Lawmaker unveils 'ERIC ADAMS Act' threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayorsNew Foto - Lawmaker unveils 'ERIC ADAMS Act' threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayors

FIRST ON FOX:A House lawmaker is making a push to hold mayors of sanctuary cities responsible forillegal immigrantscommitting murder within their jurisdictions. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is introducing the Establishing Responsibility for Illegals' Crimes and Adding Deterrence and Accountability for Mayors' Sanctuary Cities Act, or the ERIC ADAMS Act, on Friday. If passed, the bill would open sanctuary city mayors to criminal liability if illegal immigrants living there were found guilty of murder. Comer Dismisses Biden Doctor's Bid For Pause In Cover-up Probe: 'Throwing Out Every Excuse' It's named after New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is up for re-election this November. Carter, meanwhile, is running to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in the November 2026 midterms. Read On The Fox News App The bill's introduction comes days after theTrump administrationmoved to sue the Big Apple for its sanctuary policies, one of multiple such lawsuits President Donald Trump's officials are pursuing against Democrat-run cities and states. Far-left Firebrand Says She 'Never Had A Concern' About Biden's Mental State As House Probe Heats Up Under the terms of Carter's legislation, a sanctuary city mayor could be found guilty of "criminal negligence resulting in manslaughter" if an undocumented person committed murder there and if "the mayor knowingly adopted, maintained, or failed to repeal a sanctuary policy that materially restricted cooperation with Federal immigration enforcement, and such policy directly and foreseeably contributed to the failure to detain or remove" the person before the crime was committed, according to bill text obtained by Fox News Digital. It would carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison, as well as certain fines. Enforcement would be left to theattorney general, the bill text said. "Laken Riley and countless other loved ones could still be alive today if our immigration laws were respected by mayors of sanctuary cities," Carter told Fox News Digital, referencing a nursing student killed by an illegal immigrant in early 2024 in Georgia. "As far as I'm concerned, they have blood on their hands and should be held personally accountable for creating a lawless environment that allows criminal illegal aliens to commit murder." Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, told Fox News Digital when reached for comment: "It's often said that if both the left and the right are angry with you, you might be doing something right." "Mayor Adams is focused on what best protects and serves all the people of New York City. Keeping New Yorkers safe also means making sure they feel safe, and Mayor Adams has been clear: no one should be afraid to dial911, send their kids to school, or go to the hospital, and no New Yorker should feel forced to hide in the shadows," the Adams spokesperson said. "That's why the mayor supports the essence of the local laws put in place by the City Council, but he has also urged the Council to reexamine them to ensure we can effectively work with the federal government to keep violent criminals off our streets." Fox News Digital also reached out to Adams' campaign for comment but did not hear back. Original article source:Lawmaker unveils 'ERIC ADAMS Act' threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayors

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

Lawmaker unveils 'ERIC ADAMS Act' threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayors

Lawmaker unveils 'ERIC ADAMS Act' threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayors FIRST ON FOX:A House lawmaker is making a...
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Democrats cry foul as Republicans push to redraw Texas electoral maps to gain US House seatsNew Foto - Democrats cry foul as Republicans push to redraw Texas electoral maps to gain US House seats

