Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell gave the Department of Justice information on “100 different people” linked to child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, her lawyer David Oscar Markus told reporters on Friday, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/25/us-news/ghislaine-maxwell-gave-doj-info-about-100-different-people-linked-to-jeffrey-epstein-lawyer-says/">the New York Post</a>.
Maxwell met with the DOJ on Thursday and Friday and was grilled by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, answering &#8220;every single question,&#8221; according to Markus.
“This was the first opportunity she’s ever been given to answer questions about what happened,” Maxwell&#8217;s lawyer said. “The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein, and she’s the person who’s answering those questions.”
Markus did not say whether Maxwell&#8217;s discussions with the DOJ tied anyone else to Epstein&#8217;s crimes. Markus was challenged by one reporter about two previous perjury counts against Maxwell, and replied by pointing to the federal government dropping those charges after she was convicted of sex trafficking.
The Trump administration is pursuing multiple avenues to release more information on the Epstein case after facing criticism for its handling of the investigation. The DOJ is also requesting that federal judges in New York and Florida unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein&#8217;s and Maxwell&#8217;s cases. A federal judge in Florida <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hands-are-tied-federal-judge-denies-dojs-request-to-unseal-epstein-grand-jury-transcripts">denied</a> the DOJ&#8217;s request earlier this week, saying that her &#8220;hands are tied&#8221; and she does not have the authority to release the sensitive records.
Maxwell is in the process of appealing her conviction, and some commentators and legal analysts have floated that Epstein&#8217;s co-conspirator is providing more information to the DOJ in hopes of securing clemency from President Donald Trump.
As the DOJ was questioning Maxwell, Trump was asked Friday morning if he would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-hes-allowed-to-pardon-ghislaine-maxwell-keeps-option-open-after-doj-meeting">consider a pardon</a> for the sex trafficker, who is serving a 20-year sentence.
“It’s something I haven’t thought about,” Trump responded. “I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I have not thought about.”
Maxwell&#8217;s lawyer commented on a potential pardon or commutation, calling Trump &#8220;the ultimate dealmaker,&#8221; adding, “We hope he exercises that power in a right and just way.
On Thursday, Markus said that Maxwell was questioned &#8220;all day,&#8221; but he did not comment &#8220;on the substance&#8221; of the meeting, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-doj-official-todd-blanche-meeting-with-ghislaine-maxwell/">reported</a>.
&#8220;This is the first time that the government has asked questions, so we were thankful that the deputy attorney general came and asked her questions. It&#8217;s the first time the government did it. So it was a good day,&#8221; Markus added.
Deputy Attorney General Blanche <a href="https://x.com/dagtoddblanche/status/1948519521071047090?s=46">said</a> in an X post after Thursday&#8217;s meeting that the DOJ &#8220;will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time.&#8221;

Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell Gave DOJ Info On 100 People Linked To Epstein, Her Lawyer Says

Donald Trump

Jeffrey Epstein

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump said on Friday that his meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome on Thursday was &#8220;very good,&#8221; adding that he believes Powell is ready to finally lower interest rates.
Trump met with Powell to tour the construction of the Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, D.C., and to discuss the Fed&#8217;s position on interest rates, an issue over which Trump has routinely blasted Powell. The Fed is set to meet again next week to discuss interest rates, but Powell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jerome-powell-suggests-delaying-rate-cuts-beyond-july-meeting-while-fed-studies-tariff-impact?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Jerome+Powell+Suggests+Delaying+Rate+Cuts+Beyond+July+Meeting+While+Fed+Studies+Tariff+Impact">told</a> Congress last month that he was not considering a rate cut at the Fed’s July meeting, citing uncertainty surrounding Trump&#8217;s tariffs.
&#8220;I think we had a very good meeting on interest rates,&#8221; Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing on his trip to Scotland. &#8220;[Powell] said to me — now I don&#8217;t know if he&#8217;s going to say this &#8230; on what day he speaks — he said to me very strongly, &#8216;The country is doing well.&#8217; He said, &#8216;Congratulations, the country is doing really well.'&#8221;
&#8220;And I got that to mean that I think he&#8217;s going to start recommending lowering rates,&#8221; the president added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump might have just convinced Fed Chair Jerome Powell to *LOWER* interest rates.
LMAO! The meeting for rates is next week&#8230;
&#8220;We had a very good meeting on interest rates. He said to me&#8230;&#8217;the country is doing well.&#8217; He said, &#8216;congratulations.&#8217; I got… <a href="https://t.co/JnvPMY7D55">pic.twitter.com/JnvPMY7D55</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1948743563816092057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump has reportedly considered firing Powell, which would be an unprecedented move, but the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-drafted-letter-to-fire-fed-reserve-chair-but-says-were-not-planning-on-doing-it?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Drafted+Letter+To+Fire+Fed+Reserve+Chair%2C+But+Says+%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99re+Not+Planning+On+Doing+It%E2%80%99">said</a> last week that he would wait for Powell&#8217;s term as the Chair to expire in early 2026 before choosing his replacement. Trump has called the Fed Chair one of the “<a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/trump-versus-powell-how-far-can-he-push-the-fed-chair" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most destructive</a>” people in government, and took to Truth Social after his meeting with Powell on Thursday to again <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114910307760776254">urge</a> him to lower interest rates.
During his walkthrough of the Federal Reserve construction with Powell, Trump challenged him on the total cost of the renovations. With Powell by his side, Trump told the cameras that the renovations for the building had increased to $3.1 billion, resulting in Powell looking confused and shaking his head, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/awkward-trump-prods-jerome-powell-about-renovation-controversy-during-fed-visit?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=18&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=AWKWARD%21+Trump+Prods+Jerome+Powell+About+Renovation+Controversy+During+Fed+Visit">reported</a>. Trump handed Powell a copy of a document showing the construction costs.
“You just added in a third building,&#8221; Powell said after reading over the document.
“It’s part of the overall work,” Trump replied, and Powell shot back, “It’s not new.”
Mark Paoletta, General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-is-100-correct-potus-vindicated-in-fed-renovation-clash-with-powell?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=%E2%80%98Trump+Is+100%25+Correct%E2%80%99%3A+POTUS+Vindicated+In+Fed+Renovation+Clash+With+Powell">said</a> on Friday morning that &#8220;President Trump is 100% correct in the numbers he used on his tour of Federal Reserve (FRB) site yesterday,&#8221; showing a breakdown of the cost.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump is 100% correct in the numbers he used on his tour of Federal Reserve (FRB) site yesterday.
FRB documents show FRB 2022 Budget (below) adopted in November 2021 was $1.4 Billion for the Eccles &amp; 1951 Building portion of the FRB HQ project and a total budget for… <a href="https://t.co/54IzoACGhl">https://t.co/54IzoACGhl</a> <a href="https://t.co/yRZ8iGWBAV">pic.twitter.com/yRZ8iGWBAV</a>
— Mark Paoletta (@MarkPaoletta) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkPaoletta/status/1948716077115920745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump Believes Fed Chair Will ‘Start Recommending Lower Rates’

