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Today’s top stories
The Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee are looking to interview Ghislane Maxwell, a convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein. This investigation comes amidst growing questions about the Epstein files, as well as revelations about President Trump’s connections to Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in prison five years ago.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman announces charges against Jeffery Epstein on July 8, 2019 in New York City. A federal judge in Florida has denied a request to unseal grand jury transcripts from a separate Epstein case in Florida.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
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Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
- 🎧 The purpose of Maxwell’s potential testimony and the significance of recent developments are discussed by NPR’s Domenico Montanaro on Up First. The government, at the urging of Trump, sought to release grand jury transcripts related to the Epstein case. However, a federal judge rejected one of these requests yesterday. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Trump was informed in May that his name was mentioned multiple times in the Epstein files. Montanaro stresses that the presence of the president’s name does not imply any wrongdoing, as Trump and Epstein had been friends for many years.
Columbia University has resolved multiple investigations with the federal government and will pay over $220 million as part of a settlement. Following extensive negotiations, the settlement will also reinstate access to hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen research funds. The university will distribute $200 million over three years to the government and an additional $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Acting president of Columbia, Claire Shipman, mentions that the settlement addresses concerns regarding admissions and hiring practices, though specific details were not provided.
- 🎧 The decision by Columbia to settle differs from the stance taken by Harvard University, which has challenged the government’s demands and filed a lawsuit against the administration, reports NPR’s Elissa Nadworny. Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, views the agreement as a significant blow to academic freedom and freedom of speech at Columbia. In March, the Trump administration issued demands to Columbia, including stringent controls over its international studies department and modifications to student disciplinary policies. Allegations of campus antisemitism were made in connection with student protests regarding the Gaza conflict. Trump insisted that Columbia would have to comply with the demands to have its funds unfrozen and be eligible for additional federal funding in the future.
Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order mandating that artificial intelligence companies engaging with the federal government eliminate “ideological biases” from their AI models. The order prohibits federal agencies from engaging with tech firms that use AI chatbots displaying partisan leanings. The order defines bias as linked to concepts such as diversity, equity, inclusion, critical race theory, and “transgenderism.”
- 🎧 The president’s directives are aimed at streamlining regulations for AI firms, enabling them to establish large data centers more efficiently, ship AI hardware and software overseas with less restriction, and remove AI chatbots with a liberal bias, according to NPR’s Bobby Allyn. The order mandates that tech companies must essentially confirm the political neutrality of their chatbots before being considered for federal government contracts. Some in the tech sector view this as a payoff for the support they have extended to the president. Critics of Trump’s plan argue that it signifies the administration’s delegation of regulatory authority to the tech industry.
