Top Items:
Seung Min Kim / Associated Press:
Trump signs bill to release Jeffrey Epstein case files after fighting it for months — President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts.
Discussion:
Politico, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, ABC News, France 24, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, GB News, FOX 32 Chicago, Salon, Al Jazeera, Reason, Washington Examiner, Democrats, Orlando Sentinel, Raw Story and Axios
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Politico:
‘Democrats are going to come to regret this’: After Epstein vote, Trump ready to attack … Her office did not respond to a request for comment, but a staffer told the Washington Post that Plaskett had received texts from Epstein, along with “staff, constituents and the public at large,” during a hearing.
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Post, RedState, The Daily Caller, The Atlantic, The Washington Free Beacon, Washington Times, The Post Millennial, Mediaite, The Independent, Townhall, The Hill, Alternet.org, Fox News, The Guardian, twitchy.com, The Mahablog, Daily Mail, Raw Story, Blaze Media, Reuters, Breitbart and Newsbusters, more at Mediagazer »
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Trump signs Epstein bill into law, releasing files from DOJ — President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, officially directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all unclassified records and documents connected to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Discussion:
The Contrarian, The Bulwark, Reuters, New York Sun, MS NOW and Wall Street Journal
Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:
Trump signs bill to release the DOJ's Epstein files — The legislation requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records related to Epstein within 30 days. — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a bill Wednesday to compel the Justice Department to release files related …
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Signs Bill on Release of Epstein Files
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Signs Bill on Release of Epstein Files
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, CBS News, RedState, Raw Story, NewsMax.com and The Daily Signal
Politico:
Comey case hanging by a thread as judge squeezes DOJ over Halligan's handling … ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — The Trump administration's criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey appeared to be in serious jeopardy Wednesday as the federal judge overseeing the case repeatedly questioned …
Discussion:
Vox, New York Post, Raw Story, Straight Arrow News, Mediaite, National Review and Alternet.org
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New York Times:
Trump Loyalist Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment — Grand jurors have to vote on indictments to approve them, but a prosecutor told the judge in the case that only the foreperson formally approved the second charging document, a move that could cripple the case.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., New York Post, All Rise News, Raw Story, Straight Arrow News, Roll Call, The Post Millennial and MS NOW
Ella Lee / The Hill:
DOJ admits full grand jury never reviewed final Comey indictment, further imperiling case — The Justice Department on Wednesday admitted that the operative indictment against former FBI Director James Comey was never presented to the full grand jury — a procedural error defense attorneys say should bar the prosecution.
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Due to Botched Paperwork, Comey May Never Have Been Properly Indicted
Discussion:
All Rise News, Associated Press, Salon and Alternet.org
Washington Post:
Justice Dept. acknowledges full grand jury never saw final Comey indictment
Justice Dept. acknowledges full grand jury never saw final Comey indictment
Discussion:
The Guardian, Associated Press, UPI, emptywheel and CBS News
Financial Times:
US and Russian officials draft new peace plan for Ukraine — Proposal envisages major concessions by Kyiv and rollback of American military assistance — Christopher Miller in New York, Anastasia Stognei in London and Amy Mackinnon in Washington — The Trump administration and Russian officials …
Discussion:
Diplomatic,, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, New York Post, RedState, New York Times, Patterico's Pontifications, SundayTimes and Reuters
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Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: Trump plan asks Ukraine to cede additional territory for security guarantee
Discussion:
The Guardian, Telegraph, Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money and NewsMax.com
Laura Kelly / The Hill:
Trump's 28-point Ukraine peace plan catches Congress off guard
Trump's 28-point Ukraine peace plan catches Congress off guard
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, France 24, Foreign Policy, The Sun, Reuters and Radio Free Europe/Radio …
The Harvard Crimson:
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties — Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, The Boston Globe, Reuters, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, Fox News, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, masslive.com, CNN, WBUR and Washington Times, more at Techmeme »
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Steven Beschloss / America, America:
Snapshot: Trump Excuses Murder and Blames the Victim — Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, culpable for the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi, enjoyed a warm welcome to Trump's White House — On October 2, 2018, Washington Post columnist and Saudi native Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Discussion:
Robert Reich, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, CBS News, New York Times, OutsideTheBeltway, American Prospect, The Poke, HuffPost and France 24
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Washington Examiner:
Trump defends Saudi crown prince while downplaying Khashoggi murder: ‘Things happen’
Discussion:
New Republic, The Guardian, CBS News, The Japan Times and HuffPost, more at Mediagazer »
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Gretchen Carlson: Trump treatment of female reporters ‘despicable’
Gretchen Carlson: Trump treatment of female reporters ‘despicable’
Discussion:
Atlanta Black Star, Reason, Robert Reich, To the Contrary, HuffPost and RTÉ
Jodie Ginsberg / The Guardian:
Trump shrugged off Khashoggi's killing. This is a new low