Economy

Federal Reserve

Interest Rates

Jerome Powell

American forces killed a senior ISIS leader and two of his adult sons in Syria early Friday morning, the U.S. military announced. 
U.S. Central Command said that senior ISIS leader Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani was killed during a raid in al-Bab, Syria. All-Hardani “posed a threat” to American and coalition forces as well as the new Syrian government, CENTCOM said. 
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they operate. ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide,” <a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4255485/centcom-forces-kill-senior-isis-leader-in-al-bab-syria/">said</a> CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla. “Alongside our partners and allies, U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”
Two of al-Hardani’s adult sons, Abdallah Dhiya and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba, were killed in the raid. CENTCOM said that both were affiliated with ISIS. Three women and three children present at the location were unharmed. 
There were no American casualties during the raid, which took place about 29 miles northwest of Aleppo.
In recent months, the Trump administration shifted American policy on Syria, dropping sanctions and moving to relax export restrictions. The move came as President Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-lauds-syrian-president-as-attractive-and-tough-after-vowing-to-remove-sanctions">been friendly</a> with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. 
During a May meeting with al-Sharaa, Trump called him a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”
Al-Sharaa, who has portrayed himself as a moderate, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/syrias-jihadist-president-calls-for-peace-as-his-forces-slaughter-political-and-ethnic-minorities">previously been tied to</a> various terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Al-Qaeda. Trump pushed him during their meeting to help the United States target ISIS.
In recent days, the Trump administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-calls-on-syrian-muslims-to-end-attacks-on-druze-rape-and-slaughter-must-end?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Rubio+Calls+On+Syrian+Muslims+To+End+Attacks+On+Druze%3A+‘Rape+And+Slaughter+…+Must+End’">pressed</a> al-Sharaa to crack down on terror groups attacking religious minorities in the country. 
U.S. forces have continued to target ISIS operatives throughout the Middle East. In March, an American strike <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/his-miserable-life-was-terminated-trump-announces-top-isis-leader-dead-after-u-s-strike">took out</a> Abu Khadijah, a top ISIS leader who was hiding in Iraq. Khadijah was the chief of global operations and the delegated committee emir for ISIS and, officially, the second-in-command for the Islamic terrorist organization.

