Top Federal Prosecutors ‘Crushed’ by Epstein Files Workload

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By Politico. The premier federal prosecutors’ office in the country is consumed by the task of reviewing files related to Jeffrey Epstein, according to four people familiar with the matter and internal memos obtained by POLITICO.

Virtually every prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who isn’t handling an imminent or ongoing trial — including some who are working on other major cases — has been tasked with helping to review more than two million files to redact information about Epstein’s sex-trafficking victims. Even the high-ranking executive staff and unit chiefs are poring over the documents, often working weekends.

Prosecutors are being “crushed by the work,” said one person familiar with the matter, who, like others quoted in this article, was granted anonymity to discuss internal processes. And while people in the office hope the task will take no longer than a few more weeks, no one is really sure when it will be completed.

The scale of the review has raised questions about whether the task is stretching prosecutors too thin and pushing other work to the back burner in an office that regularly handles some of the country’s most important white-collar, terrorism and financial crimes cases.

Even several of the prosecutors working on the narco-terrorism and drug trafficking case against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, perhaps the most prominent prosecution in the justice system at the moment, are also assigned to work on the Epstein documents, according to a person familiar with the matter. (Read more from “Top Federal Prosecutors ‘Crushed’ by Epstein Files Workload” HERE)

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What else can be done to force Trump’s DoJ to release all the Epstein files? Legal experts weigh in

By The Guardian. For months, the 2025 news cycle was dominated by the disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Public outrage over the continued secrecy surrounding Epstein investigative files – which Donald Trump failed to release fully early in his second term, despite campaign promises – was growing.

Federal lawmakers took matters into their own hands: they issued a spate of subpoenas related to the late child sex trafficker, releasing batches of files that renewed attention to his connections to high-profile individuals on both sides of the political spectrum. Congress ultimately passed legislation mandating that the Department of Justice release these files by 19 December, with Trump signing this bill into law.

But that deadline came and went, with Trump’s justice department making a mere fraction of the total disclosures required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA). These scant releases have so far failed to lift the veil on how Epstein operated with impunity for years.

Now, the big Epstein-related news is that there is no major Epstein news. Nothing has happened of late that has meaningfully moved the needle toward transparency for victims and advocates, renewing questions about what comes next. Releases of new documents have ceased in recent weeks. (Read more from “What else can be done to force Trump’s DoJ to release all the Epstein files? Legal experts weigh in” HERE)

Deranged Driver Plows Into Detroit Airport Terminal — Hauled Away by Police as He Screams in Shocking Scene

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A car plowed into a terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport in Michigan Friday night – and the driver bellowed nonsense as he was dragged away from the scene, according to shocking footage and reports.

Wild footage captured the black sedan sitting in the middle of the McNamara Terminal, where startled Delta Airlines employees were working as it smashed through the glass doors of the Romulus, Mich. around 7:30 p.m., according to WXYZ.

The driver immediately exited the vehicle with his hands raised and speaking in a daze as security and airport officials rushed to the debris-ridden area.

“The response was so quick thank God with the cops and TSA and everybody,” stunned traveler Ali Khalifa told the outlet.

“That all happened in seconds.”

The unidentified male driver — sporting a Detroit Lions jersey — was screaming incoherently as he was hauled away by nearly a dozen security officers, according to footage shared on social media.

(Read more from “Deranged Driver Plows Into Detroit Airport Terminal — Hauled Away by Police as He Screams in Shocking Scene” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Jack Smith Makes Four Big Admissions In Fiery Public Hearing

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By Daily Caller. Former special counsel Jack Smith made major admissions during his public testimony Thursday, including about former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s credibility as a witness.

Republicans grilled Smith on everything from search warrants he obtained for members of Congress’ phone records to his litigation decisions, while Democrats told Smith he did “everything right.”

Smith secured two indictments charging President Donald Trump for alleged interference in the 2020 election and for alleged mishandling of classified documents. Despite his best efforts to secure a trial before the election, he was forced to drop both cases after Trump won in 2024.

“If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Democrat or a Republican,” Smith said. “No one should be above the law in this country and the law required that he [Trump] be held to account.”

1. Cassidy Hutchinson wasn’t ruled out as a witness.

Smith admitted both on Thursday and in prior closed-door deposition that elements of Hutchinson’s testimony were based on “hearsay.” Hutchinson, a key witness for the Jan. 6 committee, claimed Trump lunged to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle on Jan. 6 to redirect it the Capitol. (Read more from “Jack Smith Makes Four Big Admissions In Fiery Public Hearing” HERE)

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J6 Cop Coughs ‘Go F*ck Yourself’ To Republican Congressman During Jack Smith Hearing

By Daily Caller. Former Metropolitan Police Department officer Mike Fanone coughed “go f**k yourself” during a Thursday hearing where former special counsel Jack Smith testified.