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democratic lawmakers tried to build a case Friday that Republicans in Texas have engineered a rushed and unfair process forredrawing the state's congressional districtsin response to apush by President Donald Trumpto win more GOP seats that Democrats fear will spread to other states. Democrats in the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature delayed the start of public testimony during a hearing of a state House Committee on Redistricting by peppering its chair with pointed questions about how quickly GOP lawmakers planned to move and whether the public is getting enough of an opportunity to weigh in. The Republican proposal would give the GOP five more winnable seats in next year's elections, which would make it easier for the party tokeep its slim U.S. House majority. Chair Cody Vasut told the committee that he expected it to vote later Friday or Saturday on the bill, which Republicans unveiled Wednesday. He said he expected the full state House to debate the measure Tuesday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called the Legislature into a 30-day special session and put congressional redistricting on the agenda afterDonald Trumpcalled for Texas to redraw lines that Republicans approved in 2021. Republicans hold 25 of the state's seats, to 13 for Democrats, and the plan would create 30 districts that Trump would have carried by at least 10 percentage points had they been in place in 2024. Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal called the public redistricting hearings "a sham." The committee quietly released the plan after several public hearings that drew hours of public testimony and scrutiny from residents concerned about new maps they hadn't seen. "Does the leadership of the state truly think the people of Texas are that stupid?" Rosenthal asked, to which Vasut did not reply. GOP author acknowledges partisan motives Democrats appear to have few ways to stop the GOP's plans. Some have talked about boycotting the special session to prevent either chamber or both from having a quorum to take action until the special session ends. But Abbott could call another. Republican state Rep. Todd Hunter, the bill's author, dismissed concerns about how quickly lawmakers are moving. He said they've have been discussing the possibility for months. "Don't be surprised," he said. "The topic has been there." Hunter acknowledged that the lines were being redrawn "for partisan purposes," which he said is allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court. He said a law firm was consulted as the map was being drawn. "I'm telling you," he said. "I'm not beating around the bush." Democrats argue that if Republicans succeed in redrawing the districts in Texas, Trump will push other states to redraw theirs before they'd normally do so, which would be in 2031 or 2032, after the next nationwide census. States are required to adjust the lines at least once every 10 years to keep the districts as equal in population as possible after population shifts. That's led Democrats inCalifornia and New Yorkto consider redrawing their states' lines to help Democrats, though each state has an independent commission for drawing the lines. Texas might have no competitive districts Under the exiting lines, which were in place for the 2022 and 2024 elections, Republicans won all of the seats in districts carried by Trump by at least 10 percentage points, and Democrats won all 11 districts carried by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. In the other two districts, Trump won by less than 10 percentage points, but Democrats won the House seats. Under the new map, there would be no districts won by Trump by less than 10 points. In Austin, a liberal bastion, parts of two districts represented by Democrats would be combined into one that favored Democrats even more strongly. One of the three other districts would include a slice of the city and extend 340 miles (547 kilometers) to the west, to take in the oil city of Midland. Vault refused to recognize Democrats so they could force the committee to vote on adding more public hearings in cities affected by the new maps. Data compiled by the Legislature shows that the proposed map would pack more Democratic voters into fewer districts while spreading Republicans out a bit more. Hunter said there's no requirement to do redistricting at a certain time. "Some people like it, and some people don't, and that's the nature of redistricting," Hunter said. ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

Democrats cry foul as Republicans push to redraw Texas electoral maps to gain US House seats

Democrats cry foul as Republicans push to redraw Texas electoral maps to gain US House seats AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democratic lawmakers tried...
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Fantasy football top 200 overall players for the 2025 seasonNew Foto - Fantasy football top 200 overall players for the 2025 season

