News From Around the Web
#1 US House and Senate Vote Overwhelmingly to Make Justice Department Release Epstein Files - Caitlin Wilson with Ana Faguy for BBC News, Thomas Massie for Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kelly McCarty (formerly NONBidenary), Thomas Massie, and Josh Hawley on X
After a months-long saga, lawmakers in the US House of Representatives and Senate - with only one "no" vote - on Tuesday approved a bill to compel the Trump justice department to release a trove of files from investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019, The vote came after House representatives bypassed usual procedures to force the vote and after President Donald Trump signalled that he had changed his long-held position that releasing any information related to Epstein was giving into a "hoax" perpetrated by Democrats... House Speaker Mike Johnson’s sudden decision to support a House vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files didn’t go unnoticed by at least one of his colleagues. And, yes, things got brutal. On Tuesday, the Louisiana Republican announced he would vote to release Department of Justice files related to the late sex offender. Considering the decision came two days after he accused the Democrats of only using the scandal to bring down President Donald Trump, some people wondered the reason behind Johnson’s change of heart. The speaker previously shut down the House early and held off on swearing in a new member during the government shutdown as part of his effort to delay a vote... Donald Trump, who has a history of making extremely personal attacks on female journalists, referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy” during a clash on board Air Force One on Friday. While the remark did not initially get much attention, it picked up some traction on Tuesday and has drawn backlash from fellow journalists, including some who have previously been attacked by Trump themselves. Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, had taken advantage of a press opportunity with the president – known as a gaggle – to ask a question about the unfolding Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the possibility of the House voting to release all of the files related to his case, which now appears likely... Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized on Monday a recent court ruling that placed a stay on federal guidelines that would have put more restrictions on noncitizens obtaining commercial driver’s licenses. “We’re working on the legal strategy right now, but we’re not going to take this lying down,” Duffy said during an interview on The Ingraham Angle after a Washington, D.C., court temporarily blocked the expanded regulations last week. “We are going to do all we can to protect the American people,” he said. If noncitizens fulfill state eligibility requirements or qualify for certain visa programs, they can use work permits and other pathways to obtain CDLs in the United States to drive semitrucks, buses, and other large vehicles... Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Jamal Khashoggi's killing “painful” for his country, after pledging nearly $1 trillion in investments in the U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House, calling him “a great ally” and defending him against questions about American intelligence reports that found he ordered the killing of a Washington Post columnist. It was the ruler’s first visit to the U.S. since the Biden administration found in 2021 that the Saudi leader had ordered the 2018 assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi while he was inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul... In the cafeteria of a typical American public school, the lunch line tells a story—one that is shifting to change for the better. Trays once piled with chicken nuggets, chocolate milk, and fruit roll-ups are giving way to fresh salads, grilled chicken, and whole fruits. These ultra-processed foods, also known as UPFs, are engineered with additives, sugars, and salts to enhance shelf life and craveability, and have long dominated school lunch menus. But thanks to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a national movement is underway to replace them with whole, healthy foods, and school lunches are at the forefront of this transformation. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is asking supporters to raise $4 million to help fund his transition to City Hall. He announced Sunday morning that the transition had raised more than $1 million in two weeks, with 12,707 people donating an average of $77.65. In a video posted Tuesday morning, Mamdani said the transition is not relying on "wealthy donors," like previous administrations. He said he is asking for $4 million to vet resumes, pay the transition team, plan the inauguration, and his agenda "so January 1st can be the day we start to deliver, not start to prepare." "I hope very soon not to have to ask you for money, but until then, I'm asking," he said... Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) yelled and wagged her finger at her Republican colleagues on the House floor Tuesday night after the chamber rejected a resolution to censure a Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) with the help of a handful of Republicans, which, in turn, led to Democrats declining to pursue a censure of Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) The resolution to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Intelligence Committee over recently-released documents that show she consulted with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 hearing failed in a 209-214-3 vote... An incredible new glass cabin will let mountaineers shelter from high-altitude perils with the same chic taste as a Milano office high-rise. Designers have created the cabin ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where it will be showcased in the city before being airlifted to its permanent location in the Alps. Called a bivouac in English, a rifugio in Italian, and a ‘bothi’ in Scots Gaelic, this concept piece was the brainchild of renowned Italian design firm CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, in collaboration with Salone del Mobile.Milano. Designed to harmonize with the Alpine landscape, its creation began with a 3D scan of the region's rock formations...
