The shadow of Jeffrey Epstein looms over President Donald Trump’s high-stakes trip to the United Kingdom, as ties to the late convicted sex offender continue to damage political and business leaders around the world.

Ahead of Trump’s visit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired his ambassador to the United States over leaked email exchanges with Epstein, renewing questions about the financier’s alleged links to other powerful British people.

In recent weeks, Trump sued the Wall Street Journal after it published an article saying he sent Epstein a letter that included a drawing of a naked woman. House Democrats later released a copy of the drawing, which Trump maintains is fake. 

The news all but ensured that Trump will again be confronted with questions about Epstein during his U.K. visit. Reminders of Epstein will be both literal and figurative for Trump in London, after a protest group known as “Everyone Hates Elon” raised thousands of pounds to plaster the city with one of the most well-known images of Trump and Epstein.

Trump had hoped for a more stately welcome featuring royal pageantry, as he got during a visit as president in 2019.

“He enjoyed the ceremony of it, the pomp and circumstance, and the regalia,” recalled Michael Martins, a former official who served during Trump’s first state visit. “There will be even more of an emphasis on that, because of what’s going on in both sides’ domestic politics.”

Read Akayla Gardner’s full analysis here.

Inflation continues to be a problem, with grocery prices having their biggest monthly jump since 2022, which experts blame on tariffs and mass arrests and deportations affecting agricultural workers.

Here are some highlights of the president’s actions over the last seven days:

The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement that is sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In July, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, citing what he called a “witch hunt” against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. A former ally of Trump, Bolsonaro was recently convicted of attempting to overturn the 2022 election and now faces 27 years in prison. That’s led some Brazilians to worry that Trump may impose further tariffs on the South American country. In a guest column in The New York Times, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it’s clear that the motivation for the tariffs is political and said he was proud of the Supreme Court’s decision. “President Trump, we remain open to negotiating anything that can bring mutual benefits,” he wrote. “But Brazil’s democracy and sovereignty are not on the table.” Read more.

Here we go. The Federal Reserve meets this week to decide what to do about a key interest rate, and nearly everyone thinks it will cut from the range above by 0.25%. It would be the first cut since December of last year, as the bank sees signs the economy is slowing. But that’s not where the drama is. Instead, it’s on Trump and his attempts to seize control of the bank. On pressuring Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut rates (from calling him a “numbskull” to showing off a draft letter to fire him). On trying to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook. On rushing to fill an open seat with an administration official before the meeting starts. At stake is the Fed’s independence; for the rest of us, the future of our economy. Learn more.