Justice department has 30 days to release all Epstein files after Trump signs bill – US politics live | Donald Trump
Justice department has 30 days to release all Epstein files after Trump signs bill
Rachel Leingang
Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president’s conservative base.
The signature marked a sharp reversal for Trump, who had the authority as president to release the documents himself, but chose not to.
Democrats have gloried in the controversy over the files and the possibility they may contain compromising information about Trump, who had a personal friendship with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump sought to flip that script after signing the bill in a posting to Truth Social that pointed out Epstein’s ties to the Democratic party.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!,” Trump wrote on Wednesday night.
The justice department has 30 days to release all files related to Epstein, including the investigation into his death by suicide in a federal prison cell. The legislation permits redacting identifying information of victims, but specifically bars officials from declining to disclose information over concerns about “embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity”.
Trump waffled on the issue for years before finally succumbing to political pressure. On the campaign trail, he pledged to release the Epstein files. Once in office, he changed his position, calling the issue a “hoax” and railing against those who wanted to make the documents public.
But he reversed course in recent days after it was clear the House of Representatives would pass legislation, saying “we have nothing to hide” and that “it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown’”.
After Trump indicated his approval of the bill, Republican holdouts swiftly moved it through the House and then the Senate. Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, had stalled the bill for months, and after the House passed it, Johnson said he hoped the Senate would amend it, which it did not.
The justice department said earlier this year that it had released all the documents it could about Epstein without hindering investigations or revealing information about his victims.
Key events
Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks
Hugo Lowell
Senior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in recent weeks, and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount.
The discussions, according to people familiar with the matter, comes as Paramount portrays itself as the best bid for Warner Bros Discovery, after it announced last month it was open to offers, because it would have an easier time getting through regulatory review.
Ellison often speaks to connections at the White House but, in at least one of the calls, engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe, including Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, the people said.
The conversation also touched on floating names to replace Burnett and the possibility of running CBS assets like its flagship 60 minutes program on CNN air – proposals that have animated the White House, the people said.
That discussion, described by people on the condition of anonymity because they are sensitive, were characterized as informal since Ellison does not have a formal role at Paramount. Still, he holds a major ownership stake in the company, which is run by his son, David Ellison.
Spokespeople for the White House and CNN declined to comment. The elder Ellison, Oracle and Paramount did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Trump officials reveal plan to roll back regulations in Endangered Species Act
Gabrielle Canon
The Trump administration presented a new plan to roll back regulations in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on Wednesday, a move experts fear will accelerate the extinction crisis if adopted.
The proposed changes would allow the federal government more power to weigh economic impact against habitat designations, remove safeguards against future events – including the impacts from the climate crisis – and rescind the “blanket rule” that automatically grants threatened species the same protections as those designated as endangered.
Under the plan, newly listed animals and plants could face years without protections as details in tailored regulations are ironed out, delays that would only be exacerbated by the deep cuts to staffing at agencies charged with the work. The definition for “critical habitat” would also be narrowed, excluding areas where species don’t currently occupy, even if it was once considered their habitat.
The proposal is one of many attempts Donald Trump has made to dismantle critical wildlife protections in order to boost energy extraction and industrial access, even in the most sensitive and vulnerable wilderness areas across the US.
“This plan hacks apart the Endangered Species Act and creates a blueprint for the extinction for some of America’s most beloved wildlife,” said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity in a statement, adding that the proposals are “a death sentence for wolverines, monarch butterflies, Florida manatees and so many other animals and plants that desperately need our help”.
The four new rules, put forward by the US Department of Interior in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, largely echo moves that the US president made in his first term to limit the landmark 1973 environmental law, which were undone under Biden.
Trump administration officials claimed the proposal will reign in expansions of the ESA that they believe hindered resource development and created heavier burdens for businesses and landowners, bringing the statue closer to its original intent.
Jakub Krupa
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko has met US army secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, saying the pair had a chance “to assess the situation on the ground and to witness first-hand the consequences of Russian aggression”.
“While Russia continues killing innocent civilians, destroying homes, and targeting critical infrastructure, the strategy of pressure on Russia is proving effective. It is crucial to further strengthen energy and financial sanctions against the aggressor state,” she said.
Svyrydenko noted that she also confirmed Ukraine’s commitment to the US-Ukraine reconstruction investment fund, set up with US president Donald Trump.
Not a word on the rumoured US peace proposal, notably.
You can follow more on Europe live here:
Rachel Leingang
It’s one outrage in days full of outrageous material.
