☕ The fallout from Epstein's emails

Good morning!

And just like that, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over. But it’s from one major drama to another for the Trump administration, with renewed speculation over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. More emails released, more details, more pressure - we’ve got your rundown below.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• President Donald Trump has signed a bill ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history after the House of Representatives voted to restart disrupted food assistance and pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers. The 43-day shutdown ended when Republicans used their slim majority to pass the bill 222-209, which had already cleared the Senate earlier in the week. Federal workers will return to their jobs starting as early as Thursday, though it remains unclear how quickly full government services will resume. Trump said "we can never let this happen again" during a late-night signing ceremony, calling the shutdown "no way to run a country."

• India's government has declared a car explosion that killed 20 people near New Delhi's Red Fort monument a terrorist attack. Police said a slow-moving Hyundai i-20 stopped at a traffic light near the historic landmark before exploding. The government blamed anti-national forces for the attack, though no arrests have been made. Investigations into the perpetrators are ongoing.

• Civil rights leader and former protégé of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, has been hospitalized at age 84 for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). PSP is a rare neurological disorder affecting movement, walking, balance, and eye movements. Jackson was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but the diagnosis was changed to PSP. The condition is incurable, and patients typically develop disabilities within three to five years of diagnosis.

• Apple has announced that a passport-like digital ID will be available in Apple Wallet on iPhones and Apple Watches, providing a new way to bypass security lines for domestic air travel. The TSA has approved the digital ID for use in over 250 U.S. airports, though physical passports remain required for international travel. Apple said the ID is secure and only accessible through Face or Touch ID, similar to Apple Pay. The company plans to expand the digital ID for use at businesses and venues nationwide.

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Jack Schlossberg, President John F. Kennedy's grandson and political social media personality, announced Tuesday he will run for Congress in New York's 2026 midterm elections.

Schlossberg, 32, will compete for New York's 12th Congressional District seat currently held by Representative Jerry Nadler, who is retiring next year. The bid continues the Kennedy family's political legacy, which has shaped American politics since the 1960s. Here's what you need to know.

Schlossberg’s bid

Schlossberg told the New York Times he wants to return Democrats to "challenging the status quo, [and] representing counterculture, artists, innovators."

His campaign website lists "12 promises to the people of New York's 12th district," including commitments to "courage," "independence," and "creativity."

Schlossberg called his grandfather's administration "a blueprint for how progressivism can work in America."

Schlossberg has built a following of nearly 2 million people across multiple social media platforms. His campaign strategy centers on this digital presence.

"In this toxic, polluted media environment we are in — I breathe that air," Schlossberg told CNN about his social media experience.

However, his online presence has drawn controversy. Accusations of misogyny, homophobia, and erratic behavior have followed him into his political career. Schlossberg denies these allegations and says he is "a little different than the other guys."

The Kennedys

The Kennedy family has been a dominant force in U.S. politics for decades. Schlossberg's grandfather, John F. Kennedy, served as the 35th president from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.

The family remains politically active today. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. currently serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump.

Schlossberg has publicly opposed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite their family connection. He called Kennedy a "LOSER" and a "THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH" on X in September, referencing Kennedy's opposition to vaccines.

Reactions

Schlossberg will face other Democratic candidates in the primary, including state assemblymen Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, and journalist Jami Floyd.

Political observers compare Schlossberg to New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani as part of a new generation of Democrats who emphasize social media engagement and authenticity.

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U.S. politicians have released more than 20,000 documents from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.

The documents include a series of emails that appear to suggest President Trump was aware of some of Epstein’s criminal activity.

Next week, a vote is planned to decide if the full suite of records known as the ‘Epstein files’ will be released.

Epstein files

The ‘Epstein files’ are a series of documents relating to Epstein’s sex trafficking charges. During Trump’s 2024 Presidential campaign, he promised to release the documents.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. House Oversight Committee have both released batches of documents relating to Epstein this year, which Democrats have said were largely already public.

An FBI memorandum shared in July stated there was “no basis” to share more files and “no incriminating client list.”

Emails

On Wednesday (local time), Democrat members of the Oversight Committee shared a series of Epstein’s email conversations, including with ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

In a 2019 email to author Michael Wolff, Epstein said, “of course he knew about the girls,” referring to Trump.

A different email chain from 2015 shows Wolff told Epstein that CNN was planning to ask Trump about his connection to the convicted sex offender, adding that Epstein should “let [Trump] hang himself”.

After publishing the emails, Republican committee members shared a Google Drive folder containing more than 20,000 documents “from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein”.

The sharing of these documents comes amid renewed calls to release all of the ‘Epstein files’.

In July, Republican representative Thomas Massie introduced a “discharge petition” that – if it received 218 votes (a House majority) – would see the introduction of a bill to release the files.

On Wednesday, the House swore in a new Democrat member, who became the 218th signatory.

Reactions

In a post to Truth Social, Trump labelled the situation a “hoax” and a “deflection.”

He said “only a... stupid Republican would fall into that trap” of supporting the release of the files.

According to U.S. media, a meeting was held between some of Trump’s senior team and the Republican representatives who signed the petition.

They reportedly met in the ‘situation room’, a space reserved for high-level crises and military operations.

What happens next?

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told the media that next week he will put forward the bill to release the documents.

Republicans have a majority in the House and the Senate. Assuming the four Republicans who signed the petition vote for the bill, it will pass the House; however, it is unlikely to pass the Senate.

If it did, as President, Trump could veto it.

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