Jindalee Lithium (JLL:AU) has announced JLL Signs Non-Binding LOI to List McDermitt on a US Exchange
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Brightstar Resources (BTR:AU) has announced North American Mining Conferences Presentation
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Tackling soaring inflation in the US is the job of the country’s central bank, known as the US Federal Reserve, or the Fed.
The US Fed has consistently made headlines in recent years due to its role in managing inflation through the use of interest rate changes.
Between mid-2021 and 2023, the US economy experienced high inflation, peaking at 8.5 percent in July 2022. The Fed has helped bring it largely under control through careful interest rate increases during that time period.
According to US Labor Department data, the inflation rate in July 2025 was 2.7 percent. As this is still above the Fed’s target of 2 percent, the bank has been slow to lower interest rates so far.
It’s important for any investor to understand the ins and outs of the Fed’s role in US monetary policy and interest rates, as its decisions have a strong impact on US and global markets as well as precious metals prices.
In this article
What is the US Federal Reserve?
The Federal Reserve, often referred to as the Fed, is the US central bank and monetary authority. It was established by the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, which gave the Fed responsibility for setting monetary policy in response to the 1907 Banker’s Panic.
“The Panic was caused by a build-up of excessive speculative investment driven by loose monetary policy,” explains Investopedia. “Without a government central bank to fall back on, U.S. financial markets were bailed out from the crisis by personal funds, guarantees, and top financiers and investors, including J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller.”
Although it is an independent government agency, the Fed is accountable to the public and US Congress. The current Fed Chair is Jerome Powell, an investment banker who served as assistant secretary and undersecretary of the Department of the Treasury under former President George H.W. Bush. Powell took the helm at the Fed in 2018.
The Fed has a dual mandate: to achieve stable prices and stable employment. The government agency also provides banking services and is the main regulator of the nation’s banks. In times of economic turmoil, the Fed also acts as a lender of last resort.
It’s important to note that while the Fed manages the national monetary policy and regulates the financial system in the US, its actions also have a powerful influence on the global economy.
What is the FOMC?
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the Fed’s monetary policy-making body. The 12 members of the FOMC are the seven members of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and four of the 11 reserve bank presidents who rotate through the positions for one year terms.
Why does the US Federal Reserve hike or cut interest rates?
For more than a century, the Fed has been tasked with keeping a watchful eye on any structural risk to monetary stability in the US financial system, and rising inflation and high unemployment are two of the biggest threats to monetary stability.
In the face of rising inflation, the Fed raises interest rates in the hopes of reigning in rapidly rising prices by curbing demand. When interest rates are higher, borrowing money becomes more expensive, which ultimately slows consumer spending and curtails corporate growth.
During times of slow economic growth, the Fed lowers interest rates in order to stimulate the economy. Lower interest rates in effect lower the cost of borrowing and investing for both businesses and individuals.
The Fed’s goal is to keep inflation around its target rate of 2 percent, and unemployment around 4 to 4.5 percent.
“The principle of inflation targeting is based on the belief that long-term economic growth is best achieved by maintaining price stability, and price stability is achieved by controlling inflation,” according to Investopedia.
What are the biggest contributors to US inflation?
Inflation is calculated through factoring in price changes of a weighted basket of goods and services, as well as housing.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 caused a surge of inflation in the US and globally.
Prices of goods were driven higher by a mix of factors, including significant supply chain disruptions hurting product availability, and economic stimulus packages increasing spending power and demand.
Additionally, the lasting switch to work-from-home for many led to increased demand for homes with space for offices, driving up housing prices. As housing is the highest weighted factor when calculating US inflation, this was one of the biggest drivers of inflation in the 2020s.
Global supply chains have since been hampered by factors like Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and growing conflict in the Middle East. There is also the uncertainty generated from the global wave of tariffs sparked by US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, which will raise the cost of goods purchased by American consumers.
This global supply and demand imbalance has led to rising prices for a wide range of consumer products, from gas to groceries. The result has been a loss in purchasing power for US consumers as their dollar needs to stretch further.
How much has the US Federal Reserve hiked rates since 2022?
In an effort to fight inflation, the American central bank consistently increasing rates from its March 2022 meeting with an initial boost of 25 basis points. Its hike of 75 basis points in June 2022 was at the time its largest since 1994, and it was followed by another three hikes of this magnitude in 2022.
