Russia says Putin and Trump will meet regarding Ukraine; U.S. tariffs go into effect

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said during a town hall tonight in New Orleans that Democrats should get ahead of Republicans by redrawing congressional maps to their party’s advantage.

"What if we encourage our Democratic governors who have control of their state assemblies and their state senates to seize the initiative and not wait for these bastards in Texas to strike first, but they redraw their congressional districts to the advantage of Democrats?" O'Rourke said at an event held by his political group Powered by People, where he argued that Trump is trying to "steal" five congressional seats.

"My contention is that Democrats, for far too long, have cared more about being right than being in power. The other side only cares about being in power, and we have to match fire with fire, or we will lose power forever," he added.

A person close to the White House said a group met to discuss Epstein and more at the White House last night.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were at the meeting. The person said that an informal dinner had been planned at Vice President JD Vance’s residence but that it wasn’t supposed to be just about Epstein. It wasn’t immediately clear who else attended last night’s meeting.

Another topic last night was the case of two fired FBI agents with ties to the Mar-a-Lago search. Other topics may have been discussed, but NBC News hasn’t confirmed them.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that the Justice Department is doubling its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro began serving a third term this year despite opposition and evidence in the form of electoral tally sheets that showed his opponent, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the election.

"He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security. Therefore, we doubled his reward to $50 million," Bondi said in a video announcement on X. "Under President Trump's leadership, Maduro will not escape justice, and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes."

The Justice Department has twice increased its reward for details on Maduro, whom the Trump administration charged in 2020 along with other top officials in connection with playing a key role in Venezuela's illegal drug trafficking.

During Trump's first term in 2020, the United States offered up to $15 million for information about Maduro, and it bumped the reward to up to $25 million in January.

Trump said this afternoon that a meeting between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin wasn’t a condition for him to meet with Putin in what would be their first in-person encounter of Trump’s second term.

Trump’s remarks came hours after a White House official said that Putin and Zelenskyy must meet for a summit with Trump to occur.

The Kremlin said earlier today that a meeting between Trump and Putin has been agreed to in principle and that it will happen in the “coming days.”

Read the full story here.

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., is alleged to have threatened to release sexually explicit videos and images of a woman who said she was previously in a relationship with him, according to a police incident report obtained by NBC News.

Lindsey Langston, 25, a Republican state committeewoman and Miss United States 2024, filed a report with Florida authorities on July 14 alleging that after their breakup, Mills contacted her “numerous times on numerous different accounts” threatening to release nude images and videos of her, as well as videos of the pair engaging in sexual acts, the report said.

Read the full story here.

As dozens of Texas state House Democrats near the one-week mark of their quorum break, having fled the state indefinitely to prevent state GOP leaders from redrawing congressional lines, it’s not just politics that loom over the strategy. It’s money, too.

The Democrats face a $500 fine for each day they’re “absent without leave,” a rule established after Democratic legislators mounted a similar effort to deny the Legislature a quorum in 2021, plus a “pro rata share” of what the House sergeant-at-arms spends in its efforts to compel them to return to the Capitol in Austin.

Those fines have already eclipsed the $600 monthly salary the lawmakers receive from their part-time elected posts. And given their meager salaries and the fact that the Legislature meets for regular session for only six months every two years, virtually every state lawmaker has a day job he or she has left behind in Texas, too.

Read the full story here.

Since he resigned as labor secretary in 2019 during the first Trump administration over the furor that erupted over a non-prosecution agreement signed with Jeffrey Epstein, former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta has largely stayed out of the spotlight. But his new job as a board member of the news outlet Newsmax could bring him closer to it.

On June 11, Acosta was named to Newsmax’s board of directors and as the audit committee chair — according to the news release issued by the company.

Newsmax’s release does not mention Epstein or Acosta’s resignation as labor secretary. His time as the person who oversaw federal prosecutors in Miami is noted in a single sentence: “From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Acosta served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.”

The Trump administration has again asked the Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling, this time over a decision that restricted federal officers' ability to conduct immigration stops in the Los Angeles area.

A federal judge had ruled that immigration agents could not stop people purely because of their race or ethnicity or the fact that they speak Spanish or because of their work or where they congregate.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block the decision Friday, prompting the Trump administration to turn to the Supreme Court.

ActBlue, the leading Democratic fundraising platform, released a new platform today intended to boost its use among downballot candidates.

