{"id":157436,"date":"2025-07-18T13:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T13:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-denies-letter-to-epstein-and-stephen-colberts-late-show-to-end-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T13:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T13:20:14","slug":"trump-denies-letter-to-epstein-and-stephen-colberts-late-show-to-end-morning-rundown-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-denies-letter-to-epstein-and-stephen-colberts-late-show-to-end-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump denies letter to Epstein and Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' to end: Morning Rundown – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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.<\/em>
Here\u2019s what to know today.<\/em>
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 \u2014 Mike Turner of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania \u2014 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<\/strong><\/a> about how the funding cuts could affect public media.
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>
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<\/strong><\/a> 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\u2019 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<\/strong><\/a> 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 \u201crescissions\u201d 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\u2019s massive domestic policy bill.
Read the full story here. <\/strong><\/a>
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 \u201cDonald\u201d signature.
Trump denied the report. \u201cI never wrote a picture in my life,\u201d he told the newspaper. \u201cI don\u2019t draw pictures of women.\u201d Trump later confirmed his plans to seek legal action against the newspaper; its parent company, News Corp.; and Rupert Murdoch, the organization\u2019s head.
Trump said yesterday in a social media post that he has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release \u201cpertinent testimony\u201d<\/strong><\/a> 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 \u201cunseal the grand jury transcripts\u201d on Friday. Trump\u2019s decision comes amid a rare splintering of his base over the Justice Department\u2019s 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<\/strong><\/a> to review the case, as some allies had advocated for.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
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\u2019s bill also added more hurdles for people who get their health insurance through the ACA. \u201cThis is not a repeal [of the ACA], but it\u2019s certainly an attempt to move in that direction,\u201d one expert said. Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
CBS is closing the curtain on \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u201d next May, the network announced, putting an end to the show Colbert has hosted since 2015 \u2014 and the franchise itself. CBS executives said in a joint statement yesterday that the move \u201cis a purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night\u201d and not related to the show\u2019s content or \u201cother matters happening at Paramount.\u201d
CBS\u2019s 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 \u201c60 Minutes\u201d interview with Kamala Harris, by paying $16 million to Trump\u2019s future presidential library. Colbert had recently criticized the settlement, calling it \u201ca big fat bribe.\u201d Read the full story here. <\/strong><\/a>
Stephanie Nixdorf, a stage 4 cancer survivor in Davidson, North Carolina, couldn\u2019t 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 \u2014 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\u2019s among a growing cohort of patients who are fed up with insurance company denials and are finding new ways to fight back<\/strong><\/a>. \u2014 <\/em>Gretchen Morgenson<\/strong><\/em>, senior financial reporter<\/em>
Amazon Prime Day is over, but that doesn\u2019t mean that there aren\u2019t a bunch of leftover deals<\/strong><\/a> worth checking out, including discounted Apple AirTags, dog treats and more. Speaking of deals, Nordstrom\u2019s Anniversary Sale<\/strong><\/a> runs until Aug. 3 and offers deals on apparel, footwear and more.
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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