The Fed raised interest rates by 5.25 percentage points between March 2022 and July 2023 before holding at 5.50 percentage points for more than a year. The Fed’s current rate cutting cycle began with a .50 drop in September 2024.
|
_FOMC meeting date___ |
Rate hike in basis points_ |
Target federal funds rate_ |
|
January 25 to 26, 2022 |
N/A |
0 to 0.25 percent |
|
March 15 to 16, 2022 |
+25 |
0.25 to 0.5 percent |
|
May 3 to 4, 2022 |
+50 |
0.75 to 1 percent |
|
June 14 to 15, 2022 |
+75 |
1.5 to 1.75 percent |
|
July 26 to 27, 2022 |
+75 |
2.25 to 2.5 percent |
|
September 20 to 21, 2022 |
+75 |
3.0 to 3.25 percent |
|
November 1 to 2, 2022 |
+75 |
3.75 to 4.0 percent |
|
December 13 to 14, 2022 |
+50 |
4.25 to 4.5 percent |
|
January 31 to February 1, 2023 |
+25 |
4.5 to 4.75 percent |
|
March 21 to 22, 2023 |
+25 |
4.75 to 5.0 percent |
|
May 2 to 3, 2023 |
+25 |
5.0 to 5.25 percent |
|
July 25 to 26, 2023 |
+25 |
5.25 to 5.5 percent |
How many times does the Fed meet each year?
The FOMC holds eight meetings per year, typically scheduled every seven weeks. According to the Fed’s website, during these meetings the FOMC “reviews economic and financial conditions, determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy, and assesses the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth.”
How many more US Federal Reserve meetings this year?
As of August 21, three more Fed meetings are scheduled for 2025, and market participants will be closely watching these events.
It’s too soon to know what exactly the Fed will do at these remaining meetings, but its July statement gives some clues — in it, the central bank said that it ‘seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate.’
At the time, the Federal Reserve decided to hold rates steady at 4.25 to 4.5 percent for the fifth straight meeting as inflation remained elevated and job numbers appeared strong. The decision placed downward pressure on the gold price as a better economic outlook dimmed demand for the safe-haven asset.
While the current tariff war between the US and many of its major trading partners has some calling for a return to higher inflation, weak unemployment figures and other economic data published since the last meeting has caused others to consider the potential for a recession before the end of the year.
‘At present, the latest economic data have been sufficiently mixed as to support either policy alternative,’ according to analysts writing for the Peterson Institute for International Economics. ‘The case for a rate cut is driven by the pronounced slowing in job creation, the failure of inflation to respond much to the initial tariff increases, and the fact that most FOMC participants view the current stance of policy as slightly tighter than neutral.’
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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The House Oversight Committee has released another tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Monday night, which includes a message from former President Bill Clinton in the late pedophile’s infamous ‘birthday book.’
The surprise document dump by the GOP-led panel came hours after Epstein’s estate turned materials over to House investigators, pursuant to a congressional subpoena.
Among the documents released by the committee is the reported book compiled by Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for the late pedophile’s 50th birthday.
What appears to be an entry by Clinton praises Epstein’s ‘childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference, and the [illegible] of friends.’
The book also appears to include entries by former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz and President Donald Trump, though the White House and the president himself have vehemently denied its veracity on multiple occasions.
‘As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, specifically in reference to a Wall Street Journal story that first mentioned allegations of Trump writing in the book.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Clinton’s office for comment.
Epstein and Clinton were known to have a cordial relationship, and Clinton is known to have flown on Epstein’s plane on numerous occasions.
Neither he nor Trump have been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, however.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters when asked about Trump’s entry in the book, ‘I’m told that it’s fake.’
The entry under Dershowitz’s name references a news article that he took for influencing, perhaps in a joking manner, changing the focus from Epstein to Clinton.
‘Dear Jeffrey, As a birthday gift to you, I managed to obtain an early version of the Vanity Unfair article. I talked them into changing the focus from you to Bill Clinton, as you will see from the enclosed excerpt. Happy birthday and best regards,’ the entry said.
Dershowitz has also consistently denied wrongdoing as it relates to Epstein.
