What we covered today
• Epstein saga: The House Oversight Committee released a tranche of records provided to it by the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. The release comes after the panel received documents from the estate, including a reported collection of letters that included a note bearing President Donald Trump’s name.
• Crime crackdown: Meanwhile, Trump teased more federal action on crime in US cities, mulling on social media “Who’s Next???” However, two new polls find widespread opposition to using the National Guard against crime in American cities.
• Court weighs in : The Supreme Court backed the president’s push to allow “roving” ICE patrols in Southern California. In addition, immigration enforcement operations are ramping up in Chicago and Boston.
Our live coverage of Trump administration developments has wrapped for today. Please scroll through the posts below for all of Monday’s news.
Here's a quick look at some key details from the Epstein records that were released today
The House Oversight Committee released a trove of records this evening from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including a note bearing President Donald Trump’s name that was part of a collection of letters gifted to the late convicted sex offender for his 50th birthday.
The president has repeatedly denied writing the letter and sued The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on it, for defamation.
Here’s what the released records include:
- The “birthday book”
- Epstein’s last will and testament
- Entries from his address book
- The 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida
- A partially redacted photo shows Epstein standing next to several other people holding an oversized check written to appear that it had been made out from Trump to Epstein for $22,500. The committee did not identify the other people in the photo. Below the photo, a hand-written caption states, “Jeffrey showing early talents with money and women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [readacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
Details from the now-famous “birthday book”: The 238-page collection of photos, yearbook pages, song sheets and other mementos was compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who wrote in the prologue that she wanted to “gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places, people and different events.”
In the book’s contents section, under a header titled “FRIENDS,” there is a list of more than 20 names, including former President Bill Clinton, attorney Alan Dershowitz, and Trump. Under a header titled “GIRL-FRIENDS,” the names are all redacted.
"I've been told that it's fake," speaker says as Republicans weigh in on Trump name in Epstein "birthday book"
Some Republican lawmakers are downplaying documents shared with the House Oversight Committee by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate today, including a birthday note bearing President Donald Trump’s name.
The White House has strongly denied that Trump drew in the book or signed it.
Here are some of the reactions so far:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has “been a little busy today I haven’t dialed in on that but I’ve been told that it’s fake,” when asked whether he had any concerns about the note with Trump’s signature.
- Rep. Jim Jordan, a member of the House Oversight Committee, said he didn’t know if Trump’s signature was “legit” and said he hadn’t seen it. “Don’t buy it,” he said, again referring to the document linking Trump to Epstein.
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer tried to turn the question around when CNN asked for his reaction about the so-called “birthday book,” saying, “I’m waiting for your reaction. You guys have been waiting for this. We want exactly what the president does, full transparency, full disclosure.”
- House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris walked away from CNN when asked questions about the release of the files from the Epstein estate: “There is nothing new there. That was reported weeks ago. Don’t you guys have something else to talk about?”
- However, Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican, said it’s “unlikely” that someone forged Trump’s signature and that the “bigger thing is, the oversight committee is working.” Asked if he wants to see Trump’s connection to Epstein investigated by Congress, Bacon said, “We’re going to push for every file to be made open. We’ll go from there,” he said.
- Rep. Thomas Massie, who’s leading a charge to force a vote on a bill to release all of the Epstein files, called the trove of documents a “distraction” and defended his effort to make the Justice Department share unredacted information on the case.
- Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the four Republicans who has signed onto Massie’s petition and also sits on the Oversight committee, said she disagrees with Trump that the Epstein situation is a “hoax,” but brushed off the significance of the birthday book to the investigation.
- Rep. Tim Burchett, who sits on the Oversight committee, echoed the White House’s doubts about the veracity of the birthday note from Trump.
This post was updated with reactions from Reps. Massie, Mace and Burchett.
House Oversight Committee releases records provided by Epstein estate
The House Oversight Committee has released a tranche of records provided to it by the estate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Here’s what Comer said in a statement:
“It’s appalling Democrats on the Oversight Committee are cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate today. Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and the American people. President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing and Democrats are ignoring the new information the Committee received today. The Committee will pursue additional Epstein bank records based on this new information. Democrats must decide if their priority is justice for the survivors or politics.”
CNN is reviewing the files and will report more information as available.
Catch up on other politics news of the day
While we’ve been covering the Trump administration, the congressional developments and the latest in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, there has been plenty of other political news today.
Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve been reading:
- Top Trump economic officials Scott Bessent and Bill Pulte almost came to blows at an exclusive MAGA club, sources say
- Billionaire CEO who voted for Trump sounds the alarm on Fed attacks
- US Steel is shutting down a mill in Illinois. Its deal with Trump won’t let it fire its 800 workers - for now
- Supreme Court allows Trump to keep FTC commissioner off payroll for now
- Why rising Black unemployment is a warning sign for America’s economy
- Trump urges Supreme Court to revisit fight over billions in foreign aid
- Appeals court upholds $83 million verdict against Trump for defaming E. Jean Carroll
- Trump’s crackdown on homeless residents in the nation’s capital has them on the run
- RFK Jr. says he sees no successes in the agency he leads
- Trump’s moves to reshape the New York City mayor’s race are backfiring
- Jeffries says Republicans will ‘regret’ GOP-led Jan. 6 investigation as Democrats agree to participate
CNN also has some analysis for you to connect the dots.
Jeffries won't say what Democrats want in exchange for their votes to fund government
With weeks until the September 30 deadline, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is again refusing to lay out what it will take for Democrats to support a government funding bill.
Asked if Democrats might demand an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, Jeffries declined to answer. Instead, he said there would be more to say in the future but that “Democrats are prepared to work together to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people, improves their quality of life and addresses health care, public safety and their economic well being.”
He said his party would not support a “partisan spending bill that continues to rip away health care for the American people, period, full stop.”
Jeffries said House and Senate Democrats would continue internal discussions about government funding this week. He did not reveal details about the meeting, and a spokesperson from his office did not immediately respond to requests from CNN.
Senate GOP leader: Meantime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would hope the White House keeps its requests for any funding extension beyond September 30 “as clean as possible” in order to get the stopgap passage through both chambers.
When asked, he said didn’t think there was a meeting scheduled between him and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss government funding.
Here’s what’s next in the Epstein files saga
House Democrats are just weeks away from filling a pair of key vacancies, and it could deliver the votes needed to advance the Jeffrey Epstein discharge petition by month’s end.
Voting by the numbers: Democrats have teamed up with GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and three other GOP lawmakers in an effort to force a vote on a contentious measure that would require President Donald Trump’s administration to turn over any information related to Epstein. But with Trump and GOP leadership opposed, Massie remains two GOP votes short. They need 218 votes total for the petition to succeed.
Two special elections could be key: The two votes needed could come from the Democratic side after two special elections this month. The first happens September 9 in northern Virginia to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, followed by a special election in southern Arizona on September 23 to fill the seat of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
If both districts elect Democrats — as is expected — those two new members could put the total to 218, forcing GOP leadership to bring the vote to the floor. All sitting Democrats support the measure.
Schumer says GOP will regret changing Senate rules on nominees as Thune vows process will wrap up next week
After announcing his intention today to initiate a process to amend Senate rules on confirming nominations, Majority Leader John Thune told CNN he expects to wrap up next week.
“We gotta start the process this week, probably conclude it next week,” he said.
Republicans will push it through using the “nuclear option,” which would allow them to change rules on a majority vote — not the 67 typically required for such a change. These changes will allow the Senate to confirm some nominees en bloc, rather than one-by-one.
Why is this happening: These steps will speed up confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees. Democrats, who are angry at many of his policies, have been slow-walking his nominees for months in protest.
Thune called Democrats’ refusal to speed up the process “the world’s longest, most drawn-out temper tantrum over losing an election.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer railed against the decision.
Some background: There are currently 149 nominees who have been voted out of committee and are waiting for votes on the floor, with another approximately 150 nominees working through the committee pipeline, a source familiar with the planning told CNN.
In the past, Republicans in the minority have also sought to stall confirmations of Democratic president’s nominees, though the GOP argues Democrats have taken it further.
There were more developments today in the Epstein story. Here's the latest
The escalating political furor over the Jeffrey Epstein case files shows no sign of abating.
Last week, President Donald Trump dismissed the controversy as a “Democratic hoax.” But there were more developments today that kept the name of the late convicted sex offender in the headlines.
If you are just catching up, here’s the latest:
- Epstein’s estate: The House Oversight Committee received its first batch of documents from the Epstein estate. The panel has been investigating the case and had subpoenaed the estate for documents as part of its probe. In the files was the so-called “birthday book” — a reported collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
- White House denial: The president has repeatedly denied writing the letter and sued The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on it, for defamation. White House deputy chief of staff for communications Taylor Budowich said today on X that “it’s not his signature,” in response to the image released by Democrats. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said Trump did not draw or sign the picture.
- You might remember other documents: The committee previously released tens of thousands of pages of Epstein files that were turned over to the panel by the Justice Department. Democrats on the panel criticized that document production, however, saying that it contained little new information.