The platform, called Raise, is targeted for state, local and hyperlocal candidates who are looking to raise less than $25,000. It marks a significant extension of the platform for use by Democrats running for offices with lower profiles.

“Every race matters, from school board to state legislature, and every candidate deserves access to the same world-class fundraising tools that have powered Democratic victories for over 20 years,” ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones said in a statement. Wallace-Jones, who earlier in her career was the mayor of East Palo Alto, California, called the new platform “a new chapter” that can help boost the campaigns of candidates running for downballot offices. “Local races determine daily life outcomes for communities across America,” she said.

Trump told reporters this afternoon that he would defer to Putin on a ceasefire deadline that was initially set for tomorrow.

“We’re going to see what he has to say. It’s going to be up to him. Very disappointed,” Trump said.

He was responding to a reporter's question at the White House this afternoon about a deadline Trump set for Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine tomorrow.

Trump on Russia ceasefire deadline: It’s up to Putin

03:12

Major stock indexes wavered today as fresh concerns about inflation and overstretched valuations slowed this summer's rally.

The broad S&P 500 fell about 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.5%, or 200 points. The tech-focused Nasdaq climbed about 0.4% but pared earlier gains that had sent it to a fresh all-time high earlier in the day.

Consumers' expected inflation rates for the year ahead ticked up to 3.1% from 3% in June, the New York Fed said today, while the estimate for five years ahead jumped to 2.9%, the highest since February. Expectations at the three-year mark held steady at 3%.

That raised new concerns about whether the pace of rising prices in the economy has been contained, which caused traders to dial back the odds of multiple interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve this year.

Trump announced today he would nominate Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to fill the open governor role at the Federal Reserve until the term expires in January.

The position, which comes with a spot on the interest rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, comes after Fed Gov. Adriana Kugler resigned early. Kugler’s 14-year term did not expire until January, but she was set to leave the post on Friday, saying she would return to Georgetown University as a professor this fall.

“It is my Great Honor to announce that I have chosen Dr. Stephen Miran, current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve in the just vacated seat on the Federal Reserve Board until January 31, 2026,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement.”

Read the full story here.

In a letter to colleagues today, Florida state House Speaker Daniel Perez announced he was forming a select committee on congressional redistricting in his chamber and invited colleagues to inquire about serving on the committee by the end of next week.

In the letter, Perez acknowledged efforts in other GOP-led states, led by Texas, to engage in midcycle redistricting, but emphasized that the task may not be as straightforward for Florida as it is for other states due to legal constraints.

"It is important to acknowledge that while this may be an opportunity, it is not an expected one, and we do not have the capacity to engage in the full redistricting process experienced during the 2020-2022 term. Thus, we will focus our inquiry on the Congressional map, which was the subject of the recent Florida Supreme Court case, and any relevant legal questions," Perez wrote.

During a press conference last week, DeSantis left the door open to exploring the possibility of midcycle redistricting in his state, saying it could be "appropriate" to take on the task. Traditionally, states only change congressional district lines once every 10 years, following the decennial census.

In a statement addressing potential increases in federal law enforcement officers in Washington, a White House official told NBC News in a statement that, "Operational details have not been finalized at this time."

"The White House, respective federal agencies, and local officials are working together in line with the President’s Executive Order to use federal and local enforcement to drive down crime. D.C. residents can expect to see an increase in federal enforcement starting as early as tomorrow. The President is committed to making DC safer and more beautiful," the official added.

At an event billed as the “mother of all town halls,” Rep. Nancy Mace, the latest Republican candidate for governor of South Carolina, said she’d “debate anyone” and “go into the lion’s den” — even as some who disagreed with her were asked to leave the venue.

“I like the debate. I like being asked tough questions,” Mace told NBC News in an interview after the event, held in ruby-red Horry County. “And you heard me from the podium with the microphone, I actually asked Democrats to speak up, ask your questions, because I don’t fear any of the tough questions. That is democracy, and that’s what our country should be about.”

But the crowd at the intimate, veteran-owned cafe was friendly. Mace’s staff and volunteers handed out campaign signs and buttons at the door and asked several people who came in with signs and T-shirts reflecting their opposition to Mace, including someone wearing a “Love is Love” shirt, to leave before her remarks began.

