Top Trump Officials Split Over Epstein Investigation Conclusion
The Justice Department said Monday that an 'exhaustive review' had turned up no list of Epstein's clients or additional documents that warrant public disclosure, backtracking on a promise and incensing right-wing media figures who had alleged a government coverup in the case.
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CNN
22 minutes ago
- CNN
Half of Americans dissatisfied with how much Epstein info government has released, CNN poll finds
Half of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the amount of information the federal government has released about the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS in the days after the Justice Department released a memo saying there is no evidence the convicted sex offender kept a so-called client list or was murdered. Almost no one is content with the amount the government has shared: Just 3% of Americans say they are satisfied with it. A sizable chunk of the public either says it doesn't matter to them either way (29%) or that they haven't heard enough about the case to say (17%). Trump's most ardent supporters online have been in revolt since the Justice Department memo's release, even as the president has implored them to move on from Epstein and publicly backed Attorney General Pam Bondi. The poll shows Republicans at large are less likely to say they are dissatisfied with the information shared than Democrats or independents. Overall, 56% of Democrats and 52% of independents say they are dissatisfied. Among Republicans, 40% are dissatisfied. Nearly as many Republicans say it doesn't matter to them either way (38%), a larger group than the roughly one-quarter who felt that way among Democrats (27%) or independents (26%). That follows a pattern going back to Trump's first term: Polling has often found large shares of Republicans saying they don't know or don't care about a particular issue when a Trump position has proved broadly unpopular. Epstein was a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender whose criminal case has long captured significant public attention in part because of his ties to wealthy and high-profile people. In August 2019, while he was awaiting trial in a federal criminal case, Epstein was found unresponsive in his New York City jail cell. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was ruled a suicide. The death was heavily scrutinized, and during his 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on the case. Many of the president's supporters hoped that release would implicate other high-profile figures or undercut the notion that Epstein killed himself. But FBI Director Kash Patel, who suggested before taking office that there was hidden evidence, has since said Epstein committed suicide. And Bondi denied the existence of an Epstein 'client list' despite answering a question in an earlier interview about whether a list would be released by saying it was on her desk to review. Men express deeper dissatisfaction with the information released than women (55% vs. 45%). Younger Americans are more likely to be dissatisfied than are older people (56% younger than 35 say they are dissatisfied vs. 47% among those age 35 or older). There are divides within both parties that suggest dissatisfaction with what's been released on Epstein links the far ideological ends on each side. Very conservative Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are far more likely to be dissatisfied than are those who consider themselves somewhat conservative (48% vs. 40%). At the same time, Democratic-aligned liberals are also more likely than moderates or conservatives who at least lean toward the party to express dissatisfaction (70% vs. 52%). And in both parties, independents who lean toward either party are more dissatisfied than are self-identified partisans: 68% of Democratic-leaning independents are dissatisfied and 53% of Republican-leaning independents are dissatisfied. In both cases, dissatisfaction among independents leaning toward a party outpaces dissatisfaction among self-identified partisans by double digits. The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from July 10-13 among a random national sample of 1,057 US adults drawn from a probability-based panel. Surveys were either conducted online or by telephone with a live interviewer. Results among all adults have a margin of sampling error of ±3.5 percentage points.
