Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening-US appeals court blocks Trump contempt proceedings ordered by Boasberg-Inside NASA's fast-track plans for lunar nuclear power and new space stations to outpace global rivals-Ghislaine Maxwell prison transfer called 'highly unusual' by former federal prison officialEXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is blasting Gov. Tim Walz after a man who murdered his family as a teenager was released from prison."Once again, Tim Walz proves why he is one of the worst governors in the country," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital."Not only do his soft-on-crime policies rob victims of the justice they deserve, but they also put the safety of every Minnesotan at risk. Being a self-proclaimed knucklehead doesn't excuse the chaos he has caused with his dangerous, far-left agenda."Emmer, as the GOP whip, is the No. 3 House Republican leaderREAD MORE.CARTEL TAKEDOWN: Trump approves military action against Latin American cartels classified as terrorist organizationsIN CUFFS: Kash Patel slams corrupt sanctuary sheriff indicted for cannabis company extortionPARTY HOPPER: EXCLUSIVE: Duncan says Trumps attacks justify his switch from GOP to Democratic Party: 'He's making my case for me''REAL CONSEQUENCES': Noem, in Illinois, calls out Gov. Pritzker, Chicago's mayor over their handling of criminal illegal immigrantsGLOBAL DEPORT LINKS: List of countries taking in illegal immigrant deportees grows with latest African partnersSPECIAL RELATIONSHIP: US, UK 'disagree' on Gaza plan but 'share' same goal Vance says ahead of Lammy meetingPATRIOTISM UPROAR: Cuban-born congressman calls for 'Squad' members removal over Guatemalan before American remarkHEATED BATTLE: Former Democratic advisor says party's rhetoric on redistricting is getting 'a little out of control'PACS UNDER PROBE: Texas AG investigates Beto ORourke PAC over support for quorum-breaking lawmakersJOB RUNNING: Party of 'crazies': Dems comply with outrageous redistricting stunts due to primary threats, state rep saysON THE RUN: Texas asks Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants for Democratic lawmakersBREAKING POINT: Chicago's budget shortfall puts spotlight on Mamdani's 'socialism' agenda for New York CityCASH CLASH: Georgia attorney general sues GOP opponent in governor's race over campaign financingPUBLIC SCHOOL CRISIS: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker lambasted for new disastrous policy requiring mental health screenings for kidsGet the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Republican senators offered a range of responses when pressed on how the Trump administration has been handling the Epstein files controversy, with some calling it a distraction and others arguing the American people are "entitled" to answers.Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the "first phase" of declassified files related to Jeffrey Epstein Feb. 27, noting the move was following through on President Donald Trump's commitment to "lifting the veil" on Epstein and his co-conspirator's actions. Bondi also said the same month she was in possession of an Epstein "client list."However, the February declassification contained mostly information and files that had already been publicly available, and the Justice Department subsequently indicated that no "client list" exists. Since then, a series of events, including a clash between FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Attorney General Bondi, have led to mounting pressure on the Trump administration to release more files.'NOT GOING AWAY': INSIDE THE EPSTEIN DRAMA THAT'S THROWN HOUSE GOP INTO CHAOS"This is factual. Epstein trafficked a lot of young women, some of whom were minors. The American people are entitled to know who if anyone he trafficked these young women to, besides himself, and why they weren't prosecuted," John Kennedy, R-La., said."Now that's a very simple question that's at the bottom of all of this. The Department of Justice is going to have to answer that question to the satisfaction of the American people."TABLES TURN AS HOUSE GOP BLASTS DEMS FOR SUDDENLY DEMANDING EPSTEIN TRANSPARENCY FROM TRUMP ADMINKennedy's call for transparency comes after the president described the Epstein situation as a "hoax" while blasting Democrats and other "weaklings" who continue to buy into it."Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this bull----, hook, line, and sinker," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last month amid mounting reports of internal division within the administration over its handling of the Epstein caseWhen asked about how the Trump administration was handling the Epstein furor, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he thought the situation was being used by Democrats to create a "distraction" from the ongoing investigations into former President Biden and others, like the probe related to Biden's use of an autopen tool to sign important documents and the investigation into whether Obama-era officials manufactured evidence to accuse Trump of Russian collusion."Look what's being investigated right now through the Biden administration. So, what are they going to talk about now?" Mullin asked. "This is nothing but a distraction from the actual facts that is coming out about the Biden administration. Of course, the Democrats say, 'Well, we're just about transparency.' Well, where was the transparency the last four years?"Democrats have suggested Trump could be implicated in the files, but Mullin said that if such a circumstance were true, the information would have been leaked by the Biden administration.Mullin's counterpart in the Senate, Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford took more of a middle ground in his response about how the administration has been handling the Epstein files."The challenge is there are people that are victims that are in it, and there are folks that are not criminals that are in it as well," Lankford said. "And the challenge the Department of Justice has is you've got a girl that was 14, 16 years old and was abused. Well, now she's, let's say 26 or 30, married and has children."Maybe her family knows about this, maybe they don't. I don't know the situation, but we gotta figure out a way to be able to protect those folks that are genuine victims on all this as well as getting out as much information as you possibly can."For Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the debate about the Epstein files was not something she was interested in talking about when approached by Fox News Digital."I'm going," Collins responded when pressed on the matter outside the Capitol complex.

The attorney representing Ghislaine Maxwell told Fox News Digital that he loves "representing the underdog" as he tries to secure Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice's freedom.Maxwell was recently transferred from a federal prison facility in Tallahassee, Florida, to a Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, her attorney previously told Fox News Digital. Neither Maxwell's attorney nor the Bureau of Prisons gave a reason for the move.Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, told Fox News Digital during a phone interview on Friday that "people shouldn't be so quick to to judge and throw stones" as federal officials face criticism over his client's move to a minimum-security prison camp."I wish I could respond to all of the critics on the merits. We're just not commenting right now on the case for obvious reasons," Markus said during the interview. "But when I can, I'll have a lot to say about it."GHISLAINE MAXWELL PRISON TRANSFER CALLED 'HIGHLY UNUSUAL' BY FORMER FEDERAL PRISON OFFICIALMaxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her involvement in Epstein's sex crimes.A senior administration official previously told Fox News that "Any false assertion this individual was given preferential treatment is absurd. Prisoners are routinely moved in some instances due to significant safety and danger concerns.""I love what I do," Markus said. "I love representing the underdog. You know, being a criminal defense lawyer isn't for everybody, but it is one of the most rewarding and great jobs there is, and I really enjoy what I do. So, you know, this case, as all my cases, is an honor to be able to help somebody."JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WEIGHS RELEASE OF GHISLAINE MAXWELL INTERVIEWAmong Markus's previous clients is former Tallahassee, Florida Mayor Andrew Gillum, who came within 34,000 votes of beating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Gillum faced federal corruption charges, as prosecutors alleged he pocketed campaign cash and took illegal gifts.Federal prosecutors dismissed the corruption charges after being acquitted on one count, with the jury hung on the remaining charges.Criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh, who's a friend of Markus, says Maxwell's attorney is "the total package.""He's extremely brilliant, dedicated, passionate, zealous, experienced, and extremely humble. He seems to understand what many high-profile lawyers don't, and that is his ego is not his amigo," Eiglarsh said. "He does not shy away from a challenge. And boy, does he have a challenge here. Getting the Supreme Court to take this case at all is going to be extremely challenging. But then to zealously argue and effectively get them to embrace this case and his point of view, he's probably one of the only of few attorneys who could ever pull that off."Fox News Digital's Bryan Flood contributed to this report.

Emory University in Atlanta announced an active shooter was on its campus on Friday afternoon.Students were urged to avoid the area of Emory Point.SHOOTING AT TENNESSEE CLASS REUNION LEAVES 4 HOSPITALIZED"Active shooter on Atlanta campus near Emory Point," Emory College of Arts & Sciences posted to its X account. "RUN. HIDE. FIGHT."Emory College of Arts and Sciences, the primary undergraduate division of Emory University, has more than 5,700 students.The Emory University Police Department, DeKalb Police Department and DeKalb County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

The suspect in a fatal mass shooting at a Montana bar was arrested Friday after a week-long manhunt.Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton confirmed to local outlet KTMF that law enforcement arrested Michael Brown, an Army veteran accused of opening fire in The Owl Bar on Aug. 1.All four Anaconda victims, Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 70, were killed.A manhunt was underway in the central Montana mountains.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The WNBA continued to be plagued by lewd disturbances this week as fans in arenas across the league disrupted play by throwing adult toys on the court.ForMinnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, the "prank," as some call it, is much more serious than just a viral moment."This has been going on for centuries the sexualization of women," she told reporters Thursday after the teams practice."This is the latest version of that. And it's not funny. And it should not be the butt of jokes on any radio shows or in print or in any comments."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMReeve took a moment to address the situation unprompted as at least six WNBA games have involved similar incidents."The sexualization of women is what's used to hold women down. And this is no different. This is just its latest form, and we should write about it in that way. And these people that are doing this should be held accountable, and we're not the butt of the joke. They're the problem. And we need to take action."Later that day and despite Reeves pleas, a lewd object was thrown on the court during anAtlanta Dream game in Chicago. Another sex toy was reportedly thrown in the third quarter, but the object did not make it to the court and instead landed somewhere near the Dream bench.CHICAGO SKY GAME BECOMES LATEST WNBA CONTEST DISRUPTED BY SEX TOY BEING THROWN ON COURT AS ARRESTS CONTINUEThe obscene objects have been thrown during at least six WNBA games over the last week and a half. The first happened during a game in Atlanta July 29. It happened for the first time in Chicago Aug. 1 and Los Angeles on Tuesday, nearly hittingIndiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, and again in Chicago Thursday.The objects were also reportedly thrown at games in New York and Phoenix Tuesday but did not appear to reach the court. At least two people have been arrested in the disturbances, one in Georgia and one in Arizona.An anonymous person connected to a crypto group has claimed responsibility for at least some of the incidents, but the WNBA did not respond to requests for comment regarding the validity of those claims.The league has threatened legal prosecution and at least a year-long ban against any fans attempting similar stunts at WNBA games.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

In a sweeping move aimed at rolling back pandemic-era mandates, the Trump administration on Friday directed all federal agencies to erase any records related to employees' COVID-19 vaccination status, prior mandate noncompliance or exemption requests.The guidance, issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), was a response to recent litigation and is part of a broader push to reverse what officials have described as "harmful pandemic-era policies" imposed under the Biden administration."Things got out of hand during the pandemic, and federal workers were fired, punished or sidelined for simply making a personal medical decision," OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement. "That should never have happened. Thanks to President [Donald] Trumps leadership, were making sure the excesses of that era do not have lingering effects on federal workers."TRUMP ADMIN ISSUES NEW GUIDANCE TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION ACROSS FEDERAL WORKFORCEFormer President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14043 in September 2021, directing federal agencies to require COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of federal employment.After the controversial demand, numerous lawsuits were filed by federal employees, unions and states alleging the mandate violated constitutional rights and federal labor laws.EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP ADMIN STRENGTHENS RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS IN FEDERAL WORKFORCEA federal appeals court blocked enforcement of the order in 2022m and Biden repealed the mandate in May 2023, prompting OPM officials to issue a memorandum to human resources directors stating that "agencies should review their job postings to ensure that none list compliance with the now revoked Executive Order 14043 as a qualification requirement."The memo also reminded agencies that the executive order could no longer be enforced.SUPREME COURT LETS TRUMPS WRECKING BALL FEDERAL JOB CUTS PROCEED WHILE LEGAL FIGHT CONTINUESIn a memo to heads and acting heads of departments and agencies Friday, Kupor announced that, effective immediately, agencies are barred from using a person's vaccine history or exemption requests in any employment-related decision, including hiring, promotion, discipline or termination.Unless an employee affirmatively opts out within 90 days, all vaccine-related information must be permanently removed from both physical and electronic personnel files.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPAgencies must certify compliance with the memo by Sept. 8, according to the memo.The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

A Washington Post columnist admitted Thursday that mainstream journalists could never prove that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in 2016 despite their best efforts, suggesting it shouldn't have turned into such a media circus.On "The Don Lemon Show" podcast, The Washington Posts Perry Bacon Jr. warned Lemon and other journalists not to report too definitively about Trumps alleged links to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, in order to avoid a Russiagate situation in which the media insinuated collusion without proving it."You and I were covering the Russia thing a fair amount probably in 2017, 2018. We never really proved the thing we were sort of hinting atthat maybe [Vladimir] Putin and Trump are cheating and so on," Bacon said.BUTTER KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT': DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER RIPS HIS PARTY'S STRATEGY IN REDISTRICTING BATTLEIn the clip flagged by NewsBusters' associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro, Lemon remarked that Trumps relationship with Epstein has broken into the previously uninterested mainstream media."After last night, I was like, How should they be treating this story? And I ask because, look, this was sort of a Republican and a MAGA conspiracy theory, a la Pizzagate initially," he said.He noted how some outlets were interested in the story at the time, but said, "for the most part, sort of centrist media, they were not obsessed with this Epstein story."CNN'S ANDERSON COOPER SHOWS UP TO SUPPORT 'LATE SHOW' HOST STEPHEN COLBERT AFTER CANCELLATIONLemon then asked Bacon how he felt about the media now taking an interest in it and peppering Trump with questions about the topic."Yeah, I mean, the medias now covering it," the columnist and New Republic writer acknowledged. "I think people were slow to it, but I think people are onto it."But Bacon urged the media to show some restraint on the subject to avoid a years-long Russiagate narrative that turned up zero smoking guns on the presidents alleged collusion with the Kremlin to steal the 2016 election.The sprawling Russia investigation dominated the news cycle for years, but dubious sources like the Steele dossier and revelations about the Hillary Clinton campaign's role in disseminating the Russia narrative have sparked fierce criticism of the media's handling of the saga.CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS"It was sort of obvious that Putin wanted Trump to win, but Im not sure we got the sort of smoking gun," Bacon admitted. "So, I think people should cover this, cover this aggressively, but not it shouldnt turn into like, every hour on MSNBC is Epstein, cause also, theres a lot of other problems," he said.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Whats happening in Texas is a big story," the columnist continued, noting the story of state Republicans pushing a redistricting vote with Democratic lawmakers going AWOL to avoid it.

Grant Napear, the former broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings fired for a post that said "All Lives Matter," joined "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" on Friday for an interview.As Dan Zaksheskewrote on Thursday, Napear has finally landed another radio broadcasting job. He will host his own show on FOX Sports Radio station in Sacramento that will air on weekdays from 3-6 PST, starting on September 2nd.Before this, he broadcast games for the Kings for 26 years, and was fired for this simple tweet he posted in 2020.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNapear joined Travis and Sextons show and talked about his experience of getting fired. He mentioned that many people in his circle and within the industry privately spoke with him and voiced their support."Privately, people were outraged, they were blown away," Napear said. "I had some of the biggest names in the sportscasting industry reach out to me, talking about how they couldnt believe it. They were telling me they were going to be nervous about saying something they shouldnt or (that) it was going to be misconstrued."NBA FREE AGENT MALIK BEASLEY EVICTED FROM DETROIT HOME AMID RENT LAWSUITS AS FBI GAMBLING PROBE LOOMS: REPORTHowever, Napear said that he had no one come to his defense, because they were afraid of the repercussions of sticking up for someone who had said something deemed offensive."But what was amazing is, every single one of them said, I would love to speak up for you publicly, but I cant. They were too afraid. Thats what it was like. People were too afraid to speak out and come to my defense," Napear said.While that must have been disheartening (on top of the five-year wait to get a job back in the industry), justice has smiled on Napear and restored him back to doing what he loves. Its good that this wrong - at least in part - has been rectified.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Kate Hudson is enjoying some time away with her family.The 46-year-old "Almost Famous" star posted a series of photos on Instagram from her family vacation in Colorado, which included some familiar faces.One of the photos shows Kate giving the camera a smirk as she brushes her hair out of her face. In the photo, she's wearing a brown bikini top and holding a guitar.She captioned the post, "Soul reset."HALLE BERRY CHANNELS INNER BOND GIRL IN BIKINI PHOTOS FROM LAKE POWELL VACATIONAlso included in the carousel of photos were pictures of Kate with her famous family, including her mom, actress Goldie Hawn. In one photo, the mother-daughter duo poses for a photo with Kate's daughter, Rani Rose, and actress Dakota Johnson."Kate, Goldie, Dakota all my favorite women!!!" one fan wrote in the comments section. Another added, "Is that Dakota in second picture?."Other photos in the post showed Kate horseback riding with other friends and family members and photos of the surrounding beauty, prompting one follower to comment, " Beautiful country with great people ."Hudson and Johnson were also recently spotted together soaking up the sun while on a yacht off the coast of Ibiza in July to celebrate the birthday of Naomi Campbell's partner, Mohammed Al Turki.Prior to that, Kate posted a series of photos from yet another family vacation in Greece, which featured more members of her famous family, including brothers Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell.When speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of her Netflix show, "Running Point," in February 2025, Kate shot down the notion her family could ever star in a reality show, bluntly saying, "It'll never happen."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"Listen, my dad, he's just too cool. He'd rather just be in Colorado just being dad. Snake Plissken doesn't do reality," Kate said, referencing stepdad Kurt Russell's character in the movies "Escape from New York" and "Escape from LA."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERRussell and Hawn began dating when Kate and Oliver were both young, and although the couple never married, he shares a close bond with them both."Essentially, he raised me. I'm the man I am today because of him," Oliver said on "Sibling Revelry," his podcast with Kate. "There was a moment when he asked us myself and Kate if we wanted to be adopted, and we said no. Not that we were, you know, very aware of probably what it even f---ing meant. We just said, 'Well, we don't need it. The love is right there.'"At the same time, when you don't have your biological [father] around, it's hard to replace that, no matter what. The love was there with Kurt, no doubt about it. He is my dad. I call him Pa. But there was always, not something missing, but it was always sort of like, Wow, but theres that other side.'"