A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said a recently passed law ordering the release of records related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury.
Meanwhile a federal vaccine advisory committee voted to end a longstanding recommendation that all babies get the hepatitis B vaccine the day they’re born. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of liver illnesses.
Recommended Videos
Also, Democrats are pushing for the release of video of the first U.S. military strikes on a boat in the Caribbean that they say shows a war crime or murder. And Trump took center stage at the 2026 World Cup draw.
The Latest:
Trump meets Mexico’s Sheinbaum in person for the first time at World Cup draw
The president has finally met with his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Their long-delayed first face-to-face discussion focused on next year’s World Cup — and included side discussions about trade and tariffs — but immigration was not the top issue. That’s despite cracking down on the border being a centerpiece of the Trump administration and a driving force in relations between both countries.
Trump has been in office for more than 10 months, taking so long to see Sheinbaum in-person is striking given that meeting with the leader of the country’s southern neighbor is often a top priority for U.S. presidents.
Trump and Sheinbaum were set to meet in June at the Group of Seven summit in Canada, but that was scrapped after Trump rushed back to Washington early amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.
▶ Read more about their first meeting and the U.S.-Mexico relationship
What to know about the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files
The clock is ticking for the government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein.
After months of rancor and recriminations, Congress passed and Trump signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it has — and it has to happen before Christmas.
On Friday a federal judge took one step toward by giving the DOJ permission to release transcripts of a grand jury investigation into Epstein’s abuse of underage girls in Florida.
While there’s sure to be never-before-seen material in the thousands of pages likely to be released in the transcripts and other Epstein-related records, much has already been made public.
And don’t expect a “client list” of famous men who cavorted with Epstein. Though it has long been rumored, the DOJ said in July that it doesn’t exist.
▶ Read more about what’s expected to be made public, what isn’t, and how we got to this point
Trump praises Andrea Bocelli as having the ‘voice of an angel’
The president entered the White House East Room accompanied by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and the Italian tenor.
Trump said he and Bocelli are friends and he asked about four weeks ago if Bocelli would sing at the White House. Bocelli agreed during a “weak moment,” Trump said.
The private concert at the White House was attended by Republican lawmakers and members of Trump’s Cabinet.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Trump said.
“We’re going to hear a voice, the voice of an angel.”
Bocelli performed earlier Friday at the FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
Suspect in DC pipe bomb case was ‘disappointed’ after Trump lost 2020 election, prosecutor says
The man accused of planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national parties on the eve of the U.S. Capitol attack told investigators he was “disappointed” by the outcome in 2020, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Pirro told ABC News Live that she believes it is “unmistakable” that Brian Cole Jr. was responsible for placing the devices based on evidence collected by investigators. Pirro also suggested that Cole may have been motivated by claims from Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was stolen.
“He was disappointed in various aspects of the election, but this guy was an equal opportunity bomber,” Pirro said. “He was disappointed to a great deal in the system. Both sides of the system.”
A judge ordered Cole to remain in jail after his first court appearance. He did not enter a plea.
Defense attorney John Shoreman declined to comment afterward, saying, “We’re in the very, very early stages.”
▶ Read more about the case
ICE says agents have arrested 12 people in Minneapolis as part of immigration operation
The announcement comes after this week’s launch of the operation, which primarily focused on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S.. Fewer than half those detained are Somali, officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that the people arrested are six from Mexico, five from Somalia and one from El Salvador.
ICE said in a statement that eight of them had been charged or convicted of crimes including assault, fraud, domestic violence and driving under the influence.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, which has the nation’s largest Somali community, is the latest area targeted by the Trump administration for mass deportations.
Trump recently targeted Somali immigrants in public remarks, calling them “ garbage ” and saying “they contribute nothing.”
The crackdown has drawn intense criticism from local and state officials who have denounced Trump’s rhetoric and pledged to protect the Somali community. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said city police would not participate in federal immigration enforcement.
The Social Security Administration plans to cut field office visits by 50%. What it means for you
The Social Security Administration is hoping to cut visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more closures are coming.
Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the SSA, providing in-person help for people who come to apply for retirement or disability benefits, to get Social Security cards or for other important services.
A November internal field office operating plan shared with The Associated Press outlines a proposed target of 50% fewer field office visitors in fiscal year 2026, or no more than 15 million visits. In the previous year, from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, field offices saw more than 31.6 million visits by SSA recipients, according to the document.
▶ Read more about Social Security offices
Education Department workers targeted in layoffs are returning to tackle civil rights backlog
The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of department staffers, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families.
