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    Democrat Ro Khanna reveals six men’s names in Epstein files – video

    The Democratic congressman Ro Khanna read out the names of six wealthy men included in the Jeffrey Epstein files.In a post on X at lunchtime, Khanna, of California, named the six as Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Leslie Wexner. He said he and his Republican colleague Thomas Massie had forced the Department of Justice to disclose the ‘hidden’ names.Reading the names in the House of Representatives, Khanna availed himself of protection from any defamation lawsuit by the speech and debate clause of the US constitution.Congressmen name six wealthy men ‘likely incriminated’ in Epstein files Continue reading… More

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    ‘I did have lunch with him’: Lutnick admits meeting Epstein on private island – video

    The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said he met the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein twice after his 2008 conviction, backtracking on his previous claims that he had cut ties after 2005.Lutnick admitted he had lunch with Epstein on his private island in 2012 in testimony on Tuesday before the Senate appropriations committee.Democrats, including House members Ro Khanna, Ted Lieu, Melanie Stansbury, as well as Senator Adam Schiff, have called for Lutnick to step downUS commerce secretary Howard Lutnick says he had lunch with Epstein on his private island Continue reading… More

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    Ohio city stands up to Trump’s ‘attitude of hate’ toward Haitian community

    Churches in Springfield provide networks of support as Haitians face uncertainty over the future of TPS legal protectionsAt morning services at Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, on Sunday, congregants greeted one another with hugs and expressed gratitude for a rare piece of good news. Nearly a week before, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end legal protections for 350,000 Haitians in the US.The church is one of several in Springfield that provide services in Haitian Creole and has opened its doors to thousands of Haitians living in the small city in south-western Ohio. Addressing the ruling, pastor Carl Ruby explained in his sermon that during times of suffering, the silence of God doesn’t mean the absence of God. Continue reading… More

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    ‘So shameful’: backlash as US national monuments conform to Trump’s rewrite of history

    From Pennsylvania to Montana, the White House’s war on ‘woke’ has targeted US monuments that address topics like racism and Indigenous historyBlank spaces now exist where a series of panels about enslavement once appeared on the walls of the President’s House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The site, which honors the home of George Washington and John Adams, is a major landmark that bore artwork and informational signs for more than a decade. But on 22 January, National Park Service (NPS) workers used hand tools to pry off 34 panels to comply with a presidential executive order designed to reframe the national narrative. The panels that highlighted the lives of people enslaved by George Washington when Philadelphia was the US capital in the 1790s are now in storage.The removal is one of several across the nation, as NPS staff aim to conform with Donald Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” issued on 27 March 2025. Public markers, monuments and statues that the Trump administration considers disparaging to past or current Americans have been flagged at more than a dozen parks. Two exhibits at Montana’s Little Bighorn battlefield national monument that discuss Indigenous history and the Battle of the Little Bighorn have been targeted and deemed noncompliant. Additionally, signage about climate change at Muir Woods national monument in California and visitor brochures at Medgar and Myrlie Evers home national monument in Mississippi that referred to Medgar Evers’s killer as racist were also removed. Continue reading… More

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    At the Super Bowl, Bad Bunny challenged the meaning of ‘America’

    The Puerto Rican star’s vision of American identity moved beyond colonial tropes to span an entire hemisphereBy now, many of us have a favorite part of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl half-time performance. It’s a dense, rich set that invites rewatching to take in every thoughtful, exuberant detail – even though it’s barely 14 minutes long.My most beloved part occurs a little more than nine minutes into the homage, when the cuatro puertorriqueño appears. The stringed instrument has its own moment in the spotlight, shown in the talented hands of the cuatrista José Eduardo Santana just before Ricky Martin performs. Continue reading… More

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    More pollution and higher energy costs: critics condemn Trump’s anti-environment agenda

    US courts, scholars and Democrats are pushing back against the president’s aggressive drive to boost fossil fuelsDonald Trump’s aggressive drive to boost fossil fuels, including dirty coal, coupled with his administration’s moves to roll back wind and solar power, face mounting fire from courts, scholars and Democrats for raising the cost of electricity and worsening the climate crisis.Four judges, including a Trump appointee, in recent weeks have issued temporary injunctions against interior department moves to halt work on five offshore wind projects in Virginia, New York and New England, which have cost billions of dollars and are far along in development. Continue reading… More

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    Gavin Newsom’s likely presidential bid is built on broken promises | Gil Durán

    The California governor has a record of failed pledges on housing, healthcare and more as he mistakes theatrics for leadershipGavin Newsom has stumbled upon the perfect slogan for his likely upcoming presidential campaign: “Strong and Wrong.” In a recent interview, California’s governor said Americans prefer crude politicians like Donald Trump over leaders who cling to niceties and norms.“Given the choice … the American people always support strong and wrong versus weak and right,” he said.Gil Durán is a California journalist and author of the forthcoming book The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War On Democracy. He was an adviser to several Democratic politicians Continue reading… More

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    ‘Puzzling, inexplicable redactions’: Jamie Raskin questions DoJ after viewing Epstein files – video

    Jamie Raskin, a top House Democrat, accused the justice department of making ‘puzzling, inexplicable redactions’ to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that obscured the names of abusers, while allowing the identities of the disgraced financier’s victims to become public. Raskin told reporters that he wanted to view the complete files to better understand how the justice department handled the redaction processJamie Raskin accuses DoJ of cover-up after viewing unredacted Epstein files Continue reading… More