Andrew Torba, the CEO of the Gab social media platform, is pushing back against claims made by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deputy director Paul Abbate that the agency has found anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic posts made by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. Abbate, during a joint hearing before two U.S. Senate committees on Tuesday, claimed the bureau had found what it believes to be social media posts made by Crooks between 2019 and 2020 that contained the racially charged comments.
“This is not consistent with Gab’s understanding of the shooter’s motives based on an Emergency Disclosure Request (EDR) we received from the FBI last week for the Gab account ‘EpicMicrowave’ which, based on the content of that EDR, the FBI appeared to think belonged to Thomas Crooks,” Torba wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) responding to Abbate’s claims. He continued: “Normally we don’t confirm the existence or content of law enforcement communications. In this instance we had to make an exception due to the overwhelming public interest in disclosure and transparency.”
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The Gab CEO goes on to state that the account believed to be associated with Crooks, prompting the FBI‘s EDR, is not reflective of the characterizations offered by Abbate during the Senate hearing.
“The story is this: the account for which data was requested was, UNEQUIVOCALLY, pro-Biden and in particular pro-Biden’s immigration policy,” Torba wrote, adding: “To the best of Gab’s knowledge, as of 2021, Crooks was a pro-lockdown, pro-immigration, left-wing Joe Biden supporter.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks’ motivation for attempting to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump has been subject to much speculation. Despite gaining access to his phone two weeks ago, the FBI has been unable to provide any official details regarding why Crooks carried out the attack.
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BREAKING: The FBI is now claiming that the Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks had an unspecified "social media account" in 2019/2020 (when he was 14/15 years old) that posted "anti-immigrant and anti-semitic" content.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has initiated a public inquiry into the shift of sports broadcasting rights from free, over-the-air platforms to subscription-based streaming services.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, broadcast networks, and internet streaming services.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The FCC’s comment period runs through March 27, 2026, with reply comments due by April 13, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “For decades, Americans enjoyed turning on their TV & quickly finding the game they wanted to see. Yet watching your favorite team play isn’t as easy these days.” — Brendan Carr.
🎯IMPACT: The inquiry seeks to address concerns over consumer costs, market fragmentation, and public interest obligations of broadcasters.
IN FULL
The Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a public inquiry into the growing trend of sports broadcasting rights shifting from free, over-the-air platforms to subscription-based streaming services. This development has raised concerns among a number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill and President Donald J. Trump, particularly regarding accessibility and affordability for consumers.
According to the FCC, while streaming platforms have expanded access to sports, they have also contributed to market fragmentation. Notably, in 2025, National Football League (NFL) games were broadcast across 10 different services, potentially costing consumers over $1,500 to access all games, according to some estimates.
The bureau further noted that 20 NFL regular-season games and one playoff game were exclusively distributed on four streaming platforms—Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Peacock, and Netflix. This exclusivity has raised questions about broadcasters’ ability to fulfill their public-interest obligations.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated, “For decades, Americans enjoyed turning on their TV & quickly finding the game they wanted to see. Yet watching your favorite team play isn’t as easy these days. Many games are still on broadcast, but an increasing number are on a range of different online platforms.”
Carr continued, “We want to understand the marketplace today, the experience of consumers, and how the changes impact the ability of broadcast TV stations to continue delivering local news, information, and other programming.” The comment period is open until March 27, 2026, with reply comments due by April 13, 2026.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The House Judiciary Committee is requesting a briefing from the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the circumstances surrounding the ouster of Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who oversaw the agency’s Antitrust Division.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The House Judiciary Committee, Gail Slater, Republican influencer Mike Davis, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, former DOJ staffers Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, along with Compass, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Live Nation.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Slater left the DOJ on February 19, 2026, and the House Judiciary requested a briefing on the matter on Wednesday, February 25.
💬KEY QUOTE: “With the departure of AAG Slater, it appears there are no longer any principled antitrust experts left to guard the antitrust division from this cascade of corruption.” — House Judiciary letter
🎯IMPACT: Slater’s abrupt resignation is steeped in allegations that Republican influencer Mike Davis—founder of the Article III Project (A3P) and the MRDLaw legal services firm—worked to undermine the DOJ antitrust chief’s standing with Attorney General Pam Bondi to the benefit of corporate clients he reportedly represents.
