Thankful for the Turkeys Running the Country

This Thanksgiving, we raise a glass to incompetence, political theater, and self-inflicted disasters; nothing entertains, frustrates, or guarantees blue midterms quite like sheer, glorious chaos.

MeidasTouch Network and Michael Cohen Nov 28

Guest article by Michael Cohen. Remember to follow him on Substack for more by clicking here. Michael is also racing to 500K followers on YouTube! Subscribe today for free here.

Today is Thanksgiving, the one day of the year when Americans collectively slow down, breathe deeply, and remind ourselves that gratitude is still possible in a world that feels held together by duct tape, denial, and whatever remains of our national patience. Families will gather around tables overflowing with turkey, stuffing, and decades of unresolved grudges; we’ll raise our glasses to health, to hope, and to surviving another spin around the sun without losing our minds.

Me? I’m thankful for something uniquely American. Something poetic. Something that only a nation with our brand of stubborn optimism could appreciate.

I’m thankful for the assemblage of the most incompetent, bumbling bunch of fools ever to occupy a presidential administration.

I’m not being hyperbolic. I’m not exaggerating for dramatic effect; though G-d knows this crowd makes drama easy. I’m talking about an all-star lineup of sycophants who somehow manage to turn every responsibility they touch into a five-alarm farce. And in the spirit of the season, I want to express my deepest gratitude to these people, because they’re about to gift Democrats the bluest midterms since the November 2025 special-election wipeout — a tsunami so deep it’ll leave pollsters apologizing for the next decade.

Let’s talk about just seven; seven key positions where incompetence hasn’t merely exposed the rot in the administration; it has ostensibly dragged the President’s favorability down to a historic, humiliating 36%. A number so low it would make even Richard Nixon send a condolence card.

Start with Pete Hegseth, the administration’s chaos engine in chief. Only Hegseth could deliver not one but two self-inflicted communications scandals — SignalGate 1 and its inevitable sequel, SignalGate 2 — all because the man responsible for national messaging couldn’t keep track of his own encrypted conversations. His now-infamous meeting with America’s top generals and admirals, where he lectured career military leaders with the confidence of a guy explaining fantasy football stats, became headline fodder across global newsrooms. And when he launched his deranged public attacks on Senator Mark Kelly, an astronaut and naval aviator who speaks four languages and understands orbital mechanics, the contrast was so absurd it bordered on performance art. If leadership is about judgment, Hegseth is the nation’s cautionary tale.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brings his own special brand of chaos to the table. His public appearances have become a running experiment in how much pseudoscience a nation can withstand before collectively walking into the ocean. The latest fiasco came when he resurrected his long-debunked claim linking autism to everyday Tylenol use — a theory so scientifically hollow it makes flat-earthers look peer-reviewed. Doctors across the country didn’t know whether to laugh, scream, or throw their medical degrees at the television. Pediatricians inundated hotlines begging for guidance on how to undo the damage, while scientists were forced into yet another round of “No, seriously, this is not a thing.” Kennedy managed to turn a common household pain reliever into a national panic spiral, leaving Americans wondering how someone with this level of scientific literacy ended up anywhere near public health policy. Every time he opens his mouth, the CDC’s blood pressure spikes.

Pam Bondi, meanwhile, has turned the Epstein files into her own personal three-act tragedy — part legal disaster, part performance art, and entirely self-inflicted. Her press conferences have become spectacles of theatrical overreach, none more infamous than the one where she marched out flanked by staffers holding towering binders she implied — with a wink, a nod, and plenty of MAGA-ready innuendo — were the long-awaited Epstein client lists. Cable news carried it live. Social media exploded. Her supporters celebrated as though justice were about to drop from the heavens. And then, just days later, came the inevitable retreat; not a clarification, not an update, but silence. The binders were never released. Not a page. Not a name. Not even a heavily redacted teaser to justify the spectacle she staged. The most plausible explanation, whispered even within her own circles, is that those binders hold names she has no intention of exposing.

But the problem for Bondi is simple: Americans can’t unsee what they saw or unhear what they heard. She lit a match she can’t put out, especially within MAGA circles, where conspiracy thrives on the oxygen of suggestion. Instead of shutting down speculation, she supercharged it; and now the very base she tried to feed is turning the spotlight back on her, demanding receipts she can’t produce. It’s a political boomerang, and it’s already on its return flight.

Kristi Noem, meanwhile, is producing political theater that makes the TSA’s lost-luggage office look organized. Her now-infamous DHS airport video — ominous music, perfectly contoured cheekbones, hair extensions that don’t move even in imagined wind — has been condemned as propaganda by civil rights groups, immigrant advocates, and even a few Republican holdouts who still have a conscience. Designed to terrify anyone who passes through a terminal, the video’s tone is so dystopian it feels like a rejected trailer for a low-budget sci-fi film. Behind the scenes, her department is mired in infighting, retractions, and scramble-to-clean-it-up policy reversals that would embarrass even the most hardened bureaucratic cynic.

Howard Lutnick’s economic stewardship has been no less disastrous. Lutnick managed to throw markets into turmoil within days of announcing a new round of aggressive tariffs — tariffs he defended by citing economic models later revealed to be sourced from a think tank that consisted of a single Post-it note on his desk. The price spikes that followed hit American families first, with grocery costs soaring and consumer confidence tanking. Even Wall Street, usually cautious in its rebukes, began issuing statements so sharply critical they read like financial obituaries. Thanksgiving turkeys priced like heirloom diamonds? Thank Howard.

And then we have Steve Witkoff, the unofficial adviser whose foreign-policy blunder was so extraordinary it left even hardened diplomats speechless. His recently leaked recorded conversation with his Russian counterpart — in which he casually offered strategic advice on how Moscow should handle the President — threw the administration’s already fragile international standing into full meltdown. The arrogance was breathtaking. Here was a real estate developer coaching a geopolitical rival as though the Kremlin had been waiting for his pearls of wisdom. The fallout was immediate: European allies expressed shock, intelligence officials scrambled into containment mode, and the State Department spent the last few days issuing statements that clarified nothing and embarrassed everyone. One leaked memo described the episode as “catastrophic freelancing.” Witkoff didn’t just cross a line. He relocated it.

And finally, Kash Patel continues to operate as if the national security apparatus were his personal action-movie set, and the taxpayers his studio financiers. Reports revealed that he’s been flying his girlfriend around on government aircraft, complete with Secret Service protection funded by the public, as if he’d discovered a loophole that turned national security into his own private Wheels Up subscription. And then there are his investigations: chaotic, unfocused, and so deeply incompetent that Inspector Clouseau, by comparison, looks like a Rhodes Scholar. His probes wander through the bureaucracy like drunk tourists, knocking over protocols, clashing with career analysts, and producing conclusions that collapse upon first contact with reality. Patel has turned serious national security work into a farce that leaves allies worried and adversaries amused.