TOPSHOT-IRAQ-CONFLICT-MOSUL

U.S. Forces Take Out Top ISIS Leader In Syria

Centcom

ISIS

Syria

Terrorism

U.S. Military

World

Asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files again on Friday morning, President Donald Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that they should focus on former President Bill Clinton&#8217;s connection to the convicted child sex abuser.
The president also mentioned Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard and Treasury Secretary under Clinton, and &#8220;some of his friends that are hedge fund guys.&#8221; Neither Summers nor Clinton has been accused of any crimes related to Epstein&#8217;s sex trafficking and abuse.
&#8220;You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to [Epstein&#8217;s] island 28 times. I never went to the island,&#8221; Trump said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump just named checked Bill Clinton and Larry Summers when asked about Epstein:
“You ought to be talking about Larry Summers…. or Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times. I never went to the island.” <a href="https://t.co/YkUNToInL9">pic.twitter.com/YkUNToInL9</a>
&mdash; Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) <a href="https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1948744096455295232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump&#8217;s comments come amid continued pressure for the administration to release more information on the Epstein files after the Department of Justice concluded earlier this month that there was no evidence that Epstein kept a client list. Trump has blasted the focus on the Epstein files as a Democrat &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dismisses-epstein-case-hoax-as-his-justice-department-interviews-ghislaine-maxwell?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Dismisses+Epstein+Case+%E2%80%98HOAX%E2%80%99+As+His+Justice+Department+Interviews+Ghislaine+Maxwell">CON JOB</a>,&#8221; but suggested on Thursday that more information would come to light after his DOJ requested that grand jury transcripts in the case be unsealed.
Clinton has acknowledged that he was a former associate of Epstein&#8217;s, but denied that he had any knowledge of the pedophile&#8217;s crimes against young girls. A spokesman for Clinton <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/08/politics/bill-clinton-jeffrey-epstein#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%202002%20and%202003%2C%20President,young%2Dlooking%20girls%2C%20prosecutors%20say">claimed</a> in 2019 that the former president traveled on Epstein&#8217;s private jet on four occasions between 2002 and 2003, &#8220;one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation.&#8221;
The Clinton spokesman added that the former president &#8220;has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida.&#8221;
A 2016 article from Fox News, however, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/flight-logs-show-bill-clinton-flew-on-sex-offenders-jet-much-more-than-previously-known">reported</a> that Clinton traveled on Epstein&#8217;s private jet at least 26 times, according to flight records. In 2020, a <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/08/18/photos-show-bill-clinton-getting-massage-from-epstein-accuser/">picture</a> surfaced of Clinton getting a massage from Epstein accuser Chauntae Davies after a 2002 flight on Epstein&#8217;s &#8220;Lolita Express,&#8221; the New York Post reported. Davies alleged that Epstein raped her on multiple occasions and also accused Epstein&#8217;s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, of recruiting her to work for the predator. Davies did not accuse Clinton of any wrongdoing.
Clinton&#8217;s name also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67865190">appeared</a> — alongside the names of President Trump, Prince Andrew, and others — in court filings related to the Epstein case. The court filings only detailed Clinton&#8217;s and Trump&#8217;s connection to Epstein and did not implicate the U.S. presidents in any criminality. Prince Andrew was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prince-andrew-allegations-jeffrey-epstein-documents-no-uk-police-investigation/">accused</a> of groping Johanna Sjoberg in 2001 and was also accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/most-prominent-epstein-sexual-abuse-victim-virginia-giuffre-dies-by-apparent-suicide?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Most+Prominent+Epstein+Sexual+Abuse+Victim+Virginia+Giuffre+Dies+By+Apparent+Suicide">died</a> by apparent suicide earlier this year. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and settled the case brought by Giuffre out of court in 2022.
In a 2016 deposition, Sjoberg said that Epstein mentioned Clinton to her. “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” Sjoberg said, but added that she never saw the former president on Epstein&#8217;s island. A Clinton spokesman said in 2019 that Clinton had not spoken to Epstein in more than a decade and had no knowledge of any criminal activity when he was last in contact with the disgraced financier.
The Wall Street Journal has published two <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796?mod=hp_lead_pos7">reports</a> over the past week on alleged birthday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-clinton-commended-epstein-for-childlike-curiosity-in-unearthed-birthday-letter?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Epstein+Birthday+Book+Also+Included+Bill+Clinton+Letter+Commending+Predator%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Childlike+Curiosity%E2%80%99">messages</a> sent to Epstein from Trump and Clinton. Trump ripped the WSJ over the report, calling it &#8220;FAKE,&#8221; and then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-files-massive-libel-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-fake-epstein-letter">filed</a> a libel lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two Wall Street Journal reporters. A Clinton spokesman declined to comment on the alleged birthday message, according to the WSJ.
Asked about the WSJ report on Friday, Trump said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what they&#8217;re talking about. Somebody could&#8217;ve written a letter and used my name. That&#8217;s happened a lot.&#8221;

Jeffrey Epstein/ Donald Trump/ Bill Clinton

Trump Demands Media Cover Bill Clinton’s Epstein Links: ‘I Never Went To The Island’