- House speaker walks back comments: House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted today to clean up earlier remarks he made claiming that Trump had been an “FBI informant” in the Epstein case. Click here to read what he said to reporters.
House won't vote to extend Trump's DC police takeover, Johnson says
Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will not vote this week to extend President Donald Trump’s temporary takeover of the Washington, DC police force when the authority expires this week because “it’s not necessary.”
Any request of control over the city’s police department for more than 30 days must be passed into law. CNN has reported that the House will instead focus this week on a must-pass defense policy bill.
Pressed on the widespread sentiment that DC residents don’t want National Guard in the city’s streets, Johnson quipped, “Oh, really, are you polling local residents?”
Public polling has shown that most DC residents oppose the federalization of DC police and deployment of the National Guard, and that most Americans oppose sending troops to DC and don’t want National Guard deployed in their own cities.
“Every single person I’ve talked to says, ‘Thank goodness the president acted. I’m safer. My family can walk around our neighborhood without fear,’” Johnson claimed, later adding, “This is the kind of thing that I think, you know, average everyday Americans really appreciate.”
Trump will attend Yankees game in New York on 9/11, official says
President Donald Trump is expected to attend a game at Yankee Stadium on the anniversary of 9/11, a White House official told CNN.
The New York Yankees are set to take on the Detroit Tigers that day, with the first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. ET.
The president, a native New Yorker, is expected to attend a memorial event at the Pentagon in the morning before traveling to New York.
The New York Post was first to report on the president’s plans.
Amped up security: Trump’s presence at the baseball game is likely to heighten security around the stadium.
Yesterday, Trump attended the US Open men’s final. Even 30 minutes into the match, there were still lots of open seats as the rigorous security screenings delayed fans outside, according to CNN reporters on the ground.
This post has been updated with details about Trump attending the US Open.
Head of Zelensky’s office speaks to Rubio after Russian strikes over the weekend
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office today after Russia launched its largest aerial assault of the Ukraine war overnight into Sunday, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on social media.
Yermak said the two also discussed security guarantees, increased defense support for Ukraine, and strengthening sanctions on Russia.
“Putin understands only force and has no intention of stopping this war,” he said. “Pressure on Russia must continue.”
What we know about the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in California
The Supreme Court ruling in favor of divisive federal immigration patrol efforts in California comes as President Donald Trump and his administration continues to aggressively crack down on illegal immigration.
Los Angeles is expected to serve as a blueprint for the administration as officials plan to move forward with the president’s immigration and crime crackdowns in other cities.
Here’s what we know about the immigration raids in California:
- SCOTUS weighs in: The Supreme Court backed Trump’s push to allow immigration enforcement officials to continue what critics describe as “roving patrols” in Southern California. Lower courts had said the patrols likely violated the Fourth Amendment. At issue were a series of incidents in which masked and heavily armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled aside people who identify as Latino – including some US citizens – around Los Angeles to interrogate them about their immigration status.
- Crackdown on migrants: The administration has used aggressive methods to detain migrants in the US — taking into custody those who arrive for routine check-ins, while also conducting workplace raids that unleashed waves of fear across Southern California and beyond.
- Protests and National Guard deployment: A series of ICE raids sparked intense and at times violent protests in Los Angeles in June, which ultimately resulted in Trump deploying National Guard troops to the city, against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — both Democrats. A federal judge ruled last week that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated federal law by using the US military to help carry out law enforcement activities in and around Los Angeles this summer.
CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury, Devan Cole, John Fritze, Michelle Krupa, Elizabeth Wolfe, Norma Galeana, Stephen Collinson and Kaanita Iyer contributed reporting to this post.
Defense secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman visit Puerto Rico amid rising tensions in the Caribbean
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrived in Puerto Rico today amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela.
“Honored to welcome Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) along with General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (@thejointstaff) to Puerto Rico,” Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez posted on X.
The Pentagon said in its daily schedule that both Hegseth and Caine were traveling, though it has not released any further details about the visit.
CNN previously reported that 10 F-35 jets were being deployed to Puerto Rico to bolster US military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean, following a military strike on an alleged drug boat tied to a Venezuelan cartel. The US military, including the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and other US Navy assets, conducted training over the weekend in Puerto Rico, according to a news release.
Trump's divisive immigration patrols in California can continue, Supreme Court says
The Supreme Court today backed President Donald Trump’s push to allow immigration enforcement officials to continue what critics describe as “roving patrols” in Southern California that lower courts said likely violated the 4th Amendment.
The court did not offer an explanation for its decision, which came over dissent from the three liberal justices.
Trump decries killing of Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte
President Donald Trump on Monday decried the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, calling the alleged killer a “madman, a lunatic.”
