A judge on Wednesday rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Jeffrey Epstein years ago in Florida, saying the request doesn鈥檛 meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public. A similar records request is still pending in New York.The Justice Department last week asked the judge to release records to quell a storm among Trump supporters who believe there was a conspiracy to protect Epstein鈥檚 clients, conceal videos of crimes being committed and other evidence.
The news came down as , President Donald Trump鈥檚 director of national intelligence, that she claims helps undercut the reality of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has that President Barack Obama engaged in treason.
Here鈥檚 the latest:
House Democrats launch bid to subpoena Department of Justice for Epstein files
Congressman Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania Democrat, motioned for the committee to order the Justice Department release all files to the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein during a House Oversight subcommittee meeting.
鈥淚f our colleagues on this committee don鈥檛 join us in this vote, then what they鈥檙e essentially doing is joining President Donald Trump in complicity,鈥 Lee said of Republicans.
The vote is still pending after the Republican majority took a brief recess in the meeting. Democrats have for several weeks been eager to highlight the Trump administration鈥檚 reticence to release information connected to Epstein.
Republicans have suspended most business in the House to avoid more contentious votes on the subject before Congress enters a month-long August recess. Some Republicans have repeatedly raised the subject as a matter of government transparency alongside Democrats, who are eager to tie the president to Epstein.
Trump campaigned on releasing more information about the late sexual predator, while Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this year that the Justice Department would release more documents without specifying what materials.
Judge bars ICE from immediately taking Abrego Garcia into custody if he鈥檚 released from jail
A federal judge in Maryland has prohibited the Trump administration from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into immediate immigration custody if he鈥檚 released from jail in Tennessee while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, according to an order issued Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the U.S. government to provide notice of three business days if Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to initiate deportation proceedings against the Maryland construction worker.
The judge also ordered the government to restore the federal supervision that Abrego Garcia was under before he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in March. That supervision had allowed Abrego Garcia to live and work in Maryland for years, while he periodically checked in with ICE.
Abrego Garcia became a prominent face in the debate over President Donald Trump鈥檚 immigration policies following his . Trump鈥檚 administration violated a U.S. in 2019 that shields Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador because he likely faces threats of gang violence there.
Judge rejects effort to unseal Epstein grand jury records in Florida
a Trump administration from grand jury investigations of years ago in Florida, though a similar records request is pending in New York.
U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public.
White House doesn鈥檛 make it clear what kind of 鈥榓ccountability鈥 Trump wants of Obama
Trump has repeated baseless claims that Obama engaged in treason and Leavitt said the president wants his predecessor to be held accountable. But she had no details, when pressed, about how Trump wants to see Obama held accountable when the Supreme Court ruled last year in a case involving Trump that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their constitutional authority.
Leavitt said that the White House would let the Justice Department decide what to do.
鈥淚t鈥檚 in the Department of Justice鈥檚 hands and we trust them to move the ball forward,鈥 she said.
Musk鈥檚 AI company won鈥檛 get Trump鈥檚 blessing
White House press secretary Leavitt said President Trump will not support federal agencies contracting with Elon Musk鈥檚 AI company.
Trump issued an AI action plan Wednesday meant to put the U.S. at the forefront of AI development, with recommendations including updated guidelines around federal contracting.
Asked at a press briefing if federal agencies would have Trump鈥檚 blessing to contract with xAI, Musk鈥檚 company, Leavitt said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think so, no.鈥
Trump previously threatened to cut federal contracts with Musk鈥檚 companies as their relationship publicly in June.
Gabbard said she hasn鈥檛 seen a Jeffrey Epstein link to US or foreign intelligence
Asked to rule out that Epstein was connected to any kind of intelligence, Gabbard said she hadn鈥檛 seen any evidence or information to support that.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen any evidence or information that reflets that,鈥 Gabbard said.
She said if any information is found that 鈥渃hanges that in any way,鈥 she supports 鈥渓oud and clear鈥 Trump鈥檚 statement that the American people should see 鈥渁ny credible evidence.鈥
Calls for retribution in Russia investigation run into reality of Supreme Court immunity ruling
As President Donald Trump urges scrutiny of fellow commander-in-chief Barack Obama, it鈥檚 worth remembering a simple fact: Former presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts they take in office.