Bill Clinton

Executive

Media

Politics

President Donald Trump said Friday morning that he &#8220;hasn&#8217;t thought about&#8221; pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s former girlfriend and accomplice, who is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.
Trump spoke to a gaggle of reporters as he was departing the White House for Europe to meet with the Scottish Prime Minister.
&#8220;Would you consider a pardon or a commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell?&#8221; a reporter asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Reporter: Would you consider a pardon or commutation for Ghislaine Maxwell?
Trump: I’m allowed to do it, but it’s something I haven’t thought about <a href="https://t.co/hxtckbf9b3">pic.twitter.com/hxtckbf9b3</a>
&mdash; Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1948742417945166140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s something I haven&#8217;t thought about,&#8221; Trump responded. &#8220;I&#8217;m allowed to do it, but it&#8217;s something I have not thought about.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s comments come one day after Todd Blanche, the second highest-ranking Justice Department official, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-doj-official-todd-blanche-meeting-with-ghislaine-maxwell/">met</a> with Maxwell on Thursday at the U.S. attorney&#8217;s office in Tallahassee, Florida.
“If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” Blanche <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1947622027587723365" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement earlier this week.
Blanche continued interviewing Maxwell on Friday.
&#8220;He&#8217;s over there now,&#8221; Trump said of Blanche Friday morning. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know exactly what&#8217;s happening, but I certainly can&#8217;t talk about pardons now.&#8221;
Another reporter asked, &#8220;Can you trust what she&#8217;s telling him? She&#8217;s a convicted trafficker who&#8217;s eager to get out of prison?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, you know, he&#8217;s a professional lawyer,&#8221; Trump responded. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s been through things like this before.&#8221;
Maxwell&#8217;s lawyer <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-doj-official-todd-blanche-meeting-with-ghislaine-maxwell/">said</a> she had answered &#8220;every one&#8221; of the government&#8217;s questions on Thursday.
Trump also again denied he had written a &#8220;bawdy&#8221; birthday letter to Epstein, which The Wall Street Journal reported last week.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t even know what they&#8217;re talking about. Now, somebody could have written a letter and used my name. That&#8217;s happened a lot,&#8221; Trump said.
Trump has filed $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal over the story.
Trump and Epstein socialized in the early 2000s, but Trump reportedly <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/510604-book-claims-trump-barred-epstein-from-mar-a-lago-after-financier-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in 2007 for harassing a club member’s teenage daughter. In 2020, Trump <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/510604-book-claims-trump-barred-epstein-from-mar-a-lago-after-financier-hit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he was “not a fan” of Epstein and “threw him out” of Mar-a-Lago, adding that they had not spoken in 15 years.
Bill Clinton allegedly wrote a birthday letter that complimented Epstein on his “childlike curiosity,” the Journal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-clinton-commended-epstein-for-childlike-curiosity-in-unearthed-birthday-letter">reported</a> Thursday.
&#8220;You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times. I never went to the island,&#8221; Trump told reporters Friday. &#8220;You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard. You should focus on some of the hedge fund guys. I&#8217;ll give you a list. These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Epstein was found dead at 66 in what was ruled a suicide in his Manhattan jail cell back in 2019. He was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges after being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-predator-prowling-the-streets-the-trial-of-ghislaine-maxwell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, as well as procuring underage girls for prominent men on his private island in the Virgin Islands, Little St. James.

US-Britain-crime-justice-Epstein-Maxwell-assault

Trump Says He’s ‘Allowed’ To Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, Keeps Option Open After DOJ Meeting

Trump Weighs In On Ghislaine Maxwell Pardon After DOJ Met With Her

Crime

Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly informed President Donald Trump earlier this year that his name appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
During a May briefing on the Epstein case, Bondi informed Trump that his name and the names of other high-profile figures had come up in her reexamination of the Epstein documents that have not been made public, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/politics/trump-epstein-files-named.html">reported</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAjsr5JwlFG5_hitg6eyWvb2sbXUBl5zWTOwyLsrdoBUU9KsrzebEvD02IJHmw%3D%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6882630b&amp;gaa_sig=02QLyZ6Azwi9tJ8UJ1Mqnn1va5uIw1eenxHbeDWxESYBVt9hFKDzdPEmHOGblBJFS-M53xNQ48h-igGCC0XG9w%3D%3D">citing</a> administration officials and people familiar with the discussion.
&#8220;As part of our routine briefing, we made the president aware of the findings,&#8221; Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, said in a joint statement. &#8220;Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.&#8221;
It was already known that Trump&#8217;s name appears in documents related to Epstein — his name showed up in files that have been made public. The files reportedly contain hundreds of names, and a name&#8217;s appearance does not indicate wrongdoing.
Trump and Epstein socialized in the early 2000s, but Trump reportedly <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/510604-book-claims-trump-barred-epstein-from-mar-a-lago-after-financier-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in 2007 for harassing a club member’s teenage daughter. In 2020, Trump <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/510604-book-claims-trump-barred-epstein-from-mar-a-lago-after-financier-hit/">said</a> he was “not a fan” of Epstein and “threw him out” of Mar-a-Lago, adding that they had not spoken in 15 years.
Epstein was found dead at 66 in what was ruled a suicide in his Manhattan jail cell back in 2019. He was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges after being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-predator-prowling-the-streets-the-trial-of-ghislaine-maxwell">accused</a> of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, as well as procuring underage girls for prominent men on his private island in the Virgin Islands, Little St. James.
At the briefing, Trump <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAjsr5JwlFG5_hitg6eyWvb2sbXUBl5zWTOwyLsrdoBUU9KsrzebEvD02IJHmw%3D%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6882630b&amp;gaa_sig=02QLyZ6Azwi9tJ8UJ1Mqnn1va5uIw1eenxHbeDWxESYBVt9hFKDzdPEmHOGblBJFS-M53xNQ48h-igGCC0XG9w%3D%3D">reportedly</a> said he would defer to the Justice Department on whether to release any more Epstein files. Bondi told Trump that senior Justice Department officials were not planning on releasing any more because the files contained child pornography and victims&#8217; personal information.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-told-bondi-appeared-multiple-times-epstein-files/story?id=124014441">called</a> it &#8220;fake news&#8221; when asked this week whether Bondi had told Trump that his name is in the files.
&#8220;This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about,&#8221; Cheung said.
The Trump administration&#8217;s decision not to release any more Epstein files has frustrated parts of Trump&#8217;s base.
On July 7, the Justice Department posted a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl">memo</a> stating that it had done an &#8220;exhaustive review&#8221; of the Epstein files and found no incriminating “client list” or &#8220;credible evidence&#8221; that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals, and &#8220;no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.&#8221;
However, on Tuesday, Blanche said he plans to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein&#8217;s former girlfriend, who was sentenced to 20 years for sex trafficking.
&#8220;If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,&#8221; Blanche <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1947622027587723365">said</a> in a statement.

