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Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Democratic Lawmaker Demands 'the Evidence About Trump' Following Pam Bondi's Plans to Release of Epstein Case Transcripts
A Democratic lawmaker is demanding more evidence from Jeffrey Epstein's case be released, which he believes could have something to do with President Donald Trump. Latin Times A Democratic lawmaker is demanding more evidence in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein be released, which he believes could include President Donald Trump, following the Trump administration's intent to release grand jury testimony. New York Rep. Daniel Goldman urged Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to release physical evidence such as photos and videos, insisting that the testimony will not be enough. "Nice try @AGPamBondi. What about videos, photographs and other recordings? What about FBI 302's (witness interviews)? What about texts and emails?" Goldman wrote . "That's where the evidence about Trump and others will be. Grand jury testimony will only relate to Epstein and Maxwell." Nice try @ about videos, photographs and other recordings?What about FBI 302's (witness interviews)?What about texts and emails?That's where the evidence about Trump and others will be. Grand jury testimony will only relate to Epstein and Maxwell. — Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) July 18, 2025 Goldman's statement comes after President Donald Trump called for Bondi to "produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval" in a Truth Social post Thursday night. In turn, Bondi responded to the president's post on X , saying the DOJ is "ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts." Trump and Bondi's statements came after the Wall Street Journal published a report alleging that Trump wrote a note for Epstein's 50th birthday that included a drawing of a naked woman with his signature where the woman's pubic hair would have been. Trump has repeatedly denied the report's claims, calling it "fake" in another post to Truth Social. When the publication asked for comment on the report, Trump reportedly threatened to sue them "just like I sued everyone else." Grand jury testimonies are typically kept from public view out of protection for victims and accusers as the transcripts may include their statements, CNN reported. It will be up to a judge to determine how much — if any — of the testimonies can be released. Originally published on Latin Times © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Argentines Commemorate Jewish Center Bombing, Demand Justice
Hundreds of Argentines gathered Friday to commemorate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center that killed dozens, demanding justice for a crime for which there has not yet been a trial. In the worst such attack in Argentina's history, a car bomb on July 18, 1994, killed 85 people and injured more than 300 at the seven-story Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires. Two years earlier, an explosion at the Israeli embassy killed 29 and wounded 200. "Impunity persists, terrorism too" was the slogan for Friday's 31st commemoration of the AMIA attack -- the second such event attended by President Javier Milei, a staunch defender of Israel. Survivors and victims' relatives hope there will be movement under Catholic-born Milei, who has already visited Israel twice since taking office in December 2023, and has professed a deep interest in Judaism. In April 2024, an Argentine court found Iran and Hezbollah were responsible for what it called a crime against humanity. It ruled the likely motive for the attacks was the cancellation by the Argentine government under then-president Carlos Menem of three contracts with Iran for the supply of nuclear equipment and technology. In June, a judge authorized a trial in absentia against ten Iranian and Lebanese defendants -- former ministers and diplomats. No date has been set. Iran has always denied any involvement and has refused to hand over any suspects. The Memoria Activa organization, which represents victims' families, rejects a trial in absentia as it believes it "essential for the accused to participate" for the whole truth to come out. The AMIA itself is in favor, but has cautioned that "holding a trial only for it to end... in some sort of nullity or a declaration of unconstitutionality would once again be very painful for everyone." Both organizations have been highly critical of the Argentine state's handling of the case. Last year, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica, found the state responsible for not preventing, or properly investigating, the AMIA attack. It also blamed the state for efforts to "cover up and obstruct the investigation." Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, investigating accusations of a cover-up against former president Cristina Kirchner, was later found murdered. No one was ever charged over his death. Argentina is host to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with nearly 300,000 people living mostly in Buenos Aires. Prosecutor Alberto Nisman (pictured on poster) investigated an alleged cover-up in the bombing, but was found murdered AFP Friday's commemmoration was the second attended by President Javier Milei AFP
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
'Mass Grave': Medics Appeal For Aid At Last Working Hospital In Syria's Sweida
In the last barely-functional hospital in Sweida, bodies are overflowing from the morgue, staff said, amid violence that has wracked the Druze-majority southern Syrian city for nearly a week. "It's not a hospital anymore, it's a mass grave," said Rouba, a member of the medical staff at the city's sole government hospital, weeping as she appealed for aid. Dr Omar Obeid, who heads the Sweida division at Syria's Order of Physicians, said the facility has received "more than 400 bodies since Monday morning", including women, children and the elderly. "There's no more space in the morgue, the bodies are out on the street" in front of the hospital, he continued. Fighting erupted Sunday night between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes before Syrian government forces intervened on Tuesday with the stated intention of quelling the violence. But in the subsequent events, those government forces were accused of grave abuses against the minority, according to rights organisations, witnesses and Druze groups. The government forces withdrew from the city on Thursday following threats from Israel, which has vowed to protect the Druze. In the hospital on Friday, corridors were engulfed by the stench of the dead bodies, which had bloated beyond recognition, an AFP correspondent said. Visibly overwhelmed, the handful of medical personnel remaining at the facility nonetheless rushed to do their best to offer care to the seemingly endless stream of wounded, many of them waiting in the hallways. "There are only nine doctors and medical staff left, and they are working nonstop," said Rouba, who preferred not to give her full name. "The situation is very bad, we have no water and no electricity, medicines are starting to run out," Rouba continued. "There are people who have been at home for three days and we can't manage to rescue them," she said. "The bodies are on the streets and no one can go out to get them. Yesterday, five big cars filled with bodies arrived at the hospital. "There are women, children, people whose identities are unknown, cut-off arms or legs." The United Nations on Friday urged an end to the bloodshed, demanding "independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations". According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the violence has claimed the lives of nearly 600 people since Sunday. Omar Obeid told AFP that three of his colleagues were killed, including one who was "shot dead in his house, in front of his family". Another was killed at point-blank range in her car as she drove through a security checkpoint, he said. The third, "surgeon Talaat Amer was killed while he was at the hospital on Tuesday in a blue surgical gown to perform his duty", Obeid said. "They shot him in the head. Then they called his wife and told her: your husband was wearing a surgical cap -- it's red now."
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
Over 11 Mn Refugees Risk Losing Aid Because Of Funding Cuts: UN
Massive cuts to humanitarian budgets risk leaving more than 11 million refugees without desperately needed aid, the United Nations warned Friday. That corresponds to a full third of the number reached last year by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. In a new report, the agency highlighted a deadly confluence of factors pummelling millions of refugees and displaced people globally: "rising displacement, shrinking funding and political apathy". "We are right now facing a deadly cocktail," UNHCR's head of external relations, Dominique Hyde, told reporters in Geneva. "We are incredibly concerned for refugees and displaced populations around the world." Dramatic aid cuts by the United States and other countries have left UNHCR and other aid organisations facing gaping shortfalls. UNHCR has said it needs $10.6 billion to assist the world's refugees this year, but so far it has received just 23 percent of that amount. As a result, the agency said it was seeing $1.4 billion of essential programmes being cut or put on hold. The impact, Hyde cautioned, risks being that "up to 11.6 million refugees and people forced to flee are losing access to humanitarian assistance provided by UNHCR". The agency said families were being forced to choose between feeding their children, buying medicines and paying rent. Malnutrition is especially severe for refugees fleeing war-ravaged Sudan, where the UN has been forced to reduce food rations and nutrition screening, she said, decrying the "devastating impact for children who have fled to Chad". The cuts have also forced UNHCR to pause the movement of new arrivals from border areas to safer locations in Chad and South Sudan, "leaving thousands stranded in remote locations", the agency said. Health and education services for refugees are also being scaled back worldwide. In camps in Bangladesh hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, education programmes for some 230,000 children risk being suspended. UNHCR also said its entire health programme in Lebanon was at risk of being shuttered by the end of the year. Last month, UNHCR announced it would need to cut 3,500 staff -- nearly a third of its workforce worldwide -- amid the budget shortfall.
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Democratic Rep. Rebukes Own Party's NYC Mayoral Pick Zohran Mamdani as a 'Job-Killing Socialist'
New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer slammed his own party's candidate in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, calling him a 'job-killing socialist.' A Democratic representative slammed his own party's candidate in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, calling him a "job-killing socialist" and saying he is not really a Democrat. New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer rebuked the Democratic Socialist candidate and New York state representative, claiming that Mamdani supported "antisemitic rhetoric" during a Thursday appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "We don't need a job-killing socialist who wants to raise taxes and supports antisemitic rhetoric in a city with the highest taxes in the country and the highest Jewish population in the country," Gottheimer said. Rep. Josh Gottheimer after attending DC meeting with Mamdani: 'We don't need a job-killing socialist who wants to raise taxes and supports antisemitic rhetoric… 'Democratic socialists are not Democrats.… Bernie Sanders is an independent. He's not even a Democrat.' — Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) July 17, 2025 The lawmaker's statements came the same day he announced a resolution to condemn the phrase "Globalize the Intifada." The resolution came one day after business leaders met with Mamdani, during which he said he would discourage use of the phrase, the Wall Street Journal reported. While some, like Gottheimer, believe the phrase threatens violence against Israel and Jewish individuals, pro-Palestine activists say the phrase is meant to vocalize opposition to Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. After winning the Democratic primary in June, Mamdani insisted that he grounds his leadership in universal human rights while speaking with NBC's "Meet the Press." The New Jersey representative then went on to bash Mamdani's campaign platforms, suggesting that Democrats are already tackling making life more affordable for Americans. "We need common sense," the lawmaker said. "Democrats are willing to solve problems, make life more affordable for people, take on higher taxes and actually make sure that places run. Whether it's rent or mortgages, we do everything we can to make life more affordable for people." According to Mamdani's campaign , his plan to bring down the cost of living, including building affordable housing and free childcare, will be paid for by implementing a 2% tax on the top 1% of New Yorkers. Gottheimer added that he believes Democratic socialism does not fall within the Democratic party, noting that progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders is an independent. "Let me be clear: Socialist Democrats are not Democrats — they're not in the Democratic party," he added. "Bernie Sanders is an independent, he's not even a Democrat. So I don't know why we would follow that approach." Mamdani is up against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Mayor Eric Adams, who are running as independents, as well as Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden. Originally published on Latin Times New York New york city NYC © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
