House Oversight Committee releases thousands of Epstein documents
The House Oversight Committee released a tranche of thousands of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case on Tuesday night. The surprise file dump came ahead of an expected House-wide vote to formalize the committee’s Epstein inquiry on Wednesday afternoon. That vote, while largely symbolic, would also direct the House Oversight Committee to release the Epstein files sent by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Nearly 34,000 pages are being released that include the DOJ’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell and videos that appear to show the inside of Epstein’s Palm Beach home. A NEXT STEP IN THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION INVOLVES HIS ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’ Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, was skepitcal about Tuesday’s release. “There is no news there. I’d rather see the tape in the morning when they took his body off of the tier,” he told Fox News Digital. “That would show who was there, maybe who was running the show etc. That might be news.” The drop included law-enforcement videos that show taped interviews with survivors conducted during the 2005–06 Palm Beach investigation involving Epstein, as well as police body-camera and search footage of the disgraced financier’s Palm Beach, Florida home and interview transcripts with Maxwell. The committee said the DOJ produced the files with victim identities protected, but Congress is now publishing the raw videos in a centralized repository. There was also video from the area outside Epstein’s jail cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. One folder contained an email chain from DOJ officials that included a timeline of Epstein’s final hours. It was written 24 hours after Epstein was found dead in his federal jail cell in Brooklyn, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. “Hugh/Ray: Can you verify that the information below is accurate? It’s based in large part on the timeline you sent,” wrote one official, whose email address was redacted. “Is there any reason why this information shouldn’t be released to the public?” Details from the timeline have already been widely reported: Epstein was placed on suicide watch in the jail on July 23, 2019, and received daily psyche evaluations. On July 29, authorities removed him from suicide watch but placed him in a special housing unit, where he was supposed to be placed with a cellmate for safety. His cellmate left for court on Aug. 9, and the judge let him go home, so Epstein was alone in his cell. His last contact with guards came around midnight on Aug. 10. Although guards were supposed to conduct checks every 30 minutes, no one saw Epstein until around 6:30 a.m., when staff serving breakfast found him unresponsive in his cell. He was pronounced dead, and authorities said he hanged himself. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed the DOJ in early August for all documents pertaining to its investigation of Epstein and Maxwell. The subpoena was directed by a bipartisan vote during an unrelated House Oversight Committee hearing in late July. “This is the most thorough investigation into Epstein and Maxwell to date, and we are getting results,” Comer said during a House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday evening. “We have already deposed former Attorney General Bill Barr, the Department of Justice provided nearly 34,000 pages of documents and will produce more, which are being made public as we speak.” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, claimed that some 97% of those documents were already public, however. EPSTEIN ESTATE HIT WITH NEW HOUSE SUBPOENA FOR ‘CLIENT LIST,’ CALL LOGS Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., said Democrats would continue to push for the unredacted files involving Epstein. “We recognize that the Trump DOJ has every incentive to not comply,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “That is, I imagine, a very small start, but we await the rest.”? Lee notes that the massive majority of the files released Tuesday had all previously been publicly released, “which means that the DOJ has fallen short.” The sudden release appears to be a bid to neutralize an effort by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to force a vote on their own bill to make the DOJ release information on Epstein. The bipartisan pair is spearheading what’s known as a discharge petition — a rare procedural move that allows lawmakers to circumvent leadership if a majority of House members sign on. Such a vote could put Republican lawmakers, who are also pushing for more transparency, in a difficult position, forced to decide between the political ramifications of bucking the vote or defying their own leaders. Massie told Fox News Digital earlier this week he expected enough signatures to hit that threshold by the end of this week, however. “I think there’s a real good chance of that,” he said. But Comer said the committee was “way ahead” of Massie and Khanna’s move. “We’re going to go beyond it. We’re already getting the documents from the administration,” Comer said. “I don’t think [the discharge petition is] necessary at all.” In addition to deposing Barr and subpoenaing the DOJ, Comer’s panel also sent subpoenas to former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Senate advances defense bill boosting service member pay, Pentagon reforms
