Former special counsel Jack Smith requested to testify in “an open and public hearing” in a Thursday letter from his attorneys to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), Axios reports.
Democrats Weigh Lawsuit After Epstein Deadline Missed
“The lead Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees said they are ‘exploring all legal options’ after a top Justice Department official signaled the agency won’t produce all its documents on Jeffrey Epstein by the statutory Friday deadline,” Axios reports.
A Somber Mood at Science Meeting After Trump Cuts
“American science is wobbling right now,” the New York Times reports.
“After cuts to federal funding and the firing or early retirement of thousands of government scientists this year, another blow to scientific research landed this week. The Trump administration on Tuesday night announced a plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., one of the world’s premier climate and weather science institutions.”
“News of the planned closure rippled through the annual gathering of the American Geophysical Union, an organization of Earth and space scientists, being held this week in New Orleans.”
Trump’s Pardons Wipe Out Payments to Defrauded Victims
Washington Post: “At least 20 people who have received clemency from Trump so far this year — cutting their sentence short, restoring their civil rights after imprisonment or allowing them to avoid prison altogether — were also forgiven of financial penalties totaling tens of millions of dollars. Some of these offenders owed money to real-life victims of fraud.”
Alarm Bells Ring, Are You Listening Republicans?
Karl Rove warned in the Wall Street Journal that President Trump is headed for a midterm disaster that will haunt him for the remainder of his presidency.
Writes Rove: “The presidents’ grotesqueries have to stop. His team has 10½ months before voters decide the shape of his final two years as president. Every day matters.”
He added: “It doesn’t look good for the GOP next year. The White House is on the wrong track. It had better get its messaging right — both its formal attempts at directing the conversation and Mr. Trump’s spontaneous social-media rants. Or else the president won’t like the outcome. A furious party in revolt against its executive, who is plagued by Democratic investigations and opposition. Time’s a-wasting.”
Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2025
Barack Obama released a list of his favorite books of the year:
- Paper Girl by Beth Macy
- Flashlight by Susan Choi
- We the People by Jill Lepore
- The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
- There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone
- North Sun by Ethan Rutherford
- 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
- The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
- Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith
- What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
- The Look by Michelle Obama
There’s no word yet on Donald Trump’s favorite books of 2025.
Justice Department Won’t Make Deadline on Epstein Files
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department of Justice will not be releasing all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Friday’s deadline, Politico reports.
Said Blanche: “I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more. There’s a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim.”
Trump Changes the Signs on the Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center began updating signage on the exterior of the building Friday morning, a day after its board voted to rename the institution “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” the Washington Post reports.
Europe to Lend $105 Billion to Ukraine
“European leaders agreed early on Friday morning to keep Ukraine funded for two years with a loan of 90 billion euros, or about $105 billion, though they failed to agree on their first-choice option of using Russian state assets frozen on the continent as backing for the loan,” the New York Times reports.
“That ambitious frozen-asset plan was killed at the 11th hour as European heads of state and government met in Brussels — a show of division that risked making the European Union appear indecisive at a key moment.”
Trump Is Running Out of Time to Remake the Economy
“When pressed on affordability, President Donald Trump pointed to his economic agenda: reshoring manufacturing, building AI data centers and a return to energy dominance,” NOTUS reports.
“His stated goal is to reorient the way the U.S. makes money, so it can be competitive in the future. But it may be months, if not years, before Americans feel the full impact of these efforts.”
“The long-term approach is clashing with an electoral imperative: Americans are frustrated with high prices, and in less than a year, they’ll have a chance to register that dissatisfaction at the ballot box.”
Quote of the Day
“I don’t think it’s going to put it to bed. Because there are people out there who are determined to use this as a way to get Trump. Remember, I said, this is the new Russia collusion hoax. They are going to use this messaging in the 2026 midterms and possibly into the 2028 presidential election.”
— Laura Loomer, quoted by Politico, on today’s release of the Epstein files.
Indiana Showed Why Political Courage Is Rare
The Economist: “One could argue that Republican state senators in Indiana were just being smart politicians earlier this month when they rejected a bill to redraw their state’s congressional districts to benefit their party. Polls showed more of their constituents opposed the measure than supported it.”
“Yet these state senators set a heartening example of courage in public life for a country in need of one. That they had the people and common sense on their side does not diminish their demonstration of character; instead, it supplies a gauge of just how debased American politics have otherwise become.”
Trump Doubles-Down on U.S. Culture
Wall Street Journal: “Trump has moved aggressively this year to try to put his imprint on U.S. culture. He has already hosted an international soccer event at the Kennedy Center this year. He is planning expansive celebrations in 2026 for the U.S.’s 250th birthday, and his aides are looking at the possibility of creating a $1 coin, featuring Trump. He has also attended sporting events and organized a major parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s birthday several months ago in Washington.”
“Trump’s poll numbers are lagging, but few political figures understand U.S. culture and the zeitgeist as well as the president does. He saw the political power of the podcast revolution before many others. The attempted renaming of the Kennedy Center might be just one part of a much bigger strategy that the country has yet to fully see.”
Democrats Are Mistaking Momentum for a Mandate
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Jon Ossoff Finds Firmer Footing
“This time last year, Sen. Jon Ossoff was considered to be the Democratic Party’s likeliest casualty on the 2026 Senate map,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Now, Georgia Democrats increasingly are confident of the first-term lawmaker’s midterm chances, and Republicans are the ones sounding pessimistic.”
Lies, Damned Lies and Trump Speeches
Paul Krugman: “To paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, Trump’s speech was nasty, brutish, but, mercifully, short. Apparently it was short because the networks told him that they would only give him 15 minutes (although they didn’t cut away when he went over). It was a blizzard of lies. I can’t find a single factual assertion Trump made that was true.”
Charlie Kirk’s Widow Endorses JD Vance for 2028
“Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, said Thursday the group her husband founded would work to elect JD Vance president in 2028 as infighting over the future of the GOP took center stage,” the Washington Post reports.
Democrats Under Fire for Hiding Autopsy Report on 2024
“Democratic officials and strategists blasted the Democratic National Committee on Thursday for withholding its autopsy of the party’s loss in the 2024 presidential election, despite repeatedly pledging to release it,” Axios reports.
“Several Democrats — including many advising possible 2028 presidential candidates — said burying the report unfairly helps former Vice President Harris if she runs again, and shields top party consultants by hiding potentially damaging information about their efforts.”
Dan Pfeiffer: The party’s refusal to release its own autopsy of the last election is an alarming sign.
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