Iceland is reconsidering its long-held independence from the European Union following President Donald Trump's threats toward neighboring Greenland.
Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir said the "Greenland crisis definitely hit a nerve" with Icelandic voters, who could decide on a referendum this summer on whether to embark on exploratory talks with the EU bloc, marking a significant change for a nation that has fiercely guarded its sovereignty and control over its fishing industry for decades, reported the New York Times.
“People feel that they might be forced to pick a side,” said Eirikur Bergmann, a politics professor at Bifrost University in Iceland, “and then there is really only one side to pick.”
Iceland's strategic location at the North Atlantic gateway to the Arctic makes it an attractive prospect for the European Union. The nation also exceeds EU standards on metrics including gender equality and life expectancy.
For Icelanders, EU membership primarily represents stability. Iceland is the only NATO country without a military and has relied on American defense guarantees. Concerns about U.S. reliability have prompted some to view EU membership as insurance, particularly after Trump's confusion of Iceland with Greenland and controversial remarks from his ambassador pick about Iceland becoming an American state.
However, Iceland's economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, and Icelanders fear EU membership could impose quota restrictions similar to those that devastated Irish coastal communities. Fisherman Helgi Haraldsson expressed concern about surrendering control of fishing grounds, noting to the Times, "there is just a certain amount of fish in the sea."
Economic pressures also drive interest in membership. Iceland's krona is volatile while inflation reaches 5.2 percent — double the EU average – and rising costs for groceries and everyday items have prompted some Icelanders to view the euro favorably.
Early polls suggest a referendum on membership talks would be close. Some Icelanders, like swim coach Magnus Tryggvason, support exploratory discussions as nonbinding with potential benefits, while others remain skeptical about sacrificing Iceland's independence and fishing rights, the Times reported.
Newly obtained renderings of the planned overhaul of New York City's Penn Station show a presidential seal with Donald Trump's name carved into the wall near one of the station's new entrances — the latest in a string of public institutions and landmarks to bear the president's name.
Gothamist obtained internal architectural documents showing "President Donald J. Trump" etched into marble next to a presidential seal at the new Eighth Avenue entrance. The designs also feature gold-accented railings, columns, escalators, and American flags — motifs familiar from other Trump-branded projects.
The winning plan, selected by station's owner Amtrak and the U.S. Department of Transportation, taps Penn Transformation Partners as master developer. The group includes Vornado, a Midtown real estate firm run by longtime Trump ally Steve Roth.
The federal government wrested control of the rebuild from the MTA last year, with Trump ordering construction to begin by the end of 2027. The overhaul would demolish the Theater at Madison Square Garden to make way for a new glass entrance, raise ceilings by up to 50 feet, and dramatically increase natural light inside the notoriously gloomy station.
A DOT spokesperson pushed back on the report, telling Gothamist, "We are not going to comment on leaked drafts and speculation."
White House officials had earlier floated renaming the hub "Trump Station," though Trump himself denied suggesting it. The renderings show it would keep the Penn Station name it has held since 1910.
The Penn Station branding is the latest addition to an unprecedented list. Trump's name has been added to the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and a new class of Navy warships. His portrait now appears on national park passes. Babies born under his watch have Trump accounts. A bill has been introduced to put his face on the $100 bill. And the White House launched TrumpRx, a prescription drug discount program bearing his name.
In a blow to President Donald Trump's demands for all GOP-controlled states to redraw their congressional maps to give themselves extra seats, a majority of the South Carolina Senate effectively voted to pull the plug on redistricting for now, with a handful of Republican lawmakers begrudgingly admitting Democrats had successfully run out the clock and they couldn't change the maps because primary voting was already underway.
South Carolina Republicans could revisit the gerrymandering attempt, but the upshot is that, for now, the state's sole Democratic congressman, longtime powerbroker Rep. Jim Clyburn, will be able to secure another term in office. And both the White House and MAGA influencers are furious about it.
“We knew it was bumpy all along, never a guarantee. But the votes were there on the last vote and nothing changed," said one White House official, adding that South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who had supported Trump's efforts to draw out the state's one majority-Black district, didn't give any warning that the vote was about to fail.
Meanwhile, pro-Trump commenters on social media lashed out at the state lawmakers, accusing them of betrayal.
