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Greetings and salutations to the American political live blog. I am Tom Ambrose, and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the coming hours.

The President Rejects Marjorie Taylor Greene's Danger Concerns

We begin with the development that Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday, despite his reversal on resisting the disclosure of the Epstein files.

He continued to dismiss her claim that his remarks were endangering her and stated he did not think anyone was focusing on her. The congresswoman remarked on the previous day that the President's social media posts 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 the press before boarding Air Force One on Sunday night.

Greene, a US House of Representatives member from the state of Georgia who was previously considered a staunch Trump supporter, has lately adopted stances at odds with the commander-in-chief. She said on Saturday she has been contacted by security companies expressing concern for her safety and that strong criticisms against her have previously led to threats on her life.

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Release Initiative

The public fallout occurred while Trump urged his GOP colleagues in Congress to support the release of files related to the deceased disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, changing his earlier resistance to such a action.

His message on his social media platform followed House speaker Mike Johnson previously stated that he believed a decision on releasing justice department files in the Epstein investigation should help put to rest allegations “that he [Trump] has any involvement”.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on that day: “GOP lawmakers should support unsealing the Epstein files, because we have no secrets.

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

While Trump and Epstein were seen together decades ago, the commander-in-chief has said the two men fell out before Epstein’s convictions. Emails released last week by a congressional panel showed the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, believed Trump “knew about the girls,” though it was uncertain what that statement signified.

Other Updates

• GOP representative Thomas Massie had questioned Trump over whether the US president was making a “final attempt” to prevent the complete records on the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from becoming public by ordering a fresh investigation. The congressman and Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, the two lawmakers spearheading the cross-party effort to make all the documents in the possession of the government available both expressed new worries about the steps by the administration.
• The United States conducted another attack on an suspected drug trafficking boat in the Pacific region on Saturday, killing three individuals aboard, the Pentagon announced on Sunday. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illegal drug trafficking, traveling on a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying drugs,” the military command stated in a post on social media.
• The President indicated the US may open talks with President Maduro, the Venezuelan president, who faces escalating pressure from Washington during a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean. “We could initiate some talks with Maduro, and we’ll observe how that turns out. Venezuela would want to talk,” the US president said on Sunday, in one of the initial indications of a potential way to easing the growingly strained situation in the area.
• Trump on the weekend brushed aside worries about right-wing pundit the commentator's recent discussion with a far-right activist recognized for his antisemitic views, which has created a schism within the Republican party. Trump supported Carlson, noting the former Fox News host has “expressed positive remarks about me over the years.” He added if he chooses to interview Nick Fuentes, whose supporters see themselves as defending America’s cultural heritage, then “people have to decide.” He did not criticize the commentator or Fuentes.
• The President indicated 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 GOP leader and Democratic rising star who have cast each other as opponents. He has for an extended period slammed Mr Mamdani, falsely labelling him as a “socialist” and forecasting the ruin of his city, NYC, if the democratic socialist were elected.
• A collective of 17 trans military personnel has sued the federal government for denying them retirement benefits and entitlements. The legal filing, submitted in a US court, describes the government’s move against them as “unlawful and invalid”.