Epstein abuse survivors urge lawmakers to release all files
Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse signaled their support for a bipartisan resolution to release all the files related to the convicted sex offender.
Speaking outside the US Capitol, Anouska De Georgiou, a survivor of both Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, said that while “every day of this journey toward healing has come at a profound cost to my mental health,” she chose to be there because this legislation “really matters”. The only motive to oppose the bill would only be to “conceal wrongdoing”, she added, but also issued a plea to Donald Trump to use his power and influence to help release the full tranche of records on Epstein.
Release of Epstein video contradicts Bondi claim
A so-called “missing minute” of CCTV footage, a key ingredient of conspiracy theories surrounding the prison death of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found, contradicting the assertion of Pam Bondi, the attorney general, that it was recorded over.
Florida to end vaccine mandates for children as state’s surgeon general likens them to ‘slavery’
Children in Florida will no longer be required to receive vaccines against preventable diseases including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio and hepatitis, said Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, on Wednesday in a speech during which he likened vaccine mandates to “slavery”.
Block of Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act hailed a ‘victory’
A court ruling that blocked Donald Trump from invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans he alleged were part of a criminal gang has been hailed as “a victory for the rule of law”. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the 5th US circuit court of appeals issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the Trump administration using the 1798 law to justify rapid deportations.
1,000 health workers urge RFK Jr to quit
A letter published by more than 1,000 past and present workers of the health and human services department has demanded the resignation of Robert F Kennedy Jr, insisting the health secretary’s attacks on vaccines endangered the lives of all Americans. The hard-hitting letter, addressed to Congress members, blames Kennedy for turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the firing of the agency’s chief and replacement by a Donald Trump loyalist with no medical or scientific background.
Trump pledges to ‘stand with Warsaw’
The US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House.
Democrats blast state department for lack of ‘basic oversight’ of controversial Gaza food organization
Senior Democratic senators have called on the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to reveal details behind the financing and oversight of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid concerns over rising death tolls near aid sites, the group’s apparent coordination with the Israeli army and its reported use of private military contractors linked to intelligence operations.
What else happened today:
Washington DC’s mayor bowed to Trump’s military occupation of the nation’s capital by signing an executive order that formalizes cooperation with federal forces.
The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced the creation of a West Coast Health Alliance aimed at safeguarding access to vaccines.
Eric Adams, the embattled mayor of New York, has denied having conversations with Donald Trump about being given a government job in exchange for dropping his re-election campaign.
House Republicans have voted to establish a new subcommittee to reinvestigate the January 6 attack, a move that comes as Donald Trump has tried to rewrite the history of the most violent incident in US Capitol history.