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The DOJ’s document dump of hundreds of thousands of pages failed to comply with the law authored by @RepThomasMassie and me. One document, 119 pages of Grand Jury testimony, was completely redacted.
I explain what is missing and what the survivors and their lawyers are still expecting to be released.
Epstein, Israel, and the CIA: How the Iran-Contra Planes Landed at Les Wexner‘s Base
Stanley Pottinger, as it happens, was a notable figure in the scandal that became known as Iran-Contra, in which the CIA used Israel as a middleman to move off-the-books weapons to Iran. In the early 1980s, under the CIA’s supervision, Pottinger advised an Iranian banker on shipping embargoed arms to Iran using fraudulent paperwork and overseas “dummy companies”—in the very same period that Pottinger and Epstein worked together selling “tax-avoidance” strategies from a penthouse by Central Park. Pottinger’s system eventually gave rise to a network of covert intermediaries shipping arms around the world; the CIA’s profits became a slush fund used to illegally bankroll the insurgent Contra army, who waged a war against Nicaragua’s leftist government while simultaneously trafficking cocaine to the United States.
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Pottinger escaped prosecution after the FBI’s incriminating tapes of his conversations mysteriously disappeared; he went on to make a fortune on real estate deals in the 1980s, and became a New York Times’ bestselling novelist. His Times obit from last year reports that his final spy thriller remains unpublished. Hashemi died in 1986 after being infected with “a rare and virulent form of leukemia” that was diagnosed only two days before he died. (His death was later alleged to be foul play.)
“National Security” Blocks Epstein Files Release
(November 18, 2025)
The truth is that the rich and powerful (including the FBI) are ultimately going to be protected from those who are clamoring for change. They aren’t hiding behind national security. They are national security.
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Though the 50-year-old Freedom of Information Act states that the federal government can’t withhold data from the public merely because it is embarrassing, in a 2021 lawsuit still pending where attorney Dan Novack sued for Epstein records, the FBI rattled off a long list of information it says it has but cannot disclose. That includes:
“Names, Identifying Data and/or Information Provided by Individuals Under an Implied Assurance of Confidentiality”
“Names, Identifying Data and/or Information Provided by Individuals Under an Express Assurance of Confidentiality”
“Names and/or Identifying Information of Third Parties who Provided Information”
“Names and/or Identifying Information of Third Parties of Investigative Interest”
“Names and/or Identifying Information of FBI Special Agents”
“Foreign Government Agency Information Under Implied Confidentiality”
“Dates/Types of Investigations”
“Collection/Analysis of Information”
“Names and/or Identifying Information of Non-FBI Federal Government Personnel
“Name and/or Identifying Information of Local Government Personnel”
“Information Regarding Targets, Dates, and Scope of Surveillance”
S.2557 – Epstein Files Transparency Act
(3) DECLASSIFICATION TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall declassify, to the maximum extent possible, any information that the Attorney General would otherwise withhold or redact as classified information under this section.
(B) UNCLASSIFIED SUMMARY.—If the Attorney General determines that information described in subparagraph (A) may not be declassified and made available in a manner that protects the national security of the United States, including methods or sources related to national security, the Attorney General shall make publicly available an unclassified summary of the information.
DOJ withheld more Epstein files in first batch than law requires
In a letter to Congress Friday describing the release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department believes it can black out information, even when it falls outside of the legally mandated redactions for protecting victims, showing gruesome injury or abuse, exposing personal information, or jeopardizing ongoing investigations and national security.
Epstein Library
This site houses materials responsive under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This site will be updated if additional documents are identified for release.
Some of the library‘s contents include descriptions of sexual assault. As such, please be advised that certain portions of this library may not be appropriate for all readers.
Last Updated: December 19, 2025
See photos and documents from the latest Epstein file release
The Justice Department released tens of thousands of records Friday on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though many of the files are heavily redacted and the agency failed to meet a legal deadline to release all files related to its investigations.
The material comes after a yearlong bipartisan push for the government to release its files on the Epstein investigation.
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials.
Later, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital in a phone interview that the Justice Department is „not redacting the names of any politicians.“
„The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law — full stop,“ Blanche told Fox News Digital, pointing to victims‘ names, victims‘ stories, any identifiable information. „Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim.“
„There are no redactions of famous people,“ Blanche stressed.
Not in that: PM says T&T not involved in US blockade against Venezuela
“They have asked for no assistance about blockading in Venezuela, no, they have not,” Persad-Bissessar said after attending the funeral for former colleague Daphne Phillips.
