White House Warns GOP: Backing Epstein File Release Is ‘Hostile Act’ Against Trump

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she got “a lot” of pushback from the White House over supporting a discharge petition aiming to force the administration to release all of the documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Oh, I got a lot of pushback. I got phone call after phone call last night. They didn’t want me to sign the discharge petition. They want to focus on the Oversight [Committee] investigation. They hate Thomas Massie more than they can hate any Democrat, which makes no sense to me. And they don’t want to work with Democrats at all,” Greene, an ally of President Trump, said during her Wednesday appearance on Real America’s Voice “Bolling!” . . .

Greene said Wednesday, “It’s not a hoax, because Jeffrey Epstein is a convicted pedophile. That takes away the whole hoax things. It’s not a hoax. It’s not a lie.” . . .

House GOP leadership is urging members not to sign on to the petition, which currently has the support of four Republican lawmakers, and to back the investigation done by the Oversight Committee. The panel released a large batch of files it received from the Justice Department after issuing a subpoena for materials related to Epstein. Democrats on the panel said most of the files have already been made public.

“Helping Thomas Massie and Liberal Democrats with their attention-seeking, while the DOJ is fully supporting a more comprehensive file release effort from the Oversight Committee, would be viewed as a very hostile act to the administration,” a White House official told multiple news outlets this week. (Read more from “White House Warns GOP: Backing Epstein File Release Is ‘Hostile Act’ Against Trump” HERE)

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Here’s What FBI Agents Took From John Bolton’s House in Raid — and What Charges He Could Face

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Federal agents seized three computers, two iPhones and reams of documents from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton’s house during their Aug. 22 raid, according to court records — which also revealed that the 76-year-old could soon face charges that may land him in prison for more than a decade.

The feds raided Bolton’s Bethesda, Md., home and Washington, DC, office as part of an investigation into allegations that he snuck national security files out of the White House during President Trump’s first term by emailing them to family members on a private server, high-ranking FBI officials told The Post at the time.

In addition to the high-tech hardware, agents confiscated two USB drives, a hard drive, four boxes of “printed daily activities,” “typed documents in folders labeled ‘Trump I – IV’” and a white binder labeled “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” according to an inventory made public Thursday.

The warrant also revealed that Bolton is being looked at for allegedly violating two sections of the Espionage Act of 1917 forbidding unauthorized possession or removal of national defense information, and another law preventing hoarding of classified files.

If tried and convicted on all counts, Bolton could face up to 25 years behind bars. The longtime diplomat has not been arrested or charged with a crime. (Read more from “Here’s What FBI Agents Took From John Bolton’s House in Raid — and What Charges He Could Face” HERE)

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Trump Ties to Epstein Resurface: Survivor Calls Him Epstein’s “Biggest Brag” as GOP Rep Caught Saying He’s in the Files

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Pressure continues to mount on Congress and the White House to release the full contents of the Jeffrey Epstein case files, as survivors, lawmakers, and even members of Donald Trump’s own party demand transparency about who was involved in the disgraced financier’s network.

At an emotional press conference on Capitol Hill, survivors of Epstein’s abuse — joined by family members of other victims and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers — urged immediate passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would compel the Department of Justice to make all Epstein-related records public.

One of the most striking moments came from Chauntae Davies, an Epstein survivor, who spoke directly about the late financier’s ties to prominent political figures — specifically naming President Donald Trump.

“Epstein had a free pass. He bragged about his powerful friends, including our current president, Donald Trump,” Davies said. “It was his biggest brag, actually.”

Davies went on to describe a framed photo of Epstein with Trump that reportedly sat on Epstein’s desk during her first visit to his Palm Beach estate. She added that both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell often boasted about their connections to influential men.

While Democrats are expected to unanimously support the transparency bill — introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) — at least two more Republican signatures are still needed to force a vote through a discharge petition. So far, four Republicans, including Massie and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Lauren Boebert, have signed on.

But resistance from the White House and the Department of Justice has raised alarms. Despite prior commitments to transparency, the Biden-appointed DOJ has reportedly slow-walked the release of key documents, citing legal hurdles, and recently stated that no further information would be released — contradicting past statements by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who previously claimed the so-called “client list” was “on my desk.”

Survivors and lawmakers say this stonewalling is unacceptable.

“The American people deserve to know the full extent of Epstein’s network,” Massie said. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant — and we should not be shielding abusers or their enablers, no matter how powerful.”

The push for transparency has been complicated by the frequent invocation of Trump’s name — both by survivors and members of Congress. At a recent Muscogee County GOP meeting in Georgia, Rep. Mike Collins was caught on a hot mic suggesting that Trump may indeed appear in the files.

“He’s in there,” Collins said, later clarifying that he believes Trump was referenced because he had previously cooperated with the FBI and had banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.

Collins, who is also a candidate for the U.S. Senate, doubled down on his support for full disclosure:

“We need to release it. I have no problem releasing it.”

Trump Administration Cancels Army Program After Officer Participation Plummets

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The Trump administration has officially scrapped the Army’s Command Assessment Program (CAP) — a leadership evaluation system that incorporated psychological testing, peer feedback, and behavioral analysis into the promotion process for senior officers — following years of declining participation and controversy within the ranks.