"This was the slimmest House majority in American history, a chance to protect President Trump’s agenda, and a generational opportunity to give 1 million South Carolinians a vote that finally counts. It was sitting right there. All it required was holding the line 1 more time. They didn’t," raged Big Dog Strategies senior vice president Justin Evans, naming all the GOP state lawmakers who voted against the gerrymander. "We will remember who showed up, and we will remember who walked away."
"South Carolina Redistricting likely DEAD! Vital cloture vote to limit debate and force a vote in the SC Senate FAILS 20-24," wrote South Carolina Freedom Caucus founding chair and right-wing talk radio host Adam Morgan, who also named all the lawmakers. "Citing Democrats’ argument that 'early voting began today so it’s too late.' Looks like it was all a setup."
"This is why RINOs CAN NEVER BE TRUSTED — no matter WHAT they say," wrote MAGA influencer Nick Sortor. "Another reason people like [Texas Sen. John] Cornyn MUST GO. RINOs said they can no longer move forward with redistricting because early voting started today. They KNEW it was starting today, but dragged their feet. They could've finished redistricting LAST WEEK. NEVER TRUST A RINO! They NEVER change."
As President Donald Trump works to secure a deal to end the U.S. war against Iran — one that he claimed was imminent just days ago — a top official for a major U.S. ally broke ranks Monday and urged his own nation’s leader to “call Trump” directly by phone and “pound the table.”
That official is Israel Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu call Trump to inform him that Israel was “not willing to accept” the terms Iran has proposed as conditions to end the war — namely, that Israel halt its bombardment of Lebanon.
“I call on the prime minister: Pick up the phone, call Trump, go to him, and pound the table,” Ben-Gvir said during a press conference in Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Post reported. “Make it clear that the State of Israel is not willing to accept, not willing to contain.”
Iran has long insisted that any peace agreement include a halt to Israel's bombing campaign in southern Lebanon, which since early April has killed more than 3,100 Lebanese and injured nearly 10,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
On April 17, Trump said that Israel was "prohibited" from “bombing Lebanon any longer,” to which Israel responded by bombing Lebanon the next day, including strikes that killed four paramedics. Israel has continued its bombing campaign of southern Lebanon, and on Tuesday, expanded its ground invasion beyond a demarcation line it had established in mid-April, roughly a month after its most recent ground invasion.
The deal Trump appeared to be nearing with Iranian officials, while not public, likely included Tehran’s long-held demand that Israel halt its bombing campaign of Lebanon. Since news broke that such a deal may be imminent, Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials have only ramped up escalatory rhetoric in regards to its northern neighbor.
“We need to cut the electricity, turn off the switch, and make it clear to them: If there is terrorism, you will suffer the consequences,” Ben-Gvir said Monday, calling for the entirety of southern Lebanon’s energy infrastructure to be systematically disabled, a move that would likely exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Economic analysts tore into Trump's idea for lowering grocery prices Tuesday, saying it won't work — and will cause more harm than good, according to a new report.
"The president declared that he was taking 'a very historic action to substantially lower costs for consumers,'" MS NOW political contributor Steve Benen wrote, referring to Trump's comments at a May 21 event.
"I have bad news for those who believed him."
Trump has been touting his success in lowering grocery prices, according to Benen. The Trump administration loosened federal regulations that require grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cooling equipment, according to reporting by AP.
Although Trump said the move would "substantially lower costs for consumers," AP reported, Benen pointed to a story from The New York Times that found it will "likely have little impact on prices," based on market analysts.
"This move is highly unlikely to produce any noticeable reduction in grocery prices for consumers," food economist David Ortega told the NYT. "We're talking about refrigeration, and that's a very small share of the overall cost of food."
According to market analysts who spoke to the NYT, the bigger driver of grocery store prices is "tariffs, extreme weather, and soaring fuel prices since the start of the conflict in Iran."
According to reporting by NOTUS, the savings might amount to "$2 per year." Meanwhile, industry groups told the AP that Trump's supposed quick fix "could even raise prices because manufacturers have already redesigned products, retooled factories and trained workers" for newer refrigeration equipment.
South Carolina's Republican-majority Senate voted to stop a measure to push a new congressional map forward — an open rejection of President Donald Trump's demand for redistricting, according to reports.
As early voting began on Tuesday for the already scheduled June primary, a measure to accept a redrawn congressional map failed in the state's Senate in a 20-24 vote, NBC News reported.
The vote "was a surprise rejection of President Donald Trump, who had urged lawmakers to pass a redrawn map that eliminated the state’s single majority-Black district and gave Republicans a chance to win the seat," according to NBC News.
