{"id":214998,"date":"2026-06-26T19:26:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T19:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/live-updates-trump-delivers-remarks-at-faith-and-freedom-conference-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T19:26:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T19:26:42","slug":"live-updates-trump-delivers-remarks-at-faith-and-freedom-conference-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/live-updates-trump-delivers-remarks-at-faith-and-freedom-conference-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Live updates: Trump delivers remarks at Faith and Freedom conference – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Billionaire investor Leon Black testified before the House Oversight Committee in its Jeffery Epstein probe. Chair James Comer said he issued two subpoenas to Black during the hearing.
Speaker Mike Johnson will officially transmit the 21st Century ROAD to Housing bill to the White House on Monday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the process.
Johnson said last night, after meeting with Trump, that he would be \u201ctransmitting the housing bill to the White House\u201d but did not specify when that would take place.
It is not clear whether this means Trump will sign the bill Monday. Once the bill is officially transmitted, it triggers a 10-day clock for the president to sign the legislation, or it becomes law at the end of that window.
Trump has wrapped his remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, which also included him touting the renovations of various parts of D.C., the Iran war and the effort to topple the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Trump railed against the democratic socialist candidates who won their primary elections in New York this week.
“I looked at some of the people that got elected the other night in New York. These are in many ways stupid people, in some ways, and intellectually probably pretty smart, but they’re people that want to destroy our country,” Trump said in his remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event.
“They hate our country, they hate our people, they hate the Democrat party. The Democrat party is in big trouble, because this isn’t stopping with New York,” he added.
Trump said that in his remarks today at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, he plans to address the recent election victories of democratic socialist candidates<\/a>, whom he called “Communists.”
He said in a Truth Social post, “one of the Statements I will be making, perhaps the most important of them all, concerns the recent Election of Communists in our Country. Communism is very easy to sell.”
He mocked the candidates, several of whom defeated incumbent lawmakers in New York’s Democratic primary this week.
“I\u2019d be the Greatest Communist in History. I\u2019d give free rent, free houses, free food, everything is free. Unfortunately, after two or three years, the Country where this is taking place would fail. It always does, and then you\u2019ll start living in squalor,” Trump wrote.
\u201cThese are not social Dumocrats, these are hard core, godless Communists. This is the most serious threat to our Country since its existence 250 years ago,” he added. “Isn\u2019t it ironic, we\u2019re celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we\u2019re speaking about yet another threat to the Foundations of America.\u201d
After Black left his Oversight Committee interview, ranking member Robert Garcia said he looks \u201cforward to Leon Black coming back under oath and answering all of our questions.\u201d
\u201cThis is why under oath depositions are so important, because these transcribed interviews provide these witnesses the opportunity to say that they were not under oath, they may not answer questions,\u201d Garcia said.
Black appeared voluntarily today but was subpoenaed by Comer during his interview for a deposition July 16.
\u201cThis is also the first time I heard someone gush poetically about how smart and how great Jeffrey Epstein was,\u201d Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said. \u201cHe did that during the interview today, and then right off the bat he said that he would not answer questions about his sex life or about his personal life or about any of the sexual assault or abuse allegations, except to say they didn\u2019t happen.\u201d
Black left Capitol Hill after about two hours at his closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee concerning his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Comer had said that he served Black with two subpoenas after he would not answer questions about nondisclosure agreements he had with women. \u201cOne for all the NDAs that he is party to, and second for a deposition on July 16,\u201d Comer said.
After Black departed, his lawyer, Susan Estrich, called the subpoenas \u201cnothing more than a political stunt.\u201d
\u201cThey made a premeditated political decision to serve him with subpoenas after less than an hour of questioning, and before they even asked a single question about his legitimate payments to Epstein,\u201d Estrich told reporters.
She said \u201cnever abused a woman, never was with an underage woman, he never engaged in sex trafficking, he never paid Epstein for access to women, he was never blackmailed by Epstein.\u201d
Oversight Chairman James Comer said he issued two subpoenas to Leon Black after the first hour of his closed-door interview: \u201cOne for all the NDAs that he is party to, and second for a deposition on July 16.\u201d
Comer said Black is appearing voluntarily today but is \u201crefusing to answer specific questions\u201d about NDAs between him and women.
\u201cWe want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDAs? We want to know everything about the NDA, so that\u2019s very important to our investigation. So, the subpoenas were issued. We expect to see him back here in a few weeks.\u201d
Ranking member Robert Garcia said he supported Comer\u2019s decision to issue the subpoenas, saying they were \u201cabsolutely the right moves and the right decision.\u201d
Leon Black arrived for his closed, transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee and did not respond to questions from reporters on his way in.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said ahead of Black’s testimony that today\u2019s interview \u201chas the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition in my opinion.\u201d
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of concerning things in the documents,\u201d Comer said.
Black, who had a business relationship with Epstein for decades, has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein\u2019s criminal conduct and has said he deeply regrets \u201chaving had any involvement with him.\u201d
\u201cWith the benefit of hindsight, working with him was a horrible mistake on my part,\u201d he said in a statement when he stepped down from Apollo Global Management<\/a>.
Black\u2019s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement to NBC News<\/a> that Black had called for an independent investigation into his relationship with Epstein.