The Senate teed up a colossal package to authorize funding for the Pentagon on Tuesday, marking the first legislation to hit the floor since lawmakers returned from August recess. Lawmakers advanced the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a largely bipartisan 84 to 14 vote, setting up the bill for debate before a later vote to advance it from the Senate. This year’s version of the bill isn’t as divisive as its predecessor, given the lack of provisions targeting “woke” policies at the Pentagon, which became a major target for Republicans when they gained power in the House during the latter half of former President Joe Biden’s first term. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, EPSTEIN FILES, DC CRIME: CONGRESS RETURNS TO MOUNTAIN OF DRAMA Instead, the measure focuses on military contracting reforms and lasers in on the Pentagon’s failure to complete, let alone pass, an audit for the last several years. It also includes a bump to service members’ pay, though not as high as in recent years. It also includes an extension to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028, and increases authorized funding to $500 million. Still, the measure would authorize about 3% more funding for the Pentagon when compared to last year’s NDAA in the midst of the GOP and White House’s push to cut costs in the government. It also comes on the heels of a $150 billion injection of defense spending passed in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” WHITE HOUSE MOVE TO CANCEL $4.9B FOREIGN AID WITH ‘POCKET RESCISSION’ BLASTED AS ILLEGAL Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said after the bill glided through committee in July that the “United States is operating in the most dangerous threat environment we have faced since World War II.” “The bill my committee advanced today is a direct reflection of the severity of that threat environment, as well as the rapidly evolving landscape of war,” he said. “My colleagues and I have prioritized reindustrialization and the structural rebuilding of the arsenal of democracy.” And Sen. Jack Reed, the Democrat on the panel, similarly agreed that the U.S. “faces a global security environment unlike any in recent memory.” SENATE SIGNALS READINESS TO HIT RUSSIA WITH HARD SANCTIONS IF PEACE DEAL FAILS “This legislation invests in the service members, technology, and capabilities we need to deter our adversaries and defend our national interests,” the Rhode Island Democrat said. “I thank Chairman Wicker and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for advancing this bill to prioritize the safety and security of the American people.” The Senate and House have offered competing versions of the bill, too. Lawmakers in the upper chamber leapfrogged their colleagues in the House, where their iteration of the NDAA is expected to be considered next week. Overall, the Senate’s version of the legislation would tee up nearly $925 billion in defense spending. That total is split among the Department of Defense at over $878 billion, the Department of Energy at over $35 billion with another $10 billion allocated for “defense-related activities” outside of the bill’s jurisdiction. The House version of the bill clocked in at just over $848 billion, well below the Senate’s product but more in line with the Pentagon’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Republican rising star Ashley Hinson announces Senate bid in race to succeed Iowa’s Ernst
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson on Monday announced her bid for the U.S. Senate, in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. “I am running for the United States Senate,” Hinson said in an appearance on a popular afternoon talk radio program in Iowa. Hinson – a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northeastern portion of the state – showcased her support for President Donald Trump. “I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate,” she said. “I’m proud to fight alongside him.” REPUBLICAN JONI ERNST ANNOUNCES SHE WON’T SEEK SENATE RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR Her news came a few hours after Ernst, in a social media video, officially announced that she wouldn’t seek re-election in next year’s midterms. “Having been raised in a family who has given me so much love and support, now as our family ages and grows, it’s time for me to get back to them. After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking re-election in 2026,” the 55-year-old Ernst, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, said in a video posted to social media. TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS Ernst, a retired Army Reserve and Iowa National Guard officer who served in the Iraq War, had been wrestling for months over whether to run for re-election in 2026. And in her video, she said, “This was no easy decision.” Ernst first grabbed national attention 11 years ago with her “make ’em squeal” ads as she won the high-profile Senate election in Iowa in the race to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. And Ernst highlighted in her video that “11 years ago, Iowans elected me as the first female combat veteran to the U.S. Senate, and they did so with a mission in mind – to make Washington squeal. And I’m proud to say we have delivered. We’ve cut waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.” Hinson, in