In a note written on July 22, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein appeared to portray himself “as a victim of the #MeToo movement,” and also compared his situation to the 19th century antisemitic persecution of a French Army officer, The New York Times revealed Tuesday after obtaining a collection of “never seen before” notes from the convicted child sex offender.The note in question was written four days after Epstein had been denied bail, and scrawled across the top was the phrase “J’ACCUSE,” which roughly translates to “I accuse” in English. The phrase, the Times notes, is a likely reference to the 1898 open letter of the same name accusing the French government of antisemitism for the persecution of Alfred Dreyfus, a military officer who was falsely accused of espionage and imprisoned on a brutal prison island.“‘Jewish – Rich – Politics,’ he wrote, seemingly comparing himself to Dreyfus,” the Times’ report reads. “‘Believe the victim = Believe the Accuser’ he wrote, adding, ‘CRAZY!’”It would also be just hours later after the note was written that Epstein would be discovered in his cell semi-conscious with a noose around his neck in what was reported to be a suicide attempt, though Epstein initially claimed his cellmate had attacked him before walking the allegation back.Epstein’s portrayal of himself as a victim of the MeToo movement – the social movement that brought some accountability to prominent figures accused of sexual abuse or harassment – also came several years after Epstein had attempted to arrange a meeting with leaders of the MeToo-inspired group Times Up, Raw Story previously reported.
An individual allegedly involved in a thwarted terrorist attack aimed at Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House parroted Democrat conspiracy theories about President Trump protecting child predators connected to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to federal court documents. The revelation came on Tuesday, when Fox News reported on how the FBI and […]
At the urging of one of the largest and most notorious contractors running detention centers used to detain immigrants who have been taken into custody by ICE agents, the agency posted new rules that will make it easier for contractors to avoid lawsuits and be held accountable under state and local laws.According to Washington Post reporting, Geo Group — which operates more than 20 ICE detention centers and faces lawsuits in three states for allegedly violating minimum-wage laws by paying immigrant detainees $1 a day for work — privately lobbied ICE to revise federal detention standards in its favor.The Post's Douglas MacMillan wrote that the company's requests were very specific. Geo asked ICE to remove language requiring contractors to follow state and local laws governing detainee treatment. The company also demanded that ICE insert language specifying that detainees are not employees of detention facilities, with ICE complying. The new national detention standards, posted to the agency's website late Monday, incorporate Geo's requested language. The document now states that detainees are not employees "and are not entitled to wages or benefits under applicable wage laws or labor regulations."The revised standards no longer require detainees to be paid at least $1 per day, and no longer include references to contractors having to comply with state or local laws—effectively gutting protections designed to ensure basic labor standards in detention facilities.The report notes that two of the Trump administration's top immigration officials—border czar Tom Homan and ICE acting director David Venturella—previously worked for Geo Group, which, in turn, prompted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to ask in a letter last month "whether ICE enforcement priorities are being driven by the financial interests of politically connected detention contractors." "Geo Group and [fellow detention contractor] CoreCivic each donated $500,000 to Donald Trump’s presidential inaugural fund in December 2024, election spending data shows. A Geo Group subsidiary, Geo Reentry Services, has contributed $2 million to MAGA Inc., a Trump-aligned super-PAC, since October 2025, the records show," according to the Post report.DHS defended the changes through a statement claiming ICE "consulted with a variety of stakeholders, including facility operators" when revising standards. But the agency conspicuously avoided mentioning whether immigration advocates, detainee rights groups, or labor organizations were similarly consulted.Steve Schooner, a professor of government procurement law at George Washington University, highlighted the contrast. While federal agencies routinely seek input from industries they regulate, he told the Post, "ICE's contractors are probably not the best voice to represent the people who are being detained."
