The Democrats and Republicans initially worked together to release the files, until ‘politics as usual’ inevitably spoiled everything
Across the United States, Democrats and Republicans are demanding that their leaders come clean with the Epstein files and the truth finally be told. What they are getting instead is a massive redaction campaign.
Not since 1998 with the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky show trial has the American public been so incensed by a sex scandal like the one the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein personally directed for many years. Here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to send not just one or two powerful ‘untouchables’ to prison for the worst crime imaginable – sexual abuse of a minor – but many dozens, possibly hundreds. In other words, a vast network of international power, wealth, and systemic abuse.
Yet today we are no closer to the truth as to the identities of the sick perpetrators. Under the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department was required to release all of its investigative material on Mr. Epstein by Dec. 19, though it was allowed to redact and withhold certain material in order to “protect the victims,” which is of course understandable. It also withheld materials that would “jeopardize a federal investigation.” Whether we’ll actually see a single suspect face trial is presently unknown, but the DOJ took full advantage of that loophole as 680 pages of the release were entirely redacted, which made the release practically redundant and senseless.
Were we the people once again expecting too much from the government? That’s very likely, but considering that we are talking about child abuse, even just a single redacted page would have appeared suspicious; hundreds of pages totally blacked out is completely unacceptable. After all, an investigation would not be hindered by the release of the identities of those individuals who had sexual relations with underage girls. The American people deserve better than this. The American people deserve the names of those pedophiles who are walking the streets free today.
In the beginning, President Donald Trump was of the opinion that such a mission was a cause worth pursuing. On the 2024 campaign trail, he pledged he’d have “no problem” releasing more files related to Jeffrey Epstein if elected. He even said he’d make public the late sex offender’s “client list” of those elite pedophiles who paid a visit to his notorious Little Saint James Island in the Caribbean. It is not difficult to imagine the nervous tremors that reverberated throughout the nation following that statement, and it could very well be the source of the ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ that has infected so many among the world’s top movers and shakers. It looked as though the MAGA movement would turn a deranged part of the establishment on its head.
Once in office, however, Trump, who has maintained his innocence throughout the saga, vacillated on the question of what to do with the files. He has gone from saying he would welcome the release of the documents to calling the whole scandal a “Democratic hoax.” As for an Epstein client list, his Attorney General Pam Bondi was on the record as saying it was in her possession, only to later deny the existence of a client list. This has led to both Democrats and Republicans asking what Trump was hiding, if anything.
What we know is that Trump was good friends with Epstein from the late eighties, but ended contact with the pedophile in 2004, four years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. This is where the plot thickens as a number of highly influential men, including Bill Gates, Larry Summers, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew), continued their friendship with Epstein even after he had been publicly exposed as a child predator.
One political figure who appeared prominently in the latest file release was – yes, you guessed it – Bill Clinton, who also claims to have cut off relations with Epstein in 2005, years before child molestation charges were filed against the latter. This is where the political battle between the Democrats and Republicans has exploded and can expect to worsen over time. Clinton’s spokesperson Angel Ureña has accused the White House of using the former Democratic president as a scapegoat.
“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” the spokesperson said in a statement on X.
“This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be,” the statement added.
Despite the Democrats and Republicans initially working together to release the files, it was inevitable that ‘politics as usual’ would spoil the party. In fact, it is truly a spectacle to watch powerful, influential men doing everything possible – short of murder – to conceal their guilt in Epstein’s extensive pedophilia ring. Actually, scratch the murder part. Regardless of what the FBI would have us believe, there is simply no way that Jeffrey Epstein was able to commit suicide inside of his jail cell, which did not come specially equipped with convenient hooks in the ceiling from which to hang oneself. Prison cells are built specifically to be suicide proof.
But I digress.
It would be nice to think that there will be some sort of political price to be paid for these crimes against society’s most vulnerable segment, and that could very well happen in the 2026 midterm elections. Although we can expect there to be no smoking guns, no bombshell revelations, no crack-of-dawn arrests for the child molesters, there very well could be a political backlash against Trump and the Republican Party for keeping the country in the dark when it comes to Mr. Epstein and his massive closet of skeletons. A large part of that backlash could come from within MAGA itself, which had such high hopes for Trump cracking down on the sexual predators.
The political scion and BNP party head has arrived in a country torn by violence and ruled by an interim government ahead of elections
Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which was in opposition during ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule, has returned to Dhaka after nearly 17 years.