a social media post, thanked Ernst for her “incredible service to our state and nation” as well as for her friendship. “Iowa is better off thanks to your selfless service,” she said. In her radio interview, she told host Simon Conway that among her priorities as she runs for the Senate are “secure borders, keeping men out of girls’ sports, cutting taxes for our working families, standing up for Iowa agriculture and helping our young Iowans who are trying to buy a house and start a family.” Hinson also pledged to campaign across all 99 of Iowa’s counties, starting with a kick-off event on Friday. And as she entered the race, Hinson was endorsed by Republican Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana, Katie Britt of Alabama, and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, House Republican Leadership Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik and Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann also backed Hinson. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) communications director Maeve Coyle, following Hinson’s announcement, argued that “Republicans failed to convince Joni Ernst to run for reelection, and now they may be stuck with Ashley Hinson, who has repeatedly voted to raise costs and make life harder for Iowans by voting to slash Medicaid, cheering on the chaotic tariffs that threaten Iowa’s economy, voting against measures to lower the cost of insulin, and threatening Social Security.” FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS Iowa was once a top battleground state that former President Barack Obama carried in his 2008 and 2012 White House victories. But the state has shifted to the right in recent election cycles, with President Donald Trump carrying the state by nine points in 2016, eight points in 2020, and by 13 points last November. Republicans currently hold both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats – Ernst and longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley – and all four of Iowa’s congressional districts, as well as all statewide offices except for state auditor, which is held by Democrat Rob Sand, who’s running for governor next year. But Democrats in Iowa are energized after flipping two GOP-held state Senate seats in special elections so far this year. Four Democrats are already running for Senate in Iowa. The field includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian wheelchair basketball player, state Sen. Zach Wahls, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce executive director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris. “An open seat in Iowa is just the latest example of Democrats expanding the senatorial map,” Lauren French, spokesperson for the Democrat-aligned Senate Majority PAC, said in a statement. But Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), said in a statement, “The NRSC is confident Iowans will elect a Republican to continue fighting for them and championing President Trump’s agenda in 2026.” SENATE DEMOCRATS RECRUITING TOP CANDIDATES IN PUSH TO WIN BACK MAJORITY Republicans are aiming to not only defend, but expand, the current 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s elections. Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back the majority. But the party in power – the Republicans – traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, a current read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states. In battleground Georgia, which Trump narrowly carried in last year’s White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year. They’re also targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring at the end of next year, and swing state New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided against seeking a fourth six-year term in the Senate. Also on the NRSC’s target list is blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith isn’t running for re-election.
Popular Dem city put on notice after violent chaos erupts over holiday weekend: ‘Needs help badly’
The Department of Homeland Security is keeping the pressure on Illinois leaders amid a looming National Guard and federal immigration enforcement surge in Chicago, as Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker says it would be a possible “invasion.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested that he’ll send the feds into Chicago after the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. Numerous reports have suggested that immigration authorities could be stationed in the region as part of the operation. “He can talk about what a great job he’s doing as governor, but he’s failing those families who will no longer have their child with them, their mother or their father, or their cousin, aunt and uncle, that are gone forever because of the violence that’s happening in Chicago,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” of Pritzker, saying that leaders need to be working with the administration on crime. ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO “They don’t even honor our detainers in Chicago,” the secretary added, as detainers play a key role in keeping an individual behind bars so they can be transferred from local to federal custody. In a post on Tuesday, DHS said “it is DISGUSTING” that the governor “chooses to fight for the violent illegal alien killers in Chicago instead of his American constituents.