Mike Johnson accuses Democrats of ‘politicizing’ Jeffrey Epstein investigation<\/p>\n
House speaker Mike Johnson<\/strong> also chimes in on the \u201cDemocrats\u2019 endless efforts to politicize the Epstein<\/strong> controversy and the whole investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.49 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n With the floor paralyzed over the Epstein crisis<\/strong>, House GOP leaders have canceled its scheduled Thursday votes.<\/p>\n The House\u2019s last votes before August recess are now scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The House now won\u2019t vote again until 2 September.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Johnson accuses the Democrats of playing \u201cpolitical games\u201d and a \u201ccharade\u201d over the Epstein case.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Johnson says ‘credible evidence’ will be revealed<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to make sure that the credible evidence is revealed and we\u2019re doing that,\u201d says Johnson.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.49 EDT<\/p>\n Johnson goes on:<\/p>\n The president himself has said that he wants maximum transparency and all credible evidence to be turned over to the American public, so that everyone can make their own decisions. We\u2019re owed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.47 EDT<\/p>\n He says there is a dual responsibility between wanting transparency and also protecting Epstein\u2019s victims.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to do both things at the same time,\u201d Johnson says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.40 EDT<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in maximum transparency,\u201d says Johnson.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Mike Johnson accuses Democrats of ‘politicizing’ Jeffrey Epstein investigation<\/p>\n House speaker Mike Johnson<\/strong> also chimes in on the \u201cDemocrats\u2019 endless efforts to politicize the Epstein<\/strong> controversy and the whole investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.49 EDT<\/p>\n House majority leader Steve Scalise<\/strong> just repeated the Trump administration\u2019s usual claims about the Democrats \u201ccovering up\u201d the Epstein files and highlights efforts to get court documents unsealed (Donald Trump<\/strong> has asked US attorney general Pam<\/strong> Bondi<\/strong> to seek the release grand jury testimony related to the criminal prosecution).<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue pushing for that transparency,\u201d Scalise says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.39 EDT<\/p>\n House Republicans are busy during this press conference so far touting the Trump administration\u2019s so-called successes on immigration and the sweeping tax and spending megabill, but they\u2019re very much glossing over the fact that they \u201chave lost control of the floor over their Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong> blow-up, and they\u2019re struggling to chart a path out of the crisis\u201d, per Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cGOP leaders are talking with Trump administration<\/a> officials, searching for ways to appease Republican members incensed over the lack of public information<\/strong> and speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s handling of the matter broadly<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Politico reports that according to House majority leader Steve Scalise<\/strong>, Republican leaders and others are now trying to \u201cexpedite\u201d the administration\u2019s release of information over the August recess \u2013 which seems to be a U-turn from Johnson\u2019s stance yesterday<\/a> that he would not allow votes on any measures relating to Epstein before Congress breaks for the summer.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of members are frustrated that for years, Democrats covered for Epstein. But ultimately, they also know that President Trump\u2019s in court right now trying to unseal the documents, and for whatever reason, the courts have sealed a lot of those records,\u201d Scalise told Politico.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope they unseal those and show them to the public and we\u2019re trying to get that expedited.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson also addressed the issue inside the conference meeting, Politico reports, citing people familiar with his private remarks: \u201cHe mostly reiterated what he\u2019s been saying publicly, that President Donald Trump<\/a> and the House GOP are pushing for \u2018transparency\u2019<\/strong> but some caution is needed to protect the names of victims.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe pressed House Republicans to not let Democrats score political points on Epstein, appearing to suggest they should hold the line against any Epstein-related votes for now<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.38 EDT<\/p>\n There is a feed at the top of the blog if you\u2019d like to follow along this House GOP leadership press conference.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Coca-Cola says it will launch Coke with cane sugar in US after Trump post<\/p>\n Coca-Cola<\/a> has laid out plans to launch a product made with US cane sugar<\/strong> this year, days after Donald Trump<\/strong> claimed the company had agreed to replace high-fructose corn syrup.<\/p>\n The announcement came on Tuesday in Coca-Cola\u2019s earnings report. It confirmed a 16 July post on Trump\u2019s Truth Social platform in which the president said Coca-Cola<\/a> \u201cagreed\u201d to use \u201cREAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be a very good move by them \u2013 You\u2019ll see,\u201d Trump\u2019s post said. \u201cIt\u2019s just better!\u201d<\/p>\n The drink maker\u2019s Mexican Coke<\/strong> is made with cane sugar and already sold in the US.<\/p>\n However, experts say that making drinks with cane sugar instead of corn syrup doesn\u2019t make it healthier.<\/p>\n Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest<\/strong>, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, previously told CNN<\/a>:<\/p>\n Excess consumption of sugar from any source harms health. To make the US food supply healthier, the Trump administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.11 EDT<\/p>\n Mike Johnson to hold press briefing<\/p>\n House speaker Mike Johnson<\/strong> and his GOP leadership colleagues are due to give a press conference at 10am ET amid ongoing internal party drama over the Epstein case. I\u2019ll bring you any key lines here.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.15 EDT<\/p>\n US cites ‘anti-Israel rhetoric’ as a reason for quitting Unesco<\/p>\n The US state department claimed one of the reasons for the US\u2019s withdrawal from Unesco was the organization\u2019s decision to admit Palestine<\/strong> as a member state, which was \u201ccontrary to US policy and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric<\/strong> within the organization\u201d [a charge the Trump administration<\/a> frequently directs at the United Nations at large].