{"id":157193,"date":"2025-07-16T12:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/mike-johnson-calls-for-epstein-files-and-ice-memos-gives-deportation-guidance-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T12:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:55:11","slug":"mike-johnson-calls-for-epstein-files-and-ice-memos-gives-deportation-guidance-morning-rundown-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/mike-johnson-calls-for-epstein-files-and-ice-memos-gives-deportation-guidance-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Johnson calls for Epstein files and ICE memos gives deportation guidance: Morning Rundown – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morning Rundown: Mike Johnson calls for Epstein files release, ICE starts third country deportations, and Arizona rep\u2019s daughter wins primary for his seat<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Donald Trump brushes off his supporters\u2019 interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case, and House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks out. An ICE memo details how officials can deport immigrants to third countries. And Grok, the Elon Musk-owned AI chatbot, debuts two so-called \u201ccompanions.\u201d <\/em>
Here\u2019s what to know today.<\/em>
Donald Trump responded to mounting criticism of his administration\u2019s handling of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s case, saying yesterday that he doesn\u2019t understand the buzz. \u201cHe\u2019s dead for a long time,\u201d the president said<\/strong><\/a> when asked about frustration from his supporters. \u201cHe was never a big factor in terms of life. I don\u2019t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody.\u201d
Earlier in the day, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release \u201cwhatever she thinks is credible\u201d on Epstein, while Bondi herself declined to answer questions<\/strong><\/a> about the issue. Though some have called for her to resign, Bondi was defiant during a press conference. \u201cI\u2019m going to be here as long as the president wants me to be here,\u201d she said.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up <\/strong><\/em>here<\/strong><\/em><\/a> to get it in your inbox.<\/strong><\/em>
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson showed a rare break from Trump by joining other conservatives in calling for the release of documents. The administration \u201cshould put everything out there and let the people decide,\u201d he told conservative commentator Benny Johnson yesterday. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and John Kennedy are among those who have also called out the Trump administration<\/strong><\/a>.
The uproar about the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the Epstein case comes after the Justice Department and FBI released a memo last week saying they found no evidence that the late financier had kept an \u201cincriminating \u2018client list\u2019\u201d or evidence that would lead to the prosecution of third parties. Conspiracy theories that \u201cEpstein didn\u2019t kill himself\u201d began to spread almost immediately after Epstein\u2019s 2019 death in a New York City jail as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump also took to Truth Social last Saturday to urge people to move on. If he thought his words would put an end to things, he was wrong. Data from Google shows that searches for Epstein spiked after Trump posted. It was also notable that the post, on the president\u2019s own social network, received many frustrated responses from supporters.
Data from Google shows that searches for Epstein spiked after Trump posted. It was also notable that the post, on the president\u2019s own social network, received many frustrated responses from supporters.
Trump has used conspiracy theories for political gain since before he ran for president, like when he stoked false claims that Barack Obama\u2019s birth certificate was fake. During his most recent presidential campaign, Trump said he would have \u201cno problem\u201d looking into an Epstein client list. And once he took office, Trump appointed people who have also promoted conspiracy theories to senior positions in his administration.
But now, Trump is bearing the brunt of those same conspiracies in an inescapable viral commotion.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
The Department of Homeland Security\u00a0resumed\u00a0third country deportation flights<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday by deporting five immigrant detainees, all from different countries, to the small nation of Eswatini in Southern Africa. The resumption of third country deportations comes as ICE put out new guidance that its employees are allowed in certain circumstances\u00a0to deport migrants to countries\u00a0that are not their own in as little as six hours \u2014 and without assurances from the third country that they \u201cwill not be persecuted or tortured.\u201d
But “in all other cases” where the U.S. has not received those assurances, ICE must follow certain procedures, including that officials must give immigrants a removal notice in a language the person understands and which tells them where the government intends to deport them. Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
The daughter of the late Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva won the Democratic primary to fill his former House seat in Arizona, The Associated Press projects. Adelita Grijalva, a former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, defeated activist Deja Foxx and former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez and is set to face Republican Daniel Butierez in a special election in September. Both Grijalva, 54, and Foxx described themselves as progressives, but fissures emerged during the campaign over the issue of generational change.
Ra\u00fal Grijalva won 12 terms representing Arizona\u2019s 7th House District before he died in March at the age of 77. The heavily Democratic district encompasses most of Tucson and the state\u2019s southern border. Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
Elon Musk\u2019s AI chatbot Grok turned heads last week for writing antisemitic social media posts on X. Now, Grok has introduced so-called \u201cCompanions\u201d that interact with users. One is a flirty Japanese anime character named Ani who offers to make users\u2019 lives \u201csexier.\u201d The other is a red panda named Bad Rudi with a penchant for foul language.
Tech reporter David Ingram wrote that both bots criticized the Nazis and the action of xAI, the Musk-owned company behind Grok. But the graphic nature of the companions makes them outliers among other AI chatbots with a willingness to embrace hateful language and sexual content. Just look at snippets of Bad Rudi\u2019s conversation<\/strong><\/a> with NBC News, in which the character advocated for stealing a yacht, overthrowing the pope and spiking a town\u2019s water supply with hot sauce and glitter. \u2014 <\/em>Elizabeth Robinson, <\/strong><\/em>newsletter editor<\/em>
Curious about which food is best for your young pup? Veterinarians recommend the best puppy food<\/strong><\/a> with all the proper nutrients and tell us which ingredients to avoid. And should cats eat wet food, dry food or both<\/strong><\/a>? Vets break down what you should know when choosing what to feed your feline friend.
Sign up to The Selection<\/strong><\/em><\/a> newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.<\/em>
Thanks for reading today\u2019s Morning Rundown. Today\u2019s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you\u2019re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>
Elizabeth Robinson is a newsletter editor for NBC News, based in Los Angeles.
Josh Feldman is a weekend platforms and social editor for NBC News.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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