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The federal government can technically have a degree of oversight over the capital city’s police force, but there are now National Guard troops and federal agencies like ICE and the FBI on the streets of D.C. in an effort to curb crime, including immigration-related arrests. “At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday. TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO “Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Fox News Digital reported that various serious criminal arrests by DHS have already been made in the Chicago area since Trump took office in January, including illegal immigrants convicted of homicide and sexual crimes against children. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, is already taking strong measures to limit federal influence in the city, including signing an Executive Order constricting the ability of local police to work with federal authorities. GOV. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP TRYING TO ‘MANUFACTURE A CRISIS’ AS ADMIN PLANS NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO “This executive order makes it emphatically clear that this president is not going to come in and deputize our police department,” Johnson said at a news conference. “We will protect our Constitution, we will protect our city, and we will protect our people,” he continued. “We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. We don’t want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents.” On Friday, Pritzker dubbed the possibility of troop deployment to the city an “invasion.” “It’s clear that, in secret, they’re planning this. Well, it’s an invasion with U.S. troops, if they, in fact, do that,” Pritzker told CBS’ Ed O’Keefe. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Pritzker and Johnson.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump to move Space Command to Alabama
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Army secretary reveals how Rangers bypass Pentagon red tape to counter exploding drone threat -Fani Willis ordered by Georgia court to search for Trump-related records -Trump’s Labor Day crime crackdown in DC nets 70 arrests, including illegal immigrants President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Space Command’s headquarters would move from Colorado to Alabama — capping off a yearslong fight over where the command should be based. While Space Command has been operating out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Trump during his first term pushed for the command’s headquarters to go to Huntsville, Alabama. However, former President Joe Biden announced in 2023 that the command would remain based in Colorado. “The U.S. Space Command headquarters will move to the beautiful locale of a place called Huntsville, Alabama, forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City,” Trump told reporters Tuesday…READ MORE. RUMOR MILL RUN: Trump responds to bizarre weekend rumors of his death: ‘I was very active’ PRICELESS PAYDAY: Treasury Department reveals which jobs could secure a major tax break from Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ HEALTH REVELATION: Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has Parkinson’s disease: report DRUG BOAT TAKEDOWN: Trump announces US military conducted ‘lethal strike’ on Venezuelan drug boat in Caribbean HAWKEYE FAREWELL: Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa makes it official: She’s not seeking reelection in 2026 HIGH STAKES: Government shutdown, Epstein files, DC crime: Congress returns to mountain of drama CONFIRMATION WAR: Top Senate Republican ready to go nuclear, ‘roll over’ Democrats with rule change to confirm Trump nominees BIOLOGY VS. IDENTITY: Red state argues trans bathroom case will be ‘death knell’ for left-wing agenda KILLER’S LAIR: Bryan Kohberger’s apartment, essays revealed in hundreds of photos released by Idaho police BLOODY WEEKEND: At least 58 shot, 8 killed in Chicago over Labor Day weekend as city rejects Trump’s help NOT SO FUNNY: Tow truck driver slapped with federal charge after hauling away ICE vehicle: ‘He can laugh behind bars’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Member of Congress says she was assaulted by gang of youth before Trump DC takeover
Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., decried “out of control” violence in the nation’s capital city and revealed that she was assaulted by a gang of youths in the streets of Washington, D.C., before the Trump administration’s takeover. Speaking with reporters outside the Capitol building during a Republican Study Committee (RSC) press conference on Tuesday, Fedorchak, who is the sole member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota, agreed with her fellow Republicans that congressional action is needed to help keep D.C. safe. She said she herself was attacked in broad daylight in D.C.’s Navy Yard neighborhood, which is located just a few minutes’ drive from the Capitol and is a popular neighborhood for members of Congress and staffers. The neighborhood is also home to the Nationals’ baseball stadium. “D.C. is a beautiful city. It’s an amazing city, and it’s the best capital in the world. But it isn’t safe. We all know this,” said Fedorchak. “Crime in our nation’s capital is out of control. If D.C. were a state, it would have the highest homicide rate in the country.” SENATE AIDE WHO SURVIVED BRUTAL DC STABBING SAYS CRIME FIGHT ‘WORTHWHILE’ “In fact, I felt this myself recently in a small way,” she continued. “I was walking down the street in July and near my apartment in Navy Yard, not very far from home, and I felt something hard hit me in the in the back of my head. It was broad daylight. I was very startled. I was on the phone at the time, and just as that happened, a pack of juveniles came rushing by on their bikes and I turned to look around and see what had happened. And a large, hard plastic object had been thrown directly at my head.” “Now that was a small, minor incident. I wasn’t harmed, but the young people who did it, did it with reckless abandon and with zero fear of consequences,” she said. “They gathered in a circle not far from me after that and sat there and laughed.” Fedorchak said this assault is just another example of “how crime is out of control in this city, and there aren’t any consequences.” In August, President Donald Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control in response to rampant violent crime in the city. One of the reasons cited by the president was the epidemic of violent youth gangs terrorizing residents in the streets of D.C. In early August, a former DOGE staffer named Edward Coristine was violently assaulted by a group of D.C. youths and left bloodied in the street. Trump called the perpetrators “thugs” and vowed to exert his powers to federalize D.C. TRUMP PRAISES DEMOCRATIC DC MAYOR FOR WORKING WITH HIS ADMINISTRATION ON CRIME CRACKDOWN Fedorchak praised Trump’s crackdown in D.C. and agreed with other Republicans present that more action is needed from Congress to help the president restore order to the city. “America is the greatest country in the world. There’s no reason why our capital should have a violent crime rate higher than some of the most dangerous places in the world,” she said. “Many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have falsely claimed that D.C. crime stats are at a 30-year low. But let’s remember that crime is not just about statistics. It’s about people.” She pointed to the recent killing of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in northwest D.C. in June. “It’s about the mother who sent her child here to intern in one of our offices this summer, never to see him again. It’s about all the families who suffer from crime in this very city. It’s about the Metropolitan Police Union, who agrees that they are stretched too thin and don’t have the resources to take care of crime in this city, and to provide a safe environment. It’s about staffers, interns, families and visitors who live with the daily reality of coming to a city that isn’t safe.” Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., whose office Tarpinian-Jachym was interning with when he was killed, also weighed in during the press conference, calling the murder “a senseless crime.” “To this day, it’s not been solved by the Washington, D.C., police … That’s why I applaud President Trump and the work that he’s doing in terms of making sure that we do have a safe capital,” he said. TRUMP DECLARES DC A ‘CRIME FREE ZONE’ AMID HIS FEDERAL CRACKDOWN “Yesterday, I was able to walk around the Navy Yard with my daughter, and it was great to see the National Guard out there patrolling around,” he said. “It was a safe environment for people to hang out. It was nice. There was a family there having a birthday party for one of their children.” During the press conference, Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., announced that Congress would be asserting greater control over D.C. to ensure the city remains safe for residents and visitors. “In 1973, Congress granted D.C. limited home rule authority through the District of Columbia Self-Government Reorganization Act, also called the Home Rule Act. In the Home Rule Act, Congress reserves the right at any time to exercise its constitutional authority as the legislature for the district, which includes the right to review and block local legislation before it takes effect. It has now become necessary for Congress to exercise such authority,” she said. “Why? Because the D.C. city council is seeking to exercise its authority not for the best interests of its citizens or the broader community, but for political purposes,” she continued. “For years now, the D.C. city council has not only prioritized left-wing policies and programs but intentionally sought to hide their activities from Congress. It is a new day in D.C., however, and Congress intends to once again assert its authority to ensure that Washington, D.C., rightfully reflects and represents this great nation on
Trump to unveil major military announcement — all eyes on Space Command HQ
