Ghislaine Maxwell files cleared for release

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12:30 REPORT 12:30 REPORT Tuesday, December 9 | By Cate Martel Today in DC: ☁️ 34°  View Online  |  Sign up  PRESENTED BY It's Tuesday. I'm so over this polar vortex. I moved to Washington to escape the frigid temps!! 🥶 In today's issue: Judge OKs Ghislaine Maxwell file release Trump's Pa. trip kicks off midterm scramble President rates economy 'A + + + + +' Paramount's efforts to woo Trump, Warner Bros. Trump's newsy interview McDonald's viral Grinch Meal 🚨 NEWS THIS MORNING Another step in releasing some Epstein files: A federal judge has ordered the release of the files related to Ghislaine Maxwell's case, granting the Justice Department's request to unseal the records. Timing: This comes after Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump later signed, directing the government to release the Epstein files by Dec. 19. The judge had some things to say: U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote that the government's past portrayal of the materials "misled" the public. He also criticized its treatment of the victims of both Epstein and Maxwell. Maxwell is the longtime accomplice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of conspiring with and aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls. 🔔 HAPPENING TODAY AP A rare domestic trip for the president: President Trump is traveling to Pennsylvania today to deliver a speech on the economy. This wouldn't have stood out during his first administration as he loved to travel domestically and hold campaign-style rallies, especially leading up to the 2020 election. But in his second term, this is a rare trip. The president has made very few domestic trips this year for official engagements. He's spent the vast majority of his time in Washington or traveling internationally to meet foreign leaders. What today's trip tells us: Democrats' midterm messaging –– and GOP fretting over the prospect of losing big in next year's elections –– is coming strongly into focus for the president. The vibes are off: The political environment the president is delivering his speech in has been dominated in recent weeks with a focus on Americans struggling amid rising living costs. While still much lower than the Biden-era COVID-19 years, inflation continues to plague the economy, and polls have shown broad anxiety about the president's tariff war exacerbating consumer prices. Political alarm bells ringing: Democrats won soundly in Virginia, New Jersey and other states last month, sending warning signs for Republicans. While Trump has dismissed any suggestion that Democrats are winning the messaging fight over affordability, today's trip suggests otherwise. Trump, speaking to Politico in an interview ahead of his speech, rated the economy as "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus." More to come?: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles says Trump will start campaigning as if it were a presidential election year. "I haven't quite broken it to him yet, but he's going to campaign like it's 2024 again," Wiles told "The Mom View" podcast. Tune in tonight: Trump is speaking in Mount Pocono, Pa., where he won by just 1 point in 2024, at 6:10 p.m. 💻 Livestream 💬 Follow today's live blog ➤ RELATED READ: The New York Times's David E. Sanger argues that Trump thought tariffs would help the U.S. economy. But now, "he's on damage control." Read: 'Trump Insists Tariffs Will Buoy the Economy. For Now, He's on Damage Control.' The Supreme Court's second major case of the week: The Supreme Court is hearing a major campaign finance case where justices will determine whether to allow coordinated spending between political parties and their candidates. 👂 Listen to the live oral arguments Vance is involved in this case: "Vice President Vance was one of the challengers. When he was a senator, he filed suit alongside former Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) and Republicans' campaign committees in both chambers against the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which enforces the rules at stake." Vance and Chabot lost in the lower courts, so now it's up to the Supreme Court. ➤ THE SUPREME COURT SAID 'NO' TO A BOOK BAN CASE: The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a Texas book ban. CONTENT FROM OUR SPONSOR HOW IS PMI U.S. INVESTED IN RESPONSIBILITY? Our 10-point approach helps ensure our nicotine products are available only to adults 21+. Learn more. 🪑 IN THE WHITE HOUSE This Trump interview is getting attention: President Trump sat down with Politico's Dasha Burns for an interview that was released today. Here's what we learned:  ♦️ Venezuela: Trump refused to rule out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela. ♦️ The economy: Trump rated the economy as "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus," arguing he has brought prices down substantially. ♦️ Ukraine: Trump says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must start making concessions in order to end its war with Russia. 🔎 Full transcript of the interview 💪 YES, THIS IS REAL: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a pull-up competition with fellow Cabinet member Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at Reagan Washington National Airport. 📹 Watch That's not a sentence I thought I'd ever write. 🪖 ON CAPITOL HILL The NDAA markup is happening today: The House Rules Committee will meet this afternoon to mark up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As a reminder, the NDAA is not a funding bill. Rather, it sets the policy for the year ahead. What happens next?: The House is set to take a key procedural vote on Wednesday, which could set up a final vote later in the day, per The Hill's Emily Brooks. My colleague Julia Shapero takes us inside the key tech provisions in the NDAA. 🔎 Read the full NDAA text 🗻 OTHER NEWS Fascinating read on Paramount's hostile bid: The Wall Street Journal published reporting on what happened "Behind Paramount's Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump." 👀 The nugget raising eyebrows: "During a visit to Washington in recent days, [Paramount Chief Executive] David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he'd make sweeping changes to CNN, a common target of President Trump's ire, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has told people close to him that he wants new ownership of CNN as well as changes to CNN programming."  Interesting tidbit: Semafor reports that both Paramount and Netflix tried to hire former Trump aide Jason Miller. Miller is now advising Paramount. ➤ QUICK HITS: — An immigration judge ordered the release of the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew. — Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) announced she is running for Senate, shortly after former Rep. Colin Allred (D) dropped out. Allred said the pair spoke before he dropped out. — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) published an op-ed in The New York Times, railing against House GOP leadership. "Why am I even here?" she asks. ➤ MORE READS: The Wall Street Journal: Gaza Sits Under 68 Million Tons of Rubble. A Look at the Daunting Task Ahead. The New York Times: Kamala Harris Isn't Ready to Be Written Off The Washington Post: How Jared Kushner became Trump's indispensable second peace envoy The Hill: DC pipe bomb mystery begins to unfurl The Atlantic: The Neocons Were Right: Not about Iraq. But the moral tenor of their political writings could be an antidote to Trumpism. The Hill: How this tiny island nation plays a key role in the Trump-Maduro standoff COMING UP The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington today, heading to Pennsylvania later this afternoon. (All times EST) 3:15 p.m. Trump attends Vice President Vance's Christmas reception. 4:30 p.m. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer testifies on the U.S. economy. 💻 Livestream 6:10 p.m. Trump delivers remarks on the economy at an event in Pennsylvania. 💻 Livestream 6:30 p.m. First and last House votes. 📆 Today's agenda 7 p.m. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) will speak at Washington National Cathedral, discussing political violence. 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🥐 Celebrate: Today is National Pastry Day!   🍟🎄 Basically, this is a holiday Happy Meal for adults: McDonald's is selling a Grinch Meal for the holidays. It comes with a Big Mac or 10 Chicken McNuggets, fries with dill pickle "Grinch Salt," and holiday socks. It's been very popular.   👑 A step closer for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to visit the U.K.: The U.K. government has agreed to review a security request from Prince Harry. If it's approved, he could bring his children to the U.K. to visit King Charles. 👋 AND FINALLY… To leave you with a smile, watch this woman enjoy her meal with a little friend watching.  Stay Engaged  📺 Miss yesterday's newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video. I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes 🍪 to cmartel@thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe |  View Online  | Sign Up for Other Newsletters 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.