Jimmy Kimmel on Epstein files congressional vote: ‘Make no mistake – this isn’t over’
Late-night hosts celebrated the congressional votes to release the Epstein files and decried Donald Trump’s warm meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.Tuesday was “a very big day” in Washington DC, said Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday evening, as both the House and Senate voted near unanimously to authorize the justice department to release investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.“Ultimately even [speaker] Mike Johnson voted yes on releasing the files,” Kimmel noted, meaning that the bill now heads to the White House, where it will probably66 be signed by Trump.“The goal was to have the bill pass by such a large margin that Trump can’t put his little orange thumb on the scale and give it the old Cheeto veto,” he explained.“But make no mistake: this isn’t over.
He’s not giving up.If anyone thinks he’s going to release all of the Epstein files, I’ve got a beautiful East Wing of the White House to sell you.”That’s because even after the vote, “Trump cronies” in the justice department still have the power to withhold information to “protect ongoing investigations, protect innocent people or for reasons of national security”.“But they would never do anything like that, would they?” Kimmel joked.“They’re sworn to protect the constitution of the United States!“Something is fishy,” he added.
“Trump rolled over faster than that dog Ghislaine Maxwell gets to play with in her country club prison,”On that note: “It is amazing the kind of special treatment you get when half of the most powerful people from the last 30 years don’t want to see you testifying in court,”“When it comes to Congress, it’s increasingly rare that things happen,” said Stephen Colbert on Tuesday’s Late Show,Which made Tuesday, when the House voted 427-1 to release the Epstein files, all the more notable,The measure then headed to the Senate, which passed it unanimously overnight, after the Late Show taping.
“Tomorrow, we might know everything he and his pervert buddies did,” said Colbert.“Meaning it’s Epstein Rockin’ Eve – stay up for a ball drop you’re gonna want to miss.”The vote marked “a huge loss for Trump, make no mistake”, he continued.“For going on four months now, Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson fought the release of the Epstein files with every congressional tool they had, and keep in mind: Congress is loaded with some major tools.”“But when it looked like Republicans were defecting en masse and they were going to lose big, they were suddenly all in, like they always were – right, Mike?”Colbert then played a clip of Johnson claiming that “Republicans support maximum transparency.
We always have,The president of the United States supports maximum transparency,”“Yes, the president has always supported maximum transparency, a healthy diet of leafy greens and the understated androgynous sensuality of a flat-chested woman,” Colbert mocked,“The president would be here, but he can’t talk right now as he’s jogging to Bible study,”Colbert also criticized Trump’s chummy White House visit with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
And when a reporter brought up the murder of the journalist and regime critic Jamal Khashoggi, which US intelligence concluded was authorized by the crown prince, Trump reacted angrily,“Things happen, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that,” he said,“You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,”“Yes, how dare you embarrass our guest!” Colbert mocked,“Now he’s going to feel all self-conscious when he tries to chop up somebody like you.
”And on Late Night, Seth Meyers returned to a meeting earlier this month between Trump and representatives from Switzerland, in which they gifted the president a special Rolex desktop clock and a 1kg personalized gold bar.“So now foreign officials are just openly giving him gold?” he wondered.“Trump’s turning into a live-action political cartoon.Next time, someone’s going to give him a big sack with a dollar sign on it.”In a new interview with a British rightwing news channel, Trump said that people will ask him: “What do you recommend for growing your children?”“I don’t know if I want advice on raising children from someone who doesn’t even know it’s called ‘raising children’,” Meyers said, laughing.
In the same interview, Trump said: “I’ve never had a drink in my life, and I don’t take drugs,”“Maybe one of the best endorsements I’ve ever heard for drinking and doing drugs,” Meyers quipped,
Victoria to force agents to publish property reserve prices in crackdown on underquoting
Real estate agents in Victoria will be legally required to reveal a property’s reserve price a week before auction, under nation-first laws to crack down on underquoting.The Allan government on Thursday announced that agents must publish the owner’s reserve price at least seven days before auction day or a fixed-date sale, under the reforms to be introduced to parliament next year.Real estate agents that fail to disclose within the timeframe will be unable to proceed to auction or sale.Illegal underquoting is an industry tactic used by some agents who advertise a property for less than the estimated selling price or the owner’s asking price. They do this to draw buyers in and drum up competition
Ocado shares fall 17% after US partner announces warehouse closures
The value of online grocer Ocado has fallen sharply after Kroger, its major partner in the US, announced the closure of three warehouses using the UK company’s high-tech equipment.Ocado signed a deal to build 20 automated warehouses – known as customer fulfilment centres – for Kroger, the US’s fourth largest retailer, in 2018. Eight of those facilities are currently operating with two more planned for next year. The deal was seen as a major part of Ocado’s plan to sell its online grocery delivery technology internationally.However, on Tuesday, Kroger said sites in Frederick in Maryland, Pleasant Prairie in Wisconsin, and Groveland in Florida would close in January
Uber hit with legal demands to halt use of AI-driven pay systems
Uber has been hit with legal demands to stop using its artificial intelligence driven pay systems, which have been blamed for significantly reducing the incomes of the ride hailing app’s drivers.A letter before action – sent to the US company by the non-profit foundation, Worker Info Exchange (WIE), on Wednesday – is understood to allege that the ride hailing app has breached European data protection law by varying driver pay rates through its controversial algorithm.James Farrar, the director of WIE, said: “Uber has leveraged artificial intelligence and machine learning to implement deeply intrusive and exploitative pay-setting systems that have damaged the livelihoods of thousands of drivers.“Through this collective action, we intend to get a fairer deal for drivers and ensure Uber is held financially accountable for the harm caused by this unlawful use of AI.“This case is … about securing transparent, fair and safe working conditions for all platform workers
Facebook and Instagram to start kicking Australian teenagers off platforms as social media ban looms
Australian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by 10 December, as Meta begins to comply with the Albanese government’s social media ban.Users affected by the ban will receive 14 days’ notice of their pending account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, email and SMS before their access is cut off.The ban will affect users on Facebook and Instagram, as well as Threads, as an Instagram account is required to use that platform. Messenger is excluded from the ban – but Meta has had to develop a way for users to keep access to Messenger without a Facebook account as a result of the ban.Meta will begin stopping access to existing accounts and blocking under-16s from registering new accounts from 4 December, with access removed for all affected accounts by 10 December, the company said
The Ashes: what you need to know about the 2025-26 series in Australia
The first ball will be bowled in Perth on Friday at 10:20am local time, or 1.20pm AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne. In Brisbane, tune in just after midday.The Test schedule has shifted slightly this year. Adelaide no longer has a day-night Test, and instead the pink ball will be deployed at the Gabba in the second Test
Wimbledon’s expansion plans heading for court of appeal after judge’s ruling
Wimbledon’s battle to build 39 new grass courts on a nearby golf course has taken a fresh twist after local residents were granted permission to take a judicial review case to the court of appeal.Last year the All England Club (AELTC) was given approval by Jules Pipe, the London deputy mayor for planning and regeneration, to build the courts on what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Club – a decision that was then endorsed in the high court on 21 July.However, the Save Wimbledon Park pressure group challenged that verdict and on Monday it was announced that Lord Justice Holgate had granted a judicial review of the court’s decision.Explaining the reasons for granting the order, Holgate wrote: “The grounds of appeal are arguable with a real prospect of success. The case law on scheme benefits, deliverability, relevance, material considerations and irrationality merits review
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