Kathi Hunt and her husband, David, made it into the venue, but told NBC News they felt pressured to leave after not clapping or cheering Mace during her remarks. “I didn’t clap and I booed something, and the woman in front of me turned around and said, ‘What are you doing here?’” said Kathi Hunt, an independent.

Read the full story here.

The Minnesota man accused of killing the state’s top lawmaker and her husband in June will make his first formal federal court appearance today.

Vance Boelter, 57, was indicted on federal murder charges last month for allegedly killing Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their Brooklyn Park home on June 14. He faces six counts in total, including firearms offenses and stalking.

Read the full story here.

Vice President JD Vance will travel to the United Kingdom tomorrow and visit with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the White House announced today.

The White House did not share details about what the two would discuss, saying that they would talk about "a variety of topics pertaining to the US-UK relationship."

The meeting will take place in Kent, England, the White House said.

Trump previously traveled to Scotland late last month.

Federal agents are expected to have a stronger presence in the nation’s capital in the coming days at the direction of the Trump administration, according to a White House official and a Washington, D.C., official.

That could include officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and the National Guard, the White House official said. It’s unclear whether the agents have been directed to engage in “activity” beyond typical duties or what their role would be beyond being present on federal property, the D.C. official said. 

The issue is an “ongoing priority” for Trump, another White House official said. The president has in recent days decried crime in the district, although D.C. police data shows that violent crime is down 26% compared to last year. 

“This has to be the best-run place in the country, not the worst-run place in the country. And it has so much potential,” Trump said in the Oval Office last evening. 

The Trump administration is scaling back the State Department’s annual human rights report and placing a new focus on restrictions on freedom of expression by U.S. allies, as well as adversaries.

The reports, which are widely anticipated and read around the world, have been composed by U.S. diplomats under congressional mandate for almost 50 years as a measure of countries’ adherence to internationally recognized human rights. The report for last year, which normally would have been released in the spring, has already been delayed by months.

Read the full story here.

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter flew to Washington on Tuesday to seek talks with the Trump administration over the steep 39% tariff imposed on Switzerland. But Keller-Sutter was only able to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, not with any of the primary tariff negotiators.

As a result, she returned to Switzerland overnight without any deal to lower the high duties, which are among the highest imposed on any developed nation.

Switzerland's government said in a statement Thursday that it will "continue talks with the U.S." and in the meantime it will not impose any retaliatory tariffs, as those could also hurt the Swiss economy.

On Tuesday, Trump said he had spoken to Keller-Sutter on the phone and "the woman was nice, but she didn't want to listen," and he said he told her, "You’re not going to pay 1%" in tariffs."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said today that the FBI had approved his request for federal law enforcement to help locate Texas state Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an effort to block GOP redistricting efforts.

“I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Cornyn thanked Trump and Patel for “supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas.”

“We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities,” he added.

Read the full story here.

Major stock indexes opened higher this morning despite Trump's wide slate of tariffs snapping into effect after midnight last night.

The broad S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were both up about 0.6%, while the tech-focused Nasdaq increased 0.8%.

Many investors are waiting to see how big of a drag tariffs will ultimately prove on the economy — though signs are already beginning to mount that it could be substantial as the job market has slowed and price pressures increase.

Trump demanded this morning that the CEO of tech firm Intel resign immediately, saying he is “highly conflicted.”

“There is no other solution to this problem,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Intel shares fell more than 2% before markets opened.

Trump’s attack on the Intel chief is his latest attempt to pressure the semiconductor industry, which has fueled the boom in artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, he said he would hit computer chips made outside the United States with a 100% tariff.

The demand also comes after Sen. Tom Cotton wrote to Intel Chairman Frank Yeary to “express concerns about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations and its potential impact on U.S. national security.”

Read the full story here.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would not compromise the interests of his country’s farmers even if it costs him, in his first comments since Trump raised tariffs on the key Asian security partner to 50%.

“I know that I might have to pay a big price for this,” Modi, who has often touted his close relationship with Trump, said today in New Delhi. “But I’m ready for the sake of India’s farmers, fishermen and livestock keepers. Today, India is ready.”

He did not directly mention the U.S. tariff on Indian goods, which Trump said yesterday he was doubling to 50%, among the highest on any U.S. trading partner. Trump has said India is supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine by buying Russian crude oil, which is trading under a price cap imposed by the U.S. and other governments to limit Moscow’s energy revenue.