A cartoon drawn underneath, that was not attributed to anyone, shows a man at a bar with the caption, ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that I should be thinking less about money and more about naked women, and biomathematical research.’
Other entries in the ‘birthday book’ appear to be Epstein during various stages of his life.
Another entry appeared to make a joke about Epstein being a U.S. intelligence asset. Below a photo of Epstein next to a woman with her face redacted reads a note, ‘He is the boyfriend of [redacted]…We think he works for the CIA.’
A photo on another page shows a young Epstein in front of what appears to be a store counter, with the accompanying caption, ‘Are you sure this will make my ‘winkie’ grow?’
The tranche of documents released by the House Oversight Committee also includes details of Epstein’s last will and testament, what appears to be an address book of contacts, and details of his 2007-2008 non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Southern Florida.
In a statement upon the files’ release, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., criticized Democrats for earlier releasing only the portion of the files that included Trump’s name – and asserted that the president was not implicated in any wrongdoing.
‘It’s appalling Democrats on the Oversight Committee are cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate today. Oversight Committee Republicans are focused on running a thorough investigation to bring transparency and accountability for survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and the American people,’ Comer said.
‘President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing and Democrats are ignoring the new information the Committee received today. The Committee will pursue additional Epstein bank records based on this new information. Democrats must decide if their priority is justice for the survivors or politics.’
The release comes a day before former Obama administration Attorney General Loretta Lynch is set to appear before Comer’s panel for a closed-door deposition on Epstein.
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Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett pushed back against partisan portrayals of the Supreme Court, telling Fox News’ Bret Baier that justices ‘wear black, not red or blue’ and follow the Constitution, not politics.
She appeared on Fox to promote her new book, ‘Listening to the Law,’ and to address public perceptions of the Court’s work and independence.
Barrett stressed that the Court is not divided into partisan teams. She also defended its approach to presidential power, clarified misconceptions about the Dobbs decision, and reflected on her originalist judicial philosophy.
Her book touches on details such as assigned seating, courtroom traditions, and the gap between outside perception and inside reality.
‘You know, we don’t wear red and blue, we all wear black because judges are nonpartisan. And the idea is that we are all listening to the law. We’re all trying to get it right. We’re not playing for a team,’ she told Baier. ‘We don’t sit on specific sides of the bench, left and right. You know, we sit in order of seniority.’
Barrett underscored the disconnect between public perception and the Court’s inner workings, noting:
‘I often ask new law clerks what surprised you most when you started? And one of the most common answers is the difference between what’s happening on the inside and what people think is happening on the inside.’
Critics on the left argue the Court is shielding former President Donald Trump, a view reflected in headlines from outlets such as The New York Times and NBC.
Barrett responded by placing the Court’s work in historical context, stressing that cases on presidential power extend beyond any one occupant of the office.
‘We’re not deciding cases just for today, and we’re not deciding cases based on the president,’ Barrett said. ‘As the current occupant of the office, we’re deciding cases about the presidency. So we’re taking each case, and we’re looking at the question of presidential power as it comes. And the cases that we decide today are going to matter.
‘Four presidencies from now, six presidencies from now, and so on. Each of these cases that we’re getting, you know, well, I mean, some of them overlap, but many present different constitutional issues,’ she added.
She stressed the Court rules on the presidency as an institution, with decisions that resonate across administrations.
Turning to the Dobbs decision, Barrett said the ruling did not outlaw abortion but returned the issue to the political process—a point she argued has been widely misunderstood.
‘Dobbs did not say that abortion is illegal. Dobbs said it belongs to the political process,’ Barrett said.
Barrett acknowledged growing threats to judges, stressing violence should not be ‘the cost of public service.’
Returning to public perception, she said the Court must follow the law even when rulings are unpopular, stressing integrity over public opinion.
‘The court… can’t take into account public opinion in making individual decisions… you have to follow the law where it leads, even if it leads in a place where the majority of people don’t want you to go,’ she said.
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The House is preparing to take up its annual defense policy bill this week, with Democrats filing hundreds of amendments — many aimed at rebuking President Donald Trump’s administration and current GOP priorities
Lawmakers submitted roughly 450 proposed amendments to the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Among them are measures dealing with diversity, Israel funding and Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The House Rules Committee will review the bill Monday afternoon and set parameters for debate, paving the way for a floor vote later this week.
