Statue depicting Trump, Epstein as Jack, Rose from 'Titanic' appears on National Mall

Astatuedepicting PresidentDonald Trumpand deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in a "Titanic" pose similar to Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this week.

The 12-foot statue was unveiled by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse, on Tuesday, March 10, with a backdrop of the U.S. Capitol. The partially gold spray-painted art installation shows Epstein standing at the bow of a ship with his arms stretched out, with the president behind him holding his wrists.

The statue depicts the men in the iconic scene from the film where lovers Jack and Rose embrace on the bow of the ship at sunset.

The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to that scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."

A statue depicting President Donald Trump and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in the iconic "Titanic" pose by Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to the scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."

The 12-foot statue was unveiled in front of the U.S. Capitol by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The same group was also responsible for the statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands titled "Best Friends Forever" that appeared on the National Mall in September.

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Trump–Epstein statue recreates iconic Titanic scene of Jack and Rose

Astatuedepicting President Donald Trump and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in the iconic "Titanic" pose by Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to the scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."The 12-foot statue was unveiled in front of the U.S. Capitol by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The same group was also responsible for the statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands titled "Best Friends Forever" that appeared on the National Mall in September.

"The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties and secret nude sketches," a plaque on the side of the statue states. "This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches."

The statue is flanked by 10 giant banners with a photo of Trump and Epstein with the words, "Make America Safe Again." The banners also bear the insignia of the Justice Department, though the word "Justice" has been blanked out.

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More:See Trump banners adorn DOJ headquarters, more federal buildings

A USA TODAY reporter observed tourists and residents observing the statue on Tuesday, March 10. Many people stopped through their runs or on their commutes home to capture the scene with their phones.See it in the video at the top of the story.

It's not clear how long the statue will remain there. The Secret Handshake told USA TODAY in an email it hopes the statue will remain in place for several more days, but did not provide more information.

White House criticizes statue

Trump has previously said that he did not know of Epstein's criminal behavior.

In a statement to USA TODAY, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson condemned the display, asking when "wealthy Democrat donors" will create sculptures of Democrats "who continued to solicit money and meetings from Epstein after he was convicted as a sex offender."

Previous Trump and Epstein statue

The organization is also responsible for a Trump-Epstein friendship statue that depicted the two billionaires holding hands and prancing, which appeared on the National Mall in September, also known as Friendship Month.

Permits for installations on the National Mall are approved by the National Park Service. USA TODAY has emailed the agency for additional information.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Statue of Trump, Epstein as Jack, Rose from 'Titanic' appears in DC

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Statue depicting Trump, Epstein as Jack, Rose from 'Titanic' appears on National Mall

Astatuedepicting PresidentDonald Trumpand deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in a "Titanic" pose s...

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Why authorities are finally searching Epstein's ranch in New Mexico

Authorities on Monday began searching a sprawling ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by the late convicted sex offenderJeffrey Epstein, renewing questions about the steps taken by the U.S. Department of Justice nearly a decade ago.

While the New Mexico Department of Justice has released few details about the new investigation, here is what we know about the ranch and what prompted the renewed scrutiny:

Did the Department of Justice ever search the ranch?

When Epsteinwas arrestedin July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, the investigation into his alleged illicit activity swept across many of his opulent properties. However, investigators apparently never searched his New Mexico ranch, formerly known as "Zorro Ranch," according to emails released by the U.S. DOJ earlier this year.

When Epstein was found dead by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, investigators' scope broadened, but authorities appear to have never returned to raid the property for potential evidence.

While New Mexico initiated its own investigation into the property, the probe was paused in 2019 at the request of the U.S. DOJ, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.

What prompted state authorities to re-open their investigation?

In a statement issued last month, the New Mexico DOJ said the investigation was re-opened because "revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination."

The statement did not provide further details about the "revelations," and state Attorney General Torrez has not publicly commented on which files prompted the investigation. The New Mexico DOJ has not responded to inquiries from ABC News about the scope of the investigation.