Smith appeared before the House Judiciary Committee for roughly five hours and defended his prosecutions of President Donald Trump. During questioning, Republican Texas Rep. Troy Nehls blamed U.S. Capitol Police leadership for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, prompting Fanone’s outburst.

“I would like to quickly address the police officers of January 6th — Mr. [Harry] Dunn, Mr. Fanone, Mr. [Aquilino] Gonell, Mr. [Daniel] Hodges, I’m a member of the new select committee to actually examine what happened that day,” Nehls said. “And I can tell you, gentlemen, that the fault does not lie with Donald Trump. It lies with Yogananda Pittman and the U.S. Capitol leadership team.”

Fanone then interrupted to cough, “go f**k yourself.”

“We know the Capitol leadership team, specifically Yogananda Pittman, had the intelligence, and there was going to be a high propensity for violence,” Nehls added after the disruption. (Read more from “J6 Cop Coughs ‘Go F*ck Yourself’ To Republican Congressman During Jack Smith Hearing” HERE)

Didn’t Take Too Long: European Leader Admits What Conservatives Have Been Saying For Years

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German Chancellor Freidrich Merz told the World Economic Forum (WEF) that Germany and the European Union (EU) have “wasted incredible potential” during his speech Thursday.

Merz, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said the EU has wasted its potential for growth by curtailing freedom and responsibility.

“Both Germany and Europe have wasted incredible potential for growth in recent years by dragging feet on reforms and unnecessarily and excessively curtailing entrepreneurial freedoms and personal responsibility,” the Chancellor stated in his remarks to the WEF in Davos, Switzerland. “We are going to change that now.”

“We must reduce bureaucracy substantially in Europe,” Merz continued. “The single market was once created to form the most competitive economic area in the world. Instead, we have become the world champion of over-regulation. That has to end.”

“Security and predictability take precedence over excessive regulation and misplaced perfection,” he added.

(Read more from “Didn’t Take Too Long: European Leader Admits What Conservatives Have Been Saying For Years” HERE)

‘It Was Terrible Judgment’: Famous Singer Says He Regrets Vile Comment About Trump

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Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass expressed deep regret after joking about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a concert in 2024.

He admitted to causing a “shitstorm” after making an ill-timed comment on stage soon after a bullet grazed Trump and left him bloodied.

On July 14, 2024, Tenacious D, the comedy rock group Gass co-founded with Jack Black, performed at the ICC Sydney Theatre. It also happened to be Gass’ birthday.

Gass said he had heard the news of the attempted assassination, but he admitted the reality of the situation didn’t sink in, according to an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday.

A cake was brought to the stage during the concert and when asked to make a wish, Gass said, “Don’t miss Trump next time!”

“It was a very low moment for me,” Gass admitted.

(Read more from “‘It Was Terrible Judgment’: Famous Singer Says He Regrets Vile Comment About Trump” HERE)

Marine Vet Fatally Shot at FB Marketplace Meetup Called His Mom: ‘I’m Dying’

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A decorated Marine veteran was fatally shot at his home during a Facebook Marketplace sale — and he spent his final moments describing his attackers to police over the phone before heartbreakingly texting his family goodbye.

Michael Ryan Burke, 42, was gunned down during a sale-turned-robbery involving a cellphone at his home in Columbia, Missouri, on Sunday, according to the Columbia Police Department. . .

Burke’s college pal and fraternity brother, Jerry Reifeiss, described the veteran’s final moments in an interview with KRCG13. . .

He said Burke held on long enough to call 911 and describe his attackers. He also managed to text his mother and sister, “I’m dying and I love you,” before he was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

“That was just Ryan. He always put people in front of him and wanted to make sure people know how he felt. He didn’t want to go on to the next life and pass away without providing some information to us that would bring justice to these people and let people know he always loves them,” Reifeiss told the outlet. (Read more from “Marine Vet Fatally Shot at FB Marketplace Meetup Called His Mom: ‘I’m Dying’” HERE)

No. 1 Cancer Killer for People Under 50 Has Gotten Worse Since 1990 — Here’s Your ‘Best Tool’ for Beating It

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Cancer deaths are falling among young Americans — except for one terrifying outlier.

Over the past 30 years, it has surged to become the top cancer killer of people under 50, overtaking breast, lung and brain cancers, as well as leukemia, a new analysis found.