Most of the progressive amendments are unlikely to survive, underscoring their symbolic nature. Still, Democrats are using the traditionally bipartisan defense package to spotlight opposition to the White House and Republican leadership.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, filed several amendments, including one to strike the NDAA’s prohibition on using defense funds for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Similarly, Reps. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., and Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, offered an amendment to block a ban on DEI programs at the Pentagon.
Crockett also introduced language aimed at halting construction of migrant detention facilities on military installations, directly challenging Trump administration policy.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., put forward an amendment barring Defense Department funds from supporting migrant processing and detention operations.
The Pentagon announced last month it is building the country’s largest federal migrant detention center in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., filed two amendments targeting Trump-era immigration policies. One would prohibit funding for family separation, while another ‘prohibits funds from being used to transfer non-citizens to foreign prisons, except under treaties and extradition laws,’ according to the Rules Committee website. The latter proposal would effectively block deportations to El Salvador.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., introduced measures aimed at limiting U.S. support for Israel.
Tlaib’s amendment would ban U.S. arms sales to countries whose governments include officials with outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants. The ICC issued warrants in late 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials.
Omar’s proposal seeks to repeal Israel’s emergency access to a U.S.-managed weapons stockpile located in the country.
The NDAA is a bill passed every fiscal year that sets national security and defense policy for the U.S. government.
More than 1,000 total amendments have been introduced to this year’s bill.
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James Henry Anderson, senior market analyst at SD Bullion, discusses the factors behind gold and silver’s recent price moves, saying a restructuring of the system is taking place.
‘We’re not that far in terms of the psychology that it requires to really break and get really massive flows, and people really afraid of what that currency’s value is going to be,’ he said.
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Seegnal Inc. (TSXV: SEGN) (‘Seegnal‘ or the ‘Corporation‘), a global leader in SaaS clinical division support solutions, is pleased to announce that effective September 8, 2025, it has amended its contract with Maccabi Health Services (‘Maccabi‘) for an additional six years and has also expanded the scope of the contract to include all of Maccabi’s pharmacies and additional nurses. Maccabi is the second largest Healthcare Management Organization (‘HMO‘) in Israel, serving over 2.6 million Israelis and is renowned for its use of technology and emphasis on patient-centered care, according to Maccabi’s website here.
Pursuant to the amended agreement, Seegnal will continue to deliver its patented prescription co-pilot platform for an additional six years, to September 22, 2031, while expanding the scope to nurses and pharmacists in all of Maccabi’s nationwide pharmacies. Maccabi is the first in Israel and one of the first HMOs worldwide to offer an end-to-end safety coverage throughout the patient journey, allowing complete visibility to pharmacists in the pharmacies into clinician decision while prescribing patient centric medication. The expanded contract was changed from a fixed base contract to Seegnal’s current SaaS based model based on Quarterly Recurring License Fees and is expected to generate additional revenue for the Corporation.
“This partnership is a testament to the measurable impact Seegnal delivers for Healthcare providers who adopt a high patient-centric standard at the point of care over the traditional Drug-to-Drug Interaction (DDI) standard,” said Eyal Schneid, CEO of Seegnal. “We’re proud to deepen our relationship with Maccabi Health Services and bring even greater precision, safety, and efficiency to their clinical and operative workflows. This expansion also reinforces our strategic growth trajectory and positions us to scale our impact across broader markets.”
Mr. Schneid added, “The new agreement extends through September 22, 2031, with an option for Maccabi to extend it further by two years under the current terms. It broadens the integration beyond the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to the ERP system nationwide. It reflects growing demand for Seegnal’s platform, which in a 2021 study published in the US National Library of Medicine titled “Comparison of Medication Alerts from Two Commercial Applications in the USA” and located online here, demonstrated the ability to reduce alert load by up to 94%, lower medication-related costs, and improve clinician satisfaction—key metrics that align with value-based care initiatives and payer priorities.”
‘Maccabi Health Services has been a partner in embracing customer-centric medication standards,’ added Schneid. ‘Together, we’re setting a new standard for proactive, patient-specific care. This milestone further validates our commercial strategy and underscores the scalability of our technology.’
