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In the news today: Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse implore Congress to act; an unusual alliance is emerging in Congress to ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks; and a famous streetcar in Lisbon derails, killing 17. Also, archaeologists uncover pre-Inca burial sites beneath a Lima neighborhood during gas pipeline work. |
Attendees raise their hands to press congress to release the Jeffrey Epstein files during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Epstein survivors implore Congress to act as push for disclosure builds
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Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse made their voices heard Wednesday on Capitol Hill, pressuring lawmakers to force the release of the sex trafficking investigation into the late financier and pushing back on President Donald Trump's effort to dismiss the issue as a "hoax." Read more. |
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- In a news conference on the Capitol lawn that drew hundreds of supporters and chants of "release the files," the women shared — some publicly for the first time — how they were lured into Epstein's abuse by his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. They demanded that the Trump administration provide transparency and accountability for what they endured as teenagers.
It was a striking stand as the push for disclosure of the so-called Epstein files reaches a pivotal moment in Washington. Lawmakers are battling over how Congress should delve into the Epstein saga while the president, after initially signaling support for transparency on the campaign trail, has been dismissing the matter as a "Democrat hoax."
- Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is usually closely aligned with Trump, described her support for a bill that would force the Justice Department to release the information it has compiled on Epstein and Maxwell as a moral fight against sexual predation. Greene is one of four Republicans who have defied House GOP leadership and the White House in an effort to force a vote on their bill.
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Left and right are joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock
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An unusual alliance emerged in the House on Wednesday as lawmakers who agree on little else rallied support for a bill that would prohibit members of Congress and their families from owning and trading individual stocks. The group included darlings of the far right, the left, moderates and many in between. Read more. |
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The ban polls well with voters and appears to be finding new momentum after stalling out in previous sessions of Congress. Congress has discussed proposals for years to keep lawmakers from engaging in trading individual stocks, nodding to the idea that there's a potential conflict of interest when they are often privy to information and decisions that can dramatically move markets.
A Senate committee has approved legislation from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri that would also extend the prohibition on stock trading to future presidents and vice presidents — while notably exempting President Donald Trump.
- Under current law, federal lawmakers are required to disclose their stock sales and purchases. The bill requiring disclosure, The Stock Act, was signed into law in 2012. At the time, lawmakers and government watchdogs predicted that public disclosure would shame lawmakers out of actively buying and selling stock. That hasn't happened.
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Famed streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, derails and crashes, killing 17 people
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The death toll in the crash of a famous Lisbon streetcar popular with tourists rose to 17 on Thursday after two of the 23 injured people died, an emergency services official said. Read more. |
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The dead were all adults, Margarida Castro Martins, head of Lisbon's Civil Protection Agency, told reporters. Portugal observed a national day of mourning Thursday after the capital's worst disaster in recent history.
Officials declined to speculate on whether a faulty brake or a snapped cable may have caused the derailment. Lisbon's City Council halted operations of three other famous funicular streetcars in the city while immediate inspections were carried out.
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Ray Woodfork, a graduate of Twinning Project's collaboration performs a song in front of cohort 2 participants and Warriors Basketball Academy members at Solano State Prison in Vacaville, Calif., in February. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Photos showing how a basketball coaching program has provided self confidence for incarcerated men
The UK-based Twinning Project is partnering with the Golden State Warriors in a program to teach incarcerated men at Solano State Prison in Vacaville, California, how to coach basketball. The program has provided a purpose and self-confidence for these men, some of whom are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. |
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