump administration cut $158 million in federal grants for gun violence prevention, eliminating 69 DOJ-funded intervention programs across cities like New York, Chicago, and Memphis. The programs trained outreach workers to de-escalate conflict and prevent shootings. On Monday, a gunman killed four people and injured one at a Manhattan office tower. Police said Shane Tamura, 27, carried an assault-style rifle and left a suicide note blaming the NFL for brain damage he believed he suffered playing high school football. The shooting occurred inside the same building that houses the league’s headquarters. (Reuters / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

4/ A third whistleblower gave Congress an audio recording that appears to contradict testimony from Emil Bove, a former Trump lawyer nominated for a lifetime seat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The recording suggests Bove misled lawmakers about his role in the dismissal of corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Senate Democrats, citing “serious concerns” and “substantial information relevant to the truthfulness of the nominee,” asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate and urged Republicans to delay the vote, which could happen this week. The Justice Department, meanwhile, called the allegations a “bad faith attempt to sink a nominee.” (Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico)

5/ The U.K. said it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and a long-term peace plan. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the move after recalling his cabinet and citing “starving babies, children too weak to stand” as justification. Israel called the move a “reward for Hamas,” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Starmer of “punishing its victims,” and warning that “a jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW.” Trump, meanwhile, said the U.S. “has no view” but criticized the move as “rewarding Hamas,” and adding: “I’m not in that camp.” Trump also said he and Starmer “never did discuss it,” despite meeting one day prior. (NPR / Politico / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / Reuters / NBC News / Politico / ABC News)

poll/ 32% of Americans support Israel’s war in Gaza – down from 42% in September and the lowest level since polling began in late 2023. Disapproval rose to 60%, with support dropping to 8% among Democrats and 25% among independents. Republican support, meanwhile, increased to 71%. 52% of Americans view Benjamin Netanyahu unfavorably – his worst rating since 1997. (Gallup)

poll/ 40% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president – the lowest of his second term. Among Republicans, 83% approved of his performance, while just 3% of Democrats and about one-third of independents approved. (Reuters)

The midterm elections are in 462 days.

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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee for a six-hour interview, according to her lawyer, who called the session “very productive” and said Maxwell “answered every single question.” Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking minors for Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department initiated the meeting after Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel reversed course and announced they wouldn’t release anymore Epstein records or surveillance video, citing privacy concerns. The move contradicted months of public promises and came after Bondi had claimed the Epstein “client list” was “sitting on my desk.” This month, however, the DOJ released a two-page memo denying the list exists and reaffirmed Epstein’s 2019 death was a suicide – statements that have upset Trump’s base, which believes the government is hiding a “client list” of powerful Democrats who abused minors and helped cover up Epstein’s death.

In the spring, Bondi told Trump his name appeared in sealed files, along with others, though DOJ officials said those references don’t suggest wrongdoing. Blanche – who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer – also attended that briefing. Blanche’s role in brokering the Maxwell meeting has fueled accusations from lawmakers and critics that the DOJ is politicizing the case to protect Trump – especially as the DOJ simultaneously asked the Supreme Court to reject Maxwell’s appeal to overturn her conviction based on Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement.

On Wednesday, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena both Maxwell and the DOJ in a bipartisan move that defied Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. Three Republicans backed the motion, including Reps. Scott Perry and Nancy Mace. The subpoena demands internal DOJ communications and records involving Bondi, former FBI Director James Comey, and the Clintons. Maxwell has also been ordered to appear for a deposition at her prison on August 11. The revolt has fractured Republicans, forced an early recess, and reignited a discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie to compel a floor vote on releasing all Epstein documents. “Democrats smelled blood in the water,” one Republican said.

Trump, who once called Epstein a “terrific guy,” was reportedly featured in a 2003 birthday book compiled by Maxwell, writing “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret” inside a sketch of a naked woman that was signed “Donald” below her waist to mimic pubic hair. Trump sued The Wall Street Journal for defamation, calling the letter a “fake thing” because “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” The birthday album reportedly also includes letters from Bill Clinton, who praised Epstein’s “childlike curiosity.” Trump now calls the Epstein case a “hoax” pushed by “weaklings” and has tried to redirect attention by accusing Obama of treason. (New York Times / ABC News / Politico / NPR / New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Politico / CNN / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Wall Street Journal)

🍭 Dept. of Shiny Things Trump Is Doing to Distract from the Jeffrey Epstein Files.

