December 20, 2025

This is priceless. Thanks to akaWendy for the link: ~~~

 

Marie: A couple of days ago, RAS linked the story below. I meant to link in the body of the day's page, and I forgot. So here it is, better late than never: ~~~ 

~~~ Steph Whiteside of News Nation, republished by the Hill: "People who got the COVID-19 vaccine had a lower risk of death for all causes, a new study found. The study, conducted in France, found a low rate of serious complications from the mRNA vaccine, with data showing that vaccine recipients not only had a lower chance of dying from the virus but also had lower mortality from all causes." ~~~

~~~ In a quasi-related “Annals of 'Journalism'” story which RAS also linked this past week, we learn that the New York Times amplified a quack-pot FDA “finding” that ten children died from the Covid-19 vaccine “despite there being no scientific proof provided [by the FDA] ... to support this claim.” THEN, without ever highlighting a correction, Times reporter Christina Jewitt rewrote her story -- after publication -- “warning that the F.D.A. findings haven’t been published in respected medical journals, that critics are suspicious of the claims, and that there is scientific consensus that COVID-19 shots are safe. The focus was now the larger impact of anti-science at the F.D.A.” The headline changed, too, from “F.D.A. Attributes 10 Children’s Deaths to Covid Vaccines.” to “F.D.A. Seeks More Oversight of Vaccine Trials and Approvals,” which is really not enough of a change.

Jamelle Bouie, Michelle Cottle & David French of the New York Times discuss the year that was. Bouie starts it off with an [EXPLETIVE]. Includes (1) video, (2) audio, & (3) transcript. Also, you can listen where you get your podcasts. 

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Mark Berman, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Justice Department on Friday released a huge trove of documents connected to the deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, partially complying with federal legislation that ordered officials to make public a collection of records long sought by his victims but entangled in political controversy. The documents’ release, just ahead of a deadline imposed by the legislation, marked a closely watched step in the months-long bipartisan push to force ... Donald Trump and his administration to disclose more materials related to Epstein.... 

“The material released Friday includes a large number of photographs of Epstein and other people, along with other pictures, flight logs and law enforcement records. But the release fell short of the comprehensive disclosures required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed last month. The Justice Department said it needed more time to review records and remove information that might identify victims before disclosing additional documents. More records will be released over the next two weeks, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress.” (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here.

The URL for the main DOJ page for the Epstein files is https://www.justice.gov/epstein . (Also linked yesterday.)

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “The Justice Department, rushing under pressure from Congress to comply with a law signed by ... [Donald] Trump last month, released more than 13,000 files on Friday arising from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.... The Justice Department said more documents would be released in the coming weeks. Here are [some] takeaways.... The released files, which included thousands of photographs and investigative documents, added little to the public’s understanding of Mr. Epstein’s conduct.... Many of the documents, which included phone records, travel logs and what appeared to be case files with interviews featuring some of Mr. Epstein’s female victims, were heavily redacted. One of the redacted files, amounting to 119 pages and entitled 'Grand Jury NY,' was entirely blacked out....

“Whether by design or chance, many of the photographs included in the files were of ... former President Bill Clinton.... The photos of Mr. Clinton were made public after Mr. Trump ordered the Justice Department last month to investigate any ties between the former president and other Democrats to Mr. Epstein.... The White House on Friday sought to make political hay of the release of the photos of Mr. Clinton.... [Mr. Trump's] name was mentioned rarely in the materials released on Friday....

