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Hello and welcome to the American political ongoing coverage. I am Tom Ambrose, and I will be bringing you all the latest developments over the next few hours.

The President Rejects Marjorie Taylor Greene's Danger Claims

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

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 said on Saturday that Trump’s social media posts had triggered a wave of menaces directed at her.

“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene,” he said, speaking of the lawmaker. “I don’t think her life is in danger... I don’t think anybody cares about her,” Trump told the press before boarding Air Force One on Sunday evening.

Greene, a House member from the state of Georgia who was long known as a staunch Trump supporter, has recently adopted stances at odds with the commander-in-chief. She noted on the weekend she has been contacted by security companies expressing concern for her security and that harsh attacks against her have previously led to death threats.

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Release Push

The public fallout came as Trump urged his fellow Republicans in the legislature to vote for the publication of files concerning the deceased disgraced financier Epstein, changing his prior opposition to such a move.

Trump’s post on his Truth Social followed House speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that he thought a decision on making public justice department files in the Epstein investigation should help put to rest allegations “that he [Trump] has any involvement”.

He posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: “House Republicans should support unsealing the Epstein documents, because we have nothing to hide.

“And it’s time to put behind us this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by far-left activists in order to distract from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our latest win on the government funding issue,” he added.

While the President and Epstein were seen together years back, the commander-in-chief has said the two men had a disagreement before Epstein's legal troubles. Messages released last week by a House committee showed the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in prison in recent years, thought the President “knew about the girls,” though it was uncertain what that phrase signified.

Other Updates

• Republican congressman Thomas Massie had questioned 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 being disclosed by initiating a new probe. Massie and Democratic representative Representative Khanna, the two US representatives spearheading the bipartisan push to have all the documents held by the authorities public both raised fresh concerns about the steps by the White House.
• US forces conducted another strike on an suspected narcotics smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific on the weekend, resulting in the deaths of three people aboard, the Department of Defense said on Sunday. “Information verified that the boat was engaged in illicit narcotics smuggling, traveling on a established drug route, and transporting drugs,” the military command stated in a post on online platforms.
• Trump said the United States may begin discussions with Nicolas Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, who is under growing scrutiny from the US government during a significant US military buildup in the Caribbean region. “We could initiate some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that develops. Venezuela would want to talk,” the commander-in-chief said on Sunday, in one of the initial indications of a potential way to defusing the growingly strained circumstances in the region.
• Donald Trump on the weekend dismissed worries about right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson's latest interview with a extremist figure known for his antisemitic views, which has created a schism within the Republican party. The President defended Carlson, saying the former Fox News host has “said good things about me over the years.” He said if he chooses to speak with the activist, whose supporters see themselves as defending the nation's cultural heritage, then “individuals have to decide.” Trump did not condemn the commentator or Fuentes.
• The President indicated on that day that he plans to have a discussion with New York City’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani and stated they will “work something out”, in what could be a detente for the GOP leader and Democratic political star who have cast each other as political foils. He has for months slammed Mr Mamdani, falsely labelling him as a “communist” and forecasting the decline of his city, New York, if the progressive were elected.
• A group of seventeen transgender military personnel has sued the federal government for refusing them early retirement pensions and benefits. The legal filing, submitted in a US court, characterizes the administration's action against them as “illegal and unjustified”.