Highlights from July 25, 2025
- MAXWELL MEETING: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for a second day in a row today.
- PARDON QUESTION: President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House this morning that he “hasn’t thought about” pardoning Maxwell, but added that he’s “allowed to do it.”
- SCOTLAND TRIP: Trump traveled to Scotland for a five-day trip, his first visit to the United Kingdom since his re-election.
- SANTOS REPORTS TO PRISON: Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has begun serving a more than seven-year prison sentence today after pleading guilty last year to wire fraud and identity theft.
House Oversight Democrats issue letter to Epstein estate requesting copy of ‘birthday book'
Two California Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said today that they’re requesting a complete and unredacted copy of the “birthday book” from the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's estate, by Aug. 10.
In a letter to Epstein's estate, Rep. Robert Garcia, a ranking Democrat on the committee, and Rep. Ro Khanna, said the book “may provide information essential to further our constitutionally obligated congressional efforts,” citing the book’s “clear relevance” to the Epstein case.
“As President Trump continues desperate attempts to quell public interest in the release of files related to his long-time friend, convicted sex offender, and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, we write with deep concern regarding potential public corruption, abuse of power, and failures in the federal law enforcement response to the Epstein case,” they wrote.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that President Trump had sent a birthday letter that included a drawing of a naked woman that appeared in a book that Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell had compiled to commemorate Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has denied writing the alleged birthday message and sued the newspaper for defamation.
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration’s lawsuit against Chicago over its sanctuary city policies
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration that sought to block the enforcement of several “sanctuary policies” in Illinois that restricted the ability of local officials to aid federal immigration authorities in detainment operations.
In a 64-page decision, District Court Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins, a Biden appointee, granted a motion by the state of Illinois to dismiss the case after determining the United States lacks standing to sue over the sanctuary policies.
The judge noted in the ruling that Illinois’ decision to enact the sanctuary laws are protected by the 10th amendment, which declares that any powers not specifically given to the federal government, or denied to the states, by the Constitution, are retained by the states.
DOJ granted Ghislaine Maxwell limited immunity during meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche
A senior administration official confirms to NBC News that Ghislaine Maxwell was granted limited immunity by the Justice Department in order to answer questions about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
This type of immunity allowed Maxwell to answer questions from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche without fear that the information she provided could later be used against her in any future cases or proceedings.
The immunity is “limited” because it only covers Maxwell if she tells the truth; if it’s later determined that she lied during the interviews then the deal is off the table.
An immunity agreement like this one, often called “a queen for a day” deal, is common in criminal cases when a defendant offers to cooperate with prosecutors and provide information on an investigation and potential codefendants.
As part of the agreement, that information generally cannot be used against the defendant down the road.
In exchange, prosecutors will commonly consider the defendant’s cooperation while recommending a lighter sentence for a plea deal, or in some cases outright immunity from prosecution.
This is not unexpected in this case, it would have been highly unlikely that Maxwell would have just agreed to answer questions without some type of prearranged deal made by her attorneys.
What is different is that Maxwell has already been tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking underage girls.
A second government official says Maxwell answered questions for about nine hours over a two-day period.
Maxwell’s attorneys didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department had no comment when asked what will be done with the information Maxwell provided during the interviews, or any next steps, referring NBC News to Trump’s comments today which did not directly answer that question.
New Jersey Gov. Murphy on ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’: ‘Bad, bad, bad’ for his state
New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy had one word for Trump’s massive tax-and-spend bill and the impact some predict it will have on the Garden State.
“Bad, bad, bad,” Murphy said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Governors Association summer meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo., Murphy discussed today how the bill might impact his state’s residents — as well as the gubernatorial race to replace him.
“The bill has — I would use the word — catastrophic, potential consequences for New Jersey,” Murphy said. “No state has the kind of money that can replace the federal support here.”
Trump’s law has emerged as one of the central themes of the state’s race for governor — only one of two this year — with Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee in the contest, blasting it over its looming cuts to social safety net programs such as Medicaid and food assistance and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli touting its tax-cut provisions.
