Thursday, November 20, 2025

Who was invited to Cheney's funeral

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On Politics

Thu Nov 20 2025

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello, readers. Kathryn Palmer here, welcome to Thursday's OnPolitics. It's the last one of the week, before I'm back in your inboxes on Monday.

Cheney funeral guest list highlights GOP division

Two former presidents, four former vice presidents and dignitaries from both parties were among those attending today's funeral service of Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in United States history.

Not invited? President Donald Trump, whom Cheney clashed with repeatedly and called a threat to the republic, and Vice President JD Vance. Vance suggested after Cheney's death that he did a poor job as vice president.

Cheney and his daughter Liz, a former Wyoming congresswoman, broke with Trump over his conduct following the 2020 election. They supported Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.

Protesters stand behind the barricades at a press conference with U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) (not pictured) as she calls for the release of the Epstein files, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

Annabelle Gordon, REUTERS

A politics pit stop:

•	Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury secretary will leave his role as instructor at Harvard immediately amid ongoing Epstein probe
•	It's almost turkey pardon time, so here's a history of the unusual Thanksgiving event
•	A Florida congresswoman was indicted on allegations that she stole FEMA funds to pay for her campaign
•	See Sen. Chuck Grassley's most eyebrow-raising tweets as he celebrates 1M followers on X

Trump eyes new Russia-Ukraine deal

The Trump administration is shaking up its negotiations in a renewed attempt to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Previous talks have failed to yield a deal to end the three-plus-year conflict.

Top Army brass travelled to Ukraine this week in a new role representing the Trump administration, a Pentagon official told USA TODAY. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while he's there, seeking buy-in for a preliminary peace proposal.

The entourage of Army officials is a unique one, which the Pentagon and White House characterized to USA TODAY as a "fresh approach."

Epstein accused of victimizing 1,000 women and children

Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice have 30 days to release the Epstein files after President Donald Trump last night signed the transparency bill that received near-unanimous congressional approval.

But while there remains much conjecture and anticipation over what these materials will reveal, including on prominent figures who ran in Epstein's circle, there's plenty we already know about the late financier and convicted sex offender. A lot of that is thanks to the brave testimonies and interviews of many people who say they were his victims.

The DOJ says that Epstein victimized at least 1,000 women and children, and a group of advocates among them has been working around the clock to keep their stories at the forefront.

Hundreds of women, who call themselves Survivor Sisters, have become the driving force behind the renewed public pressure to identify Epstein associates they say assaulted them or participated in his trafficking ring.

Email me with your thoughts, questions and concerns. I'm at kapalmer@usatoday.com.