IN FULL
The House Judiciary Committee has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the ouster of Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who oversaw the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division until last week. Slater’s abrupt departure is steeped in allegations that Republican influencer Mike Davis—founder of the Article III Project (A3P) and the MRDLaw legal services firm—worked to undermine the DOJ antitrust chief’s standing with Attorney General Pam Bondi to the benefit of corporate clients he reportedly represents.
Slater, who came highly recommended after working in Vice President J.D. Vance’s old Senate office, is believed to have refused to roll over so that Republican influencers could make large amounts of cash lobbying for corporate America.
Numerous sources close to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and lobbying operations in Washington, D.C., who spoke with The National Pulse, claim Davis oversaw a public relations campaign targeting Slater on behalf of alleged clients, including Compass, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Live Nation. Multiple individuals pointed to a heated meeting last July after the firing of two of Slater’s lieutenants, Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, during which White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles admonished Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, over Davis’s DOJ access and his role in instigating infighting within the department.
“With the departure of AAG Slater, it appears there are no longer any principled antitrust experts left to guard the antitrust division from this cascade of corruption,” the House Judiciary letter, sent to Attorney General Bondi on Wednesday, states. It adds, “The leadership vacuum is occurring just as the antitrust division is handling historic cases.”
The inquiry is likely to focus on Davis and his efforts to influence the DOJ, especially the Antitrust Division. Following Slater’s resignation, Davis took to social media, taking credit for her ouster—writing in one post, “Good riddance.”
In private messages reviewed by The National Pulse, Davis wrote, “I’ve done more than anyone here on the big tech antitrust fight. Gail was a disaster. I recommended her hiring. And her firing.” When The National Pulse reached out to Davis for comment following Slater’s ouster, he abruptly responded, “Go fuck yourself,” despite rising to fame on the back of Stephen K. Bannon’s War Room show, which was co-founded by The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief, Raheem J. Kassam.
Sources have suggested that Davis played a key role in pushing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to drop a case against Pepsi and Walmart involving allegations of price fixing. Davis is facing scrutiny over HP’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks as well, with U.S. District Court Judge Casey Pitts conducting a Tunney Act review of the case’s unusual settlement.
“What if I told you this was happening because greedy, fake-MAGA world grifters and lobbyists are upset that the antitrust team was actually doing their job instead of taking cash from big corporates to turn a blind eye to monopolistic practices?” The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam warned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) last July.
What if I told you this was happening because greedy, fake-MAGA world grifters and lobbyists are upset that the antitrust team was actually doing their job instead of taking cash from big corporates to turn a blind eye to monopolistic practices? 👀 https://t.co/UL9ymj0bVu
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Four men aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat were killed after allegedly opening fire on a Cuban border guard vessel.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cuban border guards, a Florida-registered speedboat crew, and passengers.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday morning near Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s northern coast in Villa Clara province.
💬KEY QUOTE: “As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.” – Cuban Interior Ministry
🎯IMPACT: The confrontation left four dead, six injured, and prompted an investigation into the incident.
IN FULL
The Cuban government says four men aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat were killed after engaging in a gun battle with a Cuban border guard vessel in the communist country’s territorial waters on Wednesday. According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the occupants of a U.S.-registered speedboat opened fire on its coast guard near Cayo Falcones, with the armed exchange resulting in four of the American vessel’s occupants being killed, while six other passengers were wounded and are currently receiving medical care.
“As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured,” the Cuban Interior Ministry said in a message published by the Caribbean island nation’s embassy in Washington, D.C. According to the Cuban government, the Florida-registered vessel, carrying at least 10 people, was detected in its territorial waters off the country’s northern coast in Villa Clara province. When five members of the Cuban border guard approached the speedboat to verify its identity, the crew allegedly opened fire, injuring a Cuban coast guard commander.