A federal prosecutor unveiled indictments against 15 Antifa-linked defendants in Minneapolis Tuesday — then got corrected by reporters who knew his own track record better than he did.U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen for the District of Minnesota announced the indictment alongside Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy. The defendants — members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota — face charges including conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, interstate stalking, and assault on a federal officer. Twelve were arrested Tuesday morning; two remain fugitives.Minnesota Reformer reporter Madison McVan went first."More than one-third of prosecutors' cases against people charged with protesting or stalking federal officers during Operation Metro Surge have already been dismissed or failed in some way," McVan said. "Why is this case different?""I don't think any cases have failed in any way," Rosen replied."It's actually half now," a second reporter fired back, identifying himself as tracking the § 111 cases independently. "36 — 18 have been dropped entirely, three with prejudice. There are non-prosecution agreements in at least 11 others."He also flagged that U.S. District Judge David T. Schultz had called affidavits signed by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Richard Berger "a fake affidavit" — saying Berger lacked personal knowledge of the events described."You watch how this case plays out," Rosen said. "The evidence will prove it all out."The charges were brought under Joint Task Force Vanguard, which was stood up after President Donald Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, directing the Justice Department to prioritize politically motivated violence. The Brennan Center for Justice warns that the administration's Antifa prosecutions risk criminalizing constitutionally protected protests.
A new report links anti-Christian extremism and assassination culture to the alleged bomb threat against Erika Kirk at a Turning Point USA event.
Internal contractor estimates reveal President Donald Trump's East Wing replacement ballroom project costs $600 million — $200 million more than what Trump has publicly stated. According to Clark Construction documents obtained by the Washington Post, approximately $307 million comes from federal agencies, including the Secret Service and White House Military Office. But only $293 million derives from private sources. On March 31, Trump claimed the project was taxpayer-free, emphasizing, "We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents." Despite his claims, federal agencies had already approved dozens of payments to contractors totaling tens of millions in public funds. Procurement experts questioned the use of taxpayer money for the entertainment structure itself, arguing funds should not flow into the ballroom. The project has faced legal challenges from historic-preservation lawsuits and bipartisan congressional opposition, with seven Republican senators joining Democrats blocking a $400 million legislative authorization for the President's project. The White House declined to answer questions about cost discrepancies.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Internal contractor estimates reveal that President Donald Trump's East Wing replacement project carries a price tag far exceeding what he has told the public – with taxpayers footing most of the bill.The Washington Post obtained a project summary prepared for the White House by contractor Clark Construction in early March that estimated the total construction cost at $600 million — $200 million more than the maximum figure Trump has ever cited publicly.The documents also show that roughly $307 million of that total was projected to come from federal agencies funded by taxpayers, including the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, while only $293 million was expected to come from private sources.When the project was first announced in July 2025, the White House said private donors would cover the entire $200 million cost. As estimates climbed — to $270 million, then $478 million, then $600 million — Trump's public statements never kept pace, and his insistence on full private funding never wavered."This is taxpayer-free," Trump said on March 31. "We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents."By that date, the Post reported, federal agencies had already approved more than a dozen payments to Clark Construction totaling tens of millions of dollars in public funds.Contracting and procurement experts who reviewed the documents for the Post said some government spending on security features falls within normal bounds. The Secret Service and White House Military Office routinely fund security infrastructure at the White House complex. But they drew a clear line at what the documents appear to show — taxpayer money flowing into the ballroom structure itself."You can't disentangle the entertainment space from all of the other parts that are in here," said Stan Soloway, a former Pentagon acquisition official. "It's one structure."A former General Services Administration official was more blunt about the use of Secret Service funds for demolition of the original East Wing, telling the Post: "That is a stretch. How is that something Secret Service should do and fund?"Construction has faced numerous legal and political challenges. A historic-preservation lawsuit prompted a court injunction pausing above-ground work in March, while seven Republican senators joined Democrats to block a $400 million legislative authorization for the project."I think that's the commitment that should be kept," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).The White House did not answer questions about the discrepancies, and Clark Construction declined to comment, calling all project details confidential.
