Trump Asked a Court to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Testimony

New York Times

a day ago

The Justice Department asked a federal judge this afternoon to unseal grand jury testimony from the prosecution of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump had requested the move in an effort to dispel a storm of criticism and conspiracy theories coming from many of his supporters.
The request was filed in Manhattan, where Epstein was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges six years ago when he was found dead by hanging in his jail cell about a month after he was arrested. The government also sought the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite who was convicted of helping Epstein facilitate his sex trafficking scheme. You can read the Justice Department's full request here.
Obtaining court approval for unsealing the testimony could be difficult because the records are shielded by grand jury secrecy laws, to protect crime victims and witnesses. Judges rarely agree to grant public access to such materials.
In related news, Trump sued The Wall Street Journal's parent company over a report that he sent a birthday greeting with a sexually suggestive drawing to Epstein in 2003. The president insisted he doesn't 'draw pictures,' but many of his sketches have sold at action.
A prisoner swap freed Americans jailed in Venezuela
Ten Americans and U.S. permanent residents who had been seized by the Venezuelan authorities and held as bargaining chips were freed today. In exchange, more than 200 Venezuelan migrants whom the Trump administration sent to a prison in El Salvador were also released.
Venezuela's government began detaining and imprisoning foreigners late last year. Among them was Lucas Hunter, a 37-year-old U.S. and French citizen whose family said he visited the region to go kite surfing, and Wilbert Castañeda, a 37-year-old former Navy Seal who had traveled to Venezuela to meet a romantic partner.
The Venezuelan migrants had been deported from the U.S. after the Trump administration accused them of being members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Most of the roughly 250 men did not have criminal records, beyond immigration offenses.
Trump's public media cuts were decades in the making
In the 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law, PBS, NPR and other public broadcasters in the United States have received more than $500 million annually from the government. That support now appears to be over, after the House gave final approval to the cuts.
Some conservatives have been calling for an end to the funding for decades, arguing that organizations like NPR and PBS had a liberal bias. In a video, Benjamin Mullin, a media reporter for The Times, talks about the impact the cuts will have.
Once the payments stop in the fall, more than 100 combined TV and radio stations in rural pockets of the country will be at risk of going dark. This map shows the stations at the most risk.
A Kennedy aide's company can get you a tax break for hot dogs
An insomnia diagnosis yielded a recommendation for hot dogs. An acne diagnosis called for classes at a mixed-martial-arts gym. And as an added bonus, the purchases can be made thorough a tax-free account because they were blessed by a medical provider.
Such tax benefits are made possible by the wellness start-up Truemed, which was co-founded by Calley Means, a close aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary. It helps people obtain letters attesting to a medical need for such products, which one critic called 'a tax break for upper-middle-class people.'
More top news
Los Angeles: Three sheriff's deputies were killed in an explosion at a training center. The cause is under investigation.
Brazil: The Supreme Court ordered Jair Bolsonaro, the former president, to wear an ankle monitor and stay home most hours, defying Trump's demands to drop charges against him.
Education: With a crucial hearing scheduled for Monday, the government is demanding more information about staff members and international students from Harvard University.
Health: In a rare look into a largely hidden subject, The Times found that prescription drug denial rates by private insurers in the U.S. jumped 25 percent from 2016 to 2023.
Energy: Chevron completed its purchase of Hess after prevailing in a legal dispute with Exxon Mobil over one of the most promising oil projects in the world.
Fossils: The anatomy of a newly discovered Pulaosaurus offered a hint that birdsong may be as old as the dinosaurs themselves.
Lives Lived: Felix Baumgartner, a professional daredevil who did a skydive from the edge of space in 2012, died at 56.
A star ballerina says goodbye
Gillian Murphy, one of American Ballet Theater's most enduring talents, is stepping down after 29 years with the company.
Tonight, Murphy, 46, will dance her final performance, Odette-Odile in 'Swan Lake,' opposite her friend James Whiteside. It's a complicated ballet, and Whiteside said it was 'completely unhinged' to go out with something so arduous. But that's the kind of ballerina Murphy always has been: full of joy and aplomb.
Elsewhere in the performing arts world: 'Chicago' and 'A Chorus Line' are now 50 years old. We asked a Broadway star to show us the moves that made them so special.
Everything you need to know about campfire cooking
The summer is always a great time to escape into the great outdoors. And with a little bit of planning, you can enjoy some remarkable meals made over a campfire. Take it from Ali Slagle, who writes recipes for The Times and travels the country in a camper van.
Ali put together a guide answering all of the most common reader questions about cooking over crackling flames. She explains what supplies to bring, how to build and manage the fire, as well as what kind of recipes work best.
Dinner table topics
Extra! Extra!: Read all about the last newspaper hawker in Paris.
'Alt comedy': The term has fallen out of fashion, but the experimental spirit of the genre lives on.
Amateur sleuth: In retirement, Lou Schachter decided to hunt for stolen artworks. He's had some success.
Make a ruling: Should you silence your phone around your spouse?
Cook: This no-bake peaches and cream cake is the perfect end to a summer meal.
Watch: 'Smurfs' is one of the movies that got our critics talking this week.
Read: Here are seven new books we love.
Listen: This calm and graceful cello piece by Bach could change your day.
Admire: New York's best summer art shows are upstate. Here's what to check out.
Travel: These are the basketball star A'ja Wilson's five favorite places in Las Vegas.
Consider: Is 'joyspan' the key to aging well?
Test yourself: Take this week's news quiz.
Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
With just 5 fingers, he makes the sound of so many hands
Twenty years ago, Nicholas McCarthy was turned away from his local music school. He had been born without a right hand, and a school official doubted he could play piano adequately. Now McCarthy is set to prove his doubters wrong. He is the leading pianist for a concert this weekend at the Proms, Britain's most prominent classical music series.
McCarthy has established his success by mastering pieces composed for the left hand alone — some written by a pianist hoping to wow audiences by smoking with his right hand. When my colleague Alex Marshall watched McCarthy perform, he was stunned: 'It was hard to believe McCarthy was producing all that emotion, all that sound, with two hands, let alone just one.'
Have a superb weekend.
Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew
Hiroko Masuike was our photo editor.
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