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.
Frustration mounts at DOJ amid race to redact some Epstein files, sources say
Frustration is mounting inside the Justice Department as it races to redact thousands of pages of files related to Jeffrey Epstein before they must be released Friday, multiple sources familiar with the process told CNN.
A substantial number of redactions are needed, one of the sources said, and the documents each attorney is processing since Thanksgiving week can number more than 1,000 — a time-consuming task that likely will come down to the wire. The sensitivities of executive and legal privacy, victims’ protections and other concerns all could play in to the choices the lawyers must make when it comes to potential redactions.
Lawyers working on the Epstein files at the DOJ’s National Security Division also believe they aren’t getting clear or comprehensive direction on how to make the most information available under the law, several sources said.
Counterintelligence specialists were asked to drop nearly all of their other work to process the Epstein documents, two people said, but some lawyers declined to participate.
An act of Congress has mandated the Trump administration release troves of Epstein-related documents — from grand jury records, to FBI files and internal Justice Department discussions — by Friday, after months of the Trump administration promising and not delivering transparency.
Here's what is on Trump's schedule today
We expect to see President Donald Trump a few times today.
At 1 p.m. ET, he will make an announcement from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. It’s unclear what this is about, but we’ll let you know if we get any updates.
Later on, at 5:45 p.m. ET, he will participate in a Christmas reception in the White House’s Grand Foyer. This is closed to press.
Then at 9 p.m. ET, he is scheduled to give remarks about the economy in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Trump says he’s not ruling out war with Venezuela
President Donald Trump said he is not ruling out the possibility of a war with Venezuela, signaling continued escalation as his administration ramps up military and economic pressure on the nation’s leader.
“I don’t rule it out, no,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News released today.
Trump’s answer comes as at least 104 people have been killed in US strikes on alleged drug boats, ramping up a campaign against Venezuela, which the president now blames for stealing US “oil, land and other assets.”
Asked by NBC News whether such actions could lead to war, Trump initially said: “I don’t discuss it.”
Trump on Tuesday said he was ordering a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving from Venezuela. And the US seized an oil tanker off the country’s coast last week.
Trump said during the interview there will be more oil tanker seizures in the future. Asked about timing, he responded:
The president also refused to say whether removing President Nicolás Maduro was his ultimate objective, but said the Venezuelan president “knows exactly what I want,” adding, “he knows better than anybody.”
It comes as the US military also conducted strikes against two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean yesterday, killing 5 people, according to US Southern Command. At least 104 people have now been killed in US strikes on alleged drug boats.
CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed reporting.
As the day begins, get caught up with yesterday's news
President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday to expedite the reclassification of marijuana while the federal government announced it will block transgender care to children by targeting hospitals and doctors that provide it.
Here are the top headlines from Thursday:
- Transgender care: The federal government will prohibit hospitals from participating in Medicare and Medicaid if they provide care such as puberty blockers and surgeries for transgender minors, according to proposed rules from health officials.
- Defense bill: Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes nearly $900 billion in funding for military programs, including a 3.8% pay raise for troops.
- Marijuana order: Several Republican senators expressed their concern about Trump reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, which he signed an executive order on yesterday.
- Epstein files: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released more photos from Epstein’s estate — the latest in a series of intermittent disclosures that have fueled significant political intrigue in recent weeks about who may have been associated with the convicted sex offender.
- ACA updates: The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies are expected to lapse at year’s end — sending premiums soaring for millions of Americans in the new year. Trump blamed Democrats for the looming premium spike, even as he again refused to offer a plan for handling the expiration of key enhanced subsidies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said “there could be a path forward” in the new year to extend the subsidies if Democrats are “willing to accept reforms.”
- Tensions with Venezuela: The president said he “wouldn’t mind” notifying Congress before authorizing a land attack targeting drug cartels in Venezuela, but insisted he doesn’t have to, citing the possibility of leaks.
- Netanyahu visit: Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may visit him at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. He also suggested that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is welcome to visit.
CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht, Sarah Owermohle, Andrew Freedman, Bill Weir, Sarah Ferris, Ellis Kim, Tami Luhby, Maureen Chowdhury, Ted Barrett, Annie Grayer, Ellis Kim, Morgan Rimmer, Alison Main, Donald Judd and Betül Tuncer contributed reporting.
