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On Politics

Thu Dec 18 2025

Zachary Schermele | Congress and Campaigns Reporter

@zachschermele

Hello, readers! Welcome to Thursday's edition of On Politics. I'm Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY's congressional reporter, filling in for Kathryn Palmer, who is out this week. Here's what to know today.

Epstein files release looms

The Jeffrey Epstein files – all of them – are coming, and quickly . Under a law passed by Congress in November, the Justice Department has until tomorrow, Dec. 19, to release as many documents as legally possible about its investigations into the accused sex trafficker and disgraced financier who died by suicide in a jail cell in 2019. By the time the files come out, many lawmakers will have left Washington for the holidays.

But that doesn't mean members of Congress won't be poring over the contents during their winter break. And many will be looking intently for any signs Attorney General Pam Bondi is concealing records that the Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the department to disclose.

"If they don't (release everything), then we're going to have to revisit it, and we're going to have to pass more bills on the floor," Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY.

Read more here about what members of Congress and victims' lawyers told USA TODAY ahead of the big day.

Timeline relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump.

House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via REUTERS, Bruce R. Bennett/West Palm Beach-USA TODAY NETWORK, Davidoff Studios/GETTY, Photo Illustration

A politics roundup:

•	RFK Jr. took major steps Thursday to restrict gender-affirming care for minors.
•	More Epstein photos, showing 'Lolita' references and foreign passports, were released by House Democrats.
•	NASA has a leader: Here's what to know about Jared Isaacman's long path to administrator.
•	FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced he is leaving in January after less than a year as the law enforcement agency's number two official.

Photo gallery: Vanity Fair photos get close – really close – in White House tell-all

Trump's end-of-year address plays the affordability blame game

President Trump delivered a forceful defense of his first 11 months back in office during a primetime address from the White House on Wednesday night. He pointed the finger at Democrats for Americans' economic anxieties in a combative speech that set the tone for the 2026 midterm elections. "Boy, are we making progress," Trump said. He focused heavily on affordability, which has increasingly bedeviled his administration and continues to threaten his party's electoral chances next year.

Here are five takeaways from USA TODAY's Zac Anderson and Joey Garrison.

President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Room of the White House on December 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Pool, Getty Images

Can Baltimore finally turn the corner on vacant homes?

Baltimore leaders say a new, large-scale approach to reclaim vacant homes could mark a turning point for the city. On the latest episode of USA TODAY's podcast The Excerpt, reporter Andrea Riquier breaks down her recent deep-dive into the strategy, the political and financial risks, and what success – or failure – could signal for cities nationwide. Listen here.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.