US justice department asks court to unseal Epstein grand jury records
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche filed motions urging the court to release the Epstein transcripts as well as those in the case against convicted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell a day after President Donald Trump directed the Justice department to do so.
The Trump administration has been embroiled in controversy since the Justice Department last week announced that it would not be releasing any more evidence in its possession from Epstein's investigation.
Trump's demand to release the grand jury transcripts came after The Wall Street Journal reported on a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump's name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday.
Trump denied writing the letter, calling it "false, malicious, and defamatory."
The Justice Department said it will work with with prosecutors in New York to make appropriate redactions of victim-related information and other personally identifying information before transcripts are released.
Grand jury transcripts which could show the testimony of witnesses and other evidence presented by prosecutors are rarely released by courts, unless they need to be disclosed in connection with a judicial proceeding.
Even with the Justice Department endorsement, it could take weeks or months of legal wrangling to decide what can be released and how to protect witnesses and other sensitive victim information.
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Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
U.S EU Trade deal: Who wins after tariff agreement - Donald Trump or Europe?
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs U.S EU Trade deal agreement has finally been chalked. In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump 's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15 per cent tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9 per cent economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%.Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week."The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB ."We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses."That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner."Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world."A1. President of USA is Donald Trump.A2. US is levying 15 per cent tariffs on Europe.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
U.S EU Trade deal: Who wins after tariff agreement - Donald Trump or Europe?
U.S EU Trade deal agreement has finally been chalked. In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump 's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15 per cent tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China. U.S EU Trade Deal Face-saver for Europe? Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Finance Technology others Data Analytics Data Science PGDM MCA healthcare MBA Public Policy Product Management Leadership Healthcare Project Management Others Digital Marketing Design Thinking CXO Operations Management Management Cybersecurity Data Science Artificial Intelligence Degree Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few days. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nazlat Alsman: Unsold Sofas Prices May Surprise You (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9 per cent economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment. But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%. Live Events Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff pact. It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week. "The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level. That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB . "We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses." Big Win for Donald Trump? That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final deal. Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now. As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation. The retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion euros. True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year. But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services. It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions. Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner. "Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world." FAQs Q1. Who is President of USA? A1. President of USA is Donald Trump. Q2. How much tariffs USA is levying on Europe? A2. US is levying 15 per cent tariffs on Europe.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Explained: Donald Trump's landmark $1.35 trillion trade deal with EU before tariff deadline
In a significant breakthrough, President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the United States and the European Union have reached a comprehensive trade deal, just days before a 30 per cent tariff on European imports was due to take effect. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a trade deal between the US and the EU.(REUTERS) After high-stakes negotiations in Scotland's Turnberry with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the two leaders revealed a new trade framework aimed at averting a full-blown transatlantic trade war. The deal, according to CNN, hailed by both sides as 'powerful' and 'historic', centers around new tariffs, large-scale energy purchases, and significant investment commitments. Also read: Donald Trump turns up to play golf amid protests against his Scotland trip What does the US-EU deal include? Under the terms of the agreement, the EU will purchase $750 billion worth of US energy, marking a massive expansion in transatlantic energy cooperation. Additionally, the 27-member bloc has committed to investing $600 billion more into the US than its current levels, stated another CNBC report. The report added that in exchange, Trump has agreed to impose a 15 per cent tariff on most European imports to the US, down from the 30 per cent rate he previously announced. The deal is expected to significantly ease trade tensions between the long-time allies. A CNBC report quoted Donald Trump declaring that this was a 'very big deal, biggest of all' as he stood alongside von der Leyen. Meanwhile, the European Commission chief, speaking after the meeting, acknowledged the difficulty of the talks and said, 'It is a good deal, it is a huge deal, with tough negotiations.' Donald Trump-EU deal impact The agreement was finalized just before the August 1 deadline, after which the Trump administration had vowed to raise tariffs on most EU goods from 10 per cent to 30 per cent. Earlier in the day, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had reaffirmed that Washington would not give further extensions, calling the deadline 'firm', reported CNN. Had the talks collapsed, Brussels was prepared to launch a major counter-tariff package targeting a wide range of US exports and invoke its new Anti-Coercion Instrument, a legislative mechanism designed to push back against economic pressure. Also read: Trump says US will work with Thailand and Cambodia, adds both 'want to settle' A fractured trade relationship The US-EU trade relationship is among the world's largest, valued at nearly $1.97 trillion in 2024, including both goods and services. While the EU ran a goods trade surplus, it faced a deficit in services, resulting in an overall $58.7 billion surplus with the US. Trump repeatedly criticized the imbalance and used it to justify tougher trade terms. 'The US and EU have one of the largest trade deficits,' he had said, defending the imposition of tariffs as leverage. FAQs What is the latest trade deal Trump announced? Trump and EU President Ursula von der Leyen finalized a deal where the EU will buy $750 billion in US energy and invest $600 billion more into the country in exchange for lower tariffs. Why was this deal considered urgent? It came just days before Trump was set to increase tariffs on European imports from 10 per cent to 30 per cent on August 1. What was at stake in the US–EU trade balance? The EU had a $58 billion overall surplus with the US in 2023, mainly due to goods exports, prompting Trump to demand fairer trade terms. What other trade deals has the Trump administration secured? The administration has renegotiated NAFTA (now USMCA), reached agreements with Japan and South Korea, and imposed tariffs on China during its broader trade overhaul. What is the proposed new tariff structure? Instead of the planned 30 per cent hike, the new deal imposes a 15 per cent across-the-board tariff on most EU imports. What are the key risks or criticisms? Critics argue the deal may strain diplomatic ties, shift costs to consumers, and provoke retaliation from other trading partners not offered similar terms.