Pam Bondi Sworn In As Attorney General In The Oval Office

Bondi Told Trump His Name Was In Epstein Files, No Actionable Allegations Found

Pam Bondi Told Trump His Name Was In Epstein Files

General

Pam Bondi

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A Vanderbilt University administrator was caught on camera admitting that the school is actively pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in violation of President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive action cracking down on colleges pushing the leftist DEI agenda.
G.L. Black, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said last month that the school remains &#8220;thoughtful around DEI work&#8221; and its &#8220;focus on belonging and building communities and sustaining communities and access and resources,&#8221; according to a video obtained by The Daily Wire.
&#8220;All the things that I would say are components of DEI work are part of what we do,&#8221; Black added. &#8220;Even if we don&#8217;t label everything as DEI work.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Footage obtained by The Daily Wire shows the <a href="https://twitter.com/VanderbiltU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VanderbiltU</a> Vice Provost for Student Affairs admitting that the university continues to push DEI, &#8220;even if we don&#8217;t label everything as DEI work.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/MZbv8enIgf">pic.twitter.com/MZbv8enIgf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1948423032411688999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Along with being nationally recognized for its pre-law and business programs, Vanderbilt — located in Nashville, Tennessee — is also a leading medical school, <a href="https://news.vumc.org/2024/03/11/school-of-medicine-in-top-10-in-nih-funding-survey-2/#:~:text=Vanderbilt%20University%20School%20of%20Medicine,of%20the%20last%2010%20years.">receiving</a> hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Last year, Vanderbilt ranked 10th in the country in total research support from the NIH.
After taking office in January, President Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting DEI practices in the federal government and at federally funded colleges and universities. In one executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/">order</a>, Trump blasted DEI policies, saying they &#8220;undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.&#8221;
Vanderbilt told The Daily Wire that it remains &#8220;fully compliant with all applicable federal and state laws&#8221; and added that it is &#8220;aware of recent covert recordings by external groups on university campuses nationwide.&#8221;
&#8220;Any comments by individual employees that suggest otherwise do not reflect university policy and are being reviewed through appropriate channels,&#8221; the university said.
Vice Provost Black did not return a request to comment from The Daily Wire.
After publication of this article, Vanderbilt released a statement saying that it hired the law firm Baker Donelson, which &#8220;will be tasked with reviewing the specific circumstances related to the recordings and identifying steps the university can take to ensure all employees fully understand the university’s policies and consistently act in accordance.&#8221;
&#8220;The university will review the findings and recommendations of the report and take any appropriate follow-up actions,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;As part of our protocol, staff involved will step back from regular responsibilities to allow the review to unfold.&#8221;
The Education Department told The Daily Wire that Vanderbilt is already under investigation &#8220;for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.&#8221; That <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/office-civil-rights-initiates-title-vi-investigations-institutions-of-higher-education-0">investigation</a>, which was announced in March, also targets 44 other universities nationwide. The Education Department alleges that Vanderbilt&#8217;s PhD Project, which focuses on providing networking opportunities for PhD students, “limits eligibility based on the race of the participants.”
&#8220;We expect all academic institutions that receive taxpayer support to abide by federal law and will continue to vigorously hold violators accountable,&#8221; the Education Department added.
Another Vanderbilt employee was recently caught on camera saying that the university&#8217;s DEI agenda has remained unchanged, even if the name has changed, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-dei-efforts-were-rebranded-2-red-state-colleges-skirt-trump-orders-staffers-admit">reported</a>. She said the new names for DEI help &#8220;clue people in.&#8221;
&#8220;At one point, you know, everybody, like different universities, were under investigation for their, like, DEI practices and stuff like that. So, that&#8217;s why I think the naming has changed,&#8221; said Ivie Carmouche, an academic coach at the university&#8217;s Center for Student Wellbeing.
&#8220;We&#8217;re in the Center for Student Wellbeing — like I said, we have things that clue people in and let people know that this is a safe space for everybody,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Belonging and Communities is like as close to that DEI work you can probably get. Previously, they were the Center for Social Justice and Identities.&#8221;
Yet another Vanderbilt employee was recently caught discussing the school&#8217;s DEI policies and ripping Republican Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn.
&#8220;We have this one, gosh I think she&#8217;s a representative or something like that, and I just heard that she may run for governor. And I&#8217;m going, oh God, help us,&#8221; said Janet Roberts, Vanderbilt&#8217;s Peabody Facilities Manager. &#8220;She&#8217;s ridiculous.&#8221;
&#8220;We are heavily supported by federal funding &#8230; we&#8217;re not advertising diversity and inclusion lectures,&#8221; Roberts added. &#8220;We&#8217;re flying under the radar.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BUSTED: <a href="https://twitter.com/VanderbiltU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VanderbiltU</a>&#39;s Janet Roberts was CAUGHT ON CAMERA disparaging Sen. Marsha Blackburn and hiding the school&#39;s DEI practices. 
&quot;God help us&#8230;[<a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarshaBlackburn</a>&#39;s] ridiculous&quot;
&quot;We are heavily supported by federal funding&#8230;[so] we&#39;re not advertising diversity and… <a href="https://t.co/CIxV6FCrwe">pic.twitter.com/CIxV6FCrwe</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1948057680871886969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Blackburn on Wednesday wrote to Vanderbilt University Chancellor Dr. Daniel Diermeier to express her &#8220;concern regarding reports that Vanderbilt University is concealing its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs instead of fully complying with President Trump’s executive action to end wasteful DEI programs in educational institutions,&#8221; The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-blackburn-warns-tennessee-universities-against-hiding-dei-programs-behind-coded-language">reported</a>.
&#8220;Renaming woke DEI programs to circumvent compliance and public scrutiny degrades the educational experience of your students and the trust placed in institutions of higher education like Vanderbilt,&#8221; Blackburn added. &#8220;As a beneficiary of federal funding, Vanderbilt has a responsibility to align with the President’s executive order and return to a focus on providing quality education to your students. Instead of rebranding harmful, woke DEI initiatives, woke DEI initiatives, Vanderbilt should focus on the important work of research and workforce development that the institution does so well.&#8221;
Administrators at two other Tennessee universities, the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-dei-efforts-were-rebranded-2-red-state-colleges-skirt-trump-orders-staffers-admit">University of Tennessee</a> and <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/07/16/belmont-university-is-hiding-illegal-aliens-on-campus-n2659728">Belmont University</a>, were recently caught on camera discussing their respective institutions&#8217; DEI goals.
This article has been updated to include an additional statement from Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Vanderbilt Administrator Caught Saying DEI Remains ‘Part Of What We Do’

