(MEMPHIS) — Four children, including a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old, were shot Sunday night in Memphis, Tennessee, according to police.
The shooting occurred around 9:54 p.m. at a home in the Hickory Hill area. Memphis Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene, where they found four juvenile victims.
Two 15-year-old victims — one male and one female — were transported to a local hospital in critical condition. A 3-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were also taken to the hospital in non-critical condition, officials said.
According to police, multiple suspects fled the scene on foot, heading northbound. The suspects were wearing all-black clothing and ski masks at the time of the shooting.
As police secured the area with crime scene tape, distraught family members began arriving at the scene late Sunday night, according to police dispatch audio.
Memphis Police are actively investigating the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.
ABC News’ Charlotte Slovin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The GOP-led House Oversight Committee is expected to receive documents and communications from the Jeffrey Epstein estate on Monday.
The committee issued a subpoena in late August for information from the estate, which includes a copy of the alleged “birthday book” compiled for the disgraced financier’s 50th birthday. The committee requested a delivery of the documents — which includes banking and financial records, flights logs and calendars — on or before Sept. 8, 2025.
“It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals. Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena,” Chairman James Comer said in a statement on Aug. 25.
The alleged “birthday book” was compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, and the Wall Street Journal reported contains a “bawdy” letter from President Donald Trump.
The estate’s lawyers have said they will comply with all legal process, but have not said if they have the book.
Trump has denied the existence of the letter and filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. ABC News has not been able to confirm the existence of the letter.
Dow Jones, the parent company of the newspaper, said in a statement that it has “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy” of its reporting and “will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell told a top official for the Justice Department that Epstein asked her to coordinate contributions to his 50th birthday book, but said she could not recall if Trump, then a private citizen, was among those who responded, according to a transcript of Maxwell’s interview last month with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. In that interview, Maxwell continued to profess her innocence.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 by a federal jury on sex trafficking and other charges. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding and participating in Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls, which involved a scheme to recruit young women and girls for massages of Epstein that turned sexual. Federal prosecutors in New York said Maxwell helped Epstein recruit, groom and ultimately abuse girls as young as 14.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy and child sex trafficking. He died in custody a month later, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.
Although the documents are expected to be turned over to the committee on Monday, it may not mean the committee will release anything to the public on the same day.
Last week, the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of pages of documents related to Epstein, much of which was already publicly known.
The Court did not formally explain its decision. It overruled two lower courts which had imposed a temporary restraining order after concluding that ICE had likely violated the Fourth Amendment by targeting suspects based primarily on race or ethnicity and language.
In a concurring statement agreeing with the decision, Justice Brett Kavanaugh explained that he believed the government had a “fair prospect of success on the merits” in the litigation and should not be hindered in using the strategy for now.
“Apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion,” Kavanaugh wrote. “Under this Court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a relevant factor.”
He also questioned whether the advocacy groups and individual plaintiffs challenging the government policy had sufficient standing to bring the legal challenge to begin with.
The Court’s three liberal justices dissented.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the decision a “grave misuse” of the Court’s emergency docket, rather than let the case continue to play out in lower courts.
“We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job. Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent,” she wrote.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said on X the ruling is a “win for the safety of Californians and the rule of law.”
“DHS law enforcement will not be slowed down and will continue to arrest and remove the murderers, rapists, gang members and other criminal illegal aliens that Karen Bass continues to give safe harbor,” she posted.
Iryna Zarutska, who is not pictured, was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack while riding the light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. (Charlotte Area Transit System)
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Monday he was “appalled” by the unprovoked murder of a Ukrainian woman on Charlotte’s light rail system late last month, with the recent release of the attack on video causing outrage nationwide.
“I am heartbroken for the family of Iryna Zarutska, who lost their loved one to this senseless act of violence, and I am appalled by the footage of her murder. We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe,” Stein said in a statement on Monday.
Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22 just before 10 p.m. while riding the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
According to the affidavit, Zarutska boarded the train and sat in an aisle seat directly in front of the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., who is seen in a window seat wearing an orange sweatshirt.
The train travels for “approximately four and half minutes before the suspect pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times,” according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Prior to the stabbing, there appeared to be “no interaction between the victim and defendant,” the affidavit said.
Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene and a witness directed officials to the location of the suspect, the affidavit said.
Brown was arrested after he was released from the hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries sustained at the time of the incident” and was charged with first-degree murder, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The suspect’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19, according to court records. It is unclear whether Brown has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said the murder was a “senseless and tragic loss” and Lyles’ “prayers remain with [Zarutska’s] loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.”
“Like so many of you, I’m heartbroken — and I’ve been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city. I remain committed to doing all we can do to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe,” Lyles said in a statement on Saturday.
The Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, confirmed to ABC News there was not security on board the train at the time of the attack, with a spokesperson saying a security team “patrols the system, they are not stationed in one area.”
“At the time of the incident they were riding on a train directly in front of where the incident occurred,” a spokesperson for CATS told ABC News.
According to Zarutska’s obituary, she was born in Ukraine and emigrated to the U.S. with her mother, sister and brother to “escape the war, and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States.”
The 23-year-old, who was described as a “gifted and passionate artist,” will be remembered for her “kindness, her creativity and the lasting impression she left on everyone she met,” according to her obituary.
Police released surveillance images of the unidentified suspect wanted in a shooting, Sept. 7, 2025, at a bar in Cleveland, Texas, that left one man dead and five victims injured. (Liberty County Sheriff’s Office)
(CLEVELAND, Texas) — As a manhunt stretched into its second day for a gunman whom police alleged shot six people, one fatally, on the patio of a bar in suburban Houston early Sunday, investigators released surveillance images of the suspect and his alleged getaway vehicle.
The shooting occurred at the Alas Locas sports bar in Cleveland, Texas, about 45 miles northeast of Houston, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting was captured on security video, authorities said.
Overnight, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office released images from the security video showing an unidentified man at the sports bar during the shooting, whom they identified as the suspected shooter. Investigators also released an image of a white van with no side windows in which they said the suspect fled the scene after the shooting.
Police officials are asking anyone who spots to suspect or has information about the shooting to contact investigators immediately.
Witnesses told investigators that prior to the shooting, the gunman was quietly sitting by himself drinking at the bar, according to Capt. David Myers of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
Based on the number of shell casings collected at the scene by investigators, including Rangers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Myers said the gunman fired at least 20 shots before fleeing the bar.
A motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
The shooting unfolded at around 2:30 a.m. local time Sunday, when police received multiple calls of shots fired at the bar, Myers said in an interview at the scene with ABC Houston station KTRK.
Myers said witnesses told investigators that the suspect arrived at the bar between midnight and 2 a.m. and ordered a beer but was “not really conversing with anyone for about an hour prior to the shooting.”
At some point, according to Myers, the suspect walked out of the bar and later reemerged on the bar’s outdoor patio, where he allegedly opened fire without warning with a .40 or .45-caliber handgun, shooting at patrons who were eating and drinking on the deck.
The shooter fled the bar and drove off in an unknown direction in a white full-size van with no side windows, authorities said.
One victim, who was at the bar with his wife, was critically injured and taken by medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to officials.
Five other men and a woman were shot in the incident, including two who were in critical condition, Myers said.
The incident marked the second mass shooting at a bar in the Houston metropolitan area this year.
On March 23, six people were shot, including four who were critically injured, at the Latinas Sports Bar in southwest Houston.
Two days after the shooting, the Houston Police Department arrested a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, Jose Miguel Briceno, who was charged with aggravated assault mass shooting stemming from the shooting at the Latinas Sports Bar. A second suspect in the shooting is still being sought and police believe he fled to Mexico, authorities said.
According to a criminal complaint, Briceno, who authorities said is an undocumented immigrant, used a firearm to shoot inside the doorway of the bar and then discarded the firearm, which law enforcement never recovered. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Briceno has yet to enter a plea to the charges.
In June, Briceno was among 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in the Houston area indicted on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges following a law enforcement operation targeting Venezuelan nationals and alleged members or associates of the Anti-Tren transnational criminal organization, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
In the indictment, federal prosecutors alleged that the shooting at the Latinas Sports Bar was the result of a “turf war” between the Anti-Tren and the TdA gangs.
