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New Epstein Release, Dementia Vaccine? & Spotify Wrapped - Thursday, December 4, 2025
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Today is Thursday, December 4th. We're talking about growing pressure on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And it's not only about that controversial boat strike. There's a new report about that signal chat scandal, too. Also what's shown in newly released photos and videos from Jeffrey Epstein's private island. Plus, many Americans may have already gotten a vaccine without knowing it could slow dementia. Gas powered vehicles could be getting a new boost. And Spotify revealed the top podcasts and artists of 2025. Those stories and even more news to know next.
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Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun, and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is once again answering for his signal group chat. Remember, the messages included details about when warplanes were being launched and when bombs would drop over Yemen. And. And it became public after an editor from the Atlantic was added by mistake. Well, this week, a Pentagon watchdog wrapped up its eight month investigation into Hegseth's use of the messaging app and gave the report to Congress to review the findings. Reportedly say Hegseth put American troops and their mission at risk when he wrote about the war plans. The report mentions how Hegseth does have the authority to declassify intelligence based on his judgment, but it didn't address whether he took the proper steps to do so for the information shared in the chat. Either way, the inclusion of Hegseth's authority on classified information suggests he did not break the law. So Hegseth responded to the report to say, quote, no classified information, total exoneration, case closed. The report also apparently found Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by using his personal device for official business, so it recommended better training for all Pentagon officials. This release actually comes at a sensitive moment for Hecseth. As we've told you, he's been facing scrutiny over a decision to launch a second military strike on an apparent drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean. At least two people had survived the initial attack. Now, Hegseth says even though he was watching the strikes, that he did not see any survivors, only fire and smoke, or, as he explains it, the fog of war. The commander who is said to have launched the strikes is expected to testify behind closed doors to lawmakers today.
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This week, Democratic lawmakers released hundreds of photos and videos of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's private island that until now have not been seen publicly. They appear to show several bedrooms in his Virgin Islands home, as well as a room with what looks like a dental chair and masks of men's faces on a wall. There's also a room with a black chalkboard with the words Truth, Deception and Power written on it. Some of the other words had been redacted. Several survivors say they were trafficked to and abused on the island, so these photos were taken as part of Investigations by the U.S. virgin Islands Department of Justice. One Democratic lawmaker explained that he and his colleagues wanted to release these photos and videos in the name of public transparency and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein's crimes, though a Republican spokesperson called it odd that Democrats chose to release selective information. Dems say they've also received Epstein's financial records from JP Morgan and Deutsche bank, so they're reviewing them and say they'll be made public soon. The Justice Department is supposed to release more Epstein files within a month.
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President Trump pardoned a Democratic lawmake his wife accused of bribery Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife were charged for accepting close to $600,000 in bribes in two different schemes. Cuellar has said he and his wife are innocent and that he always consulted with congressional ethics officials before taking any actions. And now Trump says the Cuellars were only punished by the Justice Department under President Biden because Cuellar spoke out against some of Biden's border policies. Cuellar is a moderate Democrat from a competitive district near the U S Mexico border, and he's often crossed party lines to vote with Republicans. He's also stayed relatively popular in his district with voters of both parties, even after being accused of taking foreign bribes, though his district is one Republicans had been hoping to flip with the new Texas election map after his pardon yesterday, Cuellar filed to run for re election.
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President Trump's immigration tactics are once again being challenged in federal court. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. ordered ICE officers to stop making arrests there without a warrant unless they could show the suspect was a flight risk. She specifically raised concerns about instructions handed down by certain senior administration officials. She said they appear to encourage arrests without probable cause, telling agents to push the envelope, though attorneys representing the White House argued there's no policy that says that. The ruling is similar to other decisions in California and Colorado. Meanwhile, union officials say the Trump administration has fired at least 14 immigration judges in the last two weeks without explanation, despite a millions long backlog of immigration cases in the courts. Overall, about 200 immigration judges have either been fired, quit or took an early retirement offer since President Trump returned to the White House. But the Trump administration says that's within its lawful authority. It's now working to authorize up to 600 military lawyers to be temporary immigration judges, scrapping the requirement that they should have immigration law experience. At this point, only 25 have gone through the required training and have begun hearing cases.
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A highly anticipated meeting kicks off today with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. S Vaccine committee, and in the end, the childhood vaccine schedule in the US could see major changes. Specifically, the panel is expected to make a controversial change to how babies are immunized against hepatitis B. They're also expected to question how pediatricians vaccinate children against more than a dozen other infectious diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough and polio. The meeting lasts today and tomorrow.
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We have much more news for you still coming up, but first, a quick break to talk about our sponsor. When I think about the gifts I use all year long, one that always comes to mind is my Quince Carry on suitcase. I've taken it on so many trips now. It's sleek, lightweight, rolls so smoothly and has convenient compression straps that help to fit everything without feel bulky. It's the kind of travel upgrade that just makes every trip easier. That's what I love about Quint. Everything feels intentionally designed and you can get it at prices that actually make sense. Whether it's their travel pieces, their Mongolian cashmere, washable silk, tailored denim or outerwear, the quality is great without the luxury markup. And because Quint's also has beautiful options for home bedding, accessories and gifts, it really is a one stop shop for holiday shopping. Quince makes it easy to have a gift that's practical, beautiful and built to last. Find gifts so good you'll want to keep them with quince. Go to quince.comnewworthy for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q U I-N-C-E.comnewsworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comnewsworthy now back to the news.
