NYC GOP mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa urges President Trump to stay ‘neutral' in race against Mamdani, Cuomo, Adams
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Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records to remain sealed, judge rules
(Adds missing dateline) By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge denied on Wednesday the Justice Department's bid to unseal records from the grand jury that indicted the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Richard Berman's decision came as President Donald Trump tries to quell discontent from his conservative base of supporters over his administration's handling of the case. Trump, a Republican, had promised to make public Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department declined to release any more material from its investigation of the case and said a previously touted Epstein client list did not exist, angering Trump's supporters. Evidence seen and heard by grand juries, which operate behind closed doors to prevent interference in criminal investigations, cannot be released without a judge's approval. Trump in July instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval for the release of grand jury material from Epstein's case. The grand jury that indicted Epstein heard from just one witness, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Justice Department said in a court filing in July. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. His death in jail and his friendships with the wealthy and powerful sparked conspiracy theories that other prominent people were involved in his alleged crimes and that he was murdered. The New York City chief medical examiner determined that Epstein's death was a suicide by hanging. On Aug. 11, a different Manhattan-based judge, Paul Engelmayer, denied a similar request by the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony and exhibits from the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime girlfriend. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction for recruiting underage girls for Epstein to abuse. Engelmayer wrote that the public would not learn anything new from the release of materials from Maxwell's grand jury because much of the evidence was made public at her monthlong trial four years ago. The grand jury testimony contained no evidence of others besides Epstein and Maxwell who had sexual contact with minors, Engelmayer wrote. Maxwell had pleaded not guilty. After losing an appeal, she has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review her case. In July, a Florida judge rejected the administration's request to unseal grand jury records from federal investigations there into Epstein in 2005 and 2007. Epstein served a 13-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to a state-level prostitution charge as part of a deal now widely regarded as too lenient. Solve the daily Crossword
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Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 US intelligence officials
The Trump administration has revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former US officials, accusing them of politicising intelligence for partisan or personal gain. In a memo posted on social media, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard directed several national security agency heads to immediately strip the officials of their clearances, stating the move was ordered by President Donald Trump. The officials include several national security staffers who served under former Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Gabbard offered no evidence to support the accusations in the memo. Security clearances grant access to sensitive government information, and some former officials retain them to advise successors. Some private sector jobs such as those in defence and aerospace can require access to security clearances as a pre-condition for employment. It remains unclear whether all 37 individuals listed in the memo still held active clearances. Gabbard said Trump ordered the revocations because the officials "abused the public trust by politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards". "Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right," Gabbard wrote on X. "Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold." The memo did not lay out specific charges against specific individuals. This is not the first time the Trump administration has revoked security clearances for intelligence officials. The administration has previously revoked clearances of Biden, his Vice-President Kamala Harris, and former lawmakers involved in investigations of the 6 January Capitol riot. In recent weeks, Gabbard has led the charge against intelligence officials under former President Barack Obama who concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 elections, which Trump won. Trump and Gabbard have described the intelligence community's assessment as a "treasonous conspiracy" to undermine the president's electoral success. Democrats have dismissed the moves as a political distraction, and accused the White House of deflecting attention from unpopular policies and Trump's alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," a spokesman for Obama said last month. Gabbard says declassified report 'exposes' Obama administration Obama blasts 'bizarre' Trump claim of 2016 election 'treason'
Yahoo
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Jacksonville mayor responds to city council's debate over free Jaguars tickets for elected officials
Action News Jax is hearing Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's reaction to a debate between city council members over whether they will get free tickets to Jaguars games and who will be responsible for giving them out. Right now, the city's policy says the mayor's office has the power to distribute free tickets to Jaguars games for city council members and those working in the mayor's office. Last week, city councilmember Ron Salem filed a bill to change the policy so that city council members and the mayor's office can have power in deciding how the free tickets are given out every year. Original SALEM BILL by ActionNewsJax In response, city council president Kevin Carrico sent out a statement saying he's working on his own bill to eliminate the free Jaguars tickets for the city's elected officials, which he is naming after Mayor Deegan. In his statement, council president Carrico said: 'The proposal formally named the DEEGAN Amendment (Denying Elected Elites Gameday Access Nonsense) closes the door on elected officials using public dollars for gameday perks…I'm calling on Mayor Donna Deegan to back this reform and prove she's on the side of taxpayers, not perks.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Mayor Deegan told Action News Jax she believes there are more pressing problems to deal with. 'There are so many important issues for us to deal with. I say we dispense with this and move on to those important things,' Mayor Deegan said. After Carrico sent out his statement, Mayor Deegan had sent out her own statement in response, saying: 'While I'm flattered this amendment was named after me, I'm not the one asking for more tickets. I've been a Jaguars season ticket holder for decades. I'd be happy to return to my longstanding north end zone seats, which I still pay for. If the City Council wants to update the ticket system that has been in place for many years before I took office, I'm all for it.' The mayor said she hopes that whatever policy is decided upon goes beyond just Jaguars tickets. 'Council seemed to want to change that policy. And then now they want to change to a different policy,' Mayor Deegan said, 'but at the end of the day, I think that if we're going to do it for Jaguar tickets, we should do it for all city venue tickets.' Council member Ron Salem's bill is moving through committees and will be heard again next Tuesday. Council President Carrico said his bill will be filed sometime in the next few days. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Solve the daily Crossword