The decision marks a sharp break from the Army’s recent attempts to modernize its promotion pipeline by reducing bias and incorporating non-traditional metrics like emotional intelligence and cognitive capacity. CAP, introduced in 2020 and formally codified in early 2025 under former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

According to internal Army documents, the program used a range of psychometric tools to measure leadership traits such as self-awareness, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence. Each year, approximately 2,000 senior officers were invited to undergo the assessments as part of the process to fill key command positions.

But the program struggled to gain traction. By 2024, more than half of eligible officers — 54% — declined to participate, up from 40% in 2019. Critics within the ranks argued the assessments were overly subjective, bureaucratic, and disconnected from actual field performance.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll placed the program under review last month before officially pausing it. The Army will now revert to the Centralized Selection List (CSL) process, which evaluates candidates based on their service record, prior assignments, and evaluations from senior leaders — a more traditional method long favored by military brass.

The termination of CAP also aligns with a broader Defense Department review, ordered in June, to evaluate how officer promotions are conducted across all branches. The June 20 memo from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness called for a return to selection methods that emphasize proven performance and experience over experimental assessment tools.

With CAP now shelved, the Army will re-center its leadership selection process around the CSL system. Proponents argue this will restore confidence and objectivity to promotions.

Gun Shop Footage Shows Minneapolis Church Shooter Calm Days Before Tragedy

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Surveillance footage from a St. Louis Park gun store shows Robin Westman — the individual behind last week’s tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis — calmly browsing firearms and conversing with staff just days before the attack that left two children dead and more than a dozen others injured.

The video, obtained by KSTP, was captured on Saturday, August 23, at Frontiersman Sports, where Westman can be seen entering the store around 12:30 p.m. He was wearing a T-shirt bearing the phrase “a place for well-being” on the back and had his hair tied in a ponytail secured with a scrunchie. Store staff described Westman’s demeanor as “jovial” and “friendly,” noting that nothing in his behavior raised concern.

“What could I have done? What could I have caught? There was nothing,” said store owner Kory Krause, who decided to release the footage in an effort to provide context and insight into the lead-up to the tragedy.

“Should we have discriminated against him because of a weird T-shirt and a ponytail? No. We get lots of long-haired guys with a ponytail.”

Krause confirmed that Westman did not purchase any firearms or ammunition from the store that were used in the attack. Investigators have said the weapons used — a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol — were sourced elsewhere, though the details remain under investigation.

The footage, while showing nothing outwardly suspicious, now serves as a chilling prelude to one of the most horrifying acts of violence in the state in recent years. Days after his visit to the store, Westman carried out a mass shooting during a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Church, where he opened fire from outside the building after being unable to access the locked doors.

Westman reportedly fired 116 rifle rounds and multiple shotgun blasts through the church’s stained-glass windows, targeting congregants during the annual service. The attack claimed the lives of an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old and wounded 16 other children, as well as three parishioners in their 80s. Westman died by suicide at the scene.

State Will Work to Eliminate All Childhood Vaccine Mandates

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Florida will begin phasing out all childhood vaccine mandates, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday, as part of a sweeping effort to overhaul the state’s public health policies and expand what the administration calls “medical freedom.”

Building on measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, DeSantis unveiled plans to eliminate longstanding vaccine requirements for children in schools and day care facilities. At a press conference in Valrico, DeSantis was joined by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who sharply criticized the mandates as violations of personal liberty.

“People have a right to make their own decisions — informed decisions,” Ladapo said. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.”

Ladapo went further, describing current vaccine mandates as “immoral” and bordering on “slavery.” He said the Florida Department of Health could immediately roll back some of the requirements, while others would need legislative action. Though he did not specify individual vaccines, Ladapo pledged to eliminate “all of them. Every last one of them.” If implemented, Florida would be the first state to dismantle its childhood vaccine mandates to such a sweeping extent.

Currently, the state mandates a variety of immunizations for children entering public schools and licensed child care centers, including vaccines for measles, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis B, and DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis).

DeSantis also announced the creation of a new state-level health policy body, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis. The commission, inspired by federal-level efforts led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will focus on informed consent, nutrition, parental rights, and the rejection of what DeSantis called “medical orthodoxy that is not supported by data.”

“We’re getting government out of the way, getting government out of your lives,” said Collins during the announcement.

The MAHA Commission’s findings will shape a comprehensive “medical freedom package” to be introduced in the upcoming legislative session. According to DeSantis, the package will codify Florida’s relaxed COVID-era policies — such as the ban on vaccine passports and opposition to school closures — while also targeting broader health mandates.

“I don’t think there’s another state that’s done as much as Florida. We want to stay ahead of the curve,” DeSantis said.

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Republicans Move to Revive ‘Department of War’ Name: ‘Americans Don’t Just Play Defense’

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Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced legislation on September 2, 2025, to restore the original title of the U.S. Department of Defense to the “Department of War.” The measure, called the Department of War Restoration Act of 2025, is co-sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and includes a companion bill in the House.

