Uncensored Free Speech Platform

Democrats fume at Bondi after photo allegedly shows DOJ tracking Epstein database searches
Same show, different day.

Democrats in the House of Representatives are furious that the Department of Justice (DOJ) allegedly tracked their search history while going through the Epstein files stored locally at DOJ headquarters.
After Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before lawmakers at a Wednesday hearing, a photographer caught a printout of a set of queries she had brought with her — allegedly search entries that Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said belonged to her.
"Totally inappropriate," Jayapal told Fox News Digital of the monitored queries. "We’re going to demand an end to that."
The list caught in the photograph included phrases Jayapal had looked up in the DOJ's Epstein database, phrases like "Epstein victim list — all redacted" and "new Brazilian just arrived, sexy and cute, 19 yo."
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS LAWMAKERS' EFFORT TO FORCE DOJ RELEASE OF EPSTEIN FILES
Bondi and the DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 
Although the publicly available DOJ Epstein library does contain a privacy disclaimer, it asks readers to notify the agency in the event that a victim's identity is accidently revealed and does not make mention of data collection of any kind. 
Although it’s unclear what Democrats can do about their displeasure over any monitored searches, several lawmakers blasted the DOJ for what they saw as a violation of the separation of powers. 
In the view of members like Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, the photos allegedly prove that the DOJ is taking steps to control investigation efforts by members of Congress.
"The fact that they’re tracking us as we’re searching — why would you do that?" Garcia said Thursday.
"What’s the explanation for tracking members and what we’re searching for?" he asked. "It doesn’t make any sense. We’re very concerned about the process."
EPSTEIN VICTIMS USE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL TO PRESSURE PAM BONDI OVER WITHHELD FILES
Lawmakers from across both parties have made trips to the DOJ building in recent days, going through the Epstein files that the agency has stored on local devices at DOJ headquarters. 
Investigators like Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., among others, have made the trek to the facilities hoping to discover how many of the files remain undisclosed by questioning DOJ officials directly about the files.
It's those searches that Democrats claim have been under surveillance. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, says he thinks the agency has been monitoring members of both parties.
"We …

Signs
This sets a dangerous precedent.

Log In

Email *

Password *

Remember Me

Forgot Your Password?

Log In

New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access

Skip to content Skip to footer

Signs

Magazine

Newsletters

Subscribe

Log In

Search

Subscribe

Donate

Magazine

Latest

Archive

Podcasts

Newsletters

Sections

Politics

World

Economy

Culture

Books & the Arts

The Nation

About

Events

Contact Us

Advertise

Current Issue

Politics OppArt Today 8:30 am Signs Signs
Of things to come.

Eric Baker

Share

Copy Link

Facebook

X (Twitter)

Bluesky Pocket

Email

February 12, 2026

(Eric Baker).

Check out all installments in the OppArt series.

Submit a correction

Send a letter to the editor

Reprints & permissions

Eric BakerEric Baker is an independent designer specializing in branding and communications design for a wide range of hospitality, publishing, entertainment and cultural clients.

He is coauthor of the books Trademarks of the 20’s & 30’s and Trademarks of the 40’s & 50’s and author of Great Inventions/Good Intentions, An Illustrated History of American Design Patents and Hitting The Road, The Art of The American Road Map. His book Invitation to The Voyage – A Poem Illustrated by Charles Baudelaire was published by Bulfinch Press, “You’re The Top” by Cole Porter was published by Simon & Schuster Editions. His most recent book, American Trademarks, A Compendium, was published by Chronicle Books of San Francisco. Instagram

Keep Reading

Ad Policy

Sections

Politics

World

Economy

Culture

Books & the Arts

OppArt

Poetry

Letters

Magazine

Current Issue

Masthead

Archive

Subscription Services

Reprints

More

About Us

Contact Us

Advertise

Nation Events

Nation Shop

Nation Travels

Nation Podcasts

Newsletters

Follow

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

RSS

Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has long believed that independent journalism has the capacity to bring about a more democratic and equitable world.