Last week, the South Carolina House had approved the map and aimed to enact it for the midterm elections this fall.
That changed on Tuesday, despite pressure from the Trump White House. Lawmakers had considered seeking another primary election for the districts affected by the new map in August, but some GOP lawmakers ended up changing their minds.
"Neither my conscience nor my common sense will allow me to stop an election that is already underway," said Republican state Sen. Richard Cash, who reportedly changed his vote citing the timing.
Earlier this month, South Carolina Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said that a new, last-minute map could be "short-sighted," according to NBC News.
"I believe that our state is stronger with vibrant parties. I think we, as a whole, are stronger when we have a clash of ideas. I think that’s true at the national level. I think it’s true at the state level. We are stronger when we have a clash of ideas and we can discuss those policy goals," Massey said. "Republicans are stronger when the Democratic Party is vibrant and viable."
President Donald Trump emerged from his surprise medical visit to Walter Reed Medical Center Tuesday bragging of "perfect" health — but onlookers weren't so sure.
Top of the concerns was the length of time the president spent at the medical facility — a duration some said did not suggest a routine visit.
Trump posted an optimistic message on his Truth Social platform following his appointment, the third in a year.
"Just finished my 6-month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out PERFECTLY. Thank you to the great Doctors and Staff! Heading back to the White House," Trump wrote.
But that didn't stop political and media experts from questioning the president's health status.
"At this point I’m convinced Trump approaches presidential health updates the same way he approaches golf scores, election maps, and crowd sizes: not merely healthy… the healthiest anyone has ever been in the history of health," Brian Allen, podcast host and a political commentator with more than 301,000 followers, wrote on X.
"Trump says he has completed his 'physical' at his 3rd hospital visit in 13 months and 'everything checked out PERFECTLY.' If you believe this, I’ve got a bridge to sell you," Democratic influencer Harry Sisson, who has more than 390,000 followers, wrote on X.
"Here is Trump’s schedule today, including a visit to Walter Reed for most of the day. Color me skeptical - a routine physical doesn’t last more than half the day. This should be a top story, imagine if it were Biden!" Author and activist Amy Siskind, who has more than 440,000 followers, wrote on X.
"President Trump just arrived back at the White House after having a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center. I wonder what they will find this time, and what excuses Trump and his doctors will make," Ed Krassenstein, liberal commentator with more than 1 million followers, wrote on X.
Here is Trump’s schedule today, including a visit to Walter Reed for most of the day. Color me skeptical - a routine physical doesn’t last more than half the day. This should be a top story, imagine if it were Biden! pic.twitter.com/qHUVwzJN31 — Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈🇺🇸 (@Amy_Siskind) May 26, 2026
At the same time that he is serving as Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche is living under a cloud due to a lawsuit filed by two highly litigious clients dating back to his private practice days.
According to a report from Vanity Fair’s Noah Shachtman, when Blanche worked at the prestigious law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham, & Taft, he agreed to represent Adam and Daniel Kaplan, twins in their 30’s, who were worried that they were being targeted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office for financial fraud, so they were looking for “a good lawyer, preferably one for a good price.”
They came to Blanche who, reportedly, offered to take on their case at a rate lower than the firm he worked at normally would charge.
From there, things went south, Shachtman is reporting.
The Kaplans initially came to Blanche seeking legal representation for financial fraud investigations and now claim the attorney assured them they "would not be paying Cadwalader prices" and that he "did not want to make money on the representation," implying steep discounts.
The firm's first bill arrived in June 2022 for $677,925.32. By November 2022, the Kaplans had paid Blanche's firm $1.65 million and were told they owed even more. On November 19, 2022, at 5:27 a.m., Blanche emailed the brothers: "I am forced to instruct my team to stop work on this matter," until the bill was brought current.
Instead the Kaplans' fired back with a malpractice lawsuit, filed in June 2023, that makes specific allegations: Blanche forged their signatures on an engagement letter. To support their claim, they enlisted a handwriting expert who confirmed the signatures were forgeries, Vanity Fair is reporting, before adding that the twins also alleged Blanche withheld evidence that could have aided their defense against federal charges. The malpractice suit contends Blanche billed them approximately 2,475 hours at roughly $1,000 per hour — far higher than the discounted rate he promised.
Their former attorney Daniel Abrams, a malpractice specialist, told Vanity Fair, "If those allegations are proven, and we have a good faith belief that they will be, you know, he's not an ethical guy."
