We’ve got major developments this afternoon. As we await Donald Trump’s expected signature on the Epstein files bill—possibly as soon as tonight—another political earthquake is beginning to shake Washington. Eugene Vindman, a sitting member of Congress and former staffer in Donald Trump’s own White House, is now publicly demanding that Trump release a phone call between himself and the Saudi crown prince—one he describes as a bombshell, “shocking,” and even worse than the Zelensky call that led to Trump’s impeachment.
And to everyone who’s messaged me today saying I look exhausted—I want you to know that I feel great. Why? Because we’re reaching millions, we’re fighting every day for truth and accountability, and we’re doing it with zero corporate masters telling us what we’re allowed to say. This work is real, it’s independent, and it’s powered entirely by you.
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Here’s what you missed:
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Justice Department will make public its Jeffrey Epstein investigation files within 30 days following an overwhelming congressional mandate, saying the department will aim for maximum transparency but may withhold material tied to ongoing Trump-directed investigations of Democratic figures and will redact victim identities, a move that could reveal new details about Epstein’s activities and his connections to Trump and other powerful individuals.
House Republicans subpoenaed Jeffrey Epstein’s financial records from JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of an expanded probe into sex-trafficking enforcement and the federal handling of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, moving ahead even as Congress passes a bill forcing the DOJ to release its Epstein files.
A former Trump national security official, now Rep. Eugene Vindman, says he reviewed a phone call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he describes as “shocking,” urging the White House to release it after Trump publicly defended the prince over Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, raising new concerns about possible cover-up, foreign influence, and Trump family financial ties to Saudi Arabia.
He followed up today about this call:
Former U.N. investigator Agnès Callamard said she was shocked and angry at President Trump for dismissing U.S. intelligence linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, insisting there is no doubt the crown prince ordered the killing and warning that Trump’s remarks legitimize an authoritarian leader with a long record of human rights abuses.
Prosecutors revealed in court that the indictment against James Comey was never presented to or voted on by the full grand jury and the defense argued this flaw should bar the case while a prosecutor also said he was ordered not to disclose whether career DOJ lawyers had recommended against bringing charges.
Judge James Boasberg will swiftly resume a long-delayed criminal contempt inquiry into Trump administration officials who continued deportation flights to a dangerous El Salvador prison in defiance of his court order, seeking to identify who directed the violations — potentially through sworn declarations or testimony — after an appeals court cleared the way; the probe may involve officials tied to a whistleblower claim that DOJ leadership intended to ignore court orders, and comes amid political backlash from Trump and Republican senators over Boasberg’s broader judicial actions.
A GOP effort to censure Democratic delegate Stacey Plaskett over her real-time text messages with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing failed 209–214, triggering chaos on the House floor as Republicans accused leadership of striking secret deals after Democrats immediately pulled their own planned censure of GOP Rep. Cory Mills, prompting public clashes among Republicans including Lauren Boebert confronting colleagues and accusations of bipartisan efforts to shield members facing ethics scandals.
A Trump-appointed task force reviewing FEMA has recommended keeping the agency intact despite Trump’s earlier claim it should “go away,” though it remains uncertain whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will accept the recommendation.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff accidentally posted a message publicly on X that appeared to reveal the identity of an anonymous source for an Axios scoop about U.S.–Russia–Ukraine peace talks, fueling concerns about his judgment as he leads sensitive negotiations.
A Department of Homeland Security auditor named Alexander Steven Back was arrested in a Minnesota sting operation that targeted men seeking sex from someone they believed to be a 17-year-old girl and was placed on administrative leave after telling officers “I’m ICE” during his arrest while authorities say he and 15 others were caught after communicating with a police decoy.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said it will skip releasing a standalone October jobs report because the record federal shutdown prevented normal data collection, with October’s figures—expected to show job losses driven by roughly 100,000 federal workers exiting through a deferred-resignation program—now set to be folded into the November report in mid-December.
Reuters reports that the US has privately told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine is expected to accept a US-drafted peace framework requiring Kyiv to surrender territory, reduce its military, and make other concessions to end the war with Russia, with Washington pressing Ukraine to agree to the plan’s core terms.
A veteran FBI intelligence specialist, David Maltinsky, sued the bureau claiming he was unlawfully fired for displaying a Pride flag with supervisor approval, alleging political retaliation under Director Kash Patel and seeking reinstatement.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for over 6,100 Syrians, ruling the termination was likely illegal and could proceed only after the legal challenge concludes.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly urged GOP megadonor Ken Griffin to fund a challenger to Rep. Byron Donalds in the 2026 governor’s race, including pitching Griffin at a private Miami dinner and later at a New York fundraiser, but Griffin has declined to back anyone, leaving DeSantis pushing alternatives like Lt. Gov. Jay Collins while Donalds remains well-funded and Trump-endorsed.
NASA released long-delayed images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS showing it as a bright point with a faint tail as it moves through the inner solar system and researchers expect more observations ahead of its safe Dec. 19 flyby about 170 million miles from Earth.
President Trump nominated Stuart Levenbach to lead the CFPB in a move that lets acting director Russell Vought remain in place past his legal time limit and continue efforts to dismantle the agency, prompting Sen. Elizabeth Warren to call the nomination a front to let Vought stay on while trying to shut the bureau down.
Former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding, now accused of running a major violent drug-trafficking empire, was charged in the killing of a federal witness after allegedly putting a bounty on the witness’ head to derail his case, prompting the U.S. to raise its reward for his capture to $15 million while officials warn he is being protected in Mexico and compare him to cartel kingpins like Escobar and El Chapo.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
