Trump news at a glance: US House breaks early for summer recess as Republicans feel the heat over Epstein
Democrats had pushed for a vote to release files related to Epstein as Trump fends off questions over his relationship with the financier, who died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019. Now the House will break up on Wednesday instead of Thursday in what Democrats say is a way to dodge the vote.
Here's the what's happened today:
Republicans downplayed the decision to cut short the workweek, while arguing that the White House has already moved to resolve questions about the case. Last week, Trump asked the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to release grand jury testimony, although that is expected to be only a fraction of the case's documents.
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, dismissed the calls for a vote as 'political games' and also argued that Congress must be careful in calling for the release of documents related to the case, for fear of retraumatizing his victims.
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Congress will subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned sex trafficker who was a close associate of Epstein, to testify amid a political firestorm over the Trump administration's decision not to release its remaining Epstein files.
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Trump has claimed the future owner of the US TV network CBS will provide him with $20m worth of advertising and programming – days after the network cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The US president recently reached a $16m settlement with Paramount, the parent of CBS News, over what he claimed was misleading editing of a pre-election interview with the Democratic candidate for president, Kamala Harris.
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The US will quit the United Nations' culture and education agency Unesco, the US state department has said, as Donald Trump continues to pull out of international institutions. The move is a blow to the Paris-based global organization, founded after the second world war to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science and culture.
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Barack Obama has broken his silence on calls from Trump for him to be prosecuted by unequivocally rejecting his successor's accusations that he tried to engineer a 'coup' after Trump's 2016 election victory by 'manufacturing' evidence of Russian interference.
His office called the accusations 'nonsense', 'misinformation', 'outrageous' and 'a weak attempt at distraction'.
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Trump has announced a trade deal with Japan, potentially resolving weeks of fraught negotiations between the two allies which had caused political uproar and economic uncertainty in Tokyo. While he gave few details of the deal, he described it as 'massive' in a social media post, adding that 'Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States.'
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Coca-Cola has announced it will launch a product made with US cane sugar this year, days after Trump claimed the company had agreed to replace high-fructose corn syrup. But the company said that the drink would be an additional product rather than a replacement for the drink containing corn syrup.
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General Motors announced that Donald Trump's tariffs knocked $1.1bn off its operating income in its last quarter.
The New York Times defended the Wall Street Journal after the Trump administration decided to bar the outlet from the White House press pool.
Stephen Colbert declared to Donald Trump that 'the gloves are off' in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm.
Catching up? Here's what happened on 21 July 2025.
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Glasgow Times
25 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Trump visit is in the public interest, says Chancellor
Mr Trump is due to touch down in Scotland on Friday evening ahead of a four-day visit, during which he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney. His meeting with Sir Keir is seen as a chance to refine the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory near Glasgow Airport on Friday morning, the Chancellor talked up the importance of the visit. 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she said. US President Donald Trump will touch down in Scotland on Friday evening (PA) 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.' Ms Reeves dodged a question relating to senior ministers – including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray – supporting a motion when in opposition in 2019 calling for the president's first state visit to be cancelled and accusing him of 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'. Mr Trump is expected to visit both of his golf clubs in Scotland – in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire – during the visit, which has been described as 'private' by the White House, before leaving on Tuesday. His presence is likely to spark protests across the country, with Police Scotland being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. In a carefully worded statement ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said the focus it will bring to Scotland will allow people to have their voice heard on issues including 'war and peace, justice and democracy'. First Minister John Swinney will mee the US president during his visit to Scotland (PA) Mr Swinney added: 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world. 'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.' The First Minister said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'. He also urged those seeking to protest to do so peacefully. 'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully,' Mr Swinney said. 'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US president requires. 'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.'