Blanche and Cadwalader denied all allegations and later countersued the Kaplans for $1,208,403.76 in allegedly unpaid bills.
The malpractice case became more complicated when a federal grand jury indicted Adam and Daniel on 16 counts of money laundering and wire fraud in July 2023. They were forced to post $2.5 million bonds, according to the report.
One twin, Adam, was convicted on all charges and is held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — where Nicolas Maduro and Luigi Mangione currently reside. Daniel was convicted on all but two money laundering counts and remains free pending sentencing expected later this year.
Even as federal prosecutors pursued the Kaplans as alleged financial criminals, they presented themselves in state court as victims — of the law firm and of Blanche, who by April 2023 had started his own practice and took on Trump as a key client, which then led to his hiring at the Department of Justice.
According to Vanity Fair, the malpractice case will continue through the twins' sentencing as Blanche goes about his business at the DOJ with an eye of being confirmed to fired Pam Bondi's position should Trump formally nominate him.
Joe Rogan was stunned after news of President Donald Trump's newly created $1.8 billion slush fund and called the ordeal "crazy," The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday.
The longtime Trump ally spoke about it Monday on his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast with comedian Tom Segura, discussing the $10 billion lawsuit settlement between Trump and the IRS and how the Department of Justice announced that the fund would compensate allies of the president who claim they were wrongly prosecuted under former President Joe Biden's administration, including Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters.
Rogan took issue with the document signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that forever bars the United States from pursuing any tax claims or other legal actions against the president, his family, his trusts, and his companies.
"That is so crazy," Rogan said. "Imagine like somebody accused you of murder, yeah, and turns out you weren’t guilty of that murder and then you sue them and you go, 'You can never prosecute me for murder again.' And then you just go straight Uday Hussein."
Hussein was the son of Saddam Hussein and an Iraqi politician. He "had a reputation for sadism and cruelty, and died in a gory siege under fire from U.S. forces in 2003," according to The Beast.
Rogan endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election and has since become a more vocal and "cautious" critic of the president during his second term.
Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told The Beast that the president should be treated just like every other American citizen.
"This is an unprecedented remedy," Werfel said. "People expect the same tax rules and enforcement framework to apply to everybody."
Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized the slush fund, known as the taxpayer-funded “anti-weaponization” fund. It's led GOP lawmakers to openly challenge Trump.
Donald Trump's own niece is working against him in his own backyard — and she isn't being subtle about it.
Dr. Mary Trump, the president's niece and one of his most vocal critics, has thrown her support behind Alex Vindman in Florida's Senate race, calling a Vindman victory "an absolute nightmare at Trump HQ" and urging supporters to help flip the seat currently held by one of Trump's most reliable allies in the Senate.
"My uncle, Donald Trump, is using his powers to unleash a reign of terror and revenge against all of us," Mary Trump wrote in a message supporting Vindman's campaign. "I don't say this lightly."
The Florida Senate seat is held by Ashley Moody, whom Mary Trump described as "put in the Senate to be an automatic rubber stamp for my uncle's agenda." She accused Moody of promoting "dangerous conspiracy theories" and helping strip healthcare from millions of Americans.
Vindman, the retired Army lieutenant colonel who became a household name after testifying against Trump during his first impeachment proceedings, is now running for the Senate seat in a race that Mary Trump framed in deeply personal terms.
"Alex has stood up to my uncle before, and he's ready to do it again in the United States Senate," she wrote.
The endorsement carries particular symbolic weight given its geography. Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate sits in Palm Beach, making Florida arguably the most politically personal state in the country for the president. A Democratic pickup there would represent not just a Senate gain but a direct rebuke delivered in Trump's own backyard.
Mary Trump painted a vivid picture of what that morning might look like. "Imagine waking up the morning of November 4th, 2026," she wrote. "You make your morning coffee and turn on the news: 'Patriot Alex Vindman defeats Trump-endorsed Ashley Moody for Florida's Senate election.' This headline would be an absolute nightmare at Trump HQ."
Mary Trump has been one of the most consistent and prominent voices in Trump's own family speaking out against his presidency, having written a bestselling book about the family dynamics she says shaped her uncle's character and ambitions.
The closure comes at a critical moment for bees. In winter 2025, many beekeepers lost over half their operations as pesticide-resistant varroa mites spread, bringing deadly viruses. The losses have led to low honey production, and soaring fuel costs have made shipping bees cross-country for agricultural pollination increasingly expensive, further stressing the industry.
