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Federal sex-crimes prosecutor Marie Villafaña repeatedly urged her boss, Alexander Acosta, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, to pursue a 60-count indictment against Jeffrey Epstein in 2007, but Acosta dismissed her requests.

Acosta's chief criminal prosecutor, Matthew Menchel, questioned the urgency, stating Acosta wanted time to consider proceeding.

Economists warned the U.S. economy will struggle in the coming months as the Iran war drives up oil prices through Strait of Hormuz blockade disruptions.

Rising fuel costs threaten both consumers and businesses with thin profit margins.

Journalist Anand Giridharadas criticized President Donald Trump on MS NOW's "Morning Joe" for effectively demoting himself to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "VP" in the Iran military operation.

Giridharadas argued that Trump has broken core campaign promises by joining the war, which he characterized as a "war of whim" rather than a strategic necessity.

MS NOW's Jen Psaki reported Thursday on two blockbuster corruption stories plaguing the Trump administration.

NBC News revealed that Corey Lewandowski, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's top lieutenant, allegedly demanded kickbacks from federal contractors in exchange for contract growth, specifically targeting the private prison company GEO Group.

Social Security Works blasted the Trump administration on Thursday for covering up damaging information in a Social Security Administration inspector general report.

According to The Washington Post, the published report claimed wait times to reach representatives had been reduced to under 10 minutes, but an unpublished draft revealed the true metric, or "total wait time," showed callers averaged 46 minutes to over two hours in 2025.

President Donald Trump said that Japan declined to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a day after he made a joke about Pearl Harbor during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Trump told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Friday that Japan will not get involved, yet clarified, "Japan is a better ally than NATO."

President Donald Trump escalated his multi-day attack on NATO countries Friday, calling them "cowards" and a "paper tiger" for refusing to assist with his Iran military operation.

Trump has unsuccessfully pressured NATO to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route carrying 20% of global oil trade and over 20% of world fertilizer commerce.

American farmers cannot survive much longer as Iran war disruptions to fuel and fertilizer supplies devastate already-thin profit margins.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global fertilizer trade flows, has created severe supply chain disruptions.

Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer and co-executor of his estate, testified behind closed doors to the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, denying involvement in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme and claiming complete ignorance of the financier's crimes.

Indyke stated no victim has ever accused him of sexual abuse or witnessing abuse, nor reported allegations to him. He characterized his role as providing corporate, transactional, and legal services to Epstein and his companies.

House Oversight Committee Democrats issued five demands to Attorney General Pam Bondi for compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act after she refused to commit to testifying under subpoena.

Democrats walked out of a closed-door hearing on Wednesday, accusing Bondi of obstructing the law and participating in a cover-up.

Corey Lewandowski, who served as de facto chief of staff to ousted Department or Homeland Security's Secretary Kristi Noem, allegedly demanded kickbacks from companies seeking to do business with the DHS, according to NBC News reporting based on industry sources.

GEO Group founder George Zoley met with Lewandowski during the presidential transition and later in March 2025, where Lewandowski allegedly demanded payments described as "success fees" or kickbacks, which Zoley declined. After GEO Group refused the arrangement, two of its federal contracts shrank and facilities sat idle despite Trump administration investment in mass deportation operations.

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner warned President Donald Trump is "highly likely" to use presidential pardons to protect himself and allies from criminal charges after leaving office.

Kirschner cited former Attorney General Bill Barr's congressional testimony, explaining how using pardons to buy silence from co-conspirators would constitute an improper and criminal use of pardon power.

President Donald Trump's habit of gifting ill-fitting shoes to Cabinet members serves as a calculated humiliation ritual designed to reinforce authoritarian control, according to analysts specializing in cult psychology and authoritarian tactics.

Salon columnist Chauncey DeVega argues the $145 Florsheim leather Oxfords serve as a "loyalty oath" within a broader pattern of public degradation.