Trump news at a glance: Mike Johnson wades into Epstein files row in rare split with the president

House speaker calls for Epstein files’ release

Mike Johnson’s call for the justice department to make public documents related to Jeffrey Epstein was a rare moment of friction between Trump and the speaker, a top ally on Capitol Hill, and came as the president faces growing backlash from conservatives who had expected him to make public everything known about Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in federal custody as he faced sex-trafficking charges.

Last week, the justice department announced that his death was a suicide and that, despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, there was no list of his clients to be made public nor would there be further disclosures about the case. Conservative allies of the president have since criticized him and Bondi for what they see as opaque handling of a case that Trump campaigned on getting to the bottom of.

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Republicans race to slash $9bn for public broadcasting and foreign aid

Senate Republicans may move to pass legislation slashing up to $9bn in funds Congress had earlier approved for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting, as part of Donald Trump’s campaign of dramatic government spending cuts.

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JP Morgan chief defends independence of Fed chair

The boss of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, has defended the “absolutely critical” independence of the Federal Reserve chair, as Donald Trump continues to demand immediate cuts in interest rates.

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Trump unveils $70bn AI and energy plan at oil and tech summit

Donald Trump joined big oil and technology bosses on Tuesday at a major artificial intelligence and energy summit in Pittsburgh, outraging environmentalists and community organizations.

The event came weeks after the passage of a mega-bill that experts say could stymy AI growth with its attacks on renewable energy.

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Millions of immigrants could lose right to bond hearings

The Trump administration is reportedly seeking to bar millions of immigrants who allegedly arrived in the US without legal status from receiving a bond hearing as they try to fight their deportations in court.

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