What to know today
- JEFFREY EPSTEIN: President Donald Trump told reporters as he was departing Scotland that he had a falling-out with Jeffrey Epstein after the deceased sex offender "took people" who worked for him at Mar-a-Lago.
- VIRGINIA GIUFFRE: Trump also said Epstein "stole" Giuffre, a prominent Epstein survivor who died by suicide in April. Giuffre had said she met Ghislaine Maxwell while she was working at Mar-a-Lago as a teenager.
- MAXWELL SUBPOENA: The House Oversight Committee declined a request from Maxwell’s lawyers to grant her immunity in exchange for testifying to Congress.
- EMIL BOVE: The Senate voted tonight to confirm Justice Department official Emil Bove as an appeals court judge, a lifetime appointment for Trump's former personal lawyer. Only Republicans voted for Bove, who faced allegations of wrongdoing from three whistleblowers.
Coverage of this live blog has ended. For the latest news, click here.
Top Democrat on Senate Intel panel condemns firing of NSA general counsel
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, denounced the dismissal of the general counsel at the National Security Agency.
Warner, D-Va., said April Doss was an experienced, nonpartisan figure who appeared to be the target of a political “smear.” Doss took over as the top lawyer at the NSA in 2022.
When asked about the Doss’ termination, a NSA spokesperson told NBC News, “We are looking into your request and if we have anything further to share, we will."
The right-leaning website The Daily Wire recently published an article about Doss’ previous work for the Democratic staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee under the headline: “Democrat Russia Hoax Investigator Is Now Top Lawyer At Trump’s National Security Agency.” Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer at one point reposted a social media post criticizing Doss.
The New York Times first reported Doss’ firing.
Warner said in a statement: “We should be outraged by the firing of April Doss, a deeply principled public servant, apparently for the role that she played in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan investigation into Russian election interference.”
“Her dismissal appears to be the result of a politically motivated smear campaign driven by a far-right conspiracy theorist, not any legitimate concern about her conduct or qualifications. Undermining experienced, nonpartisan professionals like April weakens our national security and makes it harder to protect the country from real threats,” he said.
In April, the Trump administration, without explanation, fired the director of the NSA, Gen. Timothy Haugh, and his deputy, Wendy Noble, following allegations from Loomer. She had claimed that the two officials were disloyal but did not offer evidence for the accusation.
Some Democrats warn Epstein is a ‘distraction’ from Trump’s unpopular big bill
Democratic leaders can’t stop talking about releasing the Epstein files — the rare issue that has driven a wedge between Trump and his MAGA base and been a nagging nuisance for GOP leaders for weeks.
But while most Democrats think it’s win-win for the party to keep a divisive issue for Republicans at the forefront, not all agree. Some Democrats say the Epstein saga is an unwelcome distraction that’s diverting attention from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which they warn will cause millions of people to lose health care and food assistance.
Republicans confirm former Trump lawyer Emil Bove to lifetime appeals court perch
The Republican-led Senate voted tonight to confirm Emil Bove as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, granting a lifetime appointment to Trump’s former personal lawyer.
He was confirmed 50-49, with only Republican votes, as they set aside allegations from three whistleblowers about the conduct of Bove, a Justice Department official, which include accusations that he flouted laws and Justice Department procedures.
Just two Republicans voted with Democrats against the nomination: Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, and Susan Collins, of Maine.
Hours before the vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, dismissed the complaints raised by the third whistleblower as “another breathless accusation,” saying Bove denied the allegations under oath.
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth has discussed running for political office in Tennessee, sources say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has privately discussed the idea of running for political office next year in Tennessee, according to two people who have spoken directly with him about it.
If Hegseth were to follow through on the discussions, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so.
In a statement, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said, “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump.”
One of the people said that their discussion with Hegseth happened within the past three weeks and that it was serious, not simply spitballing ideas. The other person, who also characterized it as serious, would not say when they had spoken — except that it was since Hegseth became defense secretary in January. The two sources, along with others in this article, were granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Trump administration drops case against Trump donor, company that owns fast-food brands
The Justice Department today dropped a case against Fat Brands, the company that owns Fatburger, Johnny Rockets and Twin Peaks, and its chairman, Andy Wiederhorn, months after the White House took the unusual step of firing a career federal prosecutor who was involved in the case.
