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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 news lines over the coming hours.

The President Rejects Marjorie Taylor Greene's Safety Claims

We start with the news that Donald Trump intensified his criticism of GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Sunday, despite his shift on resisting the disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein documents.

He persisted in rejecting her assertion that his remarks were putting at risk her and stated he did not believe anyone was focusing on her. The congresswoman remarked on Saturday that the President's online criticism had triggered a surge of menaces directed at her.

“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene,” he said, speaking of the lawmaker. “I don’t think her life is in danger... I doubt anybody is concerned for her,” Trump told reporters before entering his presidential plane on Sunday night.

Greene, a US House of Representatives member from the state of Georgia who was previously considered a Trump loyalist, has recently taken positions contrary to the commander-in-chief. She said on Saturday she has been alerted by security companies expressing concern for her safety and that harsh attacks against her have in the past resulted in death threats.

Epstein Files Release Push

This dispute occurred while Trump urged his fellow Republicans 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.

His message on his Truth Social came after House speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that he thought a decision on making public DOJ documents in the Epstein investigation should help put to rest allegations “that he [Trump] has something to do with it”.

He posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: “GOP lawmakers should vote to release the Epstein documents, because we have nothing to hide.

“Now is the moment to move on from this political stunt orchestrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the significant achievements of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown’,” he said.

While the President and Epstein were seen together decades ago, the commander-in-chief has claimed the two men had a disagreement before Epstein’s convictions. Messages released recently by a House committee showed the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in jail in recent years, thought Trump “knew about the girls,” though it was not clear what that phrase signified.

Additional Updates

• Republican congressman Thomas Massie had questioned the President over whether the commander-in-chief was making a “last-ditch effort” to keep the full files on the deceased convicted criminal Epstein from becoming public by ordering a fresh investigation. Massie and Democratic representative Representative Khanna, the two US representatives spearheading the cross-party effort to have all the documents held by the authorities public both raised fresh concerns about the steps by the administration.
• The United States carried out another strike on an suspected narcotics smuggling vessel in the Pacific region on Saturday, killing three people aboard, the Department of Defense announced on Sunday. “Information confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, traveling on a established drug route, and transporting narcotics,” 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 is under growing scrutiny from Washington amid a huge US military buildup in the Caribbean region. “We could initiate some talks with Maduro, and we’ll observe how that develops. They would want to talk,” the commander-in-chief said on Sunday, in one of the initial indications of a possible path to easing the growingly strained circumstances in the area.
• Donald Trump on the weekend brushed aside concerns about right-wing pundit the commentator's recent discussion with a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views, which has caused a division within the GOP. Trump supported Carlson, noting the former Fox News host has “said positive remarks about me over the years.” He said if he chooses to speak with the activist, whose followers consider themselves working to preserve America’s white, Christian identity, then “individuals have to make up their own minds.” Trump did not condemn Carlson or the activist.
• The President suggested on Sunday that he plans to meet with New York City’s mayor-elect Mamdani and stated they will “reach an agreement”, in what could be a truce for the Republican president and Democratic political star who have cast each other as political foils. He has for an extended period criticized Mr Mamdani, falsely labelling him as a “communist” and forecasting the decline of his city, New York, if the democratic socialist were chosen.
• A collective of seventeen transgender military personnel has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for denying them retirement benefits and benefits. The complaint, filed in federal court, describes the administration's action against them as “unlawful and invalid”.