EPSTEIN FILES DROP: The Department of Justice (DOJ) early Tuesday released thousands of additional documents it has on Jeffrey Epstein, following up on its first release from the end of last week.
CBS News reported the latest drop includes more than 11,000 files, including multi-paged documents and hundreds of videos. It also includes court records, FBI and DOJ documents, emails and news clippings.
Many of the documents include references to Trump, including one that shows a subpoena was sent to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 for records related to the government's case against Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, The Washington Post reported. They also include notes from an assistant U.S. attorney in New York about the number of times Trump flew on Epstein's plane.
Being named in the Epstein files is not itself considered an accusation of wrongdoing, and Trump has maintained that he broke off his ties with Epstein long before the convicted sex offender's arrest and death in 2019.
Trump pushed back on Monday over photos released on people who he said "innocently met" with Epstein. He called the release of photos showing former President Clinton with Epstein a "terrible thing."
"I don't like the pictures of Bill Clinton being shown. I don't like the pictures of other people being shown. I think it's a terrible thing," he said.
▪ The Hill: Former Clinton spokesperson calls for full release of files.
▪ The Hill: Dems acknowledge Clinton's ties to Epstein don't look good.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are wrestling with what their next steps should be on the Epstein files.
The Hill's Sudiksha Kochi and Rebecca Beitsch report that members of Congress are divided on how strongly to push back against the DOJ for failing to share all the unclassified documents it has on the disgraced financier.
Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who led the effort to require the files' release, have said they're drafting a resolution to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in "inherent contempt," fining her every day the remaining files aren't released. Other Democrats have called for examining all legal options. But some have raised doubts about doing so immediately.
WEISS BACKLASH: Concerns are spiking among critics of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss about the independence of the outlet following her decision to pull a "60 Minutes" segment shortly before it was to air.
The segment was set to cover poor conditions inside a notorious prison in El Salvador, known as CECOT, where the Trump administration has sent Venezuelan migrants. But Weiss argued the segment wasn't ready for publication yet and had it pulled a few hours before Sunday's episode.
Weiss reportedly requested several changes to the segment, arguing it also needed an on-the-record statement from the administration. But the correspondent who covered the story, Sharyn Alfonsi, alleged in a note to her colleagues obtained by multiple outlets that the decision was "political."
Alfonsi said she reached out to the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security but didn't receive a response. She maintained that the story had been screened five times and had been cleared to air.
"Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story," she said in the email to her colleagues. "If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a 'kill switch' for any reporting they find inconvenient."
The decision to pull the segment marks one of the first major controversies for Weiss since she was tapped to lead the news outlet in October. She was appointed chief editor after CBS's parent company, Paramount, acquired her media startup company, The Free Press.
Weiss has been a strong critic of mainstream media coverage, and supporters and critics alike have widely expected shake-ups at CBS under her leadership.
Questions about media independence and journalistic integrity arose earlier following Paramount's $16 million settlement with Trump over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris on "60 Minutes" that aired last year and the administration's subsequent approval of a merger between Paramount and Skydance.
Lawmakers critical of Trump and his allies slammed Weiss's decision, arguing it demonstrates the president is successfully intimidating news outlets.
"What is happening to CBS is a terrible embarrassment and if executives think they can build shareholder value by avoiding journalism that might offend the Mad King they are about to learn a tough lesson," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote on the social platform X. "This is still America and we don't enjoy bulls--- like this."
Weiss is standing by her decision, telling The New York Times in a statement that holding stories that aren't ready happens every day in newsrooms. She has said the segment will air once it's ready.
▪ The Hill: What to know about Weiss's decision.
▪ CNBC: Larry Ellison backing Paramount's bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
WIND PROJECTS SUSPENDED: Senate Democrats are walking away from talks about permitting reform following the Trump administration's announcement that it's suspending five major offshore wind projects.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday that the leases were being paused because of "national security concerns." A press release from the department cited potential radar interference known as "clutter" from wind turbines, arguing it obscures "legitimate moving targets and generates false targets" near the wind projects.
All five projects are located on the East Coast, near New England, New York and Virginia. The projects together would be expected to generate enough electricity to power 2.5 million homes, according to the projects' websites.
Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.) said they will abandon long-running discussions about legislation to speed up energy and infrastructure construction unless the administration reverses course. They've been negotiating with Republican Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) on a possible deal for months.
"The illegal attacks on fully permitted renewable energy projects must be reversed if there is to be any chance that permitting talks resume. There is no path to permitting reform if this administration refuses to follow the law," Heinrich and Whitehouse said in a joint statement.
▪ Reuters: Shares of offshore wind projects drop after decision.
▪ The Hill: Trump rejects Colorado disaster funding for wildfires, flooding.
FOREIGN DRONE BAN: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has banned new foreign-made drones from being sold in the U.S., citing national security concerns.
The order prevents these products from being sold or imported in the U.S. but doesn't apply to technology that's already been sold in the country. The FCC made the decision in line with the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which called for reviewing the national security risks that certain technologies pose.
DJI, a Chinese company, holds a majority of the drone industry's market share.
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