It is very likely, those files have already been scrubbed to remove Trump and the Republicans.

Have a feeling Trump has been holding this as a trump card in case the Epstein thing got out of hand and he needed another distraction.

Trump has directed Pam Bondi to investigate the Democrats who might have been involved with Epstein. This strongly smacks of corruption as the DOJ is supposed to be independent from the Executive. It is not POTUS that determines who will be investigated, that's up to the DOJ. It appears Trump is once again, trying to run some misdirection as he isn't interested in what Republicans might have been involved with Epstein, only the Democrats.

Biden never released info because at that time the case was under investigation and cases under investigation are not talked about while evidence is gathered to prevent spoilage of the evidence as well as prevention of witness tampering.
Trump has continually blamed Biden for anything and everything, so he could see himself as blameless.

This also could set up blockage of the Epstein release of files from the DOJ while they too claim the investigation is ongoing, even though Republicans are supposedly left out of the investigation. Again, it looks like Trump is either trying to shield himself or he is trying to shield his mega-donors and the wealthy who might have been involved. Either way, it sets up a clear case of cover-up, where the more Trump is involved and comments, the more it looks like he has something serious he's afraid will come out and and is trying to hide that info from being released. The more he tries to misdirect the more he digs himself a hole in involvement.

Trump claimed he parted with Epstein and he hadn't spoken to Epstein in 15 years, which would have been 2004. Yet the release of some of Epstein's emails showed that Epstein had attended Thanksgiving Dinner at Mar-a-largo in 2014. There's a lot that's off in what Trump claims and what appears to be facts.

You can add my name to the list. 82nd Airborne, Army.

Monday I had the honor of being one of 62 who did a motorcycle escort for the moving Vietnam Wall. It is now set up for visitors. Tuesday I joined a ceremony for Veterans Day.

Happy b'day, LauraMohr.

I heard from an elderly lady, she said "Don't get old, you won't like it". *smiles*

The vote will likely go against the Dems unless some of the Repubs up for re-election join in. If it goes that way, there will be a lot of voters against the Repubs. They will seal being the losing party should it fail to pass.

Something else in Walmart's offer is that more of the goods use the store brand 'great value' rather than premium goods to reduce the cost. They didn't do that last year.

The Repubs have had at least 10 years to present their so called replacement for ACA. They speak of there being one but no one has seen it, in all likelihood because of the great PR it would put out, means it doesn't exist as a plan.

Trump's idea of sending out $2000 checks from the tariff income, doesn't sound good at all. Remember the last time Trump halted the sending out of checks so his name could be on the reprinted checks? What happened after that? Inflation happened with a vengeance. So much unearned money had been dropped on the public, to spend as they wished, but there was no increase in output of factories and the like to increase available products. It takes time to ramp up production and get it to the market. Trump's idea of sending out checks will likely result in the same increase in inflation all over again.

His idea of sending money out to the public to replace the ACA stinks as well. The public still has to buy it's insurance from the same insurance companies and the amount that goes to the public will be no where near what it will take to buy coverage. Not even a decent sized bandaid to help out. This too would add to the inflationary push.

Repubs know, even if they don't admit it, they are in a nine line bind. Their political fortunes depend on selling a pigs ear as a silk purse and it isn't being taken so well by the voters and they are saying so with their votes.

We have congress critters acting like school kids, not grown adults. The word compromise has been eliminated from the politic sphere it seems. The Repubs have ramrodded pretty much all they want or in support of trump, without consideration of the Dems. It's been a steady stream of 'my way or the highway' to the Dem party. What couldn't be voted on to railroad through, has had it's funding removed by refusing to spend what has already passed congress, effectively removing preapproved programs from being implemented or had continued funding terminated.

It's resulted in the shutdown of government, where all unnecessary jobs have been closed down. Of course in this process, digital security has went out the window along with the shut down...what could go wrong?

