In a famous 1978 study, Harvard University psychologist Ellen Langer had volunteers try to cut into a long line to use a copy machine.

Some just asked if they could go first. Some added that they were in a rush. And some asked if they could cut because they needed to “make some copies.”

On its face, that last line is ridiculous; everyone is in line to make copies, after all. But it sounded enough like a reason that most people let those volunteers go before them.

What happened here is a simple rhetorical feint, one long used by advertisers to convince distracted consumers that their product is worth buying. President Donald Trump has long used the same trick to get out of a jam.

In fact, Trump so predictably deploys this strategy that back in November, I correctly predicted what Trump would say when the Epstein files were eventually released. If he followed the playbook of his responses to the investigation into Russian election interference, I wrote, “the next argument is clear: pretend he was exonerated.”

On Saturday, Trump was asked about the latest release of files.

“I was told by some very important people that not only does it absolve me, it’s the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radical left,” he said.

Reader, he was not absolved.

Read Ryan Teague Beckwith’s analysis here.

Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve reassured Wall Street and strengthened the U.S. dollar, causing a sell-off in gold and silver, which are typically used as a hedge against inflation and a weak dollar. 

Here are some highlights of the president’s actions over the last seven days:

The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is Judge Patrick Schiltz.

It’s common when explaining a judicial ruling to note which president appointed the judge, as an imperfect shorthand for their probable leanings. But it’s not enough to note that Schiltz, the chief federal trial judge in Minnesota, was appointed by George W. Bush. He also clerked for conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and taught future Justice Amy Coney Barrett in law school. So when Schiltz forced Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release an immigrant who had been unlawfully detained, that might have been notable. But Schiltz went further, attaching a document that listed 96 court orders ICE had violated in 74 cases. “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” he wrote. The list, he added, should “give pause” to anyone “who cares about the rule of law.” Learn more. 

This past weekend, Amazon’s “Melania” came in third at the box office behind two horror films “Send Help” and “Iron Lung.” (Make your own judgment about what genre “Melania” slots into.) That’s not bad considering that documentaries are not usually known for raking in the big bucks. Then again, that’s $7 million against the $75 million Amazon spent to produce and distribute the movie in 1,778 theaters in the U.S. At that pace (one it’s unlikely to sustain) it will take weeks before the movie turns a profit. But it’s not clear that was even a reason Amazon overpaid for a movie critics have had so much fun skewering. Maybe the upcoming docuseries on Prime will make up the difference? Also last week, Amazon announced it’s cutting 16,000 jobs. That’s on top of 14,000 cuts back in October. Learn more.

— Stephanie Ruhle, host of “The 11th Hour”