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Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to face Epstein grilling in closed-door interview today
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick will become the latest of Donald Trump’s cabinet to be questioned over ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he sits for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee later today.
Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island in 2012 with family members – a trip that contradicted his earlier claim that he had severed ties with Epstein in 2005.
In March, the Department of Justice briefly deleted and then restored an undated photo of Lutnick and Epstein in an island setting. CBS News reported that Lutnick and Epstein were in business together as recently as 2014.
Lutnick only agreed to the closed-door Capitol Hill testimony after Democrats on the committee publicly threatened to subpoena Lutnick if he refused to cooperate. Representative Ro Khanna of California told reporters that the votes were there to compel his testimony.
But getting to this stage has only been possible due to the cooperation of Republicans on the committee. Republican representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina called for Lutnick’s appearance, while James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the panel, said he had “proactively” agreed to the transcribed interview.
“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer said in a statement at the time.
It in unclear how many members will attend the interview but the commerce chief can expect to be probed over when his relationship with Epstein came to an end.
It comes as Politico reported last week that Mace has complained conversations with Epstein witnesses were taking place while members are out of town or traveling.
“Some of these are being scheduled when we are not in session, and that makes it more difficult,” she said. “They’re making it the most inconvenient for members of Congress to participate, and that is done on purpose.”
In other developments:
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A majority of Indiana Republican legislators whose opponents were backed by Donald Trump lost their primaries on Tuesday, giving the president wins in a deep-red state just months after lawmakers there rejected his redistricting plan. Of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers to state senate candidates, at least five won. More here.
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Democratic senator Sherrod Brown and Republican senator Jon Husted won their party’s nominations in Ohio’s primary elections, according to the Associated Press – teeing them up for what is expected to be a high-profile and expensive Senate race in November’s midterm elections. More here.
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Senate Republicans have released a new immigration enforcement funding package that includes a proposed $1bn that could go to security measures related to the $400m ballroom that is part of Donald Trump’s “East Wing modernization project”. More here.
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Marco Rubio argued the US is in a “very fortunate” position as fuel prices continue to climb nationwide amid disruption sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran. With average US fuel prices now approaching $4.50 a gallon – their highest level in four years – the US secretary of state was asked on Tuesday how long Americans should accept them at such levels. Other countries were suffering “big time”, Rubio replied. More here.
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Seven of the leading contenders in California’s unexpectedly dramatic race for governor faced off on the debate stage Tuesday night, with the stakes now higher because ballots are in the mail. Becerra was a top target, as expected, given his steady rise in the polls. More here.
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Adria R Walker
When Mississippi lawmakers met in 1861 and voted to secede from the union in an effort to continue enslaving people, they did so in what is now known as the Old Capitol Museum. From 1839 to 1903, lawmakers met at a building that witnessed some of the state’s most racist history.
And now, on 20 May, when members of Mississippi’s house convene for a special session to redraw state supreme court districts, they will do so at the Old Capitol, ostensibly because of renovations in the house chamber.
Jason White, Mississippi’s Republican house speaker, told local outlet WLBT that any special session called between now and January 2027 would be held in the Old Capitol house chamber. The state senate will still use the new capitol building.
The last time lawmakers met at the Old Capitol was in 2009, when they did so to ceremonially acknowledge restoration to the building, which had been damaged during Hurricane Katrina. When lawmakers have needed to meet outside the current capitol building previously, during extensive renovations in the 1980s, they met at the old Central high school building, also in downtown Jackson.
For some, the house’s decision to use the Old Capitol now is troubling.
“I was a little taken aback with the location of the Old State Capitol,” Kabir Karriem, a Democratic state representative who leads the Mississippi’s legislative Black caucus, said. “Even though they said that they were doing some remodeling, the optics of it are horrific for 1.2 million Black folks here in the state of Mississippi.”
Prior to the supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais last week, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves called lawmakers back to Jackson to redraw the state’s three supreme court districts. Many legislators predict that lawmakers will redraw districts to dilute Black voting strength.
Indiana results show that Trump holds 'unwavering allegiance' of his base, says former Obama advisor
In response to the blow to Republican legislators in Indiana who lost their primaries to Trump-backed challengers, David Axelrod –a former senior advisor to Barack Obama – noted that “survival” was ultimately the reason why so many GOP lawmakers continue to support the president, regardless of policy disagreements.
“‘[Trump] maintains the unwavering allegiance of his base and the threat to use it as cudgels against any apostates in primary elections,” Axelrod said. “That’s why following through on his retribution threat against Indiana state senators for having the temerity (and courage) to oppose the extraordinary, mid-decade re-districting he demanded was so essential to the [White House].”
A reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest developments out of the Middle East at our dedicated live blog. This includes the reaction to Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to halt Project Freedom – the administration’s operation to “guide” stranded ships through the strait of Hormuz as the naval blockade in the waterway continues.
On Truth Social, Trump expressed optimism that the Iran war “will be at an end” and the strait of Hormuz “open to all” if Iran agrees to the US’s truce proposal.
But he also vowed that the US would resume its bombing campaign “at a much higher level and intensity” than before if Iran doesn’t accept terms that have apparently already been agreed to.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has announced the strait of Hormuz could reopen following the end of “threats from aggressors”, according to state media.
Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’ll spend the earlier part of the day in meetings, before joining the first lady, Melania Trump, for a military Mother’s Day event in the East Room at 12:30pm ET. We’ll bring you the latest lines as that gets under way.