1/ Trump staged a visit to the Federal Reserve to publicly call for Chair Jerome Powell to “do the right thing” and lower interest rates while accusing him of mismanaging a $2.5 renovation billion project. Trump claimed the project had ballooned to $3.1 billion, calling the spending “out of control.” Powell, however, cut him off and said, “You just added in a third building […] built five years ago” and stood by the Fed’s estimate of $2.5 billion, which staff said reflected inflation, security upgrades, and preservation costs. While Trump said he didn’t see the costs as a “fireable offense,” he did say, “I just want to see one thing happen, very simple: Interest rates come down.” Trump is the first president to visit the Fed in almost 20 when George W. Bush attended the swearing-in ceremony of Fed Chair Ben Bernanke in 2006. Trump later posted that the renovation “would have been much better if it were never started” and again demanded that Powell “LOWER INTEREST RATES!” (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / CNBC / CNN)

2/ Trump signed an executive order directing cities and states to remove homeless people from public spaces and force them into treatment or institutional settings to “restore public order.” The order instructs federal agencies to prioritize grants for jurisdictions that enforce bans on camping, loitering, and drug use, and calls for reversing court rulings that restrict involuntary commitment. It shifts funding away from Housing First policies and blocks support for harm reduction programs. (Washington Post / USA Today / CBS News / The Hill / Bloomberg / NPR)

3/ The Trump administration sued New York City, claiming the city’s sanctuary laws obstruct federal immigration enforcement and violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. The lawsuit names Mayor Adams, the City Council speaker, and city agencies including the NYPD and Department of Correction. The Justice Department said the city released undocumented immigrants with criminal records despite ICE detainer requests. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / ABC News / Bloomberg / NBC News)

4/ Trump signed an executive order banning “third-party, pay-for-play” payments to college athletes, aiming to stop booster-funded Name, Image, and Likeness recruiting deals. The order allows brand endorsements, but directs schools to block outside money used to lure players and instructs federal agencies to enforce rules, protect non-revenue sports, and clarify athletes’ employment status. The White House called the current system a “chaotic environment” and warned, “many college sports will soon cease to exist” without federal guardrails. (The Hill / Bloomberg / The Guardian / NBC News / CBS Sports)

5/ The FCC approved the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance after Skydance promised to drop all DEI programs and add a news ombudsman at CBS. The deal gives Skydance full control of Paramount, including CBS, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures. “It is time for a change,” Trump-appointed chair Brendan Carr said. Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez, however, called the vote “cowardly capitulation,” warning the FCC was “imposing never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions.” The approval followed a $16 million settlement between Paramount and Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. “A big fat bribe,” Colbert called it on The Late Show before CBS canceled the program, which had run for decades. In response, Trump said, “I love that Colbert got fired.” Colbert responded to Trump’s celebration, saying: “Go fuck yourself.” Paramount also signed a $1.5 billion streaming deal with South Park, which responded by mocking the company’s settlement with Trump, the cancellation of Colbert’s show, and Skydance’s promises to scrap DEI programs and monitor CBS News for bias. The episode depicted Trump repeatedly in bed with Satan, mocked his genitals, and portrayed him suing the town of South Park for criticizing him. In the final scene, the show aired a fake AI-generated PSA, resembling the style of Christian “He Gets Us” ads, but instead it focused on Trump. The ad showed Trump wandering naked in the desert as a narrator said: “No matter how hot it gets, he’s not afraid to fight for America.” As Trump removed his clothes, a small animated penis with googly eyes appeared and said, “I’m Donald J. Trump, and I endorse this message.” The narrator concluded, “Trump. His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large.” The PSA directed viewers to HeTrumpedUs.com, a parody website mimicking Christian marketing campaigns. The White House, meanwhile, called the South Park PSA “a desperate attempt for attention” and said the show “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Bloomberg / Rolling Stone / Business Insider / Politico / The Hill / Variety / Hollywood Reporter / HuffPost / Entertainment Weekly / New Republic)

6/ A Florida man who sued Gawker into bankruptcy over a sex tape and got dropped by WWE after racist comments is dead at 71. Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea), who called himself a “Real American,” died of cardiac arrest in Florida. His lawsuit against Gawker – secretly bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, who had been outed as gay by the site in 2007 — ended with a $140 million verdict and forced the gossip site to shut down. The jury found Gawker had invaded Hogan’s privacy by publishing a one-minute clip of him having sex with his friend’s wife. Hogan said the sex tape was recorded without his knowledge or consent and wasn’t newsworthy. Gawker, however, claimed First Amendment protection, arguing he was a public figure who often spoke about his sex life, making the footage public interest. The case drew warnings from the ACLU and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who said it showed how wealthy individuals could weaponize privacy claims to punish the media. WWE cut ties in 2015 after leaked audio caught him making racist comments about his daughter’s boyfriend — then quietly reinstated him three years later. Whatcha gonna do now, brother? (Washington Post)

The midterm elections are in 467 days.

