Trump news at a glance: president labels Epstein scandal a ‘hoax’ as bill to release all the files inches closer

Epstein abuse survivors urge lawmakers to release all files

Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse signaled their support for a bipartisan resolution to release all the files related to the convicted sex offender.

Speaking outside the US Capitol, Anouska De Georgiou, a survivor of both Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, said that while “every day of this journey toward healing has come at a profound cost to my mental health,” she chose to be there because this legislation “really matters”. The only motive to oppose the bill would only be to “conceal wrongdoing”, she added, but also issued a plea to Donald Trump to use his power and influence to help release the full tranche of records on Epstein.

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Release of Epstein video contradicts Bondi claim

A so-called “missing minute” of CCTV footage, a key ingredient of conspiracy theories surrounding the prison death of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found, contradicting the assertion of Pam Bondi, the attorney general, that it was recorded over.

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Florida to end vaccine mandates for children as state’s surgeon general likens them to ‘slavery’

Children in Florida will no longer be required to receive vaccines against preventable diseases including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio and hepatitis, said Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, on Wednesday in a speech during which he likened vaccine mandates to “slavery”.

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Block of Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act hailed a ‘victory’

A court ruling that blocked Donald Trump from invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans he alleged were part of a criminal gang has been hailed as “a victory for the rule of law”. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel of the 5th US circuit court of appeals issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the Trump administration using the 1798 law to justify rapid deportations.

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Trump pledges to ‘stand with Warsaw’

The US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House.

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Democrats blast state department for lack of ‘basic oversight’ of controversial Gaza food organization

Senior Democratic senators have called on the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to reveal details behind the financing and oversight of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid concerns over rising death tolls near aid sites, the group’s apparent coordination with the Israeli army and its reported use of private military contractors linked to intelligence operations.

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