Face it, Trump is gaslighting. He doesn't shop for groceries and that makes him out of touch with the public that does have to. Lying about it doesn't change the reality Joe Public sees when he has to open his wallet to pay for things like food, rent, and utilities.

We can't get rid of this lying, ignoramus, con man, quick enough. At the rate he's going now, it will take decades to return the US to what it once was. Every accusation to the Dems is a self confession.

...and Epstein just keeps surfacing, the more they try to hide, lie, and gas light his importance. From following the money trail to victim testimony, none of it is good news for trump and the politicians in his thrall.

It can't be buried forever. There is too much public interest, too much ducking and dodging by the congress critters that don't want to see it come to the front. Big money donors are threatened, politicians futures are at stake, and the stench that comes from all the attempts to make it go away aren't sitting well with the public. It is obvious by trump's first promises to release the files until he was told he's in them and far more than just a buddy to Epstein.

The public wants the rich and powerful exposed and dealt with and despite trump, they will surface. There are too many investigating various aspects of Epstein's life for it to remain hidden. That Prince Andrew has had his royal privilege and rank removed tells you that some already know what the public here seeks to know. The royals have thrown Andrew under the bus to save the rest.

Misdirection only works for so long. I've known about this business with the photos of trump with two young girls bare to the waist ever since Pam Bondi had to appear before congress and testify under oath. She knew the question about the photos would come up while she was under oath. What did she do? She wrote down attack questions/claims to dodge having to answer the question. She was asked a second time about it, after she'd run out of attack material. She refused to answer so she wouldn't have to deal with perjury charges later. She refused to say if the FBI had found those photos after they had to go back to get them and if she'd personally seen them. That's as near an admission as you get while under oath.

All these other things happening are attempts to remove the importance of the Epstein files by supplanting them with misdirection to grab the attention of the public and it's not working. As soon as things start to calm down, Epstein comes back to the surface. Mike Johnson has held the house from working solely to prevent having to swear in the Arizona representative. He has claimed all sorts of reasons why he can't do it, despite he'd already done so in similar conditions for Repub representatives. Normally the speaker determines what comes up for vote and what does not. However the house membership can over ride him to have something of importance be voted on, by having enough votes to force it to come to the floor. Adelita Grijalva represents that last vote needed to do that force. Mike knows on the day he opens the house, that surfaces.

It opens trump, their source of direction and power, to be exposed as what he is and that in turn brings up the question should he continue in the office of POTUS. For the Repubs, trump isn't replaceable. They have no one else that can inspire the voters as he can and this is why Mike is not wanting Grijalva seated. It's about holding on to power. Some of the Repubs will vote with the Dems to release the files, giving them the necessary votes.

Up till now, it's been party politics. What ever trump wants, they are all for. The Dems have had no say in the matter as all has been decided without consulting them or inviting their input. It's been a one way street, with Dems being told our way or the highway.

You can lie and gaslight all you want, hide the data, and misrepresent what it says or means. What you can not hide, is when average Joe citizen goes to buy food, or pay the bills. When it hits the wallet there's no hiding the real impact by trying to change the data or misrepresenting it. So Joe citizen is not fooled.

Want to see politicians get political religion? Threaten their continued political aspirations for continuing to be a politician from voter anger. Suddenly attitudes and what they are for inspire miraculous change. The Repubs should have been able to see this coming from a long ways away. But they were so meekly accepting whatever trump wanted. Now they see the price they are to pay in the upcoming election year. The voters are more than just upset at what they've done, they are angry and voting in a way that shows it. No matter how it is papered over in statements from the Repubs claiming otherwise, the votes speak as to what the public wants.

I have little interest in Disney ever since the Kimmel affair. Since I don't watch sports, I won't miss that either. I've basically went on protest against it and most MSM as they can't be trusted to give unvarnished reports in fear of a Trump suit. Basically I've stopped watching MSM as well. Disney can fall in a hole and remain buried as far as I am concerned.

