Mini-Report — Dec. 23, 2025: Supreme Court Blocks Guard Deployment; New Epstein Email; U.S. Moves Aircraft to Caribbean

Today’s quick round-up of notable developments across politics, national security and major legal stories.

Supreme Court Denies Immediate Guard Deployment

The Supreme Court declined to permit the Trump administration to immediately deploy the National Guard to Chicago, over dissents from Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. The move represents the latest high-court check on expansive executive authority asserted for a hypothetical second term.

New Details From The Epstein Files

An email released by the Department of Justice late Monday indicates that Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet at least eight times in the mid-1990s. The Jan. 7, 2020, message was included in the DOJ’s rolling disclosures related to the Epstein investigation and appears connected to the probe of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a sentence for her role in conspiracies to sexually abuse minors.

U.S. Repositions Aircraft To The Caribbean

Open-source flight-tracking data and U.S. officials say the United States this week moved a sizable number of special-operations aircraft and multiple cargo planes carrying troops and equipment into the Caribbean region, increasing options for potential military responses in the hemisphere.

‘60 Minutes’ Segment Circulates After Delay

After CBS News postponed airing a '60 Minutes' report about deportees sent to a notorious Salvadoran prison, the finished segment — titled "Inside CECOT" — began circulating online following its streaming release in Canada on a Global Television Network platform.

Department Of Education Will Investigate Brown University

The Department of Education announced it will investigate whether Brown University violated federal law by failing to provide adequate campus safety measures before and immediately after a fatal shooting that killed two students earlier this month.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 01: The Supreme Court of the United States building, on February 01, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura for The Washington Post via Getty Images)(Kent Nishimura / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Multistate Lawsuit Targets OMB Director Over CFPB

Twenty-one state and district attorneys general filed suit against Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, challenging his efforts to close or significantly curtail the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Staff Departures At The Heritage Foundation

More than a dozen staffers at The Heritage Foundation are leaving the conservative think tank to join a nonprofit led by former Vice President Mike Pence, as the organization continues to navigate internal turmoil and leadership changes.

Trump Presidential Library Advances In Court

A federal judge’s ruling moved Donald Trump and his family a step closer to building a presidential library on a Miami parcel that was controversially transferred to them by Florida officials — a development likely to prompt further legal and political scrutiny.

Former Senator Ben Sasse Announces Serious Diagnosis

Former Sen. Ben Sasse (R‑Neb.) announced on X that he has been diagnosed with metastasized, stage‑four pancreatic cancer, calling the prognosis "a death sentence." We extend our best wishes to him and his family during this difficult time.

I’ll be away from the blog for a few days and will return Monday morning, Dec. 29. Happy holidays to you and yours.

The post "Tuesday’s Mini-Report, 12.23.25" originally appeared on MS NOW.