The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Reeves risks missing fiscal targets and should consider tax rises, says IMF
The International Monetary Fund has said the UK government risks being knocked off course in meeting its targets to repair the public finances and urged Rachel Reeves to give herself more leeway through tax or spending measures. In a final version of an annual report on the UK economy, the Washington-based organisation said changes introduced by the chancellor to the government's deficit reduction plans had enhanced the credibility and effectiveness of fiscal policy. 'Risks to this strategy must be carefully managed. In an uncertain global environment and with limited fiscal headroom, fiscal rules could easily be breached if growth disappoints or interest rate shocks materialise,' the IMF said. The Fund also said the risk of overly-frequent changes to tax and spending policy could be reduced by measures including the creation of more fiscal room for manoeuvre by Reeves to meet her targets. 'The first best (option) would be to maintain more headroom under the rules, so that small changes in the outlook do not compromise assessments of rule compliance,' it said. The IMF said that delivering Reeves's plans to increase economic growth 'involves significant challenges given limited fiscal space, the breadth of the reforms, and the volatile external environment' amid US president Donald Trump's trade war. In its May report, the IMF said Reeves should refine her fiscal rules to prevent the need for emergency spending cuts. Since then the government's high-stakes welfare U-turn has put further pressure on the public finances, and Reeves prepares for a tough autumn budget amid mounting speculation over the need for large tax rises. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion In response to Friday's report, Reeves said that the Fund had backed her choices for the UK economy to recover and her plans would 'tackle the deep-rooted economic challenges that we inherited in the face of global headwinds'. Reeves is under pressure to raise taxes later this year to remain on course to meet her budget targets, having already increased social security contributions paid by employers and along with revenue-raising measures in late 2024.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's 'birthday card to Epstein circulated by Maxwell' West Wing fears
Senior West Wing officials are said to believe that claims about the alleged card were orchestrated as a 'warning shot' by the convicted teen sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to warn the president of what she knows Donald Trump's White House is said to fear that allies of Ghislaine Maxwell were behind the leak of claims he'd sent a handwritten birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein. Senior West Wing officials are said to believe that claims about the card were orchestrated as a 'warning shot' by the convicted teen sex trafficker to warn the president of what she knows. It has led his team to fear she could divulge far more information about his ties to Epstein if she does not receive a deal. Trump denied knowledge of any card or message and is suing the Wall Street Journal which published a story on it. Days after the Journal published is claims, Trump's Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to Tallahassee to speak to Maxwell. Sources close to the White House believe the British socialite, who is serving a 20-year prison term for grooming girls for the late paedophile, wants to be set free. The president, who was close friends with Epstein for more than two decades, has the power to commute her sentence or pardon her. Addressing the card claims, a senior White House source told the Mirror: 'There's no doubt in some of the minds of the West Wing that the leak came from someone in Maxwell's orbit and it wasn't accidental. They believe it was a calculated move, a message to the President that she hasn't forgotten what she knows, and that she's willing to start talking if she's backed into a corner. Trump knows what kind of access Maxwell had to both him and Epstein. They added: 'That's why we moved so quickly to get someone in front of her, before Congress drags her into a hearing and it all spirals out of our control.' It is claimed the alleged message was scrawled by Trump in a black Sharpie inside a luxury leather-bound birthday album for Epstein's 50th birthday, and read: 'May every day be another wonderful secret. Happy birthday, my friend, Donald.' The alleged note was reportedly found among personal effects seized from Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, and is said to form part of a larger trove of materials compiled by Maxwell, 63, before her arrest. The source added: 'There is real concern that Ghislaine, or someone very close to her, wanted to remind the President just how much she knows. 'This is not just about Epstein anymore, it's about self-preservation. And Trump knows she holds cards that could hurt him.' Blanche, who previously served as the President's personal attorney, was hastily dispatched to Florida to speak to Maxwell. The high-level visit took place at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee. Blanche's mission, sources say, was twofold. Firstly, he was there to assess what Maxwell is prepared to reveal, and secondly, to understand what she might want in return. An insider familiar with the trip said, 'The White House didn't want Congress to get there first. 'There's panic that her testimony could be taken out of Trump's hands. The visit was about getting ahead of it, figuring out her demands, gauging the damage, and trying to keep her onside.' Maxwell, who has kept silent since her conviction, reportedly cooperated fully with Blanche and his team. Speaking outside the courthouse, her attorney David Markus said: 'Ms Maxwell answered every single question. She never stopped, she never invoked a privilege, she never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her ability.' The meeting, said to have lasted more than four hours, focused largely on Epstein's circle of powerful friends. It is not yet known what specific revelations, if any, she made, but sources say Blanche returned to Washington with a 'detailed report.' The meeting with Maxwell came just weeks after the Department of Justice announced it would not release any Epstein files - a move that has sparked outrage among survivors. It has also, more critically for Trump, sparked a civil war among his MAGA supporters, seeing thousands turn on after he campaigned for the White House on a promise to release all information on the sex offender. The president, now scrambling to contain the political fallout, is said to be privately furious at the backlash from his own base. Congressional committees have already issued a subpoena to compel Maxwell's testimony in upcoming hearings into the Epstein sex trafficking network. Several Democratic lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of trying to interfere with the process. 'This stinks of a back-channel negotiation to keep Maxwell quiet,' one senior House aide said. Trump's team has denied any effort to interfere with congressional oversight, insisting that the President merely wants 'full transparency' and for 'all credible evidence related to Epstein's crimes to be released to the public.' The President has repeatedly downplayed his ties to Epstein, claiming the two fell out 'many years ago.' But evidence shows they once had a deep personal bond that extended well into the years. Epstein died in a jail cell suicide in August 2019 as he awaited trial.
