Trump warns of Epstein ‘trap’; Briefed on US military plans for Venezuela
President Donald Trump warns Republicans to be cautious of the new Jeffrey Epstein emails and documents, calling it a “trap” designed to divert attention from the ongoing government shutdown.
Plus, inside the White House, senior military leaders have presented Trump with options for possible U.S. action in Venezuela, including potential airstrikes.
And after 43 days without pay, some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers are finally seeing some big reward checks.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.
Trump calls Epstein files a ‘trap’ as White House dismisses release as ‘hoax’
President Donald Trump has called the new release of the Jeffrey Epstein files a “trap,” saying Democrats are using it to distract from the government shutdown.
The House Oversight Committee dropped 20,000 emails and texts from the convicted sex offender this week, renewing calls to make all Epstein files public.
One email stands out, with Epstein claiming Trump “knew about the girls.”
The president blasted the emails as false, calling the document dump a “hoax.”
On Truth Social, Trump wrote that Democrats will “do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the shutdown.”
He warned Republicans not to “fall into that trap,” adding, “there should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our country.”
But this fight isn’t going away.
The House will be forced to vote as early as next week on whether to release all Epstein files after Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., secured the 218th signature on a bipartisan petition.
House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed he’ll bring it to the floor earlier than expected, a shift in strategy that sources tell CNN came after GOP leaders realized the vote couldn’t be stopped.
Republicans now expect dozens of their own members to defy Trump and back the bill from Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, which would force the Justice Department to release all remaining Epstein files.
According to CNN, the White House was briefed ahead of time, and Trump was informed that Johnson planned to proceed. One official said the president “understands this is an inevitable reality.”
Venezuela land strikes among military scenarios presented to Trump: CBS
The Trump administration’s standoff with Venezuela is seeing some new developments.
CBS News was first to report that Trump has been briefed on updated military options — including possible land strikes, according to multiple sources familiar with a high-level White House meeting on Wednesday.
ABC News later confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine led the briefing, which included a range of options, from no action at all to targeted airstrikes on seaports, airports and military facilities.
The discussions come as the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the region under U.S. Southern Command.
The Ford joins a flotilla of destroyers, warplanes and special operations forces, boosting U.S. troop strength in Latin America to about 15,000.
Defense officials said Trump has been weighing his options for weeks, but no final decision has been made.
The briefing follows two months of U.S. strikes against vessels the Pentagon claims were ferrying drugs from South America. The strikes have killed at least 80 alleged drug traffickers.
The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the briefing, first reported by CBS.
Shutdown’s lingering impacts: Flight cuts, delayed pay, SNAP disruptions
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history may have ended, but its impacts continue to ripple across the country.
Even though Trump signed the legislation to reopen the government on Wednesday night, getting back to normal is taking time.
More than 1,000 flights were canceled Thursday, and hundreds more Friday, as airports struggle to recover from weeks of staff shortages.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a 6% reduction in flights at the nation’s busiest airports during the shutdown, and officials said that limit will stay in place until systems can safely return to normal.
Meanwhile, more than 1.4 million federal workers who went unpaid for 43 days are still waiting to be made whole.
The White House said some paychecks will land on Sunday, but most won’t arrive until midweek and will include only base pay from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1.
Overtime, bonuses and the rest of their back pay won’t come until the next pay period.
Millions who rely on SNAP benefits are still waiting, too. Some states, like Georgia and Illinois, won’t finish paying out November benefits until next week, while more than a dozen states still haven’t confirmed a timeline.
Noem honors TSA workers with $10k bonuses for shutdown service
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is giving $10,000 bonus checks to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers who worked during the government shutdown.
At a news conference in Houston, Texas, Noem personally delivered the first checks to about 20 agents at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. She said the payments recognize those who “stepped up, took extra shifts and showed up each and every day.”
The bonuses come just days after Trump recommended the same $10,000 reward for air traffic controllers who never missed a shift during the 43-day shutdown — the longest in U.S. history.
In a post on X, Noem thanked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees for their “dedication and resilience” throughout what she called the “Democrats’ shutdown.” She wrote, “Your continued work and dedication to protecting our homeland are a testament to your patriotism.”
DHS said the bonuses will be paid using carryover funds from last year’s budget. However, it remains unclear how many TSA employees will be granted them.
Blue Origin launches Mars mission
Blue Origin, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, launched its New Glenn rocket, carrying twin NASA satellites headed for Mars. The company’s employees cheered loudly as the rocket blasted off Thursday afternoon in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The 321-foot-tall New Glenn, powered by seven methane-burning engines, is now officially on its maiden flight.
About 30 minutes after liftoff, the escape probes separated from the booster, starting their year-long looping journey to Mars.
Blue Origin and NASA scientists will examine how solar wind and radiation strip away the planet’s atmosphere — clues to what left the “Red Planet” barren.
Blue Origin said the rocket’s reusable booster will be towed back to Port Canaveral for refurbishing and prepared for future missions.
Scientists note that launch windows to Mars open every two years — when Earth and Mars are perfectly aligned — making direct travel possible with today’s rockets.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Cheat, win, repeat: My 2 weeks inside the $73M video game cheat market
YouTuber Nicholas Zetta has always enjoyed online video games for their competition. For many gamers, cheaters are increasingly ruining that experience.
Zetta built a following of 2 million subscribers on his channel, Basically Homeless, by producing videos, building elaborate gaming setups and creating his own versions of video game cheats.
“My mom actually would only let me play 30 minutes a day as a kid,” Zetta told Straight Arrow News. “But I think that led to an unhealthy desire to just want to play more video games.”
He launched the channel at his friends’ urging after a failed phone repair business.
“My channel started because my friends talked me into making gaming videos, because we all played video games together,” he told SAN. “We were pretty good. It was pretty funny. And so I just started clipping it up.”
For Zetta, cheaters have ruined the competitive spirit of some of his favorite games. “I would say maybe 30% to 40% of people are cheating in some way,” he told SAN. Read the full story now>
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
