House Committee Issued a Subpoena for the Epstein Files

The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena today requesting that the Justice Department hand over its files related to Jeffrey Epstein by Aug. 19. The committee also sent subpoenas to 10 former Democratic and Republican government officials it said it was seeking to question.

Should the Justice Department fail to meet the deadline, it could set up a high-profile clash between the Trump administration and Congress over an issue that has sharply divided Republicans. At a town hall held by Representative Mike Flood during which the Nebraska Republican was heckled and booed for over an hour, frustration over the handling of the case fueled some of the jeers.

Three Republicans broke from Trump to back the subpoena for the Epstein files. But they expanded the request to include the subpoenas for the 10 former officials, including Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and the former attorneys general Merrick Garland, William Barr and Jeff Sessions.

The Trump administration has sought to tamp down the anger in part by requesting the release of grand jury transcripts related to the case. However, Epstein’s longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, asked a judge today to deny the government’s request.

For more: Epstein spent years turning a palatial townhouse on the Upper East Side in Manhattan into a place where he could flaunt his connections. The Times reviewed previously unreported images from inside the mansion, showing Epstein’s surveillance cameras and his collection of framed photographs with world leaders. Take a look inside.

Tennessee executed a prisoner despite ethical concerns

Byron Black, who was convicted in 1989 of killing his onetime girlfriend and her two young daughters, was executed today by the state of Tennessee. His case raised ethical concerns, as some medical experts had warned that his death via lethal injection could be torturous because of his heart implant. But the Supreme Court and Tennessee’s top court allowed the execution to move forward.

Seven reporters who served as witnesses all said that Black appeared to show signs of distress, including heavy breathing, during the execution. At one point, Black said something about it hurting “so bad.”

Columbia and Brown will give Trump access to racial data

As part of the settlements struck with the Trump administration to restore federal funding, both Columbia and Brown agreed to share their admissions data with the government.

This aspect of the agreement was largely overlooked amid news of the universities’ multimillion-dollar payouts. But officials worry that the administration will use the data — which includes information about the race of students, as well as standardized test scores and grade point averages of all applicants — to file discrimination charges and threaten federal funding.

In other education news, public school enrollment is declining as more students use vouchers. Some schools are trying new recruiting strategies.

The E.P.A. plans to cancel billions in solar grants

The Trump administration is preparing to terminate $7 billion in federal grants intended to help low- and moderate-income families install solar panels on their homes.

The grants were projected to help about 900,000 households access solar energy and reduce the demand for fossil fuels. The E.P.A.’s plan to end the program is almost certain to draw legal challenges from grant recipients, many of whom have pursued projects in Republican-led states.

Shakespeare in the Park returns home

This week, after an 18-month, $85 million makeover, free Shakespeare performances will return to the revamped Delacorte Theater in Central Park, which has hosted the shows since 1962.

Many big-name actors have performed on the Delacorte stage. We talked to several of them, including Al Pacino, Oscar Isaac and Marisa Tomei, about their most memorable experiences. (Liev Schreiber recalled being upstaged by a raccoon.)

Our critic tried out the new Tesla Diner

When Elon Musk announced that he was building the Tesla Diner in 2018, he sold it as a wholesome vision of the future — electric cars charging around a communal big screen while drivers fueled up on reimagined fast food. The reality is quite different, our restaurant critic Tejal Rao explained after visiting the newly opened Los Angeles restaurant.

The food was unremarkable, Tejal wrote, and the experience wasn’t exactly idyllic. On one side of the road on the weekends, protesters criticize Musk; on the other, Musk’s fans livestream the long line. Some customers are enthralled nonetheless: “We don’t order anything except for the burgers now,” one tourist told Tejal after multiple visits in one week. “Everything else is just so bad.”

It’s an exceptional year for fireflies

This summer is as good as any to recapture the childhood magic of watching fireflies buzz through the evening skies. Scientists have noticed an increased number of the insects, which are also called lightning bugs, across the northeastern U.S.

The reason? The weather. Fireflies, which are actually a type of beetle, thrive in warm, humid conditions, which make the chemical reaction they use to twinkle more efficient. And many parts of the country have seen particularly warm and wet springs in recent years.

Have a bright evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Philip Pacheco was our photo editor.

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