Trump live updates: Tens of thousands of Epstein files released but Democrats say most are already public

It’s been weeks since President Donald Trump took over the D.C. police and deployed the National Guard in the capital city.

Protesters have rallied against the federal takeover and the Trump administration. Here are some pictures from demonstrations in D.C. on Tuesday:

A relative of Virginia Giuffre, one of the women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, said the Trump administration has a “duty” to release the documents related to the late convicted sex offender.

Amanda Roberts, the sister-in-law of Giuffre, who died by suicide last April, told NBC News in an interview that aired Tuesday, the so-called Epstein files are “so big right now because this administration ran their campaign on this. These were promises that they made.”

“It’s your duty to do what your constituents, what the American public is asking you for. So that’s all we’re asking,” she added.

The president’s troop deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits “the use of the U.S. military to execute domestic law,” according to Tuesday’s decision from District Judge Charles Breyer.

Alex Woodward reports.

America is split on whether Donald Trump’s health and age are impacting his ability to serve as president, a new poll has found.

Speculation over Trump’s physical fitness during his second term has grown ever since photos of his swollen ankles and bruised hands, which are sometimes covered by makeup, began circulating online.

Online rumors reached a fever pitch when Trump, 79, did not make a public appearance over the Labor Day weekend, aside from a brief sighting at his Virginia golf course Saturday.

In a YouGov survey conducted Tuesday, 38 percent of Americans said Trump’s health and age “severely limit his ability to do the job” as president, while 21 percent said it had “little effect.”

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Donald Trump called rumors that he died “fake news,” squashing conspiracies about the president’s health after he didn’t make any public appearances over the Labor Day weekend, aside from a brief sighting at his Virginia golf course Saturday.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has pushed back on President Donald Trump’s plans to send the National Guard to Chicago.

Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., is in full swing, and he has recently been threatening to crack down on crime in other major cities.

On Tuesday, he said he would send federal troops to Chicago and Baltimore.

“There is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops,” Pritzker said in response at a press conference, per The New York Times.

The governor continued: “He is insulting the people of Chicago by calling our home a hellhole, and anyone who takes his word at face value is insulting Chicagoans. too.”

• The House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but Democrats say most of those files have already been made available to the public.
• Donald Trump made his first official public appearance in a week, addressing online speculation about his health and blaming the media for ‘fake’ reports.
• He announced the relocation of the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama, a decision that has drawn strong opposition from Colorado’s congressional delegation.
• Trump also stated that the U.S. had attacked a drug boat originating from Venezuela and confirmed plans to send federal troops to Chicago and Baltimore to combat crime.
• He dismissed footage of a bag being thrown from a White House window as AI-generated, despite an earlier explanation from his staff that it was a contractor disposing of an item.
• The Space Command relocation is viewed by critics as a politically motivated move, potentially punishing Colorado for increasingly voting for Democrats and rewarding strongly Republican Alabama.

Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced legislation to rename the Defense Department after President Donald Trump complained about it.

Trump recently called for the Defense Department to revert to its old name, the Department of War, saying, “It had a stronger sound.”

Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Greg Steube of Florida introduced versions of a bill to bring back the Department of War title, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

“It should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don’t just play defense,” Steube said.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, said she was “proud” to be signing a discharge petition to force the release of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, filed the petition Tuesday. Besides his signature, he will need 217 signatures from his colleagues for it to be successful.

“I’m committed to doing everything possible for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein,” Greene wrote on X later Tuesday. “Including exposing the cabal of rich and powerful elites that enabled this. I’m proud to be signing @RepThomasMassie‘s discharge petition.”

Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat, bashed the release of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, warning Americans, “Don’t let this fool you.”

The House Oversight Committee released over 33,000 documents on Tuesday after subpoenaing the Justice Department for them.

But Garcia, the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, says most of the documents have already been made available to the public. Here is his full statement:

The 33,000 pages of Epstein documents [Oversight Committee Chairman] James Comer has decided to ‘release’ were already mostly public information. To the American people – don’t let this fool you.

After careful review, Oversight Democrats have found that 97% of the documents received from the Department of Justice were already public. There is no mention of any client list or anything that improves transparency or justice for victims.

House Republicans are trying to make a spectacle of releasing already-public documents. [Attorney General] Pam Bondi has said the client list was on her desk. She could release it right now if she wanted to.

While Comer tries to give cover to Trump by re-releasing public documents, House Democrats are fighting for real transparency. Pam Bondi must comply with our subpoena immediately, and release all of the documents. The American people demand it.

In a July memo, the Justice Department and FBI said there was never any Epstein client list of powerful people who may have participated in his crimes.

The memo also stated “no further disclosure [of information regarding Epstein] would be appropriate or warranted.”