What we're covering
• Venezuela tensions: US personnel were pursuing a vessel in international waters near Venezuela after attempting to intercept it, a US official said, making it the second ship targeted this weekend as Washington increases pressure on the country’s leader Nicolas Maduro.
• Ukraine talks: Russia’s talks with the US on a possible end to the war in Ukraine will continue today. Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev is in Florida and said the discussions are “proceeding constructively.”
• Epstein files: Meanwhile, The Justice Department says it will continue to review and redact materials from the thousands of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation released since Friday to “protect victims.” At least 16 files that were released Friday appear to have been removed from the website as of this morning.
Vance tells crowd of conservatives there could be “more prosecutions”
Speaking at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix today, Vice President JD Vance suggested “more prosecutions” could come from the administration with support from conservatives.
During Trump’s second term in office, he has enacted what, in many cases, appears to be retribution against a wide swath of critics and perceived political enemies, including unsuccessful attempts to indict former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump has also publicly groused about the rate of judicial confirmations during his administration, calling on the Senate to abolish the “blue-slip” tradition that allows senators to block confirmations of judicial nominees in their home states.
Vance also looked ahead to the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race, blasting Democratic candidates, including possible presidential hopefuls former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with Senate candidates Graham Platner of Maine and Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas.
“Ask yourself, what do all of these people have in common? And the unfortunate answer is they are puppets — they don’t actually matter,” Vance said. “They are cogs in a machine that wants to make you poor, that wants to make you less powerful, and wants to make you less safe in the country your ancestors built.”
He continued: “And you know what else unites them? We are going to kick their ass next November, and every year after that.”
Vance tells supporters to avoid “endless, self-defeating purity tests” amid cracks in the MAGA coalition
Vice President JD Vance addressed Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Sunday, appealing to young conservatives to come together, even as cracks have begun to show in President Donald Trump’s coalition of supporters.
As conservatives have descended on Phoenix for the weekend’s programming, division in their movement has been on full display, with some speakers condemning what they describe as an increasingly vocal corner of the MAGA movement that is willing to engage in racist and antisemitic rhetoric.
On Friday, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told the audience, “If you believe in normalizing hatred towards any ethnic group, towards Whites, towards Blacks, towards Hispanics, towards Jews, towards Indians, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement.”
For his part, Vance did not condemn racist rhetoric from his party, saying, “I didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to deplatform. And I don’t really care if some people out there — I’m sure we’ll have the fake news media — denounce me after this speech.”
Later in his speech, he urged supporters to remain emboldened despite Republican infighting.
“I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number of issues — don’t be discouraged,” he said. “Wouldn’t you rather lead a movement of free thinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?”
Catch up on the latest from Turning Point USA’s annual youth gathering
Prominent Republicans appeared onstage Sunday at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference, an annual gathering of young conservatives started by the late Charlie Kirk.
Here are some highlights from today’s speakers in Phoenix:
House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced support for GOP Rep. Andy Biggs’ effort to install a Kirk statue in the United States Capitol. Johnson also urged the crowd to advance Kirk’s principles and to “adopt his approach.”
Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged the Trump administration has work to do when it comes to lowering prices, a key issue his father is wrestling with as the country barrels toward next year’s midterm elections.
“Inflation is under control, but when you have compound interest on double-digit inflation for four years, those prices are still too high. We have to work on that. But it doesn’t happen overnight,” the president’s eldest son said.
He also advocated for unity in Trump’s political movement, touching broadly on the tensions among prominent conservative influencers in the aftermath of Kirk’s death, including at AmericaFest, where Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson clashed on Thursday.
“What binds us together, what matters more than the disagreements, is the ability to have that discourse,” he said.
Erika Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk’s widow, had an onstage discussion with surprise guest Nicki Minaj, who praised the president.
“Charlie would always say it really does not take skill to be courageous, it takes a choice,” Erika Kirk told Minaj. “It takes a decision. … I want to say again, thank you for coming and being courageous and being able to share your heart with us.”
US was pursuing a vessel near Venezuela after attempting to intercept it, official says
The US was pursuing a vessel in international waters near Venezuela after attempting to intercept it, a US official said, as President Donald Trump’s administration tightens its crackdown on the country’s oil industry.
The tanker, called Bella 1, was sailing toward Venezuela to pick up oil. It is currently under US sanctions for links to Iranian oil. American officials view it as part of the shadow fleet that transports oil from sanctioned nations, and there was a warrant issued for its seizure.
When US Coast Guard personnel attempted to board the ship, however, the vessel kept sailing, the official said.
The status of the pursuit remains unclear.
Nicki Minaj praises Trump in surprise appearance at Turning Point USA conference
Rapper Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance Sunday at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, appearing in a conversation onstage with the conservative group’s CEO, Erika Kirk, and heaping praise on the president.
