Good afternoon everyone. I hope you are having a great day. I am losing my voice, so this will be my only update this evening, but it is an important one. Tomorrow morning, I will also be doing a special Christmas morning update focused only on good news.
Tonight I want to address something that matters. The Justice Department wants confusion. It wants people overwhelmed, frustrated, and exhausted. I feel that frustration too. But the goal is simple: to make the public stop paying attention. I refuse to let that happen.
I will not allow this Justice Department to cloud the truth or undermine public trust. The survivors deserve better. The public deserves better. That is why I am committing to covering this every single day until the full truth is released.
To everyone who has subscribed, thank you. Your support makes this work possible. If you are able, please consider subscribing today. I will not back down. I will not cave to pressure from this White House. I will continue to pursue the truth, especially when it comes to the Epstein files, no matter who wants me to stop.
Here’s what you missed:
The Justice Department says releasing all Epstein-related records will take weeks after receiving more than 1 million additional documents from the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, citing the need for extensive legal review and victim-protective redactions under the Epstein Files Transparency Act tied to the case of Jeffrey Epstein and signed into law by Donald Trump.
Republicans and Democrats are coming out slamming the Attorney General following this release from the Justice Department:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticized the DOJ’s Epstein files release as incomplete and overly redacted, saying she is dissatisfied with the department’s failure to meet the Dec. 19 deadline under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and is working with colleagues to urge the DOJ inspector general to review compliance, while also calling on Republicans to challenge the Trump administration if it fails to follow the law in the handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department is also now calling reporters a “dope:”
Donald Trump is telling children he is calling for Christmas that the election was stolen in Pennsylvania:
Bari Weiss urged CBS staff to rebuild public trust in journalism, saying Americans’ skepticism of the press requires more rigor, patience, and fairness—sometimes by pursuing unexpected stories and other times by holding major pieces until they are fully comprehensive and balanced, according to a memo from Bari Weiss addressed to CBS staff.
According to Reuters, the White House ordered U.S. military forces to prioritize enforcing a de facto quarantine of Venezuelan oil, with operations focused for at least two months to intensify economic pressure on Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro, a strategy U.S. officials believe could force concessions by late January, according to Reuters and statements attributed to the White House and the U.S. military.
A Democratic lawmaker sued to block the renaming of a major arts institution, with Rep. Joyce Beatty filing suit against Donald Trump arguing that adding Trump’s name to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts violates federal law requiring congressional approval and undermines its status as a memorial to John F Kennedy.
The Trump administration approved deploying 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans, with Donald Trump authorizing the mission through February to support federal law enforcement during an immigration crackdown, a move praised by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry but criticized by opponents who say it is unnecessary given declining crime rates in the city.
“The Kennedy Center Honors” hit a record-low TV audience, averaging about 2.65 million viewers on CBS on Dec. 23, 2025, according to preliminary data from Nielsen—down sharply from roughly 4.1 million viewers for the The Kennedy Center Honors in 2024.
A federal judge blocked the White House from cutting homeland security funds to states, with U.S. district judge Mary McElroy ruling that the Trump administration unlawfully tied more than $230 million in Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to immigration enforcement compliance, harming counterterrorism and public safety efforts.
Christmas travel disruptions loom as intense rain and flood threats affect California (with flash flooding, mudslides, high winds, and millions under alerts) while a late-week storm is expected to dump heavy snow across New England and parts of the Northeast, even as much of the rest of the U.S. sees calmer or warmer weather.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