However, approximately a week before the New Mexico DOJ opened their investigation, the office received a request from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands to investigate an unsubstantiated allegation included in files released by the U.S. DOJ that two bodies were buried in the hills around the ranch.

House Oversight Committee to depose Epstein's longtime accountant

"On behalf of the New Mexico State Land Office, I am requesting that both the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Mexico Department of Justice thoroughly investigate this disturbing allegation," New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard said on Feb. 10 in a letter obtained by ABC News.

According to documents released by the U.S. DOJ, a local radio host received an email in November 2019 from an anonymous individual who claimed to have worked at the ranch and alleged that two "foreign girls" were buried on the grounds of the ranch after being strangulated.

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The radio host told the FBI that he originally received a demand for one bitcoin in exchange for the location of the bodies and seven videos of sexual abuse.

According to an FBI report memorializing the tip, the host promptly shared the information with the FBI. The report suggested that the tip was received by the FBI and that the radio host spoke with investigators, though it does not appear the claim was investigated further, in part because the email account that sent the tip was deactivated.

The report and materials released by the U.S. DOJ did not include any evidence to corroborate the claims beyond the initial email. The documents and concern from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands appear to be part of the reason investigators have re-opened the investigation.

Who owns the ranch now?

Zorro Ranch was sold in 2023 to Texas businessman and politician Don Huffines, who is currently the Republican nominee for Texas's state comptroller. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump in an upset victory against the incumbent.

In a post on social media, Huffines explained that he was aware of the history of the property when he purchased it in 2023 and that "at the time of the sale, it was marketed that the proceeds would go to the victims."

Epstein files: DOJ releases previously withheld FBI reports about sex abuse allegation against Trump

He said in the post that he has renamed the ranch "San Rafael" and intends to "to remake it as a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus."

The New Mexico DOJ this week said it "appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism."

It is unclear if the New Mexico DOJ obtained a search warrant for the property or is just operating with the consent of the property owner.

What is the goal of the investigation?

The investigation comes as New Mexico lawmakers are seeking to better understand how Epstein was able to avoid legal scrutiny for years. Last month, the New Mexico House voted unanimously to create an Epstein "Truth Commission" to better understand Epstein's activities in the state. The commission has subpoena power and a budget of $2 million to carry out its investigation.

In a column last week, Attorney General Torres acknowledged that the state's investigation faces obstacles but vowed to issue a public report about his findings.

"Epstein has been dead for years. Zorro Ranch has changed ownership. Physical evidence may no longer exist, and the statute of limitations has likely run on many potential offenses. These are real obstacles, and survivors deserve to hear them stated plainly. But we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored," Torres said.

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Why authorities are finally searching Epstein's ranch in New Mexico

Authorities on Monday began searching a sprawling ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by the late convicted sex offenderJe...

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Man charged over alleged threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, Jerome Powell and Trump

A Florida man was indicted this month over threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Diego Villavicencio faces afour-count indictmentthat alleges he threatened a member of Congress, writing, "I'll kill you and your family and you won't do anything about it"; that he threatened an unnamed individual who, he wrote, would "be shot and killed on Sept. 23"; and threatened the president of the United States, writing: "I'll be driving there to take a couple of shots at trump and some other corrupt plutocrats."

Swalwell confirmed that the unnamed member of Congress in the indictment is him. Swalwell, an outspoken critic of Trump and 2026 candidate for governor of California, is arecurring target of threats. He also served as an impeachment manager in Trump's second impeachment trial.

"The aim of this threat was to silence me," Swalwell told NBC News. "Political violence has never been the answer. And it never will be. My family and I are grateful to the Department of Justice for their attention to this violent threat."

