Trump denies letter to Epstein and Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ to end: Morning Rundown

A $9 billion rescissions package could jeopardize the future of hundreds of local NPR and PBS stations. Pam Bondi said she’ll request the release of “grand jury transcripts” in the Jeffrey Epstein case. And how patients are using AI to challenge insurance claim denials.

Here’s what to know today.

Congress sends $9 billion spending cuts to Trump’s desk

President Donald Trump is expected to sign a bill cutting $9 billion in spending that Congress had already approved after the Republican-led House voted overnight to pass the package. The House voted 216-213 in favor of the package, with just two GOP representatives — Mike Turner of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — joining Democrats to oppose the measure.

The package cuts $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding cuts to NPR and PBS. Now, hundreds of member stations will face millions in budget cuts, and media advocates warn the cuts would have an especially harmful impact on rural Americans, who may rely more heavily on the outlets for local news. Some stations are already downsizing in anticipation of the funding. Read more about how the funding cuts could affect public media.

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The package cuts $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding to NPR and PBS. Now, hundreds of member stations will face millions in budget cuts, and media advocates warn these will have an especially harmful impact on rural Americans, who may rely more heavily on the outlets for local news. Some stations are already downsizing in anticipation. Read more about how the funding cuts could affect public media.

The package also cuts $8 billion from foreign aid, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and programs to promote global health and refugee assistance. However, $400 million in cuts to PEPFAR, the popular global HIV/AIDS program that then-President George W. Bush started in 2003, were pulled from the final package after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats’ in opposing the cuts in the Senate. Seeking to tamp down the GOP rebellion, the White House agreed to drop the PEPFAR cuts. Read more about the program credited with saving millions of lives.

The final $9 billion package, which Trump requested, passed both chambers of Congress with only Republican votes through a rarely used “rescissions” process that can bypass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. Democrats condemned the cuts as cruel and an attempt by Republicans to appear fiscally responsible after the GOP voted to add $3.3 trillion to the debt in Trump’s massive domestic policy bill.

Read the full story here.

More politics news:

• Democrats walked out of a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to advance the nomination of Emil Bove, a senior Justice Department official and Trump’s personal lawyer, for a federal judgeship.

• Nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees’ personal information will be shared with federal immigration authorities as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up deportations.

• The Trump administration officially terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s specialized service for LGBTQ youth.

• A day after she was fired as U.S. attorney, Maurene Comey wrote a memo urging her colleagues to fight back against “abuses of power.”

• Lawmakers introduced a group of bills aimed at banning or regulating cancer-causing chemicals in hair and beauty products marketed toward Black women.

Trump denies letter to Epstein and orders Bondi to seek release of records

A new article from the Wall Street Journal has alleged that Trump wrote a letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday more than two decades ago. It reportedly included an outline of a naked woman and a “Donald” signature.

Trump denied the report. “I never wrote a picture in my life,” he told the newspaper. “I don’t draw pictures of women.” Trump later confirmed his plans to seek legal action against the newspaper; its parent company, News Corp.; and Rupert Murdoch, the organization’s head.

Trump said yesterday in a social media post that he has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “pertinent testimony” tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case amid pressure from his supporters and some Republicans for more transparency about the case. Bondi responded on X that the Justice Department would request that the court “unseal the grand jury transcripts” on Friday. Trump’s decision comes amid a rare splintering of his base over the Justice Department’s decision earlier this month not to disclose new information related to the investigation into Epstein, the financier whose 2019 death in a New York jail has spurred conspiracy theories.

Also yesterday, the White House said that Trump would not appoint a special counsel to review the case, as some allies had advocated for.

Read the full story here.

Cost of Obamacare expected to soar in 2026

Insurers that offer health care plans through the Affordable Care Act are planning a 15% increase in 2026, the largest in seven years, according to a new analysis from health policy research group KFF. That means a family of three earning $110,000 a year enrolled in a silver ACA plan could potentially see their monthly cost jump from $779 to $1,662 in 2026, according to KFF. The finalized plans, including how much more people will be expected to pay each month, are usually published around August.

The premium increase will likely come on top of the loss of enhanced subsidies, which helped people pay for ACA health plans by capping the costs at a certain proportion of their income. The subsidies, enacted during the Biden administration and extended through 2025, were not extended in the domestic policy bill Trump signed into law earlier this month. The president’s bill also added more hurdles for people who get their health insurance through the ACA. “This is not a repeal [of the ACA], but it’s certainly an attempt to move in that direction,” one expert said. Read the full story here.

Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ will come to an end

CBS is closing the curtain on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” next May, the network announced, putting an end to the show Colbert has hosted since 2015 — and the franchise itself. CBS executives said in a joint statement yesterday that the move “is a purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and not related to the show’s content or “other matters happening at Paramount.”

CBS’s parent company, Paramount, is in the midst of an $8 billion merger with Hollywood studio Skydance. Earlier this month, Paramount agreed in principle to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, by paying $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library. Colbert had recently criticized the settlement, calling it “a big fat bribe.” Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• Trump is pushing for Coca-Cola to sweeten its products with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. But is cane sugar actually healthier? Experts explain the negative impacts of both ingredients.

• The White House said Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after he was examined for “mild swelling” in his legs. Here’s what to know about the non-life-threatening condition.

• Juul can continue to sell its e-cigarettes and refill cartridges, though the FDA’s authorization does not mean the products are safe or “FDA approved.”

• A 22-year-old could face up to life in prison after he was charged with murder in the fatal shootings of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband in their Los Angeles home.

• A couple spotted on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert immediately hid their faces, leading frontman Chris Martin to joke that they were having an affair.

Staff Pick: AI is helping patients fight insurance companies

Stephanie Nixdorf, a stage 4 cancer survivor in Davidson, North Carolina, couldn’t even open a cup of yogurt because of crippling arthritis caused by her immunotherapy. Yet her health insurer, Premera Blue Cross, kept turning her down for a treatment her doctors said would help. Exasperated, she used an artificial intelligence tool to write an appeal letter filled with clinical evidence supporting the treatment — and two days later, Premera approved her for the drug.

I spoke with Stephanie about her decision to turn to AI to get the treatment she needed. She’s among a growing cohort of patients who are fed up with insurance company denials and are finding new ways to fight back. — Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Amazon Prime Day is over, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a bunch of leftover deals worth checking out, including discounted Apple AirTags, dog treats and more. Speaking of deals, Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale runs until Aug. 3 and offers deals on apparel, footwear and more.

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