So yes, today, I’m grateful. Grateful for every spectacular misstep, every botched announcement, every scandal that reads like satire. Because the American people are wide awake, and in 2026, they’re going to paint the electoral map a deep, decisive, unmistakable blue.

So, Happy Thanksgiving. Savor the meal, because the real feast comes next November, when the voters carve this administration up themselves.

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SUBSCRIBE. READ. LIKE. RESTACK.

Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump Discharged Felon

Yeah, I know; you’re tired. This shit is exhausting.

Guess what? Me too.

But I’ve spent the last 8 years throwing punches in the dark so truth could get a little daylight. And now I’m asking you to step into the ring with me.

Because if you’re still reading this, you already get it:
This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a rally cry. A war drum. A line in the sand.

We are not passive observers of the downfall. We are the resistance. We call out the liars. We drag corruption by the collar into the sunlight. We say the quiet parts out loud, and we don’t flinch.

But here’s the truth: I can’t do this solo. Not anymore.

The storm is already here. We are standing in it. And it’s wearing stars and stripes like camouflage, preaching “freedom” while it sells fascism at retail.

So let me ask you:
Are. You. In?

Because this is not a scroll-and-forget read. This is a living, breathing, fire-breathing movement, and movements don’t move unless you do.

We need to be louder than spin, tougher than propaganda, and impossible to gaslight.
That takes more than clicks. More than likes.
It takes skin in the game.

So if you believe truth matters; if you’re sick of the bullshit, if you’re ready to stop screaming into the algorithm and start pushing back with purpose, this is your next step.

HERE’S HOW YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS:

Become a paid subscriber. Fund fearless, unfiltered journalism that hits back.

Share this with the loudest people you know — the ones who never sit down and shut up.

Build the community. Amplify the message. Be the damn megaphone.

And yeah, Founding Members? The first 240 of you will get a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of Revenge. That’s not just a collector’s item. That’s receipts. Proof you didn’t sit this one out.

But let’s be clear:

This isn’t about a book.
It’s about backbone.
It’s about calling out the gaslighters and refusing to be played.
It’s about locking arms and saying, “Not. On. Our. Watch.”

You want to make a difference?

Then make it — right now.

Because if we don’t fight for truth, no one will.
But if we fight together?

They can’t drown us out.

Let’s be so loud, they wish we were just angry tweets.
Let’s be unshakable.
Unignorable.
Un-fucking-breakable.

Let’s go!

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

A guest post by Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump and Discharged Felon

 

Peace Over a Piece of Pie When loyalty replaces expertise, you don’t get diplomacy; you get a Miami-made surrender plan that shocks allies, delights Putin, and proves Trump’s team can’t negotiate their way out of a salad. Michael Cohen and MeidasTouch Network Nov 25 Guest article by Michael Cohen. Remember to follow him on Substack for more by clicking here. Michael is also racing to 500K followers on YouTube! Subscribe today for free here Vladimir Putin spoke with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow for three hours in August There’s a special kind of madness that happens when you let amateurs play diplomat. You know the type: guys who think a peace plan is just a real-estate term with extra syllables, who believe foreign policy begins and ends with a yacht, a donor dinner, and a half-baked AI PowerPoint put together between cocktails. And yet, in Trump’s America, this is exactly who’s sitting at the grown-ups’ table, carving up global stability like it’s a cheesecake at Prime 112. Let me put it plainly: this is what happens when you replace competence with cronies and let self-interested acolytes cosplay as statesmen. You don’t get diplomacy. You don’t get strategy. You don’t even get common sense. No, what you get is a surrender plan so lopsided, so humiliating, so cosmically stupid that even Zelenskyy—a man fighting for the literal survival of his country—had to politely pretend not to bang his head against the nearest wall. Because the first draft of Trump’s “peace plan”—and I swear to you, I could not make this shit up if I tried—wasn’t forged in a West Wing war room or the State Department’s secure suite. It was hashed out over dinners in Miami. Miami. As in: shorts, cigars, the faint smell of salt water and spray tan. The birthplace of America’s least-impressive geopolitical brainstorm. And who were the midwives of this diplomatic miracle? Steve Witkoff, real-estate mogul turned “special envoy,” and Jared Kushner, freshly back from brokering a “peace agreement” between Israel and Hamas after picking up another billion-dollar check from Mohammed Bin Salman. These two geniuses sat down with Kirill Dmitriev, one of Putin’s guys, for what The Wall Street Journal delicately called “three days of intensive discussions.” Translation: expensive dinners where a Kremlin insider told them exactly what Moscow wanted, and they—shock of shocks—nodded along helpfully like interns praying for a good Yelp review. The result? A 28-point “peace plan” that read less like American diplomacy and more like Putin’s Christmas wish list. Ukraine must give up territory? Check. Cap its military? Check. Swear off NATO forever? Double check. And what does Russia give up? Wait… here it comes. Russia gives up absolutely nothing. Not even the dignity of pretending to negotiate. You’d think the Secretary of State would have been involved, right? You’d assume Marco Rubio—America’s top diplomat, allegedly—would be briefed on the plan that could reshape Europe. You’d be wrong. Rubio only learned the “full scope” of the plan the day it leaked. Not from a briefing. Not from his staff. Not from the President. From the news. From Substack. From X. Imagine walking into the office on a Monday and discovering that two guys who shouldn’t be trusted to negotiate a brunch reservation just redrew the borders of Eastern Europe behind your back. And they did it while you were busy shaking hands with Saudi leadership. Rubio was reportedly handed a copy of the plan at the White House like it was a menu someone forgot to send earlier. “Here, Marco, take a look; don’t mind the ketchup stains, that’s just Jared.” This is the part where I pause and say: I’ve worked for Trump. I know this playbook. It is the same sloppy, ad-hoc, diner-napkin idiocy that fueled everything from Trump Tower Moscow to Sharpie-gate. But this time, instead of storm paths and real-estate facades, the stakes were life, death, sovereignty, and the future of Europe. But when you staff a government with loyalists instead of experts, this is the inevitable result: foreign policy by group text. Witkoff and Kushner even invited Zelenskyy’s national security adviser to Miami, because nothing says “serious diplomacy” like flying to Florida to be told that your country should surrender. Rustem Umerov didn’t mince words when he said, “the plan was better for Moscow than Kyiv.” No kidding. And here’s the dark punchline: Most of the provisions were drafted before Ukraine’s team even arrived. That’s not negotiation. That’s a sales pitch. A timeshare presentation with nuclear stakes. Supporters of Ukraine in Congress were floored when the plan leaked. Shocked. Outraged. Some genuinely couldn’t tell if it was satire. Let me assure them: it’s not satire. It just looks like satire because the people running the process aren’t qualified for anything more complex than a ribbon-cutting at a strip mall. Since then, the “plan” has been revised to 19 points—trimmed, softened, spun, resold. The most offensive bits, like Ukraine giving up territory and abandoning NATO, were removed once Rubio realized he was expected to sell this flaming trash pile of stupidity to a world that still has functioning brain cells. Rubio now calls the document a “living, breathing” thing. Sure. So is a fungus. Meanwhile, Putin says the original version “could form the basis” for a final settlement. Of course he does. The first draft might as well have been printed on Russian letterhead. Let me leave you with this: When incompetence becomes policy, when loyalty replaces expertise, when major geopolitical decisions are made in Miami dining rooms instead of briefing rooms, you don’t get peace. You get chaos wrapped in delusion, sold as strategy, and served with a side of pie. And Zelenskyy, rightfully, sent it back to the kitchen. Because Ukraine wants peace. But it deserves peace made by professionals, not a surrender plan drafted between appetizers. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I’M COUNTING ON YOU! PLEASE SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS… SUBSCRIBE. READ. LIKE. RESTACK. Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump Discharged Felon Yeah, I know; you’re tired. This shit is exhausting. Guess what? Me too. But I’ve spent the last eight years throwing punches in the dark so truth could get a little daylight. And now I’m asking you to step into the ring with me. Because if you’re still reading this, you already get it: This isn’t just a newsletter. It’s a rally cry. A war drum. A line in the sand. We are not passive observers of the downfall. We are the resistance. We call out the liars. We drag corruption by the collar into the sunlight. We say the quiet parts out loud; and we don’t flinch. But here’s the truth: I can’t do this solo. Not anymore. The storm is already here. We are standing in it. And it’s wearing stars and stripes like camouflage, preaching “freedom” while it sells fascism at retail. So let me ask you: Are. You. In? Because this is not a scroll-and-forget read. This is a living, breathing, fire-breathing movement; and movements don’t move unless you do. We need to be louder than spin, tougher than propaganda, and impossible to gaslight. That takes more than clicks. More than likes. It takes skin in the game. So if you believe truth matters—if you’re sick of the bullshit, if you’re ready to stop screaming into the algorithm and start pushing back with purpose—this is your next step. HERE’S HOW YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE GAS: Become a paid subscriber. Fund fearless, unfiltered journalism that hits back. Share this with the loudest people you know; the ones who never sit down and shut up. Build the community. Amplify the message. Be the damn megaphone. And yeah, Founding Members? The first 240 of you will get a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of Revenge. That’s not just a collector’s item. That’s receipts. Proof you didn’t sit this one out. But let’s be clear: This isn’t about a book. It’s about backbone. It’s about calling out the gaslighters and refusing to be played. It’s about locking arms and saying, “Not. On. Our. Watch.” You want to make a difference? Then make it—right now. Because if we don’t fight for truth, no one will. But if we fight together? They can’t drown us out. Let’s be so loud they wish we were just angry tweets. Let’s be unshakable. Unignorable. Un-fucking-breakable. Let’s go! Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A guest post by Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump and Discharged Felon

