Putin and Trump envoy meet; blue state Democrats weigh paths to new congressional maps

The Trump administration is considering publicly releasing the transcript of a Justice Department official’s two-day interview with Ghislaine Maxwell last month, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News yesterday.

“We’re leaning toward transparency,” the source said.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator and confidant, for nine hours of interviews over two days in July. Former prosecutors told NBC News last month that it was highly unusual for the Justice Department’s second-in-command to personally interview a witness.

Read the full story here.

Democrats in America’s two biggest blue states are hatching plans to respond in kind to a mid-decade move by Texas to draw a friendlier House map for Republicans.

Retaliation threats have come from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who lead states where Democrats control large legislative majorities. Two can play at this game, they say, vowing to similarly eliminate GOP-held seats in their states.

But that’s easier said than done.

Read the full story here.