“He’s from Queens, New York, like me,” she added. “What it’s shown me personally is sometimes even in the worst-feeling times in your life, you think that you’re never going to come back from it. But you do.”
Minaj also praised Vice President JD Vance, who was set to speak after her at the conference, by saying that both Vance and President Donald Trump have “a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”
She also read some of her own social media posts about California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Kirk asked her to riff about the potential presidential candidate.
“Dear Newscum, we don’t have a problem cleaning up the scum if we have to. Please tread lightly,” Minaj said.
Some background: Sunday was not the rapper’s first foray into politics. Minaj, who has offered her admiration for Trump before, spoke last month at an event in New York to draw attention to what some are saying is the plight of Christians in Nigeria. At that event, she was introduced by the president’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and thanked both Waltz and Trump.
What some GOP senators are saying about escalating tensions with Venezuela
Tensions between the US and Venezuela continue to escalate as US personnel are working to intercept another vessel near Venezuela today, a US official said.
This is the second ship targeted this weekend as Washington increases pressure on leader Nicolas Maduro. On Saturday, personnel from the US boarded and seized a vessel off the coast of Venezuela, according to an official familiar with the matter.
Here’s what some Republican senators are saying about the situation:
- Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina dismissed concerns that President Donald Trump would break his promise to avoid new foreign conflicts if the US went to war with Venezuela. “President Trump promised to secure our nation from the scourge of narco-drug trafficking the king pin in our backyard is Maduro and Venezuela. They’re poisoning America,” Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today. “So I applaud President Trump of trying to bring down this narco-terrorist state in Venezuela run by Maduro. They are bad news.”
- Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he considers the seizures “a provocation and a prelude to war.” Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” he said he disagrees with those moves, adding that the phrase “weapons of mass destruction” has “come to represent falsehood in intelligence” after US officials accused Saddam Hussein of stockpiling WMDs in the run-up to the Iraq War — a claim which turned out to be incorrect.
- Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma supported the current US position that Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela but deflected on whether he supports regime change in the country. Pressed by CNN’s Kasie Hunt on if he would support regime change with the use of American forces, Lankford warned, “if you break it, you buy it” and compared the hypothetical to the 2011 military intervention in Libya.
More than a dozen photos, including one of Trump, appear to have been removed from Epstein database
At least 16 files that were released Friday as part of the Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library” appear to have been removed from the website as of Sunday morning.
CNN reported Saturday that one of the files was an image including at least one photo in an open desk drawer of now-President Donald Trump, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing or charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein.
Of the additional images that appear to have been removed, the majority show sexually explicit artwork in a room containing a massage table. Some of the others show mail slots filled with envelopes, a tiled hallway, and a notebook page with names and apartment numbers.
It’s not immediately clear why these images may have been removed from the Epstein database. However, the DOJ acknowledged after it released thousands of files on Friday that “because of the volume of information involved, this website may nevertheless contain information that inadvertently includes non-public personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, to include matters of a sexual nature.”
The DOJ has not responded to CNN’s requests for comment about the removed files, but it wrote Saturday on X, “Photos and other materials will continue being reviewed and redacted consistent with the law in an abundance of caution as we receive additional information.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday morning the Justice Department’s move to continue redacting files from the documents it has released “is simply … 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,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Justice Department rereleases 119-page grand jury document with "minimal redactions"
The Justice Department on Sunday rereleased 119 pages labeled as grand jury materials in the 2021 case against Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, in New York, saying they now have “minimal redactions.”
“Documents and photos will continue to be reviewed consistent with the law and with an abundance of caution for victims and their families,” the department said in a post on X.
The 119 pages had been completely redacted when it was first released on Friday night. Prior to Friday’s release of Epstein documents, the Justice Department’s request to unseal the grand jury material was approved by federal judge, clearing the way for the DOJ to publish the much-sought-after documents.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking minors.
Rollout of Epstein documents could hurt Trump administration, GOP senator says
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky criticized the Department of Justice’s process for releasing numerous redacted documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying that the documents “should all be released.”
The Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Justice Department to make all files related to Jeffrey Epstein publicly available within 30 days of passage. But Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday, the deadline to release the files, that “several hundred thousand more” files would become available “over the next couple weeks.”
The law also requires the DOJ to redact content that could potentially identify victims who were sexually abused, but the department has faced criticism for the extensive level of redactions included in the documents.
Paul also suggested that the administration should “be transparent and release everything the law requires of you.”
Lawmakers who pushed for Epstein files float effort to hold attorney general in contempt of Congress
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, the representatives who pushed for the law that forced the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, said they are considering an effort to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in inherent contempt of Congress in light of the extensive redactions in the documents.
