The Latest: Trump deflects questions about Epstein files and revives old grievances

Also Tuesday, Trump said after meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House that the two countries had agreed on a trade deal.

Here's the latest:

Colorado attorney general accuses sheriff’s deputy of illegally sharing information with immigration agents

Phil Weiser, a Democrat, sued the deputy for allegedly helping federal immigration agents find and arrest a college student over an expired visa.

Weiser said he was acting Tuesday under a new state law that bars agencies from sharing information with immigration officials. Weiser said he wanted to send a message that the law will be enforced.

The deputy allegedly shared the driver’s license, vehicle registration and other information of a 19-year-old female nursing student in a Signal chat.

He is also accused of providing immigration officers with information about another motorist, who overstayed his visa.

Weiser also disclosed that his office is investigating whether other officers on a regional drug task force that the deputy worked on have been sharing information to help immigration agents make arrests in violation of state law limiting such cooperation.

The Trump administration has sued Colorado over such laws.

▶ Read more about the attorney general's actions and the deputy

Trump calls Tulsi Gabbard ‘hottest person in the room’ after Russia report

The president praised his director of national intelligence as "hotter than everybody" after she issued a new report aimed at casting doubt on long-established findings about Moscow's interference in the 2016 election.

Trump has sometimes used “hottest” to mean something akin to in-demand or buzzy, including during his 45-minute remarks Tuesday night, when he repeatedly referred to the U.S. as “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

Trump said he was very happy with Gabbard and said: “Tulsi, great job — and I know you have a lot more coming.”

In issuing the report, Gabbard appeared to recover her standing in Trump's orbit, which just one month ago seemed uncertain after the president said she was "wrong" when she previously said she believed Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.

Appeals court declines to reinstate AP access to presidential events

An appeals court in Washington turned down the news organization's request for immediate reinstatement into covering smaller presidential events like meetings with reporters in the Oval Office and Air Force One.

But that doesn’t end the legal wrangling related to the president’s decision last February to bar AP access because of is refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico, as Trump has sought, in all of its copy.

AP sued and won a district court ruling against Trump, but the administration successfully convinced a three-judge appeals court panel to delay implementation of that ruling until its full appeal can be heard this fall.

An AP spokesperson expressed disappointment in Tuesday’s ruling, saying, “As we’ve said throughout, the press and the public have a fundamental right to speak freely without government retaliation.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lawyers say Venezuelan migrant ordered returned to US sent to home country under prisoner exchange

Despite a judge's order calling for his return from El Salvador, he was instead sent to his home country in a prisoner exchange deal.

Attorneys for the man — identified only as Cristian in court papers — said during a hearing Tuesday that they do not know where he is or how to contact him.

Justice Department attorney Ruth Ann Mueller was unable to confirm where in Venezuela he ended up, saying, “This is a fast-evolving situation.”

It is the latest wrinkle in another messy court battle over the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

After Cristian was deported and put in a notorious Salvadoran mega-prison in March, a judge ordered the government to facilitate his return. She cited the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported.

Cristian is among a group of plaintiffs who arrived as unaccompanied children seeking asylum. A 2019 settlement said they could not be deported until their asylum claims were adjudicated. Because Cristian’s is still pending, the judge said, the administration violated that agreement.

▶ Read more about the case

Trump says EU will be in Washington for trade talks as tariff deadline nears

The president told congressional Republicans at a Tuesday night dinner that European Union officials will be in town Wednesday for the talks.

“We have Europe coming in tomorrow, the next day,” Trump said after announcing a trade framework with Japan.

The president sent a letter this month threatening the 27 EU member states with 30% tariffs to be imposed starting Aug. 1.

Trump praises congressional Republicans as they gather at White House reception

The president said Mike Johnson will go down in history as one of the greatest House speakers in history and touted Republicans’ passage of the sweeping tax breaks and spending cuts bill.

Trump said Johnson joked that the GOP was “one heart attack away from losing the majority” because of its close margin in the House.

He predicted that the passage of legislation will be rewarded by voters in 2026 elections and grow the party’s majority.

Columbia says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

The disciplinary actions were related to a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year.

A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled.

The university judicial board sanctions also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. It did not disclose the names of those who were disciplined.

The action came as Columbia is negotiating with the Trump administration to restore $400 million in federal funding withheld over its handling of protests against the war in Gaza.

The activist group said the disciplinary actions exceed precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, and some will refuse.

“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement.

