Top Stories Daily Listen Now
RawStory

SmartNews

Prestigious hospital gave Epstein 24/7 access, house calls and other favors: report

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.

Keep reading... Show less

The 'unthinkable' has caught up to Trump as GOP 'revolt' catches fire: Fox analyst

Donald Trump's push to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies claiming victimization by a "weaponized" Biden-era Department of Justice has triggered an unprecedented GOP revolt, with Republican lawmakers openly challenging the president by running to mainstream media outlets to amplify their criticisms.

According to Fox News media analyst Howie Kurtz, the moment represents a fundamental breaking point in Trump's control over the Republican Party. "Donald Trump did something beyond the pale and the brave Republicans are standing up to him. If you don't recall this happening before in Trump's second term, that's because it hasn't," Kurtz wrote in his Fox News column.

Keep reading... Show less

Donald Trump moves to gag the entire federal workforce

The Trump administration is moving to force every federal employee in the country to sign a nondisclosure agreement — a sweeping crackdown on leaks that critics say could silence government workers for good. But for Donald Trump, silencing people with NDAs is nothing new.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management posted a draft notice Tuesday that would bar federal workers from sharing a wide array of "non-public, confidential, or proprietary information" or "any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material" not already available to the public. The rule goes well beyond typical classified and unclassified designations.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump's 'rare trip' to secluded retreat after hospital trip sparks speculation: 'Why now?'

President Donald Trump is set to make a “rare trip” on Wednesday to the secluded presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland, the timing of which fueled speculation among onlookers.

On Tuesday, Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center for a medical and dental checkup, his third hospital visit in 13 months, sparking an online frenzy of sorts as observers questioned the condition of the president’s health. Roughly 24 hours later, the president will then depart to Camp David, first reported on by The New York Post, fueling even more speculation as to what may be behind the surprise trip.

Keep reading... Show less

Real Housewives star rejects MAGA-friendly reality TV candidate: 'We've already done that'

Reality TV legend and former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Lisa Rinna doesn't think that former reality TV star Spencer Pratt should be the next Los Angeles mayor, The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday.

Rinna was attending the American Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and told Variety she has doubts about a fellow reality star taking on a government position — taking a dig at another former reality TV star turned politician — current President Donald Trump. Trump was formerly the host of NBC's reality show "The Apprentice."

Keep reading... Show less

Clarence Thomas faces blistering criticism for 'flagrant nonsense' dissent in new ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court tossed out an attempt by Florida to sue California and Washington for allegedly allowing undocumented migrants to obtain commercial truck driver’s licenses, and conservative Justice Clarence Thomas' dissent faced blowback.

The long-shot claim was filed after a high-profile fatal crash last year in Florida involving an undocumented Indian immigrant, and while the majority denied the state's appeal without comment, Thomas wrote that he would have heard the case.

Keep reading... Show less

'Why is he like this?' RFK Jr. ridiculed as he's bitten in new wild animal stunt

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is once again going viral for an animal encounter — this time getting bitten repeatedly by snakes at the home of his subordinate, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, as his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, pleaded with him to stop.

Kennedy posted the video to his X account Monday morning with a casual caption: "Cheryl cheerleads the removal of a pair of Black Racers from Dr. Oz's patio."

Keep reading... Show less

​Internet mocks 'shameless creature' Trump official over 'optimistic' consumer claims

President Donald Trump's top economic adviser Kevin Hassett claimed that American consumers are "optimistic" in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, prompting people to push back online.

Hassett was responding to reports that skyrocketing gas prices amid the Iran war and the rising cost of living have sent consumer confidence plummeting. Earlier this month, he praised how credit card spending was "through the roof" for higher-priced gasoline.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump sitting on 'ticking time bomb' poised to send US into 'permanent' recession: expert

A growing number of CEOs suspect a market crash is imminent but have been “scared” to say so publicly out of fear of retaliation from President Donald Trump, and on Tuesday, one security expert warned that such a crash may not only be imminent, but “permanent.”

“If nothing is done about the current situation, Trump’s looming recession could blow a deep hole in the economy,” warned former Homeland Security senior official Miles Taylor in an analysis published Tuesday on his Substack. “So deep that – if it happens before we’re ready – many folks may never be able to crawl back out. That’s because two explosions could hit the U.S. economy at the same time.”

Keep reading... Show less

Grand juries are revolting against Trump's DOJ — and judges are joining them: NYT

The Justice Department is facing an unprecedented crisis of confidence in its handling of grand jury proceedings, with federal judges striking down cases and citing prosecutorial misconduct at levels legal experts say were virtually unthinkable just years ago.

In a striking rebuke this week, Chicago federal Judge April M. Perry dismissed charges against four Democratic activists, citing a litany of grand jury violations that shocked the bench, reported the New York Times.

Keep reading... Show less

'This is a disaster': Trump's stated goals from February thrown in his face on MS NOW

The number of goals Donald Trump set out on Feb. 28 when he launched the unprovoked attack on Iran was held up to the light by MS NOW’s David Rohde on Tuesday morning, who made clear the president's war so far has been a failure.

Well beyond the Strait of Hormuz stalemate that has the Trump administration grasping for an answer, Rohde singled out five claims that the president made when he announced the attack, with only one coming to fruition -- and even that appears doubtful after this weekend's events.

Keep reading... Show less

Trump's Iran deal is failing because he lacks key ability Ronald Reagan possessed: expert

Despite an agreement to end the U.S. war against Iran appearing within reach on Saturday, the negotiations look poised to fail due to one critical “ability” President Donald Trump lacks, and one that former President Ronald Reagan demonstrated decisively during his first term in office, a political analyst and expert warned this week.

Trump boasted on Saturday that a deal to end the war had “been largely negotiated," but within days, jeopardized his own negotiations by floating a last-minute demand to Middle East nations, as well as by authorizing new strikes targeting Iran on Monday.

Keep reading... Show less

Federal judges block Alabama GOP's 'intentionally discriminatory' redistricting again

A federal three-judge panel has once again blocked Alabama from using its 2023 congressional map, ordering the state to use a race-blind court-drawn plan for its 2026 elections — and pulling no punches about why.

In a 102-page ruling filed Tuesday, Judges Stanley Marcus, Anna Manasco, and Terry Moorer found that the Alabama Legislature "doubled down on racially discriminatory vote dilution" when it passed its 2023 redistricting plan — and did so deliberately.

Keep reading... Show less