This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

I TRUMP CALLS FOR HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE ON EPSTEIN FILES

President Trump formally supported a House vote this week on a bill requiring the government to release the evidence it had collected on disgraced financier and sex trafficking suspect Jeffery Epstein. Previously, the president had mounted a pressure campaign against moves to release the files. President Trump’s reversal, which came in a Truth Social post claiming that “we have nothing to hide,” came ahead of a defection by dozens or more House Republicans on the vote. Last week, a discharge petition — the tool used to force a floor vote — secured its final signature. Democrats on the Oversight and Reform Committee then released emails from Epstein discussing Trump, followed by Republicans releasing more than 23,000 estate documents, including emails referencing him. After the releases, Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s connections to “Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions.”

>> Discover what comes next with the Epstein discharge petition here.

I U.S. FORCES MASSING NEAR VENEZUELA

Tensions are high in the Caribbean as U.S. forces sit off the coast of Venezuela, including the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world. President Trump is considering a range of military options presented to him last week, including possible air strikes on military or government facilities and drug trafficking routes, according to CNN. President Trump had previously considered plans to target cocaine facilities inside Venezuela. The military buildup follows a series of strikes in the Caribbean targeting what the Trump administration alleges to be drug trafficking boats. On Sunday, the administration announced it had designated a Venezuelan group as a foreign terrorist organization and that it had struck another boat it alleges was trafficking drugs. During a conversation with reporters, President Trump left open the possibility of negotiations, saying that “we may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out.” When asked what that means he responded “What does it mean? You tell me, I don’t know.”

>> Learn more about U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats here.

I BIPARTISAN PUSH TO BAN LAWMAKER STOCK TRADING

The House Administration Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday on whether lawmakers should be allowed to trade individual stocks. The panel will examine the Restore Trust in Congress Act. Members of a bipartisan working group have threatened to file their own discharge petition if the issue stalls. The bill would require current members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children to divest from stocks within 180 days; new members would have 90 days after taking office. They could still invest in diversified funds and U.S. Treasury bonds. The bill bans blind trusts and applies only to Congress, not the president or vice president.

>> ASP’s Chris Evans and Mark Kassen talk congressional stock trading with Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger here.

I TARIFF CUTS COULD BRING CHEAPER BEEF

The U.S. is set to lower tariffs on beef imports from Argentina after finalizing new trade agreements across South and Latin American countries. Tariffs will also be reduced on common grocery items, such as bananas and coffee, with the administration planning further reductions on certain fruit imports and citrus products. President Trump has ordered administration officials to identify foods not grown in the U.S. that could qualify for possible tariff exemptions. 

>> See Representative Dusty Johnson discuss the price of beef here.

I HOUSE FAST-TRACKS REPEAL OF CONTROVERSIAL SENATE PAYOUTS

The House will vote this week to repeal a controversial provision tucked into the recently passed shutdown deal. The provision allows senators to sue the federal government for at least $500,000 each time federal investigators search senators’ phone records in a court-sanctioned probe without notifying them. That means at least eight senators probed by former special counsel Jack Smith’s January 6 investigation could be entitled to payouts. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said the repeal bill would be “on the fast track suspension calendar in the House” this week. A suspension of the rules would require support from two-thirds of the House. 

The best marketing ideas come from marketers who live it. That’s what The Marketing Millennials delivers: real insights, fresh takes, and no fluff. Written by Daniel Murray, a marketer who knows what works, this newsletter cuts through the noise so you can stop guessing and start winning. Subscribe and level up your marketing game.

Sign Up Free

Stay ahead of the stories driving national conversations