How to Decode the Epstein Files
How to Decode the Epstein Files by Ellie Leonard. “This is the somewhat simple system I’ve been using to find missing documents associated with one lawsuit, one survivor, one “case,” as it were, so that you can get the full picture and context when it comes to navigating the deepest, darkest corners of the Epstein Files. This is likely not used by the DOJ, nor Congress, but I hope it helps find the Easter eggs that will eventually bring this investigation to a close with justice for survivors, and consequences for perpetrators. If you want to watch the video version of decoding the Epstein Files, you can do that here..”
Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win
Reuters: “This administration and commonsense Republicans will continue to secure our borders, restore law and order, putting more money back into the pockets of hard-working Americans, and deliver wins for the American people,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. Among the executive actions under consideration are new tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter rules on visas for international students and temporary foreign workers, and measures aimed at lowering housing and construction costs, the White House official said. Federal agencies have submitted proposals and legal reviews of actions the administration could take unilaterally, one of the people with knowledge of the plans said. Vought, whose US Office of Management and Budget oversees federal spending, is examining which priorities can move forward using money already appropriated by Congress, two of the people said. He also wants to change federal grant rules to give political appointees more say in which government programs receive taxpayer money, they said, potentially giving the White House more influence over federal spending without seeking congressional approval. Trump has been briefed on the preparations and has taken part in discussions about them, the White House official said. When asked how comfortable Trump would be governing through executive authority under a Democratic Congress, one of the people said, “very comfortable.”
GOVERNING WITHOUT CONGRESS – Trump has already tested the reach of presidential power since returning to office in January 2025, using executive authority to impose sweeping tariffs, intensify immigration enforcement, shrink the federal workforce, and pursue foreign-policy goals including the war against Iran without Congress’ approval or new laws. A major exception was Trump’s massive package of tax and spending cuts that was passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by the president in July 2025. “President Trump in the last two years has basically ignored Congress and tried to do as much as possible through executive orders and executive power,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor at Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan political analysis. “I think he will only continue if there are Democratic majorities.” Trump has repeatedly invoked national emergencies to expand his ability to act without new legislation. Congress can vote to end those emergencies, but Trump could veto such a move, requiring two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override him…”
Why Wouldn’t Google Tell Me Who Won the 2020 Election?
The Atlantic no paywall: “For anyone who isn’t angling for a job in the Trump administration, “Who won the 2020 presidential election?” should be an easy question. But when I asked Google’s AI Mode—the AI function built into its search bar—about the race earlier today, the bot clammed up.
“For official results and data regarding the 2020 United States presidential election, including the certified breakdown of electoral and popular votes by candidate, you can review the certified reports published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC),” it said. That was it. No links, no citations, nothing else except the standard fine-print disclaimer that AI can make mistakes. Yesterday, users of the social network Bluesky circulated screenshots of Google’s AI tool refusing to declare Joe Biden the 2020 victor, even as it readily named Donald Trump the winner of the 2016 and 2024 elections. By this morning, it had become a meme of sorts, as users shared their own twists on the query and came up with funny ways to trick the bot into spilling the truth.
Asking Google’s AI to spell the winner’s name backwards, for instance, appeared to unlock the correct answer: “nebiB eoJ won the 2020 United States presidential election,” the bot said. When one user responded to Google’s nonanswer with “what the hell,” the AI coughed up the true result and apologized for initially refusing to name Biden. AI tools giving strange answers is nothing new. (When Google launched its AI-powered search summaries in 2024, some users were told that the best way to add cheese to pizza was by using glue.)
Still, for today’s bots to flub such a simple yet consequential factual question is not normal. In my tests, ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft’s Copilot, X’s Grok, and even the Trump administration’s own America.gov chatbot all correctly said that Biden won the 2020 election. As Americans begin to get more of their election information from AI, it’s disquieting to see perhaps the world’s most influential AI information source fail to do so.