Rahman landed in the capital of Bangladesh on Thursday morning and was welcomed by massive crowds, with security tightened to unprecedented levels amid recent violence and lawlessness in the country.
Speaking from the stage, 61-year-old Rahman called for unity among various communities and political forces and emphasized the goal of creating a safe Bangladesh.
Both his parents once held top government roles. His mother, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is currently being treated in a hospital in Dhaka.
Tarique’s father Ziaur Rahman, the sixth president of Bangladesh, was assassinated by members of the country’s army on May 30, 1981. Rahman fled his homeland in 2008 over what he called politically motivated persecution and took up residence in London.
Rahman is now projected to be the key contender in the upcoming elections. An interim government, which has been in power since the ouster of ex-Prime Minister Hasina in August 2024, has delayed the announcement of elections for months and has finally set the date for the polls as February 12, under pressure from various political forces. The interim government is led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Hasina’s party, the Awami League, has been barred from contesting the election.
Bangladesh has seen a wave of violence in recent days following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the most prominent leaders of the 2024 uprising, who was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month. Following his death, protesters took to the streets throughout the country, demanding the arrest of the assailants, chanting anti-India slogans and rioting. Protesters attacked and set fire to the offices of two prominent Bangladeshi newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo.
Protests escalated further when a Hindu factory worker was lynched by a mob and later set on fire in Mymensingh. This tragedy heightened diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Dhaka, with both countries summoning each other’s envoys. On Wednesday, a bystander was killed in Dhaka when a crude bomb was hurled from an overpass and exploded.
Russia’s president sent a telegram to North Korea’s leader, stating 2025 held “special significance” for their countries’ relationship
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent New Year greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hailing the past year as one of “special significance” for bilateral relations between Moscow and Pyongyang and a deepening strategic partnership.
In a telegram published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday, Putin said the relationship will “contribute to establishing a just order of the multi-polar world.”
“The past one year was of special significance in the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang,” Russia’s president said, citing Moscow’s appreciation for North Korean military assistance in repelling a large-scale Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Region.
The “heroic entry” of North Korean soldiers into battle and the subsequent work of North Korean combat engineers had “clearly proved the invincible friendship and militant fraternity” between the two countries, Putin said.
The Russian military reported in April that Ukrainian troops had been completely expelled from Kursk Region, while acknowledging the role of North Korean troops in the operation for the first time. Russia’s authorities have vowed to erect a monument in Moscow to the soldiers deployed by Pyongyang that were killed defending Russian territory.
Putin also said that, thanks to joint efforts, the provisions of the “historic” treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership have been “fulfilled in a planned way.” Signed in June of 2024, the landmark agreement includes a mutual defense clause, stipulating that if either side is subject to an “armed invasion,” the other will “provide military and other assistance… without delay.”
Russia’s leader has expressed confidence that Moscow and Pyongyang will continue their constructive cooperation, taking note of strengthening ties in political, trade, economic, human and other fields.
The revision reportedly aims to protect children rather than target sexting adults
China will expand a ban on sharing obscene materials to include content sent via phone and online messaging apps starting next year.
According to the revised law, anyone “disseminating obscene information using information networks, telephones, or other communication tools” will face up to 15 days in jail and a fine of up to 5,000 yuan ($711). Penalties will be higher if the content involves children.
The wording of the law has led to concerns from media and social networks as to whether it could be applied to private sexually explicit messages between adults, such as sexting.
However, according to multiple legal experts cited by Chinese state media, the legal changes will not affect one-on-one private communications. They argue that the revisions reflect technological development, increasing the maximum fines, while leaving detention periods unchanged.
“China has mature standards and procedures for identifying obscene materials. It is critical to clarify that ‘obscene’ does not equal ‘indecent’,” China Daily cited Ji Ying, an associate professor of law at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, as saying.
Several legal experts explained that ‘indecent’ is a subjective term that does not necessarily meet the legal threshold of obscenity, which requires judicial determination and must meet clear statutory standards.
Zhu Wei, an associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law, told the outlet that the law is designed to protect minors and safeguard online ecosystems. He went on to note that, under the law, Chinese authorities require warrants and official investigation documents to access data on personal devices.
Several cases that preceded the expanded ban have reportedly involved mass sharing of explicit content.
In one case, three administrators of a group on the Chinese QQ platform were found guilty of failing to prevent the spread of hundreds of explicit videos, Global Times reported on Tuesday.
In another case from May, a man was convicted of rape, child molestation and spreading obscene materials after it was discovered that he sent explicit videos to more than 100 primary and middle school girls.