Donate

Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

Accessibility Statement

Help

Careers

Nation Fund

Privacy Manager

x

Latest from the nation

Today 8:30 am Signs

Eric Baker

Today 5:00 am
The Trump Administration Wants to Make It Easier Than Ever to Exploit Farmworkers

Teresa Cotsirilos

Today 5:00 am
The Divisions Mamdani Commands Are About to Be Battle-Tested

D.D. Guttenplan

Today 5:00 am
Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching

Zachary Clifton

Today 5:00 am
Abolition Is Still the Only Way Out of This

Andrea J. Ritchie

editor's picks

VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. Here’s Why.

The Nation

Historical Amnesia About Slavery Is a Tool of White Supremacy

Mychal Denzel Smith

Melania Trump reunites Russian and Ukrainian children with their families
What's the administration thinking here?

First lady Melania Trump announced on Thursday that she helped reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families.

This marks the third time she has helped reunite children with their families since the war between Russia and Ukraine began. 

“I appreciate that Russia and Ukraine are dedicated to bringing back the children who have been displaced because of the circumstances surrounding this conflict,” Trump said in a press release. 

The first lady encouraged Russia and Ukraine to continue cooperating to reunite families. The number of children reunited was not shared in the press release. 

“Although all parties are cooperating and our communications remain robust, I urge Russia and Ukraine to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe return of every child to their families and guardians,” she said. 

Trump said she has “no doubt” that more “progress” will come. 

The first lady has made the reunification of children from the conflict a priority since the start of the second Trump administration. In August, she wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin urging the protection of children and to “single-handedly restore their melodic laughter.”

She announced in December that seven Ukrainian children — six boys and one girl — were returned with their families, in addition to the eight children that had been returned to their families in November after she opened a line of communication with the Kremlin. 

There is no official report on the number of children abducted, but Ukrainian officials believe it to be around 19,500, while some think it could be significantly higher.

HOW MANY RUSSIANS AND UKRAINIANS HAVE DIED IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR?

The announcement comes after Russia launched another strike on Ukraine with 219 drones and 24 ballistic missiles hitting various cities throughout the country, killing two people and injuring 10. 

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to end the war between the countries. 

Trump UN aviation ambassador pick faces scrutiny after $426K tax liens missing from ethics filing
Same show, different day.

President Donald Trump's pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) office focused on aviation is facing heightened scrutiny for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes that were not disclosed in official ethics documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 
Jeffrey Anderson, a retired Delta Air Lines captain and U.S. Navy veteran, was nominated to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization in July 2025. The International Civil Aviation Organization is a U.N. office based in Canada that is charged with overseeing international aviation standards, including issues related to safety, navigation and environmental protection. 
The administration has backed him as "highly qualified" for the role and a "great choice to represent the President’s America First foreign policy agenda in the international aviation community," in a statement to Fox News Digital in 2025 as his tax issues and past support of Democrats came to light. 
The role is a Senate-confirmed post, with Anderson's nomination sitting before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 
TRUMP PICK FOR UN AVIATION OFFICE HAS LONG HISTORY DONATING TO DEMS, NIKKI HALEY
Now, Anderson has signed his ethics agreement and disclosure forms, but mentions of the now-paid off liens are not included, Fox News Digital found.  
Fox News Digital obtained Anderson's IRS Certificates of Release of Federal Tax Lien that show he and his wife had multiple federal tax liens stemming from tax years 2013–2019, with unpaid assessed balances totaling approximately $426,000. The liens were related to "small business/self employed" taxes, according to the documents. 
A federal tax lien is "the government's legal claim against your property when you neglect or fail to pay a tax debt," according to the IRS. 
The liens, filed in two Georgia counties, were not released until October 2025 after payment was fulfilled. One IRS Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien shows liens tied to the 2012–2018 tax years totaling $354,791.63 and later released on Oct. 15, 2025, according to the documents obtained by Fox Digital. A second release shows a lien tied to tax year 2019 totaling $71,313.11 and released Oct. 29, 2025. 
Anderson’s Public Financial Disclosure Report, called OGE Form 278e, however, only lists a single mortgage in the liabilities section — not any disclosures of federal tax liens or IRS liability, according to the documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The OGE Form 278e does detail boilerplate and detailed information on Anderson's assets, past employment and income. …

Meet the Young Organizers Survival Corps
How is this acceptable?

