CNN senior correspondent Donie O’Sullivan talks to MAGA media outlets at the White House about covering the Epstein files as President Trump tries to shift the focus away from his former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Washington

Pro-Trump media figures and outlets have come to Donald Trump's defense as he faces renewed questions about his association with Jeffrey Epstein. The scrutiny intensified after a Wall Street Journal report, which Trump has denied and responded to with a defamation lawsuit. While some in the MAGA movement initially expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the Epstein case, many have since shifted to supporting him, framing the controversy as an attack by political opponents and the media.

Despite this support, there remains an undercurrent of demand for transparency from Trump's base, with figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene warning that failure to address concerns about 'deep state' and elite wrongdoing could erode support. The administration has also been criticized for promoting misleading content, such as a fake video of Barack Obama being arrested, which some believe could mislead Trump's supporters.

MAGA media rallies around Trump as he downplays Epstein connection

Those that say they'll no longer support President Trump because he didn't release every single thing we've ever known about Jeffrey Epstein, just because they say they're done, they're not done. The Epstein saga has rocked the MAGA base for weeks. February 2015, Trump stands at CPAC. Bill Clinton. A nice guy, got a lot of problems coming up, in my opinion, with the famous island with Jeffrey Epstein. Like, you trained us to go after this issue. Does the President believe that justice has been served in the Epstein case? President Trump can't get away from questions about Epstein. Elaine Maxwell says she'll only testify if you pardon her or she gets immunity. But at the White House, few of those questions are coming from Trump-supporting media outlets. If you look at the, you know, 20 of the top 47 promises President Trump made, he delivered on all those campaign promises. Brian Glenn is the White House correspondent for MAGA media outlet Real America's Voice. People say, Brian, why don't you ask questions about Epstein? I'm like, because everyone else is asking the question about Epstein. We need to get to the bottom of Epstein, because Epstein is the key that picks the lock. Some in MAGA were initially unhappy with Trump's handling of the Epstein case. But after the Wall Street Journal broke this story and Trump denied it and sued the paper for defamation, many in the MAGA base rallied to his defense. This is a centerpiece of the deep state trying to destroy Trump, going to destroy Trump and going to destroy the MAGA movement. In the wake of the Wall Street Journal attack on the president, I think the administration has already taken several of the steps that are going to be good steps in the right direction. So but the idea that like Donald Trump is covering up the whole Jeffrey Epstein thing, like that doesn't make sense, right? Matthew Boyle is Washington bureau chief for Breitbart, an outlet that supports Trump, but has asked questions about Epstein. You mentioned the Wall Street Journal story as an attack. I mean, was that an attack or was it just the Wall Street Journal reporting a good scoop? Well, the president says that he never wrote that thing. And I have no reason to believe that he did. Right. Like, I at this point, I don't know. But their reporting shows. Well, their reporting says that he did. Right. I don't believe that. But I mean, we've seen other media outlets get stories wrong about President Trump potentially trying to distract from Epstein. The Trump administration has started baselessly accusing Barack Obama of treason, even posting a fake a video of the former president being arrested. Trump posted the video of Obama getting arrested. Well, you know, I you know, we all know that President Trump has an insane sense of humor. You know, he is he's he's he likes to troll and we all know that he is the master at that. Could that in a way mislead the base thinking that that's going to happen? I think there's a chance that that could happen because people will see that and go, oh, it's going to happen. It's going to happen next week when it doesn't. They get a little disappointed. But while some in MAGA might be happy for now on how the administration is handling Epstein, Brian and his girlfriend, the congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, warn that the Trump base still wants answers. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's your partner, said if you tell the base of people who support you of deep state treasonous crimes, election interference, blackmail and rich, powerful elite evil cabals, then you must take down every enemy of the people. If not, the base will turn and there's no going back. Pretty hard work. Maybe people in the administration saw that tweet. Maybe they understand that they have to be as transparent and do what's best for the American people.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 31 in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Trump's envoy meets Netanyahu for Gaza aid, ceasefire push

Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of euros of vital Western aid as Russia's all-out war grinds on.

Kyiv

Ukraine approves law to restore independence of anti-graft watchdogs

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as more countries join the call to recognize a Palestinian state in September. CBS News' Robert Berger has the latest.

Trump envoy in Israel as Canada joins call on Palestinian statehood

President Donald Trump says the U.S. will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea as part of a deal that eases, for now, tension with a top-10 trading partner and key Asian ally.

Global Tariffs

Trump says U.S. will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

Rio de Janeiro

Trump hits Brazil with tariffs, sanctions but key sectors excluded

Widespread damage from tsunami waves after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded appears to have been largely avoided. Experts say this event should be used to gauge disaster preparedness for a more serious situation in the future.

Okinawa

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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state later this year if the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, meets certain conditions.

Ottawa

Canada to recognize Palestinian state in September if conditions met

Australia said on Wednesday (July 30) it will add YouTube to sites covered by its world-first ban on social media for teenagers, reversing an earlier decision to exempt the Alphabet-owned video-sharing site and potentially setting up a legal challenge.

Canberra

Australia expands teen social media ban to YouTube

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (July 30) the United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from India, as well as an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, on Aug. 1.

Trump says U.S. to hit India with 25% tariff starting August 1

Mourners flooded the streets of Birmingham to celebrate the life of rock-and-roll legend Ozzy Osbourne during his funeral procession in the United Kingdom. Mark Savage, a music reporter at the BBC, a CBS News partner, joins with more details.

Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne fans flood Birmingham streets to mourn late music icon

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters before departing from Scotland that Jeffrey Epstein poached workers from his Mar-a-Lago spa. Trump mentioned Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, in his latest remarks.

Trump says Epstein 'stole' young women from Mar-a-Lago spa

Owdeh Hathaleen, a 31-year‑old Palestinian activist, teacher, and filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was shot dead by an Israeli settler near the village of Umm al‑Khair in the South Hebron Hills.

Palestinian activist killed by Israeli settler in West Bank

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet nearby, and sparked evacuation orders in Japan, Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday (July 30).

Hawaii

Tsunami reaches Hawaii after huge quake shakes Russia's Far East

The U.N. General Assembly brought high-level officials together to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel and the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia

New York

Israel and U.S. boycott UN Summit for two-state solution

With numerous countries facing an Aug. 1 trade agreement deadline, officials in the Trump administration say China could get an extension while negotiations continue.

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Police say the man who shot and killed four people in a New York City office building before he took his own life had a "documented mental health history." Mayor Eric Adams says he may have been targeting the National Football League (NFL).

Manhattan gunman had 'documented mental health history'

Jeffrey Epstein-associate Ghislaine Maxwell is offering to testify before Congress in exchange for concessions like full immunity. CBS News Department of Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify before Congress

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday (July 29) Britain was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians.

London

UK to recognize Palestinian state unless Israel takes action

Russia launched overnight air strikes on over 70 Ukrainian cities, killing more than 20 people, according to President Zelenskyy. A pregnant woman died near a hospital in the southeast, while a prison strike killed at least 17.

Ukraine Invasion

Deadly Russian air raids hit Ukraine as Trump warns of sanctions

For the first time, human rights groups inside Israel are accusing their own government of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel insists it is targeting Hamas, not civilians—despite nearly 60,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began almost two years ago.

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Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of bribery and witness tampering in an unprecedented trial that has shaken the country.

Bogotá

Ex-Colombian president Uribe convicted of witness tampering, bribery

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media that President Trump's deadline push for a ceasefire with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war."

Moscow

Russian official calls Trump's ceasefire deadline 'a threat'

Ukraine says Russia's overnight air strikes hit a prison in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, killing at least 17 people. Another 35 were injured. Authorities say the attacks destroyed the jail buildings and damaged several nearby houses.

Zaporizhzhia

Russian air strikes hit a prison in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, 17 killed

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with more than 300 drones and seven missiles. While most of the barrage was intercepted, the attacks prompted President Trump to give his Russian counterpart an ultimatum.

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A gunman killed at least one police officer and shot a handful of other people Monday in the heart of New York City. CBS News New York has the latest details.

Gunman kills police officer, wounds others in Midtown Manhattan

The suspect in the Michigan Walmart stabbing attack that injured 11 people over the weekend pleaded not guilty Monday to terrorism and assault charges.

Traverse City

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The U.S. Department of Justice says it took down child abuse websites that had more than 120,000 members and contained millions of files. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane explains how the arrest of one suspect nicknamed "Boss" was a huge priority for the FBI.

U.S. Justice Dept. shuts down four child abuse websites

Five people, including security guards, were killed by a gunman at Bangkok's Or Tor Kor market on Monday. The shooter, who injured two others, later killed himself, according to authorities.

Bangkok

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Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire starting at midnight, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on July 28, a significant breakthrough to resolve five days of deadly border clashes.

Breakdown