Epstein documents, insulin costs, and sinking cities.

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Big Stories

Epstein court documents unsealed

A federal judge released hundreds of pages of court documents from a lawsuit connected to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

• The documents include over 150 names taken from a civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and fixer who helped recruit the underage girls that Epstein abused. Maxwell was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison on sex trafficking and other charges for her role in the abuse.

• Several prominent figures appear in the court filings.

  1. Former President Clinton is mentioned many times in the filing, though there is no evidence of wrongdoing on his part and his representatives didn’t object to the unsealing.

  2. Former President Trump is also mentioned but no reference is made to any illegal behavior on his part either.

  3. Prince Andrew is referenced many times in the documents. Virginia Giuffre, the woman who brought the lawsuit, alleged in a separate suit that Epstein arranged for Prince Andrew to sexually abuse and rape her when she was 17. The lawsuit was settled in 2022 but Prince Andrew didn’t admit to any wrongdoing.

  4. Alan Dershowitz, the powerful attorney who helped Epstein get a cushy plea deal in 2008, was named also. Giuffre previously claimed she was trafficked by Epstein to Dershowitz but later withdrew the suit, saying she made a mistake in identifying him.

  5. Michael Jackson and David Copperfield were among celebrities reportedly seen at Epstein's homes, but neither were accused of any wrongdoing.

• This is the first set of documents to be unsealed as part of a Dec. 18 court order; more are expected to be released. The court made it clear that being named in the newly unredacted documents doesn't mean someone did anything wrong or broke any laws.

Insulin prices are now cheaper for more Americans

More Americans with diabetes will catch a break on insulin costs in 2024.

• Sanofi, along with two other major insulin manufacturers, are offering price caps or savings programs that will lower the costs of the drugs to $35 for many patients. Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi announced the reductions shortly after President Joe Biden called for drug manufacturers to lower insulin prices in his State of the Union address last year. But the moves didn’t take effect until Jan. 1.

• Drugmakers have been criticized for years for raising the price of insulin, which is relatively inexpensive to make. Around 8.4 million Americans rely on the medicine to survive and as many as 1 in 4 patients can’t afford it. This has forced people to ration doses, which has ended fatally for some, according to the American Diabetes Association.

• Insulin manufacturers are also lowering prices in part due to new competitors like Civica Rx, which is working on making and selling insulin at $30 a vial. The reductions in insulin prices also aim to generate big savings in Medicaid rebates for the drugmakers due to a recent change in federal law. Companies that increase drug prices faster than the inflation rate must now provide higher rebates to Medicaid. As of Jan. 1, the previous 100% cap on rebate amounts has been removed. This means that drug companies might find themselves paying Medicaid more than they earn from the sale of the medication. By reducing the list price of the drugs, the companies will save hundreds of millions in rebates.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies for first 2024 ballot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on the 2023 presidential ballot in Utah.

• Kennedy submitted the required 1000 verified signatures needed to qualify for Utah ballot inclusion on Wednesday. Utah is the first state where his campaign has attempted to gain ballot access, and he plans to apply in Arizona next. Super PAC American Values 2024 has pledged to spend $15 million to help him get on ballots in other key states.

• Kennedy is a descendant of one of America’s most famous political families — his father, Robert F. Kennedy, was a senator and former U.S. Attorney General, and his uncle was President John. F. Kennedy. In October, he dropped his Democratic bid to run as an independent. He gained prominence during the COVID pandemic for his criticisms of vaccines and has attacked U.S. funding for Ukraine.

• His success at gaining access to the Utah ballot has Democratic and Republican campaign teams on edge. While it’s unlikely that a third-party candidate will win the presidency, Kennedy’s popularity could funnel enough support away from one of the frontrunners to affect the election outcome, especially in an election cycle where those frontrunners are historically unpopular.

Little Stories

• As of Wednesday, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas is $3.09, down 15 cents from a month ago and 13 cents from a year ago, according to AAA. About two-thirds of gas stations across the country have seen prices drop below $3 per gallon, per CBS News. (More)

• Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler's historic run at the World Darts Championship ended with a 7-4 loss to Luke Humphries in the final. Despite being unseeded and a rookie, Littler had the opportunity to become the youngest-ever winner. Humphries, the world No. 1, staged a comeback by winning five consecutive sets after being down 4-2, securing his first world title and $630,000 in prize money. (More)

• Two bombs exploded during a ceremony in Iran, killing at least 95 people and injuring 211. The event was commemorating an Iranian general killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2020. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Iranian leaders have vowed to punish those behind it. (More)

• Multiple states evacuated their state capitol buildings on Wednesday after receiving bomb threats. The threat was sent out in a mass email to multiple secretary of state offices and legislative offices around the country. FBI officials believe the emails were a hoax but haven’t released any details due to the ongoing investigation. (More)

• New fossil analysis shows that what was once thought to be a young T. rex is actually an adult of a smaller tyrannosaur species called Nanotyrannus lancensis. Unlike the well-known T. rex, the species had narrower jaws, longer legs, and larger arms. Scientists have argued for years whether Nonatyrannus is a separate species or just a young T. rex. (More)

Extra Credit

Speaking of dinosaurs, this one can be yours for $20 million.

This study claims that East Coast cities are sinking.

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