Log In

Email *

Password *

Remember Me

Forgot Your Password?

Log In

New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access

Skip to content Skip to footer

Meet the Young Organizers Survival Corps

Magazine

Newsletters

Subscribe

Log In

Search

Subscribe

Donate

Magazine

Latest

Archive

Podcasts

Newsletters

Sections

Politics

World

Economy

Culture

Books & the Arts

The Nation

About

Events

Contact Us

Advertise

Current Issue

Activism

/ February 12, 2026

Meet the Young Organizers Survival Corps

Young organizers from around the country gathered at Haley Farm to study past social movements and train in the tactics of nonviolent resistance and grassroots organizing.

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Sam Theoharis

Share

Copy Link

Facebook

X (Twitter)

Bluesky Pocket

Email

Ad Policy

A March for Our Lives rally on March 24, 2018, in Seattle, Washington.
(Lindsey Wasson / Getty Images)

This article originally appeared at . To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from .

Here’s a small suggestion from the two authors of this piece (us): Don’t be young in Donald Trump’s America if you can help it. Being young in America right now means you’ll have to contend with stalling job markets, rampant inflation, deep political and economic instability, and impending climate disaster. If you point these things out, you’re labeled a dangerous (and misguided) radical. If you’re too busy trying to make ends meet for you and your family, you get labeled as lazy, apathetic, and defeatist.

This is not to say that older generations are doing OK. They’re not. But at least they’ll get to receive (and not just pay into) social security, which has to make the fascism go down easier. Before we explain or suggest what the young can do about all that, let us start by introducing ourselves, since one of us is indeed still Gen Z.

The authors of this piece are both co-workers and family members. “Theohari,” as some of our colleagues like to call us. Liz is Sam’s aunt and a longtime antipoverty organizer, mother, pastor, and theologian. Sam is a recent college graduate, student organizer, and law nerd. Recently, we were roommates at The Young Organizers Survival Corps boot camp.

Gathering in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains on a 157-acre farm owned and run by the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), The Young Organizers Survival Corps kicked off a six-month leadership development program to help prepare the next generation of leaders to resist authoritarianism—something all too crucial in Donald Trump’s America. A hundred young people converged from more than 22 states, representing dozens of campuses and grassroots organizations. Most of them had already been struggling around issues of tenants’ rights, peace and militarism, immigrant rights, abortion rights, mass incarceration, homelessness, healthcare access, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and so much more in this increasingly disturbed country.

In our days at that farm, we studied the hard-won lessons of past social movements, trained young people in the tactics of nonviolent resistance and grassroots organizing, …

Top DOJ antitrust official resigns less than a year after being appointed by Trump
This looks less like justice and more like strategy.

The Justice Department’s top antitrust official, Gail Slater, announced Thursday that she is resigning from her post, less than a year after she was appointed by President Donald Trump.

Slater, who has served as assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division since March, said in a post on X that she would be leaving her post, but she did not specify a reason for her departure.

“It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today,” Slater said. “It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role. Huge thanks to all who supported me this past year, most especially the men and women of @justiceatr.”

Slater was presented with the option to resign rather than be fired later this week, the Guardian reported. Omeed Assefi, who temporarily held Slater’s role prior to her appointment, is set to once again serve as interim assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division.

Vice President JD Vance, who was once in Slater’s corner and had her as his senior adviser, reportedly grew weary when Slater started telling her colleagues she had his backing.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Slater had frequent disagreements, with Bondi saying the antitrust official often deflected orders and jumped ranks.

Prior to Slater’s departure, she had posted on X that “Chief of Staff Sara Matar’s detail has concluded” but deleted the departure announcement shortly after posting. Bondi claimed that Slater did not have authority over Matar’s contract, and it was then renewed.

Slater’s No. 2 announced last week that he would be leaving his post and returning to public service.

Slater’s tenure was marked by internal tensions, including last summer’s firing of two senior deputies following a dispute over a controversial settlement that cleared Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks.

After the settlement, Slater’s disagreements with Bondi became clear. Bondi was convinced the merger was in the interests of national security by intelligence officials, but Slater disagreed.

Slater attempted to get the White House to overturn Bondi and revisit the tech giants’ merger.

Following Slater’s request, two of her deputies who opposed the merger decision were forced out.

Slater’s resignation comes as the department is engaged in one of the most consequential merger reviews in recent years — the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix.

The DOJ has launched an antitrust investigation into …

The Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching
This affects the entire country.

Log In

Email *

Password *

Remember Me

Forgot Your Password?

Log In

New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access

Skip to content Skip to footer

Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching

Magazine

Newsletters

Subscribe

Log In

Search

Subscribe

Donate

Magazine

Latest

Archive

Podcasts

Newsletters

Sections

Politics

World

Economy

Culture

Books & the Arts

The Nation

About

Events

Contact Us

Advertise

Current Issue

Society

/

StudentNation

/ February 12, 2026

Yale Professor Who E-mailed Epstein About a “Small Goodlooking Blonde” Student Is No Longer Teaching

After outcry from students over e-mails showing David Gelernter’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the computer science professor is under review by the university.

Zachary Clifton

Share

Copy Link

Facebook

X (Twitter)

Bluesky Pocket

Email

Ad Policy

David Gelernter, professor of computer science and a specialist in artificial intelligence at Yale University.

(James Leynse / Getty)

This story was produced for StudentNation, a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism, which is dedicated to highlighting the best of student journalism. For more StudentNation, check out our archive or learn more about the program here. StudentNation is made possible through generous funding from The Puffin Foundation. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected].

On an ordinary Thursday, in June 1993, on the fifth floor of Arthur K. Watson Hall at Yale, a computer science professor opened mail in his office. David Gelernter believed that what sat on his desk was a stack of letters, one of the packages probably a dissertation from a graduate student. But when he tore open the package, it began smoking. It was an explosive device from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Upon detonation, the bomb damaged four fingers on Gelernter’s right hand along with his right eye.

Still, Gelernter survived one of the Unabomber’s attacks against influential academics leading the digital revolution. At Yale, Gelernter is best known for being the worst-ranked professor in the university’s computer science department. Nationally, he’s known for being a contrarian in academia and clashing against scientific consensus on climate change. For that role, Gelernter met with Donald Trump in 2017 and was floated as a potential science adviser during his first term.

In January, another explosion rocked Arthur K. Watson Hall: the revelation that Gelernter had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. In dozens of e-mails, between 2009 and 2015, Gelernter corresponded with the convicted sex offender, according to files released by the Department of Justice.

In 2010, Gelernter invited Epstein to New Haven, even offering the hospital’s heliport for his helicopter to land. In April 2011, Gelernter seemingly solicited money and advice from Epstein for a business venture, discussing operating budgets and development costs, including “executive salaries” for himself and two others. In another e-mail, released in late January, Gelernter recommended one of …

Obama-era greenhouse gas rules gone as EPA’s Zeldin signs ‘single largest deregulatory action’ in history
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.

