Judge to press DOJ to explain Epstein files redactions, withheld materials related to Trump
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein holds a copy of files on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The Epstein survivors attempted to meet with Sen. Cornyn and Attorney General nominee Tod Blanch over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge on Thursday is set to press lawyers with the Department of Justice to explain why some materials from the Epstein files were withheld from the public.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan scheduled the hearing in a lawsuit filed by an independent journalist who sued over what she alleged were improper redactions and withheld materials from the files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender.
In June, Sullivan concluded that the redactions and withheld materials violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He ordered the DOJ to either turn over the materials or explain why the materials needed to be withheld.
“The Attorney General has conceded that he is in violation of the Act,” Sullivan wrote in his ruling.
In recent weeks, the DOJ has sought to justify the redactions, rather than turn over the materials. Unsatisfied with some of those reasons, Judge Sullivan set Thursday’s hearing to press DOJ lawyers about the release of the Epstein files.
Specifically, the judge said the DOJ has not provided documentation to prove that redactions were made to some files because “[lawyers for] victims or potential victims … have contacted the government and requested that the persons be treated as victims.”
He also raised concerns that the DOJ withheld handwritten notes from an interview with a woman who made unsubstantiated allegations against President Donald Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing.
The DOJ has argued that the handwritten notes are “substantially similar to” the FBI reports of the interviews that were publicly released, and that the notes risk exposing victim information. However, Sullivan noted the Epstein Files Transparency Act does not have an exception for “substantially similar” or duplicative documents, and that the DOJ has released similar versions of other documents.
“The Defendant shall be prepared to explain why the handwritten notes cannot be redacted manually, or why the redactions cannot be accomplished in another way,” Sullivan wrote.
The DOJ has argued that all the redactions were lawful and asked to delay the case for two months.
“The Department has not knowingly violated, nor has it ever acknowledged violating, the EFTA as it continues working to comply with statutory requirements,” DOJ lawyers argued in a court filing.
From left: Elizabeth Siders, Christina Siders, Gary Siders Jr. and Gary Siders Sr., are seen in booking photos on June 30, 2026. (Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail)
(VINTON COUNTY, Ohio) — Four people have been charged with child endangerment after 16 children were removed from a home in Ohio where officials say they were living in “deplorable conditions.”
Authorities executed a search warrant at the home in Hamden in Vinton County on Tuesday, where they say they found the children and four suspects inside.
Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said during a press briefing Wednesday that this is not a case of human trafficking, but an “intra-family situation.”
The four suspects — Gary Siders Sr., 73; Christina Siders, 67; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33 — have each been charged with 16 counts of endangering children, a second-degree felony, according to officials. They pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Wednesday morning and their bond was set at $300,000 each.
Archer described the suspects as being the “grandma, grandpa, father, and mother.”
The charges allege the four suspects abused the children, resulting in “serious physical harm.”
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the evidence in the case is “beyond comprehension.”
The children range in age from 1 ½ to 18, according to Wilson. He did not go into the nature of the injuries but said seven of the children were transported to the hospital on Tuesday, including two who were airlifted there. One of the children was in critical condition, Wilson said.
Archer said the children are safe and officials are working to have them placed in temporary custody.
“They are currently in a good situation and are being protected,” he said.
Wilson said the investigation has been ongoing for some time, leading to the search warrant being executed on Tuesday.
The family had lived in Vinton County for the past four years and were “clearly bouncing around,” according to Wilson.
“They were pretty adept at keeping these kids out of sight and out of investigative eyes,” he said.
The children were not enrolled in school, according to Wilson. The eldest child is included among the charges because the 18-year-old is believed to developmentally still be a minor, officials said.
“Some of these children couldn’t even speak,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain described the condition of the house as “disgusting,” including the presence of human feces, and said the children were largely confined to a small area.
“Most of our livestock is kept in better condition than the children,” Cain said during Wednesday’s briefing.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the situation “tragic.”
“It is heartbreaking to learn the conditions that these children were living in, and to learn of their medical conditions,” DeWine said in a statement, which also thanked those helping them.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, maneuver toward an objective during a Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise as part of Ivy Mass at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, on May 17, 2026. (Pfc. Jacob Cruz/US Army)
(WASHINGTON) — The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News.
At least 34 medical-related courses have been canceled during the second half of the Pentagon’s fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, according to the documents.
The cuts come from the Army Medical Center of Excellence, the service’s hub for its medical training, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Those cuts come as commanders are being told to closely scrutinize their spending as the service faces ballooning operational costs, including those related to the war in Iran and skyrocketing fuel costs.
Many of the canceled medical training programs are tied to frontline combat casualty care. An internal memorandum describing the reductions cites “funding shortfalls and limited resources.”
Other cuts include leadership and certification courses for senior medical officers, including training for officers preparing to command helicopter medical evacuation units. The service also canceled courses related to animal care, behavioral science, food safety inspections and operating in radioactive environments, according to internal service plans.
“The Army has issued guidance to subordinate commands – for the remainder of this fiscal year, to make tough and sound resource decisions that optimize and prioritize resources toward their most critical requirements, to include major training and readiness events,” Col. Marty Meiners, a service spokesperson, said in a statement.
The cuts are part of a broader financial squeeze that has forced Army planners to slash training across the force while commanders reshuffle money. ABC News previously reported that Army planners had begun canceling training events as the service confronted a projected $4 billion to $6 billion funding shortfall.
The medical course cuts are in addition to what was previously reported, and the cancellations offer the most detailed account of specific training events getting axed until at least October, when the new fiscal year starts.
Last week, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who is serving as the Army’s top officer in an acting capacity, disputed ABC News’ earlier reporting during testimony before lawmakers.
“We haven’t canceled anything,” LaNeve said, while acknowledging the Army is in a funding pinch.
LaNeve seemingly conceded to lawmakers that some training cuts were planned, which he framed as typical toward the end of the fiscal year. Yet the service was only halfway through the fiscal year when those plans were being made, documents show. The Army did not make LaNeve available for comment.
Military spending does start to draw more scrutiny from commanders toward the end of the summer as money for the fiscal year dries up, but any belt-tightening is traditionally at the margins, multiple current and former U.S. officials explained.
The service’s III Armored Corps, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, which includes some 70,000 soldiers and made up of much of the Army’s tank and other heavily armored units, recently had much of its training funds diverted, while an internal memorandum warned that its helicopter units expected to deploy to Europe next year will be at “a lower state of readiness,” as pilot training had to effectively be frozen outside of the bare minimum military requirements to fly.
All of the Army’s major formations are being directed to make cuts, officials explained. The full scope of training and other events being canceled is likely much more significant.
Just to keep its helicopters flying at that minimum level required, $26.6 million was siphoned from the corps’ ground combat training units, an amount of money just slightly higher than cost estimations to keep flying time at a minimum, internal documents show, which directs commanders to scratch any training of scale. Flyovers for public events were also canceled.
The shortfall stems from a combination of rising costs and increasingly demanding volume of operations, according to two U.S. officials, with one describing it as “a perfect storm.”
Those costs include the Army’s support to the Department of Homeland Security during its 76-day shutdown, which involved border construction projects and assistance missions along the southern border. The Army is expected to eventually recoup nearly $2 billion tied to those DHS missions.
Additionally, rising fuel costs have forced commanders to heavily scrutinize travel, as soldiers mostly use commercial travel to fly to different courses and training events.
The service is also absorbing expenses tied to the conflict with Iran, as well as the expanding National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., which is projected to cost about $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. One U.S. official said the mission is set to roughly double in size, expected to grow to roughly 5,000 troops over the summer.
The financial strain comes as the Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion budget next year, 50% above current funding levels. The sticker shock has drawn fierce blowback from Democrats on Capitol Hill. But the record-setting request does not account for the costs of the Iran war, which Defense Department officials estimate has already topped $29 billion as of last week. Those expenses are largely tied to munitions and do not include the potentially massive bill for rebuilding bases damaged in Iranian strikes.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are now bracing for the Pentagon to send Congress a supplemental funding request to cover the mounting war-related costs.
On Thursday, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s chief of naval operations, warned lawmakers that the service may soon face similar tradeoffs unless Congress approves supplemental funding on top of the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion budget request, which was finalized before the Iran conflict escalated.
“The [fiscal 2026] budget didn’t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury,” Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee. “You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we’re burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs.”
Jerry Sandusky enters the Centre County Courthouse to appeal his child sex abuse conviction on Aug. 12, 2016, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Jerry Sandusky is due to return to court next month as one of his accusers is expected to recant his testimony against the former Penn State assistant football coach who was convicted of sexually abusing boys for more than a decade.
A judge scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Sept. 8 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Sandusky, who is now 82, has been serving a decades-long prison sentence after he was convicted in 2012 of abusing boys.
An accuser known as Victim 10, who testified for the prosecution at Sandusky’s trial, is now prepared to tell the court Sandusky did not abuse him.
