Good morning everyone. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Pressure on the Department of Justice is building quickly as the DOJ still has more than one million Epstein files to review, redact, and release in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The department is scrambling to process the documents while Donald Trump publicly wished Epstein’s associates a Merry Christmas, prompting one survivor to respond by saying, “Every accusation is a confession.”
Even in the middle of the holiday season, this is not a story the Justice Department or the White House wants the public focused on as we head into the new year. I refuse to let it fade away. Many of you have reached out with concerns about my safety because of this reporting. I understand the risks, and I am good, so please don’t worry.
The Justice Department sparked fresh controversy during the Christmas holiday by aggressively sparring with reporters on social media over its botched release of the Epstein files—denying the authenticity of a damaging letter while publicly insulting journalists, facing accusations from lawmakers of illegal redactions and missed deadlines under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and deepening criticism that the Trump administration is mishandling the disclosures with unprofessional conduct and possible legal violations.
The U.S. Department of Justice scrambled during the Christmas holidays to recruit volunteer prosecutors to redact the massive Jeffrey Epstein files after missing a congressionally mandated deadline, underscoring internal strain, confusing redaction rules, and mounting backlash over delayed, heavily censored disclosures signed into law by Donald Trump.
An Epstein survivor, Marijke Chartouni, responds to Donald Trump wishing a merry Christmas to those who once supported Epstein.
Politico has confirmed that ICE has dramatically expanded its surveillance capabilities—spending hundreds of millions on facial recognition, social media monitoring, license plate readers, phone-location tracking, and bulk “skip-tracing” data—while the Trump administration has weakened privacy guardrails and oversight through executive orders and policy rollbacks, prompting warnings from civil liberties groups and some lawmakers that immigration enforcement is evolving into large-scale domestic surveillance that could also target U.S. citizens, critics, and protesters with limited accountability.
Nigeria’s government confirmed it shared intelligence and gave approval for U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar saying he coordinated directly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the operation, which President Donald Trump framed as a decisive response to ISIS attacks—particularly against Christians—carried out with Nigeria’s consent and cooperation.
This is a video of the strike:
The Trump administration marked Christmas with overtly Christian messages from official government accounts—prompting criticism that such religious language blurs church–state separation—while supporters praised the emphasis as affirming Christianity’s role in public life.
Donald Trump’s plan to build a massive, privately funded White House ballroom will face its first public scrutiny at a January 8, 2026, National Capital Planning Commission meeting, marking the initial review step after the controversial demolition of the East Wing and amid lawsuits, preservation concerns, and ethics warnings that wealthy donors to the $200–$400 million project could gain undue influence or access. I plan to attend if they let the public in.
Donald Trump touted a major downsizing of the federal government, celebrating White House figures showing roughly 271,000 federal jobs cut since he returned to office in January, framing the workforce reduction as a significant win for his second presidency and broader push to shrink the federal bureaucracy.
According to the Texas Tribune, intensified Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests across South Texas have severely disrupted the Rio Grande Valley construction industry—scaring workers off job sites, slowing projects, and contributing to labor shortages and rising housing costs—prompting builders to warn that continued enforcement under the Donald Trump administration could trigger business failures and broader economic fallout.
According to NBC, China imposed sanctions on 20 U.S. defense companies and 10 executives—freezing assets, banning business dealings, and blocking entry into China—in retaliation for a proposed U.S. arms-sale package worth more than $10 billion to Taiwan, escalating tensions over what Beijing calls a core sovereignty issue and warning that continued U.S. military support for the self-governed island risks further diplomatic and military confrontation.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he plans to meet Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, December 28, for wide-ranging talks focused on security guarantees, a package of draft agreements, and a proposed economic framework, with Zelenskyy signaling that contentious issues—including territorial questions—will be raised, though he cautioned that no final deals or signings are guaranteed during the visit.
According to the Guardian, a U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining or deporting Imran Ahmed, a UK-based anti-disinformation activist and head of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, after he sued senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi, arguing that targeting him and other Europeans over efforts to curb online hate and misinformation amounts to unconstitutional retaliation against speech and part of a broader administration crackdown on foreign tech regulators and critics of U.S. platforms.
Good news:
Crescent City Kitchen in Atlanta, led by co-owner Crystal Drakes, hosted a Christmas giveaway for 100 families it had supported during a past government shutdown, providing free meals, household supplies, toys, bikes, and electronics—extending a community aid effort rooted in empathy and local generosity.
Scientists in Australia rediscovered the Campbell’s keeled glass snail, thought extinct since 1996, and successfully bred about 800 snails at Taronga Zoo before reintroducing them to Norfolk Island, marking one of the largest snail conservation and reintroduction efforts ever and highlighting renewed momentum for invertebrate protection.
A new study from researchers at the University of Arizona, published in Science Advances, finds that scientists are discovering new species faster than ever—over 16,000 per year, with 15% of all known species identified in just the past 20 years—challenging the idea that biodiversity is mostly cataloged and suggesting vast numbers of plants, animals, fungi, and insects remain unknown, with major implications for conservation, medicine, and science.
