What to know today
- WAR DEPARTMENT: President Donald Trump signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War. The change makes the latter name the department’s secondary title.
- JOBS REPORT: The federal government released data this morning that confirmed a slowdown in the jobs market, with U.S. employers adding 22,000 jobs in August, well below expectations of 75,000. It’s the first jobs report since Trump fired the agency’s head over accusations of releasing inaccurate data.
- EPSTEIN FILES: Trump said the Justice Department has “done its job” in releasing records from Jeffrey Epstein’s case and that it was “time to end” the push for more transparency. Democratic and some Republican members of Congress, as well as Epstein’s victims, are pressing the administration to disclose more of the case files.
- RUSSIA-UKRAINE: Trump has grown pessimistic about the chance of brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine war or seeing the leaders of the two warring countries meet in person, two senior administration officials said.
Trump rewards congressional loyalists with Rose Garden dinner
Trump today rewarded congressional Republicans that have voted, without issue, in favor of his agenda with a dinner at the newly renovated Rose Garden.
“I’ll tell you very simply why you’re here: because you are the ones that I never had to call at four o’clock in the morning. You are the ones that have been my friend,” he said.
"You make my life easy. You trust me. You trust Mike, you trust leadership. You trust yourselves, and you don't make us make the call," Trump added.
Trump showered praise on House Speaker Mike Johnson at the event, and specifically commended the lawmakers present for ushering his Big, Beautiful, Bill through Congress despite intra-party fighting over the sprawling legislation.
"This is a special group," Trump said. "And it is true, there's not one person in this audience that I had a call to ask for help, that we needed your vote. You're unbelievable people."
"I called Mike. I said, we have to reward the people that I don't get to speak to, that I like so much," Trump added.
Trump contrasted this group with the “about 16 others” that "made life very difficult" for him and Johnson while trying to pass the legislation to fund his domestic agenda.
"I have people, and you know who they are, that I have to call, speak to them... for hours," Trump said. "I know they're going to vote for us, but I have to speak to them for hours, and it's brutal. And it's not like at three in the afternoon. It's like three in the morning."
Three Senate Republicans and two House Republicans ultimately voted against the bill.
Interim NASA head tells agency that it will beat China back to the moon
It’s full steam ahead for NASA — at least according to Sean Duffy, the agency’s acting administrator.
During an internal employee town hall Thursday, Duffy warned of “letting safety be the enemy of progress” when it comes to winning the new space race, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by NBC News.
“We are safety driven, and we should be safety driven, and FAA and DOT, we’re the same, but sometimes we can let safety be the enemy of making progress,” said Duffy, who also serves as Transportation Secretary.
“We have to be able to take some leaps. We have to be able to jump forward in our innovation and drive this mission, and there’s always a balance to that, but we can’t side on the side of doing nothing because we’re afraid of any risk,” he told NASA employees alongside newly named NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya.
A spokesperson for NASA said the agency remains committed to safety.
Trump says vaccines that are 'not controversial' should be used
Trump appeared to defend the use of certain unspecified vaccines, saying the ones that are "not controversial at all" should be used when asked about efforts in Florida to roll back vaccine mandates.
"I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don't have to be vaccinated. It's a very, you know, it's a very tough position," Trump said.
"You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They're not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used," Trump added.
Trump said that he believed the polio vaccine is "amazing," but did not provide additional details on which vaccines he viewed as uncontroversial.
"When you don't have controversy at all, I think people should take it," Trump said.
The comments come after the Florida surgeon general said earlier this week that his state will no longer mandate any vaccines, a move that was met by harsh criticism from health experts.
During his first term, Trump stoked division over vaccines and cast doubt over health officials that pressed for vaccination mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, he signed an executive order to end federal funding for schools that required Covid-19 vaccines for in-person learning.
Trump signs executive order to blacklist countries that illegally detain Americans
Trump signed an executive order today establishing a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” designation, a move designed to put pressure on countries that illegally detain Americans.
