Top Items:
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 20, 2025 — On November 19, 2025, Congress passed H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and although there was none of the usual publicity and fanfare President Donald Trump enjoys around a bill signing, the White House said that Trump signed it the same day, making it a law.
Discussion:
The Hill
RELATED:
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie say they're considering inherent contempt charges against Pam Bondi — Khanna and Massie's remarks came after Sen. Tim Kaine said that Congress has other mechanisms to force the release of additional Epstein files. — Add NBC News to Google
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Guardian, Raw Story and Scripps News
Aamer Madhani / Associated Press:
Top Trump administration official defends partial release of Epstein files as Democrats cry foul
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, IJR, Fortune, ABC News and The Daily Caller
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Deputy AG says removing photos from Epstein files release has ‘nothing to do’ with Trump
Deputy AG says removing photos from Epstein files release has ‘nothing to do’ with Trump
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, HuffPost, USA Today, The Hill, The Independent, Wall Street Journal, Daily Mail and Politico
Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Rep. Jamie Raskin blasts DOJ for redacting so much in Epstein files
Rep. Jamie Raskin blasts DOJ for redacting so much in Epstein files
Discussion:
The Hill, PoliticusUSA, Al Jazeera, Fortune, Associated Press, Eurasia Review, MS NOW, Straight Arrow News, Breitbart, Taipei Times, The Independent and RTÉ
Avery Lotz / Axios:
DOJ defends removing Trump photo from Epstein files
DOJ defends removing Trump photo from Epstein files
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Wire, The Guardian, Newsweek and The Independent
Associated Press:
Epstein files offer scant new insight into his crimes or how he avoided serious prosecution
Epstein files offer scant new insight into his crimes or how he avoided serious prosecution
Discussion:
NBC News, TMZ.com, The Breakdown, The Hill, CBS News, CNBC, Scripps News, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, New York Times and Salon
New York Times:
Epstein Files Photos Disappear From Government Website, Including One of Trump
Epstein Files Photos Disappear From Government Website, Including One of Trump
Discussion:
NOTUS, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, TMZ.com, Mediaite, Washington Post, New York Post, Middle East Monitor, Raw Story, KIFI-TV, Fortune, Variety, The Independent, CBS News and Democracy Docket
Bloomberg:
US Still in Pursuit of Third Oil Tanker in Venezuela Blockade — The US is still in pursuit of a third oil tanker near Venezuela, according to a US official, as President Donald Trump intensifies an oil blockade on Nicolás Maduro's government. — The Bella 1 tanker …
Discussion:
Reuters, Mother Jones, Raw Story, The Independent, Taipei Times and New York Times
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
U.S. intercepting third oil tanker as Venezuela hostilities intensify
Discussion:
Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, Bloomberg, Fox News, HotAir and The Independent
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Trump faces narrowing options on Venezuela action
Trump faces narrowing options on Venezuela action
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
Charlie Kirk's Empire Is Lining Up Behind a JD Vance Presidential Bid — The vice president will speak Sunday at TPUSA's premier event, days after Erika Kirk endorsed him for 2028 run — PHOENIX—Before Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, he was readying for JD Vance to become the next president of the United States.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Associated Press
RELATED:
Mike Allen / Axios:
MAGA media mess deepens at Turning Point convention … People started lining up at 3 a.m. for the climactic program, featuring Vice President JD Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump Jr. — Last year's AmFest drew 21,000 to hear President-elect Trump.
Discussion:
Salon, Associated Press, Washington Post and Newsweek
Kelsey Ables / Washington Post:
White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review — “American people will have no patience” for any museum that is “uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history,” read a letter from Trump aides. — The Trump administration escalated pressure on the Smithsonian this week …
Discussion:
NewsNation, American Greatness and Newsweek
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Lankford: Americans will decide whether to blame GOP for lapsed Obamacare subsidies — Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said he would leave it to the American people to decide whether they blame Republicans for the lapse in their enhanced Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
The year Trump broke the federal government — How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation's sprawling bureaucracy. — Government reporters Hannah Natanson and Meryl Kornfield can be reached securely on Signal at (202) 580-5477 and (301) 821-2013, respectively.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Takes America's ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level — In his first year back in the White House, President Trump has greatly expanded executive power while embracing the trappings of royalty in ways not seen in the modern era. — When President Trump hosted the crown prince …
The Harvard Crimson:
Racial Slurs and Nazi Symbols: Inside the Complaint That Shut Down The Harvard Salient — Screenshots and message logs obtained by The Crimson appear to show Salient leaders casually using racial slurs, defending extremist rhetoric, and dismissing internal concerns — conversations …
Joe Rivano Barros / Mission Local:
Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams — Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email — Love what you read? Love that it was free? — Mission Local will never have a paywall. All our articles are free for everyone, always.
New York Times:
'It's Just Us': The Firefighter, His Son and a Treacherous Choice — For two decades, Luis Martinez has fought wildfires for the U.S. government. Now he's facing down cancer, debt and the threat of separation from his 11-year-old. — Luis Martinez was still trying to figure out how to tell …
Laura Kayali / Politico:
Too Early, Too Alone: France Prepares for Russia as U.S. Withdraws … PARIS — The military recruitment center across from the Eiffel Tower, in the posh 7th district's historic École Militaire, is filled with promotional posters for the armed forces.
Discussion:
Eurasia Review
New York Times:
How the Supreme Court's Mail-In Ballot Ruling Could Affect Voters — Hundreds of thousands of Americans in rural and urban areas alike could see their votes rejected if the court decides that ballots must arrive by Election Day. — The Supreme Court is set to decide this term whether states …
Jonathan Rauch / The UnPopulist:
Let's Not Grant the Postliberal Critique of Market Liberalism — Discontents with liberal modernity are perennial and a spiritual awakening won't cure them — Nineteen-seventy was a banner year for American cultural criticism. Blockbusters like Charles A. Reich's The Greening of America …
CBS News:
Transcript: Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Dec. 21, 2025 — The following is the transcript of the interview with Reps. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Dec. 21, 2025.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Washington Times
John Sakellariadis / Politico:
Acting CISA director failed a polygraph. Career staff are now under investigation. … The incident this July and the subsequent fallout — which has not been reported before — have angered career staff, alarmed fellow Trump administration appointees and raised questions about Gottumukkala's leadership …
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
Trump's base growing impatient on abortion pill action — Anti-abortion voices are growing increasingly impatient for the Trump administration to complete a review of the abortion pill mifepristone, potentially altering its approval. But changing abortion access at the federal level …