August is an important month infantasy football. Maybe themostimportant month. It's when position battles take place during training camp. When exhibition games get teams out on the field against each other. It's also when injuries, unfortunately, start to mount. And it's whenaverage fantasy draft positionsbegin to take shape. Of course, every fantasy draft is different, and a value pick in one league can just as easily be a reach in another. That's why ADPs and pre-draft rankings should be used as a tool, not a rule. With that in mind, here are some thoughts about the top overall players in fantasy football for 2025. 2025 POSITION RANKINGS:QB|RB|WR|TE|K| D/ST Obviously, a fantasy league's format greatly affects how players are valued. Most leagues out there start one quarterback and award points for receptions. So these overall rankings are geared toward half-point PPR scoring. Let's analyze them in chunks. WR Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons RB Saquon Barkley, Eagles WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions WR Puka Nacua, Rams WR Malik Nabers, Giants RB Derrick Henry, Ravens WR Nico Collins, Texans RB De'Von Achane, DolphinsElite running backs are most valuable at the top of the draft, but there is a wealth of high-volume wide receivers maong the overall top 12. Malik Nabers may be the biggest risk-reward first-round pick. RB Ashton Jeanty, Raiders WR A.J. Brown, Eagles RB Christian McCaffrey, 49ers TE Brock Bowers, Raiders WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks RB Chase Brown, Bengals RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts WR Ladd McConkey, Chargers TE Trey McBride, Cardinals RB Kyren Williams, Rams RB Bucky Irving, BuccaneersHow good can rookie Ashton Jeanty be? Better than established veterans such as Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor? Yeah, he can.Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are worth second-round picks at tight end. QB Lamar Jackson, Ravens WR Drake London, Falcons QB Jalen Hurts, Eagles QB Jayden Daniels, Commanders RB Josh Jacobs, Packers QB Josh Allen, Bills WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders WR Tyreek Hill, Dolphins WR Tee Higgins, Bengals RB Breece Hall, Jets TE George Kittle, 49ers WR Mike Evans, BuccaneersIf you want a top quarterback, get him in Round 3. Also, Drake London seems to mark a new tier of wide receiver here. RB James Cook, Bills WR Davante Adams, Rams WR Garrett Wilson, Jets RB Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks WR DJ Moore, Bears RB James Conner, Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles RB Alvin Kamara, Saints WR Courtland Sutton, Broncos WR DK Metcalf, Steelers WR Rashee Rice, Chiefs RB Chuba Hubbard, Panthers WR Jameson Williams, LionsTry to land at least a couple wide receivers in the top 50 picks. RB Joe Mixon, Texans RB Aaron Jones Sr., Vikings QB Joe Burrow, Bengals WR Zay Flowers, Ravens RB David Montgomery, Lions TE Sam LaPorta, Lions RB Omarion Hampton, Chargers WR Xavier Worthy, Chiefs RB D'Andre Swift, Bears WR Chris Godwin, BuccaneersThis is a good part of the draft to speculate on running backs — or get your first one if you subscribe to the Zero RB strategy. Will Sam LaPorta last this long? QB Kyler Murray, Cardinals QB Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs WR Jerry Jeudy, Browns RB RJ Harvey, Broncos RB Tony Pollard, Titans TE T.J. Hockenson, Vikings RB Kaleb Johnson, Steelers WR Rome Odunze, Bears WR George Pickens, Cowboys RB Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants WR Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers WR Jordan Addison, VikingsFinding some WR gold here is definitely possible.Also, could one team possibly land both Patrick Mahomes AND Travis Kelce at this point in the draft? TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs RB TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots RB Jaylen Warren, Steelers QB Jared Goff, Lions WR Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins WR Jakobi Meyers, Raiders QB Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers RB Najee Harris, Chargers WR Calvin Ridley, Titans TE Evan Engram, Broncos RB Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders TE Mark Andrews, Ravens WR Chris Olave, Saints RB Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars QB Brock Purdy, 49ers WR Jauan Jennings, 49ers QB Bo Nix, BroncosWaiting on quarterbacks any later than this can turn into a high-stakes game of chicken. WR Khalil Shakir, Bills RB Javonte Williams, Cowboys WR Travis Hunter, Jaguars TE David Njoku, Browns WR Stefon Diggs, Patriots TE Jonnu Smith, Steelers QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys RB Quinshon Judkins, Browns RB Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks QB Justin Herbert, Chargers WR Cooper Kupp, Seahawks RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots QB C.J. Stroud, Texans QB Justin Fields, JetsAt this point, give serious consideration to talented rookies and players who've changed teams in the offseason. TE Dalton Kincaid, Bills WR Jayden Reed, Packers QB J.J. McCarthy, Vikings WR Deebo Samuel Sr., Commanders WR Josh Downs, Colts TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles TE Tucker Kraft, Packers QB Caleb Williams, Bears RB Rachaad White, Buccaneers WR Ricky Pearsall, 49ers WR Michael Pittman Jr., Colts RB Cam Skattebo, Giants RB Tyjae Spears, Titans QB Drake Maye, Patriots RB Jordan Mason, Vikings WR Matthew Golden, Packers RB Tank Bigsby, Jaguars WR Darnell Mooney, Falcons TE Jake Ferguson, Cowboys QB Jordan Love, Packers WR Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers RB Tyler Allgeier, Falcons WR Rashid Shaheed, Saints QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars RB J.K. Dobbins, Broncos TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons RB Isaac Guerendo, 49ers WR Keon Coleman, BillsPlayers with raw talent and plausible upside — even if they don't have a major role just yet—are great picks here in the middle rounds. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins RB Jerome Ford, Browns WR Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants WR Rashod Bateman, Ravens TE Hunter Henry, Patriots QB Matthew Stafford, Rams WR Jayden Higgins, Texans RB Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars WR Luther Burden III, Bears RB Justice Hill, Ravens TE Isaiah Likely, Ravens RB Rico Dowdle, Panthers RB Austin Ekeler, Commanders QB Bryce Young, Panthers RB Ray Davis, Bills WR Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers WR Adam Thielen, Panthers RB Jaylen Wright DolphinsIt's all personal preference as we come to the end of the top 150.Pick your favorites and grab them, regardless of where they rank. DST Philadelphia Eagles QB Aaron Rodgers, Steelers WR Marvin Mims Jr., Broncos TE Tyler Warren, Colts RB Trey Benson, Cardinals RB Jaydon Blue, Cowboys TE Colston Loveland, Bears QB Michael Penix Jr., Falcons RB Braelon Allen, Jets DST Baltimore RavensTime to start thinking about the top defenses/special teams. RB Roschon Johnson, Bears WR Tre' Harris, Chargers RB Ty Johnson, Bills WR Christian Kirk, Texans WR Quentin Johnston, Chargers DST Denver Broncos WR Alec Pierce, Colts RB Nick Chubb, Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins, Ravens DST Pittsburgh Steelers DST Houston Texans TE Cade Otton, Buccaneers WR Marquise Brown, Chiefs RB MarShawn Lloyd, Packers WR Jalen McMillan, Buccaneers RB Dylan Sampson, Browns WR Cedric Tillman, Browns QB Sam Darnold, Seahawks WR Romeo Doubs, Packers TE Pat Freiermuth, Steelers RB Blake Corum, Rams DST Seattle Seahawks WR Kyle Williams, Patriots DST Minnesota Vikings DST Buffalo Bills K Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys DST Green Bay Packers RB Kareem Hunt, Chiefs DST Detroit Lions DST Kansas City Chiefs K Cameron Dicker, Chargers K Jake Bates, Lions DST New York Jets WR Xavier Legette, Panthers TE Zach Ertz, Commanders WR DeMario Douglas, Patriots K Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers WR Joshua Palmer, Bills K Wil Lutz, Broncos RB DJ Giddens, Colts This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Fantasy football 2025: Top 200 overall players for this season