The unnamed individual appears to be Powell. The Fed chairman was not named in the indictment, but an FBI affidavit states that one of the posts read "Jerome is next." The threat was reported to the FBI by a senior special agent with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Protective Services Unit ahead of a Sept. 23 Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce 2025 Economic Outlook Luncheon,where Powell spoke, the affidavit said. The Federal Reserve did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal judge ordered Villavicencio held after he was arrested last month. A trial has beenset for May.An attorney for Villavicencio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Swalwell's officetold NBC News last yearthat the Justice Department hadn't brought charges in two cases involving threats against him and his family.

He and Attorney General Pam Bondi got into a discussion about securityduring a congressional hearing last month, with Bondi telling members of Congress that "none of you should be threatened, ever," and that "none of your children should be threatened. None of your families should be threatened."

Swalwell said he had not discussed this particular case with Bondi.

In anaffidavit last month, an FBI special agent wrote that an X user believed to be Villavicencio had "called for terrorist acts of violence against government officials and CEOs."

One of the threats came in response to a social mediapost in which Swalwell wrotethat Bondi "REFUSED to prosecute MULTIPLE direct death threats against me and my family."

The X account that the FBI said appeared to belong to Villavicencio also published a post in October that read "Death to America Bomb America Bomb the federal reserve Kill politicians Kill CEOs Shoot Joe Biden Shoot [redacted] Shoot Donald Trump END CAPITALISM FREE THE PEOPLE."

The user was suspended in November, "apparently for violating X's terms of use," the FBI affidavit said.

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Man charged over alleged threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, Jerome Powell and Trump

A Florida man was indicted this month over threats against Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., President Donald Trump and Feder...

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NCAA Tournament bubble games to watch as March Madness heats up Wednesday

Over the last month of the men's college basketball regular season, there've seemingly been safe spots in theNCAA tournament at-large poolavailable for the taking. Most teams, however, haven't taken them.

As a result, more than a handful of teams enter tournament week with work to do to push their way to the right side of the proverbial bubble. For some such squads, the quest might already be over – better luck next year, Stanford.

Here are five games to watch involving other bubble dwellers hoping to avoid the same fate on the Wednesday schedule. All four power conferences are represented on this list, but we'll start with a couple more matchups in the afore-mentioned ACC.

North Carolina State vs. Pittsburgh

Time/TV:noon ET, ESPN2.

The Wolfpack have been a wildly inconsistent bunch, having won just once in their last seven outings. That victory was a blowout over rival North Carolina, but some of the losses have been downright unsightly. They're probably still safe given the chaos on the rest of the bubble over the last few weeks, but a setback here to the Panthers, who are outside the top 100 in the NCAA's NET ranking, would be more damaging than a result against Stanford would have been.

SMU vs. Louisville

Time/TV:2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.

The Mustangs were able to avoid a resume-killer against Syracuse in the first round of the ACC tournament, and now they have an opportunity to boost their cause. The Cardinals are in much safer territory, thanks to a solid road win at Miami to conclude the regular season, but would like to turn in a good performance nevertheless on the eve of March Madness.

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Cincinnati vs. Central Florida

Time/TV:3 p.m. ET, ESPNU.

The 8-9 pairing in the Big 12 second round isn't an bubble-elimination game per se. The Knights have a few more quality results on their resume and would probably still be in with a loss, though they might be shuffled closer to the First Four. The Bearcats spent much of the conference campaign trying to erase some bad outcomes from November and early December. They've won six of eight entering the postseason. A victory won't clinch a berth, but it would keep them in the conversation.

Auburn vs. Mississippi State

Time/TV:3 p.m. ET, SECN.

Hardwood pundits from just about every locale in the nation outside of Auburn, Alabama, cite the Tigers, just a game above .500 entering the SEC tournament, as Exhibit A in the case against NCAA expansion. Through sheer volume they've amassed numerous Quad 1 victories, but the number in the loss column, especially if it came against the sub-.500 Bulldogs, would become too large to dismiss. Just advancing isn't enough for Steven Pearl's team but it gives them a chance to fight another day.

Indiana vs. Northwestern

Time/TV:5:30 p.m. ET, BTN.