Beekeeping involves keeping colonies as healthy as possible. Often, beekeepers need help.Allagash Brewing/Flickr, CC BY
USDA’s bee researchers have served beekeepers for over 130 years, including nearly 90 years at the Beltsville station. One of the Beltsville Bee Lab’s standout services is its bee disease diagnostic service, where beekeepers can send samples for analysis free of charge.
Since the early 2000s, Beltsville researchers have helped beekeepers respond to varroa mites – a primary driver of high colony losses each year. Now, the lab is helping them prepare for a deadlier mite that is infesting honey bees in Asia, Tropilaelaps mercedesae, or “tropi” mites – by developing detection and response protocols that beekeepers can use to protect their colonies.
Varroa mites are the leading source of stress on honey bees, affecting half of all colonies at times. Other major stressors affect large numbers of colonies as well.Farm Doc Daily/University of Illinois
While the Beltsville Bee Lab supports beekeepers nationwide, it’s located in a prime farming and beekeeping region. Its closure would leave a critical research gap in the Northeast, where beekeepers help pollinate cranberries, squash, blueberries and other crops.
Its location has also allowed researchers to conduct extensive studies on winter colony losses, research that would be difficult to replicate at the remaining USDA bee labs, which are primarily located in more temperate climates.
Hidden costs of bee lab closures
The USDA states that it will decommission the entire Beltsville Agricultural Research Center because building maintenance and renovations would cost an estimated $500 million. But closing the lab could cost beekeepers, farmers and consumers far more.
For example, in winter 2025, beekeepers experienced their highest losses in U.S. history. Many opened their colonies in January that year and found that more than 60% of their colonies had died – nearly 1.7 million colonies nationwide. Beekeepers contacted Beltsville, and researchers quickly flew out to test affected colonies for pesticide residues, diseases and varroa mites, data that could help guide beekeepers’ treatment response.
Entomologist Jay Evans explains what the Beltsville Bee Lab does and the diseases bees face.
A few weeks later, as the lab’s scientists were working on the crisis, the Trump administration fired probationary researchers and staff at the bee labs, along with thousands of other employees across the USDA. The Beltsville team was hobbled, and the remaining staff restricted from communicating with beekeepers.
Because of the communication lockdown, it took nearly six months for researchers to deliver their findings. By then, the season was over and beekeepers had been forced to navigate the crisis on their own.
The loss of bee colonies ultimately cost beekeepers an estimated $600 million in lost honey production, pollination income and colony replacement costs – far more than the one-time projected costs to modernize the entire Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.
These losses can hit consumer pocketbooks too.
When beekeepers lose nearly half their operations, they often need to charge farmers more for pollination services to stay afloat. Those added costs can ripple through the food system and affect what everyone pays for the fruits, vegetables and nuts that depend on pollinators.
Beekeepers often transport their bees across the country to meet pollination needs and produce honey at different times of year. The map shows the movement of bees out of California to other states in summer and fall.Jennifer K. Bond, et al., USDA Economic Research Service, 2021
More cuts planned to US pollinator research
The Beltsville Bee Lab closure is not an isolated case. The administration has proposed eliminating the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area, a move that could defund the USGS Bee Lab, an essential resource for research on native bees.
The U.S. Forest Service also faces widespread cuts, including the planned closure of 57 of its 77 research stations throughout the United States. Since the Forest Service manages over 193 million acres of federal lands that support native plants and pollinators, those closures could affect crucial pollinator habitat as well.
These closures risk a severe brain drain.
When the first Trump administration moved the USDA Economic Research Service from Washington to Kansas City, Missouri, in 2019, the agency lost over 75% of its experienced research staff. A recent survey suggests that history may repeat itself. If the reorganization goes through, farmers and beekeepers will lose experts with decades of institutional and technical knowledge.
The Beltsville Bee Lab is a key part of the often-unappreciated federal research infrastructure that supports the health of pollinators and the nation’s food supply.
If the USDA and the USGS move forward with their plans to close bee labs and research sites, the result could be slower responses to bee threats, weaker tracking of native bee populations and diminished pollinator habitat for bees – all of which raise costs and risks for beekeepers, farmers and everyone who depends on the food system.
Texas Republicans headed to the polls Tuesday in a make-or-break Senate runoff — and for at least one voter, President Donald Trump's endorsement didn't seal the deal. It backfired.
CNN caught up with two Republican voters outside a Plano polling location on Election Day, and their reactions to Trump's last-minute backing of Attorney General Ken Paxton told two very different stories about the state of the GOP.
