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Today's top stories
The White House says newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents don't prove any wrongdoing by President Trump. Within the more than 1,000 mentions of Trump in the documents, an email says Trump spent hours at the convicted sex offender's home with a victim. Republican strategist Alex Conant says the documents may not necessarily change people's minds for the next election, but it makes for a not-so-good week for the president.
- 🎧 Conant says that the White House should have handled the Epstein story differently by releasing all the information they had. The White House claims it has been transparent about the situation, but at the same time, Trump doesn't want to answer questions about Epstein, NPR's Deepa Shivaram tells Up First. Conant points out that Trump's strategy is to deflect, attack and then change the story, but due to the slow drip of the Epstein story, it has been harder for the president to overcome this scandal.
The Trump administration has selected Charlotte, N.C., as the next city for its immigration crackdown, according to Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden. The sheriff said yesterday that federal officials contacted him and could arrive as early as tomorrow. The development comes as some Border Patrol agents are leaving Chicago, after weeks of aggressive raids there.
- 🎧 Charlotte drew national attention this fall following the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian woman on public transit, says Nick de la Canal with NPR network station WFAE. The suspect was not an immigrant, but Republicans and the White House criticized the city's Democratic mayor for the crime. Violent crime is down 20% over the last year, according to de la Canal, but there have still been calls for the National Guard to deploy to the area. It is currently unknown how many agents are expected to arrive in the city, and the community has been reacting with fear to the news, despite advocacy groups urging calm.
Trump will soon travel across the U.S. to address the economic hardship Americans are feeling, a senior administration official told NPR. Trump's message will be that, while some things have improved, there is still more work to be done. This comes as the president revives the talking point of making America affordable again — a pledge that helped him win the White House again but that has not been much of a focus the past eight months. Currently, voters rank the economy and cost of living as their top concerns in polls, and many blame Trump's policies for exacerbating these issues.
Today's listen
Exercise appears to be more popular than ever in the U.S., from fitness influencers sharing gym tips on social media to fitness being a focus in our politics. Data also shows more Americans are exercising. But what caused this shift? It's Been A Minute's Brittany Luse uncovers the answer to that question and more with guests Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox's Explain it to Me podcast, and Shelly McKenzie, author of Getting Physical: the Rise of Fitness Culture in America. Listen to the discussion or read the transcript here.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Nuremberg explores the relationship between Nazi Germany's number two, Hermann Göring, and Douglas Kelley, the psychiatrist assigned to monitor him. Morning Edition host Leila Fadel spoke with writer-director James Vanderbilt about what makes the story so relevant now.
📺 TV: If you like The West Wing, you might like Death by Lightning. The four-part miniseries pits President James Garfield against Charles Guiteau, the disgruntled would-be political operative who assassinated him.
📚 Books: Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, spoke with All Things Considered about his new memoir, Unfettered, which recounts his 2022 Senate campaign during which he suffered a stroke and battled deep depression. Plus, five more new releases from this week.
🎵 Music: With the end of 2025 nearing, All Songs Considered has updated its running playlists of this year's best songs.
❓ Quiz: A decent score of 7/10, I know I could have done better, but luckily I have you to avenge me. Good luck!
3 things to know before you go
- Disney CEO Bob Iger indicated yesterday that the entertainment conglomerate is in talks with AI companies to develop tools Disney+ subscribers could use to generate their own content on the platform.
- Michael Jackson's "Thriller" climbed up Billboard's Hot 100 during spooky season, marking the sixth consecutive decade in which he has achieved at least one top 10 hit. This sets an all-time chart record.
- This week's NPR Far-Flung Postcard series takes you aboard the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker ship, where you can see a polar bear.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
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