Epstein Files, Federal Showdowns, and a Turbulent Week in U.S. Politics

A whirlwind week exposes a high-stakes battle over transparency, accountability, and presidential power: Congress demands the Epstein files but the DOJ has released less than 1%; former special counsel Jack Smith’s closed-door testimony portrays Trump as having engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and to obstruct the handling of classified documents; the Supreme Court limited the president’s ability to federalize troops for domestic use; the administration pressed aggressive moves in Venezuela and immigration, while Trump threatened actions on Greenland and Powell faces a DOJ probe related to a Fed renovation, prompting Republicans to argue that the independence of the Fed and DOJ is at risk.