Live updates on Trump's presidency: Administration seeks release of Epstein testimony
Date: 13 min ago
Title: Trump says "nothing will be good enough" for those demanding more information on Epstein case
Content:
President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday that 'nothing will be good enough' for those he deems 'troublemakers' and 'radical left lunatics' demanding more information on the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump's post came after days of turmoil surrounding his administration's handling of documents related to the disgraced financier, including rare criticism from the president's MAGA base. The Justice Department on Friday asked a judge to release years-old grand jury testimony made against Epstein, the convicted sex offender who faced sex trafficking and conspiracy charges before his 2019 death in jail.
'I have asked the Justice Department to release all Grand Jury testimony with respect to Jeffrey Epstein, subject only to Court Approval. With that being said, and even if the Court gave its full and unwavering approval, nothing will be good enough for the troublemakers and radical left lunatics making the request. It will always be more, more, more,' Trump wrote yesterday morning.
In the Justice Department filing, Attorney General Pam Bondi said unsealing the transcripts would be justified by the public's 'longstanding and legitimate interest.' But it's ultimately up to a federal judge to decide.
Trump's weekend: The president is expected to remain in the Washington, DC, area and does not have public events scheduled this weekend.
He took private meetings yesterday afternoon at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, a White House official said. The official declined to share any details about the meetings.
CNN's Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report.
Update:
Date: 14 min ago
Title: Catch up on a chaotic week in the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files
Content:
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to release years-old grand jury testimony made against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump fumes on social media over public demands to release the so-called Epstein files.
If you're just catching up on the saga, here's what to know:
• How we got here: The DOJ's move came after a week of outcry from the president's MAGA base over the administration's perceived backtracking on promises of maximum transparency regarding Epstein. The pressure campaign had been ramping up since the Justice Department said in a memo earlier this month that it wouldn't be releasing further documents on the case.
• Putting the request in context: Grand jury testimony made behind closed doors is a 'minuscule fraction of the entire file' from Epstein's case, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. And while Attorney General Pam Bondi argued in her request that releasing the material is in the public interest, it's ultimately the court's decision.
• Trump sues newspaper: Trump also announced Friday that he is suing the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and two reporters who wrote a story about a collection of letters gifted to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, including a note bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. The Journal report seemed to unite a set of skeptical MAGA influencers in defense of the president after the week's turmoil.
• More on the doodle: The president has emphatically denied writing the note and said he doesn't draw pictures. But a charity director told CNN she received two doodles from him in 2004 for an auction in Ohio.
• Read CNN analysis: With the renewed scrutiny surround Trump's relationship with Epstein, CNN identified five key questions that remain unanswered.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal
Donald Trump announced Tuesday a "massive" trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive "reciprocal" tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. The breakthrough makes Japan one of five countries to have signed an agreement -- along with Britain, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines -- after Trump promised in April he would get "90 deals in 90 days". "We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He said that under the deal, "Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits". He did not provide further details on the unusual investment plan, but said it "will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs". Japanese exports to the United States were already subject to a 10 percent tariff, which would have risen to 25 percent on August 1 without a deal. Duties of 25 percent on Japanese autos -- an industry accounting for eight percent of Japanese jobs -- were also already in place, plus 50 percent on steel and aluminium. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the autos levy had now been cut to 15 percent, sending Japanese car stocks soaring, with Toyota and Mitsubishi up around 14 percent each. "We are the first (country) in the world to reduce tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, with no limits on volume," he told reporters. "By protecting what needs to be protected, we continued the negotiations with an aim to reach an agreement that meets the national interest of both Japan and the United States," Ishiba added. "In this agreement with President Trump, I think we were able to realise such an agreement." - Rice imports - However, Japan's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa, who secured the deal on his eighth visit to Washington, said the 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium would remain. Akazawa also said that increased defence spending by Japan -- something Trump has pressed for -- was not part of the agreement. Trump said Tuesday that Japan has also agreed to "open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things". Rice imports are a sensitive issue in Japan, and Ishiba's government -- which lost its upper house majority in elections on Sunday -- had previously ruled out any concessions. Japan currently imports 770,000 tonnes of rice tariff-free under its World Trade Organization commitments, and Ishiba said it would import more US grain within this. Ishiba said Wednesday that the deal does not "sacrifice" Japan's agricultural sector. Tatsuo Yasunaga, the chair of Japan Foreign Trade Council welcomed the trade deal announcement but said the business community needed to see details to assess its impact. "I highly commend the fact that this major milestone has been achieved and dispelled the uncertainty that private companies had been concerned about," Yasunaga said. Naomi Omura, an 80-year-old voter, said it was "disappointing that Japan cannot act more strongly" towards the United States. Tetsuo Momiyama, 81, said that Ishiba "is finished... It's good timing for him to go." Reports claimed Wednesday that he aims to step down soon following the election debacle. - China talks - Trump has been under pressure to wrap up trade pacts after promising a flurry of deals ahead of his deadline. The White House on Tuesday also laid out details of a deal with Indonesia, which would see it ease critical mineral export restrictions and also face a 19 percent tariff, down from a threatened 32 percent. Trump also said that levies on the Philippines, another close strategic US ally, would be cut by one percentage point to 19 percent after hosting President Ferdinand Marcos. But negotiations are still ongoing with much larger US trading partners China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he would meet his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week. Leaders of the world's two biggest economies imposed escalating, tit-for-tat levies on each other's exports earlier this year, reaching triple-digit levels. But in talks in Geneva in May they agreed to lower them temporarily until August 12. bur-stu/dan Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNN
a few seconds ago
- CNN
Trump announces US-Japan trade deal
President Donald Trump announced a long-awaited trade agreement with Japan on Tuesday night, a framework between the allies and major trading partners that appeared elusive just weeks ago. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout breaks down what's in the deal.
Axios
2 minutes ago
- Axios
Judges in Epstein, Maxwell grand jury records cases want more details from DOJ
Two federal judges on Tuesday gave the Department of Justice until next week to provide more details in its request to unseal grand jury transcripts from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The big picture: "The court intends to resolve this motion expeditiously," the two Manhattan judges wrote in similar court orders. "However, the Court cannot rule on the motion without additional submissions from the government." The orders came the same day as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday that he's seeking a meeting with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida after being found guilty of sex trafficking and other charges in 2021. The Trump administration has faced pressure from even typically loyal MAGA circles to act after the DOJ and FBI concluded there's no evidence that Epstein kept a "client list" and that the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier was not murdered. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who was overseeing Epstein's case before he was found dead in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking minors, requested that the DOJ provide a more detailed memorandum by July 29 on making the case for unsealing grand jury transcripts related to the case. Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, who's overseeing Maxwell's case, requested the same and on the same date. Victims and representatives for Epstein and Maxwell in the cases have until Aug. 5 to file submissions, according to the orders. What they're saying: "According to the government, Epstein harmed over one thousand victims," noted the Clinton-appointed Berman. "Each suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials." Context: Grand jury transcripts are typically kept secret under federal criminal procedure rules, but federal judges can release them under special circumstances.
