Breaking News and Politics Today
NPR covers national politics in real-time. Today, a federal appeals court reinstated Rebecca Slaughter; President Trump welcomed new citizens while asking Washington Commanders to change back to its former, more offensive name; and bail funds are subjected to political backlash.
House Oversight Committee released thousands of documents regarding Jeffrey Epstein, who has been charged with sexually exploiting children.
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The Epstein files
On Tuesday, the Justice Department declassified and released thousands of pages related to Jeffrey Epstein, who died while trafficking sex traffickers and financiers for profit. Following mounting cross-party requests for transparency regarding what their investigation revealed.
Epstein had not maintained a list of clients who paid him to engage in sexual encounters with Ghislaine Maxwell, according to a statement released by the Department. Following its release and statement from them, victims-rights advocates and lawmakers held a news conference Tuesday asking that more documents without redactions be released by the government.
Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ro Khanna of California are currently working together on legislation that would force the DOJ to release Epstein and Maxwell files. On Wednesday they plan to hold a news conference along with women who allege abuse at Epstein or Maxwell’s hands.
Rebecca Slaughter reinstated
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court restored Rebecca Slaughter as FTC Commissioner appointed by former President Joe Biden, months after President Donald Trump attempted to remove both of them without cause or explanation. The ruling upheld a district judge’s finding that such actions violate federal statute designed to keep regulatory agencies free of political influence.
Judge Neomi Rao, appointed by President Trump, dissented from the majority decision and stated that her court “likely lacks” authority to reinstate an executive branch official while litigation remains pending and that defying binding Supreme Court precedent was outside their job description.
Slaughter’s firing could end up before the Supreme Court, which ruled 90 years ago that FTC commissioners can only be removed for cause.
The House votes to censure LaMonica McIver
House Republicans have proposed a resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver and expel her from the Homeland Security Committee following allegations she assaulted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during her visit to a detention center where Newark Mayor Ras Baraka had been taken into custody.
Congressional Republicans led by Clay Higgins (R-La), filed the privileged resolution with hopes of having it passed before House members leave for recess this week. They assert that the charges brought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement violate the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers against prosecution when carrying out official duties.
Coca-Cola moves away from high-fructose corn syrup
After receiving praise from President Trump for introducing its cane sugar version, and CEO James Quincey teasing of its announcement, Coca-Cola revealed plans to release cane sugar-sweetened versions of their signature soda in fall – this beverage will supplement existing HFCS-sweetened products rather than replace them altogether.
While high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has often been blamed for obesity and other health concerns, nutrition experts maintain that cane sugar can also pose health hazards when consumed in excess. This episode illustrates the delicate balance businesses must strike between consumer preference, economic constraints, and health considerations – as well as politics’ potential effects on business operations.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says it has an “obligation to comply” with President Trump’s executive order
The USOPC oversees the United States’ bid for hosting Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as approve trial sites and procedures for Olympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American competitions.
Update to athlete safety policy. New section references President Trump’s Executive Order from February, which bans transgender athletes from competing in women-s sports.
Under this new section, a federal task force will be created to coordinate security and planning efforts, streamline visa processing, credential athletes, coaches, media, and visitors and streamline credentialing procedures. President Donald Trump will serve as chair while Vice President JD Vance serves as vice chair. Unlike previous Olympic events, this year’s Olympics will play an active role for the White House.
Bail Funds face political blowback
A recent spate of legislation is targeting bail funds. Leveraging federal insurance fraud statutes as a tool against faith groups and nonprofits that assist with posting bail monetary bail, this legislation seeks to limit how they provide services in posting the funds necessary.
Since the 2020 police-brutality protests, bail funds have become a potency tool to confront our inequitable justice system and strive toward reform. But they cannot provide all of the answers when it comes to ending pretrial detention or addressing systemic issues leading to police violence.
Authorities run the risk of normalizing money bail and legitimizing an intractable system, so political education, messaging and collaboration must continue as key priorities.