<\/p>\n Israel<\/strong> welcomed the US<\/strong> decision to quit<\/a> Unesco<\/strong>, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n Unesco officials said all relevant agency statements had been agreed with both the Israelis and the Palestinians over the past eight years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reasons put forward by the United States to withdraw from the Organization are the same as seven years ago even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and Unesco today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism,\u201d Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese claims also contradict the reality of Unesco\u2019s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n Diplomats said it was felt at Unesco that the withdrawal was inevitable for political reasons<\/strong>, given that Joe Biden<\/strong> had brought the US back and had promised to repay arrears from the first time Donald Trump<\/strong> pulled out.<\/p>\n Unesco, whose full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization<\/strong>, is best known for designating World Heritage Sites<\/strong>, including 26 in the US, such as the Grand Canyon<\/strong> and the Statue of Liberty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The US initially joined Unesco at its founding in 1945 but withdrew for the first time in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias, returning in 2003 under George W Bush<\/strong>, who said the agency had undertaken needed reforms.<\/p>\n You can follow our live coverage on Palestine here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.36 EDT<\/p>\n Epstein crisis forces House GOP to scrap votes<\/p>\n House Republicans will scrap several votes this week as the internal party drama over Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong> derails a key committee that handles legislation on its way to the floor, Politico reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The House Rules Committee came to a standstill on Monday night as GOP leaders struggled to contain rank-and-file Republicans and their Democratic allies clamoring for a floor vote to compel the publication of materials related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.<\/p>\n Committee Democrats had planned to force a vote that evening on legislation that would call for the release of the materials<\/strong>, as the panel worked to tee up floor consideration on a slate of unrelated bills.<\/p>\n But rather \u2026 work through the Democratic disruption, Republicans chose instead on Monday to recess the rest of the Rules meeting altogether, with House majority leader Steve Scalise<\/strong> (R-La.) saying it was \u201cunlikely\u201d that the panel would reconvene this week at all. Later, lawmakers said there were no plans to return at all.<\/p>\n That means House members will depart for August recess at the week\u2019s end without being able to vote on legislation that would not otherwise be able to pass on the chamber floor with a simple majority vote.<\/p>\n \u201cSee you in September,\u201d said Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern<\/strong> (D-Mass.). McGovern, in a statement, accused Republicans of making their own mess.<\/p>\n \u201cDemocrats on the Rules Committee gave Republicans a choice \u2014 either vote to release the Epstein Files, or keep them a secret. Republicans are so afraid of taking that vote that they are torching their own agenda instead of doing something they promised the voters they would do,\u201d he said. \u201cTrump and his top allies have been pushing this for years \u2014 and people aren\u2019t going to forget about it in a month<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ghislaine Maxwell<\/strong>\u2019s attorney David Oscar Markus<\/strong> has told CNN<\/a>:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Maxwell was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges<\/a> in 2021, and she is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. She had been accused of procuring teenage girls for Epstein\u2019s sexual abuse.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump pulls US out of Unesco for second time<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong> has pulled the United States out of the UN culture and education agency Unesco<\/strong>, repeating a move he had already ordered during his first term, which had been reversed under Joe Biden.<\/p>\n The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, only two years after the US rejoined, will take effect on 31 December 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident 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,\u201d White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n The state department said remaining in Unesco was not in the national interest, accusing it of having \u201ca globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay<\/strong> said she deeply regretted Trump\u2019s decision, but that it was \u201cexpected, and Unesco has prepared for it\u201d.<\/p>\n The agency had diversified its sources of funding, receiving only about 8% of its budget from Washington, she said.<\/p>\n Unesco was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organization<\/strong>, the Paris Agreement global climate change accord<\/strong> and the UN Human Rights Council<\/strong>.<\/p>\n During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps.<\/p>\n Unesco officials said the US withdrawal would have some limited impact on programs the United States was financing.<\/p>\n The Unesco flag flies at its headquarters in Paris. Trump pulled the US out of Unesco during his first term, and the US rejoined in 2023 under Joe Biden. Photograph: Abdul Saboor\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.49 EDT<\/p>\n Deputy attorney general planning to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell ‘in coming days’<\/p>\n As the Republican party remains in a state of flux over the Jeffrey Epstein<\/strong> debacle and the Trump administration<\/a> continues to desperately try to claw back the narrative on the issue, the justice department has asked Epstein associate Ghislane Maxwell<\/strong> if she would be willing to speak with US prosecutors. Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche<\/strong> said that he intends to meet with Maxswell \u201cin the coming days\u201d with the aim of finding out if she has any \u201cinformation about anyone who has committed crimes against victims\u201d.<\/p>\n He wrote on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?<\/strong> At @AGPamBondi \u2019s direction, I\u2019ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon<\/strong>. No one is above the law\u2014and no lead is off-limits.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In a statement posted on X before that, Blanche said:<\/p>\n This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead. The joint statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 remains as accurate today as it was when it was written. Namely, that in the recent thorough review of the files maintained by the FBI in the Epstein case, no evidence was uncovered that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If<\/strong> Ghislane Maxwell<\/strong> [sic] has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims<\/strong>, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.<\/p>\n Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department. I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days<\/strong>. Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Last week Donald Trump<\/strong> instructed attorney general Pam<\/strong> Bondi<\/strong> to begin the process of unsealing grand jury testimony in Epstein\u2019s criminal case.<\/p>\n That followed publication of a Wall Street Journal story<\/a> alleging that Trump sent Epstein a \u201cbawdy\u201d birthday letter several decades ago, though Trump has claimed the letter is fake and is now seeking billions in a defamation lawsuit against the WSJ.<\/p>\n\n
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