“In an interview on Fox News on Friday morning, Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, acknowledged that the Justice Department was not finished releasing files. Thousands more would be made public 'in the coming weeks,' he said. The delay meant that the Trump administration would apparently violate the law signed by the president in November ordering the complete release of all unclassified materials about Mr. Epstein in the Justice Department’s possession within 30 days, with limited exceptions.” ~~~

~~~ Liz Crampton & Andrew Howard of Politico: “The Trump administration ... pounced on go-to villain Bill Clinton’s appearance in Friday’s trove of pictures, emails and interviews.” 

Marie: On the redactions: they are obviously politically-motivated and designed to violate the law. The DOJ can't pretend that they made redactions to avoid “jeopardiz[ing] an active federal investigation,” which the law allows. Pam Bondi assigned a U.S. attorney to investigate ties between Bill Clinton & Epstein, and DOJ had no trouble releasing compromising photos of Clinton. By contrast, the 119-page redaction of grand jury proceedings defies not only the law but also a judge's order that the grand jury file be released.  

From the Guardian's liveblog: “The photos lack crucial context, including dates and locations.... Ro Khanna, a California Democrat..., told CNN...: 'The most important documents are missing.' Those documents are a draft 60-count federal indictment outlining charges against Epstein, and a detailed memorandum summarizing the evidence that was disregarded by the US attorney, Alex Acosta, who chose instead to offer Epstein an extraordinarily lenient plea deal.... [Thomas] Massie[, a Kentucky Republican,] wrote on social media that the attorney general, Pam Bondi, could be convicted by a future justice department of obstruction of justice if she violated a provision of the law by redacting the names of government officials. Massie noted that the law explicitly states that no documents may be 'withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official'. Blanche later called Fox News to insist that the justice department is 'not redacting the names of any politicians'.” ~~~

~~~ Kate Riga of TPM: “'Any Justice Department official who does not comply with this law will be subject to prosecution for obstruction of justice,' [Ro] Khanna said in a speech on the House floor this week. 'If Pam Bondi does not comply with the law, she will be held either in inherent contempt of Congress or subject to impeachment.' House Oversight Ranking Members Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) ... [said] in a statement: 'We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law.'... The risk that the Trump administration would manipulate its begrudging release of the files was already high; it’s already presented public information as new material, promised to release the files under its own volition before backtracking and, in the case of Attorney General Pam Bondi, said that an Epstein 'client list' doesn’t exist after claiming that it was on her desk. Trump has also repeatedly weaponized the files in an attempt to hurt prominent Democrats.” A New York Times story, by Michael Gold, is here. ~~~

     ~~~ My My. Scott Lemieux in LG&$, who cites Riga extensively, is awfully cynical in his implied suppositions about the DOJ's motives in its failure to perform its statutory obligations. ~~~

~~~ David Smith of the Guardian is blunt: “... the 'most transparent' administration again decided to slow-walk and stonewall. That will only feed the very conspiracy theories that Trump once feasted upon but which now threaten to consume him.It smelled of a cover-up.... At a White House event on Friday with pharmaceutical companies who have agreed to lower some of their prices, the president – typically so garrulous on every issue under the sun – declined to answer reporters’ questions off topic.... Soon after the partial release of the Epstein files, it was announced that the US military had launched airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on US personnel.... But Trump will struggle to distract from the Epstein issue....”

Anushka Patil of the New York Times: Donald “Trump could have compelled the Justice Department to release all of its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on his first day back in office in January, satisfying a promise he made to fervent supporters demanding transparency. Instead, he spent much of the past year denouncing critics, deflecting blame and changing the subject, allowing the issue to weaken his grip on his political base. Before Mr. Trump ultimately relented under pressure and signed legislation in November directing the Justice Department to release its Epstein-related files, some of which became public on Friday, his administration and House Republicans released tens of thousands of documents. Many of those disclosures contained little new information and appeared aimed at tamping down criticism. Here’s a look at those earlier disclosures[.]” 

A Three-Decade FBI Cover-up. Mike Baker & Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: “A woman who once worked for Jeffrey Epstein filed a complaint to the F.B.I. about his interest in 'child pornography' in 1996, about a decade before investigators began scrutinizing his predatory behavior. The woman, Maria Farmer, has for years said that she had called federal investigators in the summer of 1996, but the F.B.I. had never publicly acknowledged her original report, even to Ms. Farmer. Some people following the Epstein case had accused her of inventing the story. After the release of thousands of Epstein files on Friday, The New York Times contacted Ms. Farmer about a report stamped with the date of Sept. 3, 1996. She broke down in tears. 'I’ve waited 30 years,' she said. 'I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.' Ms. Farmer said she was grateful to be 'vindicated' but heartbroken that the F.B.I. did not take steps to stop Mr. Epstein until years after her report.... An internal investigation of the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein case, released in 2020, made no mention of Ms. Farmer’s original complaint. The newly released report leaves Ms. Farmer’s name redacted, describing her only as a professional artist.” Update: The link may be a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ You can read Farmer's 1996 report here (via the DOJ Epstein site).

This morning in New Hampshire, the sun is shining bright,
The choirs sing their carols, and all their hearts are light;
And elsewhere men are laughing, and gleeful children shout,
But there is no joy in Palm Beach — Monstrous Donald's in a pout. ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson: "This past week feels like the final, chaotic days of a political era." Read on. MB: My pessimistic side advises me that Richardson is far too pollyannaish, that right-wing control of the government will persist until the left grows so strong and genuinely altruistic that it implements a way to neuter the Roberts/Alito Court. But 'tis the season, and I hope Richardson is right. I prefer her view to my own.

Here's yesterday's New York Times liveblog on the Epstein files release, which also was linked yesterday. MB: Until hours after the DOJ published the first tranche of documents yesterday, the search engine didn't work: entering "Epstein" brought up nothing.

 

What arrogance. What narcissism.... I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the naming of federal buildings after sitting presidents. -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a tweet ~~~ 