About Seegnal
Seegnal is a public company that aims to solve one of the top causes of death and injuries in the modern world – Adverse Drug Effects (ADEs). Seegnal’s Clinical Decision Support system introduces a paradigm shift in the approach to this problem by implementing a new elevated Patient-Centric Standard. Seegnal’s SaaS technology exclusively integrates at the point-of-care, unique patient-specific data like genetics, results of lab tests, ECG, smoking, allergies, food, gender, age, and the effects of many concomitant medications, while reducing the current alert load for clinicians by over 90%. In practice, clinicians using Seegnal eHealth complete their prescription workflow with limited interruption, saving time and fatigue. Similarly, patients enjoy more tailored medication and improved safety, leading to better quality of life, due to the precision of alerts with up to 98% accuracy. Institutions reported a reduction in admissions, medication consumption, and ample time savings in prescription renewals. Seegnal eHealth is marketing its SaaS-based platform in the State of Israel (where recently the Ministry of Health has adopted Seegnal’s patient-specific standard as the new standard in governmental hospitals), the UAE, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Poland. The platform is currently a ‘standard of care’ system for over 10,000 clinicians in Israel, used on a daily basis for prescribing medications to their patients.
See www.seegnal.com
About Maccabi Health Services
‘Maccabi Healthcare Services’ (formerly known as Maccabi HMO) is one of the four HMOs operating in Israel. Founded in September 1940, Maccabi began providing medical services in August 1941. Today, ‘Maccabi Healthcare Services’ boasts more than 2.6 million members and is recognized as one of the most influential institutions shaping Israel’s health system. Maccabi provides its members with top-tier medical services, emphasizing holistic health, promoting preventive health and medicine, and upholding the founders’ core values of free choice, medical quality, balanced economics, and efficiency. In recent years, we’ve observed rapid changes in the healthcare landscape, including shifts in concepts of health, advancements in technology, regulatory changes, and more. In response to these changes, Maccabi’s mission is to be a leading health organization in a dynamic environment, shaping the future of medicine for the holistic well-being of Maccabi members.
See https://www.maccabi4u.co.il/en/46562/main_english/our-healthcare-system/about/
Seegnal Media Contact:
Eyal Schneid
Chief Executive Officer
press@seegnal.com
+972-54-477-0558
www.seegnal.com
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains ‘forward-looking information’ or ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, including statements included in the ‘About Seegnal’ section of this press release, are forward-looking. Generally, the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believes’, ‘estimates’, ‘expects’, ‘intends’, ‘may’, ‘should’, ‘will’ or variations of such words or similar expressions. More particularly, and without limitation, this press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements concerning future revenue and opportunities resulting from the Corporation’s amended contract with Maccabi and the benefits to clinicians and patients. Seegnal cautions that all forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of Seegnal, including expectations and assumptions concerning Seegnal and its products as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Seegnal’s filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Seegnal. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Seegnal does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
Source
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Senate Republicans have started the process of going nuclear on Senate Democrats in their quest to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominees.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday laid the framework for the GOP to use the ‘nuclear option,’ a move that allows for a rule change in the Senate with a simple majority vote in order to install a new rule that allows for nominees to be voted on in groups.
Republicans are moving forward with a plan originally devised by Democrats during the Biden administration, due to frustrations at the time with the sluggish pace that nominees were moving through the upper chamber.
However, that pace has turned into an outright crawl during Trump’s second term. No nominee at any level has received a voice vote or moved through unanimous consent — two methods meant to fast-track the confirmation process for sub-cabinet level positions in the bureaucracy.
Thune quoted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who in 2022 railed against Republicans during a Senate floor speech for slowing some of former President Joe Biden’s nominees, and said, ‘Regardless of the party in the White House, both sides have long agreed that a President deserves to have his or her administration in place, quickly.’
Thune charged that the Democrats’ blockade was ‘Trump derangement syndrome on steroids’ and argued that if the nominees were as historically bad as they claimed, they would not have voted some of them out of committee on a bipartisan basis.
‘We’ve got a crisis, and it’s time to take steps to restore Senate precedent and codify in Senate rules what was once understood to be standard practice,’ he said.
‘This afternoon I will be taking the necessary procedural steps to amend the rules,’ Thune continued. ‘It is an idea with a Democrat pedigree.’
