KWRE AM

House Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday released newly obtained emails between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff, some of which reference President Trump.

The batch of emails — part of more than 23,000 documents turned over by Epstein’s estate — includes multiple exchanges spanning from 2011-2019. The material, which lawmakers say they are still reviewing, features messages that appear to touch on Trump’s past interactions with Epstein and his awareness of Epstein’s trafficking activities. Portions of the emails were redacted to protect victims’ identities.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said the newly released emails raise serious questions about Trump’s connection to Epstein and the possible withholding of related documents. Garcia said in a statement: “The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president.”

Garcia also urged the Department of Justice to make all Epstein-related materials public. “The Department of Justice must fully release the Epstein files to the public immediately,” he said, adding that the committee “will continue pushing for answers and will not stop until we get justice for the victims.”

In one message dated April 2, 2011, Epstein wrote to Maxwell, “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump..[victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there.” Maxwell responded, “I have been thinking about that…”

Another email exchange from December 2015 — months after Trump launched his first presidential campaign — shows Epstein and Wolff discussing how the then-candidate might respond if asked about Epstein on CNN. Wolff wrote, “I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you—either on air or in scrum afterwards.” Epstein replied, “if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Wolff responded, “I think you should let him hang himself… If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you valuable PR and political currency… Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”

A later message from January 1, 2019, again mentions Trump: “[Victim] mara lago. [redacted]. trump said he asked me to resign. never a member ever. . of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

Epstein and Trump were known to have socialized in overlapping circles in New York and Florida during the 1980s and 1990s, but Trump has long said he severed ties with Epstein around 2004. Epstein was later indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 and died by suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in his trafficking network.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back sharply, accusing Democrats of “selectively leaking emails to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.” She claimed the redacted name in the messages was Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April and who “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”  Leavitt reiterated that Trump expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago decades ago “for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” and dismissed the latest revelations as “bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments.”

The latest disclosures come as lawmakers continue pressing for full transparency on Epstein’s ties to powerful figures. The House’s return to session this week could advance a bipartisan push to force the Justice Department to release the complete Epstein files.  Trump has not personally commented on the newly released emails.

Editorial credit: miss.cabul / Shutterstock.com

More than 1,200 flights were canceled across the U.S. on Tuesday as the impact of the ongoing government shutdown rippled through the nation’s air travel system, despite the Senate having approved a bipartisan measure aimed at ending the impasse.

According to FlightAware, cancellations affected about 6% of flights at 40 of the country’s busiest airports on Tuesday, including hubs in Chicago, New York, Washington, Atlanta, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Another 2,000 flights faced delays, with United Airlines publishing a lengthy list of affected routes stretching from early morning through late evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to cut flights incrementally—6% this week, with reductions rising to 8% on Thursday and potentially 10% by Friday—to ease pressure on the national airspace system. The agency’s move comes as both air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees have now worked more than six weeks without pay.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA’s decision to reduce flight operations was a direct response to safety concerns and staffing shortages, as thousands of air traffic controllers continued working without pay. “Safety data was going in the wrong direction,” Duffy said, noting increases in runway incursions, pilot complaints, and instances of aircraft flying too close together.

Although the Senate’s late Monday vote signaled potential relief, the measure still requires passage in the House and President Donald Trump’s signature to reopen the government fully. Duffy said he hoped the agreement would be finalized soon, allowing air travel to normalize, but warned that recovery would not be immediate. “Flight restrictions will be reduced or removed when the data says we should.”  He added that the shutdown had already led most controllers to miss a second paycheck, leaving many struggling to cover basic expenses. Once the government reopens, Duffy said that controllers should receive about 70% of their owed pay within 48 hours in a lump-sum payment. “They’ll get a good lump sum of what they’re due, which is helpful. They don’t have to wait another two weeks to be paid,” he said.

Airlines, meanwhile, have pledged to increase flexibility for passengers and expedite refunds for canceled flights. Duffy emphasized that “stringent requirements” for refunds have been suspended, ensuring travelers are reimbursed for grounded flights.  Officials caution that even if the shutdown ends this week, it could take time for the aviation system to fully stabilize. “For anyone to say that we did too much, they are sorely mistaken,” Duffy said. “We’ll continue to manage through this crisis.”

Editorial credit: Frame Stock Footage / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a $5 million civil judgment that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.

The petition seeks to undo a 2023 federal jury verdict that concluded Trump sexually abused Carroll during a mid-1990s encounter in a Manhattan department store and later defamed her by dismissing her allegations as a “hoax” and a “con job.” Trump’s lawyers argue the trial was fundamentally flawed, claiming U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan made several evidentiary errors that unfairly influenced the jury.

Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s claims, which first became public in 2019 when she published excerpts of her book in New York Magazine. The jury found that while Trump did not commit rape under New York law, the evidence showed he sexually abused Carroll.

Trump’s legal team wrote in the filing that “there were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation,” calling Carroll’s allegations “facially implausible, politically motivated.” They further contend that “Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th president, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself.”

Trump has long vowed to fight the case “all the way” to the nation’s highest court after multiple defeats in lower courts. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in December 2024, ruling that Kaplan had not “abused his discretion” in allowing testimony from two other women — Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff — who accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The court also denied Trump’s request for a full en banc rehearing in June.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said, “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes. President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again.”

Carroll’s attorney has not commented on the Supreme Court filing. Her legal team has previously noted that while a nonprofit linked to a Democratic donor helped fund parts of her case, Carroll herself played no role in securing those funds, and the support came nearly a year after she filed her initial lawsuit.

The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear the case. Trump is also appealing a separate $83 million defamation verdict awarded to Carroll in January 2024 for additional statements he made about her after the first trial. Combined, the two jury awards total more than $88 million.

Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com