It is unclear if the boat’s occupants are American citizens or why it was in the communist country’s waters. Cuban officials said an investigation has been launched to “clarify” the circumstances of the incident. The speedboat was registered in Florida under the number FL7726SH.
The incident comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Saint Kitts and Nevis, an annual meeting of Caribbean nation leaders. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has increased economic pressure on Cuba—including a near-total blockade barring oil shipments to the island—as its nearly 67-year-old communist regime teeters on collapse.
UPDATE: According to publicly available information regarding the U.S. vessel’s registration number, the Cuban claim that the attack came from a speedboat may not be accurate. The FL7726SH appears to belong to a 1981 Pro-Line 24-foot center-console fishing boat.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A guest of Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was arrested by Capitol Police during President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening for unlawful conduct and disruption of Congress.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Ilhan Omar, her guest Aliya Rahman, Capitol Police, and President Trump.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: During the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings.” – Capitol Police statement.
🎯IMPACT: Rahman was previously arrested last month after refusing lawful orders from federal immigration agents to move her vehicle in an apparent attempt to interfere with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation.
IN FULL
Aliya Rahman, a guest of Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), was arrested by Capitol Police during President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening for alleged unlawful conduct and disruption of Congress. Rahman, a Minneapolis, Minnesota resident, had been invited by Omar following her detention last month after refusing lawful orders from federal immigration agents to move her vehicle, in an apparent attempt to interfere with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation.
At the time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Rahman “ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene.” She was arrested along with six other alleged anti-ICE agitators, though Rahman insists she was actually en route to a medical appointment.
During the State of the Union address, Rahman was standing silently when officers asked her to sit down, which she refused, according to police. The Capitol Police stated, “The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders. It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings.” Rahman was arrested and charged with unlawful conduct. She was later taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment after allegedly sustaining injuries during the arrest.
Following her arrest on Tuesday, Rahman claimed she was not demonstrating but merely standing silently. “No buttons, no facial expressions, no gestures, no signs, not one sound,” she said. She added that she stood up when President Trump made remarks she described as “some of the most racist things I have heard come out of any leader’s mouth about the people of my city.”
Rep. Omar has called for an investigation into the arrest, stating that Rahman was “forcibly removed” despite warning officers about her injured shoulders. Omar said, “The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy.” However, the Capitol Police emphasized that all State of the Union tickets explicitly prohibit demonstrations, and Rahman’s actions were considered a violation of those rules.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The State Department is launching a new app, Freedom.gov, to provide global access to content censored in locations like Europe, China, and Iran.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. State Department, China, Iran, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU).
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The app will roll out globally over the next several weeks, available on iOS and Android platforms.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Freedom.gov is the latest in a long line of efforts by the State Department to protect and promote fundamental freedoms, both online and offline.” – U.S. State Department
🎯IMPACT: The app underscores America’s commitment to free speech amid rising global censorship, amid trade and legal issues with the EU over its restrictive online speech laws.
IN FULL
The Trump administration is launching a new tool to combat global censorship. Administered by the U.S. Department of State, Freedom.gov is an app designed to provide users worldwide with access to content censored in locations like China and Iran, as well as the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU). According to the agency, the platform will be available on iOS and Android devices in the coming weeks.
“Freedom.gov is the latest in a long line of efforts by the State Department to protect and promote fundamental freedoms, both online and offline,” the department says, adding, “The project will be global in its scope, but distinctly American in its mission: commemorating our commitment to free expression as we approach our 250th birthday.”
Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), praised the move, comparing it to historical efforts like Radio Free Europe during the Cold War. “If Europe’s bureaucrats don’t want you to see it, that tells you everything,” Tedesco stated. “[But] even if your government fears freedom—ours doesn’t.”
Critics of European speech laws, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the EU and the Online Safety Act in Britain, argue that these regulations are increasingly draconian, targeting so-called “hate speech” or “misinformation.” The National Pulse’s Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam reported last February that Vice President J.D. Vance took a room full of European “elites” to task at the Munich Security Forum in Germany, slamming leaders who fail to abide by the wishes of their electorates and condemning the censorship and persecution of conservatives, Christians, and others.
