US politics live: Congress cuts $9 billion in PBS and NPR funding, trump says ‘this is big’ after public broadcasting axed

Congress has axed public broadcaster funding for the first time since the 1960s, with DOGE-driven cuts devastating the stations.

Welcome to our wrap of today’s US politics coverage.

Donald Trump has directed US Attorney-General Pam Bondi to release “pertinent” grand jury testimony in the case of Jeffrey Epstein.

“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney-General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” the President wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

Ms Bondi responded with an X post of her own, writing: “President Trump – we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”

But the documentation in question would likely be only a tiny fraction of the so-called “Epstein files”, for reasons explored in more detail below. By the estimation of one former federal prosecutor, we’re talking about maybe “1 per cent or 2 per cent” of the files.

Mr Trump’s decision follows intense pressure from his base for more transparency in the case, and comes hours after The Wall Street Journal reported on a note he allegedly wrote to the child sex trafficker.

In non-Epstein news, Congress today passed a bill rescinding funding for American public broadcasters PBS and NPR, which will place huge financial pressures on a network of local radio and television stations across the country.

And earlier today, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed the President has been diagnosed with a condition called chronic venous insufficiency in his legs.

Read our earlier blog posts below

Originally published as US politics live: Congress cuts $9 billion in PBS and NPR funding, trump says ‘this is big’ after public broadcasting axed