President Donald Trump continues to receive pushback from people on both sides of the aisle over his administration’s refusal to release more information on disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Administration officials met this week with Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Epstein recruit underage girls for sexual abuse. Trump did not rule out pardoning Maxwell while being repeatedly asked if he’d consider it.
Several reports offered more insight into Trump and Epstein’s friendship, including a CNN report featuring photos of Epstein at Trump’s wedding and a Wall Street Journal report describing a lewd birthday message the president appears to have sent to Epstein in 2003.
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As his administration continues to receive criticism over Epstein, Trump has attempted to shift the conversation, targeting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, former President Barack Obama and more.
See previous updates here, and read the latest below:
BLS Commissioner Officially Fired By Trump
Trump's firing of BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer is now official, a White House spokesperson told ABC News.
Trump Just Delivered The Worst Three Months Of Job Growth Since The Pandemic
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed a reputation as a great businessman despite having bankrupted casinos, has overseen an economy that produced fewer than half as many new jobs in his first six months as predecessor Joe Biden did in his final six months.
In fact, May, June and July may have been the worst three months of job growth since the coronavirus pandemic, federal data shows.
Read more here.
Trump Reacts To Bad Jobs Numbers By Calling For Bureau Of Labor Statistics Commissioner To Be Fired
In an alarming development, Trump called for BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer to be fired and accused the economic researcher of manipulating the jobs data for political purposes.
Trump provided zero evidence to support the extraordinary accusation, which he shared in a social media post Friday.
Trump’s unhinged, on-again, off-again tariff scheme led to an unexpectedly weak jobs report, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics revising May and June payrolls to show the U.S. added 258,000 fewer jobs than it originally tallied. Instead of acknowledging his economic policies might be responsible for the economic health that results, Trump attacked the economists.
The truth is that the BLS regularly revises data, including jobs numbers, as more data becomes available to more accurately assess the overall health of the economy, even in retrospect.
Nearly 150,000 Federal Workers Have Left Under Trump, New Analysis Shows
Around 149,000 employees have left the federal government since President Donald Trump took office in January and began dismantling the administrative state, according to a new analysis.
The data from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that advocates for a more effective federal government, offers a snapshot of the deep workforce cuts that have plunged morale at agencies across the bureaucracy. The administration has not been transparent about the reductions, making comprehensive estimates hard to come by.
Read more here.
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred To Minimum-Security Texas Prison Days After Meeting With DOJ
The Bureau of Prisons has transferred Ghislaine Maxwell from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas.
Maxwell attorney David Markus confirmed the move to HuffPost but declined to comment any further.
The new camp, FPC Bryan is classified as a “minimum security” camp for women. Her previous facility, FCI Tallahassee, houses both men and women and is classified as “low security.”
Read more:
Trump’s Name Was Methodically Redacted From Epstein Files: Bloomberg
An FBI team worked to black out Trump’s name from Epstein-related investigatory files, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The team reportedly used the Freedom of Information Act as their guide on what information should not be made public, and justified redacting Trump’s name because he was a private citizen at the time Epstein was investigated.
“Here’s the bottom line,” the report states. “The FBI's behind-the-scenes decision-making suggests that the chances of aliens resurrecting JFK are greater than Trump’s name ever being unredacted from the Epstein files.”
Read it here:
Jeffrey Clark Could Be Disbarred Over Effort To Undo 2020 Election
A Washington, D.C., disciplinary panel on Thursday recommended Jeffrey Clark be disbarred over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The case now moves to the D.C. Court of Appeals for a final decision.
In a series of posts on social media, Clark, who now serves the acting head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under the Office of Management and Budget, said he will challenge the recommendation, which he described as part of the "nonsense lawfare the progressive movement has cooked up to bedevil lawyers with conservative backbones."
"I know I did the right thing in 2020 and 2021 during the first President Trump Administration and wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I had not proceeded to internally raise the election questions I did," Clark said.
Clark, who at the time served as acting assistant attorney general for the civil division of the Justice Department, sought to be appointed assistant attorney general and use the DOJ to push false claims of election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 race.
Clark was also indicted in the Fulton County 2020 election interference case. He pleaded not guilty.
Trump Celebrates Tariffs, Which Are Partly Responsible For Fed's Reluctance To Lower Interest Rates
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is weighing heavy on Trump's mind this morning.
Trump has fired off several social media posts criticizing Powell, calling him a "disaster" as he continues to vent about the central bank's decision to keep its key short-term rate steady.