“Quiet, piggy,” Donald Trump told a female reporter in a press gaggle, pointing his finger at her angrily.
It wasn’t the first time – not even the hundredth time – the US president has attacked the media. And it’s hard for any storyline to break through the administration’s “flood the zone” strategy, much less one like this. Nothing seems to stick. But the “quiet, piggy” clip has taken off, several days after the admonishment occurred on Air Force One last Friday, and without much help from the media itself.
“I don’t know why the ‘Piggy’ thing is bothering me so much,” wrote Hank Green, a YouTuber and author. “It’s one more unforgivable thing in a list of 20,000 unforgivable things, but I’ve been mad about it for like 12 straight hours.”
Trump is going through a string of losses: Democrats dominating in off-year elections, having to reverse course on the Epstein files, Republicans refusing to get rid of the filibuster to end the shutdown, a faltering economy. There’s a possibility that he’s losing his air of impenetrability, and his grip on the right could maybe, just maybe, be loosening.
The anger he displayed in the clip could be a sign of someone on the back foot, overreacting to a question Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey was asking about why Trump was fighting against releasing the Epstein files “if there’s nothing incriminating in the files”. The files related to the child sexual abuser released so far by Congress show that Epstein communicated regularly, and derogatorily, about women with a host of prominent friends.
Lashing out at a female reporter with a derogatory insult amid a news cycle dominated by politicians splitting hairs over a man who ran a sex-trafficking outfit – it was pretty on the nose.
But the clip also pinged around the internet in the same news cycle as Trump telling another female reporter it was rude to ask Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist whom the CIA determined was killed at the direction of the crown prince.
In August, Donald Trump started a campaign of aggression against Venezuela. The US president first launched airstrikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of the South American country – a move largely condemned as extrajudicial killings – then deployed US naval assets in the Caribbean.
The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, explains why the claims the targeted boats were carrying drugs destined for the US are dubious and what Trump’s actions could mean for the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, in this video explainer:
Justice department has 30 days to release all Epstein files after Trump signs bill
Rachel Leingang
Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president’s conservative base.
The signature marked a sharp reversal for Trump, who had the authority as president to release the documents himself, but chose not to.
Democrats have gloried in the controversy over the files and the possibility they may contain compromising information about Trump, who had a personal friendship with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump sought to flip that script after signing the bill in a posting to Truth Social that pointed out Epstein’s ties to the Democratic party.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!,” Trump wrote on Wednesday night.
The justice department has 30 days to release all files related to Epstein, including the investigation into his death by suicide in a federal prison cell. The legislation permits redacting identifying information of victims, but specifically bars officials from declining to disclose information over concerns about “embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity”.
Trump waffled on the issue for years before finally succumbing to political pressure. On the campaign trail, he pledged to release the Epstein files. Once in office, he changed his position, calling the issue a “hoax” and railing against those who wanted to make the documents public.
But he reversed course in recent days after it was clear the House of Representatives would pass legislation, saying “we have nothing to hide” and that “it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown’”.
After Trump indicated his approval of the bill, Republican holdouts swiftly moved it through the House and then the Senate. Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, had stalled the bill for months, and after the House passed it, Johnson said he hoped the Senate would amend it, which it did not.
The justice department said earlier this year that it had released all the documents it could about Epstein without hindering investigations or revealing information about his victims.
Sara Braun
Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University, will stop teaching at the school while it investigates his connection to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesperson for Summers said on Wednesday.
Emails recently released by the US House oversight committee reignited questions about Summers’ relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors. Many of the messages indicated a friendship that lasted well into 2019. Contact only ceased shortly before Epstein was arrested in July of that same year.
The Harvard Crimson was first to report the news.
Steven Goldberg, the spokesperson for Summers, told the newspaper that Summers, an economist and former US treasury secretary, is not scheduled to teach next semester, and that his co-teachers will take over the remaining classes of the current semester.
Summers will also take immediate leave from his role as the director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, which he has led since 2011.
“Mr Summers has decided it’s in the best interest of the center for him to go on leave from his role as director as Harvard undertakes its review,” Goldberg said.
The announcement comes mere days after Summers announced that he would step back from public commitments in light of the resurfaced messages with Epstein but would continue to teach.
In the emails, Summers appears to ask Epstein for advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman that he describes as a mentee. In one message from 2018, Epstein refers to himself as Summers’ “wingman”.
In his latest post to Truth Social, Donald Trump has criticised Jimmy Kimmel again. Describing the late-night host as a “bum”, Trump called for him to be taken off “the air”.
