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The countdown to release the Epstein files has begun. An explosive split is shaking the MAGA movement, and a fashion show featured wool from gay sheep. That's some of what we'll get to on the 7. From the Washington Post, I'm Rennie Swarnofsky in for Hannah jewel. It's Thursday, November 20th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Number one, President Donald Trump signed a bill to release files about Jeffrey Epstein. Last night, Trump said he directed the Justice Department to release documents related to the sprawling sex trafficking investigation into the deceased Epstein. The justice department now has 30 days to release all unclassified documents about Epstein. Both Trump's political opponents and members of his base have been asking to see these files. But despite Trump's signature, there are many reasons to doubt that a bulk release of the files is imminent. The legislation calling for their release includes major loopholes. For example, the wording of the bill allows the Justice Department to refuse to release material if it would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution. The Justice Department has said little about what it plans to do. A split between President Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene is shaking the MAGA movement. That's number two. Greene is a Georgia Republican and one of MAGA's biggest stars in Congress. Until recently, she'd been considered one of the president's staunchest supporters on the Hill. But that has all blown up. Greene has been attacking Trump over issues ranging from foreign labor to the release of the Epstein files. Trump recently called Greene a traitor, withdrew his endorsement of her reelection, and encouraged a primary challenge in 2026. Earlier this week, Greene spoke out about Trump's language during a press conference held by members of Congress with Epstein accusers.
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Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me.
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Many Republican leaders and voters in Greene's deep red district in Georgia say they're sticking with her. That's boosted her bid to carve out a populist MAGA brand independent of the president. The fallout is still risky for Greene. Her criticism of the president has infuriated other Republicans. They accuse her of stoking divisions in the GOP that Democrats are eager to amplify. Number three, the CDC is promoting the false vaccines Autism link it once discredited. Yesterday, the agency's website on vaccines and autism was updated. It now makes several false claims about a connection between the two, echoing longtime rhetoric from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He's had a lengthy history of disparaging vaccines and linking them to autism. The Post reported that scientists at the agency responsible for information about vaccine safety and autism had no prior knowledge of the changes to the website. Before the update, the CDC webpage stated that studies have shown that there is no link between vaccines and developing autism. Trump officials are drafting an order to sue states that pass laws to regulate regulate artificial intelligence. That's number four. AI is becoming a major political issue for both parties. People are worried about the technology's impact on jobs, children and electricity prices. Some lawmakers are now pushing to protect Americans from potential harms caused by AI, but those efforts could be thwarted. The Post has seen a draft executive order that would direct the Justice Department to challenge state AI laws on the grounds that they interfere with interstate commerce. But the proposal could conflict with constitutional limits to federal power over states. If signed by Trump, the order would escalate his efforts to force states into line with his second term. Priorities. 5 the rate of homicides has plummeted nationwide the US is more violent than many other high income countries, but things seem to be shifting in the right direction this year. The homicide rate is down nearly 20% in 52 major US cities that report the figures each month. That's according to analysis from the Post. And five cities have seen sharper declines in crime. Experts say a combination of factors are driving that trend, including demographic changes, a rebound in employment and schools reopening After Covid, Post reporters went to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Indianapolis and Los Angeles to speak with people working to reduce crime in their communities. Find out what they said at the link to the newsletter in our show Notes. An unusual phenomenon will cause a chilly December across parts of the country. That's our sixth item. It's called sudden stratospheric warming and it happens when rapid warming and weakening of winds disturbs the ring of frigid, stormy air high above the North Pole. The process takes weeks to unfold, but long range forecasts show below average temperatures across Parts of 35 states from late November into December. It currently looks like the northern U.S. and southern Canada will bear the brunt of this episode. The particularly after Thanksgiving. All of which is to say, unfortunately, many of you will need to zip back up and put back on all your layers after Thanksgiving dinner. And at number seven, a gay dating app sponsored a fashion show with clothes woven from the wool of gay sheep. This story starts with Michael Stuka. He's a shepherd who lives in Lona, a town in the Westphalia region of Germany in and he has 35 gay rams. Now bear with me. As many as one in 12 male sheep show interest in other rams. These non procreative male oriented sheep require just as much care and feeding as their procreative peers, but because they don't produce new offspring, farmers often slaughter them. That's how Shtuka ended up with his 35 gay rams rescued from other farms. Last year, Shtuka's nonprofit reached out to dating app Grindr, hoping they would sponsor some of his sheep. But the company went one better and sponsored a whole fashion show with clothes made from the sheep's wool to raise awareness of Shtuka's rescue work. If you'd like to see the Runway looks, check out the link to the newsletter in our show notes. All right, you are all caught up. But if you loved that last story on the gay sheep, you're going to want to sign up to the Post's new newsletter. It's called Seriously and it's from Shane o', Neill, who wrote that amazing fashion show story. His newsletter will connect the dots between entertainment news, Internet fads and celebrity gossip to sketch a portrait of how we live today. To sign up, just Google Seriously Washington Post I'm Renny Swarnofsky. We'll meet you back here tomorrow.
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