Letters to the Editor: Meaningful immigration reform must come from both sides of the aisle
As Washington bureau chief Michael Wilner notes, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is also working on immigration reform. He is a centrist Democrat and has a proposal titled 'Securing the Border and Fueling Economic Prosperity.' His plan calls for significant border security enhancements as well as an increase in visa and green card opportunities and pathways to citizenship.
Americans from both parties could support immigration reform that is humane and economically sensible. We now have two lawmakers from different political ideologies who have the opportunity to work together and get their colleagues on board on the way to making America a better place to live, and to create a more hopeful future for our children.
Anastacio Vigil, Santa Monica
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Newsweek
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Pam Bondi Handed Epstein Files Road Map—'Follow the Money'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Senator Ron Wyden, the most senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has written to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to "follow the money" and launch a fresh investigation into the financial affairs of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein using Treasury Department documents. In his letter sent on Monday, Wyden said the Department of Justice (DOJ) "failed to conduct a real investigation into the funding of Epstein's sex trafficking operation" and accused four major banks of processing "billions in suspicious transactions that flowed through Epstein's accounts" that were not flagged to the Treasury until after the financier's suicide in August 2019. Newsweek contacted Senator Wyden and the DOJ for comment on Thursday via email and online inquiry form respectively outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters Earlier this month the DOJ and the FBI released a joint statement insisting Epstein "died by suicide" and had "no incriminating 'client list.'" The move sparked a furious reaction from a section of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, which has long believed Epstein was murdered to cover up the participation of prominent figures in sexual abuse. Wyden's letter shows the Trump administration will continue to face intense pressure to further investigate the Epstein case, or release documents it has concerning this, despite its apparent efforts to close down the subject. What To Know Addressing Attorney General Bondi in his letter Wyden said he was "convinced that the DOG ignored evidence found in the U.S. Treasury Department's Epstein file," which he said "contains extensive details on the mountains of cash Epstein received from prominent business owners that Epstein used to finance his criminal network." In response to what he termed "the DOJ's lack of thoroughness" Wyden provided Bondi with "a road map with a list of 'follow the money' leads on Jeffrey Epstein." Wyden noted the Senate Finance Committee on February 14 2024 reviewed "thousands of page[s] of Treasury Department files documenting the flow of money in and out of Jeffrey Epstein's accounts" which he concluded "contains significant information on the sources of funding behind Epstein's sex trafficking activities." He said this included documents showing more than 4,725 wire transfers involving Epstein's accounts from 2003 to 2019 totaling $1.08 billion. Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, during a press conference at Port Everglades on April 09, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (left) and the 2019 mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein (right). Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, during a press conference at Port Everglades on April 09, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (left) and the 2019 mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein (right). Joe Raedle/Kypros/GETTY In his seven-point action plan Wyden said Bondi should "direct DOJ prosecutors and FBI agents to immediately investigate the evidence contained in the Treasury Department records on Epstein" including alleged payments of several hundred million dollars to Epstein from "ultra-wealthy Wall Street financiers." He also said the DOJ should subpoena internal records related by Epstein held by major Western banks. Another of Wyden's points urged the DOG to investigate payments of "hundreds of millions of dollars" via Russian banks that "were correlated to the movement of women or girls around the world." He also called on the department to subpoena documents from the U.S. Virgin Islands regarding a deal giving one of Epstein's associates immunity from prosecution in 2023. Wyden also said several major banks "likely broke the law" by only flagging suspect payments involving Epstein after he had been criminally charged, despite this being a requirement of federal anti-money laundering legislation. Finally Wyden urged the DOJ to "conduct depositions with bankers responsible for overseeing large accounts transacting with Jeffrey Epstein." On Wednesday The Wall Street Journal reported that in May Trump was informed that his name appeared "multiple times" in Epstein documents possessed by the DOJ by Bondi. White House communications director Steven Cheung described the report as "another fake news story." What People Are Saying In his letter Wyden said: "Epstein clearly had access to enormous financing to operate his sex trafficking network, and the details on how he got the cash to pay for it are sitting in a Treasury Department filing cabinet." In their joint statement earlier this month the FBI and DOJ said its "systematic review" of Epstein related files "revealed no incriminating 'client list.'" They added: "There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties." What Happens Next Trump is likely to face further pressure to release more documents related to the Epstein case from both congressional Democrats and a section of his own MAGA base. On Tuesday House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, adjourned the lower chamber till September in a move that blocks any imminent vote on releasing the Epstein files.
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Pritzker's gerrymander jab draws fire
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Ryan Spain, the deputy minority leader, put it. The backstory: In 2021, when Democrats worried the House might slip from their grasp, Illinois Democrats approached redistricting with surgical precision — eliminating two Republican congressional seats and reinforcing their own fortress in D.C. How it changed: Illinois, which lost a seat due to population changes, went from having 13 Democrats and five Republicans in Congress to 14 Democrats and three Republicans. This week, Pritzker left open the possibility of more map tweaking. Asked if Illinois would try to 'counterbalance' what Texas might do, Pritzker said: 'We have to see what they decide to do about Texas.' We reached out to lawmakers on the redistricting committee to see if there's any appetite for another round of map-making. No one responded. And a spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon told Capitol News' Ben Szalinski, 'That's not something we're pursuing.' 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