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CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
There was no "missing minute" in Epstein jail video, government source says
The "missing minute" from the surveillance video at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center where Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 may not be missing after all, CBS News has learned. When the Justice Department and FBI released nearly 11 hours of footage earlier this month, the time code on the screen jumped forward one minute just before midnight, prompting questions about the one-minute gap. The video shows part of the area near the cell where Epstein was being held the night he died in what the medical examiner ruled a suicide. A government source familiar with the investigation says the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice inspector general are all in possession of a copy of the video that does not cut from just before 11:59 p.m. to midnight of the night Epstein died by suicide in his cell. What is unclear is why that section was missing when the FBI released what it said was raw footage from inside the Special Housing Unit the night Epstein died, Aug. 9-10, 2019. The recording came from what officials said was the only video camera that was recording its footage in the unit. This video has been cited by multiple government officials as a key piece of evidence in the determination that Epstein died by suicide. Epstein's death, as with many aspects of his high-profile sex trafficking case, has become fodder for conspiracy theories. The missing minute added to the conjecture after the release of the video, when news organizations and amateur sleuths who reviewed the video quickly noticed that onscreen jump in the time stamp. Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned about the gap during a July 8 Cabinet meeting with President Trump. She said the missing minute was the result of a nightly reset of the video that caused the recording system to miss one recording minute every night, and attributed that information to the Bureau of Prions. "There was a minute that was off that counter and what we learned from [the] Bureau of Prisons was every year, every night, they redo that video," Bondi said. The equipment was old — "from like 1999, so every night is reset, so every night should have that same missing minute," she said. Bondi said the department would share other video that showed the same thing happened every night when the video system reset. That video, however, has not yet been released. Experts in surveillance video, including video forensic professionals, told CBS News that a nightly reset would have been unusual and was not something they encountered in most video systems. One thing that is clear, forensic experts say, is that the version of the recording released by the FBI was edited and not raw, as the government stated. Bondi, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and others have said publicly that the video would be released unaltered. When the DOJ and FBI shared the video with the public, they said in a news release that it was the "full raw" video, and that "anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein's cell was located from the SHU common area would have been captured by this footage." Jim Stafford was one of several video forensic analysts who looked at the video for CBS News using specialized software to extract the underlying coding, known as metadata. He said the metadata showed that the file was first created on May 23 of this year and that it was likely a "screen capture, not an actual export" of the raw file. He also told CBS News the metadata showed that the video was in fact two separate videos stitched together. It was also slightly sped up, so the video covering 11 hours runs approximately 10 hours and 53 minutes in length. CBS asked the FBI and Justice Department for a response, but they declined to comment. The Bureau of Prisons said they "had no additional information to provide".
Washington Post
14 minutes ago
- Washington Post
DOJ to review staff texts, emails after faculty praise of GMU president
In a move critics say shows a new and deeper level of scrutiny into a college's operations, the Justice Department sent a letter to George Mason University saying it planned to review a Faculty Senate resolution that praised the school's president, Gregory Washington, who has come under scrutiny from the Trump administration over his diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The Justice Department letter singled out a line from the resolution — which was stated as a fact, not as a policy supported by the faculty — that referred to a 2022 university goal to achieve 'faculty and staff demographics that mirror student demographics.' 'This statement is concerning as it indicates the GMU Faculty Senate is praising President Washington for engaging in race- or sex-motivated hiring decisions to achieve specific demographic outcomes among faculty and staff,' read the Friday letter, obtained by The Washington Post, from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon to the head of the board and the board's lawyer. She warned the school's board in the letter that those alleged hiring practices are unlawful and could result in 'extensive' fines for the university. She asked the head of George Mason's Board of Visitors to take steps to preserve 'all written communications (including emails, texts, voice mails and other forms of electronic communications) between any Faculty Senate members or between Faculty Senate members and President Washington or any members of his Office's staff.' The letter comes as the Trump administration is conducting four investigations, which were announced in the span of four weeks, into Virginia's largest public university over its DEI practices and its alleged failure to combat antisemitism on campus, including into its alleged consideration of race in the hiring and promotion of some faculty members. Some at GMU see the growing number of investigations as an effort to oust Washington, the school's first Black president, following the resignation of University of Virginia President James E. Ryan, who left his post last month amid mounting pressure from the Justice Department. Faculty senates — representative bodies of a university's faculty that meet to discuss and opine on a college's operations — often pass resolutions supporting or criticizing policies of university leaders. But it is rare for a presidential administration to weigh in on faculty senate operations in this way. The letter landed as the Trump administration continues efforts to reshape higher education by launching investigations and threatening federal funding cuts to achieve its policy goals. Last week, Columbia University agreed to a resolution with the administration, paying more than $200 million to settle discrimination claims, including over alleged antisemitism. 