That鈥檚 thanks to a Supreme Court opinion issued last year that shielded Trump in a case charging him with conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The topic has resurfaced thanks to efforts by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump has suggested that investigators should look into Obama and other senior officials, though none of them have been accused of any wrongdoing and the Supreme Court ruling in any event would foreclose the possibility of a prosecution of Obama.
Gabbard calls Obama鈥檚 response a 鈥榙isservice鈥
Director of 春色直播 Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said former President Barack Obama did a 鈥渄isservice to the American people鈥 when his office attacked the government鈥檚 rehashed grievances over the Russia investigation that overshadowed President Donald Trump鈥檚 first term.
Obama鈥檚 post-presidential office issued a rare statement on Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration鈥檚 allegations as a 鈥渞idiculous and 鈥渁 weak attempt at distraction.鈥
Asked about it at a Wednesday press briefing, Gabbard said Obama and others from his administration are 鈥渢rying to deflect away from their culpability in what is a historic scandal.鈥
Gabbard doesn鈥檛 answer question about her motivations
The director of national intelligence didn鈥檛 address a question about those who suggest she is making the report public in order to improve her standing with Trump after she seemed to fall from favor earlier this year when he dismissed her assessments about Iran鈥檚 nuclear capabilities.
Instead, Leavitt opted to answer the question for Gabbard, who said the only people questioning Gabbard鈥檚 motives were news reporters 鈥渨ho constantly try to sow distrust and chaos amongst the president鈥檚 Cabinet.鈥
Gabbard lashes out at Obama administration officials on Russia investigation
Tulsi Gabbard, the Trump administration鈥檚 director of national intelligence, is touting from the White House podium the release of a House report that she claims helps undercut the reality of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Gabbard made a surprise appearance just hours after she made public a declassified report from House Republicans that was produced during the first presidential administration.
The report does not dispute the intelligence community鈥檚 assessment that Russia interfered in the election, but alleges tradecraft failings in how intelligence officials reached the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to have Trump win.
The release of the report, as Trump is facing backlash from elements of his base over the handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of Russian election interference.
Gabbard lashed out during lengthy remarks at specific members of the Obama administration.
Gabbard appears at White House briefing
Leavitt brought Gabbard up to the podium as a surprise guest at the daily press briefing.
The director of national intelligence was accompanied by her cinematographer husband, Abraham Williams, who was filming her appearance in the White House briefing room. Williams is a filmmaker and was often seen filming Gabbard during her 2020 presidential campaign.
Government Accountability Office issues impoundments decision on Head Start
The audit watchdog for Congress has found that the Trump administration earlier this year withheld funds for Head Start programs in violation of federal law.
The finding Wednesday underscores Democratic lawmakers鈥 concerns that the administration is unilaterally canceling funding for programs it does not view as a priority.
The Government Accountability Office said that the Department of Health and Human Services between January 20 and April 15 significantly reduced the rate of disbursements for Head Start grants compared to the same period the prior year. Based on that evidence, it concluded the department was in violation of the Impoundment Control Act.
The GAO also said current data suggests that Head Start funds have since been made available at rates consistent with those from the year before.
Democrats said the damage was done, however.
鈥淚t does not matter how long these funds were frozen,鈥 said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. 鈥淭he chaos and uncertainty of illegally withholding these funds is costly and hurts the hundreds of thousands of families that depend on Head Start.鈥
White House condemns Kohberger as 鈥榲icious and evil killer鈥
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt started a press briefing 45 minutes late on Wednesday and addressed the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger that had just concluded.
Leavitt started the briefing with condolences to the victim鈥檚 family and called Kohberger a 鈥渧icious and evil killer.鈥
鈥淚f it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls,鈥 Leavitt said.
Kohberger was sentenced to serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago.
Leavitt: Trump鈥檚 AI plan will 鈥榮ecure a brighter future for all Americans鈥
Trump鈥檚 press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Trump鈥檚 new AI plan, which incorporates familiar pitches from tech lobbyists, during her press briefing.
She noted Trump will speak on the plan at an event later in the afternoon and said he鈥檒l also sign three executive orders there.
鈥淯nder president Trump鈥檚 leadership, our country will lead the world in AI to secure a brighter future for all Americans, massively grow our economy and protect our national security,鈥 Leavitt said.