The executive order will give Secretary of State Marco Rubio the ability to impose sanctions on designated countries or order other punishments, according to a senior administration official.
“We are drawing a very clear delineation today, a line in the sand,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters ahead of the announcement. “You will not use Americans as bargaining chips.”
The official declined to say how quickly the Trump administration would issue sanctions or visa restrictions against those offending countries. The details on the number and locations of Americans being held abroad are not publicized by the U.S. government. But according to the Foley Foundation’s 2024 report, the total number of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained was at least 54 across 17 countries, including Iran, China, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela.
Trump calls for removal of decades-long peace protest in Lafayette Park
Trump called for a decades-long peace protest against nuclear proliferation to be "taken down" in Lafayette Park, near the White House, this afternoon.
Trump said that his administration had removed "over 1,000" tents, and that he was "surprised" to learn that the tent was still standing, after a reporter asked about the ongoing vigil against nuclear proliferation from a camp that was established in the park by peace activist Connie Picciotto in 1981.
"We’re gonna look into it right now," Trump said.
Trump says Eric Adams is 'free to do what he wants' after mayor announces plans to stay in race
Trump suggested in the Oval Office today that Democrat Zohran Mamdani was likely to win New York City's mayoral race and that Eric Adams was "free to do what he wants" after Adams announced that he would remain in the race today.
"No, I mean, he has to do what he wants. No. I mean, he’s free to do what he wants," Trump told reporters of Adams, when asked for his reaction to the mayor's announcement.
Trump also said that he believed a one-on-one race would give former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo the best chance of defeating Mamdani, a democratic socialist.
"We’ll get used to a communist, and he’s going to have to go through the White House and get approvals for everything, and we’re going to make sure that New York is not hurt," Trump added.
Trump also said that Adams is "a very nice person" and that he had "helped" the mayor, adding that he was "caught up in a scam by the Biden administration." Adams was charged last year with bribery, fraud and other crimes. The Justice Department in February dismissed the case.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump advisers were devising a plan for Trump to nominate Adams to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia to end his re-election bid.
Trump names his top 3 candidates for Federal Reserve chair
Speaking in the Oval Office today, Trump said that National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett was under consideration to be the next Fed chair.
Asked by a reporter if current Fed governor Christopher Waller and former Fed governor Kevin Warsh are his other top candidates, Trump said, "You could say those are the top three."
Waller was nominated to the Fed by Trump in his first term and has repeatedly called for rate cuts. Warsh also said recently that he thinks the Fed should lower rates.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the central bank for not lowering rates this year.
G20 summit to be held in Miami next year
Trump announced in the Oval Office this afternoon that the G20 summit will be held in Miami in 2026.
"I look forward to showing our incredible success to the world when we visit Miami next year," Trump said.
Trump said that the summit would be held at his Doral resort and that each country would be provided its own building.
"They actually requested that it be there, because the location is the best and we will not make any money on it," Trump said.
Trump also confirmed that he will not attend the G20 summit this year, which is slated to be held in Johannesburg in November. Vice President JD Vance will attend this year's G20, Trump said.
Trump attacks Venezuela in Oval Office remarks
Days after the Trump administration revealed that it had attacked a boat in the Caribbean that it said was operated by members of the Tren de Aragua gang carrying drugs, the president attacked Venezuela in remarks in the Oval Office.
"Millions and millions of dollars and millions of dollars of drugs are pouring out of Venezuela and other countries," Trump said. "Look at China, what they're doing with fentanyl is terrible thing. It comes through Canada, and it comes through Mexico, but a lot of it's coming through Venezuela."
He went on to call the South American nation "a very bad actor."
"When you look at that boat, you look at the — you see the bags of whatever it is that those bags were. You know what those bags represent? Hundreds of thousands of dead people in the United States. That's what they represent," he added.
McConnell says the military should be better equipped following rebranding
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called for the military to be better equipped in a post on social media after Trump signed an order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
"If we call it the Dept. of War, we’d better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars," McConnell, who serves as chairman for defense appropriations in the Senate, wrote on X.