News24
26 minutes ago
- News24
Sibiya asked to take leave; Standard Bank manager's bail bid: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya asked to take leave of absence amid Mkhwanazi claims - Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya has been asked to take a leave of absence. - This follows allegations of links to criminal syndicates and interference in murder investigations. - The allegations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Tammy Petersen/News24 Standard Bank manager in R18m cocaine bust shares rags-to-riches story in bail bid - Raed Cupido, a bank manager and businessman, is charged with drug dealing and illegal gun possession after a bust at a storage unit containing cocaine, an AK-47, and other weapons. - Cupido portrayed himself as a successful citizen with multi-million rand properties, detailing his journey from a financially struggling student to a high-earning professional with a property portfolio and international travel. - Christopher Carelse, arrested as a co-accused, also intends to plead not guilty, stating he is a business manager with a family and property in Gauteng. Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp Judge orders WhatsApp, Instagram to stop user posting sexual content of SA school kids - The Gauteng High Court ordered Meta to shut down WhatsApp channels and Instagram profiles sharing explicit content of South African schoolchildren and to identify the perpetrator. - The distribution of the material posed immediate harm, prompting 'extremely urgent legal action' to prevent massive release threats and protect children from irreparable damage. - The illegal accounts solicited explicit content from minors and distributed it widely, violating child rights and spreading defamatory claims tied to social media handles. Thulani Mbele/Gallo Images DA claims Trump administration denied Mcebisi Jonas' visa, rejected credentials - The DA claims the US denied President Ramaphosa's special envoy, Mcebisi Jonas, a diplomatic visa in May. - The DA says Ramaphosa was aware Jonas was not welcome in Washington and was urged to appoint an alternative envoy. - Ramaphosa appointed Jonas as a special envoy to the US in April to foster partnerships and advance South Africa's interests. WesBank, GWM in 'game-changer' deal that promises to cut car repayments - WesBank and GWM have agreed to a new vehicle finance partnership that will lower car prices and boost affordability for South African buyers. - GWM will take on more financial risk, allowing WesBank to offer better pricing and more flexible repayment terms to dealers. - WesBank expects more Chinese automakers to enter the South African market in 2025, increasing competition and further disrupting the market. Richard Huggard/Gallo Images Bok No 8 Jasper Wiese cops 4-game ban for headbutt - Jasper Wiese has been banned for four Tests after receiving a red card for headbutting an opponent in the Springboks' win over Italy. - He will miss the upcoming Test against Georgia and the first three Rugby Championship matches. - Wiese will be eligible to play in the Boks' last three Rugby Championship games.
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
Republican leading House Budget Committee looks ahead after passing Big Beautiful Bill
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, was praised for the role he played in the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill. However, the congressman says this is the beginning, not the end, of spending reforms. "We will never be able to get a balanced budget or even put our country on a path to a balanced budget and a sustainable fiscal trajectory in one reconciliation bill," Arrington told Fox News Digital. "We're too far down the broken road of bad and irresponsible fiscal behavior. We're too deep in the debt hole for one bill to do it." Arrington, whom House Speaker Mike Johnson called the "the lead budget hawk in the House," said he is "obsessed" with tackling deficit spending, which he sees as the biggest threat to America's future. He believes that addressing the nation's situation in an effective way means creating the "conditions for growing the economy." "So, the pro-growth policies, the tax cuts, the work incentives, opening up our energy assets and deregulating the energy economy, all of those pro- growth policies will reignite economic growth. And that is the foundation for our country's fiscal health and just about everything else: our military prowess, our global leadership, our way of life," Arrington said. The Big Beautiful Bill's journey to President Donald Trump's desk was not pretty, as the legislation received criticism from both sides of the aisle and caused tension among Republicans. Elon Musk, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and others argued that it did not take adequate measures to cut government spending. Arrington said he respects Massie and Musk — as well as other critics — but believes that the risk of losing the "good things" in the bill was too high. In the end, the Texas lawmaker sees the tradeoff as "permanent pro-growth tax policy" in exchange for the extra spending in the legislation. "I think there's a big gap in information — and accurate information. Part of it is you've got the Congressional Budget Office putting out these big numbers… two and a half or three trillion dollars in additional deficit that would be added to the national debt over the 10-year budget window as a result of this bill. That is just patently false. It's completely inaccurate," Arrington said, adding that they fail to "consider economic growth and the revenue that will flow back into the treasury when you have pro-growth policies." Trump signed the bill on his self-imposed July 4 deadline, just one day after the House passed the final version of the $3.3 trillion legislation. Before signing the bill, the president said it would "fuel massive economic growth" and "lift up the hard-working citizens who make this country run." So, what's next on the budget chairman's agenda? Just one thing — or three, as he said to Fox News Digital, "spending cuts, spending cuts and spending cuts." "We didn't get into this mess overnight, we won't get out of it overnight, but we'll never get out if we don't start exercising the political will to do what we all say in our campaigns," Arrington told Fox News Digital. "I think we established a great model for restoring fiscal health, and we just have to continue to repeat it and do it in even more dramatic fashion in the future."