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

Fantasy football top 200 overall players for the 2025 season

Fantasy football top 200 overall players for the 2025 season August is an important month infantasy football. Maybe themostimportant month. ...
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Wrigley Field to host 2027 MLB All-Star GameNew Foto - Wrigley Field to host 2027 MLB All-Star Game

The MLB All-Star Game is heading to Wrigley Field on July 13, 2027, the league announced Friday. "The hard work put in to transform all of Wrigleyville into an outstanding destination deserves to be celebrated and shared on a national stage," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing the Midsummer Classic back to historic Wrigley Field and working alongside the Cubs, city and state officials, and the local organizing group to bring an extraordinary experience to the baseball fans of Chicago. "Most importantly, Major League Baseball and its partners will leave behind a lasting impact on the communities across Chicago through the meaningful initiatives of the All-Star Legacy program." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] It will be the fourth time Wrigley Field has hosted the Midsummer Classic and first since 1990, which saw Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs win the Home Run Derby and the American League beat the National League, 2-0. The Cubs spent more than half a billion dollars on a multi-phase renovation of the ballpark that was completed in 2019 to help their case in hosting the game. InJune, the Chicago City Council approved a $32.1 million plan to upgrade security around the stadium. The Atlanta Braves hosted the 2025 All-Star festivities at Truist Park, and the 2026 All-Star Game will take place at the Philadelphia Phillies' Citizens Bank Park.

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

Wrigley Field to host 2027 MLB All-Star Game

Wrigley Field to host 2027 MLB All-Star Game The MLB All-Star Game is heading to Wrigley Field on July 13, 2027, the league announced Friday...
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In the Epstein scandal, like other Washington storms, the victims are an afterthoughtNew Foto - In the Epstein scandal, like other Washington storms, the victims are an afterthought

