It was not immediately clear how long the remaining troops would stay in the city as immigration raids continue across the country, part of Trump's push for aggressive action against immigrants in the country illegally.
Also Tuesday, Trump and Sen. David McCormick of Pennsylvania jointly announced tens of billions of dollars of energy and technology investments in Pennsylvania as the president traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference with dozens of top executives to promote his energy and technology agenda.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says he’s mystified as to why many ardent supporters are in an uproar over the Epstein case
“I don’t understand why they would be so interested,” the told reporters after Air Force One landed in Maryland following his trip to Pittsburgh.
“He’s dead for a long time,” Trump said. “He was never a big factor in terms of life.”
The president added that he couldn’t understand “what the interest or what the fascination is” and even suggested that the case was “boring.”
Conspiracy theories over Epstein's death in prison and potential evidence in his sex trafficking case, including an alleged "client list," have largely been a fixation for the right, once egged on by Trump himself.
Now, though, he would like to move on from the case. But some of his most influential allies have refused, dividing the MAGA movement.
Nvidia to resume sales of highly desired AI computer chips to China
CEO Jensen Huang says the technology giant has won approval from the Trump administration to sell its advanced H20 computer chips, used to develop artificial intelligence, to China.
The news came in a company blog post saying the government “assured” Nvidia that licenses would be granted and the company “hopes to start deliveries soon.” Shares of the California-based chipmaker were up over 4% by midday Tuesday.
Huang also spoke about the matter on China’s state-run CGTN television, in remarks shown on the social platform X.
He also noted that half the world’s AI researchers are in China: “It’s so innovative and dynamic here in China that it’s really important that American companies are able to compete and serve the market here.”
Huang recently met with Trump and other U.S. policymakers and is in Beijing this week to attend a supply chain conference and speak with Chinese officials.
Judge reverses rule that would have removed medical debt from credit reports
The rule, finalized in the Biden-era by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, would have removed medical debt from credit reports.
U.S. District Court Judge Sean Jordan of Texas's Eastern District, who was appointed by Trump, found on Friday that the rule exceeded the CFPB 's authority. Jordan said that the CFPB is not permitted to remove medical debt from credit reports according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which protects information collected by consumer reporting agencies.
Removing medical debt from consumer credit reports was expected to increase the credit scores of millions of families by an average of 20 points, the bureau said. The CFPB states that its research has shown outstanding health care claims to be a poor predictor of an individual's ability to repay a loan, yet they are often used to deny mortgage applications.
The CFPB estimated the rule would have removed $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of 15 million Americans.
Trump administration says it is ending deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the decision Tuesday in a statement.
Roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines had been deployed. It was not immediately clear how long the rest would stay. The troops were tasked with protecting federal buildings and guarding immigration agents as they carry out arrests.
The president ordered the deployment of about 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines in early June to respond to protests against immigration raids in and around Los Angeles.
Their deployment went against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sued to stop it.
A district court judge initially said Trump acted illegally in deploying the Guard over Newsom’s opposition, but an appeals court said the administration could keep control of the troops. The case is ongoing.
Newsom said the National Guard’s deployment to L.A. has pulled troops away from their families and civilian work “to serve as political pawns for the President in Los Angeles.”
Employees at the nation’s consumer financial watchdog say it’s become toothless under Trump
The lights are on at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and employees still get paid. But in practice the bureau has been mostly inoperable for nearly six months. CFPB employees say they essentially spend the workday sitting on their hands, forbidden from doing any work by a White House directive.
The bureau is supposed to help oversee banks and financial services companies and take enforcement action in case of wrongdoing. During its 15-year existence, the CFPB has returned roughly $21 billion to consumers who were cheated by financial services companies.
Instead its main function now seems to be undoing the rulemaking and law enforcement work that was done under previous administrations, including in Trump’s first term.
One employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the directive forbids staffers from discussing their jobs publicly, said outsiders would be amazed at how little work is being done. Employees are reluctant even to talk to one another, for fear a conversation would be considered a violation of the directive.
Another worker described the drastic shift in mission, from trying to protect consumers to doing nothing, as “quite demoralizing.”
▶ Read more about the CFPB and some of its consumer cases dropped under Trump
America’s only rare earth producer gets a boost from Apple and Pentagon agreements
MP Materials announced a new $500 million deal with the tech giant Tuesday to produce more of the powerful magnets used in iPhones as well as other high-tech products like electric vehicles.
The news follows last week’s announcement that the Defense Department would invest $400 million in shares of the Las Vegas-based company, establish a floor for the price of key elements and ensure that all magnets made at a new plant in the first 10 years are purchased.
That unusual direct investment makes the government MP Materials’ largest shareholder.
“This is the kind of long-term commitment needed to reshape global rare earth supply chains,” Benchmark Mineral Intelligence analyst Neha Mukherjee said in a research note on the Pentagon deal.
