eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

On Politics

Wed Sep 3 2025

Rebecca Morin | Newsletter Writer

@RebeccaMorin_

Hi! Rebecca Morin here. Sorry for the interruption in On Politics, I was out on vacation. But we're back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Pressure grows to release Epstein files

"No leniency. No deals. No special treatment." That's what the brother of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most vocal accusers, told the rally crowd near the U.S. Capitol. Women who say they were abused by the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein are speaking out to force the Justice Department to release all of the criminal investigative files in the case. The demands pose a challenge for President Donald Trump and some Republican congressional leaders who demanded more information about Epstein for years but now say the full release of documents could hurt his victims. Follow the latest from the rally.

A private meeting: On Tuesday, victims met privately with members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee to describe their abuse and their demands for information. The meeting left Rep. Nancy Mace, herself a survivor of sexual assault, teary and hyperventilating.

First bloc of docs released: The House Oversight Committee released thousands of pages of documents from the government's investigation of Epstein. In its first tranche of documents, the committee said it released 33,295 pages of files that it received from the Department of Justice. It's unclear how many of the records were new and had not previously been made public.

Teresa Helm speaks during a rally in support of the victims of disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein outside the U.S. Capitol on September 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik, Getty Images

A politics pit stop

•	Trump says that Putin and Xi Jinping are conspiring in China against US.
•	Former US Attorney Jessica Aber's cause of death revealed.
•	US military hits alleged 'drug vessel' from Venezuela in Caribbean.
•	Sen. Cory Booker is engaged. Here's what to know.
•	Watch: Woody Allen wants to direct 'very good actor' Donald Trump again.

Are Smithsonian museums "woke"?

President Donald Trump wants to put his stamp on the Smithsonian Institution and make its museums less "woke." In August, the Trump administration announced a review of the Smithsonian, starting with eight of its most-visited and high-profile museums and released a list of exhibits it took issue with. Amid the review, USA TODAY in late August visited five Smithsonian locations in Washington, DC, that are among the first to undergo a review by the Trump administration to document and describe many of the exhibits. In interviews with nearly 50 museumgoers, many said they were confused and troubled by Trump's accusations. See what they said.

Expanding ICE detention to Louisiana's 'prison plantation'

The Trump administration plans to detain immigrants in the nation's largest maximum-security prison – a Louisiana lock-up with a notorious history as a "prison plantation." Louisiana has played a key role in federal immigration enforcement for years as the state with the second-highest number of ICE detention centers outside Texas. The Louisiana State Penitentiary – better known as Angola – stands to become the state's 10th ICE detention site. Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday are scheduled to meet Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry outside the 6,300-bed prison located two hours northwest of New Orleans at a bend in the Mississippi River. What to know about the prison.

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.