Month: December 2025

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he will move to force a Senate vote on legal action against the Justice Department over its failure to fully release records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a growing bipartisan dispute over compliance with a recently enacted transparency law. Schumer’s resolution would direct Senate leadership to initiate or join civil litigation in federal court to compel full compliance; he plans to force consideration of the measure when the Senate returns from recess in January, though passage could require unanimous consent.

Schumer’s announcement follows the Justice Department missing a congressionally mandated deadline to make public the complete, unclassified Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in November. While thousands of pages were released Friday, lawmakers and victims’ advocates argue the disclosure fell well short of what the statute requires.

Schumer said in a statement: “The law Congress passed is crystal clear: release the Epstein files in full so Americans can see the truth. Instead, the Trump Department of Justice dumped redactions and withheld the evidence — that breaks the law.”  Schumer called the limited disclosure a “blatant cover-up” and accused Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of shielding President Donald Trump from scrutiny.

Attorneys representing Epstein survivors sharply criticized the release, saying large portions remain hidden: “We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased,” they argued, stating that excessive redactions and omissions violate the law. Another group of survivors said the public “received a fraction of the files,” calling for hearings, formal demands, and court action.

Justice Department has defended its pace, saying it is balancing transparency with victim protections. In a fact sheet released Sunday, the DOJ said more than 200 attorneys are reviewing files individually to ensure legally required redactions and stressed that no redactions are intended to shield public figures: “this is an arduous process, as each document and photograph must be individually reviewed by DOJ and the Southern District of New York for potential redactions to protect victims or potential victims,” the department said.  And on NBC’s “Meet the Press,”  Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged the agency missed the deadline, but said ongoing reviews are necessary to prevent further harm, dismissing threats of legal action.

Epstein died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department has said he abused more than 1,200 women and girls.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

The Trump administration announced Monday it is pausing leases for five major offshore wind projects along the East Coast, citing national security risks identified by the Department of Defense.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the decision follows classified Pentagon assessments and long-standing concerns outlined in unclassified government reports. “Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Burgum said in a statement,  emphasizing the administration’s broader energy stance: “Due to national security concerns identified by @DeptofWar, @Interior is PAUSING leases for 5 expensive, unreliable, heavily subsidized offshore wind farms! ONE natural gas pipeline supplies as much energy as these 5 projects COMBINED. @POTUS is bringing common sense back to energy policy & putting security FIRST!”

The Interior Department said unclassified analyses have found that the movement of large turbine blades and their reflective towers can interfere with radar systems, a phenomenon known as “clutter,” which can obscure real targets and create false signals. A 2024 Department of Energy report noted that adjusting radar thresholds to manage clutter could also cause systems to miss actual threats.

The pause affects Vineyard Wind 1, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind, with projects located off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia and New York. Two smaller offshore wind facilities — one off Rhode Island operating since 2016 and another off New York that came online in 2023 — are not impacted.

Several of the paused projects are already partially built or nearing completion. Vineyard Wind 1, located about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, has roughly half of its 62 turbines operating and is expected to eventually power more than 400,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses. Revolution Wind off Rhode Island is about 80% complete. Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, the largest in the U.S. with 176 turbines, was slated to be operational by the end of 2026. Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind, both off Long Island, are also under construction.

The decision comes weeks after Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down President Trump’s earlier executive order on Jan. 20th that broadly blocked new wind energy leasing, calling it unlawful. That ruling followed a lawsuit brought by a coalition of attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C.

However, the pause drew swift criticism from state leaders and environmental groups. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont called the move “yet another erratic, anti-business move by the Trump administration that will drive up the price of electricity in Connecticut and throughout the region. This project is nearing completion and providing good-paying clean energy jobs.”

The Sierra Club’s legislative director Melinda Pierce also condemned the action: “The Trump administration’s vengeance towards renewable energy knows no end. Americans need cheaper and more reliable energy that does not come at the expense of our health and futures.” Dominion Energy spokesperson Jeremy Slayton said Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind was developed “in close coordination with the military” and noted its pilot turbines have operated for five years without security issues.

According to the Department of Energy, wind energy currently provides about 10% of U.S. electricity and remains the nation’s largest source of renewable power.

Editorial credit: Soft grass / Shutterstock.com

On Sunday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against criticism surrounding the Justice Department’s ongoing release of documents tied to convicted the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, insisting that references to President Trump are not being removed, and that all redactions are focused on protecting victims.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Blanche said the department is undertaking a massive review process involving hundreds of attorneys examining roughly a million pages of records, most of which contain sensitive victim information. He said the scope of the material explains why the rollout has been gradual, despite complaints that the administration missed a 30-day deadline set by Congress.

The initial batch of files released Friday drew sharp reactions from victim advocates and lawmakers, who described the materials as heavily redacted and lacking substantive new details. Some Democrats accused the administration of violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed last month, while a handful of Republicans also criticized the Justice Department for temporarily removing documents after they were posted.

Mr. Blanche said: “You’re talking about a million or so pages of documents — virtually all of them contain victim information,” and rejected claims that the department is shielding the president. “We are not redacting information around President Trump,” he said, adding that suggestions to the contrary are unfounded.

At the center of the controversy was the temporary removal of more than a dozen photographs from the Justice Department’s website, including an image showing a tabletop or credenza displaying framed photos of Epstein with prominent figures. An open drawer in the photo contained printed images of Trump with women in bathing suits. Mr. Blanche said: “It has nothing to do with President Trump. The absurdity of pulling down a single photo because of President Trump is laughable.” He explained that the images were taken down after victim advocacy groups raised concerns that some women pictured might be Epstein victims, “so we pulled that photo down.”