"Can’t preserve American primacy if we’re unwilling to spend substantially more on our military than Carter or Biden. 'Peace through strength' requires investment, not just rebranding," he added.
Trump signing executive orders in Oval Office
The president is in the Oval Office signing executive orders, including one rebranding the Department of Defense as the "Department of War."
"I think it’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now," Trump said. "We have the greatest equipment in the world."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in attendance and told reporters before Trump signed the order: "We’re going to go on offense, not just on defense."
He added: "Maximum lethality, not tepid legality; violent effect, not politically correct. We’re going to raise up warriors, not just defenders. So this war department, Mr. President, just like America, is back."
House Oversight staff to meet with Epstein estate lawyers and view unredacted docs in New York next week
House Oversight Committee staffers will meet next week with lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein’s estate in New York City, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The bipartisan group of staff will get to review unredacted documents as part of the committee’s investigation into Epstein, the sources said.
At the end of August, the committee subpoenaed the estate for materials in its possession, including the “reported leather-bound book compiled by Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell for Mr. Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday” in 2003.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said the estate will start turning over materials on Sept. 8, the deadline set in the subpoena. Those documents are expected to have redactions, though the staff traveling to New York City will be able to view unredacted versions, according to one of the sources.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the panel, said the estate would produce the “birthday book” in addition to other documents.
CNN was first to report the planned meeting next week.
Trump threatens trade proceedings against the European Union after $3.45 billion Google fine
After the European Union today hit Google with a $3.45 billion antitrust fine, Trump threatened to launch a trade proceeding against the group of European nations to "nullify" the penalty.
"Europe today 'hit' another great American company, Google, with a $3.5 Billion Dollar fine, effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American Investments and Jobs," the president wrote on TruthSocial.
"We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies," he added later in the post.
Section 301 allows the U.S. to impose tariffs to combat a foreign trade practice that is deemed unfair.
The Trump administration has already used Section 301 to justify tariffs on other foreign nations, including China.
Sens. Durbin and Duckworth visit base that could house federal law enforcement deployed to Chicago
Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.; and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham visited Naval Station Great Lakes today, a location expected to be a base for any increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Department of Homeland Security activity in the region.
Following their visit, Duckworth said this is expected to be “a largely ICE/DHS effort” for roughly a month.
"They have been told by the facility, by Great Lakes, that they cannot bring lethal munitions, that they are only simply getting office space itself, that there are no barracks that are available for them to use," she added.
Both senators said that DHS refused to meet with them to discuss what activities they’re planning at the base and around this building.
“It appears to be a rather mundane, routine office building, nothing particularly unusual about it, but they would not even meet with us to discuss it. This kind of secrecy is not part of our government, and shouldn’t be. It’s an indication that there’s something about this mission they don’t want the public to know," Durbin told reporters.
"This is not the action of somebody that is proud of what they’re doing, and this is not the action of somebody that is doing something legal," Duckworth added.
Naval Station Great Lakes was first contacted on Aug. 14 with a proposal to make space available to DHS, Durbin said.
The senators added that they were concerned that what they called Trump’s “political theater” would interfere with naval training on the base, but base officials assured them the training exercises wouldn’t be affected.
Mamdani hits fundraising cap in New York City mayoral race
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani has a message for his supporters: Stop donating to him.
"We've raised the maximum amount of money we can spend in this race," Mamdani said in a cheeky social media video released Friday, a reference to the $7.93 million general election spending limit for mayoral candidates who participate in the city's matching funds program.
Saying his campaign can't take in any more money, Mamdani instead asked for voters' time as canvassers or phone bankers ahead of November's mayoral election.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces arrest of two juveniles in D.C. murder of congressional intern
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced this afternoon that two juveniles were arrested in the June murder of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym.
Pirro said two 17-year-old males, Jailen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., have both been charged in adult court with first-degree murder. She said they have prior violent juvenile records in family court. A third arrest is pending, officials said.