Thune is expected to take the first step in the process Monday night and will file a resolution with dozens of nominees who advanced out of committee on a bipartisan basis.
The plan, which takes its cue from a bill pushed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Angus King, I-Maine, and former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., would allow for nominees to be voted on in groups, or ‘en bloc.’
The original bill put a cap of 10 nominees per en bloc group and included both district judge and U.S. attorney picks. Republicans are likely to go beyond the cap but may not include judicial nominees.
Instead, the focus is on sub-cabinet level nominees that make their way through their respective committees with bipartisan support.
‘What I’m just saying is we’re returning to the way the Senate used to work,’ Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. ‘When the vast majority of nominees, after being scrutinized in committee, had their hearings voted out and sent to the floor. Then you know, Bush, Clinton — 99% of them by unanimous consent or by voice vote, and President Trump has had zero.’
Thune’s move comes after he and Schumer were unable to reach a deal on moving nominees last month before lawmakers left Washington for recess.
Both parties have turned to the nuclear option a handful of times since 2010. In 2013, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used the nuclear option to allow for all executive branch nominees to be confirmed by simple majority.
Four years later, then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., went nuclear to allow for Supreme Court nominees to be confirmed by a simple majority. And in 2019, McConnell reduced the debate time to two hours for civilian nominees.
Republicans voiced hope that using a proposal from Democrats would sway some to support the change and argued that the move is meant to further streamline the process and prevent future blockades by either party.
‘I really look at this like they’re forcing us to do something,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. ‘There’s nothing nuclear about it, in my humble opinion. And again, this is their bill, and we’ll see. It’s great to watch them squirm as they try to figure out what to do with this.’
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Jeffrey Epstein’s estate began handing documents over to Capitol Hill lawmakers on Monday, pursuant to a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee last month.
Trustees tasked with handling the late pedophile’s matters were ordered to turn over a tranche of files, including his infamous ‘birthday book,’ as part of House lawmakers’ investigation into Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The ‘birthday book,’ along with Epstein’s last will and testament, details of his 2007-2008 non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, entries from Epstein’s contact books from Jan. 1, 1990 through Aug. 10, 2019, and information about Epstein’s known bank accounts, were all handed over to investigators.
A committee aide told Fox News Digital that staff would review the documents, and they would be made public ‘in the near future.’
House Oversight Committee Democrats, meanwhile, took to X with what appears to be an excerpt from the ‘birthday book’ that shows a message from President Donald Trump to Epstein, though the White House denied its veracity.
‘As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, specifically in reference to a Wall Street Journal story that first mentioned allegations of Trump writing in the book.
A letter from attorneys representing Epstein’s estate signaled in a letter to the Oversight Committee that Monday’s production was just the first tranche of documents pursuant to the congressional subpoena.
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter on Aug. 25, requesting a slew of documents by Sept. 8.
‘It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals. Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena,’ Comer wrote at the time.
As part of his non-prosecution agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to two state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, avoiding more severe federal charges. He ended up serving 13 months in county jail with the benefit of a work-release program, confidential settlements with some victims, and being registered as a sex offender.
It also allowed co-conspirators to avoid charges – a major point of contention during his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell’s federal trial in late 2021. It’s also the basis of Maxwell’s appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn her guilty verdict.
Subpoenaed documents include all entries in a book compiled by Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday, Epstein’s will and information on his 2008 non-prosecution agreement.
Lawmakers hope that the ‘birthday book,’ which allegedly includes personalized messages from Epstein’s friends and associates, will shed light on his personal connections. The information is likely to be dated, however, with the book having been compiled in 2003.
Information was also sought on Epstein’s financial transactions, call and visitor logs, and ‘any document or record that could reasonably be construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts, or sex trafficking facilitated by Mr. Jeffrey Epstein,’ according to a copy of the subpoena viewed by Fox News Digital.
Comer has subpoenaed a litany of individuals, as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), for information related to Epstein.
He is also bringing in Alexander Acosta, a former Trump administration labor secretary who also served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the federal government in 2008, for a transcribed interview on Sept. 19.
Comer and other members of the House Oversight Committee met with Epstein survivors last week.
About 33,000 pages of files turned over by the DOJ have already been released by the House Oversight Committee, though the vast majority of those were already public knowledge.
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