Trump says he has reached a trade deal with Japan that would lower his threatened 25% tariff to 15%

The president announced a trade framework placing a 15% tax on goods imported from Japan.

He said on his Truth Social platform that Japan would invest $550 billion in the United States “at my direction” and would “open” its economy to American autos and rice.

The U.S. ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance with Japan last year, according to the Census Bureau.

The 15% tariff is down from the 25% rate, which Trump said in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba would be levied starting Aug. 1.

Nonprofit advocacy group criticizes ban on transgender women competing in Olympic sports

“By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,” president and CEO Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women’s Law Center said in a statement.

The National Women’s Law Center describes itself on its website as an organization that fights for gender justice. It says it works “to break down the barriers that harm all of us — especially women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families.”

The decision announced Monday by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee effectively bars transgender women from competing in women’s sports. It told the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports that it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Trump.

New Jersey law banning immigration detention contracts overturned by US appeals court

The 2-1 ruling means private prison firm CoreCivic Corp. can continue to operate the Elizabeth Detention Center.

It marks a victory for the Trump administration as it continues an immigration crackdown including efforts to expand a network of detention centers in a bid to ramp up deportations.

“Just as states cannot regulate the federal government itself, they cannot regulate private parties in a way that severely undercuts a federal function,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee.

He said the law “interferes with the federal government’s core power to enforce immigration laws.”

The 2021 statute barred CoreCivic from renewing its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company sued, and a judge sided with it before the state appealed to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court.

State Attorney General Matthew Platkin called Tuesday’s ruling disappointing and said states have the right to protect people within their borders. He said the office is considering next steps.

Stephen Colbert jokes about ‘cancel culture’ and has a very pointed message for Trump

The host returned for his first full program after last week's announcement that CBS is canceling his "Late Show" with some supportive guests and a remark directed at the president.

“I’m going to go ahead and say it: Cancel culture’s gone way too far,” Colbert told a rambunctious audience.

CBS and parent Paramount Global said the decision to end the "Late Show" next May was purely financial. It has not gone unnoticed — and was mentioned by Colbert on Monday — that the announcement came days after he sharply criticized Paramount's $16 million settlement of Trump's lawsuit over a "60 Minutes" interview.

Colbert said that “over the weekend, it sunk in that they killed off our show. But they made one mistake. They left me alive.”

Now, he said, “I can say what I really think of Donald Trump, starting right now.”

“I don’t care for him,” Colbert said. “Doesn’t seem to have the skill set to be president.”

Trump has said via social media that he loved that the “untalented” Colbert was being fired.

▶ Read more about Colbert and Trump

What to know about soda sweeteners as sugar returns to American Coke

The president teased the announcement last week, and Coca-Cola confirmed it Tuesday: A version of Coke's trademark cola sweetened with cane sugar will be released in the U.S. this fall.

For decades Coke and other beverage makers have used high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners in their U.S. sodas. But consumers are increasingly looking for products with fewer and more natural ingredients.

Nutritionists say high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are both sugars with around the same amount of calories. They are equally likely to lead to issues like obesity and tooth decay.

▶ Read more about some frequently asked questions about the sweeteners in U.S. sodas

Coca-Cola confirms a cane-sugar version of its trademark cola is coming to the US

The company said the cane-sugar version will be added to its lineup this fall.

That confirmed a social media post by Trump last week saying Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship product in the U.S., which has been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup since the 1980s.

On Tuesday chairman and CEO James Quincey said Coke will expand its product range “to reflect consumer interest in differentiated experiences.”

“We appreciate the president’s enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand,” Quincey said in a conference call with investors. “We are definitely looking to use the whole tool kit of available sweetening options.”

Quincey noted that Coke uses cane sugar in some other U.S. drinks, like its Simply brand lemonade and Honest Tea. Coke has also sold Mexican Coke, which is made with cane sugar, in the U.S. since 2005.

Trump administration appeals Planned Parenthood ruling

The ruling handed down late Monday gave Planned Parenthood a partial victory in a legal fight over efforts to defund the organization in the president’s signature tax legislation.

A provision in that bill ends Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023, even those that, like Planned Parenthood, also offer services such as contraception, pregnancy tests and STD testing.

A U.S. district judge in Boston granted a preliminary injunction that, for now, blocks the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood member organizations that either don't provide abortion care or didn't meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year.

Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon said Monday that “we strongly disagree with the court’s decision.”

“States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care,” he said. “This ruling undermines state flexibility and disregards longstanding concerns about accountability.”