The workers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation’s schools and colleges. But in a Friday letter, department officials ordered the workers back to duty starting Dec. 15 to help clear civil rights cases.
A department spokesperson confirmed the move, saying the government still hopes to lay them off to shrink the department.
“The Department will continue to appeal the persistent and unceasing litigation disputes concerning the Reductions in Force, but in the meantime, it will utilize all employees currently being compensated by American taxpayers,” Julie Hartman said in a statement.
US Rep. Adelita Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed and pushed by ICE agents
The Democrat says she and two staffers were pepper-sprayed and pushed by after appearing at an ICE enforcement event in her southern Arizona district.
She said there were “maybe 40 ICE agents, most of them masked in several vehicles” that some residents stopped in protest “because they were afraid they were taking people without due process.”
Grijalva, who was sworn in last month, said in a video posted online that she “was sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent” and several spoke to her aggressively.
She said she was “pushed around when I literally was not being aggressive. I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress.”
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the group gathered in Tucson as a mob. She said two agents were seriously injured during the clash and disputed Grijalva’s account: “Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement.”
Federal judge appears skeptical of Trump’s continuing command of California National Guard troops
The judge questioned the administration’s authority and need to maintain command of the guard troops, which it first deployed to Los Angeles in June following violent protests.
At a hearing in San Francisco on Friday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer suggested conditions in Los Angeles have changed since the deployment, and he questioned whether the administration could control the troops forever.
California officials have asked Breyer to issue a preliminary injunction returning control of the remaining troops in Los Angeles to the state. Breyer did not immediately rule.
Justice Department Attorney Eric Hamilton said the remaining troops in Los Angeles were allowing immigration agents to continue their mission.
▶ Read more about the case
US, Ukraine officials to hold third day of talks
Trump’s advisers and Ukrainian officials said they will meet for a third day after making progress on creating a security framework for postwar Ukraine and are urging Russia to commit to peace.
The officials met for a second day in Florida on Friday.
They issued a joint statement offering broad brushstrokes about the progress that they say has been made as Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to agree to a U.S.-mediated proposal to end nearly four years of war.
Oregon affordable housing complex sues ICE over tear gas
The lawsuit filed Friday says agents’ use of gas during protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has sickened residents in the housing complex next door, contaminated their apartments and confined them inside.
The complaint filed by the nonprofit REACH Community Development and multiple residents says tenants have experienced difficulty breathing, coughing, headaches and other symptoms following exposure to chemicals from tear gas, smoke grenades and pepper balls.
It says some have worn gas masks indoors including while sleeping and found canisters on their balconies, in the courtyard and in the parking garage.
The lawsuit seeks to prohibit the use of chemical agents likely to infiltrate apartments unless necessary to protect against an imminent threat.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE are among named defendants. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New Orleans mayor demands transparency as federal immigration crackdown continues
On the operation’s third day, Democratic Mayor-elect Helena Moreno said she sent a letter to Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino with a set of demands. Among them was information on how many people have been detained, their identities and charges they face.
Amid growing concerns over aggressive arrests, which have included foot and car pursuits, Moreno asked that agents stop wearing masks and for safeguards against racial profiling.
She also said detainees must have prompt access to legal representation, medical services, language interpretation and family notification.
Louisiana attorney general urges New Orleans police to cooperate with Border Patrol
Liz Murrill urged the city’s police department to “fully cooperate” with federal immigration agents who are carrying out a crackdown in the city.
In a letter sent to Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick on Friday, Murrill said she believes the department’s current practices violate a state ban on sanctuary city policies.
Kirkpatrick could not immediately be reached for comment.
Florida Republicans ask Trump to drop plan for oil drilling off state’s coasts
Florida’s Republican-dominated congressional delegation is urging the Trump administration to drop a plan that would allow new oil drilling off the state’s coast.
A letter signed by Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody says the Interior Department plan would put the state’s thriving tourism industry at risk and disrupt military operations in a key training area.
The letter to President Donald Trump is signed by all 30 members of Congress from Florida, including 22 Republicans and eight Democrats. It represents rare pushback against the Republican president by GOP lawmakers and demonstrates how important Florida’s beaches and coastal waters are to its economy.
A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has also said the Trump administration should reconsider.
▶ Read more about the Florida oil drilling plan
Members of Congress express concern at Netflix-Warner Bros. merger
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., in an interview with the AP: “When the digital ink is still wet on the deal, I think it would be very premature for someone to say, ‘Over my dead body.’ But rather one should say, ‘Yeah, this one we predicted, if it happened, that it would be a serious concern.’ It has now happened, and that serious concern is going to take some time, effort, and study and possible changes in the deal.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on social media: “This deal looks like an anti-monopoly nightmare. A Netflix-Warner Bros. would create one massive media giant with control of close to half of the streaming market. It could force you into higher prices, fewer choices over what and how you watch, and may put American workers at risk.”
