12:30 REPORT

Tuesday, July 29 | By Cate Martel

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It's Tuesday. August is so close I can feel it — both figuratively and literally with this brutal heat. 🥵

In today's issue:

Trump puts bow on Scotland trip
Challenges facing president in DC
Mayor says NYC gunman targeted NFL
America's first coast-to-coast rail deal

🧯️ IN THE WHITE HOUSE

I hope Trump packed his fire extinguisher:

President Trump opened a new golf course in Scotland this morning and is now returning to the U.S. to "put out fires all over the world," as he put it. What are those fires, you may ask?

🔥 First, there's the economy: The next four days may determine the strength of the U.S. economy. Trump's ongoing trade war has magnified these metrics — and any weaknesses in the economy will put the president on defense.

Wednesday — the Fed: The Federal Reserve will determine Wednesday whether to lower interest rates. It's expected to keep the rates steady, much to Trump's chagrin.
Thursday — price data: Economists are bracing for Thursday's inflation data from the Commerce Department. They're expecting price increases from Trump's tariffs.
Friday — trade deadline: Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of countries are set to take effect Friday. White House trade talks are intensifying in the meantime.
Friday — the jobs report: July's jobs report will be published Friday at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Economists are expected to see a rise in unemployment and a slowing pace of job creation.

Read more on why these four economic metrics matter so much.

🔥 Next, there's the hunger crisis in Gaza: On Monday, Trump acknowledged the dire starvation happening in Gaza, signaling a break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump told reporters he did "not particularly" agree with Netanyahu's claim that there is no starvation happening in Gaza.

Trump has not gone as far as some European leaders in recognizing a Palestinian state. But his support for Netanyahu appears to be slowly eroding.

Just in: The U.K. just announced it would plan to recognize Palestinian statehood by September if Israel doesn't take "substantive steps" to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, The New York Times reports.

Read more on the significance of Trump's Netanyahu criticism

🔥 Next, the Epstein situation is snowballing: Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, appealed her conviction to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is demanding the Justice Department turn over everything from its interviews with Maxwell.

Trump has fiercely pushed back on reports that he had a closer relationship with Epstein than previously known, but he can't escape it. But the drip, drip, drip of reporting is making it harder for Trump to dismiss.

🔥 Then, there's Trump's deportation effort: The Justice Department (DOJ) filed a formal complaint Monday, alleging misconduct by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg over Trump's high-profile deportations.

Remember how Boasberg challenged the legality of Trump's deportation flights to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador in March? Well, the DOJ is demanding he be removed from the case. Trump has been battling with Boasberg since March, but the letter was a major escalation.

For more legal coverage, sign-up for The Gavel, The Hill's courts newsletter written by Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld. Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox.

🔥 And finally, there's Russia: Trump shortened Russia's deadline to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine to "about 10 or 12 days" Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to scoff at this threat, as Russian strikes killed at least 22 people in Ukraine overnight.

🗨️ Follow today's live blog

➤ SO, HOW WAS THE SCOTLAND TRIP?:

It was a mix of work and play.

🤝 On the work side: Trump came out of this trip with a trade deal with the European Union (EU)! "There was still some vagueness around specifics, but the basic gist of the deal is that European imports to the U.S. will mostly be tariffed at 15 percent," reports The Hill's Niall Stanage.

⛳ On the play side: Trump opened a new golf course in memory of his late mother. The golf course is in Aberdeen, which is on the east coast of Scotland.

➤ MORE READS:

The New York Times: Trump Is Winning His Trade War. What Will That Mean for the Economy?

The Atlantic: The Corrupt Bargain Behind Gaza's Catastrophe

NBC News: 'Worst-case scenario of famine' unfolding in Gaza under Israel's offensive, global authority on hunger says

The Washington Post: We texted nearly 1,100 Americans about Trump and the Epstein files. Here's what they said.

🚓 IN NYC

The deadliest NYC mass shooting in 25 years:

A gunman opened fire in a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday, killing four people and injuring a fifth.

The suspect has been identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura. Tamura allegedly entered the building that housed Blackstone and the National Football League (NFL). He opened fire before dying by suicide.

What do we know about his motive?: The New York Times noted the gunman had driven from Nevada. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said the gunman was trying to target the NFL headquarters but took the wrong elevator. Adams says a note was found with the gunman, which blamed the NFL for his brain injury.

"He was not an NFL player," Adams said. "It appears as though he was blaming the NFL for his CTE [Chronic traumatic encephalopathy]… and he shot himself and took his own life. Shot himself in the chest. It appears to have been that he wanted to preserve his brain for reason of research."

Among the victims: An off-duty NYPD officer was killed. Didarul Islam was a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a New York City police officer for more than three years.

CNN pointed out this is the deadliest gun attack in New York City in 25 years. What a wild stat. It's also the highest-profile shooting in NYC since the UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed in December.

➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS IN NYC:

📸 Blackstone employees barricaded the door — this is both incredibly chilling and impressive.

📸 Flags in NYC are at half-staff

🚂 NEWS THIS MORNING

Who wants to tell Mr. George Russell?:

Two railroad companies reached an $85 billion deal this morning, creating the U.S.'s first-ever coast-to-coast rail operator.

Specifically: Union Pacific wants to buy Norfolk Southern.

Why this matters to you: It could speed up deliveries across America. "The railroads said the tie-up would streamline deliveries of raw materials and goods across the country by eliminating several days of delays when shipments are handed off between railroads." (AP)

But there's a big caveat: The deal still needs to be approved by antitrust regulators. The Associated Press (AP) noted there's a "very high bar for railroad deals after previous consolidation in the industry led to massive backups and snarled traffic."

COMING UP

The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is flying back to Washington from Scotland. (All times EST)

2 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream

2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes. More votes are expected today. 📆 Today's agenda

7:20 p.m.: Trump arrives at the White House.

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🍗 Celebrate: Today is National Lasagna Day and National Chicken Wing Day!

🥑 Free guac alert!: Chipotle is giving out free guacamole Thursday for National Avocado Day. The catch: You have to be a rewards member. The code is AVO2025.

🍽️ Alexa, convert this article into a checklist: The New York Times published its new list of "The Best 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now." It begins with "2Fifty Barbecue," so I know this list is legit.

👋 AND FINALLY…

Because you made it this far, have you ever seen a baby horse happier than this one?

^ If you have, I beg you to send me that footage.

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