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1 Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She'll Resign From Congress In January
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Friday that she will resign from Congress on January 5th following a bitter falling-out with President Donald Trump. The resignation comes a week after Trump withdrew his support for Greene, one of his most loyal allies, after she criticized his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Greene, who has served in the House since 2021, became one of the defining figures of the MAGA movement on Capitol Hill, fighting Trump's second impeachment and wearing a Make America Great Again hat at President Biden's State of the Union address. In a phone interview with ABC News, Trump called Greene's resignation "great news for the country" and said he has no plans to speak with her. Republicans currently hold 219 seats in the House, and Greene's departure will temporarily reduce Speaker Mike Johnson's slim majority before a special election in Tennessee is expected to add a 220th seat in December.
2 Ukraine Meets With Allies In Geneva To Discuss US-Proposed Peace Plan
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that peace talks in Geneva between American, Ukrainian, and European officials were the most productive meeting yet on ending the war in Ukraine. The talks focused on a controversial 28-point US peace plan that critics say would force Ukraine to surrender. The plan includes demands that Ukraine cut its military by more than half, give up territory not yet occupied by Russia, and ban long-range weapons. Russia would keep most occupied land and get some recognition of its 2014 seizure of Crimea. Rubio said changes were being made to narrow differences and that a deal could slip past Trump's Thanksgiving deadline. Ukraine has been threatened with a complete halt to all U.S. aid if it doesn't agree. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he hopes for a constructive result that brings reliable peace.
3 Justice Department Requesting The Unsealing Of Epstein And Maxwell Grand Jury Records
The Justice Department asked a Florida court Friday to unseal grand jury records from the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking cases. The request follows Congress passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act last week, which requires the Justice Department to release all unclassified Epstein records within 30 days. Attorney General Pam Bondi signed the motion asking the court to lift protective orders and said appropriate redactions would be made to protect victim information. Epstein was indicted on child sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and was found dead in a Manhattan jail about five weeks later in what was ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of helping Epstein run his sex trafficking ring and sentenced to 20 years in prison.