President Donald Trump is slated to make an announcement related to the Department of Defense Tuesday, with all eyes on an update of the location of Space Command’s headquarters. While Space Command has been operating out of Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Trump has pushed for the command’s headquarters to move to Huntsville, Alabama. However, former President Joe Biden announced in 2023 that the command would remain based in Colorado. RENAMED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMING ‘SOON,’ TRUMP SAYS White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Fox News that Tuesday’s announcement was related to the Defense Department. The agency initially posted a livestream link for Trump’s 2 p.m. announcement with a description that the event was related to Space Command’s headquarters. The description was subsequently updated to remove the mention of Space Command. The Associated Press also reported Tuesday that Trump will announce plans to move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama. TRUMP’S WHIRLWIND WEEK AHEAD TO INCLUDE MEETING WITH NATO CHIEF, ‘MAJOR’ ANNOUNCEMENT ON RUSSIA The announcement comes as both Colorado and Alabama have been vying to house Space Command, which Trump established in 2019 as a new combatant command to oversee U.S. military space operations and is currently involved in Trump’s Golden Dome initiative. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital when asked about Space Command’s headquarters. Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Government shutdown, Epstein files, DC crime: Congress returns to mountain of drama
House and Senate lawmakers are returning to Washington from their home turfs to face a litany of critical battles in the coming weeks. Tuesday marked the end of Congress’ annual August recess, and legislators are being met with several deadlines, ranging from averting a partial government shutdown to possibly extending President Donald Trump’s grip on D.C.’s police force. COMER SUBPOENAS THE CLINTONS, TRUMP’S DOJ IN HOUSE OVERSIGHT’S EPSTEIN PROBE The House and Senate will overlap for just 14 days between Tuesday and the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, and no agreement has been reached yet on fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending priorities. It’s likely that a stopgap extension of FY 2025 funding levels – called a continuing resolution (CR) – will be needed to avert a shutdown, which could have politically damaging consequences for Republicans while they control both Congress and the White House. Democrats, unhappy with Republican efforts to rescind prior appropriated funds via the rescissions process, have signaled they’re ready to play hardball. Any funding bill will need to pass through the Senate’s filibuster threshold, meaning Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., can only lose a handful of votes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is still calling for a bipartisan process, but trust across the aisle is wearing thin. A White House official told reporters on Friday they believe a clean CR, meaning without any changes or riders attached, would put Democrats in a difficult position and that rejecting one would pin the blame for a shutdown on the left. Republicans themselves will have precious little room for error, however. Two special elections in safe blue seats between now and Sept. 30 are poised to shrink the House GOP majority from three seats to two. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN A bipartisan effort to force a House-wide vote on releasing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) records on Jeffrey Epstein is expected to move full-throttle this week, even as the DOJ has already agreed to hand a tranche of files over to the House Oversight Committee. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are leading what’s known as a discharge petition, a mechanism for forcing a vote on legislation over the wishes of House leaders. That’s if the petition gets a majority of House lawmakers’ signatures. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., publicly condemned the effort in July, dismissing discharge petitions as a tool of the minority party and asserting that all Republicans were in favor of transparency in Epstein’s case. Khanna told NBC News’ “Meet The Press” over the weekend that the petition would go live on Sept. 2, and that he and Massie have more than enough commitments to force a vote. CAPITOL HILL PREPARES FOR HIGH-STAKES BATTLE OVER TRUMP CRIME PACKAGE, DC POLICE AUTHORITY This week will also see the end of Trump’s 30-day hold over Washington, D.C.’s, police force, barring congressional action to extend it. Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) last month as part of a wider effort to crack down on crime in the capital city. Under D.C.’s Home Rule Act, his authority over the local police can last 30 days unless Congress passes a joint resolution to extend it. The president suggested in August, however, that he could bypass Congress on the issue if he declared a national emergency — a move that some Republicans are already on board with. Additionally, Trump’s deployment of federal troops into the District does not have a statutory end date. It’s not clear yet which route will be taken, but a leadership aide told Fox News Digital last month that House leaders were working with the White House on a package of legislation addressing D.C. crime. Senate Republicans were unable to get a deal in place to advance dozens of low-level nominations before leaving Washington last month. Currently, Trump has 145 nominees scheduled on the executive calendar with more expected to make their way through committee as lawmakers continue their workflow. And Republicans are willing to go nuclear on Senate Democrats to get their nominees through. That would mean unilaterally changing the rules in the upper chamber without Democrats weighing in. The Senate GOP is set to meet this week to discuss the proposed rule changes, which could include shortening the debate time for certain nominees, bundling nominees together into a package or skipping the cloture vote on some nominees altogether.