Pirro said she is advocating that the U.S. attorney's office take over the prosecution of juveniles 14 years and older.
"Eric didn't deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him, the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled, and it's bad enough to be gunned down on any street, to be gunned down in our nation's capital is an outrage," she said. "This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they're not kids, they're criminals. They're violent criminals."
The office of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is in charge of prosecuting cases involving juvenile suspects.
Tarpinian-Jachym was fatally shot the evening of June 30, after several gunmen opened fire on a group of people near the Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, D.C.
Police had said Tarpinian-Jachym, who was an intern for Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., was not the target of the shooters.
The Metropolitan Police Department said at the time it was offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that led to the arrests and convictions of those responsible.
MPD Chief Pamela Smith said at the news conference with Pirro, "I hope today's arrest sends a message to individuals who choose to commit violence in our city: If you harm innocent victims in our community, we will hold you accountable."
Republicans resurface anti-trans attacks in the closing stretch of the Virginia governor’s race
As Virginia’s race for governor enters its final stretch, Republicans are turning to a familiar page in their playbook: anti-transgender attacks.
On the airwaves and social media, GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and her allies have increasingly zeroed in on attacking Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s stances on transgender people’s participation in youth sports and use of school locker rooms and public bathrooms.
It marks the resurfacing of a culture war issue that emerged as major flashpoint in the 2024 campaign, most notably when Donald Trump used it as part of his closing message against Kamala Harris.
Georgia governor to send National Guard troops to Washington
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will send members of his state's National Guard to Washington to join thousands of other National Guard members deployed under Trump's plan to reduce crime in the nation's capital.
"Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation’s capital,” Kemp said in a statement today. “We share a commitment to upholding public safety and are grateful to these brave Guardsmen and women, for the families that support them, and for their dedication to service above self. As they have demonstrated again and again, our Georgia Guard is well equipped to fulfill both this mission and its obligations to the people of our state.”
Several other Republican governors — including those in South Carolina and West Virginia — have previously authorized their National Guard forces to deploy to Washington as part of Trump's agenda.
Trump says the Justice Department has ‘done its job’ in releasing Epstein documents
Trump said today that the Justice Department has “done its job” in releasing records from Jeffrey Epstein’s case and that it was “time to end” the push for more transparency.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump attacked Democrats and charged that they did “nothing” about Epstein “while he was alive except befriend him, socialize with him, travel to his Island, and take his money!” Trump was friends with Epstein for years, though he said in 2019 — after the disgraced financier’s sex trafficking arrest — that they had “a falling out.” Epstein died of suicide in jail in 2019, and conspiracies about his death and criminal case have flourished in the years since.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams says he will remain in mayoral race
Despite speculation this week that New York City Mayor Eric Adams may suspend his campaign for re-election, Adams today said he remains committed to his campaign.
“Serving New Yorkers as their mayor is the only job I’ve ever wanted. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made lowering crime, improving schools, building housing, and cutting costs for working families — and I remain the best person to lead this city forward," Adams said.
"While I will always listen if called to serve our country, no formal offers have been made. I am still running for reelection, and my full focus is on the safety and quality of life of every New Yorker.”
Adams is running as an independent and faces Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November's election.
South Korea says ‘many’ of its nationals were detained in immigration raid on Hyundai facility in Georgia
South Korea said today that it had expressed “concern and regret” to the U.S. Embassy over an immigration raid on a Hyundai facility in Georgia during which it said “many” South Korean nationals had been detained.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of the key U.S. ally, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies were involved in the operation yesterday, which an ICE spokesperson said was conducted in connection with an investigation into “unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
Trump says RFK Jr. ‘means very well’ after Senate grilling
Trump expressed his confidence in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., praising his performance after he faced tough questions from senators on both sides of the aisle yesterday about his stances on vaccines, the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez and more. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "TODAY."
Trump admin ditches Biden-era plan to make airlines pay compensation for flight disruptions
The Trump administration said yesterday it is abandoning a Biden-era plan that sought to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers with cash, lodging and meals for flight cancellations or changes caused by a carrier.
