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Greetings and salutations to the American political live blog. This is Tom Ambrose, and I will be bringing you all the latest developments over the next few hours.

Trump Rejects Greene's Safety Concerns

We start with the news that President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of GOP congresswoman Representative Greene on Sunday, despite his reversal on opposing the disclosure of the Epstein files.

He continued to dismiss her assertion that his criticism were endangering her and stated he did not think anyone was targeting her. Greene said on Saturday that Trump’s online criticism had unleashed a surge of threats aimed at her.

“Marjorie ‘Traitor’ Greene,” he said, speaking of the lawmaker. “I do not believe her life is in danger... I doubt anybody is concerned for her,” Trump told reporters before entering Air Force One on Sunday night.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a US House of Representatives member from Georgia who was long known as a staunch Trump supporter, has lately adopted stances contrary to the president. She said on the weekend she has been alerted by private security firms warning about her security and that strong criticisms against her have previously resulted in death threats.

Jeffrey Epstein Documents Disclosure Push

This dispute came as the President encouraged his fellow Republicans in Congress to vote for the publication of files related to the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his prior resistance to such a action.

His message on his Truth Social came after House speaker Mike Johnson previously stated that he thought a decision on releasing justice department documents in the Epstein case should help dispel allegations “that he [Trump] has something to do with it”.

He posted on his social media account on Sunday: “GOP lawmakers should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have no secrets.

“And it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated 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 added.

Although Trump and Epstein were seen together years back, the president has claimed the two men fell out before Epstein's legal troubles. Messages disclosed recently by a congressional panel showed the disgraced financier, who took his own life in prison in recent years, believed Trump “knew about the girls,” though it was uncertain what that phrase signified.

Other Developments

• Republican congressman Thomas Massie had challenged the President over whether the commander-in-chief was making a “last-ditch effort” to keep the full files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from becoming public by ordering a fresh investigation. The congressman and Democratic congressman Representative Khanna, the two US representatives spearheading the cross-party effort to have all the files held by the government available both raised fresh concerns about the actions by the White House.
• US forces conducted another strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Pacific region on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of three people on board, the Pentagon said on Sunday. “Intelligence confirmed that the boat was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, traveling on a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” the US Southern Command announced in a message on social media.
• Trump indicated the United States may open talks with Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, who is under growing scrutiny from the US government during a huge military deployment in the Caribbean region. “We could initiate some talks with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. Venezuela would like to talk,” the commander-in-chief remarked on Sunday, in one of the first signs of a potential way to defusing the growingly strained situation in the area.
• Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed concerns about right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson's recent discussion with a far-right activist known for his antisemitic views, which has caused a division within the Republican party. Trump defended the host, saying the former Fox News host has “said positive remarks about me over the years.” He said if Carlson chooses to interview the activist, whose followers see themselves as working to preserve America’s cultural heritage, then “people have to make up their own minds.” He did not criticize the commentator or the activist.
• The President indicated on Sunday 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 rising star who have portrayed one another as opponents. Trump has for months criticized the mayor-elect, falsely labelling him as a “socialist” and forecasting the decline of his hometown, NYC, if the progressive were elected.
• A collective of 17 transgender US air force members has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for refusing them early retirement pensions and benefits. The complaint, submitted in a US court, characterizes the administration's action against them as “illegal and unjustified”.