The Evening: Trump was told he’s in Epstein files
Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday.
Trump was told his name was in the Epstein filesAttorney General Pam Bondi informed President Trump in the spring that his name appeared in files related to the investigation of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosure came during a meeting about the Justice Department's re-examination of unreleased documents connected to the case. But a person close to the president said, on the condition of anonymity, that the White House was not concerned because Trump, a onetime friend of Epstein, had already appeared in documents related to the investigation. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution," Bondi and her deputy wrote in a statement. The Trump administration has been trying for weeks to quiet anger about the administration's handling of the Epstein case. Recent polling suggests that many Republicans have begun to break with Trump in large numbers over the issue. The president has pushed for courts to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation. But a federal judge in Florida said today that she had denied the government's request. Trump has argued that critics should instead pay attention to the actions of his Democratic predecessors. His director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, accused Barack Obama of leading a "treasonous conspiracy" against Trump. She cited a newly released document that provided interesting new details about how Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election was assessed but no evidence of criminal behavior. In other Trump administration news:
Trump's Japan deal showed how the landscape of tariffs changedWhen Trump announced last night that he had come to a trade deal with Japan, there was a sense of relief. Stock markets rose and trade experts were surprised that, after eight rounds of negotiations, Japan came away with a relatively generous deal: 15 percent. The reaction is a testament to just how quickly and completely Trump has transformed the global economy. Months ago, even a 10 percent tariff on Japan's goods would have seemed like a major hike — especially for Japan's crucial car industry, which had faced a 2.5 percent levy. But this week, Japanese officials celebrated avoiding Trump's threats of 25 percent.
Zelensky faces protests as peace negotiations continueIn response to growing domestic criticism, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said today that he would reverse course on his crackdown on the country's anticorruption agencies. Before his about-face, thousands of protesters had gathered in Kyiv's streets in opposition for the first time since the war began. In Istanbul, members of Zelensky's government met today with Russian officials to discuss a potential cease-fire. For now, both sides seem far apart. Trump threatened to punish Russia if it failed to agree to peace in the next several weeks — effectively pausing an effort by Congress to impose its own sanctions. For more: Our Moscow bureau chief, Anton Troianovski, answered readers' questions about what it's like in Russia.
The U.S. drafted a plan to end its global H.I.V. campaignThe federal program to combat H.I.V. in developing nations earned a reprieve last week when Congress voted to restore $400 million in funding. But that move may be short-lived: Officials at the State Department have been mapping out a plan to shut it down in the coming years. In documents obtained by Stephanie Nolen, our global health reporter, U.S. officials laid out a plan to end PEPFAR, as the program is called, and to replace it with an effort to detect disease outbreaks and sell American products. More top news
Ozzy Osbourne was wild, bizarre and belovedThe life of Ozzy Osbourne — the heavy metal pioneer who died yesterday at 76 — was punctuated by wild moments, often fueled by alcohol and drugs. Yes, he really did bite the head off a bat onstage in Des Moines and urinate at the Alamo. Ozzy, as everyone called him, relished the notoriety. He built a following as the "Prince of Darkness," and nowhere was he more loved than in his hometown, Birmingham, England, where my colleague Alex Marshall spoke with mourners. But Ozzy also had a softer side that revealed itself as he persisted through addiction.
Pittsburgh is putting its streetlights on a dimmerPennsylvania's second-largest city is replacing most of its old yellow-hued streetlamps with adjustable LEDs. After the change, Pittsburgh plans to dim the lights every night between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., saving the city nearly a million dollars a year in energy costs. The move will also allow the city to reduce its light pollution, which obfuscates starry skies and messes with the circadian rhythms of plants, wildlife and people. In other climate solutions: Formidable dogs are helping keep both humans and grizzlies safe in Montana.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This free-form apple and plum pie is full of treasures. Watch: "Manhunt" is one of this month's best under-the-radar streaming picks. Read: Our critic reviewed some of the best new romance novels. Plan: These country getaways offer a new twist on summer vacation. Slice: Wirecutter spent 50 hours testing mandolines. This is its top pick. Test yourself: Take our quiz to see if you can identify bug splatter on a windshield. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Midi crossword. Find all our games here.
Come for the pets, stay for the booksAt many independent bookstores across the country, the most popular sales associates are not human. At a shop in Minneapolis, for example, a cat named Booker T. Jones greets the customers. In Chappaqua, N.Y., readers flock to Scattered Books to see bunnies named Moo, Chuck and Chip. The pairing makes sense: Books and animals both provide joy, companionship and windows into other worlds. It's hard to say whether the animals affect sales, but they certainly bring in foot traffic: "We get a whole bunch of readers, but people really come to see the animals," one owner said. Have an adorable evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco was our photo editor. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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