Donald Trump is reportedly planning to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago as soon as this week over what he falsely described as “totally out of control” crime in the Democratic-run city despite opposition from local officials, including Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D).
The action would follow the president’s takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force and his deployment of the National Guard there.
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Congressional lawmakers returned from their August recess Tuesday, setting off what are likely to be challenging negotiations with the White House to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, despite the president’s efforts to dismiss the Jeffrey Epstein controversy as a “Democrat hoax,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chair of the House Oversight Committee, has announced the panel has sent a subpoena to the estate of the disgraced financier for documents, including a 2003 book reportedly containing a bawdy note from Trump to the sex offender who died in 2019 under circumstances many have called into question.
See previous updates here, and read the latest below:
Rep. Massie: ‘They’re Not Redacting Things To Protect Victims’
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told CNN’s Manu Raju this morning in no uncertain terms that there is more information to be released about individuals involved in the sex abuse crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
The House Oversight Committee published over 30,000 pages of Epstein-related documents Tuesday, but most of it had already been made public, with redactions.
Asked what more he wanted to see released, Massie held up his phone to show what appeared to be a screenshot of a document with a large black box in the middle of it.
“Well, how about this: This is the flight logs. They’re withholding who was on these planes. This is a document that’s publicly available. Go find it on the website,” he said.
“They are redacting things to prevent embarrassment. They’re not redacting things to protect victims. And in the process of preventing embarrassment, they’re hiding some criminals,” Massie told Raju, who asked him to clarify if he was referring to Trump.
“No,” Massie said. “Embarrassment to rich and powerful individuals who are connected to the president. I don’t think the president is redacted here. I don’t think he’s implicated in these files, but I think his donors are. I think his friends are. And I think our own DOJ and government are implicated in this, too.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other Trump allies have repeatedly stressed the importance of protecting information that could identify or harm victims. Several of Epstein's victims, however, participated in a Capitol Hill press conference today to demand more answers and accountability.
Democrats And Republicans Rally With Epstein Victims In Push To Release Files
WASHINGTON — Calling for Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the Epstein files in their entirety, victims of convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein spoke publicly — and defiantly — outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
“The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. We, the survivors, say ‘no more.’ I want to help create a world where survivors of sexual abuse and abuse of power can come forward safely,” said Anouska De Georgiou, a woman who said she was abused by Epstein on his island in the Caribbean and elsewhere for years. She was speaking to throngs of people gathered around her at a press conference staged by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) as they push to force the House to vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to make the Epstein files public and in a “searchable” format.
Read more here.
Vance To Visit Minneapolis After School Shooting
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance are set to visit Minneapolis today to pay respects to the victims of last week’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. Two children were shot dead and over a dozen others injured when a shooter fired onto a celebratory mass.
Vance’s office said he will hold “a series of private meetings to convey condolences to the families of those affected by the tragedy.”
Trump To Host Poland's President At The White House
Trump is preparing to host Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House Wednesday morning for a bilateral meeting.
The two men are expected to watch a military flyover meant to honor a Polish fighter pilot who died during a rehearsal for an air show last month, according to Fox News Digital.
Nawrocki, a conservative politician who became president of the European country last month, had secured Trump's backing in his election campaign.
Appeals Court Rules Trump Cannot Use Alien Enemies Act To Deport Members Of Venezuelan Gang
A federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday that Trump cannot use an 18th century wartime law to speed the deportations of people his administration accuses of membership in a Venezuelan gang, blocking a signature administration push that is destined for a final showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read more:
Trump Pouts As China Hosts His Favorite Dictators For A Military Parade
Trump shared that he was put out by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's trip on Tuesday to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America," Trump seethed in a Truth Social post.
The three leaders are set to appear together at a military parade on Wednesday, a show of solidarity in defiance of international condemnation of Russia's war in Ukraine.
House Releases Epstein Files Subpoenaed From DOJ
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has released more than 30,000 pages of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case after subpoenaing the Department of Justice for them last month.
