Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
Trump asked a court to unseal Epstein grand jury testimonyThe Justice Department asked a federal judge this afternoon to unseal grand jury testimony from the prosecution of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump had requested the move in an effort to dispel a storm of criticism and conspiracy theories coming from many of his supporters. The request was filed in Manhattan, where Epstein was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges six years ago when he was found dead by hanging in his jail cell about a month after he was arrested. The government also sought the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite who was convicted of helping Epstein facilitate his sex trafficking scheme. You can read the Justice Department’s full request here. Obtaining court approval for unsealing the testimony could be difficult because the records are shielded by grand jury secrecy laws, to protect crime victims and witnesses. Judges rarely agree to grant public access to such materials. In related news, Trump sued The Wall Street Journal’s parent company over a report that he sent a birthday greeting with a sexually suggestive drawing to Epstein in 2003. The president insisted he doesn’t “draw pictures,” but many of his sketches have sold at action.
A prisoner swap freed Americans jailed in VenezuelaTen Americans and U.S. permanent residents who had been seized by the Venezuelan authorities and held as bargaining chips were freed today. In exchange, more than 200 Venezuelan migrants whom the Trump administration sent to a prison in El Salvador were also released. Venezuela’s government began detaining and imprisoning foreigners late last year. Among them was Lucas Hunter, a 37-year-old U.S. and French citizen whose family said he visited the region to go kite surfing, and Wilbert Castañeda, a 37-year-old former Navy Seal who had traveled to Venezuela to meet a romantic partner. The Venezuelan migrants had been deported from the U.S. after the Trump administration accused them of being members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. Most of the roughly 250 men did not have criminal records, beyond immigration offenses.
Trump’s public media cuts were decades in the makingIn the 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law, PBS, NPR and other public broadcasters in the United States have received more than $500 million annually from the government. That support now appears to be over, after the House gave final approval to the cuts. Some conservatives have been calling for an end to the funding for decades, arguing that organizations like NPR and PBS had a liberal bias. In a video, Benjamin Mullin, a media reporter for The Times, talks about the impact the cuts will have. Once the payments stop in the fall, more than 100 combined TV and radio stations in rural pockets of the country will be at risk of going dark. This map shows the stations at the most risk.
A Kennedy aide’s company can get you a tax break for hot dogsAn insomnia diagnosis yielded a recommendation for hot dogs. An acne diagnosis called for classes at a mixed-martial-arts gym. And as an added bonus, the purchases can be made thorough a tax-free account because they were blessed by a medical provider. Such tax benefits are made possible by the wellness start-up Truemed, which was co-founded by Calley Means, a close aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary. It helps people obtain letters attesting to a medical need for such products, which one critic called “a tax break for upper-middle-class people.” More top news
A star ballerina says goodbyeGillian Murphy, one of American Ballet Theater’s most enduring talents, is stepping down after 29 years with the company. Tonight, Murphy, 46, will dance her final performance, Odette-Odile in “Swan Lake,” opposite her friend James Whiteside. It’s a complicated ballet, and Whiteside said it was “completely unhinged” to go out with something so arduous. But that’s the kind of ballerina Murphy always has been: full of joy and aplomb. Elsewhere in the performing arts world: “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line” are now 50 years old. We asked a Broadway star to show us the moves that made them so special.
Everything you need to know about campfire cookingThe summer is always a great time to escape into the great outdoors. And with a little bit of planning, you can enjoy some remarkable meals made over a campfire. Take it from Ali Slagle, who writes recipes for The Times and travels the country in a camper van. Ali put together a guide answering all of the most common reader questions about cooking over crackling flames. She explains what supplies to bring, how to build and manage the fire, as well as what kind of recipes work best.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This no-bake peaches and cream cake is the perfect end to a summer meal. Watch: “Smurfs” is one of the movies that got our critics talking this week. Read: Here are seven new books we love. Listen: This calm and graceful cello piece by Bach could change your day. Admire: New York’s best summer art shows are upstate. Here’s what to check out. Travel: These are the basketball star A’ja Wilson’s five favorite places in Las Vegas. Consider: Is “joyspan” the key to aging well? Test yourself: Take this week’s news quiz. Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
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