What to know today
- EPSTEIN FILES: President Donald Trump chided his supporters who have called for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, calling them “weaklings” who “bought into this bulls---” in a lengthy Truth Social post and calling them “stupid people” later in the day.
- KEY PROSECUTOR FIRED: The Justice Department terminated Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey and a federal prosecutor in the cases against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean Combs.
- GOP SPENDING CUTS: The Senate is expected to vote tonight on a $9.4 billion package of spending cuts that Trump requested. It would claw back previously approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
- POWELL UNDER FIRE: Trump bashed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a bilateral meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain. Trump told reporters he was not planning to fire Powell, but he later confirmed he spoke with lawmakers about the possibility.
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Coca-Cola dodges after Trump says soda will switch back to cane sugar
Trump said today that Coca-Cola in the United States will begin to be made with cane sugar, but the company did not explicitly say that was the case when it was asked later about Trump’s claim.
Trump said this afternoon on Truth Social that he had been speaking to Coca-Cola about using cane sugar in the sodas sold in the United States and that the company agreed to his idea.
“This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” Trump wrote in the post.
But Coca-Cola did not commit to the change when NBC News asked it later about Trump’s post.
House sets longest vote record as crypto rule vote open exceeds 8 hours
The House has now held this rule vote open for more than eight hours.
It's the longest vote in modern House history, meaning since it began using electronic voting.
The previous record was set just two weeks ago during the “big, beautiful bill” process when Republican leaders were trying to persuade GOP holdouts to change their votes.
Republican leaders tonight are once again trying to get a small group of holdouts from their party to support the rule that would allow crypto legislation to come to the floor. The rule also would let debate begin on the Defense Appropriations Act, one of the 12 annual spending bills Congress must pass by Sept. 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
20 states sue FEMA over termination of pre-disaster mitigation program
Attorneys general from 20 states sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency today over the termination of FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation program, which has provided nearly $4.5 billion in funding to 2,000 projects over the last four years.
“The BRIC [Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities] termination is directly contrary to Congress’s statutory direction that Defendants must prioritize mitigation and are specifically barred from substantially reducing FEMA’s mitigation functions,” the states wrote, adding that FEMA's refusal to "spend funds Congress directed toward BRIC or trying to spend them on other programs" is unconstitutional because it "intrude[s] on Congress’s power of the purse.”
The impact of FEMA's plans, the state attorneys general argue, would be “devastating.”
“Communities across the country are being forced to delay, scale back, or cancel hundreds of mitigation projects depending on this funding,” they wrote. “Projects that have been in development for years, and in which communities have invested millions of dollars for planning, permitting, and environmental review are now threatened. And in the meantime, Americans across the country face a higher risk of harm from natural disasters.”
They went on to argue that the program's benefits far outweigh the costs.
“Communities in every state have benefited from federally funded mitigation grants, with most states saving at least $1 billion in post-disaster costs, and four states—Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Texas—each avoiding at least $10 billion in post-disaster costs.”
Artist says DHS used painting in a social media post without his permission
Morgan Weistling, known for his paintings that depict pastoral images of the American West from a bygone era, said this week that the Department of Homeland Security posted one of his pieces online with a different name and without his permission.
The artwork, titled “A Prayer for a New Life,” shows a mother and a father swaddling a baby in a covered wagon, backdropped by a prairie landscape. On Monday, DHS posted the work with the caption: "Remember your Homeland’s Heritage."
“I DID NOT give the DHS permission to use my painting in their recent postings on their official web platforms,” Weistling, who said he was on vacation when he noticed the post, wrote at the top of his website. “They used a painting I did 5 years ago and re-titled it and posted it without my permission. It is a violation of my copyright on the painting. It was a surprise to me and I am trying to gather how this happen and what to do next.”
Numerous comments underneath the DHS post tagged Weistling and asked whether the department had gotten permission to use the reproduction of his art.
A spokesperson for DHS told NBC News that "the title of the painting was an honest mistake," adding that it would not apologize for its use.
"This administration is unapologetically proud of American history and American heritage. Get used to it."
