eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

On Politics

Thu Nov 13 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello, readers. Kathryn Palmer here. It's Thursday, which means it's the end of the week for me and for OnPolitics. After more than 40 days of the word "shutdown" appearing in this newsletter, the impasse has finally come to a close. Here's today's news.

The government is back open, but not yet back to normal

This morning, the government is yawning back to life, as various services and agencies begin to restart business-as-usual after up to six weeks of closure, after lawmakers ended the shutdown last night.

But don't expect it to be "business as usual" just yet.

Parks, museums and monuments are reopening, but delayed and canceled flights are expected to persist this week. And although most federal employees were ordered back to work, they're still waiting for back pay. And millions of Americans are waiting for food stamp benefits that were halted during the impasse and then mired in legal battles.

So while most of the federal government is reopening, the threat of yet another shutdown still looms. The deal only funds the government through Jan. 30, so Congress still has plenty of work to do in the weeks ahead.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 12, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque, Reuters

A Politics pit stop:

•	SNAP recipients said they feel "betrayed" and "judged" amid shutdown cuts to the food aid program
•	Rev. Jesse Jackson, one of the nation's top civil rights leaders and a former U.S. presidential candidate, has been hospitalized
•	After police raided a Kansas newspaper in 2023, sparking a national outcry over press freedoms, they apologized and were forced to pay millions
•	An Indiana University professor was removed from class over a white supremacy graphic

Epstein emails ignite fury, GOP fractures

Emails sent by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioning President Donald Trump have put their relationship back into the spotlight, as the new Epstein documents released by House Democrats yesterday reverberate across the Capitol.

The emails from Epstein allege Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of Epstein's alleged sex trafficking victims and allegedly "knew about the girls." Democrats said the emails raise questions about what Trump knew about Epstein.

While lawmakers were voting to reopen the government, a bipartisan group pushed for a House vote to release the Epstein files, forcing Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's hand to commit to a vote next week.

The Epstein files have become a thorn in Trump's side, as leading MAGA voices and commentators have splintered over the administration's handling of related investigations of the participants in Epstein's alleged trafficking ring.

Ex-Newsom top aide indicted on fraud charges

Some of California's top Democrats are tangled in a scandal involving a former chief of staff who worked for the last two Democratic governors, who was indicted on fraud charges.

Dana Williamson, 53, a former chief of staff for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and prior aide to former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, was arrested on Nov. 12. A federal grand jury indicted her last week on charges related to a scam to steal campaign money, according to federal prosecutors.

She faces 23 felony charges connected to allegedly diverting $225,000 from a dormant campaign account that reportedly belonged to gubernatorial candidate and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

The indictment indicated that Becerra did not know about the scheme. A spokesperson for Newsom's office told USA TODAY the governor is not involved in the matter.

Email me with questions, comments, concerns: kapalmer@usatoday.com.