NEWS: Trump and Johnson "Disappointed" and Blindsided by Senate Republicans for Failing to Delay Epstein Files Vote
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NEWS: Trump and Johnson "Disappointed" and Blindsided by Senate Republicans for Failing to Delay Epstein Files Vote
Trump and Johnson are disappointed in Senate Republicans for failing to delay Epstein files vote, Trump set to sign the Epstein bill as soon as today, Ghislaine Maxwell whistleblower speaks, and more
Good morning everyone. Today I am closely tracking the moment when Donald Trump is expected to sign the Epstein files bill into law. However, there may be a small obstacle. Speaker Mike Johnson is now saying that he and Trump are very disappointed in Senate Republicans for passing the bill unanimously, and he has left the door open for a possible veto. Even so, the bill passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers, which means Congress could override a veto if it chooses to do so. At the same time, Democrats are surging in new polling that points to the possibility of a major victory in 2026.
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Here’s what you missed:
Mike Johnson said he is “deeply disappointed” that the Senate passed the Epstein bill without any changes, adding that both he and the President have concerns about the legislation.
The president has ten legislative days, excluding Sundays, to act on a bill by signing it, vetoing it, or doing nothing; if Congress is in session the bill becomes law without a signature, but if Congress adjourns and the president does nothing, the bill dies through a pocket veto. White House officials have said, however, that Donald Trump will sign the bill into law once it gets to the White House.
The measure would require Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days of the bill becoming law. According to the legislation, this would include documents, communications, investigative materials, and any federal records involving Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other individuals mentioned in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity deals, plea agreements, or investigative proceedings.
The Attorney General is prohibited from withholding the following:
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The following are “permitted withholdings:”
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If the Attorney General wants to redact any information on national security grounds, she must publicly release a summary describing why:
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Larry Summers resigned from OpenAI’s board after newly released House-committee emails revealed years of personal correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, including sexist remarks and seeking Epstein’s romantic advice; Summers said he is stepping back from all public commitments, OpenAI thanked him for his contributions, and the development comes amid heightened scrutiny of his past ties to Epstein.
A whistleblower at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, Noella Turnage, spoke publicly after being fired, saying she alerted House Democrats to special treatment and rule-breaking involving inmate Ghislaine Maxwell, including unusual access to the warden, perks not given to others, and alleged retaliation against inmates who spoke out; Turnage and another fired employee say they acted out of concern for fairness and institutional misconduct, not politics.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene delivered a blistering public rebuke of President Trump, saying his handling of the fight over releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files has become “destructive” to the MAGA movement, accusing him of calling her a traitor for supporting victims and backing a bipartisan push for full transparency; Greene — once one of Trump’s strongest allies — said the dispute has “ripped MAGA apart.”
A new Marist Poll finds Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by 14 points, marking their first significant advantage in more than three years; the question was tied 48–48 in Nov. 2024, and the last time Democrats held a meaningful lead was June 2022, when they were +7.
ACA premium subsidies are likely to expire at year’s end after Trump rejected any extension, pushing Republicans to replace them with “direct payments” instead; GOP leaders show little interest in renewing the existing program, leaving millions facing major premium hikes and sparking growing anxiety and infighting among swing-district Republicans who warn the party is running out of time to prevent a health-care cliff.
Several members of Congress released a public PSA to members of the United States military to act vigilantly to ensure that Donald Trump does not give them illegal orders:
Target’s struggles deepened as the retailer reported another quarterly drop in sales and cut its full-year profit outlook, with revenue stagnating for four years and plans to eliminate 1,000 corporate jobs (8% of its workforce); analysts say Target is poorly positioned in a frugal, inflation-strained economy, losing customers to Walmart, Amazon, and discount chains, while also facing backlash from ending certain DEI initiatives—moves the company admits hurt sales; with shares down 35% this year, CEO Brian Cornell will step down in 2025, to be replaced by COO Michael Fiddelke, as analysts warn the company may have “hit rock bottom” and needs a rapid turnaround.
Federal court data show that more than 97 percent of immigrants detained in Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago had no criminal convictions, contradicting the administration’s claims that the raids targeted dangerous offenders, and highlighting a broader national shift in which migrants with no criminal record now make up the largest share of ICE detainees.
The State Department is moving to suspend 38 universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and multiple UC campuses, from its Diplomacy Lab program because of DEI-related hiring practices, replacing them with schools such as Liberty University and BYU as part of the Trump administration’s broader push to restrict DEI in federally funded higher education.
A ProPublica and Guardian analysis finds that Trump’s expanded fossil fuel policies and rollback of climate regulations are projected to cause up to 1.3 million additional temperature-related deaths worldwide over the next century, with the heaviest toll falling on poor, hot countries least responsible for emissions.
Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone barrage on Ukraine, killing at least 19 and injuring 66, with strikes hitting a residential building in Ternopil and damaging energy and transport infrastructure, prompting emergency power cuts amid freezing temperatures; the attack coincided with the arrival of a U.S. delegation in Kyiv to discuss pathways to ending the war, while Zelenskyy urged allies to ramp up sanctions and provide more air-defense systems.
China has reimposed a full ban on Japanese seafood imports in retaliation for Japan’s prime minister saying the country could intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan, escalating a broader diplomatic clash that has already triggered travel warnings, canceled flights, cultural suspensions, and sharp economic strains between the two nations.
The Trump administration admitted it unlawfully deported Britania Uriostegui Rios, a transgender woman who a court ruled would likely face torture in Mexico, and is now trying to bring her back to the US while seeking another country for removal, marking the second high-profile case this year of officials violating a court order on deportations.
Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein, whose fraud sentence Trump commuted in 2021, has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for a new $35 million fraud scheme he began soon after release, marking his third federal fraud conviction.
Neo-Nazi leader Michail Chkhikvishvili (“Commander Butcher”) pleaded guilty in New York to soliciting violent attacks on Jews and minorities, including a plot to dress as Santa Claus and give poisoned candy to Jewish children, after leading an extremist group that shared bomb-making and ricin instructions and inspired real-world killings; prosecutors will seek up to 18 years in prison.
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A massive fire in Oita, southwestern Japan, burned for nearly 20 hours, killing one person, injuring another, damaging or destroying at least 170 homes, and forcing more than 170 residents to evacuate; strong winds helped spread the blaze from a fishing port into a nearby forest, while hundreds of firefighters and army helicopters worked to contain it amid ongoing investigations into the cause.
Good news:
A large clinical trial of the new malaria drug KLU156 showed a 99.2 percent cure rate across 1,600 patients in 12 African countries, offering a potent non-artemisinin treatment option at a critical time as resistance to current frontline therapies continues to grow.
A young Carolina Panthers fan and heart transplant survivor, Bryson Shupe, enjoyed the best day of his life in Green Bay where he traveled for his first-ever flight, met players on the field, reunited with Greg Olsen, and celebrated a Panthers win while sharing an encouraging message to fellow patients to keep pounding.
A camera trap in South Africa’s West Coast National Park captured the region’s first leopard sighting in 170 years, marking a major conservation milestone credited to decades of habitat restoration and coexistence work that reconnected wildlife corridors and enabled the species to naturally return.
A lost sea otter pup named Caterpillar was rescued in Morro Bay, California, after conservationists used recorded pup cries to draw in a searching mother, leading to a successful and emotional reunion caught on video.
Toyota unveiled a new four-legged mobility robot called Walk Me that mimics the stability of mountain goats, allowing wheelchair users to climb stairs, navigate uneven terrain, and position themselves more easily, using independent mechanical legs, sensors, LiDAR, voice controls, and a 12-hour battery.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
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