Trump news at a glance: Musk mocks ‘Epstein hoax' claims after president blasts its ‘stupid' believers
'Wow, amazing that Epstein 'killed himself' and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,' Musk wrote on his social media platform X in response to the US president's attempt to deflect questions about Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, by casting doubt on the authenticity of the documents his justice department has refused to release.
'He should just release the files and point out which part is the hoax,' Musk added.
Trump lashed out against his own supporters on Wednesday, calling them gullible 'weaklings' for questioning the transparency of a secretive government inquiry into Epstein, the late sex offender. The US president also lambasted any Republicans who believe there is more to be revealed about the case as 'stupid' and 'foolish' people.
Here's more on this and other key US politics stories of the day:
Trump turns on Maga 'weaklings' over Epstein case
The president accused his voters of falling for what he called a 'radical left' hoax by the opposition to discredit him over the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social site, Trump said: 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support any more!'
Read the full story
Trump privately signals he may soon fire Fed chair
The president Trump has privately indicated he is on the verge of firing Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, rattling Wall Street and renewing questions over the US central bank's independence.
He insisted publicly on Wednesday that it was 'highly unlikely' he would dismiss the Fed chair, after reports he had suggested he would and shown a draft letter dismissing Powell to political allies.
Read the full story
US deports migrants to Eswatini despite troubling rights record
The US has flown five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba to the small African country of Eswatini, an absolute monarchy with a troubling human rights record.
The move signals that the US is again ramping up so-called 'third country' deportations after the US supreme court cleared the practice last month.
Read the full story
Trump's Brazil tariffs ultimatum backfires on Bolsonaro
The US president's announcement that Brazil would be hit with 50% tariffs until former president Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial was dropped has backfired, instead giving a boost to current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Trump apparently expected his intervention to improve the outlook for Bolsonaro, 70, who is already banned from running in next year's election. But a week on, the ploy seems to be reinvigorating Bolsonaro's leftwing rivals, giving Lula a bounce in the polls and prompting a wave of public anger – largely focused on the Bolsonaro clan, who have spent years portraying themselves as flag-loving nationalists.
Read the full story
Columbia adopts antisemitism definition amid federal grants freeze
Columbia University has agreed to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism as it pursues an agreement with the Trump administration aimed at restoring $400m in federal government grants frozen over its alleged failure to protect Jewish students.
Read the full story
Republicans start vote-a-rama on bill for $9bn public broadcasting and aid cuts
Senate Republicans have moved to pass legislation slashing up to $9bn in funds Congress had earlier approved for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting, as part of Trump's campaign of dramatic government spending cuts.
The GOP is racing to meet a Friday deadline mandated by law for the bill to pass Congress, otherwise the Trump administration will be forced to spend the money.
Read the full story
What else happened today:
A group of 20 mostly Democratic-led US states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters.
Democrats must organize urgently for the 2026 midterm elections and avoid an 'it can't happen here' mentality to stop Trump from staging a full-scale autocratic takeover, a Hungarian opposition parliamentarian has said.
Catching up? Here's what happened on 15 July 2025.
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