Google News RSS

Trump Live Updates: Hillary Clinton Testimony, Mamdani Meeting, U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks and More - The New York Times

2/27/2026, 1:09:43 AM

A swirl of legal scrutiny, foreign-policy brinkmanship, and city-level dealmaking converges around Trump in a fast-moving news cycle. Coverage splits along three fronts: renewed attention on Epstein-related files the DOJ is accused of withholding, mounting tension around U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy after talks ended without a deal announced, and a judge allowing Trump’s White House ballroom project to proceed for now. At the same time, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is back at the White House pitching housing investments directly to Trump. Several pieces frame these threads as politically self-reinforcing—where process, messaging, and institutional decisions can become the story. Many underlying claims remain contested, and several headlines point to ongoing or unresolved proceedings.

A swirl of legal scrutiny, foreign-policy brinkmanship, and city-level dealmaking converges around Trump in a fast-moving news cycle.

Coverage splits along three fronts: renewed attention on Epstein-related files the DOJ is accused of withholding, mounting tension around U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy after talks ended without a deal announced, and a judge allowing Trump’s White House ballroom project to proceed for now. At the same time, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is back at the White House pitching housing investments directly to Trump. Several pieces frame these threads as politically self-reinforcing—where process, messaging, and institutional decisions can become the story. Many underlying claims remain contested, and several headlines point to ongoing or unresolved proceedings.

Key points

The BBC focuses on Trump-related Epstein files amid accusations the DOJ is withholding material, while CNN argues the Trump team is worsening the political problem.
PBS reports U.S.-Iran nuclear talks wrapped with no deal announced, framed against a rising sense of war risk.
The Guardian examines Trump’s shift from opposing foreign wars to threatening war in Iran, and Al Jazeera compares the current Iran “war” script to the 2003 Iraq playbook.
A judge ruled Trump’s White House ballroom can continue “for now,” with Politico also reporting a renewed refusal to block the project.
NBC News and PBS report NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s second White House visit, centered on a housing pitch to Trump and a publicity-oriented presentation.

Why it matters

The Epstein-file dispute and the DOJ-withholding accusation risk turning document control and transparency into a sustained political liability.
Stalled Iran talks, paired with commentary about war threats, heighten the stakes of the administration’s messaging and next diplomatic steps.
Court decisions keeping the ballroom project alive reinforce how legal rulings can shape the day-to-day political narrative even without final resolution.

What to watch

Whether additional disclosures, explanations, or procedural moves emerge in the Epstein-files dispute described by the BBC and CNN.
Any public signal of next steps after U.S.-Iran talks ended without a deal, especially as multiple outlets frame an elevated war risk.
Further court action or administrative developments affecting the White House ballroom project after judges declined to block it, at least for now.

Briefing

Trump’s news cycle is being driven by process stories as much as outcomes: document disputes, court rulings, and diplomatic endgames that haven’t reached a clear landing.

On the Epstein front, the BBC zeroes in on Trump-related files amid accusations the DOJ is withholding them. CNN, in parallel, frames the issue as one the Trump team is making worse—suggesting the politics are compounding regardless of what ultimately becomes public. The central uncertainty is structural: what exists, what is being withheld (if anything), and what may be disclosed next.

Foreign policy is the other dominant track. PBS reports that U.S.-Iran nuclear talks wrapped with no deal announced, explicitly set against a looming risk of war. The Guardian and Al Jazeera push the narrative further, analyzing Trump’s posture toward conflict with Iran and placing current rhetoric alongside older war-era patterns—analysis that implies escalation risk but remains interpretive rather than dispositive.

Domestically, a judge has allowed Trump’s White House ballroom project to continue, at least temporarily. The Washington Post describes the project proceeding “for now,” and Politico reports a judge again refused to block it—headlines that emphasize the interim nature of the legal posture, not a final determination.

Meanwhile, Trump is also being pulled into city-level bargaining. NBC News reports NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani making a housing pitch to Trump during a second White House visit, while PBS highlights the mayor’s attention-grabbing approach—mocking up a newspaper with his name in the headline to sell the proposal.

The through-line across these stories is leverage: who controls documents, who controls timing, and who controls the frame. With court decisions, diplomatic stalemates, and high-visibility pitches all unfolding at once, the immediate political impact may hinge less on definitive resolutions and more on what gets clarified—or left ambiguous—next.

Sources