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:
JD Vance's Team Had River's Water Level Raised For 'Ideal' Holiday Experience: Report
Vice President JD Vance's team ordered for the water level to be raised on a river in Ohio to improve his experience on a family holiday this past weekend, The Guardian first reported Wednesday.
Vance, who celebrated his 41st birthday Saturday, was spotted canoeing by social media users on southwest Ohio's Little Miami River — a tributary fed by Caesar Creek Lake that's popular for canoeing, angling and kayaking.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in a statement, confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service made the request for “support safe navigation" of Vance's security detail on the river.
One source told The Guardian that the order was made to generate “ideal kayaking conditions" on the waters.
Publicly available data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows a jump in the river's level and a drop in the lake's elevation this past weekend.
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has altered outflows for emergency training and community event purposes, a source told The Guardian that “special releases” aren't typically made for individuals.
The vice president's office didn't respond to The Guardian's request for comment.
Read more of The Guardian's report here.
Latest Live Updates
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.