Department of Education

Nashville

Tennessee

Universities

Vanderbilt University

Health care provider Kaiser Permanente confirmed to The Daily Wire on Wednesday that it was pausing all transgender surgeries for patients under the age of 19 in response to pressure from the Trump administration.
The health care giant said that effective August 29 it would stop doing transgender surgeries — which includes procedures like removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys or other genital procedures. The company said the pause was a result of pressure from the Trump administration cracking down on transgender procedures on minors. 
“After significant deliberation and consultation with internal and external experts including our physicians, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause surgical treatment for patients under the age of 19 in our hospitals and surgical centers,” the health care giant told The Daily Wire. “We recognize that this is an extremely challenging and stressful time for our patients seeking care, as well as for our clinicians whose mission is to care for them. We will work closely with each patient to support their care journey.”
The statement from Kaiser Permanente added that it would continue providing all “other gender-affirming care treatment.” This would include things like administering cross-sex hormones to kids, procedures that have been shown to have a serious impact on fertility and body development. 
Kaiser Permanente said that the decision was ultimately made because of pressure from the Trump administration. 
“Since January, there has been significant focus by the federal government on gender-affirming care, specifically for patients under the age of 19,” the company said. “This has included executive orders instructing federal agencies to take actions to curtail access and restrict funding for gender-affirming care, hospital inquiries by the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services, and regulatory changes to coverage and broader federal agency review, including by the Federal Trade Commission. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas to doctors and clinics providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth, as part of ongoing federal investigations.”
The pause was first <a href="https://x.com/BillboardChris/status/1948111553229905931">reported</a> on X by activist Billboard Chris. 
Kaiser Permanente has been sued by Chloe Cole, a woman who underwent transgender procedures as a minor before she overcame her gender dysphoria. Cole says that her doctors pushed her to medically and surgically attempt to change her gender while she was struggling with mental illness and incapable of full consent.
Cole celebrated the pause on X, thanking the Trump administration for its actions.
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Kaiser Permanente, the gender clinic that destroyed my childhood, has confirmed they will be HALTING transgender surgeries for patients under the age of 19 nationwide, effective next month!
This is only a pause, according to internal emails, but these incremental wins must be… <a href="https://t.co/6zWQofQlkm">pic.twitter.com/6zWQofQlkm</a>
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1948125026810515897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Cole is represented by the Center for American Liberty, which also praised the decision. 
“Kaiser Permanente’s decision is a monumental step toward protecting vulnerable youth,” CEO Mark Trammell said. “For too long, children have been subjected to life-altering surgical procedures at an age when they lack the capacity for informed consent. Our ongoing litigation with courageous detransitioners such as Chloe Cole, Luka Hein, and Clementine Breen has exposed the irreversible harm caused by these medical interventions.”

CA Attorney General Announces 49 Million Settlement With Kaiser Foundation Over Illegal Disposal Of Hazardous Waste

