The Justice Department must make all files related to Jeffrey Epstein public by 19 December, prompting House Democrats to publish additional, context-free photos from Epstein’s estate that include high-profile figures. Separately, the Kennedy Center board is considering renaming the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, while U.S. consumer prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in November. The administration unveiled measures to restrict transition-related care for minors and reclassified cannabis to ease research limits. Other headlines: a clarified $1,776 military payment source, a Truth Social–TAE merger, and TikTok’s planned U.S. sale.
Trump News Roundup: DOJ Deadline Looms as House Democrats Release New Epstein Photos
American professor Noam Chomsky pictured on a plane with Jeffrey Epstein.Photograph: Epstein Estate/House Oversight/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation — including documents related to the Justice Department’s probe of his 2019 death in prison — are due to be made public by 19 December under a court-ordered deadline, setting a tense countdown for new disclosures.
Epstein Files And Photographs
As the deadline approaches, House Democrats published another tranche of photographs taken at Epstein’s estate that depict his connections with high-profile figures. The images include an undated photo that appears to show Bill Gates with a woman whose face has been redacted and a separate image of Noam Chomsky on a plane with Epstein. The committee emphasized that the photos lack dates, captions and context; their circulation is not, by itself, evidence of criminal conduct.
The batch also contains photographs that appear to show lines from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita written on a woman’s body, several foreign passports, and a screenshot of a text-message exchange referencing an 18-year-old from Russia. Officials and journalists caution that further document releases and context will be necessary to interpret the material fully.
Kennedy Center Rename Proposal
The board of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., is reportedly advancing a proposal — announced by the White House — to rename the institution the "Trump-Kennedy Center." Supporters say the change would honor a high-profile donor or benefactor; opponents and legal scholars, however, say questions remain about the legality and optics of renaming a federal cultural institution after a sitting president.
Economy: Inflation Data
Federal data released Wednesday showed U.S. consumer prices rose 2.7% year-on-year in November, down from 3% in September but slightly below many economists’ expectations of roughly 3.1%. The figure followed the president’s recent claim that prices were falling "very fast," and the data will factor into debates over monetary policy and political messaging.
Health Policy: Transition-Related Care For Minors
The administration unveiled actions aimed at restricting transition-related medical care for minors. The Department of Health and Human Services has used language describing such treatments as "sex-rejecting procedures," and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it will begin a rule-making process that could bar hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid from offering puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgical interventions to minors.
Military Payment Clarification
White House officials clarified that the $1,776 "warrior dividend" announced for service members will be funded by a congressionally approved housing supplement rather than tariff revenues, contradicting suggestions by the president in a televised address.
Cannabis Reclassification
The president signed an executive order to move cannabis out of the most restrictive federal drug category. The change is intended to ease research restrictions and some regulations, but it would not legalize marijuana nationwide.
Tech And Media Deals
Trump Media and Technology Group, owner of the Truth Social platform, disclosed a surprising merger with TAE Technologies that pairs the social-media company with a large betting play on increased energy demand tied to artificial intelligence. Separately, TikTok announced a deal to sell its U.S. operations to a group of American investors led by Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — a move designed to keep the popular app operating in the United States.
Other Developments
The Vatican reportedly appointed Ronald Hicks to lead a major U.S. archdiocese, a development interpreted by some as a sign the church will continue to voice concerns about immigration enforcement. The Democratic National Committee said it will not publish an internal review of its 2024 election defeat, calling such a release a potential distraction. And in the wake of media reports that the president discussed the idea of a constitutionally barred third term with legal advisers, White House officials said the country would be "lucky" if he remained in office.
What’s next: The Justice Department’s full release of Epstein-related files on 19 December is expected to prompt further scrutiny and reporting; other items in this roundup may also evolve as more details and official statements emerge.
