President Donald Trump on Friday implied there is no "smoking gun" in the Jeffrey Epstein files as he seeks to downplay a case that's long animated his MAGA supporters.

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump illegally fired two Democrats on the Federal Trade Commission earlier this year in his efforts to exert control over independent agencies across the government.

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's aides were expected on Friday to ask a court to release grand jury testimony about Jeffrey Epstein, as the president fought back against concerns over his administration's handling of the deceased convicted sex offender's case.

Congress narrowly approved early Friday a bill to rescind $9 billion in federal spending on foreign aid and public broadcasting, cuts that will affect Alabama Public Television, the nation’s oldest first statewide public TV network. The bill, backed by President Trump, will stop $7.9 billion for foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public broadcasting.

The National Capital Planning Commission has become pivotal in the administration’s campaign to discredit Jerome H. Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a minimum tariff of 15% to 20% in any deal with the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Friday, adding that the administration is now looking at a reciprocal tariff rate that exceeds 10%,

Separately, on Thursday, bookmaker Star Sports offered odds of 7/2 (22.2 percent) on Trump securing the Nobel Peace Prize, placing him behind Navalnaya on 2/1 (33.3 percent) and ahead of Russian anti-war campaigner Alexei Gorinov on 6/1 (14.3 percent) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with 10/1 (9.1 percent).