Health Care Provider Puts Stop To Trans Surgeries On Kids

gender ideology

Health Care

transgender surgery

The Trump administration is drawing attention to an often overlooked data point that suggests Trump’s policies, and the passage of the &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill,&#8221; have laid the foundation for an economic boom.
Treasury Department counselor Joe Lavorgna says that Federal Reserve data tracking the production of business equipment shows positive signs for future economic growth. Those signs come as President Donald Trump appears to be growing in popularity among business owners.
Economists view the figure that Lavorgna points to as a proxy for capital expenditure (CapEx), which encompasses most investments made by businesses in hard assets that are expected to increase production later on. Those investments could be new buildings or updated equipment, such as better computer software.
“What we observed in the first quarter is that equipment production rose at a 23% rate. Now, surprisingly, when we got the GDP data, we saw a 24% increase. Really, really strong, really exciting news,” Lavorgna told The Daily Wire.
Lavorgna contributed the surge in equipment production to the &#8220;One Big, Beautiful Bill&#8221; that passed Congress and was signed into law on July 4, though it authorized companies to expense business investments retroactively back to Inauguration Day.
“So, companies – getting very excited about the pro-growth policies that President Trump was putting forward – took that initiative in the first quarter, [and] increased production of business equipment,” the Trump administration economist said.
“Importantly though, in Q2 we saw another large gain in business equipment production, up almost 11%. That is a really strong increase following a boom in the first quarter,” he continued. “What that means is before the One Big Beautiful Bill became legislation, we had an almost 17% annualized increase over those two quarters of business equipment production.”
“That is remarkable,” said Lavorgna.
In the first half of 2025, CapEx surged 16.6%, according to Treasury Department data. That leap constitutes the largest two-quarter rally in CaPex, excluding the pandemic years, since 1997.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill jumpstarted investment that’s lifting productivity, wages, and living standards. Blue collar paychecks are rising fast — second only to @realDonaldTrump’s first term — and the best is yet to come,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted in a post on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>’s pro-growth, America First agenda, we’re seeing a CapEx Comeback. Business equipment production jumped 11% annualized in Q2 after a huge 23% gain in Q1 — the strongest back-to-back growth since 1997.
CapEx is up 16.6% in the first half of 2025, signaling a… <a href="https://t.co/CcYf7QR9ov">pic.twitter.com/CcYf7QR9ov</a>
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent/status/1947627779354193949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
Recent polling numbers suggest that business owners are rallying behind Trump’s handling of the economy after showing pessimistic attitudes earlier this year. On Tuesday, the latest results from the quarterly CNBC-SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey results <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/main-street-business-confidence-rises-trump-tariffs-economy.html">showed</a> 46% of small business owners rate the U.S. economy as “excellent” or “good” – a leap of 16 percentage points since the Q2 survey results showed that number at 30%.

Scott Bessent

CapEx Comeback: This Often Overlooked Data Point Suggests U.S. Economy Is Primed To Boom

Department of the Treasury

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Democrats, such as former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, along with former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, should face &#8220;severe consequences&#8221; for their alleged involvement in the Russian collusion conspiracy.
Trump commented on the bombshell documents <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-admin-suppressed-intel-showing-russia-didnt-impact-2016-election-tulsi-reveals?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Obama+Admin+Suppressed+Intel+Showing+Russia+Didn%E2%80%99t+Impact+2016+Election%2C+Tulsi+Reveals">released</a> last week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Gabbard &#8220;caught President Obama absolutely cold.&#8221; On Sunday, the Department of Justice reportedly received a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doj-receives-tusli-gabbards-criminal-referral-for-obama-russia-intel-controversy-report">criminal referral</a> from Gabbard over the allegations against Obama administration officials.
&#8220;They tried to rig the election and they got caught — and there should be very severe consequences for that,&#8221; Trump said.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold &#8230; They tried to rig the election and they got caught — and there should be very severe consequences for that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tNLz91Xp6T">pic.twitter.com/tNLz91Xp6T</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1947686691080442112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Documents declassified by Gabbard last week <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-admin-suppressed-intel-showing-russia-didnt-impact-2016-election-tulsi-reveals?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Obama+Admin+Suppressed+Intel+Showing+Russia+Didn%E2%80%99t+Impact+2016+Election%2C+Tulsi+Reveals">showed</a> that the Obama administration suppressed intelligence proving that Russia did not influence the outcome of the 2016 election. For the entirety of Trump&#8217;s first term in office, Democrats and the legacy media pointed to the intelligence compiled by the Obama administration to connect Trump&#8217;s election victory to the Russian government.
The president accused Obama of being the &#8220;ringleader&#8221; of those who put forward the false narrative that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to rig the 2016 election in Trump&#8217;s favor.
&#8220;Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader. Hillary Clinton was right there with him, and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them — [former FBI Director Jim] Comey, [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper, the whole group. They tried to rig an election, and then they got caught.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader. Hillary Clinton was right there with him and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them — Comey, Clapper, the whole group. They tired to rig an election and then they got caught.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/zf2GqE3Dox">pic.twitter.com/zf2GqE3Dox</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1947688011002744912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump said that during his first term, he decided not to pursue criminal charges against his political rival, Clinton, but added that the latest revelations are too big to ignore.
&#8220;I let her off the hook, and I&#8217;m very happy I did, but after what they did to me, and whether it&#8217;s right or wrong, it&#8217;s time to go after people,&#8221; he added.
Gabbard said the information released last week &#8220;clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government.&#8221;
&#8220;Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people,&#8221; she added.
Conservatives have called for the DOJ to arrest former government officials who were involved in pushing the Russia conspiracy.

