New Photo - Lawyer says he's not been allowed to see 5 immigrants deported by the US to a prison in Eswatini

Lawyer says he's not been allowed to see 5 immigrants deported by the US to a prison in Eswatini NOKUKHANYA MUSI August 2, 2025 at 3:30 AM Matsapha Correctional Complex is seen in Matsapha, near Mbabane, Eswatini, Thursday July 17, 2025.

- - Lawyer says he's not been allowed to see 5 immigrants deported by the US to a prison in Eswatini

NOKUKHANYA MUSI August 2, 2025 at 3:30 AM

Matsapha Correctional Complex is seen in Matsapha, near Mbabane, Eswatini, Thursday July 17, 2025. (AP Photo)

MANZINI, Eswatini (AP) — Five immigrants deported by the United States to Eswatini in a secret deal last month had served their criminal sentences before they were sent to be held in a prison in the African country, a lawyer working on their cases said Friday.

The Eswatini lawyer also said the men from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Vietnam sent to southern Africa under President Donald Trump's third-country deportation program have been denied access to legal representation while being held in Eswatini's main maximum-security prison.

The lawyer, Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, said he hasn't been allowed to see the men and that he filed court papers Thursday against the head of Eswatini's correctional services department and the country's attorney general, demanding access to them.

He said he is representing them on behalf of lawyers in the U.S. and was prevented from seeing them by Eswatini prison officials on July 25. It's unlawful for the men, who have been in Eswatini for around two weeks, to be denied access to a lawyer, he added.

The Eswatini government has said the men will be held in solitary confinement until they can be deported to their home countries, which could take up to a year.

"They have served their sentences," Nhlabatsi told The . "If a person has committed a crime and they have served a sentence, why are you then keeping them in a prison?"

Nhlabatsi said the men have not been able to communicate with their families or receive visitors since arriving in Eswatini, although prison officials said they were in the process of setting up devices to allow them to speak with their families.

He alleged their ongoing detention could have legal implications for Eswatini, a small country bordering South Africa and one of the world's last absolute monarchies, ruled by a king accused of cracking down on dissent.

The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for its choice of African countries to strike deportation deals with. It deported eight immigrants described as violent criminals to South Sudan in early July in an operation that was halted by a legal challenge in the U.S. The eight were held for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in nearby Djibouti while the case was decided. A Supreme Court ruling eventually cleared the way for them to be sent to South Sudan.

Both South Sudan, which is in danger of tipping into civil war, and Eswatini have poor rights records and governments accused of being repressive. Critics say the deportees, who the administration says were in the U.S. illegally, will likely be denied due process in those countries.

The five sent to Eswatini were also described by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as serious criminals. Their convictions included murder and child rape, the department said in social media posts, calling them "uniquely barbaric."

The department, which did not say if they had completed their sentences, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

An Eswatini government spokesman also declined to comment on Nhlabatsi's allegations, saying it was now a matter for the courts.

Nhlabatsi said the deportees are being held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex near the administrative capital, Mbabane, the same prison said to hold pro-democracy activists on trumped up charges. The government has declined to say where the five men are being held, citing security concerns.

Eswatini's statement about the five men ultimately being deported to their home countries appears to contradict claims by the U.S. that their home countries refused to take the men back.

Activists in Eswatini have demanded that the details of the agreement with the U.S. be made public but the government has said they are "classified." South Sudan has also declined to give details of its agreement to take deportees from the U.S.

___

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Lawyer says he's not been allowed to see 5 immigrants deported by the US to a prison in Eswatini

Lawyer says he's not been allowed to see 5 immigrants deported by the US to a prison in Eswatini NOKUKHANYA MUSI A...
New Photo - Lionel Messi needs to find his groove again to lead Inter Miami in Leagues Cup

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Lionel Messi needs to find his groove again to lead Inter Miami in Leagues Cup

Safid Deen, USA TODAYAugust 2, 2025 at 4:46 AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Inter Miami won their first match in the 2025 Leagues Cup but find themselves looking up at five other clubs in the tournament standings before their second match of the group stage.

Inter Miami needs Messi to find his groove again if they're going to advance in the tournament.

The 2025 Leagues Cup features a new format: While the matches are between Major League Soccer teams and LIGA MX clubs from Mexico, the top four clubs from each league will advance to the knockout stage.

Earning three points for a win isn't enough in this year's edition. Goal differential is the next tiebreaker in the table, placing a greater emphasis on scoring to advance to the quarterfinals.