China has long banned pornography. Enforcement has largely focused on production, distribution and public sharing, rather than private consumption.
The revised law is set to take effect on January 1.
Kim Jong-un has inspected the vessel and vowed to accelerate naval development
Pyongyang has shared new images of its first nearly completed nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally inspected the vessel.
Kim hailed its construction as an “epoch-making crucial change,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.
During his visit, Kim oversaw the construction of the 8,700-tonnage strategic guided missile submarine and vowed to continue to equip the DPRK’s navy with nuclear missiles.
Kim linked the need to bolster the country’s offensive power with South Korea’s plan to develop its own nuclear submarine, which has recently been approved by the US. The North Korean leader claimed Seoul’s plans violate Pyongyang’s security and maritime sovereignty.
He warned that North Korea’s enemies will be “forced to pay a dear price when they violate the security of the DPRK’s strategic sovereignty” and will face a “merciless retaliatory attack if they try to select a military option.”
Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un personally supervised the on-site construction of the new 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine. pic.twitter.com/0h1giivkPy
The development of the new submarine comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang accusing the US, South Korea, and Japan of undermining its national security and destabilizing the region by attempting to create an “Asian version of NATO” and conducting joint military exercises.
Seoul and Washington have repeatedly insisted on the denuclearization of the peninsula. In October, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also urged Beijing to play a “constructive role” in establishing peace and finding “a substantive solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.”
Pyongyang, however, has stated that its nuclear armed forces will “exist forever” as a means of defending its sovereignty, territorial integrity and fundamental interests, dismissing denuclearization as a “pipedream.”
The explosion took place in an area of Gaza fully controlled by the Israeli military, the Palestinian group has said
Hamas has denied responsibility for a bomb blast that struck an Israeli armored vehicle in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and has asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to comply with a ceasefire agreement.
The US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect in Gaza on October 10, called for Israeli forces to pull back from parts of the enclave and for Hamas to free the last 20 remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The statement came after the IDF reported that an officer had been injured by an explosion in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the explosion, but the militant group countered that it had occurred in an area entirely controlled by the Jewish State’s defense forces, where “no Palestinians are present.”
Hamas stated in a Telegram post on Wednesday that remnants of war were a known risk in the region, adding that they “bear no responsibility for any of these incidents since the ceasefire agreement came into effect,” particularly regarding “explosives planted by the occupation itself in the area.”
Hamas urged Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and “refrain from fabricating excuses to escalate and undermine the truce,” reaffirming its commitment to the terms.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi also stated on X that he believes the Rafah explosion had resulted from unexploded ordnance left over from the conflict. Netanyahu, however, used the incident to argue that Hamas “has no plan to disarm,” a core requirement of the truce, and warned that “Israel will respond accordingly.”
Hamas called for pressure to force Israel to implement signed agreements. It said West Jerusalem must “refrain from fabricating justifications” for continued escalation and attempts to “sabotage the agreement.”
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes have continued, and humanitarian aid has lagged, worsening conditions in Gaza, according to UN agencies and regional mediators. Palestinians have accused West Jerusalem of violating the agreement.
Israel launched its military campaign in the Palestinian enclave in response to a surprise Hamas attack in October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage.
The Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say the Israeli operations have left over 70,000 Palestinians dead.
Tehran will not bow to intimidation by Washington, the Iranian envoy to the UN has insisted
The US and Iran have sparred at the UN over the conditions for resuming nuclear talks, with Tehran calling Washington’s demand for a zero uranium enrichment policy a nonstarter.
The US deputy Middle East envoy, Morgan Ortagus, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Washington “remains available for formal talks with Iran, but only if Tehran is prepared for direct and meaningful dialogue.”
“We have been clear, however, about certain expectations for any arrangement. Foremost, there can be no enrichment inside of Iran, and that remains our principle,” she said.
Ortagus claimed that US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew Washington from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran in 2018, had “extended the hand of diplomacy” to Tehran during both of his terms.
“But instead of taking that hand of diplomacy, you continue to put your hand in the fire. Step away from the fire, sir, and take President Trump’s hand of diplomacy,” she said, addressing Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani.
Iravani replied by saying that the authorities in Tehran “appreciate any fair and meaningful negotiation, but insisting on zero enrichment policy, it is contrary to our rights as a member of the NPT [treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons].”
The demands by Washington mean that “they are not pursuing the fair negotiation,” he said. “They want to dictate their predetermined intention on Iran. Iran will not bow down to any pressure and intimidation.”
The negotiations between the sides to revive the 2015 JCPOA, which saw Tehran giving up on its military nuclear ambitions in exchange for lifting of international sanctions, remain stalled since June when the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites. They described it as preemptive strikes to halt Tehran’s progress toward developing a bomb. The Iranian authorities insist that their nuclear program is purely peaceful.
Last month, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will rebuild its damaged nuclear sites with “great strength.” The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also insisted that Iran “cannot stop uranium enrichment.”
The US president has a record of using the holidays to call out his perceived enemies
US President Donald Trump has singled out the “radical left scum” in his Christmas wishes this year, snapping at his perceived political enemies.
Trump has followed a pattern of extending holiday wishes to those he has variously described as “my many enemies” and “haters and losers” since at least 2013.
“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” his message on Truth Social on Thursday said. Trump went on to tout his achievements during the first year of his second presidential term.
On Christmas Eve, the president injected politics into his banter with children, calling the North American Aerospace Defense Command as it ‘tracked’ Santa Claus’ progress around the world.
“We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa’s a very good person,” Trump told youngsters in Oklahoma. “We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”
Border security and the enforcement of deportation of foreign nationals staying in the US illegally is a signature policy of Trump’s second term and a matter of significant controversy. Critics argue his administration is breaking the law when expelling illegal immigrants.
The French president has pushed back against visa restrictions targeting several senior officials in the bloc amid a digital rules row
US visa restrictions against several senior EU officials amount to “intimidation and coercion” aimed at undermining the bloc’s digital policies and sovereignty, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.
On Tuesday, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced new sanctions targeting Thierry Breton, the former European Commissioner for Internal Market appointed by Macron himself, and four other officials over what it described as “efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose.”
At the core of the dispute are the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which impose strict competition and transparency obligations on large online platforms. Given that most such firms – including Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon – are headquartered in the US, American officials have argued the framework is discriminatory. Breton in particular was among the officials who played a pivotal role in establishing the EU digital rulebook.
Tensions escalated after the EU Commission fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120 million ($130 million) earlier in December under the Digital Services Act. US officials criticized the move as harmful to free speech and unfairly targeting an American company.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Macron said the US sanctions “amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty.” He added that the EU’s rules were adopted democratically and “are not meant to be determined outside Europe,” while insisting that they are designed to “ensure fair competition among platforms, without targeting any third country.”
The EU Commission also condemned the US move, warning that it “will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”
The rift between the US and EU, including over digital rules, spilled into the new National Security Strategy released by Washington this month. The document warned the EU that it is facing potential “civilizational erasure” due to suppression of political opposition, curbs on free speech, and what it described as “regulatory suffocation.”
Decisions made in Brussels are increasingly not being carried out by member states, the Hungarian prime minister has said
The EU is beginning to disintegrate as decisions made in Brussels are increasingly ignored by member states, now divided between advocates of war and of peace, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.
In an interview with Magyar Nemzet newspaper published on Wednesday, Orban said the process was unfolding even as Brussels with its “imperial ambitions’ bureaucracy” pushed to expand its authority over national governments.
”The European Union today is in a state of disintegration …This is how the union falls apart: decisions are made in Brussels, but they are not implemented,” Orban said, noting that non-compliance typically spreads from one country to others.
Asked whether Europe is being reorganized into a war economy, he responded in the affirmative. Orban said the political, economic, and social decline of Western Europe – a process that began in the mid-2000s and accelerated after what he called poor responses to the financial crisis – has left the region unable to compete with faster-developing parts of the world. As a result, he argued, growth is being pursued through the well-known historical pattern of a war economy, which he said explains why Europeans committed themselves to the Ukraine conflict.
Budapest has consistently opposed Brussels’ bellicose policies on Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, including the sanctions on Russia. According to Orban, this has driven up energy prices, making competition “impossible” and essentially “killing” European industry.
He also said that Europe has split into two camps – “the war camp and the peace camp” – and that at present, the pro-war forces are dominant. “Brussels wants war; Hungary wants peace,” Orban stated.
Top EU officials have used claims of an alleged threat from Moscow to justify accelerating militarization. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the bloc of clinging to the “fantasy” of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, arguing that the EU “does not have a peaceful agenda” and is instead “on the side of war.”
Putin warned that while Russia has no intention of fighting the EU or NATO, the situation could quickly become dire if Western nations launched a war against Russia.
