All posts tagged: commission

New Mexico sues DOJ over Epstein files and releases “truth commission” report

New Mexico sues DOJ over Epstein files and releases “truth commission” report

Published by Sam Flores

While Jeffrey Epstein’s island or his various mansions get a lot of attention, the late sex offender and financier’s New Mexico Zorro Ranch was also allegedly the site of extensive abuse and criminal activity. Now, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Department of Justice and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, are accused of “stonewalling” New Mexico’s criminal investigation of Epstein’s activities at the ranch outside of Santa Fe. New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who is behind the lawsuit, argues that the DOJ unlawfully withheld records, therefore delaying justice for victims. The lawsuit accuses Blanche and the DOJ of perpetuating “that disgrace” of failing to investigate or hold Epstein accountable before his death. The suit requests the court to order the DOJ to provide the requested unredacted records. “USDOJ and Acting Attorney General Blanche are refusing to facilitate the investigation of state law crimes by hiding information about Epstein and his co-conspirators from Attorney General Torrez and state law enforcement, when New Mexico is one of few jurisdictions that still may have an opportunity to …

Politics Home | MPs And Peers Urge Burnham To Launch National Commission On Lords Reform

Politics Home | MPs And Peers Urge Burnham To Launch National Commission On Lords Reform

Published by Sam Flores

3 min read1 hr A cross-party group of MPs and peers has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to expedite plans to abolish the House of Lords. In a letter seen by PoliticsHome, 53 parliamentarians have asked Burnham to establish a national commission to examine options for replacing it with a more representative chamber. “Whilst we welcome the initial steps taken by the government to reform the upper chamber, we remain deeply concerned about the impact its current structure has on people’s lives,” the letter says, adding: “This institution underpins the everyday realities of communities across the UK, and with trust in politics at an all-time low – it is crucial that we have a second chamber that is representative and accountable.” Parliament has already approved legislation brought forward by the Keir Starmer Labour government to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the upper chamber. Responding to the letter on Friday, the government pointed to the removal of the hereditaries as an example of fundamental Lords reform, and stressed that the new Prime Minister has a long-term commitment to replace the …

EU Commission charges Temu for not cooperating in December raid

EU Commission charges Temu for not cooperating in December raid

Published by Sam Flores

BRUSSELS, July 31 : The European Commission said on Friday that it has charged Chinese online retailer Temu for not cooperating properly during a raid on its European headquarters in Dublin in December as part of an investigation into whether the company benefited from distorting foreign subsidies. “The Commission preliminarily finds that Temu has infringed its duty to actively cooperate on multiple aspects related to the conduct of the inspection,” the Commission said in a statement. Between December 2 and 5, the Commission carried out an unannounced inspection at the office of the ecommerce firm, which is a unit of PPD Holdings in Dublin, Ireland. Source link

Charity Commission in contempt of Parliament over abuse cases

Charity Commission in contempt of Parliament over abuse cases

Published by Sam Flores

The Charity Commission has been forced to apologise after being found in contempt of parliament over its handling of alleged abuse at religious charities. The “unreserved apology” comes after the commission brought legal action to prevent reports relating to its mishandling of claims of abuse at religious charities being laid before the House of Commons. A report from Parliament’s privileges committee last week found the commission “clearly committed a contempt of Parliament” in taking legal action to prevent a parliamentary ombudsman laying special reports before the commons. The committee said the commission’s claim that it “was never the intention for Parliament not to see the information” was “patently untrue”. The commission’s efforts to “prevent Parliament from receiving reports that criticise its behaviour” were “wholly unacceptable”, it added. The special reports found the commission had not complied with most of the ombudsman’s recommendations in the two cases. The commission’s legal action, which cost the taxpayer £70,000, ultimately failed. Whistleblowers have now called for the commission’s board and chief executive to resign. Religious charity trustee demanded oral …

EU Commission Recommends Cancelation of Venice Biennale Grant

EU Commission Recommends Cancelation of Venice Biennale Grant

Published by Jenni Sidey

Over the weekend, a European Union commission followed up on its earlier threats to cancel a €2 million grant to the Venice Biennale, citing Russia’s participation in the event this year as its reasoning. The European Commission was among the most high-profile voices to denounce the Biennale in advance of the opening, saying that the exhibition should never have let Russia back into the show. Russia had not staged a pavilion at the Venice Biennale since 2022, the year that the country invaded Ukraine. Related Articles During the Biennale, the pavilion faced protests from such groups as the Russian collective Pussy Riot. Before the Biennale, a wide array of politicians had likewise denounced the pavilion, whose organizers said they would close their exhibition shortly after the Biennale’s opening. The Biennale claimed it could not kick Russia out of the festival, claiming that doing so would be a form of censorship. The reasoning appeared to conflict with prior statements from 2022, when the Biennale issued words of support for Ukraine after Russia’s artist representatives withdrew in …