"You look at the table, and you've won and you're in sixth place because of the goal difference. There are still two games to play, a lot can happen," Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said a day before the club's match against Necaxa at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 2.

Messi delivered assists on goals scored by Telasco Segovia and Marcelo Weigandt in Inter Miami's 2-1 win against Atlas on July 30, but complained about feeling fatigued in his first match after having last week off.

Messi was suspended for skipping the MLS All-Star Game on July 23, causing him to serve a one-game suspension on July 26. Before the layoff, Messi scored two goals in four of five matches following the FIFA Club World Cup.

"Even if [the rest] seems better, for me it's worse because I need to compete. I feel good physically the more matches I play and get into rhythm," Messi told Apple TV. "The other day they didn't let me compete, and I felt it in the first half, but the important thing is that we won."

🎙️ Las palabras de nuestro capitán tras la victoria 🐐 pic.twitter.com/i05ewhu51H

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 31, 2025

Mascherano expects Messi to find his form again, especially with Inter Miami having three of its next four matches at home. The only away match is against in-state rival Orlando City on Aug. 10.

"Unless Leo feels tired and doesn't say anything, the idea is that if he feels good, he'll always play," Mascherano said of Messi.

Inter Miami needs its biggest star to keep pace with the MLS clubs in Leagues Cup.

The Seattle Sounders thrashed reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners Cruz Azul 7-0, while L.A. Galaxy beat Tijuana 5-2 on July 31. The Portland Timbers toppled Atlético de San Luis 4-0, and Minnesota United beat Querétaro 4-1 on July 30.

Seattle, Portland, the Galaxy and Minnesota are the top four clubs in the MLS side of the Leagues Cup table, followed by FC Cincinnati (which beat Monterrey 3-2 on July 31), Inter Miami, the Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls. Those eight MLS clubs won their first Leagues Cup match.

The top four on the LIGA MX side are Tigres UANL, FC Juarez, Puebla and Necaxa after the first round of matches. After facing Necaxa, Inter Miami will host Tigres UANL on Wednesday, Aug. 6 in their last match of the group stage.

"What keeps you going is trying to play well, get a good result, and then we'll see what happens," Mascherano said. "But I don't think there's much point in feeling sorry for yourself or focusing too much on other results."

Necaxa is led by new coach Fernando Gago, barely two months into the job. They beat Atlanta United 3-1 in their Leagues Cup opener on July 30.

Gago was a starter alongside Messi and Mascherano in Argentina's 1-0 win in the Olympic men's soccer final in 2008, and came off the bench in their loss to Germany in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup final.

"Fernando is a friend from soccer – someone I had the privilege of sharing many years with on the national team, but he's also someone I care about, someone I've shared moments with outside of soccer as well," Mascherano said of Gago. "It's always special to face people you know, people you've shared so many good times with. And in the end, when the ball starts rolling, I'll try to do everything I can to compete in the best way possible and win so we can still hope to qualify."

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Necaxa in Leagues Cup?

The match begins at 7 p.m. on Aug. 2, with live stream available on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inter Miami vs. Necaxa: Is Messi playing, Leagues Cup table standings

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New Photo - Stocks slide as investors digest hiring slowdown and new U.S. tariffs

Stocks slide as investors digest hiring slowdown and new U.S. tariffs Mary CunninghamAugust 2, 2025 at 6:17 AM Spencer Platt / Getty Images Stocks slid Friday amid signs that hiring around the U.S.

- - Stocks slide as investors digest hiring slowdown and new U.S. tariffs

Mary CunninghamAugust 2, 2025 at 6:17 AM

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Stocks slid Friday amid signs that hiring around the U.S. is hitting a wall and as investors assess the potential impact of the Trump administration's new tariffs on dozens of countries.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 531 points, or 1.2%, as of 1 p.m. ET, while the S&P was down 93 points, or 1.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 451 points, or 2.1%.

Markets are reacting to a weaker-than-expected jobs report, which showed that employers added only 73,000 jobs in July, falling short of economic forecasts. The Labor Department also revised payroll gains down for May and June by a combined 258,000, a sign that hiring earlier this year was weaker than previously estimated.

Market sentiment is also being tested by the White House late Thursday unveiling new tariff rates on over 60 countries. The new policies hike rates to their highest level in decades, including for key economic partners. Imports from Canada, the U.S. largest trading partner, will face a 35% tariff, while levies will top 40% for countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Syria.

Imports from other countries not targeted with higher "reciprocal" U.S. tariffs will face a 10% tariff, the same baseline that President Trump announced in April before pausing the new rates to allow for trade talks.

The video player is currently playing an ad."Stocks are not reacting well to the information we've received over the past two days and it's no surprise as to why," Bret Kenwell, an investment analyst at eToro, said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "Inflation is ticking higher, jobs growth is stagnating, and while the tariff situation has improved from a few months ago, August 1st serves as a reminder that it's not fully resolved."

In light of the employment data, investors have now stepped up their expectations for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates in September. The Fed announced earlier this week that it would hold interest rates steady at its current range of 4.25% to 4.5%, signaling a continuing of their wait-and-see approach.

The CME FedWatch tool puts the likelihood of a September rate cut at around 80%.

Arkansas officials reveal new details about Devil's Den murders of husband and wife

Extended interview: EPA head Lee Zeldin on agency cuts, repealing endangerment finding

Trump says nuclear subs to be positioned after former Russian president's remark

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Stocks slide as investors digest hiring slowdown and new U.S. tariffs

Stocks slide as investors digest hiring slowdown and new U.S. tariffs Mary CunninghamAugust 2, 2025 at 6:17 AM Spencer...
New Photo - Pamela Anderson celebrates 'Naked Gun' release with Liam Neeson in sweet new photos

Pamela Anderson celebrates 'Naked Gun' release with Liam Neeson in sweet new photos Jay Stahl, USA TODAYAugust 2, 2025 at 2:21 AM Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson have never looked closer. The "Naked Gun" star posted new photos of her costar – and rumored romantic partner – in a Friday, Aug.

- - Pamela Anderson celebrates 'Naked Gun' release with Liam Neeson in sweet new photos

Jay Stahl, USA TODAYAugust 2, 2025 at 2:21 AM

Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson have never looked closer.

The "Naked Gun" star posted new photos of her costar – and rumored romantic partner – in a Friday, Aug. 1 post on Instagram to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated film (in theaters now).

In the sweet black-and-white snaps, Anderson and Neeson smile wide in one picture as the latter throws popcorn from a mini movie theater bucket. In another, he sprinkles a few pieces of the salty snack over Anderson's head as she laughs. One cute picture features Neeson capturing the "Baywatch" bombshell with a camera as she lies down and he leans over her.

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A post shared by Pamela Anderson (@pamelaanderson)

'The Naked Gun' review: Liam Neeson spoofs himself in zany cop reboot

Earlier this week, the Hollywood A-listers (who star in the reboot of the beloved 1980s and '90s action franchise) participated in a "Today" show interview with the morning show's coanchor Craig Melvin, who asked the question on everyone's minds.

"What's the deal here?" Melvin bluntly asked July 29, addressing "red carpet action" and relationship rumors. "You're both single right now. There's clearly chemistry on display throughout this film. Are you two an item?"

Neeson replied, "Craig!" as Anderson quipped, "What? I don't understand the question." Neeson explained that "I had never met Pamela before. We met on set. And we discovered we had a lovely, budding chemistry as two actors."

Neeson also addressed his approach to their chemistry, saying "like, 'Oh, this is nice. Let's not mold this. Let's just let it breathe,' and that's what we did."

Neeson was married to British actress Natasha Richardson from 1994 until her death at 45 years old in 2009, while Anderson has had four husbands: Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, rap rocker Kid Rock, poker player Rick Salomon and Dan Hayhurst.

Last week, as the costars posed on the red carpet at the film's London premiere, Anderson leaned in and planted Neeson a smooch on his cheek. She was also seen clasping the Oscar nominee's hand around her left hip as the potential lovebirds took photos with one of the film's producers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pamela Anderson, Liam Neeson cozy up together in new photos

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Pamela Anderson celebrates 'Naked Gun' release with Liam Neeson in sweet new photos

Pamela Anderson celebrates 'Naked Gun' release with Liam Neeson in sweet new photos Jay Stahl, USA TODAYAugust...
New Photo - More than a dozen states sue Trump administration to block trans care investigations

More than a dozen states sue Trump administration to block trans care investigations Jo Yurcaba August 2, 2025 at 12:38 AM The Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

- - More than a dozen states sue Trump administration to block trans care investigations

Jo Yurcaba August 2, 2025 at 12:38 AM

The Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., announced last month that it would stop prescribing gender-affirming medications due to "escalating legal and regulatory risks." (Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images file)

Officials in 16 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit Friday to block the Trump administration's investigations into hospitals and doctors who provide transition-related care to minors.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the administration, by threatening to prosecute providers, is trying to institute a national ban on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries for transgender minors even though Congress has enacted no such federal ban.