“For the first 150 years of our military’s history, Americans defeated their enemies and protected their homeland under the War Department,” Lee said in a statement. “I’m proud to introduce the Department of War Restoration Act to make President Trump’s return to tradition permanent in federal law. It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense.”

Rep. Steube emphasized the historical context, noting that “from 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War. Thanks to their courage and sacrifice, the standard of excellence was established for all servicemembers who followed in their footsteps.”

Sen. Scott added that the title change reflects the broader mission of the U.S. military: “The United States military is not a purely defensive force. We are the most lethal fighting force on the face of the planet — and a restoration of the name Department of War reflects their true capabilities to win wars, not just respond when prodded.”

The bill would redesignate the Department of Defense as the Department of War and rename the Secretary of Defense as the Secretary of War. All current legal references to the Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense would be updated accordingly. (Read more from “Republicans Move to Revive ‘Department of War’ Name: ‘Americans Don’t Just Play Defense’” HERE)

Trump Announces Space Force Headquarters Move to Huntsville in Oval Office Speech

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that the U.S. Space Force will officially relocate its headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, ending a long-running political tug-of-war over the command’s permanent home.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump praised the decision as a victory for national security and American innovation.

“I am thrilled to report that 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 said, referencing the city’s longtime nickname tied to its role in U.S. space history.

Huntsville, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, was initially selected for the Space Command (SPACECOM) headquarters during Trump’s first term. However, that decision was later reversed under the Biden administration, which opted to keep the command in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“We initially selected Huntsville for the SPACECOM headquarters, yet those plans were wrongfully obstructed by the Biden administration,” Trump said Tuesday. “And as you know, they moved them to a different local and today, we’re moving forward with what we want to do.”

Trump emphasized that the move would enhance America’s ability to “defend and dominate the high frontier,” a reference to the strategic importance of space in modern defense planning.

Joining Trump in the Oval Office was Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who lauded the move as both a strategic and fiscal win. According to Tuberville, the Alabama site is expected to save taxpayers roughly $480 million compared to the Colorado location.

Trump also noted that the new headquarters will be central to the development of his proposed “Golden Dome” integrated missile defense initiative, though few details about the program were provided.

Separately, in a phone interview aired on the Salem Radio Network, Trump warned of dire economic consequences if the Supreme Court rules against his sweeping tariff policies. Speaking with CNN contributor Scott Jennings, Trump said the elimination of his tariffs would be “an economic disaster.”

“Without the tariffs, we are a different country entirely. We will be abused by other countries. We will be laughed at,” Trump said. “If the Supreme Court for any reason strikes down my tariffs, we’re going to be in very, very serious financial trouble.”

Trump defended the tariffs not only as a revenue tool but also as a key bargaining chip in international negotiations. “It’s the power to negotiate,” he said. “Because I could say, ‘If you do that, then I’m going to charge you tariffs on that.’”

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Trump Shuts Down Health Rumors, Declares “Never Felt Better” in Fiery Truth Social Post

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President Donald Trump pushed back Sunday against a wave of online speculation about his health, declaring on Truth Social that he has “never felt better” — and using the moment to highlight plummeting crime rates in the nation’s capital under his leadership.

“NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE. Also, DC IS A CRIME FREE ZONE!” Trump posted, breaking his uncharacteristically quiet weekend after spending time golfing at his Virginia resort.

The post comes after several days of public absence and a blank presidential schedule released Friday, which fueled bizarre online theories about the president’s wellbeing. The hashtag #TrumpIsDead even trended on X (formerly Twitter), as critics and online sleuths speculated about everything from illness to secrecy inside the White House.

Those rumors were abruptly silenced when Trump was spotted Saturday leaving for a golf outing in Sterling, Virginia, accompanied by his granddaughter Kai Trump. The outing marked his first public appearance in days and appeared to quash concerns about his health.

While Trump remained largely out of the spotlight, his administration continued to push forward on a high-profile crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C. — a key talking point for the president. Recent statistics show violent crime in the capital has dropped 45% compared to the same period last year, with overall crime down 15%.

The drop comes after Trump assumed control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department earlier this year, citing the city’s struggles with rising violence.

Even Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged the impact of the federal intervention.

“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city,” Bowser said at a press conference last week.

Trump followed up his health update with early Labor Day messages on Truth Social, touting what he described as a “roaring” U.S. economy and praising his administration’s efforts to “restore American strength at home and abroad.”

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Trump Vows Executive Order Requiring Voter ID for All Ballots, Limits on Mail-In Voting

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President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he plans to issue an executive order mandating voter identification for every ballot cast in U.S. elections — a move that could intensify legal and political battles ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” Trump declared on Truth Social. He added, “Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military.”

The statement marks the latest escalation in Trump’s long-standing campaign to overhaul U.S. election practices.

In his latest push, Trump is renewing calls not only for universal voter ID but also for a near-total ban on mail-in ballots and the elimination of electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballots and hand counts.

Trump’s message signals that election security will be a central theme in his messaging ahead of the 2026 elections — the first national vote since his return to office.

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