“These arrests are the largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates by the FBI, so far, and they happened right here in Houston,” Douglas Williams, special agent in charge of the FBI Houston Field Office, said in a June 30 statement. “These individuals are accused of engaging in a turf war with TdA members and carrying out numerous violent crimes throughout our city, including a mass shooting at a local sports bar that left six people wounded. Fortunately, for the good and safety of our community, these individuals are now in federal custody facing U.S. justice.”
ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog contributed to this report.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump, and granddaughter Arabella Kushner attend the men’s singles final of the US Open Tennis Championships in New York City, September 7, 2025. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The White House said it didn’t ask the U.S. Tennis Association to censor reactions to President Donald Trump during his attendance at the U.S. Open over the weekend.
“That’s not true,” a White House official told ABC News on Sunday. “We did not ask anyone to censor.”
USTA officials earlier responded to a report that they had asked broadcasters to censor any reactions or protests aimed at Trump as he appeared at the tournament’s men’s final in New York on Sunday.
“We regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions,” USTA spokesperson Brendan McIntyre told ABC News.
The Athletic, a sports publication from The New York Times, published a report on Saturday that described a USTA memo to broadcasters. The Athletic reported that it had reviewed the memo.
“We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity,” the USTA said in the memo, according to The Athletic.
The president drew boos and some cheers when he arrived at Arthur Ashe stadium in Queens, where Trump grew up.
Trump, arriving back at Joint Base Andrews after the championship match, said he “really enjoyed” it and said the fans were “great.”
“I loved it. First of all, the two players have unbelievable talent. It just seemed they hit the ball harder than I’ve ever seen before. Incredible talent and I enjoyed it. I used to go all the time but, you know, lately, it’s a little bit more difficult. I really enjoyed it.”
Trump said the “fans were really nice.”
“I didn’t know what to expect. Usually, you would say that would be a somewhat progressive, as they say nowadays, crowd. Sometimes — some people would call it liberal. But we’ll use the word they like to use, progressive. But they were great, the fans were great.”
E. Jean Carroll leaves the courthosue on September 6, 2024 in New York City. Both parties appear in court today as Trump’s lawyers fight to overturn the jury’s finding that he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A federal appeals court in New York on Monday upheld the $83.3 million judgment imposed on President Donald Trump for defaming former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll in 2019.
“Trump has failed to identify any grounds that would warrant reconsidering our prior holding on presidential immunity. We also conclude that the district court did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s damages awards are fair and reasonable,” the opinion said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Jury selection in the case of the man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on his golf course last year got off to a rocky start Monday morning.
Ryan Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer and having limited legal experience, was barred by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon from asking most of his proposed jury questions due to them being “politically charged” and irrelevant.
According to Cannon, Routh proposed asking jurors about Trump’s proposed acquisition of Greenland and that country’s stance on Palestine. Routh also wanted to ask jurors what they would do if they were driving and they saw a turtle in the middle of the road — a question he suggested could speak to their character and mindset.
“They are all really off base and have no relevance to the jury selection process,” Judge Cannon said of Routh’s proposed questions.
Routh, a 59-year-old construction worker from North Carolina and Hawaii, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges that risk sending him to prison for life, including attempting to kill a presidential candidate and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
He entered the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, Monday morning for what is expected to be three days of jury selection followed by a month-long trial.
Attorneys will question three sets of 60 people to settle on twelve jurors and four alternates.
Routh also disclosed Monday that two of his proposed witnesses will likely not be able to testify. One witness has planned a trip to Vietnam during the trial, and the other fears being deported to his home country of Costa Rica if he testifies in Routh’s defense, Routh claimed.
“He doesn’t want to be deported. He likes being in America,” Routh said. Neither the prosecutors nor Judge Cannon addressed the alleged risk of deportation.
Routh has been sitting by himself on the far side of the courtroom, far from the long row of federal prosecutors who intend to send him to prison for life.
Despite lacking any legal training, Routh has spoken confidently in court and defended his proposed questions. But Judge Cannon has so far had little patience for some of his behavior, cutting him off occasionally and reminding him to follow the court’s rules.