The proposed rule would have aligned U.S. policy more closely with European airline consumer protections. It was proposed last December in the final weeks of then-President Joe Biden’s administration, leaving its fate in the hands of his Republican successor.
National Economic Council director says he expects 'disappointing' jobs report to be 'revised up'
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on CNBC this morning that the latest jobs report was "disappointing" because said, “I pretty much expect it’s going to revise up.”
Hassett said people shouldn't use the jobs report as a barometer for the strength of the economy.
“When you’re looking at an economy, you have to look at like the whole portfolio of numbers that we have to look at," he said.
Asked if he was worried about the slowing rate of hiring, Hassett said, “Members of my family have been hired. Both of them started their new jobs about a week ago. And so you are seeing that people are being hired.”
Senate GOP leadership backs Ashley Hinson for Senate in Iowa
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chair of the Senate Republicans' campaign arm, have endorsed Rep. Ashley Hinson's bid for Senate in Iowa.
This comes just days after Hinson, a third-term GOP congresswoman, announced that she'd run for Senate. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, announced this week that she would not run for re-election, creating a Senate vacancy in a state that has steadily leaned Republican in recent years.
But after a string of local special elections in which Democrats have overperformed expectations or flipped seats, they also see an opening in next year's midterm elections, with Ernst and retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds leaving open statewide seats.
Trump says the Justice Department has 'done its job' with releasing Jeffrey Epstein records
In a lengthy post on Truth Social this morning, Trump attacked Democrats for pushing for transparency regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case and asserted that the Department of Justice has already done its job in releasing records.
"The confused and badly failing Democrat Party did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive except befriend him, socialize with him, travel to his Island, and take his money!" he wrote. "They knew everything there was to know about Epstein, but now, years after his death, they, out of nowhere, are seeming to show such love and heartfelt concern for his victims. Does anybody really believe that?"
Trump said that Democrats don't care about Epstein victims and said it's another "Democrat HOAX, just like Russia, Russia, Russia, and all of the others, in order to deflect and distract from the great success of a Republican President, and the record setting failure of the previous Administration, and the Democrat Party."
It's not just Democrats, however, that want the Trump administration to release more documents. Several outspoken Republican members of Congress are calling for that as well, including Reps. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky; Lauren Boebert, of Colorado; Nancy Mace, of South Carolina; and Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia. They are pushing a floor vote in the House that would require the Justice Department to hand over documents to Congress.
The Justice Department has only turned over about one-third of the Epstein files to the House Oversight Committee. The files total about 100,000 pages, and the Oversight panel has said it obtained 34,000 pages and was expecting to get more, but didn't indicate when.
Schumer says Senate Democrats will force votes on tariffs
In a statement reacting to the new jobs numbers out today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that Democrats would force votes on Trump's tariffs and attacked the president over the jobs report.
“Today’s jobs report was worse than the already low expectations. This is a blaring red light warning to the entire country that Donald Trump is squeezing the life out of our economy," Schumer said.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will force votes to reverse Donald Trump’s damaging tariffs and we will see whose side Republicans are on," he added. “I hope Republicans will choose wisely.”
The Senate has voted before to undo the tariffs Trump has imposed, with one of those measures passing and the other failing on a tie vote, but neither passed in the House, where the GOP majority can typically ignore legislation that does not align with Trump’s agenda.
D.C. sues Trump administration over deployment of National Guard
The city of Washington has filed a lawsuit against Trump and the military over the deployment of the National Guard in the nation’s capital.
Putin warns Western troops would be 'targets' if sent to Ukraine before a peace deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned today that any troops Western countries would send to Ukraine before a peace deal would be "targets for their destruction."
"If any troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for their destruction," Putin said at an economic forum event in Vladivostok, Russia.
Putin also said that if a long-term peace deal is reached, he doesn't see a reason for a Western troop presence in Ukraine.
