Crypto legislation will bring U.S. dollar to more global payments: Kraken co-CEO Dave Ripley
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Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Crisis of trust': Epstein furore to hurt Republicans
The uproar over disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is undermining public trust in the Trump administration, as well as Republican hopes of retaining control of Congress in the 2026 mid-term elections, two congressmen say. Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who want the House of Representatives to vote on their bipartisan resolution requiring full release of the government's Epstein files, said the lack of transparency is reinforcing public perceptions that the rich and powerful live beyond the reach of the judicial system. "This is going to hurt Republicans in the mid-terms. The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable," Massie, a hardline conservative from Kentucky, told NBC's Meet the Press program. Republicans hope to add to their current 219-212 House majority - with four seats currently vacant - and 53-47 Senate majority in November 2026, although the US political cycle traditionally punishes the party of the sitting president during midterm elections. The Washington Post reported that Trump was increasingly frustrated with his administration's handling of the furore around Epstein. Even so, the president was hesitant to make personnel changes to avoid creating a "bigger spectacle" as his top officials underestimated the outrage from Trump's own base over the issue, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. Khanna said Attorney General Pam Bondi triggered "a crisis of trust" by saying there was no list of Epstein clients after previously implying that one existed. The change in position unleashed a tsunami of calls for her resignation from Trump's MAGA base. "This is about trust in government," the California Democrat told Meet the Press. "This is about being a reform agent of transparency." President Donald Trump has been frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and 2019 death by suicide in prison. Massie and Khanna believe they can win enough support from fellow lawmakers to force a vote on their resolution when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. But they face opposition from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home a day early to stymie Democratic efforts to force a vote before the break. Johnson, who also appeared on NBC's Meet the Press, said he favours a non-binding alternative resolution that calls for release of "credible" evidence, but which he said would better protect victims including minors. "The Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented," Johnson said. "It does not adequately include those protections." Massie dismissed Johnson's claim as "a straw man" excuse. "Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted," he said. "They're hiding behind that." Trump has tried and failed so far to distract attention from the Epstein controversy six months into his second term. On Saturday, Trump repeated his claims without evidence that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats should be prosecuted over payment for endorsements from celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Last week he accused former president Barack Obama of "treason" over how his administration treated intelligence about Russian interference in US elections nine years ago, drawing a rebuke from an Obama spokesperson. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
The Hill
7 minutes ago
- The Hill
Here are the trade deals Trump has made ahead of Aug. 1 tariffs
After months of delays, President Trump's long-awaited global tariffs are slated to take effect at the end of this week. Trump on April 2 announced 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of other countries, using trade deficits to help calculate the tariff rate. But a week later, he lowered those rates to 10 percent for three months as markets reacted negatively, allowing time for countries to negotiate. As the 90-day window was nearing its end earlier this month, Trump sent letters to countries informing them of the new 'reciprocal' rate that, he said, would take effect Aug. 1. The White House has managed to secure some significant trade deals since the president's unprecedented sweeping tariffs were first announced in the spring. Trump on Sunday announced a trade deal with the European Union, setting tariffs at 15 percent for European goods, including automobiles — lower than the 30 percent rate Trump had threatened to impose on the EU next month. The EU will purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S. as part of the deal, Trump announced, and agreed to invest in the U.S. $600 billion more than the current investments for other goods. Trump similarly reached a deal last week with Japan, setting a 15 percent tariff on Japanese goods — lower than lower the 25 percent tariff Trump had threatened to impose. Also in that deal, Trump said Japan would invest $550 billion in projects in the U.S. and would open its markets to U.S. automobiles, rice and other agricultural products. The Philippines agreed to a trade deal with the United States that would lower U.S. tariffs on its exports to from 20 percent to 19 percent, Trump announced last week. Trump had originally set a 17 percent duty on imports from the Philippines in April before warning that figure would rise to 20 percent last month. An agreement with Indonesia would also set a tariff rate of 19 percent on its imports. Trump announced an agreement with the United Kingdom in early May, in what is considered the first major deal struck since the president announced his sweeping tariffs in April. That agreement set the tariff rate at 10 percent, down from 25 percent. The U.K. is allowed to export 100,000 cars to the U.S. at a 10-percent tariff rate, as opposed to the 25-percent rate announced March 26, marking a win for the British car industry. Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to talk about the implementation of that deal when they meet Monday in Scotland. The US and China announced in late May the contours of a deal to stave off a trade war between the two countries temporarily. The U.S. reduced its tariff rate from 145 percent to 30 percent, and China reduced its rate from 125 percent to 10 percent. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are set to hold talks Monday for the third time this year, with The Associated Press reporting that China is expected to press for the U.S. to remove its 20 percent tariff related to fentanyl. Both countries have an additional 10 percent baseline tariff in place. The White House sent dozens of letters this month informing countries of what they should expect their tariff rate to be, come Aug. 1. Trump has insisted he would not further extend the tariff deadline, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that the president would be open to continuing discussions even after the tariffs are in place. For countries that have yet to secure a deal with the U.S., here are the tariff rates set to take effect on Aug. 1: Canada: 35 percent Mexico: 30 percent South Korea: 25 percent South Africa: 30 percent Kazakhstan: 25 percent Laos: 40 percent Malaysia: 25 percent Myanmar: 40 percent Tunisia: 25 percent Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30 percent Bangladesh: 35 percent Serbia: 35 percent Cambodia: 36 percent Thailand: 36 percent Libya: 30 percent Iraq: 30 percent Algeria: 30 percent Moldova: 25 percent Brunei: 25 percent Sri Lanka: 30 percent Brazil: 50 percent
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Melania Trump ‘Very Involved' in Epstein Scandal: Author
Longtime Trump biographer Michael Wolff believes that First Lady Melania could be the missing link in President Donald Trump's ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wolff told Daily Beast Podcast host Joanna Coles that Melania was 'very involved' in Epstein's social circle, and noted that this is how she met Trump. 'She's introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She's introduced to Trump that way. Epstein [knew] her well,' Wolff said. Trump and the future first lady reportedly first met in September 1998 through Paolo Zampolli, the founder of ID Models, who helped Melania emigrate to the United States. Zampolli had ties to Epstein and his now-incarcerated partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, Politico reported. In explosive tapes recorded by Wolff, Epstein alleged that Trump liked to 'f---' his friends' wives and first slept with Melania on his 'Lolita Express.' Since March 2025, Zampolli has served as Trump's special representative for global partnerships. The MAGA loyalist has a giant oil painting of Trump in his $17 million Georgetown mansion. 'Where does [Melania] fit into the Epstein story? Where does she fit into this, into this whole culture of models of indeterminate age?' Wolff said. 'So this is another complicated dimension in this.' The Trump administration has faced intense media scrutiny over the Epstein case following a July 6 memo from the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation that found Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019, and that no 'client list' of wealthy co-conspirators exists—the subject of endless conspiracy theories among Trump's MAGA base. The findings have led Trump to lose some die-hard fans as his administration works to divert MAGA's attention with National Security Adviser Tulsi Gabbard's claims that the Obama administration engaged in a 'treasonous conspiracy' to cook up intelligence on Russia to interfere with the 2016 election. Sharing a two-page excerpt from her bestselling book, Melania, last week, the first lady refuted claims that Epstein had a hand in their introduction, writing in her book that she met Trump at New York's Kit Kat Club. Typically, the first lady hides in the shadows, Wolff said. 'She never is by his side,' Wolff told Coles. 'All of those courtroom appearances that she shows up once, I report in my book that one of the aides approached her and she said, 'Nice try,' and then laughed.' Reached for comment, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung blasted Wolff as a 'fraud.' 'Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s--t and has been proven to be a fraud,' he said. 'He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.' New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