Since taking over his own defense, Routh, according to court filings, has requested a “beatdown session” with Trump, asked to compete for his life in a round of golf with the president, and proposed being part of a prisoner swap instead of going to trial.
Judge Cannon — a Trump appointee who oversaw and dismissed one of the president’s criminal cases — is allowing Routh to defend himself but has imposed strict rules to prevent the trial from spiraling into what she called “calculated chaos.”
“I will be representing myself moving forward; It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me,” Routh wrote in a letter to Judge Cannon in July. “I am so sorry, I know this makes your life harder.”
‘I tried my best’
Prosecutors allege that Routh planned his attack for months, then hid in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course with a rifle in the predawn hours of Sept. 15.
With Trump just one hole away from Routh’s position, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle poking out of the tree line, according to prosecutors. Routh allegedly fled after the agent fired at him, and was later arrested after being stopped on a nearby interstate.
Routh faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
To secure a conviction, prosecutors will need to prove that not only did Routh intend to kill Trump, but that he also took at least one “substantial step” to carry out his plan.
According to prosecutors, Routh set his plan into motion after the unsuccessful attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, which Routh was not involved in. Prosecutors say Routh acquired a military-grade rifle, purchased more than a dozen burner phones, and researched Trump’s movements and campaign events.
Prosecutors also allege that Routh tried to purchase anti-aircraft weapons the month before his alleged assassination attempt, coordinating with someone he believed was a Ukrainian with access to military weapons. He allegedly shared a photo of Trump’s private plane, discussed the price of the weapon, and wrote, “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected.”
In addition to ammunition and the weapon allegedly used by Routh, which federal agents plan to bring into the courtroom to show the jury, prosecutors plan to use Routh’s own words against him during the trial.
According to court filings, Routh, in the months leading up to the assassination attempt, dropped off a box with a friend that included a note detailing his plans..
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job,” the handwritten letter said. “He [the former president] ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled.”
Routh has argued in court filings that prosecutors are misrepresenting the letter by only using a portion of it. and that the entire note is about “gentleness, peacefulness, and non-violent caring for humanity.”
Prosecutors also allege that Routh expressed similar sentiments in a 2023 self-published book, in which he encouraged readers to “assassinate Trump” in part due to his foreign policy with Iran. They also allege that Routh boasted about his alleged crimes in emails from jail.
Prosecutors have disclosed more than 40 potential witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, including forensic evidence allegedly tying Routh to the weapon found at the crime scene.
‘Character is the whole of this entire case’
After being represented by federal defense lawyers for months, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year. Though his former lawyers will be present in court on standby, Routh will address the jury, question witnesses, and participate in the jury selection process.
In handwritten letters from prison while awaiting trial, Routh suggested his defense would center on his character as part of an effort to prove he lacked the intent to kill Trump.
“Character is the whole of this entire case — there is nothing else,” he wrote. “If one argues lack of intent then that totally hinges on character and character alone.”
Judge Cannon has warned Routh against representing himself and threatened to sanction him or revoke his ability to maintain his pro se status if he engages in “vexatious, obstructionist, or obstreperous behavior.”
Routh will wear business attire during the trial and be permitted to use a podium; however, he will not be allowed to roam the courtroom freely.
Prosecutors have expressed concern about Routh’s antics.
Routh’s self-representation has already created issues, according to Judge Cannon, who has sharply rebuked some of his tactics in court filings. She accused Routh of using the Federal Rules of Evidence to create “calculated chaos” and called one of his potential witnesses “a farce to bring about obviously ludicrous and absurd results in a court proceeding.”
Routh’s witness list included two dozen people, including a group of Palestinian activists and professors, his own son, a former girlfriend, and Trump himself.
In one court filing, Routh offered to drop his objections to most of the other evidence disputes if prosecutors allowed him to question Trump, whom he has described as a “mad fool.” He has also requested “female strippers,” asked for a putting green to prepare for a golf match with Trump, and proposed brawling with Trump.
“I think a beatdown session would be more fun and entertaining for everyone; give me shackles and cuffs and let the old fat man give it his worst,” he wrote. “A round of golf with the rascist pig, he wins he can execute me, I win I get his job.”