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A vaccine that's already routine for preventing a viral infection could end up protecting people's brains. A study from Stanford Medicine suggests the shingles vaccine cuts the risk of developing dementia by 20% over seven years. A large follow up shows it could help people who already have different stages of the condition. Those who got the vaccine were almost 30% less likely to die from dementia over nine years. Experts say this could be groundbreaking since right now there are few effective treatments and no preventative measures for dementia outside of usual lifestyle changes. Still, the study had its limitations. For starters, researchers did not look into the behaviors of those who got vaccinated versus those who did not outside of medical records, so they don't know about patients diets or physical activity levels. The study also looked at the older shingles vaccine that used a weakened version of the live virus, so it's not clear how the new version would work against dementia, though researchers say it's possibly even more effective. Either way, experts encourage eligible people to get the shingles vaccine. If nothing else then for shingles.
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A doctor who sold ketamine to actor Matthew Perry has now been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. We're talking about Salvador Plasencia, more commonly known as Dr. P. He acknowledged in a plea agreement that he repeatedly gave Perry ketamine without a legitimate medical purpose in the weeks leading up to his death. Yesterday's sentencing hearing was an emotional one as Perry's family members spoke about the effect of losing him. Dr. P also broke down in tears as he apologized directly to the family, saying he should have protected the actor. Dr. P is now the first person to be sentenced among the five who have been convicted in connection with the actor's overdose death.
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President Trump announced plans to significantly scale back one of the Biden administration's most significant efforts to address climate change. Under the Biden rules, new cars sold in the US would need to get more than 50 miles to the gallon on average by 2031. That would have meant automakers would have to sell more electric vehicles to meet the standard. But now Trump wants to change it from more than 50 miles to 34 and a half miles a gallon. For reference, last year, new vehicles got about 28 miles per gallon on average. President Trump also says he's going to cancel EPA rules that limited greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles tailpipes. The American Petroleum Institute calls the announcements a win for American drivers, saying they'll help companies make the kind of cars people want to buy and can afford. But environmentalists are criticizing these changes, saying they'll just raise costs for Americans who have to buy gas and will help China take the lead in the electric vehicle market. President Trump's policy changes have already prompted car companies to walk back their commitments to sell more EVs. Analysts have slashed their predictions for future EV sales and raised their projections for greenhouse gas pollution.
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Waymo Driverless taxis are once again going viral, and not in a good way. A video posted online this week shows one of the taxis driving a passenger into an apparent police standoff in downtown Los Angeles, though a Waymo spokesperson said police had not blocked off traffic yet and the taxi only drove where other cars were also driving. Recently, Waymo has also come under fire after its vehicles hit a couple of animals. The company says it will keep working to improve road safety, but critics say there needs to be better regulation, too. Meanwhile, Waymo just announced it's expanding into more cities. Its robo taxi vehicles will start driving in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and St. Louis this week, though at least during the testing phase, humans will be on board. The company is now either operating its robo taxis, testing them, or planning to launch service in 26 different markets.
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People are sharing their top podcasts and Favorite music from 2025 this year's Spotify Wrapped came out yesterday, giving users a personalized summary of their listening habits over the last year. And like always, it revealed which artists people are listening to the most. And this year, the number one spot worldwide went to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, though here in the US the top artist was Taylor Swift. The Joe rogan experience is Spotify's number one podcast both nationally and globally. Besides Spotify, Wrapped, Apple, YouTube and Amazon Music also released their own yearly recaps. Of course, we love to see when the Newsworthy is one of your top podcasts from 2025, so be sure to tag us if you post it. We've already seen some of your posts come in, so thank you for listening.
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Well, that's it for the main news today, but now it's time for Thing to Know Thursday. But first, this episode is sponsored by Dose. Let's be honest, modern life can be rough on our bodies. Late nights, stress, processed foods, environmental elements. Your liver is working overtime to filter all that out and when it's overworked, you can really feel it. Well, Dose for your Liver is a clinically backed liver health supplement and it's different from anything I've tried before. It's not a capsule or a pouch, It's a daily 2 ounce liquid shot and it tastes like fresh squeezed orange juice. My husband and I both really enjoy the taste, which makes it easy to make it part of your morning routine. Your liver is your body's filter. It processes everything you consume and can impact everything from energy production and digestion to fat metabolism and vitamin storage. Dose supports daily liver function so your liver can keep doing its job. Dose is even backed by two double blind placebo controlled studies showing its positive impact on liver enzyme levels. Ready to give your liver the support it deserves. Head to DueDaily co Newsworthy or enter Newsworthy to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's dosedaily D O S E D A I L Y co C o Newsworthy for 35% off your first month's subscription. Now back to Thing to Know Thursday. We're talking about a question a lot of parents are asking themselves in the digital age. When is it okay for a kid to have a smartphone? New research from the University of Pennsylvania could help parents decide. It looked at a study done between 2016 and 2022, including nearly 11,000 kids. It was the largest long term look at children's brain development in the US to date, and it found kids who owned a smartphone by 12 years old had 31% higher odds of depression, 40% higher odds of obesity, and 62% higher odds of poor sleep as compared to their peers who did not have one. Now, we should note the study only shows an association between kids with smartphones and poorer health outcomes. It does not prove a cause and effect, but researchers point to earlier studies that also suggest young people with smartphones may spend less time socializing in person, exercising and sleeping, all of which are important for well being. There are actually no official public health guidelines on the appropriate age for kids to first get a smartphone, but these days roughly half of American kids own one by the time they turn 11. Now, researchers say parents should just consider the potential risks whenever they decide to get their kids a device.
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Thank you so much for listening today. We'll catch you up on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.