Live updates: Trump news on Epstein case and US withdrawing from UNESCO

CNN

5 days ago

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Title: Democrats will face initial spending strategy test during procedural vote this aternoon
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Senate Democrats are trying to find a cohesive strategy to deal with the funding fight coming to Capitol Hill this fall, and the party will focus the day's lunch meeting on the issue.
The issue had badly divided Democrats earlier this year, but the party will face an initial inflection point this afternoon when Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushes forward with a procedural vote on a bipartisan appropriations bill to fund military and veterans issues.
The vote will be second in a series scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET.
It's not yet clear what Democrats will do. The measure — one of several appropriations bills — passed with bipartisan support in committee, but several Democrats have warned they are frustrated and losing faith in Republicans on spending issues after their colleagues charged ahead with a $9 billion rescission package last week to claw back already appropriated congressional spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
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Title: DOJ plans to reach out to Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for meeting
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The Department of Justice said it plans to reach out to Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting amid recent calls for the associate of Jeffrey Epstein to testify about the accused sex trafficker.
'Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know? At @AGPamBondi's direction, I've contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an X post this morning.
Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus told CNN, 'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.'
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for carrying out a years-long scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.
More context: The Trump administration has faced increasing backlash over its handling of the Epstein files. Bondi had long promised to release as many documents in the Justice Department's possession as possible, but walked that promise back in a memo earlier this month announcing that there is no evidence Epstein kept a 'client list' or was murdered.
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Title: White House removes WSJ reporter from Trump's Scotland trip press pool over Epstein report
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When the White House took control of the so-called 'press pool' that accompanies the president, journalists worried that the Trump administration would use that power to punish news outlets.
The White House said today it will remove the Wall Street Journal from one of the coveted press seats on Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland,
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the change was made 'due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct,' a reference to the publication's recent story about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.
The July 17 story described a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, including a note bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. Trump filed a lawsuit the next day claiming defamation 'because no authentic letter or drawing exists.'
Now the White House is using a tool at its disposal — control over access to Trump — to retaliate against the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper.
'As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' Leavitt said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a followup question about which news outlet will take the Journal's place.
A spokesperson for the Journal declined to comment. But in response to inquiries about the lawsuit last week, a spokesperson said, 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.'
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Title: US will leave UNESCO again, White House says
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President Donald Trump is pulling the United States out of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a White House official confirmed to CNN.
'President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO — which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
The United States was a founding member of UNESCO in 1945 but withdrew in 1984, citing concerns over financial mismanagement and a perceived bias against US interests.
Nearly two decades later, in 2003, the US rejoined the organization during President George W. Bush's administration, with Bush stating that UNESCO had implemented important reforms.
In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce added the US' continued participation in UNESCO is not in its 'national interest.' The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2026.
More on the international organization: UNESCO 'promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide,' its website states.
The US also withdrew from UNESCO during the first Trump administration. Trump ordered a review of US participation in early February, including 'an analysis of any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.'
Bruce alleged that 'UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy.'
'UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization,' she said.
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Title: Trump will welcome Philippines president to White House today
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President Donald Trump is hosting the president of the Philippines today, as his administration continues to work on trade deals. Philippine President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. is expected to arrive at the White House around 11 a.m. ET.
Trade talks will be a key focus of the visit to Washington, according to a news release from Marcos Jr.'s office. The Southeast Asian country received a letter from Trump saying he plans to impose a 20% tariff on its exports to the US.
Tonight, Trump is also scheduled to meet with Republican lawmakers.