FIRST ON FOX: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday will eliminate the "2009 Obama EPA Endangerment Finding," which set in motion most federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, saving Americans billions.
The 2009 development was an EPA finding that carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and three other greenhouse gases "endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations" under the Clean Air Act — leading to a slew of new restrictions and regulations.
An ensuing Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA found greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants and that if the EPA determines they endanger public health or welfare it can regulate them.
"As I traveled across all 50 states this past year, I heard from countless Americans who not only dislike the (motor-vehicle) start-stop feature but passionately advocated for this mechanism to be a thing of the past," Zeldin said of the major recission made Thursday.
TRUMP TAKES AXE TO FEDERAL RED TAPE, CUTS 600+ RULES IN ONE YEAR, TOUTS BILLIONS IN SAVINGS
"Not only do many people find start-stop annoying, but it kills the battery of your car without any significant benefit to the environment. The Trump EPA is proudly fixing this stupid feature at Trump Speed."
Zeldin said automakers shouldn’t be forced to adopt or be rewarded for using technologies that represent a "climate participation trophy" with no meaningful reduction in actual pollution.
The former New York lawmaker said consumer choice is a priority for his agency, and that his office will continue to advocate for "commonsense rules."
ZELDIN OVERHAULS BIDEN-ERA WATER RULE TO END ‘WEAPONIZATION’ THAT LED ‘PUDDLES’ TO TRIGGER PRICY PERMITS
US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added in a statement that resetting of mileage standards and removal of auto-starts and other greenhouse-gas-regulation-precipitated regulations are part of President Donald Trump’s vision to lower costs and revitalize manufacturing.
All federal greenhouse gas emission standards for vehicles and engines subsequent to the 2009 declaration will be rescinded, a source familiar with the situation said.
When it comes to the start-stop off-cycle technology, a credit for it was created by the EPA in 2012 and quickly infuriated motorists who hear their engine click off then on again at a stoplight or in the teller line at the bank.
TEXAS CHALLENGES NEWSOM’S GAS CAR CRACKDOWN, WARNING CALIFORNIA CAN’T DICTATE US AUTO MARKET
The start-stop became a regulatory loophole allowing automakers to claim …

Hawley clashes with Minnesota AG Ellison over fraud: ‘You ought to be indicted’
What's the endgame here?

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Thursday called for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to resign and suggested he should face criminal charges, accusing him of assisting people later charged in a sprawling welfare fraud scheme.
The confrontation came during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing in which Hawley questioned Ellison, an elected Democrat, about his actions surrounding the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which was at the center of a $250 million scheme to defraud a child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawley pointed to a meeting in December 2021 between Ellison and people who were later indicted, arguing that the Minnesota attorney general surreptitiously attempted to help them during what public records say was a 54-minute encounter.
Hawley said Ellison accepted $10,000 in campaign donations days after the meeting from individuals later charged.
"You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government … and you got a fat campaign contribution out of it," Hawley said, yelling, "You ought to be indicted."
Hawley later added that Ellison "ought to be in jail."
"Well, see what you can do about it," Ellison shot back.
GOP SENATOR, MINNESOTA AG CLASH AT CAPITOL HILL HEARING: 'SIT THERE AND SMIRK, IT'S SICK'
The Minnesota attorney general forcefully denied the accusations, saying Hawley was "cherry-picking quotes" and mischaracterizing the meeting. Ellison said he did not help the defendants. His office assisted with information that led to prosecutions and convictions in the broader investigation, Ellison said.
The entire exchange was loud and contentious as both men interrupted one another, causing committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to interject at one point and call for lowering the temperature.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland called the Feeding our Future case the largest pandemic-related fraud in the country, and dozens of individuals, mostly of Somali descent, have been charged in connection with it.
Attorney General Pam Bondi recently intensified the department's investigations into fraud in Minnesota, sending additional manpower to the embattled U.S. attorney’s office there to help with ongoing inquiries into possible fraud across several welfare programs. 

Stephen A. Smith tells Democrats ‘stop wasting our time’ with impeaching Trump
Is this competence or optics?

Sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith warned Democrats to stop trying to impeach President Donald Trump and focus on “bigger issues.” 

“I’m sick of this,” Smith said on his SiriusXM show, Straight Shooter, on Thursday. “To hell with impeaching Donald Trump. Just let him go away … what does [impeachment] do for the country.”

Smith’s comments were prompted when a caller asked whether Democrats should “embrace” impeaching Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Trump has been predicting that Democrats will attempt to impeach Trump if they retake the House in the midterm elections, according to ABC News.

Smith, who said he has “no choice” but to consider running for president, said impeaching Trump would give Republicans reason to argue that the party is being “victimized” by Democrats.

“Enough of this,” Smith said. “You convicted him on 34 felony counts. How many more convictions can they give him? How many more?”

“Not only did he not go to jail, he went to the White House,” he added.

SENATE DEMOCRATS WEIGH SKIPPING TRUMP STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

During Trump’s first administration, House Democrats impeached him twice. However, he was acquitted by the Senate for alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election and inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Smith called on Democrats to “stop wasting our time” with attempts to impeach Trump.