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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may go from hero to zero in Donald Trump's eyes as a "rift" grows within the House GOP caucus over the Jeffrey Epstein files and Republicans side with Democrats in demanding transparency.

Johnson chalked up a big win with the president by guiding the megabill Trump demanded through the House, and basked in the glory for days before the Department of Justice announced that the files on the accused pedophile would not be released.

After some of Trump's biggest MAGA supporters spiraled into open revolt, far-right lawmakers like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) joined them — with more to follow as the Wall Street Journal dropped two bombshell reports on the relationship between the president and Epstein.

Appearing on MSNBC with host Anna Cabrera, Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman claimed Johnson may now suffer the same fate as two other Republican House speakers faced when they couldn't keep their GOP colleagues in line.

"There's a big rift right between Johnson and members of his party. How, help us understand that rift?" the MSNBC host asked.

"If it was only Massie, it would be one thing," Sherman replied. "But the bigger problem for Trump is that it's some of his allies. [GOP Rep.] Brian Jack of Georgia, who worked for Donald Trump in the White House in the last administration, is a close ally of the president, voted for a deposition or a subpoena yesterday that would take the documents from the Justice Department, turn over those documents."

"If it were just Massie, this wouldn't be a problem," he repeated. "It's much more than Massie and, as for the speaker, I don't know what kind of problems Johnson is going to have. Trump has turned on basically every other speaker who has worked with him, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, in various ways, and he hasn't turned on Johnson yet"

"But again, this is a why, in my view and I think in the House Republican leadership's view, this is a problem that the White House has not given a lot of cover for Republicans on," he added. "I mean, they're just part of the problem. The rift is at least being exacerbated by the White House and their inability to give any political cover to the story."

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President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and former Republican Party co-chair Lara Trump has decided for a second time that she will not run for the U.S. Senate.

Trump had been suspected to try to replace Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who announced recently he was retiring after disagreements with the president.

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has reportedly died following a medical emergency at his Florida home.

TMZ reported Thursday morning that the 71-year-old WWE icon died from cardiac arrest at his residence in Clearwater, where sources told the website that emergency crews had been dispatched.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) pressed Christopher Fox, an assistant to the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, about why information was released smearing former President Barack Obama on the same day as President Donald Trump was reported to be in Jeffrey Epstein's case files.

During a Thursday confirmation hearing, Slotkin asked Fox why the Trump administration had waited years to claim Obama was part of a "treasonous conspiracy" and "years-long coup."

A Democratic lawmaker confessed that he's done playing nice.

Speaking to Christian Science Monitor reporter Cameron Joseph, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) admitted that in the past, he had supported bipartisan redistricting in his home state. He no longer does.

A Trump administration appointee has been going hard after demonstrators in Los Angeles who in recent weeks have been protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations—but it seems like he's having a hard time getting grand juries to go along.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Bill Essayli, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, recently became "irate" and could be heard "screaming" at prosecutors in the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles when a grand jury declined to indict an anti-ICE protester who had been targeted for potential felony charges.

A right-wing broadcaster trotted out a new narrative before President Donald Trump's deputy attorney general goes to meet with Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator in prison.

Newsmax host Greg Kelly suggested that Ghislaine Maxwell, who's serving a 20-year prison term for convictions on sex trafficking and other crimes, might actually be a victim of Epstein, who was described as her accomplice during trial testimony, ahead of her meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, reported Media Matters.

Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have been prohibited from talking about Jeffrey Epstein, a White House source told NBC News Thursday.

“Trump himself has signaled that he doesn’t want members of his administration talking about the matter nonstop,” NBC News reported, citing a “person close to the White House” speaking on the condition of anonymity. “And White House aides have made it clear that no one in the administration is allowed to talk about Epstein without high-level vetting.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) suggested that Republicans might push for a lighter sentence for convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell if they agreed with her upcoming testimony.

On Wednesday, Burchett was asked if he trusted Maxwell after House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) issued a subpoena for her to sit for a deposition related to Jeffrey Epstein.

President Donald Trump attempted to dispel reporting that he doesn't want federal government agencies to contract with Elon Musk's companies.

A reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday whether the president supported federal contracts going to Musk's xAI, and she said, "I don't think so, no." But Trump disputed that the following day on his Truth Social website.

The Trump administration's new narrative that former President Barack Obama and others may be guilty of treason have ‘landed with a thud,” MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire said Thursday — even among some hardcore conservatives.

“It is so rare when there are cracks in the MAGA wall, and yet we're seeing it now no matter what President Trump tries,” Lemire said.

Pro-MAGA correspondent Brian Glenn said he overheard reporters whispering "that's not true" and "that's a lie" at a briefing where Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggested President Barack Obama was guilty of treason.

At the Wednesday briefing, Gabbard said she had referred Obama and others to the Department of Justice for "treasonous conspiracy" and a "years-long coup" against President Donald Trump.