Top Items:
Politico:
Trump administration turns Epstein files into WikiLeaks 2.0 … The daily drip is a remarkable result for President Donald Trump, who has urged his allies to move past the Epstein files — prompting jeers from Democrats who say he's trying to conceal details about his own longtime relationship with Epstein.
Discussion:
emptywheel, New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Beast and Bloomberg
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New York Times:
Epstein Victims Upset About Lack of Transparency in Newly Released Files — Several victims said they were frustrated by the heavy redactions of photos and documents that the Justice Department released on Friday. — Disappointed. Frustrated. Suspicious.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Guardian, Eurasia Review, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Hill, Newsweek, Deseret News and Raw Story
Erica Orden / Politico:
What's missing from the Epstein files release … Want to read emails from federal prosecutors deciding who to charge — and, equally importantly, who not to charge — during their 2019 investigation? You're out of luck. … Nothing from her to see here.
Mike Baker / New York Times:
Epstein Files Include 1996 Child Porn Complaint That F.B.I. Ignored — Newly released files show how Maria Farmer, who worked for Mr. Epstein in the 1990s, had urged the F.B.I. to investigate him. The case went nowhere for years. — A woman who once worked for Jeffrey Epstein filed …
Discussion:
The Independent, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair and Michigan News Source
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
Discussion:
CBS News, The Good in Us, TMZ.com, The Guardian, Axios, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Intellectualist, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Politico, Townhall, Wired, Washington Post, ABC News, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, Raw Story, NewsNation, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, The Daily Wire, NBC News, UPI, The Floridian, Washington Times, RedState, Vox, NPR, New Jersey Online, CNBC, WTTG-TV, New York Daily News, Democracy Docket, HuffPost and The Hill
Sam Levine / The Guardian:
Trickle release of Epstein files on a Friday signals move to bury Trump ties
Trickle release of Epstein files on a Friday signals move to bury Trump ties
Andrew Prokop / Vox:
The Epstein files release did nothing to clear up the scandal's biggest question
The Epstein files release did nothing to clear up the scandal's biggest question
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Times, Newsweek, PBS NewsHour, RTÉ, Mediaite, The Guardian, Wired, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, Washington Examiner, NewsNation, The Independent, Business Insider, The Hill and Politico
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
Epstein survivor lauds even partial release of files: ‘I feel redeemed’
Epstein survivor lauds even partial release of files: ‘I feel redeemed’
Discussion:
Marsh Law Firm, NewsMax.com and TMZ.com
New York Times:
What Is the Origin of the Epstein Case?
What Is the Origin of the Epstein Case?
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, The Guardian, The Parnas Perspective, Fortune, France 24, Vanity Fair, Metro.co.uk, RTÉ, NBC News, The Hill, Mediaite, Mock Paper Scissors, NewsNation, The Independent, Twin Cities, TMZ.com, Futurism, CBS News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, Townhall, MPR News, MS NOW, The Daily Wire, PoliticusUSA, The National Pulse, WUSA, New Jersey Online, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Business Insider, Associated Press, Politico and Axios
Brittany Chain / Daily Mail:
Bill Clinton breaks silence on damning Epstein file photos with blistering accusation about Trump: Live updates
Bill Clinton breaks silence on damning Epstein file photos with blistering accusation about Trump: Live updates
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Candace Owens Is the Conservative Movement's Frankenstein Monster — This week, Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, traveled to Nashville to meet with Candace Owens, a podcaster who has become the premier purveyor of conspiracy theories about her husband's murder.
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Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
MAGA infighting over Israel and 2028 heats up at the Turning Point USA conference — Influencers turned on each other, with Ben Shapiro blasting “charlatans,” Steve Bannon calling Shapiro a “cancer” and Megyn Kelly declaring she was no longer friends with Shapiro.
Discussion:
The Times of Israel, Raw Story, MS NOW, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, RedState, Townhall, New York Sun, NewsNation, New Republic, The Independent, Jewish Insider, LGBTQ Nation, Politico and Fox News
Wall Street Journal:
Witkoff's Other Backer in His Unlikely Diplomatic Ascent: Putin — The Kremlin release of an American prisoner and a Saudi backchannel bolstered the rise of Trump's longtime friend. … Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real-estate developer and longtime golfing partner of Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Deutsche Welle, NewsMax.com and Reuters
Haley Miller / NOLA.com:
LSU nursing grad, detained by ICE for 6 months, may self-deport: ‘I feel hopeless all the time’ — Vilma Palacios had just graduated from the LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing and accepted a job with Touro Infirmary when she was arrested by ICE agents and sent to the processing center in Basile …
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Trump talks about neuroses, selecting chairs and his wife's underwear drawer in latest affordability speech — President Donald Trump came to North Carolina on Friday to talk about the economy. — He ended up explaining how his wife organizes her lingerie drawer.