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1/ Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will add $3.4 trillion to the national deficit over 10 years and leave 10 million more people uninsured by 2034, according to the final score from the Congressional Budget Office. The law, passed along party lines, makes Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, adds tax breaks for tips and overtime, and cuts Medicaid, food aid, and clean energy funding. The CBO said the $1.1 trillion in spending cuts are outweighed by $4.5 trillion in lost tax revenue. Republicans argued the tax breaks should count as free since current rates are already in place and extending them doesn’t add cost. They asked the CBO to use a “current policy” baseline assuming the cuts would be made permanent; that version showed a $366 billion deficit increase. (Politico / NBC News / CNBC / CNN / Bloomberg)

2/ Affordable Care Act insurers proposed a median premium increase of 15% for 2026 across 105 filings in 20 markets — the largest since 2018 — citing rising healthcare costs and the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies that have lowered premiums since 2021. Over a quarter of insurers requested hikes of 20% or more. Without congressional action, subsidized enrollees will pay 75% more on average next year. Some insurers also cited tariffs on medical imports and uncertainty from new Trump-era rules. (Wall Street Journal / CNN / NBC News / NPR / KFF Health System Tracker)

3/ The White House removed the Wall Street Journal from the press pool for Trump’s trip to Scotland after it published a story about a sexually suggestive letter he allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the paper was excluded due to “fake and defamatory conduct” and didn’t say if it would be allowed back. The reporter pulled from the trip, however, had no role in the Epstein story. Earlier this year, the White House took over pool assignments from the White House Correspondents’ Association. (Politico / CNN)

• EARLIER:

• Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a sexually suggestive letter in 2003 typed inside a sketch of a naked woman and signed “Donald” below her waist to mimic pubic hair. The message, ending with “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” was part of a birthday album Ghislaine Maxwell compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the message, calling it a “fake thing” and said, “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words.” JD Vance, meanwhile, called the the story “complete and utter bullshit.” He added: “Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” For over a decade, Trump and Epstein socialized, attended parties, flew on Epstein’s jet, and appeared in videos and photos together, including at Mar-a-Lago. Multiple women later accused Trump of misconduct after Epstein introduced them, including groping and sexual advances; Trump has denied all the allegations. The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment on whether the letter is part of their current review. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Politico)

• Trump sued the Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, and two of the paper’s reporters for defamation over an article that described a lewd birthday letter he allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, seeks at least $20 billion in damages and claims the story was “false, defamatory, unsubstantiated, and disparaging.” Dow Jones said it stands by the reporting and will “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit. (Variety / Axios / New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC / CBS News / NBC News / CNN / USA Today / Reuters)

• The Justice Department asked a Manhattan court to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The request followed Trump’s public directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony.” Trump issued the order one day after the Wall Street Journal reported that he signed a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein in 2003, which he called “FAKE” and sued over. The department said it would redact victim and personal information, but confirmed it still found no “incriminating ‘client list’” or evidence to justify further investigations. Trump posted: “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!” (USA Today / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / NPR / New York Times / CBS News / Washington Post / CNN / Axios / Bloomberg)

• The FBI instructed personnel reviewing Jeffrey Epstein’s case files to “flag” any documents that mentioned Trump, according to Senate Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin. In letters sent Friday, Durbin said Attorney General Pam Bondi “pressured” the FBI to put 1,000 staff on 24-hour shifts in March to process about 100,000 records. “Why were personnel told to flag records in which President Trump was mentioned?” Durbin asked Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Deputy Director Dan Bongino. A Durbin aide said the information came from a protected whistleblower. (NBC News / The Hill / Axios / CNBC)

• Trump said releasing Epstein grand jury records likely won’t satisfy critics, calling those demanding more information “troublemakers and radical left lunatics.” He wrote on social media that “even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough.” (ABC News / Politico / The Hill / CNBC / USA Today)