Concerns have also been raised about the impact of EU laws on American speech rights. A House report titled “The Foreign Censorship Threat” warned that European regulations are pressuring U.S. tech companies to alter global content moderation rules, potentially silencing Americans. President Trump criticized the EU for imposing heavy fines on American tech companies for not censoring enough, noting in 2024 that such penalties exceeded the tax revenue generated by European tech firms.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Joe Biden-appointed federal judge has overturned President Donald J. Trump’s policy of rapidly deporting illegal immigrants who cannot be returned directly to their homelands to third countries.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Trump.
📍WHEN & WHERE: February 25, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts.
🎯IMPACT: The ruling is paused for 15 days to allow for an appeal, potentially affecting deportation processes.
IN FULL
A federal judge in Boston, Massachusetts, has declared that President Donald J. Trump’s policy of rapidly deporting illegal immigrants who cannot be directly returned to their homelands to third countries is unlawful. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Joe Biden, did consent to pause his ruling’s implementation for 15 days, allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) time to appeal.
The Supreme Court has previously intervened twice in this case, initially lifting a preliminary injunction in favor of illegal immigrants facing deportation, and later permitting the deportation of eight men to South Sudan. Murphy was “benchslapped” at one point for having “failed to give effect” to a Supreme Court order concerning the case.
The Department of Homeland Security’s policy is to allow deportations to countries not initially named in removal orders, provided there are diplomatic assurances against persecution or torture. Illegal immigrants fighting attempts to send them home could be notified as little as six hours before deportation to another country.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) contends that the policy meets legal requirements and was necessary for deporting “worst of the worst” whose home countries refused to take them back due to their criminal activities.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Lawrence “Larry” Summers will resign from his teaching position at Harvard University at the end of the academic year, over his links to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Larry Summers, Harvard University, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced in February 2026, Summers will leave Harvard University at the end of the academic year.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I will always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to teach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.” – Lawrence Summers
🎯IMPACT: Summers’ resignation follows scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, as revealed by documents from the Department of Justice.
IN FULL
Lawrence “Larry” Summers, the ex-advisor to former President Barack Obama, ex-Treasury Secretary under former President Bill Clinton, and former president of Harvard University, has announced his resignation from teaching at the institution, effective at the end of the current academic year, over revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Documents released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) demonstrated a close relationship between Summers and Epstein, the now-deceased child sex trafficker, years after his conviction for child sex offenses.
Summers has been on leave from Harvard since November and will not resume his teaching duties prior to leaving the university. He has also resigned from his position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, according to Harvard spokesman Jason Newton, who also confirmed that Summers’s departure comes “in connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government.”
In a statement, Summers described retiring as a “difficult decision,” while expressing deep appreciation for the students and colleagues he has worked with throughout his 50-year connection to Harvard. The Epstein files suggest that the economist, who served as Obama’s National Economic Council Director, corresponded with Epstein at length and dined with him and traveled on his private jet multiple times, including with Ghislaine Maxwell to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands—a common access point to Little St. James, a.k.a. “Epstein Island.”
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The British government has denied reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paused his deal to give away the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands), which includes the British-American Diego Garcia base, after President Donald J. Trump criticized the agreement.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED:Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, British Foreign Office (State Department) Minister Hamish Falconer, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, and former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: A debate over Chagos unfolded in the British Parliament on Wednesday, following Trump’s remarks on Truth Social and Nigel Farage’s recent visit to the Indian Ocean region.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts,” Falconer previously said.
🎯IMPACT: The dispute raises questions over the future of British sovereignty in the Chagos Islands, the viability of Diego Garcia, and British-American relations.
IN FULL
The British government has rejected claims that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s far-left Labour Party, has put on hold an agreement to transfer control of the British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands) to China-allied Mauritius after President Donald J. Trump publicly opposed the deal. British Foreign Office (State Department) minister Hamish Falconer had previously told Members of Parliament (MPs) that the government was “pausing for discussions with our American counterparts.”
The Foreign Office now claims that Falconer “misspoke,” and there is no pause in the process. The bizarre deal would see Britain hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in obedience to a non-binding and unenforceable advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and then pay to lease back Diego Garcia—the largest island in the chain, which hosts a strategic British-American military base—for 99 years. Trump has repeatedly called the deal a “big mistake,” as Mauritius could renege on the deal once sovereignty is established, or undermine Diego Garcia by leasing another of the Chagos Islands to an adversary state such as China.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform Party, recently traveled to the Indian Ocean area, hoping to reach one of the outlying Chagos Islands to support a new, ad hoc settlement by the Chagossians—exiled from the islands to make way for the military base decades ago—who are overwhelmingly opposed to Mauritius taking over. Notably, Mauritius is over a thousand miles from the Chagos archipelago, with no historic population or claim to the islands beyond the fact that they were administered from Mauritius for administrative convenience when they were both part of the British Empire.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is appealing a court decision that blocked the punishment of Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) over a video urging military members to ignore “illegal” orders.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary Hegseth, Sen. Kelly, and five other congressional Democrats, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Chris Deluzio (D-PA).
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The appeal was filed on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
💬KEY QUOTE: “There is only one reason to appeal that ruling: to keep trampling on the free speech rights of retired veterans and silence dissent.” – Mark Kelly
🎯IMPACT: The case raises questions about the scope of federal courts regarding the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and the legal limits of military order compliance.
IN FULL
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is challenging a district court ruling that blocked his efforts to demote Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former Navy captain, over a video in which Kelly and other Democrats urged military members to disobey what they vaguely characterized as “illegal” orders. The appeal was filed on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Kelly and five other congressional Democrats—Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Chris Deluzio (D-PA)—appeared in the controversial video. The lawmakers, all veterans or former Intelligence Community members, claimed that service members are not required to follow unlawful orders.
President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Hegseth labeled the video “sedition.” In response to Hegseth’s appeal, Kelly stated on X (formerly Twitter), “These guys don’t know when to quit. A federal judge told Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth that they violated my constitutional rights and chilled the free speech of millions of retired veterans. There is only one reason to appeal that ruling: to keep trampling on the free speech rights of retired veterans and silence dissent.”
The National Pulse reported earlier this month that U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, granted Kelly a preliminary injunction against Hegseth. Leon claimed that the Department of War had “trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.”
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Bill Gates addressed his connections to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two affairs during a town hall meeting with staff from his foundation.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein, Melinda French Gates, and the staff of the Gates Foundation.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: During a scheduled Gates Foundation town hall meeting, following the release of the Epstein Files in January.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” – Bill Gates
🎯IMPACT: The remarks renewed scrutiny over Gates’s ties to Epstein and his personal conduct, as well as broader concerns regarding his foundation’s operations.
IN FULL
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and head of the Gates Foundation, addressed his connections to deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two extramarital affairs during a town hall meeting with his foundation’s staff. The meeting followed the release of files by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in January, which renewed scrutiny of Gates’s ties to Epstein. Messages written by Epstein allege that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) from “Russian girls” and subsequently sought assistance in acquiring antibiotics that he intended to secretly administer to his then-wife, to treat or protect her from the STD without her noticing
The billionaire admitted it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” but maintained, “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit.” He also noted that he met Epstein in 2011, years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution, and continued meeting him until 2014. Gates claimed he was unaware of Epstein’s full background at the time. This defense has struck some as less than genuine, as Epstein’s 2008 conviction was a matter of public record. In addition, the likelihood that Gates’s personal staff did not vet Epstein at all seems low.
Gates also claimed that Epstein attempted to use knowledge of his affairs with two Russian women to leverage influence and favors. Gates stated that the images of him with women in the Epstein files were taken at Epstein’s request and included Epstein’s assistants. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” Gates told staff.
Notably, the Gates Foundation clarified in a statement that the town hall meeting was part of a regularly scheduled event where Gates answered questions submitted by employees. The foundation reiterated that no financial collaborations or payments were ever made to Epstein, and no foundation funds were tied to him. “Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein, and no fund was ever created,” the organization claims.
Melinda French Gates, Gates’s ex-wife, has previously expressed concerns about his association with Epstein. Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.
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