#epstein-files

#epstein-files

The reality that Donald Trump's presidency will end in January 2029 is already making Republicans restless. Normally, Trump angers, exhausts, and eventually prevails over elected Republicans-not vice versa. Just this week, though, rebellious Republicans forced the release of the so-called Epstein files in defiance of Trump, who had spent months trying to suppress them before abruptly reversing course. Plenty of other cracks are showing too: Staunch allies of the president are mouthing critiques that would have been unfathomable a year ago.

PSAKI: I mean, those were some of his staunchest defenders. Some of them were. Doesn't take a political genius to figure out why Trump's allies are suddenly thinking twice about coming to his defense. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll out today finds that voters disapprove of Trump's job performance by a 22-point margin, 22 points.

A document circulating online, an iTunes-style metadata export contained within the House Oversight Committee's publicly released files, includes several TV show titles, among them RuPaul's Drag Race, Pose, and Shadowhunters. These references simply show that the titles appeared in an exported media library; they don't indicate that RuPaul, the show's creators, or any performers had any connection to Jeffrey Epstein or his crimes, no matter how much anti-LGBTQ+ pundits may wish to spin it that way.

* "If you kill this witness, the case will be dismissed," advised attorney. Man, these MPRE hypos are getting super easy. [ Toronto Star] * Trump signs bill to release the Epstein files. Unclear if he drew a woman's curves around it before signing this time. [ Reuters] * Texas governor demands action on Sharia Law, so you know it's a bad news cycle for him. [ KXAN]

Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, the lone member of Congress to vote against release of the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has a long record of anti-LGBTQ+, anti-immigrant, and racist stances. Higgins said he voted against the bill ordering release because innocent people would be injured by revelation of their names and personal information. However, "survivors' personal information and other sensitive material can be withheld or redacted with explanations to Congress," CBS News notes.

The big picture: Johnson's shift underscores Trump's enduring grip on the GOP: Within 48 hours of the president's reversal, the speaker fell in line on a vote he had fought to avoid. Trump on Sunday reversed months of calls to block an Epstein vote, saying Republicans should vote for it. By Monday, he said he'd sign the bill. Dozens of House Republicans had already planned to support the petition, but Trump's blessing made it an easier choice.

Raju asked Johnson in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol if he will support the bill to compel the Trump administration to release the Epstein Files, something he has opposed for months. I haven't tried to kill it. We had lots of opposition to the discharge because it's dangerous in the way it's drafted, Johnson replied. You talked to the President, did you advise him to get behind it? Raju followed up.

Will Forte's MacGruber returned on this week's Saturday Night Live with perhaps his most daunting mission yet: escaping the Epstein Files. The SNL alum reprised his beloved character in a sketch that found MacGruber and his two trusty assistants (played by host Glen Powell and Chloe Fineman) locked inside an FBI black site as a bomb ticked down to zero.

President Donald Trump has publicly called it quits with one of his most stalwart MAGA-world supporters, calling Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene "'Wacky' Marjorie" and saying he would endorse a challenger against her in next year's midterms "if the right person runs." The dismissal of Greene - once the epitome of "Make America Great Again," sporting the signature red cap for President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address and acting as a go-between for Trump and other Capitol Hill Republicans

I do not like the guy at all. The first thing for me was he didn't release the Epstein files. They're even acting like they didn't exist. And, of course, they're sending Israel and Ukraine all of our tax dollars just like the numb-nuts before him did. Putting America last, and now he's blaming the beef farmers for the price of beef. Hey, I'm not biased, man. He talked a good game, he tricked me. I was fooled. I admit it.

Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23, easily trouncing her Republican opponent in her deep-blue district 69% to 29%. She will succeed her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who died on March 13, in representing Arizona's 7th district when she is eventually sworn in. House Republicans are dragging their feet on letting Grijalva officially join their ranks and have been using the government shutdown as an excuse.

Look at what happened, Grijalva said at the start of her video, which she posted to X on Thursday. We got access to the office. Check out this super cool printer. I can't print to it, though, because I don't have a government email. She continued, So, in the office, we have several desktops. But they have an administrator passcode and I don't have that. Check out this cool stack of laptops. Guess what? I can't unlock them.