You can view the documents here.
"DOJ has indicated it will continue producing records while ensuring the redaction of victim identities & child abuse material," committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said on social media upon their release.
It’s not yet clear how much of the content of today's release was previously unknown.
Trump Says U.S. Conducted Strike On ‘Drug-Carrying Boat’ From Venezuela
Trump announced Tuesday that the military had carried out a lethal strike on a “drug-carrying boat” that was traveling to the U.S. from Venezuela.
“You’ll see that we just, over the last few minutes, literally, shot out a boat — a drug-carrying boat,” Trump told reporters during a Tuesday press appearance.
In a Truth Social post, the president linked the vessel to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan group that the State Department has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, while describing the attack. The post included video footage that appeared to show the explosion of a small boat.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump wrote. “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the strike via a post on X, sharing a video of it and noting that it took place in the Caribbean.
The show of force comes as Trump has said he’d like to crack down on Latin American drug cartels and directed the military to focus on this endeavor.
Chuck Todd Thinks It's Obvious Trump Is 'Hiding Something' About His Health
Chuck Todd finds it hard to believe everything’s rosy when it comes to Trump’s health.
The former moderator of “Meet the Press” said the president was “clearly hiding something about his health” while talking to fellow journalist Chris Cillizza for the Tuesday episode of their joint podcast.
Read more:
Trump To Ask Supreme Court For Expedited Tariffs Ruling
Trump said his administration planned to petition the Supreme Court tomorrow to take up the issue of whether or not his sweeping tariffs are legal.
Last week, a divided federal appeals court said many of them were not legal, but left them in place for now.
“If you look at the stock market today, the stock market’s down because of that,” Trump said.
"If you took away tariffs, we could end up being a third-world country," he added.
Trump Says He Will Send Troops To Chicago, Baltimore
The president told reporters he expects to order federal law enforcement into Chicago and Baltimore, though he did not offer a timeline.
“We’re going in,” Trump said, adding, “I didn’t say when.”
Officials in both cities have voiced strong opposition to federal government intervention on their home turf in the name of a supposed crime wave. Violent crime in both places is on a downward trend, data shows.
Last month, Trump federalized the D.C. police force and sent in troops from the National Guard and a variety of federal agencies. He ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier in the summer in response to anti-ICE protests — a decision that a federal judge dubbed illegal on Monday.
"I refuse to pretend that any of this is normal," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said immediately after Trump's comments, once again asserting that National Guard troops will not be welcome in Chicago.
Trump Claims Video Of Mystery Objects Tossed From White House Window Is AI
Asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy why someone was filmed throwing unknown objects out of an upper-level window of the White House over the holiday weekend, the president said he was sure it was a fake video generated by artificial intelligence.
The White House, however, had already given news outlets a statement claiming that the subject in the video was a contractor carrying out “regular maintenance.”
Trump said it had to be AI because the windows are sealed.
“It’s gotta be, because I know every window up there,” he said. “In fact, my wife was complaining about it the other day. She said, ‘Love to have a little bit of fresh air come in.’ But you can’t. They’re bulletproof. Number one, they’re sealed, and number two, each window weighs about 600 pounds. You’d have to be pretty strong to open them up.”
Doocy showed the president the video on his phone. Trump commented that AI capabilities were becoming “scary.”
"If something happens that's really bad, maybe I'll just have to blame AI,” Trump added.
Trump Addresses Rumors About Being 'Dead’
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy was first to bring up the topic on everybody’s mind Tuesday afternoon: Trump’s health.
“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead? Did you see that?” Doocy asked the president in the Oval Office.
“No,” Trump said. Doocy cited some unspecified piece of online media that had apparently garnered “1.3 million user engagements.”
“Really? I didn’t see that,” Trump said.
He acknowledged that he had heard some of the broad speculation that his health was declining, but pointed out that he had done a lengthy interview with a friendly news outlet, The Daily Caller, on Friday and had an “active” Labor Day weekend at the golf course.
“I didn’t do any [media appearances] for two days and they said, ‘There must be something wrong with him.’ Biden wouldn’t do them for months. You wouldn’t see him,” Trump said.
He then accused the “fake news” of spreading false rumors. Speculation about Trump’s health has been rampant on social media due to bruises on his hand that the White House says are the result of many handshakes while taking aspirin.
Trump's Hand Is Obviously Bruised
The back of Trump's right hand appears to have been slathered with a concealer in an attempt to disguise the persistent bruise that's been there for many months now.
Asked by Fox News' Peter Doocy about speculation he's in ill health, Trump said he's done "numerous news conferences" recently and "they were all successful," and that he "was very active this Labor Day," despite there being no apparent activity at the White House.
Flanked By Alabama’s Congressional Delegation, Trump Says He’s Moving Space Force There
As expected, Trump says he’s moving Space Command headquarters to Hunstville, Alabama, which he says should be renamed “Rocket City.”
“I only won Alabama by about 47 points, but that didn’t influence my decision, right?” he asked as he looked around, clearly implying politics influenced his decision.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Trump in Colorado with 48.2% of the vote. Trump lost the state by a larger margin in 2020 to President Joe Biden, who secured 55.4% of the vote, and again in 2024 when Kamala Harris won 54.2% of the vote.
Trump mentioned the losses in his speech Tuesday, claiming he decided to move Space Force HQ because “they do mail-in voting” in Colorado.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) proposed naming it the “Donald J. Trump Space Center,” to Trump’s obvious delight.
Amid Speculation About His Health, Trump Makes An Announcement About … Space Command
Trump is scheduled to address the White House press pool Tuesday afternoon, during which he’s expected to announce he’s moving Space Command headquarters from Colorado, where it’s currently located, to Alabama.
The item on Trump’s White House Agenda teased the appearance as simply “an announcement,” leading to rampant speculation something else — including his absence over the holiday weekend and apparent health problems — might be discussed.
Stay tuned!
An Oyster Farmer Sparks A Populist Fire In Maine
Graham Platner is still trying to process this moment.
A month ago, the scruffy U.S. Marine veteran was tending to his oyster farm on the coast of Maine in relative obscurity. Since announcing his bid against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) two weeks ago, however, the 40-year-old political newcomer has drawn national headlines, hauled in over a million dollars for his campaign, and raised hopes among Democrats across the country that perhaps, this time, they have a shot at ousting the longtime GOP incumbent and taking back control of the U.S. Senate next year.
Read more:
Jon Ernst Makes It Official: 'I Will Not Be Seeking Reelection In 2026'
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) confirmed last week's reports that she won't be running next year, saying in a video posted to social media that it was "no easy decision."
"After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026," she said, explaining she wanted more time to focus on her family as it "ages and grows."
"It's my time for me to give back to them," she said.
Ernst's departure could pose a headache for Republicans as Democrats hope to make inroads in Iowa, once a competitive state for both parties. However, Trump has carried the state in the past three elections, winning it by 13.2 percentage points last year.
House Members To Meet Epstein Victims Tuesday, Hold Press Conference Wednesday
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) hope that a month-long recess might quell public interest in the Jeffrey Epstein files got off to a rough start Tuesday.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Pa.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) announced plans to meet with 10 alleged victims of Epstein and longtime co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell Tuesday morning, followed by a public press conference Wednesday.
The representatives are also moving forward with a procedural maneuver that could bypass Johnson and force a floor vote to release the files. The gambit, known as a discharge petition, requires 218 signatures from House members.
Khanna told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” Sunday he’s “very confident” the bipartisan effort will succeed.
“We will have the petition live on Sept. 2,” he told Welker. “We have all 212 Democrats committed to signing it. He has 12 Republicans. Only six of them have to sign it.”