What we're covering
• Epstein files: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department will “release several hundred thousand documents” today related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with more to come in weeks ahead. Frustration is mounting inside the DOJ as it races to redact thousands of pages of files related to Epstein before today’s deadline, multiple sources told CNN.
• On Trump’s schedule: President Donald Trump will make remarks at the White House at 1 p.m. ET. He then heads to North Carolina tonight for a speech billed to be about the economy, as he looks to convince voters he’s making progress in addressing cost-of-living concerns.
• Ukraine war: Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian officials in Miami today to discuss the latest proposal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a White House official.
Trump to announce deals with several drug companies, aiming to lower cost of medicine
President Donald Trump is planning to announce deals with several more pharmaceutical companies aimed at lowering the cost of medicines through his “Most Favored Nation” drug pricing push, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.
The White House event is expected to include representatives from at least five drugmakers as officials race to expand an initiative that has become a centerpiece of the Trump administration’s health care agenda.
The attendee list remains in flux and could still change depending on which agreements the administration can finalize in time for the announcement, the people cautioned.
But some of the companies that were working toward deals ahead of the event are Merck, Gilead, Roche, GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi. All are among the 12 remaining companies that have yet to strike agreements with the administration after Trump sent letters to a slew of drugmakers over the summer demanding lower prices.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment but press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X that the president will be announcing “more incredible deals that will lower prices of drugs and pharmaceuticals.”
The announcement is set to take place at 1:00 p.m. ET from the Roosevelt Room, according to the schedule put out by the White House.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.
Blanche says Justice Department will "release several hundred thousand documents today" with more to come
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department will “release several hundred thousand documents today” related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the department faces a Friday deadline to release the files.
Blanche added that the department will continue to release files in the coming weeks.
The deputy attorney general said that the department has been focused on protecting victims.
“What we’re doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected is completely protected,” Blanche said.
Blanche went on to give credit to President Donald Trump, who resisted mounting pressure for months to release the documents before ultimately signing a bipartisan bill that gave the administration 30 days to do so.
“Just so everybody appreciates, President Trump has said for years that he wants full transparency and he wants the Department of Justice to release everything that we can with respect to this investigation and cases,” Blanche said.
“President Trump signed that law 30 days ago, and we have been working tirelessly since that day to make sure that, that we get every single document that we have within the Department of Justice, review it and get it to the American public,” he added.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Erika Kirk endorses JD Vance for president in 2028
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, on Thursday endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president in the 2028 election.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” Erika Kirk said in Phoenix on the opening night of Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference – the first since Charlie Kirk, who co-founded the organization, was assassinated in September.
Erika Kirk’s remarks on Thursday come as Vance has not yet announced plans to run in 2028, though as President Donald Trump’s vice president, he is widely considered to be a frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Trump himself has acknowledged that Vance is the “most likely” heir apparent for the president’s Make America Great Again movement.
The Kirks’ close relationship with the Vances has been well documented. Charlie Kirk was a strong advocate of Vance during the vice-presidential selection process in 2024. Vance posted a lengthy tribute following Kirk’s death, calling him a “great family man” and a “true friend.”
Air Force Two, the vice president’s plane, carried Charlie Kirk’s casket back to Arizona after he was assassinated in Utah. Vance also hosted an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” from the White House in September.
Erika Kirk has since become an outspoken voice in conservative politics, taking leadership of Turning Point USA about a week after Charlie Kirk’s passing. She hinted last month that a presidential endorsement of Vance was “in the works.”
Vance is scheduled to speak at the AmericaFest conference on Sunday.