'This is a piece of a larger pattern from the administration essentially looking for provocations on campus,' said Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. 'Instead of seeking a way to defuse it and seek common ground, it looks like the GMU Faculty Senate opted to double down, and DOJ is firing back.' Hess said that, while he could not recall a similar letter being sent elsewhere, it's possible the Trump administration could have done so without public knowledge. The Justice Department declined to comment beyond the letter. Torridon Law, the firm representing the GMU board, referred questions to a July 25 Board of Visitors statement in which the body said it would comply fully with the Departments of Education and Justice. The Northern Virginia university, which began as a commuter school and now boasts some 40,000 students, has an acceptance rate of about 90 percent. Its Antonin Scalia Law School and its economics program are known as some of the most conservative in their respective fields, and a number of its current and former board members have worked at or have connections with the Heritage Foundation, the organization behind Project 2025. As president, Washington created an anti-racism task force in 2020 and has praised some DEI programs. He has since defended his policies and said the school was meeting requirements of federal mandates. Some supporters of Washington, including George Mason faculty members, denounced the Justice Department's letter, saying the department took the resolution out of context and was attacking free speech. The resolution was passed a day before department officials sent the letter. Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) said in a statement that, while 'conservatives have been demanding academic freedom for years,' it now appears that they are acting as 'thought police' and trying to 'flex control over our Virginia educational crown jewels.' Faculty Senate President Solon Simmons said in an interview with The Post that he hoped the letter was not an attempt to silence faculty members — a worry he said he has heard from some professors — and was merely the result of a misunderstanding of the faculty's role in setting policies. 'We have no institutional force in the university beyond our moral suasion,' he said. 'They are letting us know they are paying attention, and we are taking it very seriously. I think it's important that faculty maintain their voice and don't feel intimidated by this process.' The Faculty Senate resolution had two sections. In the 'whereas' section, the faculty noted a 2013 university plan that said 'Diversity is our strength' and committed the college to 'invest in recruiting, retaining and developing talented and diverse faculty and academic and professional staff.' It said Washington successfully achieved the goals he was hired to pursue; called the Trump administration's investigations into GMU a 'politically motivated attack, similar to those we have seen elsewhere'; and said 'evidence, truth, and due process should be the foundation for all decisions, not allegations that have not been fully investigated.' In the second part, the Faculty Senate 'resolved' that it affirmed the 2013 plan's provisions regarding diversity, declared confidence in Washington's leadership, and called on the board to provide the 'strongest defense possible' of Washington and to commit to a fair and transparent annual review, which is scheduled to occur Friday at the board's meetings. The George Mason chapter of the American Association of University Professors is calling on its supporters to pack that meeting. In an unsigned statement, the group said it is worried the board, which is made up solely of members appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), could point to the investigations and inquiries from the Trump administration as justification to give Washington a poor performance evaluation at best — and fire him at worst. 'We believe these investigations are nothing more than a thin pretext to attack and remove current GMU President Gregory Washington,' the group wrote.
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
NYC gunman had grievances against NFL, football as shooting leaves several dead: report
The gunman who stormed a high-rise building in the heart of New York City on Monday evening reportedly had a grievance with the NFL. Shane Tamura, who was identified as the man who killed multiple people including an NYPD officer in the rampage at 345 Park Ave in Midtown Manhattan, cited the NFL in a note left near his body on 33rd floor of the building after he died by suicide, the New York Post reported. The 27-year-old Nevada resident blamed the sport of football for apparent issues with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a side effect from repeated hits to the head, the outlet reported, citing law enforcement sources. Fox News Digital reached out to the NYPD and the NFL for comment. Tamura was a high school football player at Granada Hills Charter in Granada Hills, California, which is about 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The NFL's headquarters were located in the same building where Tamura had killed five people and left several others injured. The league's officers are on the fifth floor. NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tamura had a history of mental health problems. Tisch said that Tamura traveled cross-country, with his vehicle last being seen in Columbia, New Jersey as recently as 4:24 p.m. ET. That wasn't long before he unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the high-rise building. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a message, obtained by Fox News Digital, to all league employees announcing the traumatic event. One NFL employee was "seriously injured." "As has been widely reported, a gunman committed an unspeakable act of violence in our building at 345 Park Avenue. One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack," the message read. "He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. "We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared." Goodell added to pay attention to all notices with emergency information, as the situation remained fluid.