Senate votes to consider nomination of former Trump lawyer for lifetime appeals court appointment

The body narrowly voted to begin considering the nomination of Emil Bove for a lifetime appointment as a federal appeals court judge.

At least one Republican was opposed, and Democrats are vowing to try to slow his confirmation.

Bove, a former criminal defense lawyer for the president, is now a top official at the Justice Department.

His nomination for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has come under intense scrutiny from Democrats after a fired department lawyer said he suggested the Trump administration may need to ignore judicial commands.

Bove denies the claim.

US Olympic and Paralympic officials bar transgender women from competing, citing Trump executive order

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports that it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by the president.

The change was announced Monday with a quiet update on the USOPC’s website and confirmed in a letter sent to national governing bodies. It follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.

The change is noted obliquely as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy” and reference’s Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February.

That order, among other things, threatened to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.

The national governing bodies will likely follow the USOPC’s directive.

White House says Habba has still has Trump’s ‘full confidence'

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields also said in a statement that the administration will work to get Habba confirmed by the U.S. Senate despite opposition from Democratic home-state senators

Habba’s term as New Jersey’s interim federal prosecutor ended Tuesday, and a district court judge appointed assistant prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace to succeed her under a statute allowing for that to happen if a president’s nominee has not been confirmed by the Senate after 120 days.

Then Attorney General Pam Bondi said hours later that Grace had been removed.

Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim have signaled their opposition to Habba’s nomination, typically a terminal stumbling block for nominees.

Bondi says New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor has been removed, hours after being named by judge

Desiree Leigh Grace was named by Chief Judge Renee Marie Bumb on Tuesday as successor to interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a former Trump lawyer and White House counselor.

That happened under a statute that lets district court judges name a prosecutor if a president’s nominee has not been confirmed by the Senate after 120 days. Tuesday was the 120th day since Trump named Habba to the acting role.

Hours later Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that Grace had been removed. Bondi said the Justice Department won’t tolerate “rogue judges.”

What’s happening with forgiveness for student loans on income-based repayment plans?

Amid a federal overhaul of student loan plans, many borrowers have been left wondering what it means for their hopes of loan forgiveness. In particular, those who are enrolled in a repayment plan known as income-based repayment, or IBR, have wondered if forgiveness will still be available to them.

A recent update from the Education Department said forgiveness through the IBR plan is paused while systems are updated. “IBR forgiveness will resume once those updates are completed,” the agency said.

IBR is not affected by a federal court's injunction blocking former President Joe Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The IBR plan was created by Congress separately from other existing repayment plans, including those known as PAYE and ICR. It's also exempt from some changes coming from President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill.

▶ Read more on what to know about IBR

Commanders GM says non-football topics such as Trump’s comments don’t reach him

Washington’s NFL franchise used to be in the news all the time for reasons other than football.

That seemed to have changed under new team ownership, but the president’s remarks about the team name and possibly holding up a stadium deal are making waves just as training camp opens.

Still, Commanders general manager Adam Peters made clear Tuesday — at a news conference with coach Dan Quinn a day before the team’s first training camp practice — that he doesn’t expect any of that sort of outside conversation to interfere with their real jobs.

“Whether it’s the stadium or anything else (non-football-related), those things don’t really make it to us,” Peters said. “We’re just trying to focus on what’s going on here and getting ready for the season.”

The Commanders were formerly the Redskins, a name that was considered offensive to and by Native Americans.

Trump threatened in a weekend social media post to hold up the stadium deal if the name is not changed.

US government employee barred from leaving China

The employee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, part of the Commerce Department. traveled there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday. It is the latest case in which Beijing has stopped a U.S. national from departing.

The State Department did not identify the person but said it was “tracking this case very closely” and engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation.

Beijing restricts people from leaving if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country.

That and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel there. The advisory was eased in November after China released three U.S. citizens who were detained for years.

Asked about the government employee, Guo Jiakun, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said: “I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.”

Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba’s term as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor ends

Habba, who served as the president's defense lawyer and a White House counselor and became one of the most high-profile U.S. attorneys, saw her 120-day interim stint end Tuesday.

Chief Judge for the District of New Jersey Renee Marie Bumb said in an order that first Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Leigh Grace has been named her successor.

Habba, 41, could have remained if federal judges in the state kept her on. Bumb’s order did not offer an explanation for the decision and said it was effective Tuesday.

Habba's tenure included the high-profile prosecution of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, which was eventually dropped, and the ongoing assault case involving Rep. LaMonica McIver. Both cases, involving Democrats, stemmed from a visit to a privately operated immigration detention center.

