This story appeared in The Logoff, a every day publication that helps you keep knowledgeable concerning the Trump administration with out letting political information take over your life. Subscribe right here.
Welcome to The Logoff: After months of resistance by the Trump administration, the “Epstein recordsdata” 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 recordsdata regarding deceased financier and onetime Trump pal Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, regardless of earlier opposition, has stated he’ll signal the invoice into regulation.
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 only 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 power a vote.
Trump threw his help behind the invoice on the final minute on Sunday, after it turned clear it could go — and solely after mounting a failed full-court press to stop it arising for a vote within the first place.
What can we count on to study? We don’t actually know, although as my colleague Andrew Prokop stories, the DOJ has explicitly denied the existence of some paperwork, together with an alleged Epstein “shopper listing.” There’s a lot there, although: the complete recordsdata 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 study within the Epstein recordsdata, it’s not more likely to blow the case huge open; Trump’s presidency received’t lastly collapse underneath the load 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 social gathering in Congress.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
I confess I didn’t notice at the moment was the fortieth anniversary of the debut of the cartoon “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 go 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 at all times, thanks for studying and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow!
