Trump defends AG Bondi’s handling of Epstein files

President Trump defends his attorney general’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The president’s loyal MAGA supporters and key influencers are up in arms over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case. But Donald Trump says he’s satisfied with Attorney General Pam Bondi. He also said he’s in favor of transparency, saying Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible.” At the same time, the president wants to move on. He claimed online that “nobody cares about” Epstein.

Trump defends 50-day window for Russia to stop war with Ukraine

In Pittsburgh, Trump touts billions in energy, tech investments

Trump eyes 5 new GOP congressional districts in Texas

Russian official calls Trump Ukraine ultimatum “theatrical”

Supreme Court approves Trump plan to gut Education Dept

Trump issues ultimatum to Russia over Ukraine war

President Trump has issued an ultimatum to Russia over the Ukraine war.  The president said he’s displeased with Russian President Putin’s relentless attacks against Ukrainian civilian areas and Moscow’s failure to end the war. Trump said he will impose 100 percent tariffs on Russia if it doesn’t agree to end the war within 50 days. During an Oval Office meeting with the NATO chief, the president also announced plans to sell military equipment to NATO nations, who will bolster Ukraine’s military.

MAGA and top FBI official angry over Epstein files flap

President Trump’s vocal MAGA supporters are still upset over the Jeffrey Epstein files flap. Key members of the president’s base, including FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, are angry with the Justice Department announcement that there’s no evidence of an Epstein “client list.” That prompted a spat between Bongino and Attorney General Pam Bondi late last week. On Sunday night, President Trump said he had spoken with Bongino, describing him as a “very good guy.” Some of the president’s staunch backers have called for Bondi to be fired.

Biden defends autopen use in response to Trump criticism

Former President Biden is defending his use of the autopen in the face of stiff criticism from Donald Trump. When it comes to the pardons and commutations he granted toward the end of his term, Biden said he “made every single one of those” decisions. He told The New York Times that he did not personally sign the paperwork and approved use of an autopen device because there were several thousand warrants. Biden argued that use of the autopen is legal and said President Trump and other GOP critics are lying when they claim he was incapacitated and that his aides misused the autopen.

Wife of Texas GOP leader files for divorce on “biblical grounds”

The wife of a leading Texas Republican has filed for divorce on “biblical grounds.” Angela Paxton is seeking to end 38 years of marriage to her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s a vocal ally of President Trump. The announcement came as he campaigns for the U-S Senate. In a social media post, Angela Paxton said she believes “marriage is a sacred covenant” and that she “earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries,” she wrote, “I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”

Trump’s tariff letters reignite global trade war

Trump escalates pressure on Fed Chairman Powell

President Trump is escalating his pressure campaign against the Federal Reserve chairman. Almost every day, the president belittles Fed Chair Jerome Powell, calling him names and demanding that he lower interest rates. Now, the Trump administration accuses Powell of spending too much money to renovate the central bank’s headquarters. The president has also appointed allies to scrutinize the project further. It’s an ironic move, given Donald Trump’s renovations at the White House, including the paving over of the grass in the Rose Garden.

State Department fires more than 1,300 workers in reorganization

The State Department is being hit with mass layoffs. More than 13-hundred civil servants and foreign service officers are being fired in a major reorganization of the agency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends the job cuts. The layoffs are not immediate. Most civil servants will lose their jobs after a 60-day separation period. Foreign service officers will be let go after being placed on administrative leave for 120 days.

U.S. is selling weapons to NATO nations to give to Ukraine

The United States is sending weapons to Ukraine by way of NATO. The president said the U-S is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine. He told NBC that NATO is paying for those weapons “100 percent.” Ukraine badly needs more U-S-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia’s ballistic and cruise missiles. The president has repeatedly expressed displeasure with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and recently held constructive talks with Ukraine’s president.

Rubio exchanges “new” peace ideas with Russia about Ukraine

The Trump administration continues pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary of State Rubio said the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia today. He said they discussed a “new and different approach,” although he did not elaborate. Rubio said President Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the ongoing military conflict.

Mideast Envoy Witkoff working toward Gaza ceasefire this week

Unhappy with Putin, Trump approves more weapons for Ukraine

Trump defends timetable for his global tariffs

President Trump is defending his timetable for imposing global tariffs. After announcing sweeping tariffs in early April, the president issued a 90-pause. That extension expires this week and now the tariffs will take effect next month. He also told a Cabinet meeting of plans to place a 50 percent tariff on copper and steep taxes on pharmaceutical drugs — as high as 200 percent.

Mixed messages from Trump administration on migrant farm workers

The Trump administration continues to send mixed messages about the fate of immigrant farm workers.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this week there will be “no amnesty” for agricultural workers as the administration carries out deportations for all immigrants in the country illegally. But recently, President Trump floated the idea of a “temporary pass” for some workers after the farm sector warned that mass deportations would disrupt the food supply.

Trump announces tariff rates, reigniting global trade war

President Trump is ramping up his tariffs fight with many nations, including key allies. The Trump administration has released letters informing Japan and South Korea that their goods will be taxed at 25% starting on August 1st. In the letters, the president warned that the U-S will tack on another 25 percent if they retaliate. He also announced new tariffs on a dozen other countries, with the promise of more to come.

In reversal, DOJ says there is no Jeffrey Epstein “client list”

The Trump administration now says there is no “client list” from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — angering the president’s MAGA supporters. A memo from the Justice Department says there is no evidence Epstein maintained a “client list” despite Attorney General Pam Bondi’s claim that she
had such a document “sitting on [her] desk.” The announcement undermines the theory promoted by Trump allies, some of whom now work at the DOJ. MAGA influencers and other Trump supporters are venting online, with some calling for Bondi to be fired.

Trump sets 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea

Trump is ending protected status for thousands of migrants

The Trump administration is terminating the legal status of tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the United States. In its latest deportation effort, the Trump administration will end the Temporary Protected Status for Honduran and and Nicaraguan migrants effective on September 6th. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says many migrants no longer merit protections. Critics of the Trump policy say that TPS enrollees could be forced to return to dangerous conditions and that U-S employers depend on their labor.

Israel’s Netanyahu to meet with Trump at White House

President Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. It will be Netanyahu’s third visit to the White House this year. And the president remains optimistic about reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying a deal could be reached this week. The latest Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators to Hamas reportedly outlines plans for a 60-day ceasefire.