Former presidential candidate Ramaswamy wins Republican nomination to run for Ohio governor
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was the Republican choice to run for Ohio governor following last night’s primary vote.
The staunch Donald Trump ally will face off against former state health department director Amy Acton, who won the Democratic nomination.
The other major Republican candidate was Casey Putsch, an internet personality and auto racing engineer, who was defeated decisively.
Ramaswamy’s victory was celebrated in a Truth Social post by president Trump last night.
Anna Betts
The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, will appear before the House oversight and reform committee on Wednesday to answer questions over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick agreed in March to sit for a transcribed interview with the committee following the justice department’s release of millions of documents related to Epstein, which included documents showing that Lutnick continued correspondence with Epstein after the disgraced financier had been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The session is part of the committee’s broader investigation into Epstein.
“The Secretary looks forward to addressing any questions on the record when he testifies voluntarily before the Oversight Committee,” a commerce department spokesperson said. “He looks forward to putting to rest the inaccurate and baseless claims in the media designed to distract from his historic work underway at the Commerce Department.”
The interview on Wednesday will take place behind closed doors, with a transcript released at a later date, as the committee has done with the previous transcribed interviews.
Washington believes it is close to reaching an agreement with Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and end the war, US news outlet Axios reported, citing two US officials.
According to Axios, the two sides are close to agreeing on a “one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.”
It said the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment and the United States agreeing to release billions of dollars of frozen Iranian funds.
Washington is reportedly awaiting a response from Tehran on several key points in the next 48 hours.
“Nothing has been agreed yet, but the sources said this was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began,” Axios said.
Cate Brown
A majority of Indiana Republican legislators whose opponents were backed by Donald Trump lost their primaries on Tuesday, giving the president wins in a deep-red state just months after lawmakers there rejected his redistricting plan.
Of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers to state senate candidates, at least five won.
The vote turned into a statewide referendum on political retribution, and a test of Republican staying power after the party’s state lawmakers resisted Donald Trump’s bruising campaign to pressure them into redrawing the congressional districts.
Seven state senators who voted against Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push faced challengers endorsed by the president, who said that “every one of these people should be ‘primaried’” after the effort failed.
Trump-aligned dark money groups spent upwards of $7m on TV ads in Indiana this year, according to a tally from AdImpact – the majority spent targeting Republicans who allied themselves with Democrats in the December redistricting vote.
Jim Buck, a state senator from Kokomo, lost to a Trump-backed challenger after 18 years in office.
“We’ve never had Washington meddle into our elections like they have this time,” Buck told NPR. “Now I’ve got over $1m against me in one race.”
Commerce chief Howard Lutnick to face Epstein grilling in closed-door interview today
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick will become the latest of Donald Trump’s cabinet to be questioned over ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he sits for a closed-door transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee later today.
Lutnick has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island in 2012 with family members – a trip that contradicted his earlier claim that he had severed ties with Epstein in 2005.
In March, the Department of Justice briefly deleted and then restored an undated photo of Lutnick and Epstein in an island setting. CBS News reported that Lutnick and Epstein were in business together as recently as 2014.
Lutnick only agreed to the closed-door Capitol Hill testimony after Democrats on the committee publicly threatened to subpoena Lutnick if he refused to cooperate. Representative Ro Khanna of California told reporters that the votes were there to compel his testimony.
But getting to this stage has only been possible due to the cooperation of Republicans on the committee. Republican representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina called for Lutnick’s appearance, while James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the panel, said he had “proactively” agreed to the transcribed interview.
“I commend his demonstrated commitment to transparency and appreciate his willingness to engage with the Committee,” Comer said in a statement at the time.
It in unclear how many members will attend the interview but the commerce chief can expect to be probed over when his relationship with Epstein came to an end.
It comes as Politico reported last week that Mace has complained conversations with Epstein witnesses were taking place while members are out of town or traveling.
“Some of these are being scheduled when we are not in session, and that makes it more difficult,” she said. “They’re making it the most inconvenient for members of Congress to participate, and that is done on purpose.”
In other developments:
-
A majority of Indiana Republican legislators whose opponents were backed by Donald Trump lost their primaries on Tuesday, giving the president wins in a deep-red state just months after lawmakers there rejected his redistricting plan. Of the seven Trump-endorsed challengers to state senate candidates, at least five won. More here.
-
Democratic senator Sherrod Brown and Republican senator Jon Husted won their party’s nominations in Ohio’s primary elections, according to the Associated Press – teeing them up for what is expected to be a high-profile and expensive Senate race in November’s midterm elections. More here.
-
Senate Republicans have released a new immigration enforcement funding package that includes a proposed $1bn that could go to security measures related to the $400m ballroom that is part of Donald Trump’s “East Wing modernization project”. More here.
-
Marco Rubio argued the US is in a “very fortunate” position as fuel prices continue to climb nationwide amid disruption sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran. With average US fuel prices now approaching $4.50 a gallon – their highest level in four years – the US secretary of state was asked on Tuesday how long Americans should accept them at such levels. Other countries were suffering “big time”, Rubio replied. More here.
-
Seven of the leading contenders in California’s unexpectedly dramatic race for governor faced off on the debate stage Tuesday night, with the stakes now higher because ballots are in the mail. Becerra was a top target, as expected, given his steady rise in the polls. More here.
