A bill requiring the release of government records on Jeffrey Epstein headed Wednesday to Donald Trump for his signature, spurring a showdown over whether the US president will allow full disclosure — or return to trying to bury the case.Trump stunned Washington over the weekend, reversing his months-long opposition to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, ensuring that it sailed through Congress on Tuesday in a rare show of bipartisan unity.The spotlight now turns to the Republican president, a former close friend of the late sex offender. Only Trump can stand in the way of the release and he has pledged to sign the bill, despite featuring heavily in the case file.Insiders warn that even with the president’s signature, his administration could lean on redactions, procedural delays or lingering federal investigations to keep explosive details out of the public eye.”Once the president signs the bill, he must apply and execute it faithfully. There must be no funny business from Donald Trump,” top Democrat Chuck Schumer warned in a speech on the Senate floor.”He must not use the excuse of frivolous investigations to release some Epstein documents, while intentionally hiding others that deserve to be seen by the American public.”Epstein, a wealthy financier, moved in elite circles for years, cultivating close ties with business tycoons, politicians, academics and celebrities to whom he was accused of trafficking girls and young women for sex.Trump and his allies spent years pushing theories about powerful Democrats being protected over involvement with Epstein, framing the case as a potent symbol of how powerful men can hide behind lawyers, money and connections.But Trump himself was a longtime associate of Epstein, raising questions over what he knew about the notorious figure.Far beyond Trump’s conspiracy-minded voter base, the saga dented public trust in the US justice system and raised suspicion among voters who believe important pieces of the story were either hidden or ignored.Epstein’s 2019 arrest fueled a storm of outrage and pressure for a full accounting of his network, his finances and the people who helped him evade.Conspiracy theories about a cover-up only deepened after his death — ruled a suicide — in a New York jail soon after.- ‘Smoke screen’? -Passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act in Congress marked a moment of deep emotional resonance, with abuse survivors filling the House gallery as the vote was called, hugging and cheering when it passed.It was a sharp rebuke of Trump and his ally, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had led efforts to prevent disclosure.Johnson said he would “cross that bridge” when asked if he’d push Trump to veto the bill.The president had warned House Republicans off the action but reversed course, fearing humiliation as he faced the largest rebellion of his presidency.Once signed, the Justice Department has a month to dump its unclassified files online — in a searchable trove of transcripts, flight logs and communications that could unearth unseen names and connections.The text makes only narrow exceptions for personal data and genuine legal and security concerns.But analysts question whether officials will comply, or argue that sensitive material cannot be released because related probes remain active — including a new investigation ordered by Trump last week into Epstein’s ties with Democrats.”(This) might be a big smoke screen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them as a last ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files,” Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who pushed the House vote, told ABC News. The Justice Department and FBI said in July they had uncovered no evidence in a review of the files that would support further action, and it was not clear if the new probe ordered by Trump on Friday would hamper disclosure.Attorney General Pam Bondi was pressed on the justification for further investigation and said there was “new information, additional information.””If there are any victims, we encourage all victims to come forward,” she told reporters. “And we will continue to provide maximum transparency under the law.”

US President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to end Sudan’s grinding civil war at the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, condemning “tremendous atrocities” in a conflict he has previously overlooked.Trump admitted that the devastating war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was “not on my charts” before Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved.But Trump said he would now work to “stabilize” the conflict with regional powers, notably including the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.The United Nations has repeatedly called for greater global attention to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.”His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Trump said at a business forum with the Saudi royal a day after Prince Mohammed received a lavish reception at the White House.”It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control. But I just see how important that is to you, and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”Sudan’s Saudi-backed sovereign council, which is headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it was ready to cooperate with the United States and Riyadh.In a statement, the council thanked Washington and Riyadh for “their continued efforts to stop Sudanese bloodshed.”International attention on the conflict has increased since the RSF recently seized the key Darfur city of El-Fasher after a relentless siege that has sparked warnings of crimes against humanity and genocide.- ‘Immediate halt’ -Trump had barely commented on the Sudan war in the nine months since he returned to office, focusing instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.But on Wednesday, the 79-year-old Republican said he would use the “influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt” to the war.”Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan. It has become the most violent place on Earth,” Trump said on his Truth Social network a few hours after his initial comments.”We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan.”While the conflict has been off Trump’s radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to resolve it.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE’s foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.Trump’s own Africa envoy Massad Boulos on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the “world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.”Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January as he seeks a Nobel Peace Prize.His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close ties with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.Their closeness was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which Trump defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince “knew nothing”.