The speaker is sending lawmakers home early for a five-week recess as he fights a bipartisan effort to force the release of Epstein files that could implicate Trump.

Democrats may be tempted to seize on new headlines linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, but Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith warns against it. On Morning Joe, Smith argues the real risk is falling into the same conspiratorial traps that have defined parts of Trump’s base: “Those of us trying to stay sane ought to keep in mind the distinction between evidence and speculation,