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., in a statement: “One company should not have full vertical control of the content and the distribution pipeline that delivers it. And combining two of the largest streaming platforms is a textbook horizontal Antitrust problem.”
Kiss rock star Gene Simmons pops up at the White House
The rocker surprised journalists in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, where he appeared at the podium and parried away a few questions. His appearance came as Kiss is set to be honored this weekend at the Kennedy Center.
His wife, Shannon Tweed, pleaded with him to stop and eventually led him out of the room by the arm.
Simmons joked to the reporters: “It was wonderful to talk to me,” as he left.
World Cup event ends with a Trump anthem
Organizers brought out the Village People to perform “YMCA,” a standard on the set list of Trump campaign events.
Naturally, Trump, who watched much of the draw from a Kennedy Center balcony, stood up and danced.
Trump security strategy cites Monroe Doctrine in asserting power in the Americas
Trump’s national security strategy document released Friday lays out, as “a ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine,” to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.”
The doctrine formulated by President James Monroe in 1823 was originally aimed at opposing any European meddling in the Western Hemisphere, and later used to justify U.S. military interventions across Latin America.
Along with combating drug trafficking and controlling migration, Trump’s document describes a reimagined footprint after building up the largest military presence in the region in generations. That means, for instance, “targeted deployments to secure the border and defeat cartels, including where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy of the last several decades,” it says.
Trump’s security strategy slammed by congressional Democrat
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who sits on House committees overseeing intelligence and the armed forces, called the strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world and a retreat from our alliances and partnerships.”
“The world will be a more dangerous place and Americans will be less safe if this plan moves forward,” Crow said.
▶ Read more about Trump’s new national security strategy document
Somali lawmakers in Maine push back at Trump comments
Three Somali American lawmakers from Maine issued a joint statement criticizing Trump’s remarks about Somali immigrants. Rep. Mana Abdi of Lewiston, Rep. Deqa Dhalac of South Portland and Rep. Yusuf Yusuf of Portland are the first Somali Americans to serve in the Maine House of Representatives.
“An attack on Somali Americans, on TPS holders, or on any immigrant community is an attack on all Americans. Maine is stronger when we stand together, reject dehumanization, and insist on a future rooted in safety, fairness, and shared belonging,” said the statement sent Thursday.
Maine is home to several thousand residents of Somali descent.
The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump’s birthright citizenship order violates the Constitution
The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship.
His order says that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens. The justices said Friday they will hear Trump’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down the citizenship restrictions.
Those restrictions haven’t taken effect anywhere in the country. The case will be argued in the spring. A definitive ruling is expected by early summer. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. The order is part of his administration’s broad immigration crackdown.
Just when Florida Epstein documents will be made public remains unknown
But it could happen later this month.
The government had asked the court for permission to include the usually secret grand jury records in the files they are required to make public under the new federal law. The legislation requires the Justice Department to make the documents public in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days of Trump signing it into law.
Indiana House advances redistricting bill to state Senate
The Indiana state House passed a redistricting bill Friday, advancing the legislation backed by Trump to a high-stakes fight in the state Senate.
The House, with a Republican supermajority, voted 57-41 to pass the proposed congressional map that would split the city of Indianapolis into four districts and set the GOP up to win all nine of the state’s congressional districts.
Republicans currently hold seven of the nine districts. It is unknown whether there are enough votes in the state Senate, which is set to convene on Monday, to give final passage to the map.
▶ Read more about redistricting action in the Indiana Legislature
Judge orders release of Epstein grand jury transcripts in Florida
The grand jury transcripts involve the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith said a recently passed federal law ordering the release of records related to the cases overrode a federal rule prohibiting the release of matters before a grand jury. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed last month by Trump, compels the Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors to release by Dec. 19 the vast troves of material they’ve amassed during investigations into Epstein.
Other requests to unseal Epstein documents remain pending:
1. the 2006-2007 Florida grand jury investigation into Epstein,
2. his 2019 sex trafficking case in New York,
3. and Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 sex trafficking case, also in New York.
The Florida request was approved Friday. The New York requests are pending, with the Justice Department facing a Monday deadline to make its final filing — a response to submissions by victims, Epstein’s estate and Maxwell’s lawyers. The judges in those matters have said they plan to rule expeditiously.