#2 Chief Judge Corners Trump Lawyer on Failure of Hillary Clinton Rico Lawsuit - Matt Naham for Law & Crime, Bill Thatcher, CICNEWS4YOU, Mary Reed/Rick Hacker: Ghost Writer, Jessica Wood, The Storm Is Queue'd
President Donald Trump's private legal team returned to court on Tuesday with the hope of convincing the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to revive a thoroughly dismantled civil RICO lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and a collection of Democrats and entities he blamed for conspiring to bankroll "an unthinkable plot" to tar the 2016 Trump campaign, cloud his first term through "a sinister link" to Russia, and harm his business interests. In March 2022, while special counsel John Durham's criminal investigation of the Russia investigation was ongoing, Trump filed the RICO suit against Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, "Steele Dossier" compiler Christopher Steele's company Orbis Business Intelligence, Fusion GPS, and many other high-profile defendants who were later removed from the case...
#3 Rep. Eric Swalwell Mocks House Speaker With Blunt Trump Reference - David Moye for Huff Post, HuffPost Women, A, Buckeye Mike, WickedOldOne, and Saint James Heartline on X
#4 Trump Faces Criticism for Referring to Female Bloomberg Reporter as ‘Piggy’ - Jeremy Barr for The Guardian, Professor Nitasha Kaul, PhD, BLE, Daily News, Legio Mortis/Libs of TikTok, and LegalJackI/Spencer Hakimian on X
#5 Duffy Vows to Challenge Court Ruling Blocking New Regulations on Noncitizens Obtaining Commercial Driver’s Licenses - Emily Hallas for Washington Examiner, John Basham, Cari Kelemen, B.Motter, and Hawk on X
#6 Trump Defends Saudi Crown Prince, Who US Intelligence Found Ordered Killing of Washington Post Columnist - Irie Sentner and Eli Stokols for Politico, judy gitlin, PublicGov, Schrödinger's Disgruntled Cat, ChannelOne TV, and PatriotPowerLine on X
#7 Apple’s Quiet Path to Identity Control - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, StånoK, blackMutu, W/Mel/Ben Satterthwaite, and Nicholas on X
Apple’s new Digital ID feature has arrived. And in true Apple fashion, it is dressed in the language of ease and convenience. Scan your passport into your iPhone or Apple Watch. Move through TSA with a quick tap. In other words, no wallet, no cards, and no friction. If you listen to Apple, it is a much-needed quiet upgrade to today’s modern life. But, beneath the surface, the pattern is all too familiar and increasingly global. Much of the world is already living inside digital identification enslavement systems that began in the same way, professing to be voluntary, limited, and wrapped neatly in claims of convenience...
#8 MAHA’s War on Ultra-Processed Snacks is Reshaping School Lunches for a Healthier Future - Brooklyn Robinson for UncoverDC, XActivist-Jerry/Benny Johnson, Occupy Sonoma County, Brian/Calley Means (community note), and Jack Posobiec/Chandie on X
#9 Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Asks Supporters to Raise $4M to Fund His Transition to City Hall - Eyewitness News ABC 7, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Eric Daugherty, Stephen L. Miller, One Bad Dude, and American AF on X
#10 Boebert Yells at Republicans on House Floor After Censure of Democrat Fails - Emily Brooks for The Hill, Eric Daugherty, American USMC Veteran, Benny Johnson, Craig Meagher, and Mj Blackburn on X
And Now for Something Special
Incredible Glass Cabin Will Let Mountaineers Shelter from High-Altitude Peril in the Alps–LOOK - Good News Network