In a separate explanation to NBC News, Blanche said, “We don’t have perfect information. And so when, when we hear from victims-rights groups about this type of photograph, we pull it down and investigate. We’re still investigating that photo. The photo will go back up, and the only question is whether there will be redactions on the photo.”

Later Sunday, the Justice Department confirmed the image had been flagged by the Southern District of New York and was temporarily removed “out of an abundance of caution.” After review, officials said it was reposted without changes. The department wrote on X. “The Southern District of New York flagged an image of President Trump for potential further action to protect victims. Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice temporarily removed the image for further review. After the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”

Blanche also addressed mounting political pressure over the pace of the document release, saying delays are necessary to ensure compliance with the law’s victim-protection requirements, “the reason why we are still reviewing documents and still continuing our process is simply that to protect victims. We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the [Epstein Files] Transparency Act expects.”

Lawmakers from both parties voiced frustration, however, Blanche dismissed those attacks – saying critics are ignoring the need to safeguard victims. He described them as “the same individuals who apparently don’t want us to protect victims,” and added that the department would not change course.

Amid accusations that the administration is concealing damaging information, Blanche flatly denied any cover-up involving the president:  “I have no reason to believe that the lawyers that were working on this case were talking about President Trump, because he had nothing to do with the Epstein files. He had nothing to do with the horrific crimes that Mr. Epstein committed. We are not redacting information around President Trump, around any other individual involved with Mr. Epstein, and that narrative, which is not based on fact at all, is completely false.”

Editorial credit: Joey Sussman / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Coast Guard was engaged Sunday in an active pursuit of a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to disrupt what it describes as Venezuela’s illicit oil trade.

According to U.S. officials, the vessel is part of a so-called “dark” or shadow fleet used to evade international sanctions tied to the Venezuelan government. Officials said the ship was operating under a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.  One official said that “the United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”

The tanker being pursued has been identified as Bella 1, a vessel placed under U.S. sanctions in June 2024. Officials say it was sailing toward Venezuela to load oil and has links to Iranian oil networks, placing it under counterterrorism sanctions connected to a broader financial network used by sanctioned actors. When Coast Guard personnel attempted to board the ship, the vessel failed to comply and continued sailing, triggering the ongoing chase, officials said. The operation, first reported by Reuters, is the second interdiction effort in as many days and the third targeting a tanker near Venezuela in less than a week.

The pursuit follows a pre-dawn operation Saturday in which the Coast Guard, with support from the Defense Department, seized the Panama-flagged tanker Centuries in international waters. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly described that ship as “a falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil and fund the narcoterrorist Maduro regime.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees the Coast Guard, shared video of the operation and said the tanker had last docked in Venezuela. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” she said.

Earlier this month, U.S. authorities also seized another sanctioned tanker, the Skipper, which officials said had ties to Iran. If the Bella 1 is intercepted, it would become the third vessel stopped by U.S. forces in the Caribbean during the current enforcement push.

President Trump last week called for a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, part of a broader pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. The tanker seizures come amid heightened tensions, with the administration also ordering strikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that it alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States. U.S. officials say more than 100 people have been killed in those operations since early September.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, though production remains far below capacity due to years of sanctions. While most of its oil exports now flow to China, U.S. officials have said recent seized shipments were bound for Asia.

Editorial credit: Kevin Shipp / Shutterstock.com

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the federal government to move marijuana into a less restrictive drug category, marking one of the most consequential shifts in U.S. drug policy in decades. The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to expedite the formal rescheduling process, which has been under review for more than a year, and to move toward issuing a final rule. For the first time at the federal level, the change formally acknowledges that marijuana may have medical value.

During a ceremony in the Oval Office surrounded by medical professionals, Trump announced the decision to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, emphasizing medical considerations and patient advocacy: “Today I’m pleased to announce that I will be signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance, with legitimate medical uses. We have people begging for me to do this. People who are in great pain.” He added that the support he received was overwhelming, noting, “I think I probably have received more phone calls on this, on doing what we’re doing — I don’t think I received any calls on the other side of it … For decades, this action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems and more.”

Under federal law, Schedule I drugs are defined by the Drug Enforcement Administration as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” That category has long included marijuana alongside substances such as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Schedule III, by contrast, applies to drugs considered to have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” including medications such as Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, testosterone and anabolic steroids.

Marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug since 1970, even as state laws have evolved dramatically. Nearly all states now allow some form of medical use, and 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana. Although those laws conflict with federal statutes, recent administrations have generally refrained from targeting state-regulated cannabis operations.

While the shift could have significant practical effects, it does not legalize marijuana nationwide. Trump was explicit that recreational use remains illegal under federal law: “It doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form or and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug. It’s never safe to use powerful controlled substances in a recreational manner.”  A senior White House official underscored that point, saying, “Anyone possessing marijuana would be in violation of the CSA (Controlled Substances Act) and still remain subject to arrest under federal law. The schedule III change is not changing federal policy regarding that.”

Still, the move has drawn criticism from some Republicans. Earlier this week, 22 GOP senators urged Trump to keep marijuana in Schedule I, citing health concerns and potential impacts on workplace productivity and public safety. The lawmakers wrote: “we cannot reindustrialize America if we encourage marijuana use. In light of the documented dangers of marijuana, facilitating the growth of the marijuana industry is at odds with growing our economy and encouraging healthy lifestyles for Americans.”

Editorial credit: IAB Studio / Shutterstock.com