Happening now, sharpening strategy on the Epstein case.

Top Trump officials are meeting for dinner tonight to hash out how to handle the escalating fallout.

Plus, reaching out for a pardon.

Sean Diddy Combs' legal team confirming conversations with President Trump about a possible pardon.

We've got an exclusive interview on that ahead.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world.

I'm Pamela Brown.

Wolf Blitzer is off today and you're in the situation room.

And we begin this hour with new CNN reporting.

Sources tell us that Vice President J.D. Vance will assemble key members of the Trump administration to discuss something that they wish would go away.

The Jeffrey Epstein case. The goal of this evening's dinner at the VP's residence will be to hammer out a unified response, including whether

to release last month's conversation between Epstein accomplice, Galene Maxwell, and Deputy

Attorney General Todd Blanche.

CNN's Caitlin Collins asked the president about it.

Do you believe that she's credible to be listening to?

Your Deputy Attorney General sat down with her recently.

Well, let me tell you, he's a very talented man.

His name is Todd Blanche.

She's a very legitimate person.

I didn't talk to him about it, but I will tell you that whatever he asks would be totally appropriate, and it's not an uncommon thing to do that.

And I think he probably wants to make sure that, you know, people that should not be involved

or aren't involved are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair

...