Senate aide who survived brutal DC stabbing says crime fight ‘worthwhile’
Phillip Todd, lying bloody on a public street, needed someone to pray for him. The then-26-year-old Senate staffer had just been attacked in a random act of violence, one of the many that were brutally etched in 2023 in Washington, D.C. At that moment, he was full of fear and needed a helping hand from a higher power. That higher power, as it turned out, was channeled by the paramedic working to keep him alive. GOP SENATORS SAY THEY’RE OPEN TO TRUMP DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD IN THEIR STATES’ BLUE CITIES “The first thing that I had thought of was, ‘Well, I need to pray. Maybe I can’t pray myself, but someone needs to pray for this,’” Todd told Fox News Digital. “So, I asked the paramedic to pray for me. And he said, ‘Are you Christian? Like, what are you?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m a Christian.’” “He goes, ‘Well, I’m an atheist,’” Todd continued. “And I said, ‘That’s fine. You can pray for me.’ He was kind and obliged.” The incident on H Street in Washington, D.C., could have been the perfect flashpoint for a political operative looking for an anecdote about crime in the district — to use as a cudgel against Democratic policies in the nation’s capital city. Todd was working for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and was attacked in broad daylight in the midst of one of the worst crime years Washington had experienced in the last three decades. After all, he was millimeters away from becoming a statistic. He was stabbed at least four times, with the knife piercing his skull, nearly severing his ear, plunging through his diaphragm and coming dangerously close to his heart. Even now, in the midst of a hyper-politicized push by the Trump administration to crack down on crime in D.C. that has spurred accusations of authoritarianism from Democrats and accolades from Republicans, Todd, who still works on the Hill, has kept politics and what happened to him separate. DC STATEHOOD DEBATE INTENSIFIES AS TRUMP FLEXES AUTHORITY OVER LOCAL POLICE But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t struggled with that balance in the years since. A self-described “political creature,” Todd said the political thoughts of how his story could be used to shine a light on crime in Washington had bounced around in his head. However, his focus has been on the deeper connection that he found with his faith, a journey he was already on when his assailant, Glynn Neal, attacked him out of the blue. “The story for me, or the obligation for me, is to focus on the goodness of God, and focus on obedience to God and stewarding that story,” he said. “Maybe the politics come later, but I think it seems to me that there’s two kind of obligations that anyone who goes through something like this has, and I think there’s a personal obligation, there’s a societal obligation.” Still, lawmakers and Washington residents are grappling with President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and flood the district’s streets with federal law enforcement and the National Guard in an effort to crack down on crime. When asked what he thought of troops walking the streets, Todd said he wasn’t sure what the right solution to crime in the district was, but that he thinks “it’s a problem worth solving.” “I think what I’ve told some of my friends, I don’t know whether or not troops in the city is the best way to do it,’ Todd said. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But I do think that the attitude of trying to solve that problem is something that people need to have, and it’s worthwhile.” CAPITOL HILL PREPARES FOR HIGH-STAKES BATTLE OVER TRUMP CRIME PACKAGE, DC POLICE AUTHORITY One of the most striking things about Todd is his ability to crack jokes about a knife plunging through his skull and piercing the membrane that surrounds his brain. Now, he has a titanium plate that has further affirmed his friends’ belief that he is hard-headed — it also doesn’t set off metal detectors at the airport, he noted. However, the fact that he underwent a traumatic situation at the hands of Neal, who had been released from prison just days before the attack after serving over a decade behind bars and was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial in June, was not lost on him either. But it was his decision to forgive Neal early on while still recovering in his hospital bed, a choice he wondered if he would have made had his entire faculties been there. Nonetheless, it’s one that he stood by and credited for his ability to look at the situation in a light-hearted manner. “I think the opportunity for redemption in this particular story, it seems to me, and maybe this changes over time, doesn’t lie necessarily with the political but lies more on the fact that this was a very egregious crime,” he said. “This is a very big wrong that was done to me.” “It would be totally understandable to have a lot of desire to see retribution,” Todd continued. “And yet instill in those moments — because God had gifted me with the ability to forgive, and God had saved me from death — showing how obedience to God can also lead others to a life full of meaning and satisfaction and redemption and tough trials and situations.”
Congress returns with Democrats refusing to negotiate as Oct. 1 shutdown deadline looms
Both the House and Senate return to session Tuesday after a lengthy summer recess — with a hectic fall and a looming deadline to fund the government on the horizon. Front and center is an Oct. 1 deadline to fund the government. Democratic votes are essential to break a filibuster on any spending plan in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) faces criticism from the left after he caved and helped avoid a shutdown in March — receiving nothing in return. Democrats seem unwilling to make a deal at all, as President Donald Trump tries to unilaterally cancel spending already allocated. REPUBLICAN SEN. JONI ERNST OF IOWA WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION: SOURCES Looming over all of this is the specter of the Epstein files, as attaching any Epstein language related to spending bills could complicate avoiding a shutdown. Also, Senate Republicans will consider altering procedures to expedite the confirmation of nominees. The GOP has been accusing Democrats of slow-walking even noncontroversial nominees. FIGHT OVER POLICING DC MOVES TO CONGRESS AS PARTIES SPLIT ON CONTROL In September, the House Oversight Committee will continue to hear from former Biden administration officials about the cognitive abilities of the former president. Public health is front and center after firings and resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies the first week of September. That hearing was scheduled before the turmoil.