Trump admin updates: Trump wants Senate to cancel August recess to work on nominees

Just as the Senate began debate on the rescissions package that would strip the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of two years’ worth of its funding, the Trump administration filed a new lawsuit against the three CPB board members whom the president has attempted to fire, but have refused to leave.

Tuesday’s filing, in US District Court in Washington, is the latest volley in a monthslong legal fight between the administration and the entity that funds the nation’s public radio and television stations. It seeks to affirm Trump’s power to remove members of the CPB board -- a power the corporation and its board members insist he doesn’t have.

"As recent Supreme Court orders have recognized, the President cannot meaningfully exercise his executive power under Article II of the Constitution without the power to select—and, when necessary, remove—those who hold federal office," the administration’s filing says. "Personnel is policy, after all."

CPB and its board members argue that while the president has the power to appoint the organization’s board members, there is no provision in law that allows him to fire them.

-ABC News' Steven Portnoy

President Donald Trump will meet on Wednesday with Bahrain's crown prince, hold a bill signing ceremony, then have dinner with the prime minister of Qatar, according to the White House.

Trump is scheduled at 11 a.m. to greet Bahrain's Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince, who has also served as prime minister since 2020. The pair will hold a bilateral meeting, then have lunch, the White House said.

The crown prince of the Gulf state met on Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, according to Al Khalifa's office. The crown prince announced late Tuesday that private sectors in Bahrain and the U.S. signed agreements worth about $17 billion.

The president will then hold a bill-signing ceremony at 3 p.m., before having dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at 7 p.m., the White House said. The dinner comes as Israeli and Hamas officials are in Doha, Qatar, where they're engaged in discussions about a potential ceasefire.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said he plans to pursue a procedural gambit to trigger a House vote on legislation that would force the release of the “complete” Jeffrey Epstein files.

The congressman plans to offer a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures and allows the majority of the chamber to circumvent GOP leaders. There would only be floor action if the resolution receives enough support.

A waiting period of seven legislative days kicks off once the petition has enough signatures. So this could become a headache for GOP leaders after the August recess.

“We all deserve to know what’s in the Epstein files, who’s implicated, and how deep this corruption goes. Americans were promised justice and transparency. We’re introducing a discharge petition to force a vote in the US House of Representatives on releasing the COMPLETE files,” Massie said in a post on X.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday responded to calls for her resignation over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which has rankled the MAGA base.

"I'm going to be here for as long as the president wants me here, and I believe he's made that crystal clear," Bondi said.

When asked about her reported rift with Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino over the matter, Bondi said she was not going to discuss personnel matters.

"I was with [FBI] Director Patel all morning and we are committed to keeping America safe, making America safe, working with our incredible partners at DEA, FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals to do everything we can to make America safe and that's what we're focused on," she said at an event at the Drug Enforcement Administration.