‘Time To Go After People’: Trump Wants ‘Severe Consequences’ For Dems Who Pushed Russia Hoax

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden

Obama Administration

Russia Collusion Hoax

Scandals

Tulsi Gabbard

Columbia University suspended or expelled more than 70 students, some of whom took part in the anti-Israel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/masked-anti-israel-activists-take-over-columbia-u-library-during-finals-no-one-expels-them">library takeover</a> in May and others who were involved in last year&#8217;s tent encampment on the New York City campus, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/22/us-news/columbia-finally-punishes-anti-israel-rioters-over-violent-library-takeover-slaps-students-with-multi-year-suspensions-expulsions/">reported</a> on Tuesday.
Around 50 of the anti-Israel students will be suspended for between one and three years, according to the Post, which cited multiple sources familiar with the matter. The majority of the suspensions are for two years, while only a &#8220;handful&#8221; of students were expelled.
The Ivy League school was in the national spotlight during the spring of 2024 as an anti-Israel demonstration-turned-riot rocked the campus. The punishments for the tent encampment and the library takeover were doled out on Monday following a review from Columbia University&#8217;s Judicial Board.
“Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution’s fundamental work, policies, and rules,” a Columbia spokesman said in a statement. “Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes.”
On May 7, anti-Israel protesters, many of them wearing masks and keffiyehs, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/masked-anti-israel-activists-take-over-columbia-u-library-during-finals-no-one-expels-them">stormed</a> Columbia&#8217;s main library and occupied it for five hours while students tried to study for their final exams. The protesters chanted “Intifada revolution” and “from the river to the sea,” phrases calling for the destruction of Israel. Some of those who took part in the library takeover defaced walls and marked tables with tape. Two public safety officers were injured in the library storming. Columbia officials called in the New York Police Department to handle the protest, and more than 80 people were arrested, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/09/us-news/columbia-students-describe-shocking-library-takeover-after-masked-protesters-chanted-pro-hamas-slogans/">Post</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
RIGHT NOW AT COLUMBIA: Masked anti-Israel students just broke into the library during finals week. 
Columbia Public Safety unsuccessfully attempted to stop them. <a href="https://t.co/vBfkQFlwUW">pic.twitter.com/vBfkQFlwUW</a>
&mdash; Eden Yadegar (@edenyadegar) <a href="https://twitter.com/edenyadegar/status/1920196848523833405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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WATCH: Anti-Israeli protesters have stormed the Butler Library at Columbia University and are now occupying it. 
Make an example of these people. <a href="https://t.co/asiA8YMm3U">pic.twitter.com/asiA8YMm3U</a>
&mdash; RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1920208253494964262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The suspensions and expulsions announced on Tuesday come as the Trump administration pressures Columbia and other Ivy League universities to crack down on antisemitism on their campuses. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump cut $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia as the Education Department <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwg1w3409o">accused</a> Columbia of ignoring &#8220;relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment.&#8221;
After the federal funding cut, Columbia <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/columbia-university-agrees-to-trumps-demands-to-ban-masks-empower-campus-police">agreed</a> to do more to push back against radical anti-Israel demonstrations and radicalization on campus, such as empowering campus police and banning masks worn for anything other than health reasons.

NYPD Columbia library protest

Columbia Hits Dozens Of Students With Suspensions, Expulsions For Anti-Israel Campus Takeovers

antisemitism

Columbia University

Education

Ivy League

New York City

U.S.

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from defunding certain Planned Parenthood facilities after President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill&#8221; was set to slash the abortion provider&#8217;s funding for one year. 
District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction that said the Trump administration could not stop funding Medicaid payments for Planned Parenthood facilities that don’t directly provide abortions or take less than $800,000 in Medicaid funding. Talwani, an Obama appointee, claimed that the provision of the recently signed “Big, Beautiful Bill” that cut funding for Planned Parenthood violated its First Amendment rights. 
“Instead of merely prohibiting Planned Parenthood Members that receive Medicaid funds from providing abortions, the statute prohibits them from affiliating with entities that do. Moreover, the record is devoid of evidentiary support for Defendants’ suggestion that Planned Parenthood entities share funds that are ultimately used for abortions,” the judge <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/21/politics/planned-parenthood-funding-lawsuit">said.</a> “Therefore, restricting funds based on affiliation with an abortion provider operates only to restrict the associational right of Members that do not provide abortion.”
The injunction will remain in place while the case is being litigated.
Talwani previously issued a temporary injunction against the Trump administration from pulling funding after multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates filed a lawsuit following the passage of Trump&#8217;s signature spending bill. The law bans Medicaid coverage for entities that provide abortion. From 2022 to 2023, Planned Parenthood received nearly $800 million in taxpayer dollars.
“All three democratically elected components of the Federal Government collaborated to enact that provision consistent with their electoral mandates from the American people as to how they want their hard-earned taxpayer dollars spent,” the Trump administration <a href="https://apnews.com/article/planned-parenthood-medicaid-funding-cuts-trump-0bc2c9fc09bce3f0453f0995025bd85f">wrote</a>, saying that Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit was seeking to “supplant duly enacted legislation with their own policy preferences.”
In a statement, Planned Parenthood said that it was disappointed that the judge’s order did not shield all of its facilities. 
“The court has not yet ruled on whether it will grant preliminary injunctive relief to other members,” the abortion giant said. “We remain hopeful that the court will grant this relief. There will be nothing short of a public health crisis if Planned Parenthood members are allowed to be ‘defunded.’” 
Conservative advocates, like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, criticized the judge’s order. 
“An activist judge just prolonged the forced taxpayer funding of Big Abortion, a desperate attempt to run out the clock, and a shameful abuse of our tax dollars,” she said. “Planned Parenthood’s desperate ploy for our tax dollars only underscores why the &#8216;One Big Beautiful Bill&#8217; is such a historic win. It halted, for the first time, over half a billion taxpayer dollars from propping up the corrupt abortion industry.”

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