Late-night hosts, including Kimmel, recently celebrated the congressional votes to release the Epstein files and decried Trump’s warm meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
In his post, Trump wrote:
Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its website on Wednesday to say that claims about vaccines not causing autism are not “evidence-based”, reports Reuters.
Vaccine skeptic and US health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr as well as US president Donald Trump have promoted the theory – contrary to scientific evidence – that childhood vaccines are a cause of autism. But the CDC’s website previously said “studies have shown there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder”.
According to Reuters, as of Wednesday night the agency’s website states:
The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.
It added that health authorities have “ignored” studies supporting the link between the two.
Reuters reports that the agency kept the header “Vaccines do not cause autism” on its webpage, saying that it has not been removed due to an agreement with Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the US Senate’s committee on health, education, labor and pensions.
The anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, which was previously led by Kennedy, applauded the changes to the CDC’s website, reports Reuters. The group said on X:
The CDC is beginning to acknowledge the truth about this condition that affects millions, disavowing the bold, long-running lie that ‘vaccines do not cause autism.
Kennedy has linked vaccines to autism and sought to rewrite the country’s immunization policies. Trump has also linked autism to the taking of pain medication Tylenol by pregnant women, a claim that is also not backed by scientific evidence.
The causes of autism are unclear, but no rigorous studies have found links between autism and vaccines, medications or components like thimerosal or formaldehyde.
Trump and Mamdani to meet in Oval Office on Friday after months of bickering
Donald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week.
The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star.
Saying it was “customary” for an incoming New York City mayor to meet with the president, Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said the incoming mayor planned to discuss with Trump “public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago”.
Trump for months has slammed Mamdani, falsely labelling him a “communist” and predicting the ruin of his home town if the democratic socialist was elected. He also threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a naturalised American citizen in 2018, and to pull federal money from the city.
But following the November elections – in which Republicans lost badly in Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as New York – Trump has spoken more about affordability, which had been a focal point across the Democratic campaigns. Last week in a social media post he declared that the Republicans were the “Party of Affordability!” This comes as the president and his fellow Republicans insist the economy has never been stronger.
Opening summary
Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president’s conservative base.
The signature marked a sharp reversal for Trump, who had the authority as president to release the documents himself, but chose not to.
Democrats have gloried in the controversy over the files and the possibility they may contain compromising information about Trump, who had a personal friendship with Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump sought to flip that script after signing the bill in a posting to Truth Social that pointed out Epstein’s ties to the Democratic party.
“Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!,” Trump wrote on Wednesday night.
The justice department has 30 days to release all files related to Epstein, including the investigation into his death by suicide in a federal prison cell. The legislation permits redacting identifying information of victims, but specifically bars officials from declining to disclose information over concerns about “embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity”.
Meanwhile, Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political opposites who for months have antagonised each other.
The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star.
Calling Mamdani by his full name – and putting the mayor-elect’s middle name of Kwame in quotation marks – Trump posted on Wednesday night that Mamdani had asked for the meeting, promising: “Further details to follow!”
More on these stories in a moment, but first, here are some other key developments:
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Trump’s anti-climate agenda could result in 1.3m more deaths globally, analysis has found. A ProPublica and Guardian analysis that draws on sophisticated modeling by independent researchers found that Trump’s “America First” agenda of expanding fossil fuels and decimating efforts to reduce emissions will add substantially to the human cost, with the vast majority of deaths occurring outside the US.
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Federal prosecutors on Wednesday said they had never presented the final version of the indictment filed against James Comey to a full federal grand jury, a concession that adds to mounting challenges in their effort to prosecute the former FBI director.
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A state department is proposing to suspend 38 universities including Harvard and Yale from a federal research partnership program because they engage in diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, according to an internal memo and spreadsheet obtained by the Guardian. The memo, dated 17 November, recommends excluding institutions from the Diplomacy Lab – a program that pairs university researchers with state department policy offices – if they “openly engage in DEI hiring practices” or set DEI objectives for candidate pools.
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Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University, will stop teaching at the school while it investigates his connection to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesperson for Summers said on Wednesday. Emails recently released by the US House oversight committee reignited questions about Summers’ relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors. Many of the messages indicated a friendship that lasted well into 2019. Contact only ceased shortly before Epstein was arrested in July of that same year.
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Democratic representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign. The indictment states that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, stole $5m in Fema overpayments that their family healthcare company received, moving the money through multiple accounts to hide its origins.