 

 

INTERNET ACCESS WAS OFF FOR A PERIOND OF TIME - IT'S CATCH UP 

TIME! 

Watch now   Michael Wolff Sues Melania Trump After Threat Over Epstein Reporting: ‘Someone Had to Do It’ The veteran journalist’s lawsuit against the First Lady could open the door to new revelations about Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and marks a major stand for press freedom. MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas Oct 22 In major breaking news, journalist and author Michael Wolff, who has been one of Donald Trump’s preeminent biographers and was set to be Jeffrey Epstein’s biographer, has filed a lawsuit against First Lady Melania Trump in New York State Supreme Court, accusing her of attempting to silence him through intimidation and legal threats. In my afternoon news update, I mentioned I would work to get this important interview for you. Well, here it is. Wolff’s lawsuit, brought under New York’s strong anti-SLAPP statute, seeks declaratory judgment and damages for what Wolff says is an effort by the First Lady’s legal team to chill his reporting on the Trump family’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. “Someone had to do it,” Wolff told me. “I probably would have preferred that it not be me, but, you know, come the moment, here it is.” He called the First Lady’s actions “obvious and disgraceful.” According to court filings, Melania Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, sent Wolff a demand letter accusing him of defamation for statements suggesting Melania Trump was connected to Epstein’s social circle and met Donald Trump through modeling agencies linked to both men. The letter demanded a public apology and retraction and warned Wolff to “govern himself accordingly.” Rather than back down, Wolff responded with a lawsuit of his own. He argues that his statements are protected under the First Amendment and that the letter itself amounts to an unlawful attempt to suppress free speech. “There are laws against what the First Lady and the President are doing,” Wolff said. “You cannot use a legal remedy to intimidate someone from speaking out. So, here we are. I’ve sued the First Lady.” Wolff said he filed the suit not just to defend himself but to push back against a growing “chill” in American journalism. “Everybody throughout the media business—there’s a chill,” he said. “And a chill is probably the kind word.” He added that major outlets, including The New York Times, are hesitant to cover stories like his because “they’re being sued by the same lawyer who is suing me.” Well, we here at the MeidasTouch Network are not afraid. With the lawsuit now filed, Wolff says he intends to use the discovery process to uncover the truth about the Trump family’s relationship with Epstein. “This is an opportunity to ask all of the questions that they have refused to answer,” he told me. “Let’s hear the details of their financial involvement. Let’s hear the details of their social involvement. Let’s get into Melania’s history — how she came to this country, what she did when she was here, how she met Donald Trump, and her relationship to the modeling agents who knew both Epstein and Trump.” Wolff said that once those questions are answered, “we will have a much clearer picture of what Jeffrey Epstein did, who he did it to, and how the President of the United States was involved.” He described the lawsuit as both an act of necessity and principle. “Obviously I’m not going to apologize,” he said. “Oh my God. I’m not going to retract. There’s virtually nothing to retract here. The truth is that anything I have said here is mild.” Read that last sentence again. Take that in for a moment. For Wolff, the case is about confronting what he sees as a deliberate attempt by those in power to erase uncomfortable truths. “This is not even a matter of what you said; it’s the subject itself that cannot be discussed,” he said. “The effort to sue me and to shut me up — and me along with others — is an effort to change the subject and shut down discussion of [Trump’s] involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.” In his view, that’s precisely why this issue matters so deeply. “This is not just me,” Wolff said. “This is an effort to get the truth of what Jeffrey Epstein means to Donald Trump.” He knows the battle ahead will be costly, but he’s undeterred. “This is going to be an expensive process,” he admitted. “But it’s going to be a hell of a ride.” Watch my interview with Michael Wolff above. Support our unapologetically pro-democracy reporting by sharing this piece, and consider joining as a paid subscriber if you haven’t yet. And if Donald Trump wants to come after us next for our reporting on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, well, bring it on. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

 

This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 256.