The New Jersey Department of Human Services estimated that around 350,000 residents who are eligible for Medicaid would lose health care coverage “because of bureaucratic barriers,” and warned that the state’s food assistance program, which affects 800,000 residents, is at risk unless the state can raise between $100 million and $300 million.
Murphy, who is term-limited, said the law “undoes an enormous amount of good” in his state and “is going to hurt a lot of people.”
Kennedy considering firing members of preventive services task force
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering removing all 16 members of a highly influential advisory committee that offers guidance about preventive health services, such as cancer screenings, HIV prevention medications or tests for osteoporosis, according to two people familiar with the plan.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force is a group of independent doctors, nurses and public health experts who volunteer to regularly review volumes of the latest scientific research about diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and mental health, as well as mammograms for breast cancer.
Health and Human Services’ spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement Friday that “no final decision has been made on how the USPSTF can better support HHS’ mandate to Make America Healthy Again.”
Mark Cuban discusses AI — but not politics — at governors summit
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban discussed the future of artificial intelligence at the National Governors Association summer meeting today, dipping his toes into a big political event without addressing his political future.
Cuban sat down for a lengthy chat with NGA Chair and Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis on the first day of the summit in Colorado Springs, discussing the business and technological possibilities of AI.
“It’s the most consequential technology we’ve ever seen,” Cuban said. “It’s not Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s not the Terminator.”
Cuban, however, was not asked any questions about his political future.
The tech and entertainment entrepreneur, a Democrat, said earlier this year that he would not run for president in 2028. But speculation surrounding Cuban perked up again last month after he revealed on The Bulwark podcast that he had been under consideration last year as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate — but that he wasn’t interested and declined an offer to be vetted.
“My response was, ‘I’m not very good as the number two person,’” he said on the podcast.
Some Republicans push to undo gambling tax hike they passed in Trump’s megabill
Some top Republicans are regretting that they inserted a tax hike on gamblers into Trump’s megabill, with several lawmakers who supported the legislation now calling for rolling back that policy.
Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., the chair of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, told NBC News that the provision was a “mistake” and needs to be undone.
“It was definitely not something that we did in the House. I don’t understand why the Senate decided to do something like that,” Smith said in a brief interview Wednesday. “I’m interested in making sure that we fix the Senate’s mistake.”
The new law cuts the tax deduction on “wagering losses” from 100% to 90% of losses starting in 2026, disrupting the current dynamic where bettors can offset losses with gains and pay taxes only on net earnings. The new policy could tax gamblers even in years in which they break even or net-out losses.
HIV/AIDS program that saved millions of lives faces cuts under Trump
The Trump administration is considering a dramatic cutback and eventual phasing out of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. program to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries that has been widely credited with saving 26 million lives since its inception in 2003, according to multiple congressional and administration officials.
Created during the George W. Bush administration, PEPFAR was launched with star-power support from U2 frontman and advocate for developing countries, Bono, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank. In the two decades since, it enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress.
But as the Trump administration has sought to cut costs across the U.S. government, particularly for global aid programs, PEPFAR has come up on the chopping block. The administration initially proposed a cut of $400 million from next year’s budget, but that funding was restored at the last minute by the Republican-led Senate last week, keeping it going in the short term.
Trump says there's a '50-50' chance of working out E.U. deal
Shortly after landing in Scotland, Trump spoke to reporters about the status of a trade deal with the European Union, saying, "I think we have a good 50-50, chance" at making a trade deal this weekend.
Before he took questions, Trump said he looked forward to meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, telling reporters, “We’ll see if we make a deal. Ursula will be here, highly respected woman, so we look forward to that.”
"Nothing," the president said when asked about what was left to work out in a deal with the U.K.
"I think it's more of a celebration," he said about the U.K. trade deal, adding, "It's a great deal for both. And we're going to have a meeting on other things, other than the deal. The deal is concluded."
Vance to continue ‘big, beautiful bill’ salesmanship at Ohio event next week
Vice President JD Vance will head back out on the road next week as part of his continued effort to promote the megabill that the White House pushed through Congress this month.
Vance is scheduled to visit a steel plant Monday in Canton, Ohio, a person familiar with the plans told NBC News.