Rare earths are a key concern in ongoing trade talks. China dominates the market and imposed new limits on exports after Trump announced widespread tariffs. When shipments dried up, the two sides sat down in London.
Global views of China and leader Xi Jinping improve, while they decline about the US and Trump, survey says
That's according to a survey of about two dozen countries released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.
The survey shows that international views of the two superpowers and their leaders are closer than ever. It is a drastic departure from recent years, when the U.S. and then-President Joe Biden enjoyed more favorable international views than China and its president.
Pew found that the U.S. is viewed more favorably than China in eight countries, China is viewed more favorably in seven and the two are viewed about equally in the remainder.
Pew did not provide definitive explanations for the shifts, but Laura Silver, associate director of research, said it’s possible that views of a country may change when those of another superpower shift.
“As the U.S. potentially looks like a less reliable partner and people have limited confidence, for example, in Trump to lead the global economy, China may look different in some people’s eyes,” Silver said.
▶ Read more about the survey results
Trump administration fires 17 immigration court judges across 10 states, union says
Seventeen immigration court judges have been fired in recent days, according to the union that represents them, as the administration pushes forward with its mass deportations of immigrants.
“It’s outrageous and against the public interest that at the same time Congress has authorized 800 immigration judges, we are firing large numbers of immigration judges without cause,” said Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents the judges.
The firings come as the courts have been increasingly at the center of the administration's hard-line immigration enforcement efforts, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arresting people as they appear for court proceedings.
A spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which is the part of the Justice Department that oversees the courts, said via email that the office would not comment on the firings.
Judge says Trump administration can’t use travel ban to keep 80 refugees out of the US
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle said in his ruling late Monday that the president’s June order banning entry by people from 12 countries “expressly states” that it does not limit the ability of people to seek refugee status.
The order includes a provision that says nothing in it “shall be construed to limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the CAT, consistent with the laws of the United States.”
In his ruling, Whitehead said “by its plain terms, the Proclamation excludes refugees from its scope.”
Barring refugees from entering would limit their ability to seek refugee status and therefore run counter to the order, the judge added.
He ordered the administration to immediately resume processing 80 “presumptively protected refugees” who were rejected based on the travel ban.
The State Department did not immediately have comment Tuesday.
Department of Homeland Security criticizes court ruling delaying end of protections for Afghans
The appeals court decision temporarily delayed the department from removing protections from some Afghans living in the U.S.
DHS said in May that it was ending Temporary Protected Status for 11,700 people from Afghanistan in 60 days. That status had allowed them to work and meant the government couldn’t deport them.
It was supposed to expire Monday, but an appeals court stepped in late in the day and issued a one-week stay while it hears arguments from both sides.
Reacting Tuesday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: “Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was never intended to be a de facto asylum program, yet it has been abused as one for decades.”
“The Trump administration is restoring integrity to our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe,” it continued, “and we have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side.”
Republicans look to tweak Trump’s request for $9.4 billion in spending cuts
Senate Republicans worked Tuesday to slightly scale back the president’s request for the cuts in previously approved spending as they tried to build momentum before a key test vote.
The amended package removes proposed cuts to a program known as PEPFAR that is credited with saving millions of lives since its creation under then-President George W. Bush to combat HIV/AIDS.
The change could help the bill’s prospects. Congress has until Friday to get a bill to Trump’s desk for his signature or the spending stands.
The president is looking to claw back money for foreign aid programs targeted by his Department of Government Efficiency and for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The change preserving about $400 million for PEPFAR takes the total savings in the measure down to about $9 billion.
Bondi dodges questions about Jeffrey Epstein and FBI deputy director
The attorney general is seeking to press ahead with a business-as-usual approach in the face of right-wing outrage that has plunged the Justice Department into turmoil.
Pressed by reporters during an announcement about drug seizures, Bondi sidestepped questions about the fallout of the administration’s decision not to release more records related Epstein investigation. Amid calls from some members of Trump’s base for her resignation, Bondi made clear she has no plans to step down.
“I’m going to be here for as long as the president wants me here,” Bondi said. “And I believe he’s made that crystal clear.”
Bondi was also asked about Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, with whom she clashed last week over the Epstein files. Bondi would not answer whether she believes he should remain in his role, saying only that she would not discuss personnel matters.
China does have wind farms. Trump claims otherwise
Trump falsely claimed that China is lacking in wind farms, despite its role in their production.
“China makes windmills. But how many wind farms do you see in China?” he asked. “I haven’t seen any lately. Sort of crazy.”
China is the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines, producing more than half of the supply. However, it is also installing them in China at a record pace.
In total, China has 1.3 terawatts of utility-scale wind and solar capacity in development, which could generate more electricity than neighboring Japan consumed in all of 2023, according to a report from the Global Energy Monitor released last week.