4/ A former Jeffrey Epstein employee told the FBI in 1996 and again in 2006 to investigate Trump’s ties to Epstein. Maria Farmer described an encounter in Epstein’s office where Trump stared at her legs and later said he thought she was 16, adding that Epstein told him: “She’s not here for you.” She said she had no evidence of wrongdoing by Trump, but believed authorities should have scrutinized his closeness with Epstein. The FBI didn’t confirm whether Farmer’s statements about Trump were ever investigated. (New York Times)

5/ House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will not vote on a resolution to release Jeffrey Epstein-related documents before the August recess. Johnson said the Trump administration needs “space to do what it is doing” after Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the unsealing of grand jury transcripts. Johnson said “we agree with the president” and claimed “there is no daylight” between Trump and House Republicans on “maximum transparency.” The move delays a bipartisan push led by Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna to force a vote through a discharge petition. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, meanwhile, warned that the base “will turn” if Trump doesn’t follow through. (The Hill / CBS News / Politico / Politico)

6/ Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a report accusing Obama-era officials of staging a “treasonous conspiracy” during the 2016 election. Despite no new evidence, Gabbard claimed they manipulated intelligence to falsely suggest Russia wanted Trump to win and said she referred the matter to the Justice Department for prosecution. Democrats dismissed the report, which contained 114 pages of redacted emails, as politically motivated and contradicted by years of investigations, including a bipartisan Senate inquiry that found “irrefutable evidence” of Russian interference benefiting Trump. Senator Mark Warner said Gabbard was “trying to cook the books” and warned she was undermining trust in her own agency. Representative Jim Himes called the accusations “baseless” and said Gabbard was rehashing “decade-old false claims.” (New York Times / Bloomberg / The Hill / Politico)

7/ Trump posted a fake video showing Obama being handcuffed and arrested in the Oval Office, as “Y.M.C.A.” plays and Trump smiles in the background. The fake video, originally posted on TikTok, uses altered footage from the two men’s November 2016 White House meeting and ends with Obama in a jail cell wearing an orange jumpsuit. The post followed Gabbard’s recent claims that Obama officials carried out a “treasonous conspiracy” to damage Trump in 2016. Obama’s office declined to comment. Trump has increasingly shared fake and manipulated content while facing pressure from supporters over his handling of the Epstein files. (New York Times / The Hill / New Republic / HuffPost)

The midterm elections are in 470 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. Before she issued any ruling, Trump called the judge overseeing Harvard’s lawsuit over a $2 billion federal funding freeze “a TOTAL DISASTER” and said she was “an automatic ‘loss’ for the People of our Country.” The administration cut funding after Harvard refused to meet demands from a federal antisemitism task force, which included changes to hiring, admissions, and governance. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, who previously ruled against the administration in a separate case, questioned the legality of the cuts and whether they were tied to constitutionally protected speech. The Justice Department said Harvard “should have read the fine print” and that funding decisions reflect “agency priorities.” (Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg)

2. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged Trump not to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, warning it could damage markets and create lawsuits that delay the Powell’s transition as Fed chair when his term expires in May 2026. Bessent said the Fed is already likely to cut interest rates twice this year and told Trump the firing was unnecessary since the economy is strong. Trump nevertheless denied the report, saying: “Nobody had to explain that to me. I know better than anybody what’s good for the Market.” (Wall Street Journal / Variety / CNBC / The Hill)

3. CBS will cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in May 2026 – three days after Colbert called a $16 million settlement between Trump and CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, a “big fat bribe.” The payment resolved Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris and came as Paramount seeks Trump’s approval for its $28 billion merger with Skydance Media. CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision,” despite Colbert leading his time slot, earning an Emmy nomination days earlier, and facing no visible cost-cutting measures. “It’s not just the end of our show, it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” Colbert told his audience. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.” Trump, meanwhile, celebrated the move, posting: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired.” He called Colbert talentless, praised Fox’s Greg Gutfeld, and predicted Jimmy Kimmel “is next.” The Writers Guild of America accused Paramount of “sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration” and called for a state investigation. Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren, Adam Schiff, and Bernie Sanders questioned the timing, with Warren calling the settlement “a deal that looks like bribery” and Sanders writing: “Do I think this is a coincidence? NO.” Paramount denied any connection between the cancellation, the merger, or Trump. (Associated Press / NPR / Bloomberg / New York Times / CNN / Washington Post / Hollywood Reporter / Axios / HuffPost / USA Today / Variety)

