LIVE COVERAGEUpdated 2 hours ago
Trump administration live updates: Lower gas prices are the No. 1 Iran war goal, Vance says
A federal judge showed frustration over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, pressing government lawyers about numerous redactions in the records
President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office, on Monday. Bonnie Cash / Bloomberg
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Updated August 14, 2026, 7:25 AM EDT
By NBC News
What to know today
- IRAN WAR:Keeping gas prices low is now the United States’ “goal No. 1”in the Iran war, Vice President JD Vance has said, as Washington threatened an indefinite naval blockade and signaled it would soon intensify economic pressure on Tehran.
- EPSTEIN FILES:A federal judge overseeing a case focused on the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files pressed government attorneys yesterday about their compliance with his court orders, including one on the need to publish justifications for the numerous redactions in the files.
- KENNEDY CENTER:The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board voted to re-add President Donald Trump’s name to the building’s facade and partially close the arts center for two years. The board voted 20-3 to change the name of the center to “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.”
2h ago / 7:25 AM EDT
Kennedy Center board votes to partially close arts center during renovations and add Trump’s name to the building again
The Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board voted yesterday to partially close the iconic arts center for up to two years during renovations and to re-add Trump’s name to the building’s facade, according to a person who attended the virtual board meeting and a second person familiar with the meeting
The decision would close the Kennedy Center’s main building and keep a smaller addition, known as the Reach, open for some events in responseto a May court order requiring the board to maintain the center as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy
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2h ago / 7:25 AM EDT
Judge shows signs of frustration with DOJ attorneys over handling of Epstein files
A federal judge overseeing a case focused on the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files pressed government attorneys yesterday about their compliance with his court orders and warned that he has held lawyers in contempt before
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, a 41-year veteran of the bench, convened the hearing seeking answers about whether the Trump administration had complied with his previous orders in the case, including one about the need for the Justice Department to publish justifications for the numerous redactions in the released Epstein files
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2h ago / 7:25 AM EDT
Low oil prices now ‘goal number one’ in Iran war, Vance says, as U.S. threatens new economic pressure
Keeping gas prices low is now the United States’ “goal number one” in the Iran war, Vice President JD Vance has said, as Washington threatened an indefinite naval blockade and signaled it would soon intensify economic pressure on Tehran
The comments appeared to be the latest shift in the public rationale for the conflict, with Vance ranking Iran’s nuclear ambitions second
The vice president’s remarks came as the Trump administration embraced a long-term effort to impose pain on the Islamic Republic, despite growing signs of strain on American forces and domestic pressure ahead of the Midterm elections
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