Up First from NPR - Epstein Files Release, Health Care Subsidies, Surviving The Holiday Season

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

The Justice Department releases a vast trove of documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Also, Congress left Washington D.C. for its holiday break without reaching a deal on health care. Millions of Americans will face price hikes on their insurance premiums. And surviving the holiday season, we’ll have tips on what can be a stressful time of the year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A vast trove of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein is released by the Justice Department. Some of the files weren't new. Others were heavily redacted. And significantly, many documents were not released. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Ayesha Roscoe, and this is up first from NPR News. Among the previously unseen files are photos of former President Bill Clinton. But President Trump was rarely mentioned. We'll have analysis. And millions of Americans face price hikes on health care premiums after Congress failed to strike a deal. Plus, it can be a busy time of year with all of those holiday parties.

Scott, you got a whole bunch of invites? No, nobody invites us anywhere. If only we had time to even get out, we'll have tips on how to negotiate the holiday season, which should be full of joy, but can turn really stressful. So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend. The Justice Department has released files relating to the life, death, and criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Well, at least some of them.

A law signed by President Trump last month that directed the DOJ to turn over the documents by Friday and P.R. Stephen Fowler has been reviewing the files. Stephen, thanks for being with us. Good morning. What exactly was released? Well, on the surface, it sure looked like a lot. Justice.gov slash Epstein went live around 4 p.m., and there was a queue you had to wait in before accessing the page. The Epstein Library contained well over 100,000 pages of court records, freedom of information act files, memoranda from the Justice Department, and videos from outside Epstein's federal prison cell

where he died by suicide in 2019, and documents that the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed in the law last month, compelled the Justice Department to hand over. Feels like there's more to the story. Well, yeah, it's not all the files. And in the grand scheme of what was released, there aren't that many things that are actually new, Scott. Notably, there aren't many mentions of the president in this latest released. He was a longtime friend of Epstein before they had a falling out and has appeared in previously released files. 80% of it comes from public court records for more than 50 cases against Epstein, his accomplice

Galane Maxwell, and others. There's about 4,000 files and about 8,500 pages that fall under this new Transparency Act. Most of those are photos of Epstein's estate and has travels with people like former President Bill Clinton, among others. And there's this previously undisclosed FBI report from 1996, 30 years ago, that accused Epstein of child pornography crimes and allegedly threatened to burn the accuser's house down if she told anyone about it. Even then, there are hundreds of pages, just straight up redacted black boxes all over things like grand jury information that do leave a lot of questions. The law directed the Justice Department to release all of their files by yesterday. That apparently didn't happen. What did

department officials say? The DOJ says its review of the files found more than 1,200 victims and families and wrote in a separate court filing Friday that redactions include people who may not actually be victims as they err on the side of what they say might be viewed as an over-redaction, taking out more than may be required by law out of an abundance of caution. This could also explain why there will be more than one release of documents. On Friday night, there were more files that were uploaded. What's been the reaction for members of Congress? Not all of them are happy. Remember, this was a near unanimous law that was passed through Congress. Democratic Representative Rokana of California, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act,

told all things considered yesterday that the released files weren't what he expected or wanted. He says there's too many redactions and missing information altogether. Here's an example. There's a draft indictment of the first Jeffrey Epstein case that really implicates other rich and powerful men who knew about the abuse or participated in it. that indictment should be released. His Republican co-sponsor, Thomas Massey, of Kentucky, said that impeachment could be on the table for officials involved, though Congress is out of session for a while over the holidays. Stephen, what can we expect to happen now?

Like Kana said, it's notable all of the things that aren't in the files that have been released and that some people think will never be. There's an FBI memo from over the summer that said about 300 gigabytes of evidence is in their possession, and the way President Trump has handled this by banning flames of conspiracy on the campaign trail, then attacking his supporters for wanting to know more once he took office has basically made it where nobody is set to be satisfied with the information that is and could be put out there.

And Pierre Stephen Fowler, thanks so much. Thank you. Congress left Washington. D.C. for its holiday break without reaching a deal on health care. That means those who use the Affordable Care Act marketplaces to buy their own insurance will see premiums rise a lot on January 1st. On average, monthly costs will double. We're joined now by Larry Leavitt. He's Executive Vice President for Health Policy at KFF, the Nonpartisan Research Organization. Larry, thanks for being with us.

Thanks for having me. Where do you think stand now for people who use these enhanced premium tax credits to insurance? Well, as you said, Congress has left town without extending these enhanced premium tax credits. These have been around since 2021, and they provide additional assistance to people who buy insurance on their own to make premiums more affordable. So without these enhanced tax credits being extended, people who use the Affordable Care Act marketplace, that's health care.gov or state-based marketplaces are going to see their out-of-pocket premiums more than double on New Year's Day or over $1,000 more in their premium payments.

Could Congress do something later? They could. I mean, there's no drop-dead date here. People are going to see these increases in their premium payments January 1st, but Congress could come back later in January, even later in the year, and extend the enhanced tax credits. They would be retroactive to January 1st. But with each passing day, more and more people are logging on, seeing these eye-popping premium increases and walking away and going without insurance. House Speaker, Mike Johnson, says the extra tax credits help just a small portion of the American people, 7% of the population.

But that is 22 million people. How do you see it? Well, it is 22 million people, and that's a lot of people. In many ways, these people are particularly vulnerable. There are people who don't have health insurance at work. They're in jobs that don't provide health benefits. They're not eligible for Medicaid. They're not eligible for Medicare. So they're on their own. And health insurance is very expensive.