Trump: ‘We are way ahead of China’
The president boasted during a summit on energy and AI that the U.S is far ahead of China when it comes to developments in artificial intelligence.
“We believe America’s destiny is to dominate every industry and be the first in technology,” he said.
Democrats say Trump’s State Department cuts undermine US at home and abroad
Congressional Democrats are criticizing the Trump administration’s budget and personnel cuts at the State Department, saying they rob the country of massive expertise and institutional knowledge and damage America’s standing abroad in the world.
Top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee took issue with defenses of cuts offered by the deputy Secretary of State for Management Michael Rigas, who argued that the budget and personnel reductions were needed to streamline diplomacy and make it more efficient. Rigas’ testimony was the first from a senior department official since Friday when more than 1,300 career civil servants and foreign service officers were fired as part of the administration’s broader revamp of the executive branch of government.
“This is a dark time for American diplomacy,” said the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York. “President Trump continues to isolate the United States, alienate our allies and create space for our adversaries like Russia and China to fill the void.”
Rigas said a proposed roughly 50% cut in the department’s budget is intended not to punish diplomats but rather to “make the State Department a more efficient and effective organizations better able to advance the core interests of the American people.”
House Speaker breaks with Trump on Epstein saga
House Speaker Mike Johnson appears to be breaking with Trump over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein criminal investigation and is calling for the Justice Department to “put everything out there and let the people decide.”
The Louisiana Republican said Attorney General Pam Bondi needs to come forward and explain what happened. Bondi earlier this year had made claims that officials were reviewing a “truckload” of evidence, but last week the Justice Department concluded that Epstein did not leave behind a “client list” and that public disclosure of more information would not be appropriate.
The lack of revelations has angered many MAGA loyalists, particularly after some had expected more transparency and accountability based on previous comments from Trump during the campaign.
“The White House and the White House team are privy to facts that I don’t know. This isn’t my lane. I haven’t been involved in that, but I agree with the sentiment to put it out there,” Johnson told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
Tens of billions for Pennsylvania
Trump announced a $92 billion investment from 20 technical, agricultural, and energy companies in Pennsylvania.
He described it as the “biggest private investment in Pennsylvania history,” calling it a “triumphant day for the people of the commonwealth and the United States of America.”
Trump participates in energy and AI summit
The energy and innovation summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick and featuring the president, is now underway.
McCormick kicked off the event by welcoming Trump back to the city and the state. The senator says $90 billion in investments were spurred by Tuesday’s summit.
“Your presence and those commitments showcase Pennsylvania’s story to the world,” McCormick said as he introduced Trump.
Education Department resumes layoffs
The Trump administration is moving ahead with mass layoffs at the Education Department.
After the Supreme Court cleared the way in a Monday decision, the department began sending updated termination notices to hundreds of employees.
The notice tells workers they will formally be separated from the agency Aug. 1. It said the department thanks them for their service and “recognizes the difficulty of the moment.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon in March said she was laying off about 1,400 employees as part of the president’s plan to wind down the agency. A lower court paused the layoffs, but the Supreme Court halted that order.
Democrats see an opening in Epstein backlash
A super PAC working to elect Democrats to the U.S. House in next year’s midterm elections is naming and shaming Republicans who once demanded to see records from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation but on Monday voted against a Democratic effort to release them.
GOP Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Anna Paulina Luna and Cory Mills of Florida are “complicit” with a Trump administration that’s trying to bury documents about the wealthy financier who abused underage girls, the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC said in an emailed memo.
Democrats had tried to force the release of information about Epstein’s case by attaching an amendment to cryptocurrency legislation. Just one Republican on the House Rules Committee, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, voted with them.
Democrats have been taking full advantage of fissures in the GOP over the federal government’s decision not to release the much-hyped records. Several left-wing lawmakers have taken to social media in recent days calling for the files to be made public.
Pew survey: Global views of China and Xi Jinping improve, US and Trump decline
Views of China and its President Xi Jinping have improved in many countries around the world, and those of the U.S. and President Donald Trump have deteriorated, resulting in closer-than-ever international views of the two superpowers and their leaders, according to the latest survey of about two dozen countries by Pew Research Center.
Across 24 countries, Pew found that the U.S. was viewed more favorably than China in eight countries, China was viewed more favorably in seven, and the two were viewed about equally in the remainder.
Pew surveyed more than 30,000 people across 25 countries in total -- including the U.S., which was excluded from the comparison -- from January 8 to April 26.
This year's results are a drastic departure from those in the past several years when the U.S. and its leader — then President Joe Biden — enjoyed more favorable international views than China and its president.
Pew provides no certain answer to what caused the shifting views, but Laura Silver, associate director of research, said it’s possible that views of a country may change when those of another superpower shift.