"The federal government is running a cruel and targeted harassment campaign against providers who offer lawful, lifesaving care to children," New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the coalition of states in the suit, said in a statement. "This administration is ruthlessly targeting young people who already face immense barriers just to be seen and heard, and are putting countless lives at risk in the process. In New York and nationwide, we will never stop fighting for the dignity, safety, and basic rights of the transgender community."

More than half of states have laws that restrict or completely ban transition care for minors. Care is legal in all of the states that joined Friday's complaint. They are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, as well as Washington, D.C.

Within days of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to restrict such care nationwide for anyone under 19 years old. Among its provisions, the order sought to bar federal funding from going to medical schools and hospitals that provide such care. As a result of the order, several hospitals announced they were pausing transition care for people under 19. Multiple judges blocked that part of the order, and many hospitals resumed care.

Despite the injunction, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo in April that said the Justice Department would use a variety of existing laws to investigate providers of gender-affirming care for minors. According to Friday's complaint, the DOJ has issued guidance that "threatens baseless civil and criminal prosecution" of providers, and, just last month, issued more than 20 subpoenas to providers of such care across the country demanding that they give the federal government private patient information.

The lawsuit, which names Trump, Bondi and the DOJ as defendants, challenges Trump's executive order seeking to restrict access to transition care for minors, Bondi's April memo and another June memo from Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate that directed the DOJ's Civil Division to prioritize investigations into doctors who provide such care.

The complainants, 16 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania, argue that transition care is legally protected in all of their states and that federal attempts to block the care "trammel on State power" in violation of the Tenth Amendment. They also argue that the administration's actions force providers to make "an impossible choice" of either defying the federal threats or complying and violating their state's laws against discrimination in medical care.

"These efforts to chill the provision of healthcare for adolescents — even in states where such care is legal and protected — show that the Agency Defendants have adopted and are engaged in a systematic effort to leverage the threat of criminal and civil enforcement to eliminate medically necessary care for transgender adolescents in the United States," the complaint states.

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement that Americans support Trump's efforts to stop "the despicable mutilation and chemical castration of children," using inflammatory language to describe transition care.

"The President has the lawful authority to protect America's vulnerable children through executive action, and the Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on this issue," Rogers said.

A DOJ spokesperson, when asked to comment on the lawsuit, said in a statement, "As Attorney General Bondi has made clear, this Department of Justice will use every legal and law enforcement tool available to protect innocent children from being mutilated under the guise of 'care.'"

As the DOJ has opened investigations into some providers of transition care for minors, a rising number of hospitals — including those in states without laws that restrict trans health care — have announced that they plan to close their youth gender clinics.

Just in the last two months, the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Yale New Haven Health, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Children's National Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UChicago Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles have announced they will end gender-affirming care programs for minors and, in most cases, anyone under 19.

The complaint notes that the administration has celebrated these announcements, pointing to a press release from the administration last week titled, "President Trump Promised to End Child Sexual Mutilation — and He Delivered."

"These changes have been touted by Defendants as precisely what was intended by their unlawful and disingenuous targeting: the end of healthcare for transgender individuals under 19," the complaint states.

The plaintiffs ask the court to declare unconstitutional the portion of Trump's order that would bar federal funding from going to hospitals that provide transition care to people under 19 and prohibit the DOJ from enforcing the memos from Bondi and Shumate.

Nearly all major medical associations in the United States, such as the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association, support access to transition-related care for minors and oppose restrictions on it.

Some European countries have restricted access to such care, but only the United Kingdom has indefinitely banned new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat minors for gender dysphoria, the medical term for the distress caused by a misalignment between someone's birth sex and gender identity.

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More than a dozen states sue Trump administration to block trans care investigations

More than a dozen states sue Trump administration to block trans care investigations Jo Yurcaba August 2, 2025 at 12:...
New Photo - Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash

Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash Alexandra Skores, CNNAugust 2, 2025 at 3:51 AM National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy presides over day three of an NTSB investigative hearing on the Ja...

- - Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash

Alexandra Skores, CNNAugust 2, 2025 at 3:51 AM

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy presides over day three of an NTSB investigative hearing on the January midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, at NTSB headquarters in Washington, DC. - Kent Nishimura/Reuters

The National Transportation Safety Board questioned witnesses Friday on collision avoidance technology and organizational safety systems to manage risk. It is the third and final day of investigative hearings probing January's midair collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, operated by PSA airlines.

It was the first major midair collision in the United States in decades, killing 67 people over the Potomac River, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The airport, often called by its code DCA, is considered by the Federal Aviation Administration to be a "special qualification airport" and anyone who flies there must undergo specific training due to the complex and challenging characteristics of the airspace.

PSA pilots are all qualified to operate there and receive FAA-approved training, PSA's Assistant Director Flight Operations, Technical, Grant Clow testified.

"Think of it like a consolidated playbook of DCA-related guidance that we extract from all the different manuals and resources that we have as like an orientation guide for both new pilots and pilots that maybe have recently upgraded or have been away for a while to kind of re-familiarize themselves with information specific to DCA," he said.

However, neither this document nor any of the airline manuals provided to PSA pilots had information specifically describing helicopter operations or routes around at the airport at the time of the accident, according to Clow.

A US Army Black Hawk helicopter in flight on June 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. - Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The Army's reluctance to use an anti-collision technology known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast, or ADS-B, and why the FAA allowed military helicopter pilots to fly without it was a key topic of questioning Friday.

"ADS-B out" transmits radio signals with GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data once per second, independent of air traffic control. However, on January 29, the Black Hawk was flying following an FAA memorandum which allowed it to be turned off.

There are currently no rules stating the military must use the collision avoidance system nationwide, an FAA official testified, as ADS-B requirements are determined by location.

Lt. Col. Paul Flanigen of the US Army said the Department of Defense has "concerns" with the technology.

"I pretty sure most people are aware of the fact that it's inherently open source," Flanigen testified. "It has some spoofing vulnerabilities which make it non-conducive for those sensitive missions, which not just the Army, but all of DOD has to operate on."

Earlier this week, a bill was introduced that would require aircraft operators to install ADS-B technology on all flights and require the Army to keep it turned on in almost every case.

Example of an "ADS-B in" display, from documents released for the hearing in the NTSB docket. - NTSB

The NTSB has also called for aircraft to be equipped with "ADS-B in," the ability to receive data from surrounding aircraft and display it on a cockpit screen for pilots. The NTSB can make recommendations, but it is up to the FAA to mandate something.

On Friday, the FAA agreed it should be required, but stopped short of saying it will act on the issue.

"Does the FAA, right now, support requiring that any newly manufactured aircraft registered in the US be equipped with ADS-B in?" NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Frank McIntosh, FAA chief operating officer replied.

"Do you also support or oppose requiring that any aircraft required to be equipped with ADS-B out today… also be required to install and operate ADS-B in?" Homendy followed up.

"Yes, ma'am," McIntosh replied again.

"Your position has shifted, and I appreciate that," Homendy said.

The first two days of testimony highlighted critical moments leading up to the collision as investigators probed witnesses about standard safety practices that should have occurred, altimeters that displayed incorrect altitude, and the helicopter route that came perilously close to the path planes use landing at the airport.

There were over ten hours of testimony on each of the first two days of the hearing. Friday could go even longer to make sure everyone has an opportunity to ask questions, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said.

The NTSB asks questions, but parties to the investigation including the Army, PSA Airlines, air traffic controller's union and FAA can also examine witnesses.

On Thursday, an FAA witness acknowledged the air traffic control tower failed to warn the pilots flying the American Airlines regional jet, operated by PSA Airlines.

"No safety alerts," were given, Nick Fuller, the FAA's acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified.

"Should the local controller have let the PSA crew know that there was a helicopter there?" Homendy asked.

"Yes," Fuller acknowledged.

The tower did warn the pilots of the Black Hawk helicopter about the approaching regional jet and they said they would avoid it, transcripts of the cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control audio released revealed.

Yet, moments later, the aircraft collided.

A crane recovers the tail of American Airlines flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on February 4, 2025. - Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Multiple air traffic controllers and pilots at Reagan National Airport told the NTSB they struggled with the constant stream of planes, leading to a "make it work" attitude among them.

"This is 'we just make it work,' because we don't have another choice," NTSB investigator Brian Soper said they told him in on-site interviews. "There are airplanes coming in and everything was related to the capacity, the demand or the amount of traffic."

Another witness, Rich Dressler of Metro Aviation, which operates medical helicopters in Washington said the way the Army flies helicopters around the city makes him uneasy.

"Is there any unit that when you hear it makes you feel uncomfortable?" Soper asked.

"Sadly, yes," Dressler responded. "I don't like saying that 12th aviation battalion gives us all pause in the community. And I'm speaking from my group there; we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating."