"Because if these agreements are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will implement them in full," he said. "And we will respect those security guarantees that, of course, must be developed for both Russia and Ukraine. And, I repeat once again, of course, Russia will fulfill the agreement.”
Ukraine's allies, however, aren’t suggesting troops be sent into Ukraine before a peace deal. The U.S. could take a lead role, for example, in monitoring a large buffer zone inside Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached.
Venezuelan military aircraft flew by U.S. Navy vessel in 'highly provocative move,' Pentagon says
The Pentagon said last night that two Venezuelan military aircraft flew by a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters.
"This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations," the Defense Department said in a statement posted on X. "The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotic and counter-terror operation carried out by the US military."
The U.S. carried out a strike on a vessel that left Venezuela allegedly carrying drugs in the southern Caribbean earlier this week. Trump said the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang and the strike killed 11 people on the boat.
Trump’s envoy to Israel on what binds the two countries
JERUSALEM — He’s quipped more than once that President Donald Trump misheard Israel’s request for a “Maccabee” — an ancient Jewish warrior — and instead sent a “Huckabee.”
But U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says his devotion to Israel, and conviction that he is carrying out God’s work in the Holy Land, is no joke.
U.S. could take lead watching Ukraine buffer zone if peace deal with Russia comes together
Reporting from Washington
If a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine ever comes together, the United States could take the lead role in monitoring a large buffer zone inside Ukraine envisioned as a way to protect the country from Russia, according to four people familiar with a plan that military officials from Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, have been discussing.
The buffer zone would be a large demilitarized area — the borders of which have not yet been decided — inside what is now Ukraine, dividing Russian and Ukrainian territory within the country. In part because of its technological capabilities, the United States would take the lead in watching the buffer zone, using drones and satellites along with other intelligence capabilities, but it would coordinate with other countries that would also monitor.
Democrats return to Trump’s Washington after getting an earful of ‘Do something’ at home
Congressional Democrats returned to Washington earlier this week, fresh off of a lengthy summer recess where they heard one prevailing message from constituents in town halls and other events: Do something.
Now, Democratic lawmakers — in the minority in the Senate and the House as well as out of the White House — are confronting the limited number of things they can do while trying to appease party members desperate to see some action.
Democrats from battleground states and districts told NBC News near the end of the congressional recess that constituents repeatedly urged them throughout August to keep resisting Trump and his congressional GOP allies. But they acknowledged that there’s little they can do to fight the president’s agenda with no power in Congress, instead focusing on how they can raise the profile of some issues and also organize ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump grows pessimistic about the prospect of ending the Russia-Ukraine war
Reporting from Washington
Trump has grown increasingly pessimistic about the chance of brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict anytime soon or seeing the leaders of the two warring countries meet in person, according to two senior administration officials.
Trump isn’t abandoning hopes of settling the dispute: He joined a conference call Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, in which he stressed that “Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war,” a White House official said. Trump also made the point that European leaders must subject China to economic pressure for underwriting the Russian war effort, the official added.
But Trump’s more dour view of reaching a peace deal underscores the distance he has traveled since the 2024 campaign, when he brashly predicted he’d end the war within 24 hours of taking office. (He later said he was speaking “figuratively.”) Trump has since acknowledged that the war has proved a more stubborn problem than he expected.
Trump to sign executive order rebranding Defense Department as the Department of War
Reporting from Washgington
Trump will sign an executive order today adding “Department of War” as the secondary title of the Defense Department, two White House officials told NBC News.
The order, which Trump is expected to sign in the Oval Office, won’t rename the Defense Department, but it will authorize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use secondary titles like “secretary of war” and “Department of War” in official correspondence and public communications and during formal ceremonies, according to a White House preview of the order.
Jobs report expected to show weakness in labor market
The federal government will release data this morning that experts say is unlikely to allay concerns about a slowdown in the jobs market.
Analysts estimate the U.S. added 75,000 jobs in July, which would be a slight improvement from the 73,000 in June. However, it would put the year-to-date total at 672,000, barring revisions, down from more than 1.1 million during the same period last year.