Trump fires all Election Assistance Commission members, leaving agency unable to act

Trump fires all Election Assistance Commission members, leaving agency unable to act

Published by Sam Flores

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest. President Donald Trump fired all three remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, abruptly disabling the only federal agency devoted solely to election administration at a moment when Trump has sought to reshape federal voting rules. The two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, were notified by email. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the email said. It was signed by Morgan DeWitt Snow, deputy director of presidential personnel in the Executive Office of the President. The third commissioner, Republican Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign, according to three sources within the agency. McCormick declined to comment when reached by …

Trump purges Election Assistance Commission members

Trump purges Election Assistance Commission members

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press aboard the new Air Force One on July 8, 2026. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images President Donald Trump ousted the three remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, with less than four months before midterm elections, the White House confirmed Friday. Democrats blasted Trump’s gutting of the EAC, an independent federal agency that helps administer election funds, calling it just the latest example of Trump’s efforts to subvert U.S. elections. Two Democratic commissioners — Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland — were fired by email on Thursday, according to VoteBeat, which first reported the ousters. Christy McComick, was allowed to resign, according to VoteBeat, whose reporting was confirmed by a White House official in an email to CNBC. A fourth commissioner, the Republican Donald Palmer, voluntarily left the commission in April for a job at the Heritage Foundation. “The President, and head of the Executive Branch, reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections …

Iran-US; TPS; Election Assistance Commission; Gaza : NPR

Iran-US; TPS; Election Assistance Commission; Gaza : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories After two days of intense strikes, fighting between the U.S. and Iran appears to have paused. The U.S. says it hit 170 targets in Iran. Iran says it targeted U.S. military bases in the Gulf. The fighting coincided with a weeklong funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and four of his family members killed on the first day of the conflict. Huge crowds line the streets of the holy city of Mashhad for the burial of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 9, 2026 in Mashhad, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Majid Saeedi/Getty Images 🎧 Tensions remain high in the region, NPR’s Carrie Kahn, who is in Tel Aviv, tells Up First. In the recent series of attacks, Jordan intercepted incoming fire from Iran. Iran yesterday threatened the United Arab Emirates. Eyal Zamir, the …

Trump ousts Election Assistance Commission members ahead of midterms

Trump ousts Election Assistance Commission members ahead of midterms

Published by Sam Flores

The White House ousted all three sitting members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on Thursday, hamstringing the bipartisan agency ahead of the midterm elections. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The Democratic commissioners — Thomas Hicks and Benjamin W. Hovland — were fired by email, two people familiar with their terminations said. One of the sources also said Republican commissioner Christy McCormick received a call and was asked to resign. “They will be replaced,” said a White House official who confirmed that all three commissioners are gone. Presidential appointments to the EAC are subject to Senate confirmation — by no means a quick process. White House aide Morgan DeWitt Snow sent the Democratic commissioners a brief email of termination around 4 p.m. ET, one of the people familiar with the dismissals said. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I’m writing to inform you that your position as Commissioner of the Election Assistance Commission is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” the person …

UK Gambling Commission confirms phased financial risk assessments replacing affordability checks

UK Gambling Commission confirms phased financial risk assessments replacing affordability checks

Published by skeptic

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed that financial risk assessments will be introduced in stages, marking a major change in its regulatory approach after months of debate about proposed affordability checks. During a meeting announcing the decision and attended by ReadWrite, Acting Chief Executive Sarah Gardner said the regulator wants to identify customers who are spending heavily while facing serious financial problems, without creating the level of disruption that has been associated with existing affordability processes. “We found evidence that some high-spending gambling customers are experiencing current financial difficulties and they’re not being identified via means that are already open to gambling operators,” Gardner said. “Those customers are between two and four times more likely to have a debt management plan and between two and five times more likely to have had a default in the previous 12 months than comparable consumers.” The announcement accompanied publication of the commission’s policy confirming that financial risk assessments will replace the earlier affordability check proposal. Instead of judging whether someone can afford to gamble, the new framework …