Trump shrugged off Khashoggi's killing. This is a new low
Discussion:
CNN, Daily Mail, The Hill, The Dean's Report, New York Times and The Sun, more at Mediagazer »
US Department of Justice:
South Florida Congresswoman Charged with Stealing $5 Million in FEMA Funds and Making Illegal Campaign Contributions — For Immediate Release — MIAMI - A federal grand jury in Miami has returned an indictment charging Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants …
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Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
House unanimously rebukes Thune on data seizure payouts — The House unanimously voted 426- Wednesday night to claw back language in last week's government funding bill that could award some GOP senators hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for having their phone records unknowingly obtained …
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US Department of Justice:
Employee of a Federal Official Charged with Conspiracy to Falsely Report Violent Attack and Giving False Statements to Law Enforcement — For Immediate Release — U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey — CAMDEN, N.J. - A New Jersey woman was charged with conspiring …
Discussion:
The Handbasket and Mediaite
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Devan Cole / CNN:
Judge Boasberg to resume criminal contempt inquiry into Trump officials involved in Alien Enemies Act deportation flights — A federal judge said Wednesday that he plans to “promptly” move ahead with an effort to find out which Trump administration officials were responsible for flouting …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Reuters, NewsMax.com, NOTUS and Bloomberg
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Reuters:
The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown — Two months after Charlie Kirk's assassination, a government-backed campaign has led to firings, suspensions, investigations and other action against more than 600 people. Republican officials have endorsed …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Axios:
Republican to force vote on ousting GOP Rep. Cory Mills from committees — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) plans to force a vote Wednesday censuring Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and removing him from several committees, according to sources familiar with the matter. … Mace wants to do it for real this time.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, CBS News, Washington Examiner, NBC News, NOTUS, Raw Story, Scripps News, CNN, Orlando Sentinel, IJR, One America News Network, Blaze Media, Straight Arrow News, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, Daily Mail, New Jersey Online, UPI, Newsweek, Florida Politics, NewsMax.com, New York Post, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.
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Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
House Devolves Into Lawmakers Just Voting To Punish Each Other
House Devolves Into Lawmakers Just Voting To Punish Each Other
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Daily Caller, American Greatness, Blaze Media, Washington Examiner and MS NOW
Marist Poll:
A Look to the 2026 Midterms, November 2025 — Democrats with Double-Digit Lead on 2026 Generic Ballot — The Democrats currently have a 14-point lead against the Republicans among registered voters nationally on the 2026 generic congressional ballot question. This has changed considerably.
Discussion:
The Argument, Axios, Roll Call, The Daily Caller, NPR, New Jersey Online, RedState, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, The Hill and PoliticusUSA
Washington Post:
Noem at odds with Trump-appointed panel over future of FEMA — Instead of further shrinking and dismantling FEMA, the FEMA Review Council wants to make it more independent. — Just now — A panel appointed by President Donald Trump to review whether to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency …
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Gabriela Aoun Angueira / Associated Press:
Trump administration makes major changes to a report it commissioned on FEMA reforms, AP sources say
Trump administration makes major changes to a report it commissioned on FEMA reforms, AP sources say
Discussion:
New York Times
Mother Jones:
This Is All John Roberts' Fault — Imagine: You are at a baseball game, but something is off. When the blue team is at bat, the umpire calls every pitch a strike. But when the red team is up, the umpire won't call a single one. When a red batter hits the ball into a blue player's glove …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Labor Department confirms cancellation of October jobs report … “The household survey data is not able to be retroactively collected,” BLS said in a notice posted to its website. — BLS noted that it would include the October payroll survey data in its November report, which it moved from Dec. 5 to Dec. 16.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Bloomberg, Axios, Washington Times, The Hill, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Voters say White House is doing more harm than good on economy — Unhappy with the economy. Pain with prices. Unsure about Trump administration policies. It adds up to high disapproval among the president's loyal constituencies. — Here are six takeaways from the latest Fox News national survey.
Discussion:
Alternet.org and American Thinker
Washington Post:
Social Security scraps plan to limit disability benefits after uproar — The policy would have fundamentally altered who qualifies for the two federal disability programs by eliminating or limiting a person's age as a factor to consider. — The Social Security Administration has abandoned plans …
Discussion:
GovExec.com
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
Abbott Releases—and Blacks Out—1,400 Pages of Emails With Elon Musk — After Texas news outlets made a public records request to see emails between the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and tech oligarch Elon Musk's companies, state officials took months fighting and delaying their release.
Discussion:
ProPublica, KUT Radio … and Joe.My.God.
Anna Giaritelli / Washington Examiner:
‘Lies, smears and AI deepfakes’: DHS tackles fake news about ICE — The Department of Homeland Security is stepping up efforts to combat fake news stories, viral artificially generated videos, and misinformation online that claim Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are abusing …


