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Welcome to The Logoff: After months of resistance by the Trump administration, the “Epstein information” are set to be launched to the general public.
What occurred? On Tuesday, Congress voted overwhelmingly to compel President Donald Trump’s Justice Division to launch information regarding deceased financier and onetime Trump buddy Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, regardless of earlier opposition, has stated he’ll signal the invoice into legislation.
What’s the context? The near-unanimous help in Congress belies the fact that Trump and his political allies actually didn’t need this vote to occur; they simply ran out of how to place it off. Sufficient members of the Home (largely Democrats, joined by a small handful of Republicans) signed a discharge petition, a congressional process to drive a vote.
Trump threw his help behind the invoice on the final minute on Sunday, after it turned clear it will cross — and solely after mounting a failed full-court press to forestall it arising for a vote within the first place.
What will we count on to be taught? We don’t actually know, although as my colleague Andrew Prokop experiences, the DOJ has explicitly denied the existence of some paperwork, together with an alleged Epstein “consumer checklist.” There’s a lot there, although: the complete information reportedly embrace greater than 100,000 pages of supplies.
The Home invoice units a 30-day timeline for the discharge, in a “searchable and downloadable format,” of all unclassified supplies related to Epstein and his confederate Ghislaine Maxwell, although some supplies could also be withheld or redacted.
Why does this matter? No matter we be taught within the Epstein information, it’s not prone to blow the case huge open; Trump’s presidency received’t lastly collapse below the burden of 1 scandal too many. However that doesn’t make it meaningless, both. On the very least, it’s one other blow to an administration already on its again foot, and it’s a notable break in Trump’s normally iron grip over his occasion in Congress.
And with that, it’s time to log out…
I confess I didn’t notice right now was the fortieth anniversary of the debut of the caricature “Calvin and Hobbes” till I noticed this story from NPR, that includes an archival interview with the strip’s editor, Lee Salem. As a religious fan, although, I can’t cross up marking the event right here, and you may additionally take pleasure in Defector’s Barry Petchesky making the case for why the strip is so enduringly good, whilst an grownup. As all the time, thanks for studying and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow!