Routh family told investigators that while Routh had no diagnosed mental illness, he “fixated” on things, multiple sources briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
Judge Cannon has curtailed some of Routh’s potential arguments, including trying to justify his actions, claiming he did not plan to follow through with the alleged assassination, and encouraging the jury to exercise its nullification power. She has also clamped down on his witness list, allowing him to call experts and a few friends who could testify to his character.
‘Appearance of impartiality’
Opening statements in the trial are expected to take place as early as Wednesday afternoon, and the trial is scheduled to take 2-4 weeks.
Judge Cannon has opted to keep the jury anonymous and partially sequester them during the trial, with federal marshals picking up and dropping off the jurors from a confidential location daily.
Routh unsuccessfully tried to have Judge Cannon recuse herself from the case to prevent an “appearance of impartiality” stemming from her association with Trump, who appointed Cannon to her position.
Cannon oversaw the criminal case regarding Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House 2021, and dismissed the case on a novel legal theory that was widely criticized by legal scholars. Trump has repeatedly commended Judge Cannon’s actions overseeing his case — calling her the “absolute model of what a judge should be” — and one of Cannon’s recent law clerks is now in a senior Department of Justice position.
“Although Mr. Trump is the alleged victim here, he previously served as President of the United States. While in office, he nominated Your Honor to her current position as a U.S. District Judge on the Southern District of Florida. Your Honor thus owes her lifetime appointment to the alleged victim in this criminal case,” Routh’s former lawyers argued, adding that Trump could still nominate her to a higher court.
Judge Cannon denied the request to recuse herself, concluding that Routh could not identity a legal basis that required recusal and pushing back against some of his claims.
“I have never spoken to or met former President Trump except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel. I have no ‘relationship to the alleged victim’ in any reasonable sense of the phrase,” she said.
Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
(LONDON) — Russian drones attacked a thermal power generation facility in the Kyiv region overnight into Monday, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said, as Moscow continued its long-range cross-border barrages despite U.S. President Donald Trump again expressing his frustration at such strikes.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 142 drones into the country overnight into Monday morning, of which around 100 were Shahed strike drones and the rest decoy craft. Defenders shot down or suppressed 112 drones, the air force said.
Twenty-six drones impacted across seven locations, the air force said, with debris falling in one other location.
“One of the thermal generation facilities in the Kyiv region has come under massive shelling,” Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said in a statement.
“The goal is obvious — to cause even more difficulties for the civilian population of Ukraine, to leave Ukrainian homes, hospitals, kindergartens and schools without electricity and heat,” it added.
The attack prompted reports of blackouts in some parts of Kyiv. “Generation facilities, electricity transmission and distribution systems, gas infrastructure are not military targets,” the ministry said.
“Rescuers and energy workers are currently working to eliminate the consequences of the shelling,” it added. “We are doing everything possible to stabilize the situation as soon as possible.”
Russia has regularly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout the full-scale invasion of its neighbor, which began in February 2022. In previous years, attacks on energy targets have intensified in the run up to and during winter.
Sunday night’s attack followed Russia’s largest bombardment of the war overnight on Saturday. Moscow launched 810 drones and 13 missiles into the country, Ukraine’s air force said, of which 747 drones and four missiles were shot down. Nine missiles and 54 drones impacted across 33 locations, the air force said.
The attacks killed at least nine people across Ukraine and prompted condemnation from Ukraine’s European allies.
In the U.S., Trump — who returned to the White House in January vowing to end Russia’s invasion in 24 hours — told reporters he was “not happy about the whole situation.”
“It doesn’t affect us because it’s not our soldiers,” Trump said. “But they’re losing — I used to tell you 5,000 — they’re losing 7,000, between Ukraine and Russia, 7,000 soldiers every single week. It’s such a horrible waste of humanity.”
“So, no, I am not thrilled with what’s happening there, I will tell you,” he continued. “I think it’s gonna get settled. So, I settled seven wars. This I would’ve said would’ve been maybe the easiest one to settle of all. But with war, you never know what you’re getting.”
Trump did not answer when asked what the greatest obstacle to a peace deal in Ukraine was, but said European leaders would visit the White House this week for further talks.