4. The Trump administration released over 230,000 pages of FBI and CIA files related to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., despite opposition from King’s family and civil rights groups. The documents include surveillance memos, interviews, foreign intelligence, and materials tied to James Earl Ray’s alleged plot. The King family, given early access to the records, said the FBI conducted a “disinformation and surveillance campaign” against King and warned that the release could be misused “to undermine our father’s legacy.” Tulsi Gabbard called the release “unprecedented” and praised Trump for ordering it. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the move fulfills a public right to know “decades after the horrific assassination.” (ABC News / Associated Press / New York Times / CBS News / Axios)

5. Trump threatened to block a stadium deal in Washington unless the NFL team now called the Commanders changes its name back to Redskins – a name long criticized as a racial slur against Native Americans. “I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington” unless they drop what he called the “ridiculous moniker.” Trump also demanded Cleveland’s baseball team return to the name Indians, claiming Native Americans want the change and adding, “MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN.” Commanders owner Josh Harris and Guardians executive Chris Antonetti said they have no plans to revisit the name changes. Indigenous groups widely oppose restoring the names, calling them “offensive and dehumanizing.” (Washington Post / ABC News / NBC News / Reuters)

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1/ Trump disavowed his supporters demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, calling them “weaklings” who “bought into this bullshit.” Trump accused his “PAST supporters” of doing “the Democrats’ work” and said he didn’t want their support, calling the case a “hoax” that “nobody cares” about. “I don’t want their support anymore!” The statement follows a Justice Department memo concluding there was no Epstein “client list,” contradicting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s earlier claims that such documents existed and were under review. Bondi now says she was referring to general case files, not a list, and has refused to commit to releasing more. Trump’s base, meanwhile, has fractured parts of the MAGA movement with conservative figures like Laura Loomer and Alex Jones accusing Trump of betrayal. Loomer warned the scandal could “consume his presidency.” House Speaker Mike Johnson also split from Trump, calling for “transparency” and urging Bondi to clarify her role. Rep. Thomas Massie launched a discharge petition with Democrat Ro Khanna to force a vote compelling the DOJ to release all Epstein-related files. Other Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, have backed the move, which could trigger a full House vote after the recess. Trump, meanwhile, insists any further release is up to Bondi, but repeated that only “credible information” should be made public. (NBC News / CNN / CBS News / Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / Axios / New York Times / Axios / The Guardian / Associated Press / Politico / ABC News / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump told House Republicans he was considering firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, showing them a draft termination letter, but hours later publicly said it was “highly unlikely.” In that meeting, Trump asked if he should remove Powell and said “almost all of them said I should,” but added, “I’m more conservative than they are.” A senior White House official said Trump would “likely” act soon, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna posted that Powell’s firing was “imminent.” Trump later denied the reports, saying “we’re not planning on doing anything,” but added: “I don’t rule out anything […] unless he has to leave for fraud.” Trump has demanded the Fed cut interest rates by up to 3 points, calling Powell a “total stiff” and “terrible,” while accusing him of wasting money on a “palace,” saying, “I think it sort of is” a fireable offense. Powell has defended the $2.5 billion renovation and asked the inspector general to review it. The Fed, meanwhile, has held rates steady while warning Trump’s tariffs could push inflation higher. (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / CNBC / Axios)

4/ The Justice Department asked at least nine states to turn over their voter rolls, with two states complying and others reviewing the requests. Separately, Republican election clerks in Colorado said a consultant claiming to work with the White House contacted them to request access to voting machines. Some clerks rejected the request outright, calling it a security risk. The White House, however, didn’t confirm its connection to the consultant, but said it supports ensuring only citizens are on voter rolls. (Washington Post)

5/ The Trump administration deported five men from Vietnam, Laos, Jamaica, Cuba, and Yemen to Eswatini in southern Africa, restarting third-country deportations after a recent Supreme Court ruling. Homeland Security said the men had criminal records including murder, child rape, and assault. The Eswatini government confirmed the men are being held in a local prison and plans to return them to their home countries, but didn’t say how long they will be held. ICE guidelines allow deportation to third countries within six hours, even without assurances against torture. (Politico / USA Today / New York Times / NBC News / Axios)

poll/ 79% of Americans want the government to release all documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Two-thirds said the government is covering up evidence, including 82% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans. Belief that Epstein was murdered (39%) outweighed belief in the official suicide ruling (20%). 40% said they were unsure. (YouGov)

poll/ 61% of Americans oppose Trump’s domestic spending bill, his largest legislative action since returning to office. 51% said the bill would hurt the economy, while 29% said it would help it. 16% expect their families to benefit. (CNN)

The midterm elections are in 475 days.

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