unknown content item - Virginia Giuffre endured decades of torment after her alleged abuse by accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his jailed accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre took her own life earlier this year. "The nightmares of being trafficked never left our sister, ever," Giuffre's brothers said in a statement on Thursday. And even in death, her tragedy continues. Giuffre — who moved to Australia as an adult, but who ultimately couldn't outrun the horror that claimed her life — is again the victim of someone else's scandal. Her horrific experiences in the early 2000s have been dragged into Donald Trump's frantic efforts to squelch controversy over his past friendship with Epstein. She's a photo on the news; she's diminished by the disrespectful language of the president; her name is being dragged into noisy reporter photo-ops. Her desperate past is being excavated again, in countless media accounts, as Trump critics and pundits ask: What did the president know and when did he know it? Giuffre suffered terribly for the abuse she said she suffered at Epstein's hands. And her life was destroyed by media notoriety. She was pictured in a famous photograph with Maxwell and Britain's Prince Andrew, to whom she alleged she was trafficked by Epstein. The prince, who denied all claims against him, concludedan out-of-court settlementwith her in 2022. Now, in another tributary scandal seeded by Epstein's wickedness, Giuffre's dignity is being picked over again. That's because she once worked at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, where she encountered Maxwell — who pulled her into Epstein's circle — and who now may have politically pertinent information about the president and her onetime paramour. In this ugly process, Giuffre has become an emblem of wider, regrettable truths about the Epstein case and Washington. Her return to the headlines exemplifies how victims are pulled into Washington's poisoned culture with little thought about the human consequences. Giuffre is just one of the alleged Epstein victims whose private torment is being largely ignored in breathless speculation about how the Epstein drama will impact Trump's presidency. And she's joining the long list of third parties in Washington scandals whose personal stories are shredded and coopted by the bitter maelstroms of the city. There arelegitimate questionsabout Trump's knowledge about the behavior of Epstein, his own hyping of conspiracy theories around the case, and about a politicized Justice Department's clumsy attempt to make it go away. But assessing them in isolation from the plight of the victims, living and dead, risks denying justice and perpetuating the inhumanity they've already suffered. Trump's struggle to extricate himself from a controversy over the Justice Department's refusal to release files on Epstein — that he himself claimed were subject to a huge conspiracy — is reviving a nightmare for survivors. "They're feeling violated again. They're feeling re-victimized again. They are not given the opportunity to heal in private," Randee Kogan, a therapist for some of Epstein's alleged victims, told CNN's John Berman this week. "Everywhere they look, it's on their phone — whether it's a headline, whether it's social media — and they feel like there's nowhere to escape. They can't find peace to heal." Some, like Giuffre, are becoming objectified as their trauma is boiled down to political talking points. This dehumanizing process was demonstrated by Trump this week, when he said he severed his friendship with Epstein because Epstein was poaching employees from Trump's Mar-a -Lago club. Trump acknowledged that Giuffre had worked in the massage parlor there. "He stole people that worked for me," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. Referring to any human like a commodity would be offensive. Doing so about an alleged victim of sex trafficking and abuse is especially so. "She wasn't 'stolen'; she was preyed upon at his property, at President Trump's property," Sky Roberts, one of Giuffre's brothers, told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Thursday. Trump has not been charged with any wrongdoing in relation to the Epstein case. But the comment posed new questions about the extent of his knowledge about the activities of Epstein and Maxwell. In a court deposition unsealed in 2019, Giuffre said she first met Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago and that Maxwell took her to her initial meeting with Epstein. Giuffre's family told CNN in a statement on Thursday that if their sister was alive she'd be angered that the Trump administration, in an attempt to placate MAGA voters irate over the refusal to release the Epstein files, had sent Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to speak to Maxwell in Florida last week. "It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago. It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions," the family said. In the statement, first reported by The Atlantic, the family urged Trump not to pardon Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. The experiences of Maxwell's victims should be front and center as scrutiny mounts over the administration's handling of the drama. Public debate over potential pardons or commutations for her have so far sketched over the pain inflicted by her crimes. The consequences of any attempt to incentivize her to offer information that could be politically helpful to Trump are enormous. Trump has pointed out that he has the constitutional authority to pardon Maxwell and his history of politicizing such powers is one reason Blanche's talks with Maxwell caused controversy. A senior administration official told CNN that the president was not currently considering clemency for her. Roberts said Thursday on "The Source" that Maxwell should spend the rest of her life behind bars. "She deserves to rot in prison where she belongs because of what she has done to my sister and so many other women," Roberts said. As Trump has failed to shake off questions about Epstein and the political heat rises, the voices of abuse survivors have been largely drowned out. Democrats have joineddemands for a full releaseof all the files the government holds about Epstein as they seek to damage Trump, with little thought for the impact of such a step on victims. On MAGA media, the controversy has again highlighted the strange obsession among some right-wing conspiracy theorists with sex crimes, trafficking and abuse, and the false claims that the government is complicit or covering up such activities. Many of the people most vocal in their outrage over sexual abuse ignore how amping up these falsehoods re-traumatizes survivors. The justice that would be deniedif Maxwell were pardonedas