Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the cam

The House is leaving Washington a day early for it's five-week August recess after tensions erupted over efforts to force release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Why it matters: Fallout from the debate over the Epstein files has effectively frozen House business.

The turmoil in Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein probe isn't going away anytime soon after the House Speaker ended the legislative session early before the August break.

The renewed focus on Ghislaine Maxwell comes amid persistent questions over President Trump's years-long friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House today. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that the two leaders could discuss trade and the upcoming Aug. 1 tariff deadline.

Trump on Tuesday said “I don’t follow it too much” when asked by reporters about the backlash to his administration’s handling of the Epstein investigatory documents.

There’s no pretending otherwise: disgraced and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein has hijacked Washington. Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday announced he was starting the August recess a few days early to avoid the chamber having to vote on whether Congress should force the Justice Department to publish everything it has on Epstein,

La., arrives for an early morning strategy session with the Republican Conference, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein,