Women who survived sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein say they are not confident former Attorney General Pam Bondi will be honest about the botched rollout of the Epstein files when she is expected to sit with Congress for a recorded interview Friday.

For months, survivors have demanded Justice Department officials explain how and why sensitive information about victims, including names and photos, was left unredacted despite Congress’s explicit instructions.

Bondi, who was ousted from her position in April, is set to answer questions about the Epstein files from the House Oversight Committee members in a closed-door transcribed interview – though she will not be under oath and it will not be filmed.

“I don’t think things will be honest,” Marina Lacerda, a survivor who met Epstein when she was just 14 years old, told CNN Thursday.

“We do feel that she will continue to protect whoever she is protecting. I don’t think things will be different. I think tomorrow might be something even very quick. I think she may not even sit through the whole thing,” Lacerda added.

Jess Michaels, a sexual assault survivor, told “The Back Room with Andy Ostroy” in March, “I think that she will double down on the lies, if she shows up.”

Bondi has faced intense scrutiny for overseeing the department as it failed to release the Epstein files within the congressionally mandated timeline and with proper redactions. When documents were released, survivors said photos of nude women or girls, the names of non-public accusers and sensitive personal information were all left to the public.

The botched rollout occurred after Bondi promised to release the Epstein files, claimed she had them sitting on her desk, backtracked and refused to release them, and then fiercely defended her department’s handling of it.

During a contentious congressional hearing in February, Bondi lashed out at Democratic lawmakers who questioned her handling of the Epstein files and refused to acknowledge survivors who sat in the room.

“I can’t begin to explain why Pam Bondi chose to pretend we weren’t even in the room,” Michaels told NewsNation

“I have no reason to believe anyone in authority at the DOJ will be truthful or diligent about doing their job,” Michaels said.

While serving as attorney general, the House Oversight Committee issued a bipartisan subpoena for her testimony to seek answers on the Epstein files rollout. But once Bondi was dismissed from her job, the Justice Department insisted it no longer applied. After lawmakers threatened to hold Bondi in contempt, she agreed to the closed-door interview.

It’s unclear the extent of questions Bondi will answer. While she is not under oath, all witnesses are required to verbally acknowledge an understanding to tell the truth. Making false comments or withholding information could lead to criminal charges, an Oversight Committee aide told NewsNation.

Danielle Bensky, a survivor who met Epstein when she was 17 years old, told NewsNation this week that survivors hope Bondi will be honest.

“We hope that she will be honest about the fact that there are real investigative leads the DOJ should be following,” Bensky said. “Where are the rest of the files? Why are certain files being held? She is no longer the AG but she was at the time and survivors deserve answers from her.”

A mum fed her 14-month-old son a cocktail of prescription medications to kill him before he could be taken from her and placed in care.

Emma Barnett, of Debden, Essex, hid in her loft after a family court hearing on November 8, 2024, which had determined that her son Oakley should be removed.

The 36-year-old and her toddler were initially reported as missing and believed to have gone to Epping Forest, but officers later forced entry to Barnett’s home and found them in the loft.

Cambridge Crown Court heard she initially refused to let them see Oakley, saying he was sleeping but later confessed: ‘I have killed him.’

Earlier that day, social workers had been trying to locate Barnett and safeguard Oakley following a court hearing, with jurors told ‘the intention was to remove Oakley’.

Summing up the evidence, judge Mr Justice Sweeting said Barnett had parked her car at Epping Forest then walked back home.

He said Barnett later claimed in interview that she ‘wanted the police to think I was in the forest so I could stay indoors with Oakley’.

Barnett ’hid in the loft with Oakley’ and ‘later when police attended she initially refused to allow police to see Oakley’.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that evidence presented at court showed Barnett had prepared a bottle containing a mixture of milk and medication, which she gave to Oakley, causing his death.

The senior judge told jurors the defendant’s case was that Oakley’s death was accidental.

Summing up the defendant’s case to jurors, the judge continued that her case was that ‘she didn’t intentionally administer medication or intend serious harm or to kill him’.

‘Her intention was to take her own life but only at the point Oakley would be removed from her by police,’ the judge said, summing up Barnett’s defence case.

Barnett said that hiding in the loft ‘was to extend the time she had left with Oakley’, the judge said.

He said investigators found two baby bottles in the loft with liquids testing positive for an antihistamine, which can induce sedation, and an antidepressant.

The judge said an expert’s evidence was that ‘taken together their effects may be greater than either alone’ and they could cause ‘respiratory compromise’.

Nicola Pope, senior Crown prosecutor, said: ‘Emma Barnett deliberately gave her baby son a dangerous mixture containing medication which proved fatal.

‘Our prosecution case relied on a detailed and careful analysis of the evidence from the police investigation, including expert medical evidence, to establish how Oakley came to die.

‘I hope that today’s outcome provides some measure of peace to Oakley’s family and loved ones during this deeply upsetting time.’

Detective Inspector James Holmes of Essex Police said: ‘This was an extremely upsetting and difficult investigation for everybody involved.

‘Our thoughts remain with Oakley and everyone who loved him.’

Barnett is due to be sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on June 5.

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Katie Boulter became the fourth British casualty of court 13 at Roland Garros, when a three-set defeat to Anastasia Potapova put an end to her hopes in the singles.

Emma Raducanu and Francesca Jones both suffered bagel first-sets and went on to lose on this court, while Cameron Norrie was also on the same patch of clay when he retired in the first round.

Only Jones and Boulter reached the second round out of the six Britons who competed in the first, and neither were able to reach the third, with the latter losing 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Boulter bucked the trend of bagel openers, winning the first in a set where it felt like the players were exchanging breaks at the same frequency they would traditionally have exchanged holds of serve.

Potapova, aged 25, cut an exasperated figure in the first set, at one point turning to her team and shouting “she’s hitting all the lines” but she took time off the court after Boulter took a set advantage and it appeared to have the desired effect.

While she still partook in regular outbursts aimed at her box, she began to hold serve while keeping the same pressure on Boulter as she had in the opener, carving out a 5-1 lead.

But the Briton refused to back down, winning two games in a row to force world No. 30 Potapova to serve for the set for a second time, and that time she took the chance.

There were times during the match with both players hitting the ball so flat and with pace that it felt more like watching a match on a hard court than the red brick dust of the Parisian clay, but that only suited Boulter more as she is known to like pace on the ball.

Potapova broke at the first opportunity in the third set, quickly establishing a 2-0 lead before Boulter held to stem the tide of momentum, although it finished 6-2.

For Boulter it was a significant improvement on the 35 unforced errors she made in the opening round against a player ranked outside the top 150. She competed in the rallies, but it was her serving frailty that proved too costly to overcome.

Boulter made 10 double faults and landing only 54 percent of her first serves and in the end that proved to be the difference.

The fire broke out in a first-floor bedroom

A cordon was put in place on a street in Farnworth after a blaze broke out at a property on Thursday evening (May 28).

Multiple police vehicles as well as ambulances and fire engines attended the scene and cordoned off Higher Market Street amid the incident at around 6pm.

There were reports that the fire broke out at a nearby HMO. Videos and pictures shared on social media showed the outside of an upstairs window blackened by the flames. The cause has not yet been confirmed.

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The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said they tackled the blaze in a first-floor bedroom, with searches carried out at the property.

A spokesperson said: “At around 6pm this evening (Thursday 28 May), fire crews were called to reports of a fire at a domestic property on Higher Market Street in Farnworth, Bolton. Three fire engines from Farnworth and Bolton Central quickly attended the scene.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reels to tackle a fire in a first-floor bedroom and carried out searches of the property.

“Crews worked to extinguish the fire, ventilate the property and make the area safe, working alongside Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service. Firefighters remain at the scene.”

Hate-crime offences in Ards and North Down have increased by 79 percent in the last recorded year

The outgoing Mayor for Ards and North Down has thanked members of the public for defending and attempting to protect three victims of an alleged race hate crime, from what she said “could have been much more serious injuries”.

Lord Mayor and Alliance Councillor for Holywood and Clandeboye Gillian McCollum, in what were her closing public statements as first citizen in council, spoke out against alleged race-hate incidents in Helens Bay, and praised the solidarity of those people at the beach who sought to defend the victims.

On Monday evening, three men in their 30s were seriously injured in what is alleged to have been a racially-motivated assault at Helen’s Bay, County Down. At 9pm, police received a report that the men were assaulted by three others on the beach, following an earlier verbal altercation.

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Three men were later arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon after police stopped them in a vehicle. All three have been released on bail.

In her closing remarks during “Mayor’s Business,” Mayor McCollum told the chamber at Bangor Castle on Wednesday evening (May 27): “Finally I must acknowledge the deeply distressing, brutal and racially motivated assault that occurred in Helen’s Bay on Monday night, puncturing what was otherwise a wonderful and heart-warming holiday weekend in our borough.

“Our thoughts go out of course to the families of the three men who were seriously injured, and our thanks to the members of the public who bravely intervened and prevented what would have been much more serious injuries, and of course our thanks to the PSNI for responding so quickly and apprehending the (alleged) assailants.”

Ards and North Down District Chief Inspector Hutchinson said: “At 9pm, we received a report that three men aged in their thirties had been assaulted on the beach by three other men, following an earlier verbal altercation. They sustained a number of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries.

“A short time later, three men aged 28, 23 and 21 were stopped in their vehicle and arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a quantity of suspected class A and class B drugs, and the 23 year old was subsequently further arrested on suspicion of possession of class A and class B drugs.”