India says the higher U.S. tariffs are “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” and that until recently the U.S. had encouraged India to purchase discounted Russian oil to keep global oil prices from soaring.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he has instructed the Commerce Department to start working on a new census report and to exclude undocumented immigrants.

The president said he wants the report to use "the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024."

"People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS," he added.

Trump undertook a similar effort during his first term, when he planned to leave undocumented immigrants out of a final census count. In 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to the plan, and soon after, Biden reversed Trump's directive after taking office.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on MSNBC that "what we're seeing is the manufacturers overseas are absorbing some" tariff costs rather than passing them on to consumers.

Pressed on how long companies might absorb those tariffs, Bessent said "part of our plan is to have real income growth for working-class Americans."

Bessent added that a "manufacturing renaissance" due to those tariffs will stop inflation.

Inflation has ticked up since Trump's April 2 global tariff announcement, rising from 2.3% in April to 2.6% in June.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this morning that Trump’s tariffs should result in more U.S. manufacturing.

“We’re seeing these very large commitments, both from governments and from corporate” partners, he told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Bessent highlighted Apple's investment commitment, announced yesterday at the White House with CEO Tim Cook. But many aspects of the Apple commitment had been previously announced or were only moderate increases from what the company currently does in the U.S.

“So we’ve got trillions of manufacturing that’s going to come back, and we’re going to see that over the next couple of years,” Bessent added.

Trump, for his part, noted yesterday that he doesn’t know when the manufacturing announcements will fully materialize.

"I don't know when it shows up, but there are a lot of factories and a lot of plants that are either under construction or soon we'll be starting construction. ... But I want to be around in about a year from now and two years from now, because we're going to see an explosion, I think," Trump said.

WASHINGTON — In June 2019, the Supreme Court swept aside the idea that federal courts could rein in state lawmakers’ power to draw legislative maps designed primarily to entrench their own party’s power.

The ruling, a 5-4 split with conservative justices in the majority, made it clear that partisan gerrymandering was here to stay. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said simply that federal courts had no authority to intervene on the issue, even if it means election outcomes can “seem unjust.”

With technological advances making it increasingly easy to surgically draw districts to maximize partisan advantages, both Republican and Democratic states have continued the practice.

That is now on view in Texas as Republicans plan to redraw congressional maps to further extend their dominance in the state and insulate against possible Democratic gains nationwide in the 2026 midterm elections, which will determine control of the House of Representatives for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.

That has prompted Democrats in California and other states to threaten countermeasures.

Read the full story here.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is launching her first major negative TV ad of the Virginia governor’s race, taking aim at Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ recent comments about federal government layoffs.

The 30-second spot, first shared with NBC News, features footage of a recent interview on CNN in which Earle-Sears dodged a question about whether she supported the layoffs and said she wanted to talk about “real issues.”

“Really? Not a real issue that thousands of Virginians are losing their jobs?” a narrator says in the ad, which is backed by a six-figure expenditure and will air in the Richmond and Norfolk media markets and on digital platforms throughout the state, according to Spanberger’s campaign.

“It’s a real issue that Sears supports Trump, not Virginians. Winsome Earle-Sears: So far right, she’s wrong for Virginia,” the narrator says.

The Kremlin said this morning that a meeting between Trump and Putin has been agreed in principle and will happen in the “coming days.”

Trump revealed yesterday that he was hopeful of a meeting with his Russian counterpart in an attempt to end the war in Ukraine. It would be his first in-person discussion with Putin during his second term.

Trump and Putin set to meet ‘in coming days’

01:43

Read the full story here.

After months of delays and extensions, Trump’s comprehensive and sweeping tariffs slate took effect just after midnight ET, shifting his global trade reset into high gear.

Most imports into the United States will now face a baseline 10% duty, with the overall average effective tariff rate rising to more than 17% — the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression — thanks to higher duties on some of the biggest U.S. trading partners, according to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank.

A wide variety of products will be hit. Tariffs will be collected on everything from European Union appliances and Japanese cars to food, furniture and toys from China and TVs from South Korea. Selected oil and gas imports, along with some smartphones and a suite of goods covered by a pre-existing trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, are not affected.

Together, the duties are the most significant move yet by a president set on tilting the global economy even more in favor of the United States.

Read the full story here.