NBC News Politics
House passes Ukraine aid bill in another GOP rebuke of Trump’s foreign policy
The vote comes after the House passed a resolution earlier this week against President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.
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The Hill News
Read: House Oversight’s transcript of Bondi interview about Epstein files
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The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday released the transcript from its closed-door meeting with former Attorney General Pam Bondi about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The transcript shows her declining to answer a number of questions during the roughly four-hour meeting and pointing the finger at acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the…
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Raw Story
'It's disastrous': Expert warns Pam Bondi just put Todd Blanche in legal jeopardy
The Epstein files and Pam Bondi's testimony released on Thursday could come back to haunt Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as he approaches his Senate confirmation hearing process, a legal expert said.During a live broadcast with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig noted that Bondi, who served as the former attorney general until she was fired by President Donald Trump in April, told lawmakers that Blanche was overseeing the release of the Epstein files and could come under further scrutiny because of her comments."It has to be a big problem for Todd Blanche, Jake, because there's nothing good in this whole mess of the Epstein files, legally or politically," Honig said. "And if you look at today's transcript, Pam Bondi truly does Todd Blanche no favors," Honig explained. "And I don't think she's trying to hurt him."He argued that Bondi was making an effort during the closed-door testimony with the House Oversight Committee to "praise Todd Blanche's skill and ethics and his handling of this whole process." "But the bottom line is it's disastrous," Honig added. "Todd Blanche was in charge. Pam Bondi makes that clear: the process that resulted in the release of victims' names, the process that resulted in the improper redaction of wrongdoers' names, and a process that was chaotic, overdue, and satisfied no one. And there's no way for Blanche to get out of that. It's actually surprising when you read the transcript how little Bondi knew about what was going on. This seems like it was a complete delegation, and you can bet this will come up in a big way when Todd Blanche goes in front of the Senate for his confirmation hearings."
Far Left
Raw Story
Pam Bondi created a headache for Todd Blanche that he 'can't run and hide from': analyst
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi created a headache for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that he may not be able to run and hide from, according to one legal analyst. Last week, Bondi told House lawmakers that Blanche was the one in control of how the Jeffrey Epstein files were being released, according to newly released transcripts. Elie Honig, CNN's senior legal analyst, said on "Anderson Cooper 360" that the statement could prove problematic for Blanche as he seeks Senate confirmation for the full role of Attorney General. "The timing on that could not possibly have been worse for Todd Blanche to come out today," Honig said. Blanche has close ties to President Donald Trump, serving as his defense attorney in the New York hush money case. He's also shown a willingness to go up to bat for the president, as illustrated by his back-to-back contentious hearings on Capitol Hill this week. CNN reported on Wednesday that Trump is considering promoting Blanche as soon as this week. Honig noted that the Epstein files and other scandals could hinder Blanche's confirmation hearings. "When Todd comes up for his nomination, issue number one is going to be this weaponization fund, and issue two is going to be the Epstein files, and he can't run and hide from it now," Honig said.
Far Left
NBC News Politics
House committee releases transcript of Bondi interview about Epstein files
The House Oversight Committee released the transcript of the interview with former Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding her handling of the Epstein files, during which she repeated that she delegated oversight of the review and investigation of the files to Todd Blanche. The committee also released the transcript of a prison guard working the night that Epstein died.