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When asked about Trinidad and Tobago’s position should any US military strikes occur, Persad-Bissessar stressed that the Government’s priority is to keep the country safe. She made it clear that T&T has no aggressive intent towards Venezuela.
“T and T first, that will always be our position. We have no intention of engaging in any war with Venezuela. I’ve always said we stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and we will continue so to do.”
„Willkommen in der Hölle“
Im Bericht werden einige der in Israel teils seit Jahrzehnten gängigen Folterpraktiken aufgezählt: die Opfer werden oft tage- oder wochenlanger Isolationshaft ausgesetzt, sie werden in käfigähnlichen Einrichtungen festgehalten, über längere Zeit nackt ausgezogen und müssen Windeln tragen. Zudem werden ihre Augen verbunden und der Entzug von Nahrung, Wasser, Schlaf und medizinischer Behandlung sind an der Tagesordnung. Hinzukommt Folter mit elektrischen Schocks, dem Verbrennen mit Zigaretten, mit Waterboarding (simuliertem Ertrinken) und dem Aufhängen an den Händen oder Füßen an der Decke. Die Rede ist außerdem von Hunden, die auf Gefangene losgelassen wurden – und immer wieder auch von sexueller und geschlechtsspezifischer Gewalt. Inzwischen existieren mehrere Berichte, dass Hunde für die sexuelle Folter Gefangener eingesetzt wurden.[4] Anlässlich der Veröffentlichung des Berichts sprach der UN-Menschenrechtsbauftragte Volker Türk, der zugleich auch die palästinensische Autonomiebehörde wegen willkürlicher Verhaftungen, Folter und Misshandlungen kritisierte und bewaffnete palästinensische Gruppen wegen des 7.Oktober verurteilte, von eklatanten Verletzungen der internationalen Menschenrechtsnormen und des humanitären Völkerrechts seitens Israel.
Prisoners’ institutions: 9,300 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli occupation prisons
RAMALLAH, December 16, 2025 (WAFA) – Prisoners’ institutions said on Tuesday that the number of Palestinian detainees and prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons has reached around 9,300, the majority of whom are detainees and administrative detainees.
In a joint statement, the institutions said the figures are based on data provided by prisoners’ institutions and information released by the Israeli Prison Service up to the beginning of the current month of December, noting that the total does not include detainees held in camps run by the Israeli occupation army.
Gaza death toll rises to 70,667 since Oct. 07
Thousands of others are still missing and buried under rubble in the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was established on October 11, 2025, 393 people have been martyred and 1,074 others have been injured. Also, the bodies of 634 martyrs have been recovered from the rubble during this period.
Two Palestinian Youths Killed in under 24 Hours in Ongoing West Bank Raids
Tuqu Mayor Muhammad al-Badan said that as mourners dispersed following the funeral of 16-year-old Ammar Sabah who was killed on Monday evening, a few youth remained at the northern entrance to the town, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
An illegal settler then got out of his vehicle and opened fire at them, killing Muheeb Ahmed Jibril and seriously wounding another young man, the report added.
US gets green light …Military aircraft to use local airports
“In keeping with established bilateral cooperation, the ministry has granted approvals for United States military aircraft to transit Trinidad and Tobago’s airports in the coming weeks,” Monday’s release stated.
Hegseth says Pentagon won’t release video of strike on drug boat survivors to public
At issue is whether the Sept. 2 military strike on the alleged drug boat amounted to a war crime, as some lawmakers have suggested. Officials have confirmed there were four military strikes against the boat — the first strike killing nine of the 11 people aboard. Some 40 minutes later, a second strike was ordered to kill the remaining two survivors. Two more strikes were ordered to sink the boat, officials say.
Trump initially said he would release the video, telling reporters on Dec. 3 “whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem.” Trump later backtracked, saying he would defer to Hegseth.
Trump declares ‚Venezuelan regime‘ a foreign terrorist organization, orders oil tanker blockade
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity.
„Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,“ Trump said on Truth Social. „It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.
U.S. military says strikes on 3 boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean kill 8 people
(December 16, 2025)
The military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted „designated terrorist organizations,“ killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It didn‘t provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a video of a boat moving through water before exploding.
3 killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire
December 14, 2025 at 8:07 pm
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The attacks came amid reports that Lebanon had received warnings from Arab and international parties on Israeli preparations to launch a large-scale offensive in Lebanon.
Two Martyrs in Israeli Airstrikes and Ongoing Escalation in Southern Lebanon
Sunday 14 December 2025 – Time: 14:24
SadaNews – Two Lebanese citizens were martyred and another was injured today, Sunday, in two separate Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon; the first targeted a motorcycle in the town of Yater, and the second hit a car between the towns of Safad al-Batikh and Barashit, marking a new escalation of Israeli assaults on southern regions.
Additionally, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the town of Joya, with the toll from the attack still unknown; while the Israeli army stated that it targeted three members of Hezbollah in various areas of southern Lebanon.
Gaza death toll reaches 70,654
13 December 2025 11:53 GMT
Gaza‘s health ministry has reported that three bodies were transferred to hospital in the last 24 hours, boosting the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israel since October 2023 to 70,654 people.
The “Yellow Line”: Approximately 58 percent of the Gaza Strip is still under direct Israeli control
(November 4, 2025)
The so-called “Yellow Line” refers to the demarcation of the deployment line to where Israeli forces withdrew in the Gaza Strip in accordance with the ceasefire agreement signed on October 9. Despite the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza are being prevented from accessing their homes and fields located outside of the Yellow Line, in what amounts to almost 58 percent of the territory of the Strip. Anyone who approaches or crosses the line is at risk of being shot by the Israeli military.
Israel is a rogue nation. It should be removed from the United Nations
(October 15, 2024)
Over the past year, Israel has launched attacks on multiple countries and occupied territories: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran.
Yet countries and territories aside, Israel has also targeted one specific organization with a series of unprecedented rhetorical and violent attacks.
Yes, the United Nations. We have all witnessed Israel, in effect, declare war on the UN.
OBLIGATIONS OF ISRAEL IN RELATION TO THE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS, OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THIRD STATES IN AND IN RELATION TO THEOCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
(October 22, 2025)
164. The Court recalls that, on 29 November 1948, referring to General Assembly resolution 181 (II) on the future government of Palestine, Israel applied for admission to membership of the United Nations, formally declaring that it “hereby unreservedly accepts the obligations of the United Nations Charter and undertakes to honour them from the day when it becomes a Member of the United Nations” (letter dated 29 November 1948 from Israel’s Foreign Minister to the United Nations Secretary-General concerning Israel’s Application for Admission to Membership of the United Nations and Declaration Accepting Obligations under the Charter, UN doc. S/1093). On 11 May 1949, the General Assembly took note of this declaration when it admitted Israel as a Member of the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 273 (III)).
165. For the purpose of responding to the question posed by the General Assembly, the Court will not examine all the obligations that Israel has undertaken as a Member of the United Nations under the Charter with regard to the question of Palestine. It will limit its analysis to those obligations concerning the presence and activities of the United Nations, including its entities, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
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223. For these reasons,
THE COURT ,
(1) Unanimously,
Finds that it has jurisdiction to give the advisory opinion requested;
(2) Unanimously,
Decides to comply with the request for an advisory opinion;
(3) Is of the opinion that the State of Israel, as an occupying Power, is required to fulfil its obligations under international humanitarian law. These obligations include the following:
(a) Unanimously,
to ensure that the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and services;
(b) By ten votes to one,
to agree to and facilitate by all means at its disposal relief schemes on behalf of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory so long as that population is inadequately supplied, as has been the case in the Gaza Strip, including relief provided by the United Nations and its entities, in particular the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, other international organizations and third States, and not to impede such relief;
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde;
(c) Unanimously,
to respect and protect all relief and medical personnel and facilities;
(d) Unanimously,
to respect the prohibition on forcible transfer and deportation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
(e) Unanimously,
to respect the right of protected persons from the Occupied Palestinian Territory who are detained by the State of Israel to be visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross; and
(f) Unanimously,
to respect the prohibition on the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare;
(4) By ten votes to one,
Is of the opinion that, as an occupying Power, the State of Israel has an obligation under
international human rights law to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including through the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde;
(5) By ten votes to one,
Is of the opinion that the State of Israel has an obligation to co-operate in good faith with the United Nations by providing every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde;
(6) By ten votes to one,
Is of the opinion that the State of Israel has an obligation under Article 105 of the Charter of the United Nations to ensure full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations, including its agencies and bodies, and its officials, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde;
(7) By ten votes to one,
Is of the opinion that the State of Israel has an obligation under Article II of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations to ensure full respect for the inviolability of the premises of the United Nations, including those of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and for the immunity of the property and assets of the Organization from any form of interference;
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde;
(8) By ten votes to one,
Is of the opinion that the State of Israel has an obligation under Articles V, VI and VII of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations to ensure full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the officials and experts on mission of the United Nations, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
IN FAVOUR: President Iwasawa; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Xue, Nolte, Charlesworth, Brant,
Gómez Robledo, Cleveland, Tladi;
AGAINST: Vice-President Sebutinde.
CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 13 February 1946
SECTION 3. The premises of the United Nations shall be inviolable. The property and assets of the United Nations, wherever located and by whom soever held, shall be immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation and any other form of interference, whether by executive, administrative, judicial or legislative action.
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SECTION 30. All differences arising out of the interpretation or application of the present convention shall be referred to the International Court of Justice, unless in any case it is agreed by the parties to have recourse to another mode of settlement. If a difference arises between the United Nations on the one hand and a Member on the other hand, a request shall be made for an advisory opinion on any legal question involved in accordance with Article 96 of the Charter and Article 65 of the Statute of the Court. The opinion given by the Court shall be accepted as decisive by the parties.
Death toll in Gaza rises to 70,365
At least five new names were added to the death toll, three of whom were killed by Israeli forces over the past 24 hours, and two whose bodies were recovered from under rubble.
Since the ceasefire agreement on 11 October, at least 376 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and 981 wounded. A further 626 bodies have been recovered.
Gaza death toll rises to 70,360 since start of Israeli genocide in October 2023
Over the past 24 hours, six new fatalities and 17 injuries were recorded in Gaza, the sources added. Since the ceasefire agreement on October 11, 2025, the total number of fatalities and injuries stands at 373 and 970, respectively, with 624 bodies recovered.
Israeli attacks kill at least seven people across northern Gaza
(December 6, 2025)
At least seven people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza City and northern areas of the strip, Al Jazeera reported, as Israel continues attacks across the so-called „yellow line“ demarcating the buffer zone.
A 70-year-old woman was among those gunned down by drone strikes in Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and Zeitoun in northern Gaza, health officials said.
It’s not just Gaza. From the West Bank to Syria and Lebanon, Israel’s onslaught continues
(December 1, 2025)
Broken ceasefires, bombing, ground incursions and mounting deaths: Israeli imperialism is now expanding across the region
Israeli forces penetrate Quneitra countryside
This comes a day after a similar incursion into the village of al-Samdaniyah al-Gharbiyah, where Israeli forces set up a checkpoint at the crossroads leading to the villages of al-Mushairifeh, al-Sa‘aydah, and Rweihinah, south of Quneitra, according to the same sources.
These daily Israeli movements continue without any response from the Syrian Transitional Government.
Israel hits multiple towns in southern Lebanon as attacks intensify
Since that truce took effect, Israel has conducted near-daily attacks across Lebanon that have killed more than 300 people, including at least 127 civilians, according to the United Nations.
Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Lebanon, said the timing of Thursday’s attacks was crucial as they came a day after an “unprecedented shift in the nature” of Lebanon’s talks with Israel.
Israel kills six Palestinians in Gaza, and burns entire family alive in tent in ‚safe‘ zone
Israel killed at least six people, including children and women, in multiple air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday as it continues to violate the ceasefire agreement on a near-daily basis.
In one strike, Israeli military incinerated a father Fathi Abu Hussein and his eight-year-old son Bilal and ten-year-old son Mohammed in their tent after they targeted the Al-Mawasi tent camp in a ‚safe‘ zone as people slept and then struck the vicinity of a nearby hospital a short while later, Al Jazeera reported.
The strikes also wounded 16 others.
Air strikes and shelling continue in Gaza
The UN has called for an investigation into the recent “horrific” killing by Israeli forces of two young brothers in Gaza who were reportedly targeted by a drone while collecting firewood.
This comes as humanitarians continue to receive reports that air strikes, shelling, gunfire and other continuing Israeli military operations in the enclave are causing more civilian casualties, displacement and destruction.
In recent days, hundreds of families were reportedly displaced in two neighbourhoods in eastern Gaza City following strikes and movement of military equipment, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York on Wednesday.
He was asked about the killing of the boys, which occurred on Saturday.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the strike in a post on social media, saying troops had identified two terrorists crossing the ‘yellow line’ in northern Gaza, thus posing an immediate threat to them.
The incident was “horrific, to say the least,” Mr. Dujarric said.
“It‘s hard to see how two boys, eight and 10, can be considered a threat. And there needs to be an investigation and accountability into what happened.”