“We have some very interesting discussions,” Trump said. “Europe — certain European leaders are coming over to our country on Monday or Tuesday, individually, and I think we’re gonna get that settled. I think we’re gonna get it settled.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened additional sanctions — including secondary sanctions on key foreign customers for Russian energy exports — on Moscow in response to its continued frontline offensives and long-range strikes.
Last month, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on all Indian goods related to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil and military equipment.
After Saturday night’s strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged a more severe U.S. response.
“It has been repeatedly stated in Washington that there will be sanctions for refusal to talk. We must implement everything agreed upon in Paris,” Zelenskyy said, referring to last week’s meeting with European leaders and virtual talks with Trump in the French capital.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump secured a major legislative victory when what he had been calling his “big, beautiful bill” became law in July. However, Trump and Republicans are now working to shift the messaging surrounding the bill ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
And helping lead that shift is Vice President JD Vance.
During his Cabinet meeting in August, Trump acknowledged that the title of his signature legislation does not explain what’s actually in the bill.
“So, the bill that — I’m not going to use the term, “great big beautiful,” that was good for getting it approved. But — but it’s not good for explaining to people what it’s all about,” Trump said.
Trump continued, saying the bill is “a massive tax cut for the middle class. It’s a massive tax cut for jobs.”
Trump has tasked Vance with traveling the country and pitching tax cuts for working families to American voters, a source familiar with the plan confirmed to ABC News.
The vice president has traveled to multiple states, including critical battleground states of Wisconsin and Georgia, where he has pushed out the new framing of the bill, calling it the “Working Families Tax Cut.”
“And most importantly, if you’re working hard every single day right here in the United States, or if you’re building a business right here in the United States, you ought to have a tax code that rewards you instead of punishes you,” Vance said during an event outside of Atlanta in late August. “And that’s what happened when we passed the working families tax cut just a couple of months ago.”
A recent Pew Research Center poll conducted in early August found that 46% of adults disapprove of the legislation while only 32% approve. Twenty-three percent said they were unsure.
Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, an ally of the president and vice president, said an issue Republicans had with messaging the bill was the ability to discuss the tax cuts in the legislation.
Schmitt told ABC News that Trump is the bill’s messenger, but Vance is the individual selling the bill and his background allows him to connect with everyday Americans.
“President Trump is the messenger. He’s the guy, and Vice President Vance is kind of the traveling salesman, hitting the road and in key states, where, I think in particular, the vice president, his message, his story, has always resonated in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio and places like that,” Schmitt said. “We’ve got a lot of blue collar workers who are looking for tax relief and looking for a way to, you know, for the government to take less of their money.”
One of the biggest criticisms of the bill is the impact it will have on Medicaid. Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office project federal spending on Medicaid will be reduced by $1 trillion and the number of uninsured people will increase by nearly 12 million by 2034.
The cuts come from a number of programs and will be implemented at different points, from when the bill was enacted all the way through 2028 — meaning it will take years for the impacts to be fully realized.
But there are Republicans who argue that the changes to Medicaid strengthen the program for the most vulnerable. Schmitt also emphasized the importance of focusing on other aspects of the bill, including no taxes on overtime and no taxes on tips.
But Vance’s role as a “salesman” for Trump’s signature legislation shouldn’t come as a surprise and is familiar territory for the vice president. Matt Terrill, a political strategist and former chief of staff for then-Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, told ABC News that Vance is being used in the same way he was during the 2024 election.
“This maps with how Vice President Vance was utilized on the campaign trail in 2024 and how he has been utilized in the White House so far. He has a strong ability to go on programs like the Sunday shows, podcasts, and other platforms to effectively champion President Trump’s policy positions,” Terrill said. “It’s a big responsibility, particularly given the economic benefits that have been highlighted by the White House that are included in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ and the economy will be top of mind among Americans heading into the midterm elections.”
But Terrill cautioned that the success of the legislation ultimately comes down to how the policies impact Americans.
“For Vice President Vance, it comes down to him doing one of the things he does best — promoting the president’s agenda. However, with that said, there is only so much one person can do when it comes to promoting a law,” Terrill said. “In the end, it comes down to the American people feeling that the policies in the law are working for them.”