~~~ Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: Donald “Trump’s name was affixed to the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday morning, transforming what was constructed as a living memorial to the slain 35th president into another Trump-branded property in the capital.... This name change happened ... only the day ... [after] the Kennedy Center’s board — a group of people mostly handpicked by Mr. Trump — voted to change the name. There were immediate questions about legality. The performing arts center is, by law, designated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and it has been generally understood that the power to change the name lies with Congress.... [Mr. Trump] said on Thursday that he was 'surprised' and 'honored' that the board had decided to do this for him. And yet, there were those letters spelling out his name, all ready to go the very next morning.... [Affixing his name over that of President Kennedy's] was an act of brand domination.” ~~~

     ~~~ The Washington Post report conveys equal skepticism about Trump's "surprise" at the name change. And the link of many characters appears to be a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Conservative Jonathan Last of the Bulwark plays "Back to the Future." It's a short read because it's only the top of a firewalled column. But it's worth it to us poor nonsubscribers to read as it stands foreshortened. 

The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people. Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue. -- Pete Hegseth, in a tweet ~~~ 

~~~ Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: “The United States carried out major airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria on Friday, fulfilling ... [Donald] Trump’s vow to avenge the deaths of two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter killed in a terrorist attack in the central part of the country last Saturday. American fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery fired more than 100 munitions at more than 70 suspected Islamic State targets at several locations across central Syria, including weapons storage areas and other buildings to support operations, the military’s Central Command said in a statement. It said Jordanian warplanes assisted in the operation. The American air and artillery attacks were expected to last several hours, deep into early Saturday morning in Syria, in what Mr. Trump described as 'a massive strike.'” Here's a Task & Purpose report. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Normally, this would have been the day's top story, surely as Trump intended. Sorry, Donnie, even ordering massive bombings wasn't enough to take your perversions off the top of the page.

Hegseth Plans to Kill More Innocent People. Joyce Lee of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration reversed a Biden-era policy that prohibited the use of antipersonnel land mines except on the Korean Peninsula, according to a Dec. 2 document reviewed by The Washington Post. The previously unreported memo, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, says the reversal would give the U.S. military a 'force multiplier' against enemies during 'one of the most dangerous security environments in its history.'... The interim policy says the United States will use 'remotely delivered' antipersonnel land mines only if the mines have 'compliant self-destruction mechanisms and self-deactivation features.' Ordnance experts have long warned that even mines that can be deactivated, called 'nonpersistent' mines, have high rates of failures.... Human rights groups have long called for a global ban on antipersonnel land mines — small explosive charges buried in or placed on the ground — because of their propensity to kill, maim or blind civilians often years after conflicts have ended. In 2024, nearly 2,000 people were killed by land mines and explosives left behind from war, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.”

Mark Rivera, et al., of ABC 7 Chicago: "A Bulgarian man from Chicago arrested during the recent fall immigration enforcement 'blitz' has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Michigan private prison. Nenko Gantchev, 56, died Monday at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, MI, which is contracted by ICE to hold undocumented migrants. After multiple inquiries from the ABC7 I-Team, a DHS statement published online said Gantchev's death is 'suspected to be from natural causes,' but 'the official cause of death is still under investigation.' But Gantchev's family and friends tell the I-Team questions are mounting surrounding his deteriorating medical condition the past few months while he was in custody at North Lake.... Chicago Congresswoman Delia Ramirez has called for an 'immediate, transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Gantchev's death, including an investigation into reports from other detainees that he asked for medical assistance and did not receive it in time to save his life.... We are aware of at least 30 deaths at ICE detention centers this year, making 2025 the deadliest year for immigrants in ICE custody.'..."

Lena Sun & Rachel Roubein of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration plans to shift the federal government away from directly recommending most vaccines for children and suggest they receive fewer shots to more closely align with Denmark’s immunization model, according to two people familiar with the matter. Federal health officials are weighing vaccine guidance that would encourage parents to talk to a doctor to make decisions for most shots.... This approach would mark a fundamental shift in the U.S. health care system, which generally relies on federal health agencies to guide how patients are protected against disease.... Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been critical of the childhood vaccine schedule for years and has called for additional scrutiny, even though he told senators during his confirmation hearings that he supports the schedule.”

Pleasant surprises on the New York Times opinion pages yesterday. First, David Brooks, not exactly caught in flagrante delicto, but close enough (story linked yesterday). Now this: ~~~

~~~ Mitt Romney, in a New York Times op-ed: “... given the magnitude of our national debt as well as the proximity of the [Social Security] cliff, both [higher taxes and lower spending] are necessary. DOGE took a slash-and-burn approach to budget cutting and failed spectacularly. [Mitt goes through the usual GOP spending cut proposals.]... And on the tax front, it’s time for rich people like me to pay more.... I long opposed increasing the income level on which FICA employment taxes are applied (this year, the cap is $176,100). No longer; the consequences of the cliff have changed my mind.... The largest source of additional tax revenues is also probably the most compelling for fairness and social stability. Some call it closing tax code loopholes, but ... 'Caverns' or 'caves' would be more fitting [than 'loopholes'].... For example, the cavern of the capital gains tax treatment at death for those with enormous estates.... Sealing the real estate caverns would also raise more revenue.... Any mix of solutions to our nation’s economic problems is going to involve the wealthiest Americans contributing more.” Emphasis added. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Josh Gerstein of Politico: “The Trump administration suffered a rare defeat at the Supreme Court on Friday, as the justices turned down an emergency request to halt a lawsuit over the government’s effort to bar immigration judges from speaking publicly about their work. In a brief order, the high court suggested it might step into the dispute in the future, but allowed the litigation to continue to play out in the lower courts.” MB: IOW, this isn't much of a loss for Trump, and the Supremes retain the option to fix the final outcome in Trump's favor. But, gosh, this sure shows how impartial they are!

Hurubie Meko of the New York Times: “Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, in a new court filing late Friday night, argued that Attorney General Pam Bondi should have recused herself from his federal murder case because she used to be a partner at a lobbying firm [-- Ballard Partners --] that represents UnitedHealthcare, which employed the man he is accused of killing[: UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, Brian Thompson]. Mr. Mangione’s lawyers, arguing that Ms. Bondi’s past role with the firm posed a conflict of interest in the case, asked that the judge block the government from pursuing the death penalty against their client.... According to Mr. Mangione’s lawyers, the health care giant paid the lobbying firm $250,000 for services in 2024.... [Mr. Mangione's lawyers said that] in a letter to the Justice Department’s ethics official, Ms. Bondi agreed that she would not participate personally in any matter involving 'specific parties in which I know Ballard Partners is a party or represents a party' for one year, unless authorized to beforehand.... In recent federal court filings, Mr. Mangione’s lawyers have pointed to statements from Ms. Bondi and other federal officials, including Mr. Trump, that they said were hurting their client’s ability to receive a fair trial.”

Faiz Siddiqui of the Washington Post: “The Delaware Supreme Court ruled to restore Elon Musk’s disputed $56 billion pay package on Friday, reversing another court’s decision that it had been awarded through an unfair process. The decision comes after a nearly two-year battle over the fate of the then-unprecedented pay deal, following the Delaware Court of Chancery’s ruling that it had been improperly awarded. The earlier ruling said the process had been unduly influenced by Musk and members of the board were not independent. In response, Musk reincorporated some of his companies out of Delaware, including moving Tesla to Texas. Earlier this year Tesla shareholders voted to grant Musk an even larger, $1 trillion pay package — contingent on Musk hitting business milestones — that aims to tie him to the company for the next decade.” ~~~

     ~~~ AND, as the Mittster would say, "It’s time for rich people like [Musk] to pay more [in taxes]." 

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New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts. Soumya Karlamangla of the New York Times: “The suspect in the shooting at Brown University and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor died two days before he was found in a storage unit in New Hampshire, the authorities said Friday. An autopsy performed by New Hampshire’s chief medical examiner on Friday found that the suspect, identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, had died from a gunshot wound to the head in an apparent suicide, John M. Formella, the state attorney general, said in a statement. Mr. Neves Valente’s body was found in a storage facility in Salem, N.H., late Thursday. Mr. Neves Valente is accused of opening fire last Saturday at Brown University, where he once was a physics graduate student, and killing two students and injuring nine others. Two days later, he shot and killed Nuno F.G. Loureiro, an M.I.T. professor whom he had studied with in Portugal, officials said.” 

New York City. Jeffery Mays of the New York Times: “Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team said on Friday that it would hire an outside legal team to help vet potential hires, following the abrupt resignation of an appointee over antisemitic social media posts she made more than a decade ago. Mr. Mamdani said at a news conference on Staten Island that he had been unaware of the social media posts by the appointee, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, before the Anti-Defamation League brought them to light on Thursday. Mr. Mamdani had named Ms. Da Costa as his director of appointments, a job in which she would have overseen City Hall hiring, the day before. He said he would not have hired her had he known what she had written. Ms. Da Costa, 33, resigned hours after the Anti-Defamation League called attention to the comments in question, which included calling Jewish people 'money hungry' and referring to a subway route as the 'Jew train.' There are 'clear changes that need to be made' to the transition committee’s vetting process and those changes are 'underway,' Mr. Mamdani added.” 

New York State. Ha Ha. Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: “Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, a top Republican with close ties to ... [Donald] Trump, abruptly suspended her campaign for governor on Friday and announced that she would give up her seat in Congress next year. The decision was a stunning turnabout for one of the Republican Party’s most ambitious stars, and it upended what was set to be a high-wattage governor’s race. In a statement posted on social media, Ms. Stefanik framed her motivation as a mix of political pragmatism and family priorities. But allies privately acknowledged that years of intraparty fighting and a series of embarrassing disappointments at the hands of Mr. Trump had taken a toll.... Over the years, she went to extraordinary and sometimes brazen lengths to transform herself from a moderate Republican ... into a full MAGA warrior.... She briefly [became] the highest-ranking woman in the House, and nearly became ambassador to the United Nations. But she also suffered a series of painful setbacks and humiliations.... The president pulled back her U.N. nomination this spring, fearful of losing her House seat in a special election. And after she entered the race for governor expecting to have his support, it was surprisingly withheld.” Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's hard to understand why rank-and-file Republicans have not figured out that for Trump, loyalty goes only one way: he demands it but does not give it. Ever. What about how nice he's been to, say, Susie Wiles and Ghislaine Maxwell? He knows what they have on him. ~~~

     ~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times reports on Stefanik's experience with getting run over on Trump's one-way street. 

Wyoming. Lisa Kashinsky of Politico: “Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) will retire after a single term in the Senate, she said Friday, marking a significant departure of a crypto ally from Congress.... Lummis, sometimes dubbed the 'Crypto Queen,' has been a prominent ally of the industry during her time in the upper chamber. She has played a key role in crafting industry-friendly digital assets legislation during this Congress.”