So without government help, and especially the additional government help that these enhanced tax credits have been providing, health insurance is just very expensive for these folks. I mean, these are small business owners, Uber drivers, early retirees, farmers. you know, people who in many cases just don't have a lot of discretionary income to put towards health insurance. And what's the effect on the health system at large, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies for that matter? Well, you know, I don't think anyone sheds any tears for insurance companies and they'll frankly be just fine. And they have many other lines of business besides the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. But, you know, hospitals are going to struggle.

And it's not just these enhanced tax credits and the millions of people who will, likely become uninsured if these tax credits are not ultimately extended. But earlier this year, I know it's been a long year, but earlier this year, Republicans in Congress passed a bill that cuts roughly a trillion dollars out of both Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. That's going to lead to an expected 10 million more people uninsured. So there are hospitals and clinics, particularly those in rural areas that are operating right on the edge that are going to close. And we've even seen some already close in anticipation of these cuts. Do you see any relief on the horizon, something that could help?

There have been some glimmers of bipartisanship. No Republicans voted for the Affordable Care Act to begin with. No Republicans voted for these enhanced tax credits in 2021. But we have seen some Republicans say that these enhanced tax credits should be extended that we need to avoid people seeing big increases in their premiums. You know, and bipartisanship is not something we see a lot in health care. So that's a promising sign. But, you know, frankly, the cuts are going to be enormous.

I mean, the cuts on the horizon. I think we're going to see a big debate in the upcoming midterm election over health care as a result of these cuts. Larry Lovett from KFF, the Nonpartisan Research Organization. Thanks so much for being with us. Thank you. It's easy to get swept up in the holiday swirl of to-does and social obligations. Let's be honest, who doesn't like a party? I'm always game, but the season can be stressful.

You know when you get stuck in a corner with, well, maybe I shouldn't go on. Perhaps not. But for that reason, we've turned to NPR's Alison Aubrey for some tips on how to get through this holiday season. Hi, Allison. Hi there, Aisha. It's great to be here. Lots of us, we look forward to family gatherings at the holidays, but they also can be really stressful, right? Absolutely. I think the holidays can bring kind of a perfect storm of triggers, you know, returning to a childhood setting, can stir up or kind of activate all the emotional patterns. And there's also the combination of, you know, high expectations, disrupted routines,

alcohol, exhaustion, travel, and for some people, unresolved conflicts that can surface. So it can create a rather emotionally charged atmosphere. So what would you suggest if someone has like holiday anxiety? Sure. Well, one thing I learned when I led NPR's Stressless Challenge last year is how helpful it can be to walk away, to take a short break if you're in an intense emotional situation. So if you find the temperature rising, try to quietly step away and try something called the three three rule for anxiety. It's recommended by lots of counselors and therapists, so let me walk you through it really quickly. You start by simply noticing and naming three things you see, you know, at the tree, the skies, your hands. Then three things you hear or feel, the wind, the

ground, like a bird chirp, or even your own breath, and then gently move three parts of your body. So tap your toes or bend your neck or wiggle a finger. Now, placing your attention on all these external things can pull you away from your worries to the immediacy of what's around you. And as you do this, as you kind of touch what's real, it can have a calming effect and can help kind of break that spiral of anxious thoughts. In addition to family, you know, it's also a of merrymaking, right? Absolutely. Do you have any advice for those who want to, you know, balance the cookies and the cocktails with

their healthy habits? Sure. Now, first of all, I do not want to be screwed here. I mean, there is nothing wrong with enjoying holiday treats. But if you know you have a tendency to overdo it with food or drink or staying out too late, there are some things you can try. I like this strategy to kind of find a buddy. It could be a friend, a partner, your spouse.

someone who you are on the same page with, who can hold you accountable. So say we're talking about alcohol over the course of the evening or the day, you may agree you don't want to consume more than, you know, two drinks. So you can help each other pace and remind each other to alternate between water and a drink to kind of slow each other down. There's lots of apps to help moderate as well. One is called Sunnyside. They can help you find community support and send you daily reminders or nudges to try to help you moderate. So what if you end up overdoing it and you feel guilty? If you're feeling down on yourself, it is a perfect moment to use a skill known as positive reappraisal.

So yeah, maybe you overindulged, but it could have been worse. And on the plus side, maybe you spent time with family and friends. So positive reappraisal is all about actively seeking the silver lining rather than letting kind of negative emotions take over. And the evidence shows that this can lead to less anxiety. more positive feelings, and tomorrow is a new day. You can do better tomorrow. That's Allison Aubrey, Food and Health Correspondent for NPR News. Thank you so much. Thank you, Aisha. Great to be here. And that's up first for Saturday, December 20, 2025. I'm Scott Simon.

And I'm Aisha Roscoe. Fernando Naro, produced. today's podcast with help from Gabe O'Connor and Samantha Balaban. We've been edited by Gabriel Dunitof, Diana Weber, Megan Prats, and Martin Patience. Amy Craig is our director. Our technical director is David Greenberg, with engineering support from Nisha Highness, Zovankan, Stacey Abbott, and Robert Rodriguez. Our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes. E.B. Stone is our executive producer,

and Jim Kane is our deputy managing editor. Now, the holidays are almost upon us. and for the kids, especially my kids, that means some extra screen time. And if I'm honest, maybe a little too much. You know, Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, those are their faves. But is playing games online really a cause for concern? Tomorrow on the Sunday story, I speak to researcher Eli Stark-Elster about some of the misconceptions parents have when it comes to screen time.

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