part of a political scheme to alleviate Trump's problems took years to secure. When Maxwell was sentenced, US Attorney Damian Williams said she was held accountable for "heinous crimes against children. This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice." Maxwell was convicted of recruiting, grooming and abusing victims that she and Epstein knew were under 18 years old, over a period of at least 10 years. Some of the victims were as young as 14. Minor victims, according to the charges, were subjected to sexual abuse that included touching, the use of sex toys and providing sexual massages to Epstein in his residences in New York, Florida and New Mexico, as well as at Maxwell's residence in London. During the trial, Maxwell's lawyers had pushed back at the government's framing of the case, arguing that what prosecutors referred to as "grooming" — for instance, taking victims to the movies or on shopping trips — was lawful behavior. And they sought to minimize arguments that she ran Epstein's household. But at sentencing, Judge Alison Nathanrejected the idea that Maxwell was a proxyfor Epstein's crimes after his death. "Miss Maxwell is not punished in place of Epstein," she said. "Miss Maxwell is being punished for the role that she played." Maxwell did not testify in her own defense before her conviction on five counts, including sex trafficking of a minor. Many of Epstein's alleged victims believe that they've already been repeatedly deprived of justice. Some were dismayed when federal prosecutor Alex Acosta in 2008 gave the disgraced financier a lenient plea deal under which Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Acosta, who served as Trump's first-term Labor secretary, was later accused of "poor judgment" in a Justice Department report. Victims also lost their chance of a day in court with Epstein after he took his own life in prison. "He took away the chance I had at having the future I had envisioned for myself as a young girl. And I think many of us here today will never fully heal from that pain," one victim, identified as Jane Doe No. 4, said in court after Epstein's death. Epstein's return to the headlines after Trump's administration was caught in the crossfire of conspiracy theories that he and top aides fanned on the campaign trail has made the distress of survivors even more raw. Kogan said that endless news coverage of Epstein and Trump's language dehumanized the women. "They have been trying to heal for 18 years, and every time they're on the road to recovery, something new comes out in the news, something new, a meme in social media, a skit on a TV show, or a stand-up comedian bringing up Epstein. It's everywhere," Kogan said. "When they hear the fact that they're not being humanized, even by the president, it — they feel defeat." Julie K. Brown, a Miami Herald reporter who wrote "Perversion of Justice," a 2021 book about the Epstein case, said she's been speaking to survivors as the scandal intensifies. "They are beside themselves because they don't understand what's going on. Imagine … after all these years, this has turned into an international story once again," Brown told CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday. "This is a re-traumatization of what they've always felt, which is that nobody is really listening to them or understanding that this was such a serious crime and a travesty of justice." The dehumanizing of victims and the tendencies of warring political factions to use them as props is nothing new. Those caught in the storm, whether wittingly or unwittingly, suddenly become known to millions, lose control of their stories and reputations, and become the face of the scandal. Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern with whom President Bill Clinton had an affair,spoke recentlyabout how her life blew up in a second when the scandal erupted. "It was a moment where life as I knew it was over," Lewinsky said in an appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast earlier this year. Everyone in the world, it seemed, had an opinion on her personality, her conduct, her reputation and her morals. Lewinsky said she quickly lost control of her narrative in the media storm and was accused of being a "a stalker, a whore (and) mentally unstable." "There was a creation of a version of me that I didn't recognize." A similar process of dehumanizing someone caught in a scandal occurred in the case of Chandra Levy, a former Bureau of Prisons intern who was found murdered in a Washington park in 2002. Photos of the 24-year-old were soon on every television show and newspaper and magazine. Levy's disappearance gained national attention after her parents discovered a connection between her and Gary Condit, who was then a congressman for Levy's California district. Outsiders were soon speculating on Levy's personal life and behavior as rumors flew that she was having an affair with Condit. Condit was never a suspect in the case nor implicated in the apparent Levy homicide, and has for decades denied any involvement in her death. A man was convicted in 2010 of killing Levy and sentenced to 60 years in prison. But thecharges were dismissed in 2016. The man, Ingmar Guandique,was later deportedto his native El Salvador. The crime remains unsolved. But Levy's treatment at the time was a classic case of how someone who had been a private citizen suddenly becomes a helpless cog in the wheel of a Washington nightmare. Levy's image was fixed in the public imagination for millions who never knew what she was like but who all saw a photo of her in a white tank top and jeans. The sudden loss of anonymity and moment when someone's story is no longer their own and was also experienced by Christine Blasey Ford after she accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of an assault that took place decades before his confirmation process in 2018. Kavanaugh denied the accusation. "I had lived a relatively quiet life as a mom, professor, and surfer," Fordwrote in her memoir. "Quite literally overnight, I became a headline news item. With little preparation, my name would be forever encompassed by one image — me in a navy-blue suit I would never normally wear, being sworn in to solemnly tell the truth." Ford experienced how a vicious political spotlight is often used to assail the characters of those caught up in scandals — and the way that the consequential trauma can linger for years afterwards. But as the Epstein scandal shows, the grim dehumanizing of victims and their manipulation for political schemes and goals never ends in Washington. "Here ruining people is considered sport," wrote Clinton administration Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster in a note found after he took his own life in 1993. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