Comer also reiterated his desire to hear from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. \u201cWe hope Todd Blanche will come before the committee very soon,\u201d Comer said. He added that it is \u201cprobably best that he comes in after the confirmation hearings\u201d to be the permanent attorney general.
Asked if he would subpoena Blanche if he refused to be interviewed, Comer said, \u201cI think he\u2019ll come in.\u201d
Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said if Blanche does not appear before the committee, Democrats \u201cwill force a subpoena.\u201d
A major Supreme Court ruling today came down in favor of Trump\u2019s immigration policies, paving the way for the administration to strip hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian refugees of deportation protections. NBC News\u2019 Laura Jarrett reports.
Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of retaining national security information related to his tenure during the first Trump administration.
Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during Trump\u2019s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, appeared this morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Bolton <\/strong>faces a prison sentence of up to 60 months and has agreed to pay $2.25 million, prosecutors said.
Read the full story here.<\/em><\/strong><\/a>
As national gas price averages hover around $4.50 per gallon<\/a>, multiple states have suspended their gas taxes, and now Trump and his Cabinet are talking about doing the same.
While a suspension would offer some relief, an NBC News analysis shows that gas prices would still average 35% more per gallon than they were at the start of the Iran war, even if all state and federal taxes were suspended. Average gas prices nationwide are up more than 50% since the U.S. and Israel launched the war at the end of February.
Trump told reporters Monday<\/a> that he intended to suspend the 18 cents per gallon federal gas tax. Such a suspension would require an act of Congress. Democrats in the House and Senate proposed measures to suspend the gas tax<\/a> in March.
\u201cAll measures that can be taken to lower the price at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of,\u201d Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on Sunday<\/a>.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
There are new concerns over the fragile deal between the United States and Iran after Iran\u2019s armed forces attacked a cargo ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. The attack paused traffic and is compromising efforts to restore shipping through the vital waterway. NBC\u2019s Kelly O\u2019Donnell reports for “TODAY.”
The House Oversight Committee will hold a closed transcribed interview <\/a>today with billionaire investor Leon Black, the former head of Apollo Global Management, as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The phrase \u201cPlease call Leon Black\u201d appears more than 300 times in the Epstein investigative files released by the Justice Department. Black\u2019s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement to NBC News that Black had called for an independent investigation into his relationship with Epstein.
During the interview today, Republicans and Democrats will alternate back and forth with one-hour rounds of questions. Republicans get the first hour and then Democrats.
The committee is expected to release the transcript, and the interview will not be filmed.
<\/span>Leon Black arrives at the Capitol today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Kevin Dietsch \/ Getty Images<\/span>
As part of their campaign to protect election integrity ahead of the midterms, Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., are demanding that the Trump administration \u201ccomply with all preservation laws and agency policies\u201d as Trump \u201chas escalated his attempts to illegally undermine the midterm elections.\u201d
In a new letter to Trump\u2019s Cabinet, the Democrats called on the administration to \u201cpreserve all existing and future records and materials on election-related activities and efforts, including any records regarding potential election-related misconduct, impropriety, irregularity, or interference.\u201d
\u201cAs Trump continues to spread unsupported claims about election fraud and has repeatedly threatened an illegal federal takeover of our elections, nonpartisan experts have warned about this administration\u2019s growing efforts to subvert the 2026 midterms, and Senate Democrats are taking formal action to preserve a paper trail from every department concerning all election-related matters,\u201d the Democrats wrote in a statement shared with NBC News.
In April, Senate Democrats unveiled their \u2018Election Protection Task Force,\u2019 which will work with election experts to \u201cidentify and mitigate threats\u201d and ensure fair access to voting.
A trickle of marine traffic was passing through the Strait of Hormuz today despite an attack on a ship in the vital waterway<\/a> a day earlier, as Iran reiterated its warnings for ships to follow a Tehran-approved route.
A flow of vessels transiting via an alternative route close to Oman in recent days has drawn Iran\u2019s ire, as it works to maintain its grip on the key trade route<\/a> despite the United States\u2019 assertion that the strait is open.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
\u201cPlease call Leon Black.\u201d
That phrase appears more than 300 times in the Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> investigative files released by the Justice Department, some sent in emails <\/strong>to Epstein by his personal assistant. Black, for years a powerful billionaire Wall Street player, and Epstein had a business relationship stretching back decades.
\u201cLeon, as you are well aware, there is little I won\u2019t do for you or at least try to do as a friend,\u201d Epstein wrote in one email to Black in 2014. \u201cAnd a great deal that I have already done (both known and some things that will need to remain unknown.)\u201d
Lawmakers are expected to press Black today when he testifies before the House Oversight Committee investigating the federal government\u2019s handling of the Epstein case. They are hoping to uncover more about the financial web Epstein wove that funded his sex trafficking operations and have said they believe Black may have played a role.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
Former national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in federal court on Friday to one count of retaining national security information.
Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during President Donald Trump\u2019s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, will appear Friday morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland.
NBC News reported<\/a> in early June that Bolton planned to plead guilty in the case. Two sources familiar with the matter said at the time that Bolton faces a potential sentence of probation to 60 months in prison, and according to one of the sources, he also agreed to pay $2.25 million in restitution. CNN was first to report <\/a>the plea deal.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
NBC News<\/p>\n

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