“It is clear that this can no longer be called an old person’s disease,” Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, a senior author of the study and a top official at the American Cancer Society, said in a statement.

In the study, researchers analyzed more than 1.2 million deaths and found that overall cancer mortality in Americans under 50 dropped 44% between 1990 and 2023.

The decline was driven by sharp drops in four of the five leading cancer killers, which fell by as much as 6% annually.

Only one increased: colorectal cancer, which rose 1.1% each year over the past three decades, climbing from the fifth most common cancer death to first place. (Read more from “No. 1 Cancer Killer for People Under 50 Has Gotten Worse Since 1990 — Here’s Your ‘Best Tool’ for Beating It” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

ICE Detains U.S. Citizen in His Underwear During ‘Targeted Operation’ Searching for Sex Offenders

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A US citizen was dragged out of his Minnesota home in his underwear by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a search for two sex offenders who allegedly lived at the property.

ChongLy “Scott” Thao, who has no criminal record, was napping when his daughter-in-law woke him up to tell him that ICE agents were banging on the door of their home in St. Paul on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the ICE raid was a “targeted operation” seeking “two convicted sex offenders” at the address.

“The individual refused to be fingerprinted or facially ID’d. He matched the description of the targets,” DHS said.

But Thao told the AP that only he, his son, his daughter-in-law and 4-year-old grandson live at the rental home and neither they nor the property’s owner are listed on Minnesota’s sex offender registry.

The confusion may have been related to Thao’s son, Chris, getting stopped earlier in the day by ICE while driving a car that he borrowed from his cousin’s boyfriend. The boyfriend shares the first name of a separate Asian man convicted of a sex offense, court records show. (Read more from “ICE Detains U.S. Citizen in His Underwear During ‘Targeted Operation’ Searching for Sex Offenders” HERE)

The Exercises That Could Help You Live Longer — and the Ones That Matter Less

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All movement can benefit your health, but new research suggests that how you move — and how often you vary your activity — may play a meaningful role in how long you live.

A large new study published in BMJ Medicine examined how different forms of physical activity relate to the risk of early death, finding that some exercises appear to offer stronger longevity benefits than others. The findings also suggest that mixing up your workouts may be just as important as how much you exercise overall.

Researchers analyzed data from two major long-term studies involving more than 111,000 adults — roughly 70,700 women and 40,600 men — who regularly reported how often they engaged in various forms of physical activity each week. Those activities ranged from walking, running, cycling, and swimming to tennis, rowing, weight training, yoga, gardening, and stair climbing.

To compare the health impact of each activity, scientists used metabolic equivalent (MET) scores, which measure how much energy an activity requires based on intensity and time spent exercising.

Among all activities studied, walking stood out. Participants who walked the most during the week had a 17% lower risk of dying prematurely compared with those who walked the least. The findings suggest that even low-impact, accessible exercise can have a powerful effect on long-term health.

Variety also mattered. People who engaged in the widest range of physical activities experienced a 19% lower risk of death from any cause, indicating that mixing different types of movement may provide added protection.

Simple daily habits appeared to make a difference as well. Regular stair climbing was linked to a 10% lower risk of early death, reinforcing the idea that small lifestyle changes can add up over time.

When looking at specific activities, racquet sports such as tennis and squash were associated with a 15% reduction in early death risk, followed by rowing at 14%. Weight training and running each showed a 13% reduction. Cycling offered a smaller benefit, with a 4% lower risk, while swimming did not show a strong independent association in the data.

Researchers cautioned that more exercise is not always better. The benefits of physical activity appeared to level off once participants reached about 20 MET hours per week, suggesting there may be a threshold beyond which additional exercise does not significantly improve longevity.

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WATCH: Teacher Tells Student Defending ICE, ‘Just Because You’re Alive Doesn’t Mean You’re Intelligent’

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Videos emerging online reveal teachers in different states blatantly indoctrinating their students in the anti-ICE narrative after the shooting death of leftist agitator Renee Good by a federal officer in Minneapolis.

One video shows Dr. Heather Abrahamson, a social-studies teacher and Gender and Sexuality Alliance adviser at Becker High School in Becker, Minnesota, getting into a heated discussion with students who were defending the ICE agent’s action as Good’s car appeared to have raced toward him. . .

“It was a split second,” one student asserts.

“No,” the teacher replies, “because watch the video. He was not in danger!”

A student tells her: “Just because you’re yelling does not mean you’re winning.”

The teacher fires back: “Just because you’re alive doesn’t mean you’re intelligent.” (Read more from “WATCH: Teacher Tells Student Defending ICE, ‘Just Because You’re Alive Doesn’t Mean You’re Intelligent’” HERE)