Morning headlines: Here's what's known so far about the Jeffrey Epstein documents

Today is Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. Let's get caught up.

Keep scrolling for celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history. Plus, check out our daily news podcast:

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Jeffrey Epstein documents: Here's what we know so far

Dozens of previously sealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein were made public late Wednesday, as a court releases more records from a years-old lawsuit connected to the late financier.

They’re likely to disappoint sleuths online, where the plan to release documents prompted rumors of a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators.” In fact, the judge who made the call wrote in December that she was ordering the records released because much of the information within them is already public.

The first 40 documents, of around 250 expected to eventually be unsealed, largely mention figures whose names were already known, including high-profile friends of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly.

Here’s what we know about the documents released so far:

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Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry

With Biden and Trump now headed toward a potential 2020 rematch, both are talking about the same event in very different ways and offering framing they believe gives them an advantage. The dueling narratives reflect how an attack that disrupted the certification of the election is increasingly viewed differently along partisan lines — and how Trump has bet that the riot won't hurt his candidacy.

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A Texas father and son arrested in the killings of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend

A father and son in Texas have been charged in the killings of Savanah Nicole Soto, 18, and Matthew Guerra, 22, whose bodies were found in the parking lot of a San Antonio apartment complex, a crime scene that the city's police chief originally described as “very, very perplexing.”

Soto’s family has said she was overdue to deliver her baby and had been scheduled to have an induced labor when she went missing the weekend before Christmas.

The killings have drawn attention beyond Texas and Moscoso said “misinformation" about the case had taken off on social media.

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Iran says at least 84 were killed in blasts at a ceremony honoring slain general

Two bombs exploded and killed at least 84 people at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for what appeared to be the deadliest militant attack to target Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran's leaders vowed to punish those responsible for the blasts, which wounded at least 284 people.

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84 dead, dozens still missing after earthquake on Japan's western coastline

Rescue workers are braving the cold to save people still trapped under collapsed buildings in western Japan. More soldiers have been ordered to bolster the rescue operations Thursday, providing those in need with drinking water, hot meals and setting up bathing facilities after a magnitude 7.6 quake hit Ishikawa Prefecture and nearby regions Monday. So far, 84 people have been reported dead.

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South Korea views the young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as his likely successor

The young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen as her father’s likely heir apparent, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday, its first such assessment on the girl who was unveiled to the outside world a little more than a year ago.

There has been intense outside debate and speculation about the girl, reportedly about 10 years old and named Ju Ae, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022, when she watched a long-range missile test-launch with her father.

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MORNING LISTEN

"The Ethical Life" hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada are off this week, so we looked back though our show archives and are sharing four of our favorite ethical dilemmas from the past year. Topics include whether to help a stranger in emotional distress and what to say if the table next to you at a restaurant has unruly children.