Trump's Epstein Reversal, US Military Pressure On Venezuela, Charlotte Border Patrol
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Why did Trump reverse his stance on the Epstein files?
President Trump was on the verge of losing a vote over the Epstein files.
Then he flipped to say he favors the vote to release information about the convicted sex offender. He didn't say the Justice Department will release the files, so why the flip-flop?
I'm Steve Inskeep with A. Martinez, and this is Up First from NPR News. The U.S. military presence in the Caribbean got much larger over the weekend.
We may be having some discussions with Maduro.
The president says Venezuela's president would like to talk even as the U.S. sends its largest warships toward its coast.
And border agents spread across Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend. Residents say they were picking people at random.
You really need to go outside for an emergency. If you try to stay, just stay home. Be safe.
The raids caught local officials off guard.
What military actions is the U.S. taking regarding Venezuela?
We'll hear how the community is responding. Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.
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President Trump abruptly reversed his opinion about a vote on the Epstein files.
Trump now says he is in favor of a vote to release information about the convicted sex offender who was his friend for years. The president and his allies in Congress resisted this vote for months. It now seems that many Republicans will join Democrats in voting against the president. So last night, the president raced to get in front of that defeat, saying he approves of the vote and, quote, we have nothing to hide. Notably, the House is voting for the Justice Department that Trump controls to release whatever information it has, which Trump's attorney general previously declined to do.
What is the current situation with Maduro and U.S. military presence?
NPR's Luke Garrett is with us. Trump is now telling Republicans they should vote to tell him to act, Luke. Why change now?
Yeah, that's right. And we need to go back a few days to better understand this move and this moment. Last week, Representatives Thomas Massey of Kentucky, a Republican, and Ro Khanna of California, a Democrat, gathered 218 signatures. That's enough to force a vote on the release of the DOJ documents regarding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And a source familiar but not authorized to share the House schedule publicly confirmed that Speaker Johnson would bring this vote up on Tuesday. This teed up a really difficult vote for Republicans who had to decide whether to vote with Trump and against the bill or vote to release the Epstein files. And this was also tough for Trump himself, who faced dozens of potential defectors.
All right, so if the vote is on Tuesday, why did Trump make this Sunday late-night announcement? Well, in a social media post last night, Trump said he wanted the GOP to move on from what he called the Democratic hoax and distraction. And notably, on the Sunday morning news shows, two House Republicans publicly and loudly rebuked Trump over the Epstein files. On ABC News, Massey took a warning shot against Trump's legacy and any GOP member willing to vote against his bill.
How are residents of Charlotte reacting to Border Patrol operations?
In 2030, he's not going to be the president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don't vote to release these files, and the president can't protect you. Massey then said he believed 100 or more House Republicans would vote for the Epstein file bill, even though only a handful signed on to force the ballot. Wasn't one of them Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene? Yeah, that's right. And Trump recently called her a traitor and revoked his political endorsement from her after she became more critical of his policies.
When asked why she and Trump had this falling out, Greene told CNN, Unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files, and that is shocking.
Now, both Massey and Green said they don't believe Trump himself will be implicated in the files, but these public breaks with the president represented a growing and powerful fissure in the party.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Trump reverse his stance on the Epstein files?
0:02–0:49
2
What military actions is the U.S. taking regarding Venezuela?
0:49–1:53
3
What is the current situation with Maduro and U.S. military presence?
1:53–3:04
4
How are residents of Charlotte reacting to Border Patrol operations?
3:04–4:40
5
What sparked the recent immigration crackdown in Charlotte?
4:40–5:51
6
What is the response from local officials about the Border Patrol actions?
5:51–6:49
7
How are immigrant communities feeling amid the crackdown?
6:49–7:55
8
What are the implications of Trump's endorsement of the Epstein file bill?
7:55–13:09
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from Up First from NPR
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