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Greetings and salutations to the American political live blog. I am Tom Ambrose, and I will be providing you with all the most recent developments over the next few hours.

The President Rejects Marjorie Taylor Greene's Safety Claims

We begin with the news that Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday, even as his shift on opposing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein documents.

He continued to dismiss her claim that his remarks were endangering her and stated he did not believe anyone was focusing on her. The congresswoman remarked on the previous day that Trump’s online criticism had triggered a surge of threats aimed at her.

“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene,” he remarked, referring to the lawmaker. “I do not believe her life is in danger... I doubt anybody cares about her,” Trump informed reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday evening.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a US House of Representatives representative from the state of Georgia who was long known as a staunch Trump supporter, has recently taken positions at odds with the commander-in-chief. She said on Saturday she has been contacted by private security firms expressing concern for her safety and that harsh attacks against her have in the past resulted in threats on her life.

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Disclosure Push

This dispute came as the President encouraged his GOP colleagues in the legislature to support the release of records concerning the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, changing his earlier resistance to such a move.

His message on his Truth Social followed Speaker Johnson said earlier that he thought a decision on making public justice department documents in the Epstein investigation should help dispel claims “that he [Trump] has something to do with it”.

He posted on his social media account on that day: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein documents, because we have no secrets.

“And it’s time to put behind us this political stunt perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to distract from the Great Success of the GOP, including our latest win on the government funding issue,” he said.

Although Trump and Epstein were seen together decades ago, the commander-in-chief has said the two men had a disagreement before Epstein’s convictions. Messages disclosed last week by a House committee indicated the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, believed the President “knew about the girls,” though it was not clear what that statement signified.

Other Developments

• GOP representative Congressman Massie had challenged the President over whether the US president was making a “last-ditch effort” to prevent the complete records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from becoming public by initiating a fresh investigation. Massie and Democratic representative Representative Khanna, the two US representatives spearheading the bipartisan push to have all the files in the possession of the government available both raised fresh concerns about the actions by the administration.
• US forces conducted a further strike on an suspected drug trafficking boat in the Pacific region on the weekend, resulting in the deaths of three individuals on board, the Pentagon said on Sunday. “Information verified that the boat was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, traveling on a known narco-trafficking route, and transporting narcotics,” the US Southern Command stated in a post on social media.
• Trump said the US may open talks with Nicolas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, who faces escalating pressure from Washington amid a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean. “We may be having some talks with Maduro, and we’ll observe how that turns out. Venezuela would want to talk,” the commander-in-chief remarked on Sunday, in one of the first signs of a potential way to defusing the growingly strained circumstances in the area.
• Donald Trump on the weekend brushed aside worries about right-wing pundit the commentator's latest interview with a extremist figure known for his anti-Jewish sentiments, which has created a division within the Republican party. The President supported Carlson, noting the former Fox News host has “expressed positive remarks about me over the years.” He said if Carlson wants to speak with the activist, whose supporters consider themselves defending America’s white, Christian identity, then “individuals have to decide.” He did not criticize the commentator or the activist.
• Trump suggested on Sunday that he plans to have a discussion with NYC's mayor-elect Mamdani and said they will “work something out”, in what could be a truce for the Republican president and Democratic political star who have cast each other as opponents. Trump has for an extended period slammed the mayor-elect, incorrectly labelling him as a “socialist” and forecasting the ruin of his city, NYC, if the democratic socialist were chosen.
• A group of seventeen trans US air force members has sued the federal government for denying them early retirement pensions and entitlements. The complaint, submitted in federal court, describes the government’s move against them as “unlawful and invalid”.