American and Iranian officials worked out a preliminary agreement Thursday to prolong their current ceasefire by 60 days while launching fresh discussions about Iran’s nuclear program, a U.S. official with knowledge of the negotiations reported. Iranian officials have not yet verified any agreement. Vice President JD Vance confirmed Thursday night that negotiators had reached a preliminary deal, though he noted it remains uncertain whether President Donald Trump will give his approval.
In other developments, former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before House lawmakers examining Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases, a highly anticipated testimony that brings renewed attention to the administration’s mishandled release of Epstein case documents.
Here are the latest developments:
The former attorney general is making her appearance before House lawmakers as they examine how the federal government has managed the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi lost her position as attorney general last month, but in her earlier congressional testimony she has shown defiance when facing lawmakers’ inquiries about how the Department of Justice managed the release of Epstein case documents. She is also joined today by Department of Justice officials — a setup Democrats have condemned.
Multiple survivors of Epstein’s abuse also gathered outside the House office room where the interview is taking place in private. They urged the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer, to thoroughly question Bondi.
“We want justice for the survivors, we do,” Comer told them.
Democrats may find themselves in a more celebratory spirit than typical as they convene Friday in South Carolina, a state controlled almost completely by Republicans.
The party is organizing events just days after the GOP-controlled state Senate defeated an effort supported by President Donald Trump to redraw House district boundaries to benefit Republicans this fall. That initiative was designed to remove longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s only congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who has served since 1993.
Friday’s events begin with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that usually highlights potential presidential candidates and the party’s national leaders. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will serve as the main speaker.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is appearing before House lawmakers examining Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases, a highly anticipated testimony that brings renewed attention to the administration’s mishandled release of Epstein case documents.
Bondi showed defiance in earlier public testimony when lawmakers confronted her about the Epstein investigation. It remains uncertain whether she will take the same stance Friday, given that she no longer leads the Justice Department. The meeting will occur in private.
The recorded interview will provide lawmakers an opportunity to seek information about the Trump administration’s management of the Epstein documents and other related issues, including the prison sentence of his former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department transferred Maxwell to a prison camp in Texas last August.
“I think she absolutely could clear up many missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “Now it’s a question of whether or not she is willing to be transparent.”
A federal judge has refused to stop Trump’s executive order establishing a federal voter list and restricting mail voting, allowing for potential major changes in how American elections are conducted shortly before this year’s midterm elections.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday dismissed the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had contended Trump’s order would likely be ruled unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, hold the authority to establish election rules. Nichols sided with the Republican Trump administration’s argument that it was premature to block the order since it has not yet been put into effect.
Nichols’ decision keeps the door open for additional challenges when the Trump administration begins to implement the president’s directive. A separate lawsuit attempting to block the executive order is proceeding in Boston. Regardless of how quickly the administration acts, no voting changes are anticipated during primary elections, which continue into next month.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday that his department has completed the design for a $250 bill featuring Trump, expecting the approval of stalled legislation in Congress to place the president on a new denomination of legal tender.
Bessent stated at the White House that authorizing the new currency will depend on lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that “we’ve created the bill” because “we have to be prepared.”
The secretary minimized the notion that the administration is promoting the matter, despite Trump’s tendency for incorporating his name and image throughout the nation’s capital and into the commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. However, he also maintained there is nothing improper about Trump’s image being part of the significant national celebration.
The chief federal prosecutor in Chicago rejected Thursday evening that his office had launched an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has stated Trump sexually assaulted her 30 years ago, hours after several news organizations reported that the Justice Department was investigating whether she had lied during civil litigation against Trump.
The Associated Press and other news organizations, citing unnamed sources, reported that the federal prosecutors’ office in Chicago had launched an investigation into Carroll.
But Andrew Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, released a statement roughly 24 hours after the initial report was published saying that his office “has not opened — and has never opened — a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll.”
A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, initially told the AP on Thursday morning that investigators were focused on Carroll but later clarified that the actual focus was on a nonprofit that had helped fund her case.
American and Iranian officials worked out a preliminary agreement Thursday to prolong their current ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days while launching fresh discussions about Iran’s nuclear program, a U.S. official with knowledge of the negotiations reported.
Iranian officials have not yet verified any agreement. Vice President JD Vance confirmed Thursday night that negotiators had reached a preliminary deal, though he noted it remains uncertain whether Trump will give his approval.
“It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign,” Vance told reporters.
He added: “We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points.”
The developing memorandum of understanding emerged as the fragile ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Iran seemed to be weakening. The most recent escalation in fighting occurred less than a day earlier, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.