President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Boris Epshteyn, allegedly joined an Indian billionaire's criminal defense team — and the Justice Department then moved to drop the charges, according to a new Wall Street Journal investigation.Epshteyn, who serves as Trump's legal coordinator and closest legal adviser, was said to have joined the defense of Gautam Adani — an Indian billionaire indicted in October 2024 on charges he schemed to pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian officials.The alleged bribes were meant to secure solar-energy contracts. Initial defense lawyers had already tried and failed to get the case dropped. By spring 2025, senior Justice Department officials had greenlit proceeding with the prosecution.Then Sullivan & Cromwell — a white-shoe law firm that also represents Trump — took over Adani's defense last July. Around that same time, the Adani family told associates that Epshteyn was helping them.That account came from seven sources familiar with the matter, the Journal reported. Epshteyn never appeared in court filings or attended meetings with prosecutors. But his name was discussed inside the Justice Department.After two presentations by Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers, senior Justice Department officials on May 18 asked a federal judge in Brooklyn to dismiss all charges. The motion notably lacked the signatures of the line prosecutors who built the case — a sign of their disagreement.Epshteyn has spent nearly a decade at Trump's side, starting as a senior adviser on his 2016 campaign. He helped secure Justice Department posts for several officials — including Trent McCotter, the principal associate deputy attorney general who had the final say over the Adani dismissal.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who defended Trump through multiple criminal prosecutions, was previously Epshteyn's own criminal-defense lawyer."The claims in this personal attack are false, malicious, and defamatory," Epshteyn said in a statement. The Adani Group said it "have not retained him in any capacity."Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Blanche demanding an explanation."This administration has made clear that it is not the world police," a Justice Department spokeswoman said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's move to punish a Democratic critic seems to have backfired in a major way.When the Pentagon chief moved to strip Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) of his military rank and pension, he likely intended to silence a critic. Instead, he may have handed Democrats one of their most potent political assets heading into the 2028 presidential cycle — and strengthened the party's hand in midterm battlegrounds along the way, reported NOTUS."Every time the Trump administration hits him, he can say, ‘See, I’m their enemy, come with me in this fight,’" said one Democratic strategist. "That is the most powerful thing for eyeballs, and eyeballs equals donors among the base.”Kelly, the Arizona Democrat and decorated astronaut, has raised nearly $25 million since Hegseth's campaign against him began in late 2025 — a staggering sum for a senator not facing re-election – and more than two-thirds of his fourth-quarter haul came from small-dollar donors giving under $200, a signal that his anti-Trump profile is generating genuine grassroots energy.He has already deployed some of that money to back Democratic Senate candidates James Talarico and Mary Peltola.The feud began after Kelly appeared in a video encouraging service members to refuse unlawful orders, prompting Trump to accuse him and five other Democratic lawmakers of "sedition" — "punishable by DEATH," the president wrote.A Washington grand jury declined to indict any of them in February. A federal judge subsequently blocked the Pentagon from punishing Kelly, ruling the administration had likely violated his First Amendment rights and warning that its legal theory could threaten the free speech of millions of retired service members.Hegseth has pressed on regardless, most recently calling for a review of whether Kelly disclosed classified information on a television news program — a charge Kelly deflected by noting Hegseth himself had made similar statements publicly.For Democrats starved of fighters, the dynamic has been a gift. Kelly's fundraising texts, cable news appearances, and a slot on Time's 100 Most Influential People list have transformed one of the Senate's most centrist members into a symbol of resistance. A slot on Jimmy Kimmel followed, where he told the audience he was "not backing down."Kelly trails better-known potential 2028 contenders including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg in early polling, rarely cracking the high single digits. Building a national profile this early also creates more opportunities for opponents to define him negatively.But for a party still searching for its post-Biden identity, the unintended consequences of Hegseth's feud have been hard to miss."Not a bad little boost," said Democratic strategist Jim Kessler of Third Way, "thanks to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth."