Justice Department completes interview with Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, finished 1 1/2 days of interviews Friday with U.S. Justice Department officials, answering questions "about 100 different people," her attorney said. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee after being convicted three years ago of helping Epstein, a wealthy, well-connected financier, sexually abuse underage girls.

Questions over President Donald Trump's past ties with Epstein and secret files related to him have dogged the administration despite the president being otherwise at the height of his political influence.

Meanwhile, Trump traveled to Scotland Friday as his family's business prepares for the Aug. 13 opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire billed as "the greatest 36 holes in golf." While there, Trump will talk trade with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a meeting he's said will take place at "probably one of my properties." Here's the latest: Trump has touched down in Scotland Air Force One landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport around 8:30 p.m. local time.

A large crowd was on hand to watch the landing, which drew applause from some of those gathered.

Trump will be spending the weekend at one of his golf properties near Turnberry. Early next week, he will be visiting another near Abderdeen, where his family has one golf course and is getting ready to open a second course soon.

Trump plans to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to talk trade, as he continues to threaten U.S. trade partners with steep tariffs.

Trump administration investigates Oregon's transgender athlete policies The Trump administration is investigating the Oregon Department of Education after receiving a complaint alleging the state was violating civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.

It's the latest escalation in the Republican administration's effort to bar transgender athletes from women's sports teams nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights opened the investigation based on a complaint by the America First Policy Institute that alleges high-school aged female athletes had lost medals and competitive opportunities to transgender athletes.

DOJ officials have finished questioning Ghislaine Maxwell Maxwell's attorney exited the federal courthouse at around 12:30 p.m., saying DOJ officials have finished their questioning of his client.

Calling President Trump the "ultimate dealmaker," attorney David Oscar Markus was questioned repeatedly about whether Maxwell is seeking a presidential pardon, but said "there have been no asks and no promises." "We haven't spoken to the president or anybody about a pardon just yet," Markus said, but acknowledged Trump's power to free his client.

"The president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way," Markus said.

Asked about the nature of the questioning, Markus said federal officials asked "every possible thing you could imagine." European Commission president to meet with Trump as trade negotiation deadline nears European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Scotland to meet with United States President Donald Trump as a deadline looms over trade negotiations between two erstwhile allies.

Von der Leyen said on a post on X on Friday that she had "a good call" with Trump before announcing the two leaders would meet in Scotland on Sunday "to discuss translatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong." The high-stakes meeting is likely designed to seal a trade deal between the U.S. and the European Union, America's biggest business partner and the world's largest trading bloc. Negotiations between Brussels and Washington have swung back and forth in recent weeks, clearly frustrating EU officials.

Trump announced tariffs on Aug. 1 that could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the U.S., and destabilize economies from Portugal to Norway.

The 27-nation bloc also decried a subsequent announcement of 30% tariffs earlier in July, and has prepared countermeasures list totaling more than $100 billion on a range of American products if talks break down.

Judge grants temporary restraining order over anti-DEI, transgender restrictions A federal judge in Rhode Island has granted a temporary restraining order against the federal government's latest restrictions on grants that target diversity, equity and inclusion and people who are transgender.

U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Dubose issued the order on Thursday after a coalition of nonprofit groups from 14 states filed the lawsuit earlier this week against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development. The groups largely aid victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, homelessness, and foster care kids.

According to the complaint, President Trump's administration adopted new policies blocking nonprofits from receiving HHS and HUD grants unless recipients certify they won't use the money to promote "DEI" or "gender ideology." Recipients would also be blocked from funding promoting "elective abortions." Plaintiffs say they will soon submit a proposal for the precise scope of the TRO for the court by July 30.

Requests for comment were emailed to HHS and HUD.

The president says he hasn't thought about pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell Trump said he's allowed to do it but hasn't considered granting a pardon to the imprisoned former girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump added that he "certainly can't talk about pardons now." The Justice Department's No. 2 official met with Maxwell on Thursday as the department promises transparency following backlash over an earlier refusal to release more records in the Epstein investigation.

Trump said he had good meeting with Powell and predicts he will lower interest rates The president said his meeting with the Fed chair Jerome Powell on Thursday was "good," despite their bickering in front of cameras over the cost of the of renovations to the Fed's headquarters.

"He said Congratulations. The country is doing really well,'" Trump said. "And I got that to mean that I think he's going to start recommending lower rates." Trump says 50/50 chance of a trade deal with the EU The president didn't put comfortable odds on the U.S. reaching a trade framework with the European Union before new tariff rates going into effect Aug. 1.

"I would say that we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that," Trump said before departing for a trip to Scotland.

The president said the deal would have to "buy down" the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30% on the bloc of 27 member states.

Trump said he had thought the odds of reaching a framework with Japan was 25%, but the U.S. and Japan announced an agreement this week.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)