In the Epstein scandal, like other Washington storms, the victims are an afterthought

In the Epstein scandal, like other Washington storms, the victims are an afterthought unknown content item - Virginia Giuffre endured decade...
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Undocumented children will be barred from Head Start preschool under new Trump ruleNew Foto - Undocumented children will be barred from Head Start preschool under new Trump rule

Undocumented children will no longer qualify for federally funded preschool through the Head Start program under a major policy shift the Trump administration announced Thursday. In a news release, the Department of Health and Human Services said it wasrescinding a nearly 30-year-old interpretation of federal lawissued under President Bill Clinton that allowed undocumented immigrants to access certain programs because they were not considered "federal public benefits." As President Donald Trump pursues his anti-immigrant agenda, this change may be the most direct and far-reaching effort to target children after hisattempts to end birthright citizenship. His administration has alsoramped up immigration enforcementanddeportations,withheld funding for English learners, andthreatened to punish states that offer in-state tuition to undocumented college students. Administration officials have said theyhope many immigrants will "self-deport" if the United States makes life here more uncomfortable. Health and Human Services leaders cast the change as a way to protect benefits for Americans. "For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a press release. "Today's action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people." Early childhood education advocates, meanwhile, condemned the change as violating both the spirit and the letter of the 1965 law that authorized Head Start. They also warned the change could scare away eligible families,Chalkbeatreports. "This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children," Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, a nonprofit that represents Head Start staff and families, saidin a written statement. "Head Start programs strive to make every child feel welcome, safe, and supported, and reject the characterization of any child as 'illegal.'" The change is also at odds with how the Supreme Court has treated K-12 education. In thelandmark Plyler v. Doe decisionfrom 1982, the justices ruled that children have a right to a free public education regardless of immigration status. However, the courts have upheld laws restricting immigrants' access to welfare benefits. Head Start provided preschool to over 544,000 children from low-income families,according to the latest federal datafrom the 2022-23 school year, while Early Head Start served more than 186,000 infants, toddlers, and expectant parents. The program, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year,has reached 40 million children but has recently faced a number of challenges, from federal staff layoffs to threats of eliminating the program. Head Start will now be considered a public benefit, the Trump administration said, because it offers services that are similar to welfare. Officials said the change aligns with Trump's executive orders, including aFebruary order titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders." "While Head Start provides for school readiness, it also provides low-income children and their families with 'health, educational, nutritional, and social and other services, that are determined based on family needs assessment,'"federal officials wrote in a notice announcing the change. "Further, it may serve as child care for parents of young children." Classifying Head Start as welfare, rather than education, could be a Trump administration strategy to avoid having to address whether the protections extended to undocumented children in Plyler apply here, said Nate Ela, an assistant professor of law at Temple University, in an email. Reflecting Trump's America First agenda, Health and Human Services officials said in their press release that Head Start will be "reserved for American citizens from now on." But a spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families clarified that U.S. citizen children and "qualified" immigrant children would be eligible for Head Start.Under federal law, that includes legal permanent residents, children who've been granted asylum, refugees, and children with humanitarian parole. In its statement, the National Head Start Association said providers were alarmed that programs would have to check the citizenship or immigration status of children before they could enroll. The law that governs Head Start has never required documentation of immigration status as a condition to enroll, the organization said, and "attempts to impose such a requirement threaten to create fear and confusion among all families." It is unclear exactly how the new rules will be enforced. Guidance based on the new legal interpretation is forthcoming, the Administration for Children and Families spokesperson said. "​​Are they going to monitor us when they come out for their federal review?" asked Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, the executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association. "Will there be something attached to our grant that we have to certify?" The latest version of the law governing who is eligible for Head Start says nothing about immigration status, but it does say that the program can use federal funds to train staff, counsel children, and provide other services that are "necessary to address the challenges of children from immigrant, refugee, and asylee families, homeless children, children in foster care, limited English proficient children, children of migrant or seasonal farmworker families, [and] children from families in crisis." The law says that children who are experiencing homelessness or whose families have incomes below the federal poverty line qualify. The Migrant Seasonal Head Start program also guarantees child care for the children of farm workers and seasonal workers. This is not the first attempt to roll back educational rights for immigrant children and families.A number of Republican state legislators have backed bills that would limit enrollmentfor immigrant children or track their immigration status in ways that could intimidate families. So far, none has been successful. Meanwhile, the author of a brief from the conservative Heritage Foundation thatcalled on states to charge undocumented children tuition to attend public schoolnowworks in the Education Department. Federal officials estimated that the Head Start change would free up $374 million a year for U.S. citizens and qualified immigrants to access Head Start, which represents about 3% of the program's annual budget in recent years. But keeping children out of Head Start could lead to more costs down the road for public schools, advocates warned. Kindergartners who don't go to preschool may need more help with basics like learning their ABCs, colors, and how to work with classmates. They also may have missed out on health screenings. "We're really shortchanging our community by cutting them off from strong early childhood programs that are going to put them on the right path to be successful in K-12 schools where they have a guaranteed right to attend," said Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez, co-founder of the National Newcomer Network and deputy director of Californians Together, groups that advocate for immigrant rights in education. There are typically many more children in poverty who qualify for Head Start than the program has funding to serve.A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found, for example, that for every 100 young children in poverty, there were typically 28 Head Start seats, with much larger gaps in some states. Keeping out immigrant children wouldn't necessarily close those gaps. The main factor limiting Head Start seats is a lack of trained teachers, said Diane Schilder, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a public policy think tank. "A lot of programs are having challenges hiring teachers in preschool and infant-toddler classrooms who meet the requirements because the wages are not adequate," Schilder said. Low-income families are less likely to have documents proving their children are citizens, Schilder said, andanti-immigrant sentimentcan scare away even eligible families from applying. Parents are less likely to work when they don't have access to child care. The effects of these changes would be felt most strongly in urban areas and in communities with a large agricultural workforce. Head Start providers worry that verifying children's immigration status will create more administrative work and could make it harder for all families to enroll. Federal officials estimated the cost of assembling documents and reviewing paperwork would be an additional $21 million a year. And there would be more transition costs to change Head Start protocols, the federal notice stated. Federal officials said the change would take effect as soon as it is published in the Federal Register. It has not been published, but has been submitted, the Trump administration said. The public will have 30 days to submit comments. For now, Heather Frenz, the executive director of the Colorado Head Start Association, said her organization is telling Head Start providers to wait for further instructions before un-enrolling any children. Reconsidering the eligibility or enrollment of children who are already attending Head Start would be expensive and time-consuming, Frenz said. The process involves everything from measuring children's height and weight to drawing up individual plans. And if undocumented children miss out on preschool and other services Head Start provides, Frenz said it could "put a lot of strain" on other public entities when those children get older. "They may not speak English or have never seen a dentist," Frenz said. "That's going to be a heavy load on the public school education system." Chalkbeat New York reporter Michael Elsen-Rooney, Chalkbeat Philadelphia bureau chief Carly Sitrin, Chalkbeat Chicago bureau chief Becky Vevea, and Colorado bureau chief Melanie Asmar contributed reporting. This storywas produced byChalkbeatand reviewed and distributed byStacker.

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

Undocumented children will be barred from Head Start preschool under new Trump rule

Undocumented children will be barred from Head Start preschool under new Trump rule Undocumented children will no longer qualify for federal...
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With future of College Football Playoff still up for grabs, here's what to know about this year's format and beyondNew Foto - With future of College Football Playoff still up for grabs, here's what to know about this year's format and beyond

Unlike last season, there's not much new with the College Football Playoff in 2025. And you may want to prepare to get used to this format despite the persistent expansion discussions. After an expansion from four teams to 12 for the 2024 season, the only change for the 2025 iteration of the College Football Playoff is with the seeding. Last year, the top four conference champions received the four first-round byes no matter where they were ranked in the committee's final set of rankings. Texas and Penn State were Nos. 3 and 4 in the rankings but were the No. 5 and 6 seeds since they were at-large teams. Boise State, at No. 9, was the No. 3 seed as the third-highest ranked conference champion and Arizona State was the No. 4 seed even though the Sun Devils were ranked No. 12. That won't be duplicated in 2025. While the top five conference champions still get automatic berths to the playoff, the top four seeds will be the top four teams in the rankings no matter if they're conference champs or not. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The change likely means that a conference like the Big Ten or SEC will get multiple teams with byes. Had the format been in place in 2024, each conference would have had two teams with byes. Having a bye wasn't a great thing, either. All four teams that received byes in 2024 lost their first games of the playoff. Was that attributable to the extended layoff between the regular season and the postseason for those four teams? Was it because all four top seeds were underdogs in the second round? Was it both, along with other factors? It's hard to see how all four top seeds will lose in the second round this season after the seeding change.And it's also hard to see how the playoff will be expanding to 16 teams in the near future. The conferences are currently at an impasse as the Big Ten is adamant in its support for a playoff format that no one else likes. The conference is advocating for a 16-team playoff that guarantees four bids each to the Big Ten and SEC, while the ACC and Big 12 each get two bids. The remaining four spots would be reserved for the top Group of Five champion and three at-large teams. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti seems enamoredwith the idea of a play-in tournament for the conference at the end of the season where the third-place team would play the sixth-place team and the No. 4 team would play the No. 5 team for the conference's final two playoff spots while the two teams playing in the conference title game would be automatically qualified. "[A record of] 8-4 is a winning percentage," Petitti said at Big Ten media day. "If you project that winning percentage in every other sport, I'm pretty sure you make the postseason, whether it's hockey, basketball, anywhere else. That type of winning record — we've conditioned ourselves to think that if you're not a one- or two-loss team, you're not worthy of competing. There are plenty of teams in professional sports who qualify for the playoffs who can't get past the first-round game. That's OK. They still get to play. We'll figure it out on the field rather than sitting in a room." You don't have to be a die-hard fan to understand that college football is still far different from professional sports, even as players are now getting paid above the table and schools are sharing their revenues with them. The chances of a three- or four-loss team winning the national title are extremely slim. And none of the other conferences want to cede a playoff spot or two to a Big Ten (or SEC) team with four losses. The SEC's coaches have advocated for a 16-team playoff that simply adds four more at-large teams and it's a formatfavored by Notre Dame,the ACC and the Big 12. Though the Big Ten and the SEC have the playoff power, the Big Ten appears to be outflanked. And unless the Big Ten backs down, the expansion stalemate is likely to continue. What would that mean? A 12-team playoff for 2026 and maybe beyond. That wouldn't be the worst idea. Having just two seasons of a 12-team playoff before expanding again seems foolish. Especially if each of those two seasons were seeded differently. The push to expand the playoff isn't due to competitive reasons, it's because more playoff games equals more TV revenue. Yes, it's yet another college sports decision being pursued in the name of money. The disagreement in the chase for the dollar could ultimately work out for college football fans. While four more fan bases would love the opportunity to make the playoff, teams seeded 13-16 aren't going to be winning four games on the way to the national title. Instead, the 12-team playoff deserves at least five years or more to establish itself. If teams seeded outside the top 10 consistently make the semifinals, maybe there will be a stronger case for expansion. But there isn't a very good case now. And that may turn out to be just fine.

byMario Satorik
in
August 01, 2025

With future of College Football Playoff still up for grabs, here's what to know about this year's format and beyond

With future of College Football Playoff still up for grabs, here's what to know about this year's format and beyond Unlike last seas...
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