Still, the president boasted about his tariffs, claiming they are helping fuel the U.S. economy, even though Powell has cited the president's trade policy as one of the reasons why the Fed is reluctant to cut interest rates.
The Fed on Wednesday voted 9-2 to keep interest rates unchanged as two governors dissented with the majority's decision. But Trump predicted the dissent will "only get stronger."
Meanwhile, figures released by the Labor Department indicate that the job market is weakening as a result of the uncertainty prompted by the president's trade wars, raising questions about the effectiveness of his economic policies.
Only 73,000 Jobs Added In July, Other Months Revised To Far Less
The U.S. economy appears to be slowing, as the Labor Department estimated just 73,000 jobs were added in July. Unemployment rose slightly from 4.1% to 4.2%.
Previous months’ employment gains were also substantially less than originally reported.
The department revised its estimates for May to just 19,000 jobs and June to just 14,000 jobs — a huge drop from around 144,000 and 147,000, respectively.
Congressional Democrats Have A Warning For Harvard
As Harvard University is reportedly willing to spend up to $500 million to resolve its fight with the Trump administration, a group of congressional Democrats who studied at the Ivy League school are fighting the prospect.
"We are alarmed that Harvard would contemplate a settlement of this magnitude under apparent political pressure," they said in a letter to the university first reported by Axios Friday.
The lawmakers added that any such deal reached with the White House "may warrant rigorous Congressional oversight and inquiry."
"Any acquiescence to unjustified political threats would not only diminish Harvard's standing but also make it complicit in the erosion of fundamental democratic principles," they continued.
The group of Democratic lawmakers who signed on to the letter includes Sens. Adam Schiff (Calif.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) and Chris Van Hollen (Md.) as well as over half a dozen House members.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that the White House views the potential $500 million payment as merely a starting point in its negotiations with the university to settle their legal dispute.
Trump Isn't Done Attacking 1 Of His Biggest Targets
Trump on Friday slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him a "stubborn MORON" over the U.S. central bank's refusal to cede to his demand for lower interest rates.
If Powell "CONTINUES TO REFUSE, THE BOARD SHOULD ASSUME CONTROL, AND DO WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS HAS TO BE DONE!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday told CNBC he is compiling "a very good list of candidates" to replace Powell, whose term is due to expire in May 2026.
Mark Carney Says His Government Is 'Disappointed' By Trump's Tariff Action Against Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday said his government was "disappointed" by Trump's decision to slap 35% tariffs on Canadian imports of goods not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement.
While Carney conceded that Trump's decision would hurt some Canadian industries, including automobiles, he noted that his government is taking steps to alleviate the pain.
"While we will continue to negotiate with the United States on our trading relationship, the Canadian government is laser focused on what we can control: building Canada strong," Carney said in a statement. "The federal government, provinces and territories are working together to cut down trade barriers to build one Canadian economy."
Trump had previously urged Carney against recognizing Palestine as a state, claiming the move would "make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with" Canada.
‘Courts Matter’: Biden Stresses The Judiciary’s Role In Checking Trump
Former President Joe Biden touted the vital job of judges — and the role they play in checking the executive branch — during remarks at the National Bar Association’s gala on Thursday evening.
“Judges matter. Courts matter. The law matters. And the Constitution matters,” he emphasized, backing those on the bench who are standing up to “executive overreach.”
His remarks come as the Trump administration has mounted repeated attacks on members of the judiciary who have stymied the president’s agenda, including lodging a misconduct complaint against District Court Judge James Boasberg this past week.
Biden spoke, too, about the importance of appointing a diverse slate of judges, highlighting his nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court, as well as the nominations of 13 Black women judges to appeals courts.
He called on members of the National Bar Association — one of the country’s largest organizations of Black judges and attorneys — to maintain the pressure on the White House.
“We need to face the hard truth of this administration,” he said. “We need new heroes now.”
DOGE Has Wasted Billions Paying People Not To Work, Report Finds
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a project that Trump’s administration touted as the flagship endeavor in its “war on waste,” has generated $21.7 billion in waste since its launch, Democrats claimed in a new report Thursday.
The staggering figure comes from Democrats on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), who released their findings in a 55-page report on losses accrued by DOGE, the brainchild of Trump and his billionaire friend-turned-enemy Elon Musk.
Read more:
Trump Administration's Newest Memo Literally Only Benefits White Men
Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested barring transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities that align with their gender identity across thousands of federally funded universities, local governments and employers nationwide, in a memo issued by the justice department.
In the Trump administration’s latest effort to target diversity, equity and inclusion, Bondi’s guidance takes aim at race and gender based programs and policies that were created to ensure that historically marginalized communities can access equal opportunities.
Read more:
Trump Says He 'Didn't Know' Why Epstein 'Stole' Giuffre From Mar-A-Lago Spa
Trump told reporters Thursday he "didn't know" why deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hired accuser Virginia Giuffre away from Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump, who said Epstein "stole" Giuffre and another employee from him, snapped at a reporter who asked for more information. Giuffre, who died earlier this year, was one of Epstein's most prominent accusers and said he trafficked and abused her after co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell approached Giuffre while she was a teenager working at the Mar-a-Lago spa.
"At the time, did you know why he was taking those young women, including Virginia Giuffre?" ABC News' Rachel Scott asked at a White House briefing.
"No, I didn’t know," Trump said. "I would figure it was ABC fake news who would ask that question, one of the worst. But I don’t know really why, but I said if he’s taking anybody from Mar-a-Lago, if he’s hiring or whatever he’s doing, I didn’t like it and we threw him out."
"We said, 'We don’t want him at the place,'" Trump added." This is a story that’s been known for many years, as you’ve known. But I didn’t like it, that he was doing that."
Trump Is Tearing Up Part Of The White House To Build His New Ballroom
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed new details about Trump’s plan to build a massive new ballroom on the grounds of the White House as he seeks to leave a lasting mark in his second term. Construction will begin in September and supposedly conclude well before his presidency ends.
A 650-person ballroom will be installed where the “small, heavily changed and reconstructed East Wing currently sits,” Leavitt said, adding that the $200 million required for the project will be furnished by Trump and other, unnamed individuals.
In response to a question on how much of the East Wing would be torn down, Leavitt responded: “The East Wing is going to be modernized. The necessary construction will take place.”
“And for those who are housed in the East Wing including the office of the First Lady, the White House Military Office, the White House Visitors Office, those offices will be temporarily relocated while the East Wing is being modernized,” she said.
Trump has apparently chosen Washington-based McCrery Architects to lead the project, along with Clark Construction and AECOM to provide engineering services.
Renderings will be made available on the White House website soon.
Sen. Wyden Takes New Step In Quest To Follow The Epstein Money Trail
Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said Thursday that he's sending newly minted IRS Commissioner Billy Long a letter asking for help in his Epstein investigation.
The Oregon Democrat has been urging the Trump administration to follow the money — to see who was sending Epstein money when, and which financial institutions were involved. He has been able to access some confidential financial documents by virtue of his committee position, and believes there is more digging to be done.
The senator already flagged a $170 million sum sent by billionaire Leon Black to Epstein, purportedly for tax and estate planning advice, although Wyden suspects that was not the case. In a call with reporters on Thursday, Wyden pointed to the fact that Black has the best tax and estate attorneys at his disposal, and it did not make sense to use Epstein, who was not a lawyer.
“I want the IRS to go back and make sure that there was actually tax advice being given, rather than what I suspect was going on, which is a lot of payments for matters revolving around sex trafficking,” Wyden said.
“You know, my my gut tells me that there wasn't real tax advice, you know, being, you know, given, and it was mostly to pay for sex trafficking and related matters,” he said. “That's what I want to know from the IRS.”
(Black has said he did nothing wrong by seeking Epstein's services.)
Trump Says U.S., Mexico Agree To Extend Current Agreement On Tariffs
Trump said he spoke with President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum Thursday about the "complexities" of ongoing tariff talks.
"The complexities of a Deal with Mexico are somewhat different than other Nations because of both the problems, and assets, of the Border," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
While Trump announced earlier this month he would be imposing tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico starting August 1, his latest post said he will extend his current agreement with Mexico by 90 days.
"We have agreed to extend, for a 90 Day period, the exact same Deal as we had for the last short period of time, namely, that Mexico will continue to pay a 25% Fentanyl Tariff, 25% Tariff on Cars, and 50% Tariff on Steel, Aluminum, and Copper," he posted.
Biden To Deliver Speech In Chicago Thursday
Former President Joe Biden is expected to give a speech in Chicago at 8 p.m. EST as part of the National Bar Association’s Centennial Conference, according to Politico.
A person familiar with his speech told the outlet it will touch on “the progress we’ve made, and the important work that remains to further the cause of justice in America.”
Since departing the White House, the former president has been working diligently with a ghostwriter on his new and likely final memoir, Politico reported.