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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 most recent news lines over the coming hours.

Trump Dismisses Marjorie Taylor Greene's Safety Concerns

We begin with the news that Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks against Republican lawmaker Representative Greene on Sunday, even as his shift on opposing the disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein documents.

He persisted in rejecting her claim that his criticism were endangering her and stated he did not think anyone was targeting her. Greene said on Saturday that the President's online criticism had unleashed a surge of menaces directed at her.

“Greene the ‘Traitor’,” he remarked, speaking of the congresswoman. “I do not believe her life is in danger... I doubt anybody is concerned for her,” the president informed reporters before entering Air Force One on Sunday night.

Greene, a House representative from the state of Georgia who was previously considered a Trump loyalist, has recently adopted stances contrary to the commander-in-chief. She said on the weekend she has been alerted by security companies expressing concern for her security and that strong criticisms against her have in the past led to death threats.

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Disclosure Initiative

This dispute occurred while the President urged his GOP colleagues in the legislature to vote for the publication of files related to the deceased disgraced financier Epstein, reversing his earlier opposition to such a action.

Trump’s post on his social media platform came after House speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that he thought a vote on making public justice department documents in the Epstein investigation should help dispel claims “that he [Trump] has any involvement”.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on that day: “GOP lawmakers should vote to release the Epstein documents, because we have no secrets.

“And it’s time to move on from this political stunt orchestrated by far-left activists in order to distract from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the government funding issue,” he said.

While Trump and Epstein were seen together years back, the commander-in-chief has said the two men fell out before Epstein’s convictions. Messages released recently by a congressional panel showed the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in jail in recent years, believed the President “was aware of the girls,” though it was not clear what that statement signified.

Other Updates

• Republican congressman Thomas Massie had challenged Trump over whether the commander-in-chief was making a “last-ditch effort” to keep the complete records on the late convicted criminal Epstein from being disclosed by ordering a fresh investigation. Massie and Democratic representative Representative Khanna, the two lawmakers spearheading the bipartisan push to make all the files held by the government public both expressed new worries about the actions by the White House.
• The United States carried out another strike on an suspected narcotics smuggling vessel in the Pacific region on the weekend, killing three people aboard, the Department of Defense announced on the following day. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was engaged in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying drugs,” the US Southern Command announced in a message on online platforms.
• Trump indicated the US may begin discussions with Nicolas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, who is under escalating pressure from Washington during a significant military deployment in the Caribbean region. “We could initiate some discussions with the Venezuelan leader, and we’ll observe how that develops. They would like to talk,” the commander-in-chief said on Sunday, in one of the first signs of a possible path to defusing the increasingly tense situation in the area.
• Trump on Sunday brushed aside worries about right-wing pundit the commentator's latest interview with a extremist figure recognized for his anti-Jewish sentiments, which has created a division within the GOP. The President defended the host, saying the former Fox News host has “said good things about me in the past.” He added if he wants to speak with Nick Fuentes, whose supporters see themselves as working to preserve America’s cultural heritage, then “individuals have to decide.” He did not condemn the commentator or Fuentes.
• Trump indicated on Sunday that he intends to meet with NYC's mayor-elect Mamdani and stated they will “work something out”, in what could be a truce for the GOP leader and Democratic political star who have cast each other as opponents. Trump has for months criticized the mayor-elect, falsely labelling him as a “communist” and predicting the ruin of his hometown, NYC, if the democratic socialist were elected.
• A group of 17 trans US air force members has sued the federal government for denying them retirement benefits and benefits. The complaint, submitted in a US court, describes the administration's action against them as “illegal and unjustified”.