Khanna echoed Massie, insisting their effort will gain support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Some background: Inherent contempt is a process that involves telling the House or Senate sergeant-at-arms to detain or imprison the person in contempt until he or she honors congressional demands. This is an extremely rare process and hasn’t happened in modern times.
Khanna suggested the contempt measure the lawmakers are drafting “would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she’s not releasing these documents.”
DOJ likely erred on the side of “over-redaction” in latest release of Epstein files, court filing says
The Department of Justice used an extremely broad approach to protecting victims, erring on the side of “over-redaction” by blacking out all women who appeared in photos with Jeffrey Epstein, according to a court filing Friday from the Department describing the document release to a federal judge.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also told Congress in a separate letter on Friday that in addition to redacting the names, faces and other identifying information of more than 1,200 people in the Epstein files, the Justice Department redacted details that it considered to be confidential and privileged, such as attorney work, executive branch deliberations and attorney-client communications.
Blanche gave Congress legal reasoning why the Department redacted that information, though the transparency law Congress passed didn’t specify that privileged information could be withheld.
Remember: The Department of Justice announced that it will continue reviewing and redacting materials from the thousands of files related to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that have been released since Friday.
The announcement comes after an image containing a photo of President Donald Trump appears to have been removed from the Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library.”
CNN’s Riane Lumer and Karenia Murry contributed to this post.
US moves to intercept third vessel near Venezuela
US personnel are working to intercept another vessel near Venezuela on Sunday, a US official said, the second ship targeted this weekend as Washington increases pressure on leader Nicolas Maduro.
It wasn’t yet clear what the status of the vessel was, or whether the ship was carrying Venezuelan oil, as the two previous tankers stopped by the US have been amid an oil blockade ordered up by President Donald Trump.
Yesterday, the US Coast Guard intercepted the Centuries tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, said it was carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, though the ship itself did not appear on a list of sanctioned vessels.
House minority leader says Epstein file release "falls short of what the law requires"
The Justice Department’s release of extensively redacted documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “falls short of what the law requires,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said today, adding that he expects the government will provide an explanation soon.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the release of the documents, requires the Justice Department to report to Congress “all categories of information released and withheld” and “a summary of any redactions made” within 15 days of the deadline for the files to be released. The deadline for the release of the files was Friday.
The law required the Justice Department to redact content that could potentially identify victims who were sexually abused. But the DOJ has faced scrutiny for the level of redactions in the documents that have been released. The department acknowledged Friday the “size and scope” of the redaction process it undertook made the result “vulnerable to machine error” and “instances of human error.”
Democratic Rep. Rho Khanna, one of the lawmakers who led the effort to force a vote the legislation to release the files, has said he is considering launching an effort to impeach Attorney General Pam Bondi after Friday’s document dump.
Asked whether the attorney general should be impeached, Jeffries responded, “I think there needs to be a full and complete explanation, and then a full and complete investigation as to why the document production has fallen short of what the law clearly required.”
Deputy Attorney General says redactions still being made to Epstein documents "to protect victims"
The Justice Department’s move to continue redacting files from the numerous released documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein “is simply … to protect victims,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Blanche defended the DOJ’s posture after an image containing a photo of President Donald Trump appeared to have been removed from the department’s “Epstein Library,” saying it was removed out of concerns for victims in the image.
He stressed that it had nothing to do with the fact that Trump was in the images, considering that “dozens of photos” of Trump with Epstein had already been released to the public.
Blanche said no information about Trump would be redacted in any of the files the DOJ released, or will release, unless the content is “supposed to be redacted under the law, which means victim information or any sort of privilege, like attorney-client privilege.”
He said the DOJ would put the photo featuring Trump back up after they “redact faces or other information” of victims.
Trump yet to publicly respond to release of Epstein files
President Donald Trump does not have any public events scheduled today and is currently in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is expected to stay and spend the holidays in his Mar-a-Lago home through January 4.
Trump has also yet to publicly respond to Friday’s release of thousands of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though an image containing a photo of the president appears to have been removed from the Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library.”
It’s not immediately clear why the photo may have been removed. CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice and the White House for comment.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing or charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein.
CNN’s Logan Schiciano contributed to this reporting.
Justice Department says it will continue adding redactions to released Epstein documents
The Department of Justice announced late last night that it will continue reviewing and redacting materials from the thousands of files related to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that have been released since Friday.
The announcement comes after an image containing a photo of President Donald Trump appears to have been removed from the Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library.” It is not clear why the photo may have been removed. CNN reached out to the Department of Justice and the White House for comment yesterday.
For context: The Epstein Files Transparency Act required the Justice Department to redact content that could potentially identify victims who were sexually abused. But the DOJ has faced scrutiny for the level of redactions in the documents that have been released. The department acknowledged Friday the “size and scope” of the redaction process it undertook made the result “vulnerable to machine error” and “instances of human error.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican lawmaker who led the effort to force a vote the legislation to release the files, told CNN today that the DOJ is not complying with the law Congress passed last month.
