Today in one sentence: The Justice Department plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, amid growing pressure to release more details about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes; Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early for the August recess to avoid votes on measures tied to Jeffrey Epstein; Trump accused Obama of “treason” and told the Justice Department to prosecute him and other former officials in an effort to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein case; Federal judges in New Jersey voted not to extend Alina Habba’s term as interim U.S. attorney, replacing her with career prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace, who the Justice Department fired hours later; House Republicans voted to make federal funding for the Kennedy Center contingent on renaming its opera house the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House”; and a Birmingham man who barked at the moon, snorted ants, bit a bat, and rode the crazy train into heavy metal history has died at 76.

1/ The Justice Department plans to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, amid growing pressure to release more details about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he contacted Maxwell’s attorneys and expects a meeting “in the coming days.” Hours later, a House Oversight subcommittee approved a motion to subpoena Maxwell, reflecting bipartisan frustration with the administration’s handling of the case. Trump said he was unaware of the outreach, but called it “appropriate,” while dismissing renewed calls for transparency as “a witch hunt.” (CNN / Politico / NBC News / CBS News / Axios / Politico / ABC News / Axios / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press / New York Times / The Hill)

2/ Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House home early for the August recess to avoid votes on measures tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The move followed a standoff in the Rules Committee after Democrats threatened to force votes on amendments requiring the release of Epstein files. Johnson said there was “no purpose” in pushing the Trump administration to act on releasing documents, claiming the Justice Department was already doing so and calling the effort “political games.” He insisted, “we’re done being lectured on transparency,” and accused Democrats of turning the Rules Committee into “a political battering ram.” Johnson also attacked Rep. Thomas Massie for working with Democrats to force a vote, saying, “I don’t understand Thomas Massie’s motivation. I really don’t.” Without Rules Committee approval, major legislation was pulled and the House adjourned until September. (NBC News / Axios / CNN / New York Times / CBS News / Associated Press / ABC News / CNBC / Washington Post / Reuters / Wall Street Journal)

3/ Trump accused Obama of “treason” and told the Justice Department to prosecute him and other former officials in an effort to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein case. During an Oval Office appearance, Trump deflected questions about the DOJ’s outreach to Ghislaine Maxwell and instead named Obama, Clinton, Biden, Comey, and Clapper, claiming they orchestrated a plot to sabotage his 2016 campaign. He cited a new report from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which alleged that Obama officials “manufactured” intelligence to justify the FBI’s Russia probe. Gabbard’s report, however, conflated separate findings and ignored a 2020 bipartisan Senate review that affirmed the intelligence community’s conclusion: Russia worked to help Trump by spreading stolen data and disinformation but didn’t hack voting systems or change votes. Obama, meanwhile, issued a rare public response, calling the accusations “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.” Spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said: “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. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.” He added that “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.” (New York Times / Politico / NPR / Axios / New York Times / ABC News / Reuters / Wall Street Journal)

4/ Federal judges in New Jersey voted not to extend Alina Habba’s term as interim U.S. attorney, replacing her with career prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace. Trump nominated Habba, his former personal lawyer, to the role in March, but her 120-day term was set to expire this week without Senate confirmation. The Justice Department responded by firing Grace hours later with Attorney General Pam Bondi accusing the judges of threatening “the President’s core Article II powers.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, meanwhile, called the decision “a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law.” Habba remains under consideration for permanent appointment, but her nomination has stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Until March, she had never worked as a prosecutor. (NBC News / CNN / Politico / Reuters / Washington Post / CBS News / New York Times)

5/ House Republicans voted to make federal funding for the Kennedy Center contingent on renaming its opera house the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.” The Appropriations Committee approved the amendment 33–25 as part of the fiscal 2026 Interior-Environment spending bill. Trump fired most of the center’s board earlier this year, named himself chair, and appointed close allies, including Susie Wiles and Dan Scavino. Rep. Mike Simpson said the name change “is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts.” (USA Today / NBC News / Washington Post / Politico)

6/ Birmingham man who barked at the moon, snorted ants, bit a bat, and rode the crazy train into heavy metal history has died at 76. Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness and founding frontman of Black Sabbath, is dead. (Rolling Stone)

The midterm elections are in 469 days.

Five years ago today: Day 1280: "Surge."
Eight years ago today: Day 184: Complete power.