Messages seeking comment were left with Habba’s office and the Justice Department.

Army’s head of aviation, who was criticized by lawmakers after crash, moved to new job

Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman became chief of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office this month to focus on advertising and branding to boost recruitment, according to his new bio on an Army website

The switch comes just before the National Transportation Safety Board holds hearings on a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet in January that killed 67 people and was the nation's deadliest crash since November 2001.

An Army spokesperson said the plan to move Braman was in place last fall and had nothing to do with the crash.

Braman was among those who faced criticism from some lawmakers in Congress. In March he acknowledged during a hearing that military helicopters were still flying over the capital with a key system broadcasting their locations turned off during most missions because they were deemed sensitive.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called it “shocking and deeply unacceptable.”

Trump administration promotes ICE hotline for getting back at an abusive ex

The Trump administration is promoting one way to get away from an abusive ex: report them to immigration enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security jumped on a viral social media post by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

"We recently got a tip from someone whose abusive ex overstayed a tourism visa. He is now cued up for deportation," Uthmeier wrote on X. "If your ex is in this country illegally, please feel free to reach out to our office. We'd be happy to assist."

He didn’t identify the accuser or the ex.

In response, DHS posted on X: "From domestic abuser to deported loser."

The post included the phone number to report tips to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Obama's office issues a rare response to Trump

After Trump accused the former president of treason for being the "ringleader" of the Russia investigation, Barack Obama's office issued a statement saying "these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."

“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”

Rodenbush emphasized that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan examination by the Senate Intelligence Committee, found that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election.

Trump makes it official by saying Indonesian goods to be tariffed at 19%

Trump has formally announced a trade framework with Indonesia, placing a 19% tax on goods imported from that nation.

Indonesia would charge no tariffs on 99% of its trade with the United States and drop its non-tariff barriers such as taxing internet traffic and removing pre-shipment inspections of U.S. goods, said a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters on the terms under the condition of anonymity. The official said the deal with Indonesia would be worth $50 billion.

The U.S. president had previously released top-line details of the framework, but his Truth Social post on Tuesday provided more context.

— Josh Boak

Trump envoy heads to Mideast as Gaza hunger crisis worsens

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, headed to the region Tuesday to pursue a U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

“We all, the president, the secretary and the envoy, have a strong hope that we will come forward with another ceasefire” as well as a better flow of aid to Gaza, Bruce said.

Witkoff's trip comes after the U.N. World Food Program accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians who were seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend, killing 85 people.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war, which has driven the territory to the brink of famine.

▶ Read more about the Israel-Hamas war

What to know about Gabbard’s new report on the Russia investigation

A new report from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard represent the Trump administration's latest attempt to rewrite the history of the Russia investigation, which has infuriated him for years.

The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the contest that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump’s favor.

But President Barack Obama's Democratic administration never suggested otherwise even as it exposed other means by which Russia interfered in the election. Those included a massive hack-and-leak operation of Democratic emails by intelligence operatives working with WikiLeaks, and a covert foreign influence campaign aimed at swaying public opinion and sowing discord through fake social media posts.

Gabbard’s report appears to suggest the absence of manipulation of state election systems is a basis to call into question more general Russian interference.

Army spent about $30 million on 250th anniversary parade

The Army spent about $30 million on its 250th anniversary parade last month that coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday.

It falls within the Army’s initial estimated cost of between $25 million and $45 million.

Army spokesperson Steve Warren said Tuesday that the total cost covered the festivities and parade, including the cost of transporting tanks to and from Washington and other setup.

Not included was overtime pay for police officers and expenses for the Department of Homeland Security, Warren said, adding that he didn’t have those numbers.

The June 14 parade consisted of more than 6,000 soldiers, 128 Army tanks, aircraft flyovers and the Army’s Golden Knights parachuting over the National Mall. Trump, who had long sought such an event, watched from a special viewing stand south of the White House.

Republicans look to name Kennedy Center’s Opera House after Melania Trump

Naming the Kennedy Center’s second-largest theater after the first lady is part of a broader effort by Republicans and the Trump administration to leave their mark on Washington’s iconic arts center.

On Tuesday, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee voted to adopt an amendment that would name the Kennedy Center’s Opera House the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” It isn’t currently named after anyone.

The amendment was introduced during a committee markup of the bill funding the Interior Department and would likely have to become part of a government funding package this fall to become law.

The president has already reshaped the center’s leadership by firing board members and announcing he would serve as the board’s chair.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP