Midterm elections are taking shape in California, Maine, South Carolina and Nevada.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign a bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. Samuel Corum / Getty Images
Gates said in his opening statement that he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 “through people I trusted in my professional and philanthropic work,” and that he “claimed he could raise billions of dollars for global health” and later tried to use information about Gates’ marital infidelities as leverage.
Gates said in the statement to the committee, which he posted on his website, he eventually came to realize that Epstein was full of hot air about his philanthropic boasts by 2014, and that he told him he would no longer deal with him.
“It was after this that I learned Epstein had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage. These affairs had nothing to do with my interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family,” Gates said.
“As the public can now see, based on what has been released in the files, Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities—in addition to many lies that he layered on top—to pressure me to re-engage with him. He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda.”
Gates’ statement added that he regrets ever meeting with Epstein. “I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed. I accepted the introduction without applying the scrutiny I should have,” he said.
Gates said that in their interactions, “I never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct. I never went to his island, his ranch, or his Florida home. I have never victimized anyone.”
Speaking to reporters outside the hearing room, Gates said, “I’m glad to be hear voluntarily to testify, to help with the committee’s work.”
“I hope my testimony is helpful to the important work of the committee to find justice for the victims,” he said.
A powerful surveillance tool backed by national security hawks faces a risk of expiring this week after Trump moved to put it in the hands of an ally without a national security background.
Trump tapped housing official Bill Pulte last week to replace Tulsi Gabbard on an acting basis as director of national intelligence. Pulte is known for pushing criminal investigations into Trump’s adversaries for mortgage fraud, which Democrats and the targets of those probes say are selective and politically motivated.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham has won his Republican primary in South Carolina, NBC News projects, after he spent millions to secure the nomination.
Graham faced multiple primary challengers Tuesday, but the biggest threat came from self-funding businessman Mark Lynch, who lent his campaign $5 million. Graham’s campaign spent more than $13 million on ads, according to AdImpact, as he battled Lynch for the GOP nod.
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Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., said yesterday during a House Appropriations Committee markup that she recently had a miscarriage.
“A few weeks ago, my husband and I lost a pregnancy after 11 weeks of hope of bringing a new member into the family,” The 38-year-old congresswoman said in the remarks, which she shared in a video on X.
“Miscarriage is hard, but when your body doesn’t let go of a miscarriage, it gets harder,” she said. “After several weeks of bleeding and mourning the loss of our pregnancy, my doctor made clear that future pregnancy could be much more difficult if I didn’t take medication to expel the retained miscarriage.”
She went on to describe how she took the medication to expel the miscarriage “this past Sunday” and described how “the pain was worse than the pain I experienced during labor and delivery of my son four years ago.”
The congresswoman proposed an amendment to a spending bill that would instruct the National Institutes of Health to study strategies to improve women’s pain during miscarriage.
Her amendment was adopted by voice vote with unanimous support, according to her office.
Inflation surged in May to the highest level since early 2023, keeping consumers under pressure as the war with Iran shows no sign of winding down soon.
Overall, inflation rose to 4.2% in May from a year ago, up 0.5% from April. Inflation’s rise has surpassed wage growth, which was tracking at 3.4% as of the most recent jobs report.
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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will be interviewed by members of the House Oversight Committee today as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
The interview will take place behind closed doors and will be transcribed, the committee’s chairman, James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter in March requesting the billionaire philanthropist’s testimony. Gates has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
A spokesperson for Gates told NBC News last night that “Gates welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee.”
“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” the spokesperson added.
Gates, whose name was mentioned in the Epstein files, has said that he “regrets every minute” he spent with the late convicted sex offender, whom he met in 2011. In the files, Epstein appeared to suggest in an email he sent to himself that Gates was having extramarital affairs and seeking drugs. Gates called the contents of the unsent email “false” and said he was “foolish” to have spent time with him. A Gates spokesperson also denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.”
Gates said he had “a number of dinners” with Epstein, and the focus of their conversations was on finding philanthropic contributions to global health initiatives. He said he never traveled to Epstein’s private island.
Gates later told Gates Foundation staffers that he previously had two affairs, but they did not involve women around Epstein, The Wall Street Journal reported in February, citing a recording of a town hall during which he also apologized for his ties to Epstein.
Gates maintained that he “did nothing illicit” and “saw nothing illicit,” the Journal reported.
“To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” he said, according to the Journal.
Republican former Gov. Paul LePage is moving on to the general election in Maine’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, as the crowded Democratic field in one of the country’s most important battleground districts remains unresolved ahead of a ranked choice voting tabulation.
The seat is being vacated by Jared Golden, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and a candidate who has held on to it repeatedly, even as Donald Trump carried the district in 2020 and 2024. His decision to retire jeopardizes Democrats’ ability to hold the seat, and Republicans are optimistic they can finally flip it.
Joe Baldacci, a state senator and son of a former governor, is the establishment pick, running with a boost from the House Democratic campaign committee and the top House Democratic super PAC. State Auditor Matt Dunlap, the former secretary of state, is running as a progressive, embracing “Medicare for All” and leaning on his decadeslong political career in the state.
And Jordan Wood, the former chief of staff to then-Rep. Katie Porter of California and a top staffer at End Citizens United, is also running from the progressive wing of the party. He’s the top fundraiser by a large margin.
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South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who secured a late endorsement from Trump, and state Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a Republican primary runoff in the race to be the state’s next governor, NBC News projects.
The runoff will take place June 23 after no candidate won more than 50% of vote yesterday. With more than 80% of the expected vote tallied, Evette was taking 29% support compared to 26% for Wilson.
The eventual GOP nominee will be a heavy front-runner to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster in the solidly red state this fall.
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After weeks of setbacks and delays, the Republican-controlled House yesterday narrowly passed a roughly $70 billion package to fund ICE and the Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term.
The vote was 214-212, with Rep. Kevin Kiley, a California independent who caucuses with Republicans, joining all Democrats in voting no. The package, dubbed the Secure America Act, cleared the Senate last week and now heads to the president’s desk for his expected signature.
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Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democrat Aaron Ford have won their primaries, NBC News projects, officially setting up what’s expected to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests in the fall.
Lombardo, the former Clark County sheriff, easily secured his party’s nomination over several low-profile challengers as he seeks a second term. Ford defeated Washoe County commissioner in the Democratic contest, taking roughly two-thirds of the vote.
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Former Fox News host Steve Hilton has advanced to the general election in the California gubernatorial race, NBC News projects, where he will face former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Hilton, a Republican, emerged from a crowded primary where candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot and the top two vote getters move on. NBC News projected Friday that Becerra, a Democrat, would advance.
With 88% of the expected vote tallied one week after polls closed, Becerra was taking about 28% support compared to 25% for Hilton. Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer was in third with roughly 23%, while Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was the only other candidate in double digits, with 10%.
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It’s official: Republican Sen. Susan Collins will face Democrat Graham Platner this fall, NBC News projects, in what will be a marquee election in the fight for control of the Senate.
Collins and Platner both won their primaries yesterday in a predictable result. Collins, first elected to the Senate in 1996, ran unopposed for renomination as she seeks a sixth six-year term.
And Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer running in his first political race, faced little Democratic competition as two-term Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign after she failed to gain traction. She still appeared on the primary ballot.
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