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA, Newsweek, Raw Story, Modern Diplomacy, Wall Street Journal and NewsMax.com
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Jack Revell / The Daily Beast:
Trump, 79, Complains the FBI Made a Mess of Melania's ‘Panties’
Trump, 79, Complains the FBI Made a Mess of Melania's ‘Panties’
Discussion:
The Independent
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Democrats Just Won Seats in Mississippi. The Supreme Court Could Block a Repeat. … The beleaguered Voting Rights Act is on the ropes again — and it may soon suffer a crippling strike. — The Supreme Court seems on the verge of making it much harder to use the landmark civil rights measure …
Discussion:
Associated Press
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Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Congress leaves town until 2026 with no health care deal, forcing premium hikes — Four Republicans teamed up with Democrats to require a vote to revive ACA funds in early 2026. But Senate Republicans tell NBC News that bill is dead on arrival across the Capitol.
Discussion:
The Daily Signal
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NBC News:
Netanyahu plans to brief Trump on possible new Iran strikes — Israeli officials believe Iran is expanding its ballistic missile program. They are preparing to make the case during an upcoming meeting with Trump that it poses a new threat. — WASHINGTON — Israeli officials …
Discussion:
The Times of Israel, Reuters, The Independent, NewsMax.com and New York Post
Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark's — The shift would mean fewer shots recommended for children. But a Danish health official found the idea baffling, saying the United States was getting “crazier and crazier in public health.”
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com and Bangor Daily News
RELATED:
New York Times:
How Democrats Used One Word to Turn the Tide Against Trump — Both parties are now preparing for “affordability” to play a major role in the midterm elections next year. How did it emerge so quickly? — On President Trump's first day back in office, Representative Mikie Sherrill …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, RealClearPolitics, Bloomberg and Townhall
Pooja Salhotra / New York Times:
Ramaswamy Challenges Conservatives on Surging Bigotry on the Right — The leading Republican candidate for Ohio governor is calling out his party for rising intolerance, including against Indian American immigrants and their children, like him. — Vivek Ramaswamy, the front-running Republican candidate …
Adam Bernstein / Washington Post:
Lou Cannon, Post reporter and preeminent Reagan biographer, dies at 92 — His books on Reagan “have never been transcended,” said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. — Just now … Lou Cannon, a Washington Post reporter who became the preeminent biographer of Ronald Reagan …
Discussion:
New York Times
ABC7:
Bulgarian Chicago business owner dies in ICE custody, sparking calls for ‘immediate investigation’ — Nenko Gantchev, 56, lived in Chicago for 30 years, died Monday at North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan: Officials — CHICAGO (WLS) — A Bulgarian man from Chicago arrested during …
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 19, 2025 — This past week feels like the final, chaotic days of a political era. — Last weekend was marred by horrific incidents of violence that drew attention even in a nation sadly accustomed to violence: a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
Adam Downer / The Daily Beast:
White House Made Bizarre Demands for Trump's Bogus Peace Prize — THE BIGGER THE BETTER — A report has outlined how the White House dictated FIFA's Peace Prize ceremony to Donald Trump. — President Donald Trump's aides demanded that FIFA's made-up “peace prize” awarded to him be literally as big as the World Cup.
Marc Caputo / Axios:
U.S. boards un-sanctioned tanker with Venezuelan oil to tighten blockade — The U.S. military early Saturday boarded a tanker that is not under U.S. sanctions as it shipped Venezuelan oil in hopes of escaping a blockade imposed by President Trump, according to two sources familiar with the action.
Discussion:
Reuters, The Independent and Bloomberg
Wall Street Journal:
The Fight Over the Next Fed Chair Is Spilling Out Across D.C. and Wall Street — Industry titans, Trump allies weigh in during the final days of a sharp-elbowed campaign to succeed Jerome Powell — President Trump told aides and allies in early December that he wasn't sold …
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and Washington Examiner
NBC Los Angeles:
Man accused of towing ICE SUV during LA immigration operation found not guilty … A Los Angeles tow truck driver accused of towing a federal SUV during an immigration enforcement operation was found not guilty by a federal jury Friday. — Bobby Nuñez, 33, was arrested and charged …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times and ABC7