Exhibit B is Indiana, although most bracketologists have the Hoosiers on the outside anyway. IU enters the Big Ten tournament needing a deep run. Beating the Wildcats won't move the needle on its own, but a loss would end chance to add more quality wins.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA Tournament bubble games impacting March Madness field Wednesday

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NCAA Tournament bubble games to watch as March Madness heats up Wednesday

Over the last month of the men's college basketball regular season, there've seemingly been safe spots in theNCAA...

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Millions face tornado and storm warnings after homes destroyed in Midwest

More than 77 million people from the Midwest to the southern Plains were under some form of tornado warning on Wednesday after multiple apparent twisters caused extensive damage in Illinois and Indiana.

Northern Illinois remains the highest risk, with a "moderate" tornado warning for 2 million people in cities south and east of Chicago, including Joliet, Peoria and Bloomington. A marginal risk extends all the way down to Texas and Tennessee.

A tornado emergency was declared in Knox, Indiana, on Tuesday, with the National Weather Service telling residents, "This is a life-threatening situation. Seek shelter now!"

On Tuesday, the parent thunderstorm that produced tornadoes in northern Illinois and northern Indiana persisted for over 7 hours, along a 200-mile path. According to the National Weather Service, there were eight reports of tornadoes between the two states on Tuesday, and two in Texas.

An elderly couple from Lake Village, Indiana, was killed in one of the tornadoes on Tuesday night, officials said on Wednesday. Several others were hospitalized from the storms, officials added.

Many areas were also hit by strong storms and heavy rain, with strong winds and hail the size of golf balls in the Chicago region. Flood warnings are in place along rivers in Illinois and Indiana.

Much of Indiana, northern Kentucky and western Ohio — including in Indianapolis, Evansville, Louisville and Cincinnati — are under a tornado watch until 12 p.m. ET. Approximately 67 million people are under the threat of severe storms from northern Pennsylvania down to the Gulf Coast.

More than 12,000 energy customers were without power across the Midwest and 23,000 across the Great Lakes region on Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

NBC Chicagoreported that there was significant but, so far unquantified, damage across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, including to homes, other buildings and roads.

Kankakee County, south of Chicago, declared a state of emergency and said local officials and sheriff's deputies were carrying out search and rescue efforts, as well as damage assessments. There have been no confirmed reports of deaths so far.

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A house in the village of Aroma Park had its roof partially blown off and its walls collapsed, NBC Chicago reported. The local school district is shut Wednesday.

The resident, who gave his name as Bob,told NBC Chicagothat the storm "started getting louder and I started hearing stuff breaking and caving in and pretty soon my kitchen fell on top of me from upstairs."

"Everything caved in, the fridge and everything. Luckily, I was in, like, a hole, so I didn't get hurt at all — I was just trapped," he said. Neighbors came to rescue him.

Rob Churchill, the chief of the Lake Township Fire Department, said in a video posted to Facebook that multiple homes in Lake Village, Indiana, were destroyed when the town took a "direct hit" from a tornado. People forced from their homes were being sheltered in a local school. "It's going to be a long night," he added.

In the same video, while standing in front of what appeared to be a destroyed home, Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran said, "Please do not come here. Do not try to help right now."

Separately, Cothran told reporters that "injuries so far have been reported as being minor, but the home damage is pretty significant."

The midweek threat of storms and tornadoes makes this the most "widespread and impactful severe weather outbreak so far this year," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Courtney Travis.

"The overlap of strong winds aloft, abundant moisture from the Gulf and sharp temperature contrasts creates an environment supportive of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail," he said.

The weather service told peoplein the Chicago area to reduce their water usage ahead of the storm to prevent flooding and protect the limited local water supply.

Parts of the Northeast also experienced extreme weather this week. On Tuesday, New York City's Central Park broke its daily high temperature record, with the temperature soaring to 80 degrees, melting away remaining snow and ice from a recent blizzard.

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Millions face tornado and storm warnings after homes destroyed in Midwest

More than 77 million people from the Midwest to the southern Plains were under some form of tornado warning on Wednesday ...

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