Ron Filipkowski Nov 23

… A firestorm erupted this weekend over whether the US’s 28 point “peace plan” to end the war in Ukraine came directly from the Russians. If you read these Bulletins, since the plan was first revealed in Axios, I have cited various sources who said it appeared to be something that came directly from the Kremlin that was translated into English and adopted by the US. What made it even worse was that Trump demanded Ukraine accept the surrender plan by this Thur.

… Reuters: “US officials and lawmakers are increasingly concerned about a meeting last month in which representatives of the Trump admin met with Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under US sanctions, to draft a plan to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place in Miami at the end of Oct and included special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Dmitriev, who leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

… “Dmitriev, who is blacklisted by the US via sanctions, flew to the US at the end of Oct. He held meetings at the Faena Hotel in Miami, including with Rep. Anna Luna. In Russian state videos and images from the meeting, Luna is seen accepting a box of chocolates with Putin’s face on it. The Faena Hotel is owned by Len Blavatnik, whose company works closely with Witkoff’s.”

… “Senior officials inside the NSC and State Dept said they weren’t briefed on the meeting and were unaware of what transpired or how the plan was drafted. Dmitriev has a history of meeting with Trump officials and allies in off-book meetings. He met with Erik Prince in the Seychelles in 2017 to discuss US-Russia relations and worked with a Kushner friend to develop a plan to reset ties between the countries.”

… Russian propagandist Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) then posted: “A strong deal is on the table for Ukrainians — and we need to get it done. This war must end. Russia has signaled it’s ready to come to the table, and the US supports a path to peace. Trump’s peace deal is the only path forward to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. This is the way. Take the deal, Zelensky.”

… Kyiv Post: “The foreign-policy unpredictability of the Trump admin reached a new apex this weekend, setting off an unprecedented messaging confrontation between Marco Rubio and a bipartisan bloc of US Senators over a proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The immediate flashpoint: a leaked 28-point draft, reportedly crafted by Kremlin intermediaries and without Kyiv’s participation. This provenance instantly set the stage for a political firestorm.”

… “The document presents a harsh ultimatum to Ukraine: surrender large swaths of territory – including areas of the eastern Donbas region currently under Ukrainian control – drastically reduce the size of its armed forces, and constitutionally abandon any hope of joining NATO. The crisis exploded Sat after key US Senators attending the Halifax Intl Security Forum publicly recounted a private call with Rubio, who was en route to Geneva for talks on the plan.”

… Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD): “Rubio did make a phone call to us this afternoon. I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our reps. It is not our recommendation, it is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received. And we did not release it. It was leaked. It was not released by our members or our reps. It even looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.”

… That is not what was reported by Axios, and Rubio later denied what Rounds said and claimed it IS the proposal of the US and did not come from the Russians. Rubio posted on X: “The peace proposal was authored by the US. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

… I call bullshit.

… Anton LaGuardia, foreign policy correspondent for The Economist: “State Dept is backpedalling on Rubio’s backpedal. If for a moment you thought the grown-ups were back in charge, think again. We’re still in the circus. ‘Unbelievable,’ mutters one disbelieving senator.”

… Yaroslav Trofimov, foreign policy correspondent for WSJ: “Foreign nations now have to deal with rival factions of the US govt who keep major policy initiatives secret from each other and some of which work with foreign powers as the succession battle for 2028 begins, is how one diplomat put it.”

… Speigel investigative journalist Christo Grozev: “I happened to see an early version of the ‘peace plan’, about 6 months ago. It was a purely Russian concept and was nearly identical to what we see today (certainly the 50/50 Russian assets + EU investment in Ukraine reconstruction was there).”

… Garry Kasparov: “Incompetence and confusion, handing a major portfolio of state responsibility to Trump’s personal business partner. Privatized deals behind closed doors, away from the public eye and interest: the Putin model.”

… Sen. Angus King (I-ME) compared it to British PM Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 appeasement of Hitler. King: “It rewards aggression. This is pure and simple. There’s no ethical, legal, moral, political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine.”

… Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): “I have made it clear that I believe this is a Russian proposal. I hope that tomorrow’s negotiations in Geneva focus on a real framework that guarantees an outcome benefiting Ukraine rather than Russia. Any real peace plan must be sustainable and backed by Ukraine’s government and its people. And it should be developed in full consideration and consultation with our allies.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): “Some people better get fired on Monday for the gross buffoonery we just witnessed over the last 4 days. This hurt our country and undermined our alliances, and encouraged our adversaries.”

… Polish PM Donald Tusk: “Together with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, we have declared our readiness to work on the 28-point plan despite some reservations. However, before we start our work, it would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”

… Jurgen Nauditt: “Trump’s ‘28-point peace plan’ turns out to be a Russian fake that went viral through skillful manipulation. Kirill Dmitriev (a top Russian official, ‘K.’) drafts the plan and leaks it to Axios before it is officially discussed in the US – as a PR move to put pressure on Kyiv. Witkoff is only briefed afterward for hours to lend the plan ‘weight.’ His accidental tweet (‘He must have gotten this from K.’) reveals the Russian origin and exposes the leak.”

… Nauditt is noting that when the story first broke, Witkoff gave the game away when he mistakenly responded to Ravid’s story with a post he then quickly deleted, that was likely supposed to be a DM to someone: “He must have got this (document) from K.”

… “The WH, State Dept, and other agencies are caught off guard; sanctions continue. Trump remains silent, then takes over and praises the plan as ‘his’ plan. An ultimatum (approval by Nov 27 or loss of US aid) fuels panic. Europe is engaged in heated debate, Trump backtracks slightly, but the damage is done: global uncertainty about Ukraine’s future, culminating in a summit in Switzerland on Nov 23.”

