Today in one sentence: The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for all unredacted records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal judge to block the Justice Department from unsealing grand jury transcripts in her sex trafficking case, saying the release would “severely and irrevocably” damage her Supreme Court appeal; Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a grand jury investigation into Obama-era officials, reviving long-debunked claims that they faked intelligence to tie Trump to Russian election interference; Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked the FBI to help locate and arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a Republican redistricting plan that could give the Republicans five more U.S. House seats; Trump claimed JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America refused to accept over $1 billion in deposits from him after his presidency; Trump said he would “probably not” run for a third term, even though the Constitution doesn’t allow it; and a man convicted of interstate prostitution is seeking a pardon from a man found liable for sexual abuse.

1/ The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for all unredacted records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including communications with the Trump and Biden White Houses. Chairman James Comer also issued subpoenas for depositions from Bill and Hillary Clinton, two former FBI directors, and six former attorneys general across four administrations. Comer was required to act after Democrats forced a subcommittee vote, joined by three Republicans, to compel release of the files two weeks ago. As a result, Speaker Mike Johnson recessed the House early to avoid floor votes on Epstein, as Republicans faced backlash from Trump’s base over the administration’s refusal to release documents and a Justice Department memo stating there was no “client list” and no further prosecutions were planned. The memo contradicted Attorney General Pam Bondi’s earlier claim that a list existed and was under review. Separately, the Justice Department is weighing whether to release audio and transcripts of Maxwell’s July interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who questioned her for nine hours over two days under conditional immunity. Maxwell was moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas days later — an unusual transfer for sex offenders. Trump denied involvement and said he hadn’t spoken to Blanche. (NBC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / CNN / Bloomberg / CBS News / ABC News / Politico / Axios / CNN / The Hill)

2/ Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal judge to block the Justice Department from unsealing grand jury transcripts in her sex trafficking case, saying the release would “severely and irrevocably” damage her Supreme Court appeal. “Whatever interest the public may have in Epstein, that interest cannot justify a broad intrusion into grand jury secrecy in a case where the defendant is alive,” her lawyers wrote. Trump previously directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury materials after backlash from supporters demanding disclosure. The Justice Department, meanwhile, said only two law enforcement officials testified and most of the content is already public. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times)

3/ Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a grand jury investigation into Obama-era officials, reviving long-debunked claims that they faked intelligence to tie Trump to Russian election interference. The move stems from a criminal referral by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who accused former officials of a “treasonous conspiracy,” but offered no new evidence that alters the U.S. intelligence community’s 2017 findings. Multiple investigations, including by Robert Mueller, the Justice Department inspector general, and a Republican-led Senate committee, confirmed Russia interfered to help Trump and found no criminal wrongdoing by Obama officials. Similar allegations were investigated during Trump’s first term and resulted in no criminal charges. (NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / CBS News / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Axios)

4/ Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked the FBI to help locate and arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a Republican redistricting plan that could give the Republicans five more U.S. House seats. Trump backed the move, saying the FBI “may have to” get involved, and claimed Republicans are “entitled” to those seats. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to expel Democratic caucus chair Gene Wu for abandoning office, while Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would begin seeking court orders on Friday to remove lawmakers who don’t return. Democrats, who traveled to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, said they would run out the clock on the session, which ends Aug. 19. Meanwhile, Democrats in California, Illinois, and New York began preparing redistricting plans of their own. California lawmakers are pushing to redraw House lines in a special election if Texas’s map is enacted to shift up to five seats to Democrats, mirroring the Texas map. New York Democrats introduced a constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said “everything is on the table.” (Axios / The Hill / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Texas Tribune / NBC News / Axios / The Guardian / Politico / CNN / Bloomberg)

5/ Trump claimed JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America refused to accept over $1 billion in deposits from him after his presidency, saying they “discriminated against me very badly” because the Biden administration told regulators to “destroy Trump.” Trump, however, offered no documents or evidence and didn’t say whether the accounts were personal or business, but blamed it on “political discrimination” nonetheless. Neither bank confirmed his story or explained the account closures. Both denied closing accounts for political reasons. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is preparing an executive order directing regulators to investigate banks accused of cutting off conservatives and crypto firms. Banks say these decisions often stem from legal requirements to guard against fraud, money laundering, or sanctions violations – especially under anti-money laundering rules that apply to high-risk accounts or industries. Republicans argue regulators used “reputational risk” policies to pressure banks into dropping clients based on politics or ideology. (Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times / CNBC / The Hill)

The midterm elections are in 455 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. The Trump administration wants NASA to destroy a satellite used by scientists, oil companies, and farmers to track carbon and crop health, despite it being fully funded through September. NASA staff were ordered to draft shutdown plans that would burn the satellite in the atmosphere, based on Trump’s 2026 budget proposal, which eliminates funding for federal climate monitoring. (NPR / Gizmodo)

  2. The EPA plans to cancel $7 billion in grants from the Solar for All program, which aims to help nearly a million low- and middle-income households install rooftop solar and cut electric bills by up to 70%. (New York Times / Washington Post)

  3. Trump ruled out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as a candidate to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair, saying Bessent told him: “Nope, I want to stay where I am.” Trump said Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh are among four finalists and called the early resignation of Fed Governor Adriana Kugler “a pleasant surprise.” He said it’s “a possibility” that the new governor could later replace Powell, whose term ends in May. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico)

  4. The National Park Service will reinstall the statue of Confederate general Albert Pike in Washington, D.C. – five years after protesters tore it down and set it on fire during the racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. The agency cited federal preservation law and Trump’s executive orders to “restore truth and sanity to American history.” Pike led pro-slavery alliances with Native American troops for the Confederacy and was accused of war crimes, but the monument calls him a “philanthropist” and says nothing about the war. (Politico / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post)

  5. Trump said he would “probably not” run for a third term, even though the Constitution doesn’t allow it. “I’d like to run. I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had,” Trump said, despite his approval rating sitting at 37% – both the lowest of his current term and just above his all-time low of 34%. Trump then added, “Probably not,” with a laugh. (Politico / USA Today)

  6. A man convicted of interstate prostitution is seeking a pardon from a man found liable for sexual abuse. Sean “Diddy” Combs asked Trump for a pardon after being convicted in July on two counts of interstate prostitution. Prosecutors said Combs used money and power to run a “criminal enterprise” that sexually abused women for two decades. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in October. (NBC News)

Last year today: Day 1294: "Be careful."
Five years ago today: Day 1294: "He still doesn't get it."