Second big batch of Epstein files includes many mentions of Trump  —  The Justice Department had been heavily criticized on Capitol Hill for including few Trump-related documents in its first release of files.  —  Three days after releasing a large tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents …

WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment  —  I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.  —  The segment apparently aired on Canada's Global TV app and was shared by this Bluesky user @jasonparis.bsky.social.  You can watch the entire segment below!  Please share widely!

U.S. Economy Posts Robust Growth in the Third Quarter  —  A long-delayed government report shows GDP grew at an annual 4.3% rate  —  The U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly robust pace in the third quarter, according to a shutdown-delayed government report.

Ohio lawmaker sues Trump and others over Kennedy Center name change … “In scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American Republic,” Beatty wrote in the complaint, “the sitting president and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump.

Trump announces plan for new class of more powerful US battleships  —  President Donald Trump announced on Monday plans to build a new “Trump-class” of battleships — larger, faster and “100 times more powerful” than any before — aimed at cementing U.S. naval dominance, starting with two vessels as part of an expanded “Golden Fleet.”

Poll: Major allies see US as unreliable and destabilizing … Unreliable.  Creating more problems than solving them.  A negative force on the world stage.  This is how large shares of America's closest allies view the U.S., according to new polling, as President Donald Trump pursues a sweeping foreign policy overhaul.

Brown University outlines enhanced safety measures, after-action review and security assessment  —  Following the senseless Dec. 13 shooting on campus, the University will conduct an external After-Action Review of the incident and a comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment of the Brown campus.

Breaking: Cully Stimson and Hans von Spakovsky Resign From Heritage  —  Last night, Kevin Roberts told the Heritage staff that two people would be directing the Meese Center.  National Review reported: … I just spoke with Cully, who told me that both he and Hans resigned from the Heritage Foundation.

US strikes another alleged drug-smuggling boat in eastern Pacific  —  The U.S. military said Monday that it had conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person.  In a social media post, U.S. Southern Command said …

Trump Administration Orders Nearly 30 U.S. Ambassadors to Leave Their Posts  —  A union representing career diplomats said such a mass recall had never happened in the history of the U.S. Foreign Service.  —  The Trump administration has ordered nearly 30 ambassadors in embassies around …

Germany's far-right AfD accused of gathering information for the Kremlin  —  BERLIN — Far-right German politician Ringo Mühlmann has taken a noteworthy interest in exposing information his political opponents say could be of great interest to Russian intelligence.

‘Incredibly reckless’: Trump's wind halt stuns even some allies … And Trump's newest move jeopardizes major new power sources that were already on their way to completion.  —  “It is coming at a time when the main topic is affordability, affordability.  This is running contrary to that in my opinion …

These 3 Republican senators are giving John Thune headaches … Thune ultimately wore the three Republicans down with some outside assistance from President Donald Trump, cutting deals to win their consent to advance the proposed trillion-dollar “minibus” funding package.

‘This is shattering’: Europe reels from Trump's new world order … But in many ways, Europe has survived the roller coaster — for now.  —  “The Europeans cannot afford to cut ties and to hand in the divorce papers because they are still too dependent, especially when it comes to security …