The motion to dismiss the federal case against Fat Brands, its chairman and co-defendants William Amond and Rebecca Hershinger came months after Trump supporter Laura Loomer and others attacked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Schleifer, who ran an unsuccessful Democratic primary bid in 2020 for a House seat in New York.
NBC News in April reported on Schleifer's firing and concerns about its impact on the separation between the White House and the Justice Department and political interference in ongoing criminal cases.
The unopposed motion to dismiss the case against all defendants was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Reidy and names interim U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli, who has been vocal about his support for Trump’s agenda on social media and in conservative media appearances.
Democrats clash over police funding in heated debate on Senate floor
The Senate floor devolved into a rare, intense clash between Democrats this afternoon when Sen. Cory Booker objected to unanimously passing a bipartisan package of police funding bills.
The unexpectedly heated debate concerned seven measures, previously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, designed to beef up resources and safety for first responders and law enforcement officers.
“What I am tired of is when the president of the United States of America violates the Constitution, trashes our norms and traditions, and what does the Democratic Party do? Comply? Allow him? Beg for scraps? No, I demand justice,” Booker, D-N.J., said on the Senate floor.
“It’s time for Democrats have a backbone. It’s time for us to fight. It’s time for us to draw lines,” he added.
Senate Republicans confirm Susan Monarez as head of the CDC
The Senate tonight confirmed Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a party-line vote.
Monarez is the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than 70 years. She is also the first CDC director subject to Senate confirmation, following a new requirement from a 2023 law.
Monarez has led the agency as interim director since January. Trump nominated her in March after he abruptly withdrew his initial pick, Dr. Dave Weldon, shortly before Weldon's confirmation hearing.
Monarez holds a doctorate in microbiology and immunology and previously was deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, which is focused on federal research funding for biomedical innovations.
Senators grilled Monarez about her views on vaccines at her confirmation hearing last month. She acknowledged vaccines saved children’s lives and said fluoridated water was safe. Still, she dodged some questions about whether she agreed with some of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decisions.
Republicans split over the hunger crisis in Gaza as Trump says he’ll push for aid
Trump’s call for additional aid to Gaza as children there starve has put him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and split the Republican Party on Capitol Hill.
One of Trump’s top allies in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has been a big proponent of the “America First” agenda, has gone so far as to call the situation in Gaza a “genocide.” And she publicly slammed one of her GOP colleagues, Rep. Randy Fine, of Florida, for saying Gazans should “starve away” until Hamas releases its hostages.
Greene, who led a 2023 resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over social media posts criticizing the Israeli government and supporting Palestinians, represents a small but growing faction of congressional Republicans who are expressing outrage at the starvation in Gaza.
Asked by NBC News today about Trump’s rhetoric about Gaza and calls for food centers, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, “I think that I share the president’s view.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene rules out 2026 run for governor
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said in a lengthy X post today that she will not run for governor of Georgia next year, adding that her focus is on her House seat.
“If I was running for governor the entire world would know it because I would be all over the state of Georgia campaigning, I would have ads running, I would be raising scary amounts of money, and I would literally clear the field,” she wrote, but later on in her post she hinted at a possibility of a future run. Greene this year ruled out a 2026 Senate run.
New York Democrats unveil their own mid-decade redistricting scheme, targeting future elections
As Texas Republicans slowly move forward with plans to redraw congressional maps mid-decade, Democrats in New York today plowed ahead with their own scheme intended to counter any GOP redistricting efforts.
But the effort faces a long, arduous path forward and wouldn’t be scheduled to go into effect for years, illustrating the limited options at Democrats’ disposal as they hunt for ways to counter the GOP redistricting play in Texas.
Legislative Democrats in the blue stronghold unveiled a bill that would allow state lawmakers in Albany to conduct mid-decade redistricting — but only if another state were to do it first.
The proposal would, if enacted, effectively set up the prospect of a national redistricting tit-for-tat between Republicans and Democrats, with control of the House of Representatives in Washington potentially on the line.