… “The plan rewards Russia’s aggression (e.g., territorial claims, refusal to join NATO) and threatens to divide Western unity. The escalation is no accident, but rather the result of errors and manipulation. Primarily responsible: Kirill Dmitriev: As architect and source of the leak, he is the central puppet master – a Russian PR coup that allowed the plan to ‘take on a life of its own’ before the US vote.”

… Axios reporter Barak Ravid, who broke the story for Axios, was also under fire after it appears that his source for the story was Dmitriev. That was not disclosed in his story, and if he got a report from a Kremlin operative and published it as the US plan without confirmation from any US official, that is a VERY bad look for Ravid and Axios.

… Ukraine war correspondent Jimmy Rushton: “Barak Ravid and Axios have quite a few questions to answer right now. They sit right at the heart of a major Russian active measures operation. This is exactly what my contacts at the US State Dept told me two days ago - nobody had seen the document: nobody was even aware that it EXISTED until it was reported by Axios.”

… Michael Weiss, a journalist who covers Russia: “Did 3 US Senators mishear or misrepresent what Rubio told them? Why did Rubio say this and give them permission to talk, or was the permission a misunderstanding too? If Rubio is trying to blow up this plan while negotiating it on behalf of the US, what does that say about the seriousness of this plan? Where is the US intel community on this? Has Ratcliffe weighed in on this doc and its provenance? Did journalists know Dmitriev was recording his conversations with them, as he now says he was? How do they feel about that?

… Trump then posted this: “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA. THE USA CONTINUES TO SELL MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WEAPONS TO NATO, FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UKRAINE (CROOKED JOE GAVE EVERYTHING, FREE, FREE, FREE, INCLUDING “BIG” MONEY!).”

… National security reporter Mark Toth: “Team Trump is not reading the room, let alone the Russians. Putin is playing a divide and conquer game and the WH is falling for it. This post is a 100% win for Russia. Trump slams Ukraine. He attacks Europe (thus dividing Washington from NATO as Dmitriev intended).

… Rep. Don Bacon: “Trump’s plan to force Ukraine to give up more territory, to cut its Army by more than half, to never join NATO nor let foreign troops in its territory is an abomination. Freedom loving Americans must tell the President that we reject the worst appeasement seen since 1938. The Russians said they respected Ukraine’s sovereignty and boundaries in 1994. What makes Trump think we can now trust Putin? This agreement weakens Ukraine and leaves them vulnerable to new Russian invasions in the years to come.”

… Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “Putin has spent the entire year trying to play Trump for a fool. If Admin officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors. Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests. This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace. Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most flagrant war criminals in Putin. Any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism.”

… Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA): “The following facts must be emphasized when assessing any proposed peace agreement: Putin has never once kept a single promise that he has made regarding Ukraine. Not once. Ever. And he’s not about to start now. Any agreement that requires any element of trust placed in Putin’s ‘promise’ is not worth the paper it is written on.”

… “There are only two enforceable security guarantees: 1) NATO Article 5, or 2) a treaty that is passed by Congress. Anything outside of this is just a Budapest Memorandum 2.0 — a completely unenforceable and empty promise that led to the invasion of Ukraine, and will lead to the future dismantling of Ukraine. Any ‘forced reduction’ of the Ukrainian military means future increased pressure, risk, and danger to the European, NATO, and US military.”

… “Any official recognition of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory as ‘Russian territory,’ and any official prohibition of Ukraine from being free to decide what alliances to join, would, for the first time in American history, create a brand new precedent of officially rewarding a dictator for invading a sovereign nation, and officially punishing a victim nation that was wrongfully invaded. What a terrible precedent to set. What a terrible message to send.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletins available to free subscribers while during the week about the first third of the daily Bulletins are available. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work. If you missed the last one, you can find it here.

With that said, let me give you a content warning. The last item of this Bulletin includes a very sexually explicit text sent by RFK Jr. to reporter Olivia Nuzzi, who he was having a sexting affair with while he was running for president. You can read it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

… AOC told Forbes she questions Trump’s mental state after he posted that Dems should be executed for treason: “It’s not just shocking. It’s not just offensive. It’s bizarre. It is erratic. It’s volatile, and I think it indicates a mental state that we should all be questioning right now.”

… Trump made two more deranged posts about it at midnight on Sat: “THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK. IT WASN’T, AND NEVER WILL BE! IT WAS SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, AND SEDITION IS A MAJOR CRIME. THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID!”

… “MANY GREAT LEGAL SCHOLARS AGREE THAT THE DEMOCRAT TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS, AS PRESIDENT, HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME OF SERIOUS PROPORTION!”

… Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on CBS: “The message he sent a couple days ago was he declared that loyalty to the Constitution is now punishable by death. Those are serious words coming from the president. He’s trying to intimidate us. But I’m not going to be intimidated.”

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) on CBS: “We wanted to start a conversation about the dangerous rhetoric this president is using and threats he’s made to use our military in an unlawful way. Q - Specifically what? Crow: Send troops into Chicago, into polling stations, kill terrorists’ families, shoot peaceful protesters ...”

… Crow: “It’s also so telling that when members of Congress simply remind service members of the Constitution and their duty to obey the law that he cannot handle that and he resorts to threats of violence and arrest and execution. That tells you everything you need to know about Trump’s respect for the constitution and the rule of law and actually underscores our point.”

… NBC’s Sahil Kapur spotted Kristi Noem and Kash Patel on Saturday enjoying more taxpayer-funded travel and entertainment: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel are here in Las Vegas for tonight’s F1 race. Getting a tour of the paddock and checking out this LEGO car.”

… Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA): “TIME claims ‘sources’ told them I’m running for President in 2028, which means this is a complete lie and they made it up because they can’t even quote the names of the people who they claim said it. That’s not journalism, it’s called lying. I’m not running for President and never said I wanted to and have only laughed about it when anyone would mention it. I would never do it.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) was asked on CNN about Marge Greene resigning: “Honestly, I was like, you got to be kidding. You’re on the other side of the president for one week and you can’t take the heat? Imagine what it is to sit in my shoes. Marjorie has been an instigator of a lot of this hate that we see as it relates to the MAGA movement. It’s just interesting that I don’t know if she really fully understood how bad she was making it for other people, and now that they’re doing it to her, why is it that everyone else is able to stand and you can’t?”

… Daily Beast: “Elon Musk’s social media site X has rolled out a new feature in an effort to increase transparency—and unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are actually foreign actors. The new ‘About This Account’ feature allows others to see where an account is based, when they joined the platform, how often they have changed their username, and how they downloaded the X app.”

… “Upon rollout, rival factions began to inspect just where their online adversaries were really based on the combative social platform—with dozens of major MAGA and right-wing influencer accounts revealed to be originating from overseas. Dozens of major accounts masquerading as ‘America First’ or ‘MAGA’ proponents have been identified as originating in places like Russia, India, and Nigeria.

… “In one example, the account MAGANationX—with its nearly 400,000 followers and a bio reading ‘Patriot Voice for We The People’—is actually based in Eastern Europe. An Ivanka Trump fan account, IvankaNews, has 1 million followers and frequently posts about the dangers of Islam, the threat of illegal immigration and support for Trump. That account is based in Nigeria.”

… People: “After Usha Vance was spotted out without her wedding ring on, rumors about her marriage to JD Vance began to swirl. The second lady visited Camp Lejeune, a military training facility, alongside Melania Trump. Usha did not wear her wedding ring during the appearance, and after photos of the outing were published, rumors of trouble in her marriage to the VP picked up steam on social media.”

… “Amid the speculation, a spokesperson for the second lady - who is very private and rarely speaks with press - addressed the ringless appearance in a statement to PEOPLE. The spokesperson said that Usha is ‘a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.’”

… Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, who has covered the Epstein case for many years: “There is a lot of confusion on what constitutes ‘the Epstein files.’ So let me explain:

1. First, there are the DOJ/FBI federal criminal case files. This is what Congress voted to release this past week.

2. A small subset included with the DOJ files are the federal grand jury files. This is the evidence federal prosecutors present to a grand jury in order to get an indictment. It is a very small percentage of the files.

3. The Oversight Committee Epstein files: these are they files that Congress obtained from Epstein’s estate by issuing a subpoena. They include Epstein’s calendars, emails and other documents that have been dripping out over they past few months.

4. Epstein Civil Case files: Dozens of civil lawsuits were filed against Epstein, Maxwell, Epstein’s estate, Epstein’s banks and the FBI, mostly by victims. As these cases are litigated, a lot of discovery was produced implicating various people and institutions in Epstein’s crimes.

5. Two of the civil cases, one filed against Maxwell by victim Virginia Giuffre, and the other filed against the FBI, produced an extraordinary amount of evidence we have already seen: plane logs, message pads, emails, etc. The Miami Herald (Brown v. Maxwell) has been responsible for the bulk of the unsealing in the Maxwell/Giuffre case, which is still ongoing. Several names in this case remain sealed, and we don’t know why. (They are not victims’ names, but John and Jane Doe names.)

6. Despite the release and unsealing of portions of these civil case files, many of the documents remain sealed or redacted. Media organizations, such as the Miami Herald, NNT, WSJ and some TV networks, have filed requests to unseal more documents. This is a painstaking process and it is SLOW. These are the documents that require a judge’s ruling or a panel of judges to rule upon.

7. Treasury Dept/IRS Epstein files: Sen. Ron Wyden has been in the forefront of seeking access to Epstein’s financial records. However, he has not received support from Republicans on this front. These files are important because they show how Epstein made his money.

8. CIA files (if they exist): There has long been speculation that Epstein worked in intelligence. Release of these files, if they exist, would show to what extent he was involved in intelligence which would perhaps also explain why he managed to get away with his crimes for so long.

9. FAA records: Epstein had two jets and flew around the world. He was, after 2008, a convicted sex offender. Did anyone ever check to see whether he was bringing in women and girls from other countries? Not all his plane logs have been made public, and while the FAA does not hold Epstein’s plane logs they do have records on where he flew. DHS should also have records on his passengers when he arrived from overseas. (Last I asked for them, they were fully redacted.)

10. Last but not least: Remember that not all the claims against Epstein and his associates were filed in court. Many of them were also settled through quiet agreements that may never be known. I know of several.

… The Republican front-runner to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (R-GA) is now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Politico: “Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations against Collins and his chief of staff, Brandon Phillips. It’s not immediately clear what allegations the two men are facing. The committee said in its announcement that it would publicly share ‘its course of action in this matter on or before Jan 5, 2026.’”

… “The Daily Mail, though, published a report in July alleging that Phillips had hired a romantic interest to work in Collins’ office; however, the woman was often absent from work. POLITICO reported in 2022 that Phillips was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty for allegedly kicking a dog.”

… Former Fox reporter now right-wing indy journalist Breanna Morello: I was enthusiastic for Kash Patel and Dan Bongino to be nominated to the FBI. I’ve given both guys a fair shake by reaching out to their communications team for comment—prior to running my stories. They rarely respond. When they do respond, the statements lack substance.”

… Zohran Mamdani was on Meet the Press: Q - Do you think that Trump is a fascist? Mamdani: That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today. Q - You’ve called him a despot. Do you still believe Trump is a threat to the democracy? Mamdani: Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe. Q - How do you square working with someone who you still think is a threat to the democracy? Mamdani: I think working for the people of NYC demands that you work with everyone and anyone—and that you always look to find those areas of agreement while not overlooking the places of disagreement.”

… Welker: “If Democrats win the midterms, do you want to see Leader Jeffries become the Speaker of the House? Mamdani: Yes.”

… Treasury Sec Scott Bessent said that people suffering from inflation should just move: “You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down? Move from a blue state to a red state. Blue state inflation is half a percent higher.”

… Q - “Which parts of the economy do you believe have dipped into recession?
Bessent: Clearly housing has been struggling. Interest rate sensitive sectors have been in a recession. Q - Is the entire country at risk of recession? Bessent: No. I am very confident about 2026.”

… WH Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett blames Biden, blames the Fed, and blames the shutdown for their failing economic policy: “The only thing is that we’re gonna see a lot of whining from left-wing critics of the president about the 4th quarter, because our estimate is the shutdown cost more than we expected at the beginning. We think the economic effect might be to cut economic growth about in half in Q4.”

… Q - “Trump posted yesterday, ‘I have just gotten the higher poll numbers of my political career.’ I don’t know what poll numbers he’s referring to. Is Trump only getting the most positively skewed polling info? Hassett: As you know, I’m not the poll expert but the people that are are briefing the president all the time.”

HUH? 

… Q - “Right before the election, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from NYC if Mamdani were elected. Was that just bluster? He doesn’t mean it? Hassett: Well, it feels like he doesn’t mean it now.”

(SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA) has an impressive history for all he has accomplished)

RFK JR is a LONG TERM HEROIN ADDICT with lots of warped ides...if Sen. Bill Cassidy had done ANY cursory research, he would have discovered some repulsive & offensive conduct which disqualified RFK JR from any position...it is known & public.

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was on CNN: Q - You were the deciding vote that allowed RFK Jr to ascend to the role of Health Secretary. Did you give him too much credit? Cassidy: The fact is the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe. That’s all I can say.” Q - Dr Cassidy, RFK Jr lied to you. Cassidy: First let me say what’s most important - vaccines are safe.”

… Cassidy: “I know it’s titillating, but I think we need to move beyond the titillation.
Host: This isn’t about titillation. This is about the fact that you are the chairman of the Health Committee and you voted to confirm somebody that by all accounts is actually making America less healthy.”

… Host: “RFK Jr, according to his own family, is causing real damage to the health of the US. You don’t seem willing to criticize him by name at all unlike members of his family. Cassidy: Clearly you want me to be on the record saying something negative. Of course it makes news if Republicans fight each other. Host: I don’t even know that he’s a Republican. Cassidy: Whatever. I’m all about, how do we make America healthy?”

… NY Post: “RFK Jr. once texted disgraced journalist and alleged ex-flame Olivia Nuzzi about a lewd sex-act, according to her jilted ex-fiancé. Ryan Lizza claimed he learned about ‘felching’ only after combing through the salacious text messages and raunchy ‘poems’ written to Nuzzi from RFK Jr. Felching is the term used for when one sexual partner sucks semen out of another partner’s anus or vagina following unprotected penetrative sex, according to NIH, which RFK Jr. leads as part of his top role at HHS.”

… “Felching was referred to in a bombshell confessional article from former Politico journalist Ryan Lizza who detailed one raunchy poem written to his ex-fiance Olivia Nuzzi by alleged horn-dog RFK Jr:

“Yr open mouth awaiting my harvest. I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth. I’ll hold your nose as you look yp at me to encourage you to swallow. Don’t spill a drop. I am a river You are my canyon. I mean to flow through you. I mean to subdue and tame you. My Love.”

… The irony of this is that RFK Jr’s previous wife committed suicide, which occurred a period of time after she found his diary detailing affairs with 37 different women in very explicit detail. Now Lizza got to read these from RFK Jr to his fiancee.

… AOC told Forbes she questions Trump’s mental state after he posted that Dems should be executed for treason: “It’s not just shocking. It’s not just offensive. It’s bizarre. It is erratic. It’s volatile, and I think it indicates a mental state that we should all be questioning right now.”

… Trump made two more deranged posts about it at midnight on Sat: “THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK. IT WASN’T, AND NEVER WILL BE! IT WAS SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, AND SEDITION IS A MAJOR CRIME. THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID!”

… “MANY GREAT LEGAL SCHOLARS AGREE THAT THE DEMOCRAT TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS, AS PRESIDENT, HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME OF SERIOUS PROPORTION!”

… Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on CBS: “The message he sent a couple days ago was he declared that loyalty to the Constitution is now punishable by death. Those are serious words coming from the president. He’s trying to intimidate us. But I’m not going to be intimidated.”

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) on CBS: “We wanted to start a conversation about the dangerous rhetoric this president is using and threats he’s made to use our military in an unlawful way. Q - Specifically what? Crow: Send troops into Chicago, into polling stations, kill terrorists’ families, shoot peaceful protesters ...”

… Crow: “It’s also so telling that when members of Congress simply remind service members of the Constitution and their duty to obey the law that he cannot handle that and he resorts to threats of violence and arrest and execution. That tells you everything you need to know about Trump’s respect for the constitution and the rule of law and actually underscores our point.”

… NBC’s Sahil Kapur spotted Kristi Noem and Kash Patel on Saturday enjoying more taxpayer-funded travel and entertainment: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel are here in Las Vegas for tonight’s F1 race. Getting a tour of the paddock and checking out this LEGO car.”

… Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA): “TIME claims ‘sources’ told them I’m running for President in 2028, which means this is a complete lie and they made it up because they can’t even quote the names of the people who they claim said it. That’s not journalism, it’s called lying. I’m not running for President and never said I wanted to and have only laughed about it when anyone would mention it. I would never do it.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) was asked on CNN about Marge Greene resigning: “Honestly, I was like, you got to be kidding. You’re on the other side of the president for one week and you can’t take the heat? Imagine what it is to sit in my shoes. Marjorie has been an instigator of a lot of this hate that we see as it relates to the MAGA movement. It’s just interesting that I don’t know if she really fully understood how bad she was making it for other people, and now that they’re doing it to her, why is it that everyone else is able to stand and you can’t?”

… Daily Beast: “Elon Musk’s social media site X has rolled out a new feature in an effort to increase transparency—and unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are actually foreign actors. The new ‘About This Account’ feature allows others to see where an account is based, when they joined the platform, how often they have changed their username, and how they downloaded the X app.”

… “Upon rollout, rival factions began to inspect just where their online adversaries were really based on the combative social platform—with dozens of major MAGA and right-wing influencer accounts revealed to be originating from overseas. Dozens of major accounts masquerading as ‘America First’ or ‘MAGA’ proponents have been identified as originating in places like Russia, India, and Nigeria.

… “In one example, the account MAGANationX—with its nearly 400,000 followers and a bio reading ‘Patriot Voice for We The People’—is actually based in Eastern Europe. An Ivanka Trump fan account, IvankaNews, has 1 million followers and frequently posts about the dangers of Islam, the threat of illegal immigration and support for Trump. That account is based in Nigeria.”

… People: “After Usha Vance was spotted out without her wedding ring on, rumors about her marriage to JD Vance began to swirl. The second lady visited Camp Lejeune, a military training facility, alongside Melania Trump. Usha did not wear her wedding ring during the appearance, and after photos of the outing were published, rumors of trouble in her marriage to the VP picked up steam on social media.”

… “Amid the speculation, a spokesperson for the second lady - who is very private and rarely speaks with press - addressed the ringless appearance in a statement to PEOPLE. The spokesperson said that Usha is ‘a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.’”

… Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, who has covered the Epstein case for many years: “There is a lot of confusion on what constitutes ‘the Epstein files.’ So let me explain:

1. First, there are the DOJ/FBI federal criminal case files. This is what Congress voted to release this past week.

2. A small subset included with the DOJ files are the federal grand jury files. This is the evidence federal prosecutors present to a grand jury in order to get an indictment. It is a very small percentage of the files.

3. The Oversight Committee Epstein files: these are they files that Congress obtained from Epstein’s estate by issuing a subpoena. They include Epstein’s calendars, emails and other documents that have been dripping out over they past few months.