Chief Inspector Hutchinson added: “This matter is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime. We know that this was shocking for those enjoying the evening sunshine on the beach and want to reassure the local community that our investigation is progressing at pace.

“We had an increased police presence in the area to ensure that everyone left the beach safely, and were on the scene quickly – but I want to commend members of the public who helped to prevent the altercation from escalating further. We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have recorded footage of the incident.”

In December, Mayor McCollum called for more community safety in the borough, with hate offences reported to be up 79 percent there in the last recorded year. In that year, anti-social behaviour incidents rose by 2.6 percent, with 3,159 cases reported. While hate-crime offences increased by 79 percent, hate-motivated incidents rose by 34 percent.

Craig Blaney, Ulster Unionist Party Councillor for Bangor Central, will be the next Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council. He will be formally installed to the position at the council’s Annual General Meeting on June 3. James Cochrane, DUP Councillor for Bangor East and Donaghadee, will become Deputy Mayor.

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Pictures showed how the ground had been scorched by the fires with litter left dumped on the grounds

An amateur football club in Salford has shared its fury after a group of youths tore down a gate and broke onto the pitch before lighting a BBQ on Wednesday evening (May 27).

Salford Storm FC, an amateur club for youths based off Stott Lane, said that a group of young people, as well as some adults, gained access to the ground after ‘ripping down’ a perimeter gate. They then held a BBQ on the pitch and lit fires before dumping litter behind.

Pictures shared online showed how the ground had been scorched by the fires, with images also showing damage to the gates, which had been put in place to prevent break-ins to the site. The club said that police will be informed of the incident which was slammed as ‘completely unacceptable’.

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A status shared by the club read: “Yesterday, a group of youths along with some adults gained access to our grounds, caused damage to club property, ripped down one of our perimeter gates, held a BBQ on the pitches, lit fires, and left rubbish across the facility.

“This behaviour is completely unacceptable. This matter will be reported to the police. If this is your child, family member, or someone you know, we strongly suggest you have a serious conversation with them.

What may seem like ‘just messing around’ is actually criminal damage, trespassing, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, and unlawful access to private property.”

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The statement continued: “People need to understand that this doesn’t just damage a fence or leave litter behind it directly impacts the club, our volunteer coaches, and most importantly the hundreds of young people who use these facilities every single week.

“Our coaches and volunteers work tirelessly to provide a safe, positive environment for local children to enjoy football and stay active. Every pound and every hour spent repairing damage is money and time taken away from improving opportunities for those young people.

“It’s extremely disappointing that a facility built for the community is being treated with such little respect. We ask everyone in the local area to help us protect and respect the club and the facilities that so many children and families rely on.”

Grenfell Next of Kin, which supports people affected by the tragedy, posted to X: “Residents have been raising this for years. Nine years after the Grenfell Tower fire, the Walkways blocks are still relying on a ‘temporary’ boiler system. Temporary does not mean nearly a decade later.

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Crews resumed the painstaking search Thursday for nine workers feared dead at a Washington state paper mill where a chemical tank ruptured, devastating a community where many families have worked in local mills for generations.

Authorities have said there was no hope of finding survivors of Tuesday’s tank rupture at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, which was of one of the deadliest U.S. workplace accidents in recent decades.

Two workers were confirmed dead and the nine still missing are presumed dead. Among the 11 are a grandfather who was always willing to help anyone and a young husband described as selfless and caring, according to friends who organized fundraisers for the victims’ families.

The partially collapsed tank spilled more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of a highly corrosive chemical mix called white liquor that is used to break down wood into certain types of paper products.

Fire officials said Wednesday that the recovery of the missing would be slow and deliberate because of the dangers posed by the remaining chemicals.

Authorities said the cause of the disaster is still under investigation and they haven’t released the names of those who were killed.

Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who was an electrician at the plant, was the first confirmed death, said his friend Todd Cornwell.

“He was one of the most genuinely good people that you’ve ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was always there willing to help in whatever needed to be done,” Cornwell said.

CJ Doran, who was 26, was among those presumed dead, according to a GoFundMe post verified by the crowdfunding site.

He was a husband who was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the family provider,” the post said.

The tank failure also injured eight people, including a firefighter. Some suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said.

The mill’s Japanese parent company, Nippon Paper Group, said in a statement Wednesday that it was offering its “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families.”

Authorities said Wednesday that the the spill hadn’t contaminated the air and drinking water in and around Longview, a city of about 40,000 people near Washington’s border with Oregon that has deep ties to paper and lumber industries. Generations of families have worked in the mills, and many residents who spoke with The Associated Press had family members or friends who currently or previously worked at the Nippon Dynawave plant.

Crews were working to flush water from ditches near the plant and dilute it before pumping it into the Columbia River, which flows by the mill.

Some contamination has reached the river, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has had no noticeable effect.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.