Five takeaways from the latest campaign fundraising reports: Totals raise questions about two key senators
Fundraising reports filed yesterday shed new light on the battle for control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, with some shows of strength and some warning signs for lawmakers facing tough races.
Republicans are defending the slimmest of majorities in the House and a majority in the Senate next year, and GOP candidates have struggled to compete with Democratic fundraising in recent election cycles.
The fundraising reports highlight candidates who are starting to prepare for competitive races and others who may be lagging. The most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission cover money raised and spent from April through June.
Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI director James Comey, fired as federal prosecutor
Longtime Justice Department lawyer Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was terminated as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, four sources familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.
She served in the role for more than a decade, according to her LinkedIn page.
It was not immediately clear why the DOJ fired her. A source familiar with the termination said Comey was fired pursuant to "Article 2." Article 2 of the Constitution outlines the president's ability to appoint federal officials across the three branches of government.
Politico first reported Comey's firing.
Comey had been involved in high-profile prosecutions in recent years, including a case against Sean "Diddy" Combs this year, as well as the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump faces backlash over a Justice Department memo outlining a decision to no longer release additional information related to Epstein's case and refuting the existence of a "client list" of people who benefited from Epstein's sex crimes.
Sen. Tina Smith hospitalized 'out of an abundance of caution' after seeing Capitol physician
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., is undergoing an overnight examination at George Washington University Hospital in Washington “out of an abundance of caution” after having felt unwell, her office said.
“While at work at the Capitol today, Sen. Smith started to not feel well. She went to the Capitol physician who recommended she undergo more thorough examination at GW hospital,” her office said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, they are keeping her overnight for observation. She expects to be back at work very soon.”
Smith, 67, missed every amendment vote during today’s rescissions package vote-a-rama.
The Senate has been slowly working through amendment votes for a rescissions package to codify cuts to PBS, NPR and world health programs. Voting got underway this afternoon.
Oregon man charged after guns, knives, bow and arrow found in vehicle near U.S. Capitol
U.S. Capitol Police today arrested an Oregon man on suspicion of possession of a variety of unlicensed weapons near the Capitol, the agency said in a news release.
Nolan R. Churan, 23, faces multiple charges after a search of what officers said was his station wagon revealed a rifle, a handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition. Officers said they also found multiple knives, axes, a halberd, a rapier sword and a bow and arrow.
Police searched the car after they found it parked in an area reserved for congressional staff members without a required parking permit and Churan told them that he had guns in his car, police alleged.
The charges include carrying weapons, including a pistol, rifle and sword, without a license; possession of a high-capacity ammunition feeding device; and having an unregistered firearm and ammunition.
Capitol Police said in the release that they were investigating what Churan was doing on Capitol grounds, adding that "there does not appear to be a nexus to the Congress.”
GOP senators voice concern about $9B spending cut bill they say they will vote for
Some key Senate Republicans are expressing serious reservations about a package of spending cuts Trump requested as they barrel toward a final vote as soon as this evening.
But several of them say they’ll still vote for the bill, which would slash $9 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS.
The Senate began voting today on amendments to the rescissions package, one day after having advanced it in a paper-thin vote of 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie. Three Republicans — Susan Collins, of Maine; Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska; and Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky — voted with Democrats against the measure.
All three are senior members of the Appropriations Committee and complained, among other things, that the White House has not provided details about how it would implement the cuts.
JD Vance urges Republican voters to ‘talk to your friends’ about the ‘big, beautiful bill’
Vice President JD Vance today gave an early glimpse of the argument Republicans will make ahead of the 2026 midterm elections while touting the megabill the White House pushed through Congress.
In a 20-minute speech in northeast Pennsylvania, Vance urged the audience to become fellow evangelists for what he called the “big, beautiful bill” in conversations with family and friends.
Vance supplied the talking points he wants them to use, describing how workers at the machine shop that hosted his appearance will no longer pay taxes on overtime pay.
Vance was silent about less popular facets of what had been a nearly 900-page bill. He did not mention, for example, steep cuts to Medicaid, which provides health coverage to low-income people. A report published today in JAMA Health Forum found that the cuts could lead to 1,000 more deaths a year.