CNN’s Logan Schiciano contributed to this post.
Miami talks on Ukraine war "proceeding constructively" says Russian envoy
More now on Ukraine, and senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev says talks with the US in Miami, Florida are “proceeding constructively” and will continue today.
Dmitriev arrived yesterday afternoon to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in law Jared Kushner for discussions on a possible end to the war in Ukraine.
A high-level Ukrainian delegation is also in Miami. Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said Friday that talks with US and European negotiators ended with participants agreeing to continue their efforts.
Direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Miami are not expected, a Russian source previously told CNN.
Some context: In a marathon news conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hit back at claims that it was prevaricating during US-mediated peace talks to buy itself time to grind down Ukraine. He said that he agreed to certain compromises during his summit with US President Donald Trump in Alaska in August, and so “the ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents.” It was not clear what compromises Putin was referring to.
Zelensky calls for consultations with European partners following US talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today called for “consultations” with European partners following talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida last week.
He continued, “We are moving quickly enough, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side. European representatives were also invited.”
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner met with a Ukrainian delegation in Miami on Friday to further discuss a US-drafted peace plan.
The reaction to the documents in the Epstein files release
Thousands more documents related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released Friday.
Notably, as we’ve reported, many of the files released were heavily redacted, with an image containing a photo of US President Donald Trump also appearing to have been removed from the Department of Justice’s “Epstein Library.”
Here are some of the reactions to the documents that have been released:
Survivors
Gloria Allred, an attorney who represents several of the women abused by Jeffrey Epstein, said yesterday she believes the “system has failed the survivors,” demanding more transparency regarding the redactions in the documents.
The Justice Department had asked Allred which of her clients would like their names to be redacted, she previously told CNN. She believes some of the files may have been “under-redacted” after seeing several survivors’ names that should not have been included.
“I saw a number of survivors’ names which should never have been published, because the whole point is to protect the survivors,” Allred told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield.
A 1996 complaint written about Epstein was among the documents released on Friday. Survivor Annie Farmer told CNN’s Jake Tapper that seeing the complaint was “very emotional.”
Lawmakers
Lawmakers reacted with disapproval after it emerged not all documents related to the Epstein investigation were released on Friday, and those that were were so heavily redacted.
Posting about the apparent removal of an image containing a photo of Trump from the library, the House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote: “(Attorney General Pam Bondi) is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote on X, “And if they’re taking this down, just imagine how much more they’re trying to hide … This could be one of the biggest coverups in American history.”
Schumer had also condemned the partial release of the documents, saying in a statement: “The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be - the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law.”
Famous faces
None of the released images depicted any famous faces involved in sexual activity, and many are simply images of people at public events or functions together.
One photo in the Epstein files shows former President Bill Clinton in London with his former top adviser Doug Band and actor Kevin Spacey.
Speaking on Spacey’s behalf, a source familiar with the matter told CNN: “We’re happy to see the files being released.”
“That trip still remains a huge highlight in Kevin’s life and the fact that the plane was owned by Epstein (3 years before he would first be investigated) is meaningless,” they continued. “Whatever activities may have been taking place in the background have nothing to do with Kevin. No more than if someone is doing something wrong in the hotel room next to yours.”
A spokesperson for former President Bill Clinton, who was also featured in some of the released documents, accused the Trump administration of “shielding themselves from what comes next,” adding that Clinton did not know about Epstein’s crimes and had cut off the relationship before they came to light.
“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” spokesperson Angel Ureña wrote in a post on X. “This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever.”
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz, Devan Cole, MJ Lee, Logan Schiciano, Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett, Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this reporting.
US seizes another vessel off Venezuela as Trump administration ramps up pressure campaign
Personnel from the United States boarded and seized a vessel off the coast of Venezuela yesterday, according to a US official familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Caracas.
It was the second known instance of the US interdicting a vessel near Venezuela this month and comes after Trump announced this week a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of the country. The US seized a large oil tanker called the Skipper, which had been under sanctions for its ties to Iran, on December 10.
While Trump’s directive this week targeted sanctioned tankers, the vessel the US seized Saturday is not under US sanctions, the official said. The seizure wasn’t contested by the tanker’s crew.
The vessel was a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, according to the official, and was ultimately destined for Asia.
Combined with Trump’s threats of land strikes on Venezuelan soil, the seizures of vessels have ratcheted up pressure on Caracas by going after its economic lifeline, which had already come under strain after new sanctions on the oil sector earlier this year.
The US is now months into its pressure campaign on Venezuela that has included moving thousands of troops and a carrier strike group into the Caribbean, strikes on suspected drug boats and repeated threats against President Nicolás Maduro.
