Monday, July 28 | By Jonathan Easley

©  The Hill, Greg Nash

PRESIDENT TRUMP on Monday broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the hunger crisis in Gaza, adding to a steady drumbeat of international pressure on Israel.

Trump weighed in during his multiday trip to Scotland as images of starving Gazan civilians — including many children — spread globally, provoking anger from critics and allies alike.

Netanyahu said over the weekend “there is no starvation” in Gaza and that claims to the contrary are a “bold-faced lie.”

But Trump said Monday there is “real starvation” happening. He said the U.S. would assist with the creation of “food centers” in Gaza, though details are scant at the moment.

“We’re going to be getting some good, strong food. We can save a lot of people,” Trump said at a press conference in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Some of those kids — that’s real starvation. I see it. And you can’t fake that. So we’re going to be even more involved.”

“We’re going to do it in conjunction with some very good people, and we’re going to supply funds. … And other nations are joining us,” Trump added.

The Israeli military briefly paused fighting in parts of Gaza over the weekend to allow for aid to get through, as news reports and humanitarian groups claimed Israel had blocked aid from entering Gaza.

Jewish Insider reports: “Israel over the weekend announced a series of measures aimed at alleviating the widespread malnutrition and security issues in the enclave, including temporary ceasefires, aid airdrops, facilitating a massive increase in Gaza’s water supply and establishing designated humanitarian corridors — even as the IDF called claims of starvation in Gaza ‘a false campaign promoted by Hamas’.”

Trump said Monday that “Israel can do a lot” to end the starvation.

However, Trump and other GOP officials have accused Hamas of stealing aid that is meant for starving civilians.

The president also blamed Hamas for failing to reach a ceasefire deal, saying they’ve been “very difficult” to negotiate with. The Palestinian militant group has refused to release remaining hostages, complicating negotiations.

Peace talks between Israel and Hamas crumbled last week, with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff saying Hamas had shown a “lack of desire” to reach a truce. U.S. and Israeli officials have said they’re looking at “alternative options” to end the war.

Still, the international pressure campaign against Israel over the hunger crisis is growing and could be further enflamed by Trump’s break with Netanyahu.

“We need to galvanize other countries in support of getting that aid in and yes, that does involve putting pressure on Israel because it, absolutely, this is a humanitarian catastrophe now,” Starmer said during the press conference.

Several European leaders have begun calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state, led by French President Emmanuel Macron.

And some of Israel’s staunchest allies in the U.S. are warning that Israel is approaching a tipping point.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), a strong ally to Jewish Americans, told journalist Chuck Todd that Netanyahu has done “irreparable damage” to the relationship between Israel and Democrats.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats, said in a statement: “I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy."

Trump is also ramping up pressure on Russia to end the war with Ukraine.

The president said he plans to shorten the timeline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire to within the next two weeks because he’s unhappy that Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Trump had given Russia a Sept. 2 deadline to end the war or face new sanctions and tariffs. On Monday, Trump indicated the new deadline would be in early August.

“I’m not so interested in talking [with Putin] anymore,” Trump said.

“He talks — we have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversations and then people die the following night,” he added.

💡Perspectives:

• The Wall Street Journal: Gaza’s aid crisis helps only Hamas.

• Free Press: Searching for the truth on Gaza in an information war.

• The Bulwark: Trump’s ides of August.

• National Review: America’s future depends on multiplication, not division.

• Washington Monthly: The Trump era and the psychology of moral courage.

Read more: 

• Trump spoke to Thailand, Cambodia leaders after ceasefire.

• Pro-Israel Democrats express concern.

• Senate GOP quietly urges House to shift approach on shutdown talk.

• Trump team’s ‘pocket rescission’ idea runs into GOP opposition.

• Third court blocks Trump birthright citizenship order.

• A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump administration from cutting funding to all Planned Parenthood affiliates as part of the bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president.

   

• Climate researchers quietly planned a test to dim sunlight.

   

• NASA is slashing more than 20 percent of its workforce.

©  AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

President Trump on Monday detailed his falling out with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as Republicans and Democrats push for more transparency on the Epstein case.

Speaking at joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, Trump explained his reasoning for banishing Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

“He did something that was inappropriate,” Trump said. “He hired help and I said don't ever do that again. He stole people that worked for me, I said don’t ever do that again, he did it again and I threw him out of the place … and that was it, I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth.”

Trump also said he turned down an invitation to visit Epstein’s private island, calling it “one of my very good moments.”

“I never had the privilege of going to his island and I did turn him down," Trump said. "But a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments I turned it down, I didn’t want to go to his island.”

Trump has sought to close the book on the Epstein matter ever since his Justice Department determined there was no “client list” and reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide in his New York City jail cell.

On Monday, Trump’s lawyers said in a new court filing they want to depose Rupert Murdoch as quickly as possible as part of their lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a story claiming Trump once sent Epstein a birthday card.

Congress has been issuing subpoenas to obtain additional files in the Epstein case, including for Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years on sex-trafficking charges.

A senior Justice Department official interviewed Maxwell last week seeking additional information.

“I’m allowed to give her a pardon,” Trump said Monday. “Nobody’s approached me with it, nobody’s asked me about it. It’s in the news, about that, that aspect of it. But right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

Maxwell on Monday urged the Supreme Court to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction.

“We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwellfor Epstein’s crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted,” attorney David Oscar Markus wrote.

Congress has also approved subpoenas for several Democratic officials that similarly ran in Epstein’s social circle, including former President Clinton.

“I never went to the island and Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times,” Trump said. “I never went to the island but [former Treasury Secretary] Larry Summers, I hear, went there, he was the head of Harvard. And many other people that are very big people, nobody ever talks about them.”