Trump鈥檚 new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley ideas
An artificial intelligence agenda that started coalescing on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being forged into U.S. policy as President Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign.
The 鈥淎I Action Plan鈥 revealed by the White House on Wednesday includes some familiar tech lobby pitches: Accelerating the sale of AI technology abroad and making it easier to construct energy-hungry data centers in the U.S.
It also includes some of the AI culture war preoccupations of the circle of venture capitalists who endorsed Trump last year.
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FEMA acting chief defends response to Texas floods
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is pushing back on criticisms of the federal response to the central Texas floods that killed at least 135 people.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 see anything we did wrong,鈥 FEMA acting administrator David Richardson told a House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee Wednesday morning, calling the relationship between state and federal agencies 鈥渁 model for how disasters should be handled.鈥
Richardson denied reports that FEMA鈥檚 flood response was impaired by bureaucratic delays that slowed the deployment of urban search and rescue teams and left FEMA call centers unstaffed.
FEMA鈥檚 search and rescue leader, Ken Pagurek, resigned Monday.
The response 鈥渂rought the maximum amount of capability to bear in Texas at the right time and the right place,鈥 said Richardson.
Johnson says no need for House vote this week on Epstein records
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House doesn鈥檛 need to vote this week on releasing records related to the Jeffrey Epstein case because the Trump administration is 鈥渁lready doing everything within their power to release them.鈥
The comments come as Democratic repeatedly try to force votes on the matter, casting it as an issue of trust in the government. GOP leadership has also unveiled a resolution that has no legal weight but would urge the Justice Department to produce more documentation. None of those efforts will be brought before the House for a vote before lawmakers return home for the traditional August recess.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no point in passing a resolution to urge the administration to do something that they are already doing,鈥 Johnson told reporters Wednesday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e going to let that process play out.鈥
Johnson said that if the process for releasing the information stalls out, 鈥渢hen we鈥檒l take appropriate action when everybody returns here, but we have to allow the court process to play out.鈥
As Trump targets Harvard, other Republicans take aim at higher education nationally
No government effort to influence a university 鈥 private or public 鈥 has gotten more attention than the clash at Harvard, where the Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars in as it seeks . But far beyond the Ivy League, Republican officials are asserting control over public universities.
These conservatives in GOP-led states say colleges are out of touch, too liberal and loading students with too much debt. First they focused on the that racism is embedded in the nation鈥檚 institutions. Then they went after programs.
Since Trump took office, officials in states including Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Texas, Iowa and Idaho have sought control over university governance 鈥 the rules for who picks presidents and boards and how curricula and . As at Harvard, they鈥檝e sought to reduce the power of faculty members and students.
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What are Americans thinking? Check out the new AP-NORC polling tracker
Wondering how Trump鈥檚 approval rating has changed, or where U.S. adults stand on trust in the Supreme Court, or whether they think climate change is happening?
Take a look at , which shows the latest poll numbers as well as how they鈥檝e changed over time. The tracker shows AP-NORC polling results going back as far as 2018. Go deep into the data and look at how the results break down by party, race, gender, and age.
The polling tracker shows shifts in public opinion on trust in institutions, favorability of Trump and Vance, the state of the country鈥檚 economy, and more.
The Trump administration has opposed international mandates on global warming
The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleum-producing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions.
But those who cling to fossil fuels could go broke doing it, the U.N. secretary-general told The Associated Press this week.
Simply having the court issue an opinion is the latest in a series of legal victories for the small island nations:
1. Earlier this month, not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems.
2. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights .
The UN鈥檚 top court delivers landmark decision on tackling climate change
The United Nations鈥 top court鈥檚 advisory opinion Wednesday declares that a 鈥渃lean, healthy and sustainable environment鈥 is a human right.
The International Court of Justice鈥檚 opinion describes the obligations of every nation to tackle climate change 鈥 and the consequences they may face if they don鈥檛.
The non-binding opinion, which runs to over 500 pages, is seen as a potential turning point in international climate law. Enshrining a sustainable environment as a human right paves the way for other legal actions, including states returning to the ICJ to hold each other to account, as well as domestic lawsuits.
鈥淭he human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is therefore inherent in the enjoyment of other human rights,鈥 court President Yuji Iwasawa said.
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