This is the start of forcing congress to do something. That's a lot of voters effected and dissatisfied. Flights being halted is next up if they dilly dally, which will bring yet more voters highly dissatisfied.

Trump will pretty much have to steal the election to keep it in the Repub majority at the rate it is going. Without it, it's pretty much a slam dunk against them and they continue to irate more and more voters they need to stay in power.

Did someone plant a seed of a spine in congress?

"All of this is entirely preventable if the Senate chooses..."

This is political theater with people's lives. The Senate has always had an out, one they have used before. This time they hope to drag it out trying to make the Dems pay for the audacity of refusing to go along with status quo and get the public's ire against them. They have always had the nuclear option available to them at anytime they so chose to use it. So far they've chosen to leave things right where they are.

It tells you right away where the problem is all over again. That is to say, the Repubs are right where they want to be and won't be changing things until it's so bad they have to do something. It is highly unlikely they'll go along with extending ACA credits unless forced to by public opinion against them.

With control of all three sections of the government there is only one party at fault here, the Repubs.

"Trump is barely in the files ... "

Actually this was a sticking point in Pam Bondi appearing before a congress investigation. She was asked if the FBI (which had to return to get the contents of the safe they missed) had found the photos of Trump with two young women bare to the waist was found and if she'd personally viewed them. The first time she was asked, she attacked the questioner, the second time she was asked she refused to answer so she wouldn't perjure herself.

So Trump is definitely in more than just barely.

According to one article I read, it was artillery fired over I-5. As long as you can hear them going over, you're great. It's the ones you don't hear and short rounds do occur. Got a bunch once, that were undersized and did not meet military standards. We found out they didn't meet those standards when they were fired. In a fire for effect, maybe 20 rounds from the battery were lost between 200 feet out and the impact area.

Those airports airing this nonsense, are subject to the Hatch Act. Penalties can include, removable from job for employees involved, if federal employee reduction in pay grade, barred from federal service for 5 years, suspension, reprimand, and up to $1000. All because the Republicans want to try and hang their albatross around the Democrats necks.

The government shutdown is wholly owned by the Republicans having majority in all three branches of government. The Republicans can end the shutdown anytime they so desire, the nuclear option is there to be used. This shut down they want.

If this was anything other than political gamemanship, the senate has long had the ability to end the government shutdown at any time they desired. All that needs happen is for the Republicans to use the nuclear option to end it. It would remove the 60 vote requirement down to 50 votes.

This tells you it is nothing more than another way to extend the cruelty that has marked this administration while it seeks to establish a reason to give Trump his excuse to use the insurrection act at best or martial law at worst.

When viewed with this in mind, it reveals all the lying the Republicans are doing to keep things right where they are.

Johnson will not call the house back until they can manage some way to get around having to face the Epstein vote.

I can't believe we'll have another election until Trump is sure the fix is in. He'll do whatever to create the need for the Insurrection Act, including lying to justify it. Once it is activated, you can kiss elections goodbye. He'll move heaven and earth to keep the Epstein files buried. According to some reports, he's in photos with two naked to the waist young girls, which were in Epstein's safe. The FBI had to go back and retrieve them.

Pam Bondi refused to answer if the FBI had found those photos or if she had seen them. In otherwords, she didn't perjure herself. She just refused to answer the question and tried attacking the questioners to avoid the question the first time she was asked, the second time she just looked at them without response. While not admission, it's a strong hint as to why Trump doesn't want the Epstein files to surface.

You mean he didn't chose an enema of bleach or a UV light up the butt?

You mean the media is just now figuring this out?

All you need do is look for where Trump has had his fingers in deals to see, it is to line his family and his own pockets. It's consistent.

why is Pres Trump so focused upon invoking the Insurrection Act without any real reason to do so?

That's an easy one to answer. If he can claim Insurrection, he can delay or eliminate the upcoming vote. Because if he doesn't delay it the writing is on the wall, that he will lose the majority in the two branches he needs to back him up on his insane actions.