Center Left
Raw Story
House Agriculture Committee hearing devolves into chaos
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins faced sharp questioning from Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) during a tense House Agriculture Committee hearing.Rollins was repeatedly unable to answer basic questions about the farm economy.Craig documented the administration's record with data: the U.S. lost 15,000 farms in 2025, farmers face $28 billion in losses, and 70% cannot afford necessary fertilizer. Farm diesel prices hit $5.41 per gallon in May —up 95% year-over-year. When Rollins blamed the Biden administration, Craig countered, "Joe Biden is no longer the president. Mr. Trump is. Your party controls Congress. You own these numbers." When discussing fertilizer, Craig asked what share of farmers can't afford it this planting season. Rollins instead broke down fertilizers by categories. "Oh, my God!" Craig cut in, adding, "70% is the answer." Found by the Farm Bureau, which worked with more than 5,700 farmers to obtain the amount. The hearing intensified over SNAP fraud rates when Rollins disputed United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, data showing 1.6% fraud, prompting Craig to state, "I honestly don't think you understand the difference between error rates and fraud rates." Rollins then accused Craig of grandstanding, but Craig warned the administration must understand family farmers are suffering, not thriving.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Far Left
Raw Story
5 standout moments from Pam Bondi's testimony on the Jeffrey Epstein files
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony with the House Oversight Committee was released on Thursday, revealing new details about the Department of Justice's rollout of the Epstein files. Bondi was interviewed by House lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week and responded to questions about criticisms of how the department handled the release of documents and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.Here are five things to know about Bondi's testimony.1. Bondi claimed she did not know about a document where Epstein’s 10 co-conspirators are listed.Lawmakers showed Bondi an email from the 2019 Epstein case in the Southern District of New York and asked her to comment.At one point, Bondi's attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department, told the lawmakers, "She's not going to answer that.""I don't recall ever reviewing this document, so I don't know who's in it, and that came from the FBI New York," Bondi said.2. Bondi blamed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the release of the Epstein files. Bondi said that Blanche was responsible for overseeing the Department of Justice's release of the documents and materials. “He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files," Bondi said.She also said he briefed her on the case as soon as she joined the DOJ as attorney general in January 2025.3. She claimed Blanche interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell because no one from the DOJ had interviewed her about Epstein."I believe Deputy Attorney General, now-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has said on several occasions that Epstein, by that time, was dead and no one had taken — had made an effort to interview Ghislaine Maxwell to see if she had evidence of co-conspirators and other crimes, and that was why he interviewed her," Bondi said.She said she did not recall how the interview was prompted or whether Maxwell reached out first."I believe — I don't believe who initiated it. If she reached out to us, I believe — I don't want to speculate, but I believe Deputy Attorney General Blanche, at the time, reached out to them because there was someone, still living, in prison, who had potential information about other co-conspirators and crimes," Bondi said.4. Bondi did not confirm if Blanche had knowledge of Maxwell's prison relocation."He may, and I'm not sure if he'd addressed that publicly. Probably. But transferring a prisoner is the decision of the Bureau of Prisons," Bondi said.5. Bondi does not think Maxwell should be pardoned by President Donald Trump."I believe she should die in prison," Bondi said. "She was a monster, just like Jeffrey Epstein," Bondi added. "She recruited these young women to a life of prostitution and abuse. And I often think the women that do that are just as bad, if not worse, than the men, because she participated in it."
Far Left
The New Republic
Trump Suggests “Never Ever” Taking Down White House UFC Ring
President Trump loves the UFC ring on the White House South Lawn so much that he thinks it could stay there permanently.On his official TikTok account Tuesday, Trump posted a video titled “MAYBE WE’LL NEVER TAKE IT DOWN,” comparing the arena to France’s Eiffel Tower, which was originally supposed to be temporary but stayed up. Like the tower, Trump said, the arena is “quite attractive to a lot of people” so “maybe we’ll never ever take it down.”“People don’t know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889 it was built. It was supposed to be taken down immediately after the world’s fair, and then they said … ‘Leave it up a little bit longer, and then they said, ‘Let’s leave it up longer and longer and longer,’” Trump said.“Well, they never took it down, and you know we’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people. Really, it’s going to have the big UFC fight on June 14, and I’m looking at i,t and maybe we’ll never ever take it down,” the president added.The UFC arena is being built for a June 14 fight scheduled as part of Trump’s Freedom 250 festivities, coinciding with Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday. Paid for by the UFC’s parent company, TKO Sports, the $60 million arena dwarfs the surrounding landscape and the White House behind it.Is Trump trying to avoid paying for the arena to be taken down? Taxpayers are already expected to foot the bill for security for the fight, which the White House hasn’t said anything about and will probably be quite high. While the Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stay up for 20 years after its construction in 1889, it remains open to the public and is a major tourist attraction.A UFC arena on the White House grounds would be closed to anyone who isn’t authorized by the president to be there. Trump has already turned part of Pennsylvania Avenue into a (ostensibly temporary) parking lot for America 250 events and bulldozed the White House’s East Wing to make room for an unpopular ballroom. What’s another permanent eyesore on what used to be considered the “People’s House”?
Left
NBC News Politics
House committee calls on DOJ to investigate two men with ties to Jeffrey Epstein
The House Oversight Committee said Thursday it was asking the Justice Department to investigate sexual misconduct allegations made by Jeffrey Epstein’s former assistant, Sarah Kellen, against two of his associates
Center Left