Bondi silent on details of Epstein files release
Now that President Trump has signed into law the bill requiring the Justice Department to release all of its files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his Attorney General Pam Bondi did not give a straight answer when asked numerous times at a news conference when document release will take place and in what form. The new law gives the Justice Department 30 days to release documents related to the case. However, some lawmakers and analysts are concerned that the Trump administration may continue standing in the way by slowing the release timetable, blacking out information from files that are released or refusing to release some files by claiming that to do so would jeopardize on-going investigations that Trump ordered.
Unemployment highest in about four years
The Trump administration’s Department of Labor Statistics today released the September jobs report that it had been delaying. The report shows that although there were 119,000 non-farm jobs added during September, the unemployment rate went up by three-tenths of one percent to 4.4%, the highest in about four years. The number of unemployed people who wanted a job but couldn’t get one was 7.6 million. The jobless rate for adult men was 4.0%, for teenagers it was 13.2%, for Whites 3.8%, for Blacks 7.5% and for Hispanics 5.5%.
Dick Cheney’s funeral
President Trump and Vice President Vance were not invited to attend today’s funeral in Washington, D.C., for Former Vice President Dick Cheney. Both had been frequent attackers of Cheney as well as his daughter Former Congresswoman Lynn Cheney. Past presidents and other leaders are attending. The service will take place at the Washington National Cathedral. Among those attending are Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden along with former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, died on Nov. 3 at the age of 84. He was considered one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history.
Ending protections for endangered species
The Trump administration moved on Wednesday to roll back Biden-era protections for endangered species and their habitats. The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service proposed restoring rules from the first Trump administration that stripped safeguards for plants and animals threatened by human development and a warming planet. The two agencies also proposed to strip the so-called “blanket rule,” which extends endangered-level protections to species that are listed as “threatened” with extinction. Some in industry have been complaining for years that environmental laws have become too restrictive for major energy, mining and development projects. Environmental groups decried the move as one that could be devastating for endangered species.
Ukraine peace plan expected
A meeting was expected today in Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv aimed at reviving stalled peace efforts in Ukraine. It comes as the White House has been working on a new peace plan with Russia to end the ongoing war, a source familiar with the talks told CNN. A U.S. delegation is on the ground in Ukraine. According to an Axios report, the current draft framework being negotiated between Washington and Moscow focuses on 28 points, including security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe, as well as future U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine.
Florida Congresswoman indicted
Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign, the Justice Department announced. Prosecutors say the Florida Democrat misappropriated FEMA overpayments that her family’s health care company received for a Covid-19 vaccination staffing contract. Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorneys said the lawmaker is a “committed public servant” and they will “fight to clear her good name.”
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