Latest Epstein Files Jolt Washington as New Disclosures Put White House Under Intensifying Pressure

Freshly released House documents alleging Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls” shake an already fractured GOP, triggering infighting, media battles, and renewed scrutiny over why Democrats never released the information during four years under Biden.

WASHINGTON | The political earthquake surrounding Jeffrey Epstein has returned at the worst possible moment for President Donald Trump. After a bruising week that saw Republican losses at the ballot box, skepticism from the Supreme Court over Trump’s signature tariffs, and escalating GOP infighting over accusations of antisemitism, the White House is now facing a new crisis: the release of fresh Epstein files.

On Wednesday, House Democrats published documents revealing that Epstein allegedly told associates that Trump “knew about the girls” he was trafficking. The release—landing just as the administration hoped to celebrate the end of the 43-day government shutdown—has knocked the White House off balance and further fractured a party already splintered this year over the so-called Epstein files.

One Trump ally described the moment bluntly: “It takes things that are already complicated for the president and brings them to the surface… It accentuates everything.”

Trump Serves a Misleading Thanksgiving Meal Statistic

Walmart’s 2025 Thanksgiving meal consisting of pre-selected products costs about one-quarter less than last year’s meal, but it also includes fewer grocery items and different food brands. Yet President Donald Trump has been misleadingly touting the decline in the price of this year’s meal without mentioning the reasons for the big decrease.

There’s still a drop in price when comparing the same basket of items as the 2024 meal, but it’s a smaller decrease — 6.5% by our calculations.

In a Nov. 5 Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Walmart just announced that Prices for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25% since under Sleepy/Crooked Joe Biden, in 2024. AFFORDABILITY is a Republican Stronghold. Hopefully, Republicans will use this irrefutable fact!” He made similar claims about Walmart’s annual holiday promotion in remarks on Nov. 5, 6 and 7, while claiming that grocery prices “are way down.”

Average grocery prices are up — not down, as we wrote earlier this month. The Consumer Price Index for “food-at-home” increased by 1.4% from January to September, and was up 2.7% from September 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But this year’s curated dinner basket from Walmart, at nearly $40, is about 25% less than the $55 price of the 2024 basket, Walmart said. The retail giant has made the meals available for purchase since 2022, and it said this year’s offering, which is supposed to serve 10 people, is its “most affordable holiday meal yet.”