“It’s right on the tape, not really watchable because it’s so horrible,” Trump said of the unprovoked stabbing on the city’s light rail train, which was caught on a surveillance video. “She’s just sitting there.”
The president added that he’d given his “love and hope to the family of the young woman.”
Trump said his administration would not tolerate violent crime, vowing “to get to the end of it.”
“When you have horrible killings you have to take horrible actions,” he said.
Trump touches on administration's Smithsonian review while delivering remarks at Museum of the Bible
President Donald Trump touched on his administration’s efforts to exert influence over Smithsonian Institute museums during remarks at the White House Religious Liberty Commission, saying he got “a little involved” due to what he believes is an overemphasis on negative aspects of American history.
“I got a little involved with museums, you know, because that little problem with the Smithsonian, we like, like, a little more positivity. It was all about all the bad things in our country. I said, ‘What about the good things we’ve done?’ So, I got a little involved,” Trump said during remarks at the Museum of the Bible.
Trump gave credit to the Smithsonian, however, adding, “Honestly, they’re making changes. You know, they were also told what to do by people that came before me, in all fairness, but they’re making changes. Big changes are being made at the Smithsonian.”
The Smithsonian Institute is approaching a deadline on Friday to submit the first round of requested materials to the White House as it undergoes an internal review, including 250th anniversary programming, current exhibition content, traveling and upcoming exhibitions and internal guidelines and governance.
Last month, Trump said that the Smithsonian is “out of control” and puts too much focus too much on “how bad slavery was.”
At the Museum of the Bible Monday, Trump also said that he delivered his personal family bible, which he said was given to him by his mother, to go on display.
According to financial documents released in June, Trump made more than $1.3 million Trump from Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” Bible.
Trump says he'll issue guidance protecting prayer in public schools
President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration will soon issue guidance aimed at protecting the right to pray in public schools.
Trump made the announcement during a speech on religious liberty at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.
The Education Department is expected to issue the guidance, which Trump said was spurred by an episode in Texas where a student was prevented from organizing a group prayer on school grounds for an injured classmate.
“The principal didn’t like it, can you imagine?” Trump said, adding that the student “held her ground and she won.”
Trump again lashes out at Illinois governor for denying federal intervention
President Donald Trump again lashed out at Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker this morning, questioning why the Democrat doesn’t want federal intervention to crack down on crime in Chicago.
“6 people were murdered in Chicago this weekend, 12 others were shot, and in serious condition. This would mean that over the past number of weeks, approximately 50 people were killed, and hundreds were shot, many expected to die. Governor Pritzker just stated that he doesn’t want Federal Government HELP! WHY??? “ Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump also said that “only the criminals will be hurt” by any federal efforts in the city, and that crime there is “ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!!!”
Over the weekend, Pritzker called Trump “a wannabe dictator” and interpreted his “Chipocolypse Now” meme as a threat “to go to war with an American city.” Pritzker said in a recent appearance on MSNBC that if Trump really wanted to help Chicago fight crime, “why not help us with providing ATF, the people that can interdict firearms?”
“FBI, DEA, we’re fighting gangs, we’re fighting drugs. That happens in every major city. If you want to help us fight crime, send us civilian law enforcement,” Pritzker said.
As CNN reported, seven people were killed in Chicago from Friday evening through Sunday, preliminary police figures show. Fatal shootings are down 34.2% this year through September 6 in the city compared with the same period in 2024, with 237 killed in 2025, data from the mayor’s office shows.
Trump officials privately discussed targeting Chicago and Boston for weeks
Trump administration officials have, for weeks, privately discussed targeting Chicago and Boston — two Democratic-led cities that drew the ire of the administration over their so-called sanctuary policies.
The escalating rhetoric from the president and his officials is in line with how the administration is planning its aggressive immigration agenda moving forward, equipped with more funds and efforts to bring on more federal personnel.
Immigration arrests have already been ongoing in each city this year. But the expectation is to expand those operations in the days to come, akin to what unfolded in Los Angeles over the summer.
Federal officials had planned for a phased approach to Chicago lasting weeks and are continuing to surge federal personnel to the city. But discussions picked up over the weekend to move forward with an operation sooner.
Operations in Chicago are expected to mirror Los Angeles. The man charged with operations there, Gregory Bovino, was deployed to Chicago to do the same there, officials told CNN.
One official described it to CNN as “Los Angeles on the road.”
Some context: In the early days of the administration, Chicago was among the first cities targeted for immigration enforcement, with White House border czar Tom Homan on hand for the operation.
Pressed yesterday on if the administration will send the National Guard in to Chicago this week, Homan told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” that the option is “always on the table.”