4. Epstein Civil Case files: Dozens of civil lawsuits were filed against Epstein, Maxwell, Epstein’s estate, Epstein’s banks and the FBI, mostly by victims. As these cases are litigated, a lot of discovery was produced implicating various people and institutions in Epstein’s crimes.

5. Two of the civil cases, one filed against Maxwell by victim Virginia Giuffre, and the other filed against the FBI, produced an extraordinary amount of evidence we have already seen: plane logs, message pads, emails, etc. The Miami Herald (Brown v. Maxwell) has been responsible for the bulk of the unsealing in the Maxwell/Giuffre case, which is still ongoing. Several names in this case remain sealed, and we don’t know why. (They are not victims’ names, but John and Jane Doe names.)

6. Despite the release and unsealing of portions of these civil case files, many of the documents remain sealed or redacted. Media organizations, such as the Miami Herald, NNT, WSJ and some TV networks, have filed requests to unseal more documents. This is a painstaking process and it is SLOW. These are the documents that require a judge’s ruling or a panel of judges to rule upon.

7. Treasury Dept/IRS Epstein files: Sen. Ron Wyden has been in the forefront of seeking access to Epstein’s financial records. However, he has not received support from Republicans on this front. These files are important because they show how Epstein made his money.

8. CIA files (if they exist): There has long been speculation that Epstein worked in intelligence. Release of these files, if they exist, would show to what extent he was involved in intelligence which would perhaps also explain why he managed to get away with his crimes for so long.

9. FAA records: Epstein had two jets and flew around the world. He was, after 2008, a convicted sex offender. Did anyone ever check to see whether he was bringing in women and girls from other countries? Not all his plane logs have been made public, and while the FAA does not hold Epstein’s plane logs they do have records on where he flew. DHS should also have records on his passengers when he arrived from overseas. (Last I asked for them, they were fully redacted.)

10. Last but not least: Remember that not all the claims against Epstein and his associates were filed in court. Many of them were also settled through quiet agreements that may never be known. I know of several.

… The Republican front-runner to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (R-GA) is now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Politico: “Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations against Collins and his chief of staff, Brandon Phillips. It’s not immediately clear what allegations the two men are facing. The committee said in its announcement that it would publicly share ‘its course of action in this matter on or before Jan 5, 2026.’”

… “The Daily Mail, though, published a report in July alleging that Phillips had hired a romantic interest to work in Collins’ office; however, the woman was often absent from work. POLITICO reported in 2022 that Phillips was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty for allegedly kicking a dog.”

… Former Fox reporter now right-wing indy journalist Breanna Morello: I was enthusiastic for Kash Patel and Dan Bongino to be nominated to the FBI. I’ve given both guys a fair shake by reaching out to their communications team for comment—prior to running my stories. They rarely respond. When they do respond, the statements lack substance.”

… Zohran Mamdani was on Meet the Press: Q - Do you think that Trump is a fascist? Mamdani: That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today. Q - You’ve called him a despot. Do you still believe Trump is a threat to the democracy? Mamdani: Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe. Q - How do you square working with someone who you still think is a threat to the democracy? Mamdani: I think working for the people of NYC demands that you work with everyone and anyone—and that you always look to find those areas of agreement while not overlooking the places of disagreement.”

… Welker: “If Democrats win the midterms, do you want to see Leader Jeffries become the Speaker of the House? Mamdani: Yes.”

… Treasury Sec Scott Bessent said that people suffering from inflation should just move: “You know the best way to bring your inflation rate down? Move from a blue state to a red state. Blue state inflation is half a percent higher.”

… Q - “Which parts of the economy do you believe have dipped into recession?
Bessent: Clearly housing has been struggling. Interest rate sensitive sectors have been in a recession. Q - Is the entire country at risk of recession? Bessent: No. I am very confident about 2026.”

… WH Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett blames Biden, blames the Fed, and blames the shutdown for their failing economic policy: “The only thing is that we’re gonna see a lot of whining from left-wing critics of the president about the 4th quarter, because our estimate is the shutdown cost more than we expected at the beginning. We think the economic effect might be to cut economic growth about in half in Q4.”

… Q - “Trump posted yesterday, ‘I have just gotten the higher poll numbers of my political career.’ I don’t know what poll numbers he’s referring to. Is Trump only getting the most positively skewed polling info? Hassett: As you know, I’m not the poll expert but the people that are are briefing the president all the time.”

… Q - “Right before the election, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from NYC if Mamdani were elected. Was that just bluster? He doesn’t mean it? Hassett: Well, it feels like he doesn’t mean it now.”

… Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was on CNN: Q - You were the deciding vote that allowed RFK Jr to ascend to the role of Health Secretary. Did you give him too much credit? Cassidy: The fact is the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe. That’s all I can say.” Q - Dr Cassidy, RFK Jr lied to you. Cassidy: First let me say what’s most important - vaccines are safe.”

… Cassidy: “I know it’s titillating, but I think we need to move beyond the titillation.
Host: This isn’t about titillation. This is about the fact that you are the chairman of the Health Committee and you voted to confirm somebody that by all accounts is actually making America less healthy.”

… Host: “RFK Jr, according to his own family, is causing real damage to the health of the US. You don’t seem willing to criticize him by name at all unlike members of his family. Cassidy: Clearly you want me to be on the record saying something negative. Of course it makes news if Republicans fight each other. Host: I don’t even know that he’s a Republican. Cassidy: Whatever. I’m all about, how do we make America healthy?”

… NY Post: “RFK Jr. once texted disgraced journalist and alleged ex-flame Olivia Nuzzi about a lewd sex-act, according to her jilted ex-fiancé. Ryan Lizza claimed he learned about ‘felching’ only after combing through the salacious text messages and raunchy ‘poems’ written to Nuzzi from RFK Jr. Felching is the term used for when one sexual partner sucks semen out of another partner’s anus or vagina following unprotected penetrative sex, according to NIH, which RFK Jr. leads as part of his top role at HHS.”

… “Felching was referred to in a bombshell confessional article from former Politico journalist Ryan Lizza who detailed one raunchy poem written to his ex-fiance Olivia Nuzzi by alleged horn-dog RFK Jr:

“Yr open mouth awaiting my harvest. I mean to squeeze your cheeks to force open your mouth. I’ll hold your nose as you look yp at me to encourage you to swallow. Don’t spill a drop. I am a river You are my canyon. I mean to flow through you. I mean to subdue and tame you. My Love.”

… The irony of this is that RFK Jr’s previous wife committed suicide, which occurred a period of time after she found his diary detailing affairs with 37 different women in very explicit detail. Now Lizza got to read these from RFK Jr to his fiancee.