Trump is on his way to a tech and energy conference in Pittsburgh
Trump will speak at the conference with dozens of top executives to promote his energy and technology agenda.
The event is organized by Republican U.S. Sen. David McCormick of Pennsylvania, a former hedge fund CEO who’s using it to showcase Pennsylvania and highlight tens of billions of dollars in energy and tech investments in the region.
At the conference at Carnegie Mellon University, Trump Cabinet officials spoke of the need to produce as much energy as possible — especially from coal and natural gas — to beat China in the artificial intelligence race for the sake of economic and national security.
Trump stands by waiting period on Russian sanctions
Trump pushed back on the idea that waiting 50 days to impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine is too long and suggested that an even more abbreviated timeframe would be sufficient.
“I don’t think 50 days is very long and it could be shorter than that,” he said.
Trump defends Bondi on handling of Epstein files
The president said the attorney general has “handled it very well” and said it’s up to Bondi whether to release any more records related to the sex traffic investigation of Epstein.
He said Bondi gave him “a very quick briefing” about the matter. When asked by a reporter if the attorney general told Trump whether his name appeared in any of the records, he said, “No, no.”
Trump said of Bondi, “whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”
The president also said he likes FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who has reportedly clashed internally with Bondi over the issue. Trump didn’t say more about Bongino.
Education Department wind-down continues
The Education Department is handing off the administration of its workforce development programs to the Department of Labor, part of the Trump administrations plan to wind down the federal education agency.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the interagency agreement on Tuesday, a day after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to move ahead with its plan to dismantle the department.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the department had recently struck a deal to outsource the management of several grant programs for workforce training and adult education to the Department of Labor.
The Education Department said the shift streamlines federal workforce programs, the majority of which are already administered by the Department of Labor.
The department on Tuesday called it a “major step in shifting management of select ED programs to partner agencies.”
Trump said he thinks Cuomo can win NYC mayor’s race
The president told reporters at the White House that he thinks Andrew Cuomo should stay in the race, saying he “would have a good shot at winning.”
The Democratic former New York governor, who clashed with Trump while in office, re-launched his campaign for New York City mayor on Monday as an independent, aiming to offer a more middle-road choice than Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani is a democratic socialist state lawmaker whom Trump has harshly criticized, including on Tuesday when he called him “a communist.”
Trump says he’ll meet with UK prime minister in Scotland
Trump says he’ll be meeting with Britain’s prime minister during an upcoming trip to Scotland.
The president told reporters at the White House “we’re going to be meeting” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer “probably in Aberdeen.”
He suggested they’d discuss refining a previously announced trade deal.
Trump said the meeting would take place at “probably one of my properties.” His family business has a golf course near Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, while a second course is set to open in the area soon. There is also a Trump course near Turnberry in the country’s southwest.
US officials say they are still reviewing Ukraine’s weaponry wish list
U.S. officials say they are still sorting through Ukraine’s wish list of weaponry that it would like to receive from NATO members to determine what can be most quickly replaced after President Donald Trump announced an agreement for Europe to supply Ukraine with defensive munitions from existing stocks.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arms transfers that have not yet been approved or completed, said Ukraine’s requests for materiel are roughly the same as they have been since the start of Russia’s invasion more than three years ago. Those include air defenses like Patriot missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, long range missile known as ATACMS and short- to medium-range ground-to-air missiles known as NASAMs, and assorted artillery, according to the officials.
Under the terms of the very rough agreement sketched out by Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte on Monday, NATO members would ship billions of dollars of these weapons to Ukraine and then purchase replacements for them from the United States.
One official said some of the larger items — such as Patriots— could take up to five years to produce to deliver to the European donors, while smaller munitions like 155mm artillery shells can be produced on a much shorter timeline.
— Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee
Trump says he wants 5 new Republican congressional districts in Texas
The president said he wants Texas state lawmakers to create five new Republican congressional districts when they meet in a special session starting next week to discuss redistricting.
Asked as he departed the White House for Pittsburgh about the possibility of adding GOP-friendly districts around the country, Trump responded, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”
Texas, still reeling from deadly flooding, will hold a special legislative session starting July 21.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had previously referenced a letter from the Department of Justice raising concerns about the legalities of four of Texas’ 38 congressional districts.
But Trump now says he’d like to see five now made more GOP-friendly.
Trump downplays possibility of sending long-range weapons to Ukraine
“We’re not looking to do that,” Trump told reporters ahead of departing the White House for an energy investment event in Pittsburgh.
Trump made the comments after he threatened Russia a day earlier with steep tariffs if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t soon end the three-year conflict and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine.
It’s the most substantive pressure he’s placed on Putin since returning to office nearly six months ago.
Trump, who has repeatedly said his only priority is quickly ending the war, deflected when asked by a reporter if he’s now on Ukraine’s side in the bloody conflict.
The president responded that he on the side of “humanity.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP