Nolan D McCaskill

Washington DC, US Reuters A deal to end the longest government shutdown in US history cleared Congress on Wednesday, after the House

‘We can never let this happen again.’

The US Senate has unanimously agreed to pass a bill forcing the US Justice Department to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files, as soon as it’s received from the chamber.

The Republican-controlled US Congress voted almost unanimously to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender

Voters in Tennessee have elected Republican Matt Van Epps to fill a vacant US House of Representatives seat, padding the narrow lead by President Donald Trump's party in the chamber heading into the midterm elections.

Congressional Democrats released dozens of new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein yesterday, a day before the US Justice Department is required by law to release unclassified files from its investigation of the disgraced financier.

Donald Trump has said construction of the White House ballroom will be funded by private donors. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of the US state of Maine promises to formally withdraw from the race after a string ‌of controversies

Mr Graham previously denounced the US president as a ‘race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot', but they later became friends

The Democratic Party's progressive wing scored a high-profile victory on Wednesday when Abdul El-Sayed won the party's US Senate nomination in