Trump’s insistence that Congress drop the matter has failed to quell the uproar among lawmakers seeking full transparency in the case.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has cosponsored legislation with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) seeking additional Epstein files, said the administration is “hiding behind” claims that they’re trying to protect victims.

“Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims’ names will be redacted and that no child pornography will be released. So, they’re hiding behind that,” Massie said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We’re trying to get justice for the victims and transparency for America,” Massie added. “And so, you know, we’ve redacted things before. We don’t want to hurt the victims. We’re doing this for the victims.”

MEANWHILE…

Trump would rather talk about GOP probes into key figures from the Obama administration following the release of newly declassified documents pertaining to Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 election.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director James Comey could face charges for allegedly manipulating and manufacturing intelligence to create a narrative that Russia intervened on Trump’s behalf.

“We’re gonna continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to make fair and just, bring fair and justice claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on our country,” Ratcliffe said.

The officials deny wrongdoing and point to a bipartisan Senate investigation that found Russia sought to boost Trump in the election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump, meanwhile, said over the weekend that former Vice President Kamala Harris should be “prosecuted” for allegedly paying celebrities, including Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Al Sharpton, to endorse her and participate in campaign events during the 2024 presidential election. 

The celebrities deny the pay-to-play scheme and say all the money passed on to workers putting the events together or to their nonprofit organizations was legal.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: The rise and fall of John Brennan.

• RealClearPolitics: The Epstein files briar patch.

• Sasha Stone: Confessions of a Russiagate true believer.

• The Hill: Trump turns against his own supporters over Epstein.

• Axios: Trump trade deals prove access to the U.S. still matters.

Read more: 

• DOJ shuts down dark web child abuse sites that had 120,000 members.

• DOJ granted Maxwell limited immunity during meeting.

• Johnson on talk of Maxwell pardon: ’20 years was a pittance.’

• Five unanswered questions around Trump and the Epstein saga.

©  Greg Nash

Nations have until Thursday to reach a new trade deal with the U.S. or face higher reciprocal tariffs.

The Trump administration insists there will be no more delays after backing away from several previous deadlines.

“No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

President Trump and European Union (EU) leader Ursula von der Leyen announced a trade deal imposing a 15 percent tariff on EU products shipped to the U.S. The EU will purchase billions in U.S. energy and make additional investments in the U.S.

Trump had threatened the EU with a 30 percent tariff if no deal was reached before Aug. 1.

France, an EU member country, is furious over the deal.

“It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to assert their values and defend their interests, resigns itself to submission,” Prime Minister François Bayrou posted on X.

Belgium’s prime minister described the deal as a “moment of relief” but not worthy of celebration.

MEANWHILE...

The U.S. and China met in Stockholm on Monday to begin a third round of trade talks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng huddled for the first of two days of talks.

Bessent has said he expects they’ll agree to an extension of current levels of tariffs, with the U.S. imposing 30 percent levies on Chinese goods and China imposing 10 percent tariffs on U.S. goods.

The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky details all the trade deals reached so far.

💡Perspectives:

• The Hill: Trump should move online in his fight against left-wing bias.

• The Liberal Patriot: Can Dems make progress in red states?

• Neera Tanden: How Democrats can win on immigration.

• New York: Can Dems neutralize Trump’s midterm tricks?

• The Atlantic: How NASA engineered its own decline.

Read more: 

• US-EU trade deal: What to know.

• Trump leans into trade deals to shake off polling slump.

• 5 ways Trump has shaped the economy in 6 months.

• Trump this time is trying to help GOP avoid messy primary fights.

• Democrats hear some criticism as redistricting talk picks up.

The political landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections is taking shape.

Republicans face severe headwinds as the party in power, but Democrats were splashed with a cold dose of reality in a new Wall Street Journal poll.

Nearly two-thirds of all voters have a negative view of the Democratic Party, the lowest approval rating for the party in more than 30 years. And while the survey found that voters disapproved of Trump’s handling of a variety of issues, they generally said they trusted Republicans more than Democrats to take care of those issues in Congress.

How are Democrats looking to change that?

The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports that they’re ramping up their town-hall blitz in GOP-held districts with a focus on Trump’s refusal to release the federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein. 

In addition, Democratic candidates have taken to posting weightlifting videos, as they try to reconnect with male voters that have fled to the right in recent elections, CNN reports.

Republicans are focusing on selling the Trump agenda bill to the public, with Vice President Vance making a stop in his home-state of Ohio on Monday to swipe at vulnerable Democrats, including Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio).

“You know why she’s not here today? Because she’s not celebrating no taxes on tips. She’s not celebrating no taxes on overtime. She’s not celebrating the highest take-home pay in years because she fought us every step of the way on the big, beautiful bill,” Vance said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seen by many as a potential 2028 presidential contender, said on Fox News’s “My View with Lara Trump” that Vance would make a “great nominee” for the GOP in the next presidential cycle.

“I think he’s doing a great job as vice president,” Rubio said. “He’s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it.”

Rubio sidestepped a question on his own presidential ambitions.

Here are the latest developments in some key races in 2026 and beyond...

• Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is entering the Senate race, a recruitment win for Democrats who hope the popular former governor will give them a strong chance in one of the most competitive races next year. 

• Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) announced he’s launching a bid to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), making him the latest Republican to throw his hat in the mix. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is expected to make a decision on whether to run for governor soon.

• Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) will run in the GOP Senate primary, joining a field of hopefuls looking to defeat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).

• Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is traveling to New Hampshire next month, further fueling speculation that he’ll run for president in 2028.

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