President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency on Wednesday, July 17, after experiencing leg swelling, as announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt attributed previous bruising and hand swelling to excessive handshaking and a regular aspirin regimen. Separately, Trump will not recommend appointing a special prosecutor for the Jeffrey Epstein case but has called on Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to present any credible evidence related to Epstein's crimes, according to Leavitt. Disputes over the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files have caused significant delays in the House Rules Committee, preventing it from scheduling a hearing on rescissions. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team are reportedly discussing offering a non-binding resolution related to the Epstein files to address the anger among Rules Committee Republicans, who have been pressured to vote against Democratic amendments seeking full transparency. Senator Ron Wyden stated that Treasury's Epstein file details 4,725 wire transfers totaling nearly $1.1 billion from just one of Epstein's bank accounts, indicating thousands of potential investigation lines. In other legislative news, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's amendment to abandon Ukraine was defeated in a bipartisan vote. The House began voting on a trio of crypto bills, including H.R. 3633 – Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, after an internal GOP civil war. Senate Republicans are preparing to move their first funding package. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced an investigation into Bloomberg Philanthropies and NYU Law's State Impact Center for allegedly embedding partisan operatives in Democratic Attorney General offices to promote climate lawsuits and radical energy policies. In health news, Senator Tina Smith returned to work after being hospitalized overnight, and Democratic attorneys general have filed a lawsuit to block changes to ACA health insurance marketplaces by the Department of Health and Human Services. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer plan to sell the blood thinner Eliquis directly to patients at a discounted cash price following discussions with the Trump administration.