The first voter said Trump's endorsement was the deciding factor — pushing him away from Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and toward Paxton. "I was torn because I was gonna go with Cornyn," he said. "But when Trump backed [Paxton] — I like who he backs."
The second voter went the other way entirely.
"I made one vote, and that was for Cornyn," he told CNN's Arlette Saenz. "Primarily because he's not supported by Trump."
When Saenz pressed him, he didn't mince words. "I think he's ruined my Republican party," he said of Trump. "I think he's divided America. I think he's bad news. And I still lean Republican, so I voted for Cornyn."
NOTUS White House reporter Jasmine Wright, appearing on CNN, said the exchange captured a split that's playing out statewide. "You're literally seeing the 80-20, 70-30 split that we see represented in polling," she said, adding that the White House is banking on the majority holding. "This question that we continue to ask — whether or not Trump still holds a vice grip on the Republican Party — continues to show us yes, yes, and yes."
Trump amplified that grip Tuesday morning, resharing a post urging Texans to "Get the RINOs out now" while calling Paxton the country's best attorney general.
Cornyn, meanwhile, made his closing argument on Fox News, hammering Paxton's scandal-ridden record. "Texans have learned that you can't trust what Paxton says," he said, citing Paxton's impeachment by a Republican-led House and a $6.6 million whistleblower judgment against him.
The winner faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Newly released Justice Department files reveal the extraordinary lengths to which Mount Sinai Hospital staff went to provide VIP medical care to Jeffrey Epstein, even years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The documents expose a network of doctors and administrators at the prestigious Manhattan medical institution who arranged after-hours emergency room access, made house calls to Epstein's homes and private island and facilitated professional opportunities for people in his circle, reported CNN.
One notable instance involved Dr. Jess Ting, a plastic surgeon at Mount Sinai, who repeatedly traveled to Epstein's residences for medical consultations. In emails obtained by the Justice Department, Ting described Epstein as a "VIP" and pledged that "for Mr. Epstein anything is possible." When Epstein's assistant asked if Ting could perform a procedure at 10 p.m., Ting simply responded: "yes. See you then."
Hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, a prominent trustee of the Mount Sinai Health System and primary founder of a namesake breast cancer center at the hospital, is mentioned numeroustimes in the Epstein files and is now married to Epstein's ex-girlfriend Eva Andersson-Dubin, who used her connections for special treatment from the hospital.
Robin Solomon, who headed trustee services at Mount Sinai, provided Andersson-Dubin with a 24/7 emergency room contact number in 2013. "All he has to say is he's a friend of yours and EVERYONE is great," Solomon wrote, according to the files.
The revelations have created significant tension within Mount Sinai's medical community. Multiple doctors told CNN they had no knowledge of Epstein's connections to the hospital and expressed shock upon learning the details.
One anonymous physician affiliated with the institution called for the hospital to rename the Dubin Breast Center, fire implicated doctors and sever ties with the Dubin family.
"I think they're just focused on the money and not upsetting people in power," the doctor said, suggesting that financial considerations from wealthy donors continued to influence institutional decision-making.
The hospital has largely remained silent on the controversy. Mount Sinai's statement acknowledged that Epstein's actions were "reprehensible" but declined to address specific questions about its internal investigation, the total amount of donations received, or the conduct of staff members involved in providing preferential treatment.
The files also document instances where Epstein leveraged his hospital connections for personal favors unrelated to his own medical care. When his girlfriend Karyna Shuliak was rejected for a dental residency at Mount Sinai, Epstein forwarded the rejection email to Solomon, who subsequently promised to intervene: "I'm going to call my contact tomorrow and get her interviewed."
"The Epstein filesindicate that the New York financier appears to have given over $300,000 to Mount Sinai-affiliated organizations, with at least $125,000 donated directly to the Dubin Breast Center," CNN reported.
"In 2013, Andersson-Dubin tried to pitch Epstein on helping to fund post-surgery recovery rooms for women, telling him that the floor could be called 'The Epstein Floor for Women,'" the report added. "The next year, hospital employees discussed putting up a plaque at the Dubin Breast Center that would say it was in honor of Epstein. It is not clear if this plaque ever went up."
The DOJ's release of millions of Epstein files has prompted Mount Sinai to form a committee to investigate its ties to the financier, but hospital leadership has provided no public updates on that investigation or any corrective measures being considered.