An NTSB determination of the collision's probable cause is expected in January.

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Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash

Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented cr...
New Photo - Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison

Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison Josh Meyer, USA TODAY August 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has quietly been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a lowersecurity faci...

- - Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison

Josh Meyer, USA TODAY August 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has quietly been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a lower-security facility in Texas, a federal Bureau of Prisons official confirmed Aug, 1.

The transfer comes as Maxwell's attorneys are pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction while also seeking a pardon or commutation for her from President Donald Trump in exchange for her cooperation in the Epstein investigation and broader sex trafficking issues.

Maxwell spent two days last week talking to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump's former personal defense lawyer – at a courthouse near the Tallahassee prison where she was serving a 20-year prison sentence for Epstein-related sex trafficking.

More: She's inmate No. 02879-509 in Florida. But once again, Ghislaine Maxwell is holding court

"We can confirm, Ghislaine Maxwell is in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Bryan, Texas," BOP Inmate Locator official Benjamin O'Cone said in an email to USA TODAY. The New York Sun newspaper first reported the transfer.

Maxwell attorney David Oscar Markus also confirmed to USA TODAY that, "Ghislaine was moved to Bryan Texas but we have no other comment" as to why the transfer was made and who requested it.

Donald Murphy, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman, told USA TODAY that, "While we cannot speak specifically to the circumstances relating to any incarcerated individual's designation or re-designation BOP institution, we can share that the BOP designates individuals to institutions based on several factors."

"Those factors include the level of security and supervision the inmate requires, any medical or programming needs, separation, and security measures to ensure the individual's protection, and other considerations, including proximity to an individual's release residence," Murphy added. "The same criteria apply when making decisions for both initial designations and re-designations for transfer to a new facility."

The move sparked concern from the family of one of Maxwell's most vocal accusers, the late Virginia Giuffre, that the transfer is part of an undisclosed deal between the Justice Department and the Trump administration. In recent days, they have expressed worry that Trump and presidential-appointed leaders inside DOJ are trying to silence Maxwell without receiving any input from potentially hundreds of accusers who say she and Epstein sexually abused them and forced them to have sex with prominent men whom authorities have not been publicly identified.

"The family is scrambling right now to figure out what's going on," spokeswoman Dini von Mueffling told USA TODAY. "They don't understand why this is happening."

After learning about the transfer details, Giuffre's family − and two other alleged Maxwell and Epstein victims − issued a statement excoriating the administration for the move.

"President Trump has sent a clear message today: Pedophiles deserve preferential treatment and their victims do not matter," said the statement by Giuffre's surviving siblings and also Annie and Maria Farmer.

The New York Times recently reported that Maria Farmer, a former Epstein employee, told law enforcement in 1996 that she encountered Trump in Epstein's New York office and Epstein told Trump "No, no. She's not here for you." Annie Farmer, one of several women identified in Epstein's criminal case as a victim, has charged that the disgraced financier acted inappropriately with her when she was 15.

"It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has received. Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency," the statement by the families and alleged victims said.

"Yet, without any notification to the Maxwell victims, the government overnight has moved Maxwell to a minimum security luxury prison in Texas. This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes. ... This move smacks of a cover up. The victims deserve better."

Virginia Giuffre speaks as victims make impact statements during a hearing in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein, who died earlier in the month, in what a New York City medical examiner ruled a suicide, in a courtroom sketch at Federal Court in New York, U.S., August 27, 2019.

More: How Trump and 'terrific guy' Jeffrey Epstein's party boy friendship ended badly

The prison swap is the latest development in the growing controversy over Trump's relationship with Maxwell and Epstein, who died by suicide while in custody awaiting trial in 2019. On July 30, Giuffre's surviving siblings and their spouses issued a lengthy statement calling for Maxwell to remain in prison and urging the Trump administration to release all documents in the case that are in the Justice Department's possession.

Giuffre's family especially demanded answers about why Trump said in recent remarks that Epstein "stole" Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago spa more than 20 years ago. Trump and Epstein were friends for more than a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s.

"It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been 'stolen' from Mar-a-Lago," the family said of Giuffre, who died by suicide in April.

"It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey 'likes women on the younger side … no doubt about it,'" the family's statement added. "We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this."

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after signing the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 30, 2025.

Trump made the comment July 30, telling reporters Epstein "stole her" while Giuffre was working as a spa attendant, and that he subsequently banned Epstein from his Palm Beach residence and club after he tried to poach additional employees.

"I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people," Trump said of Giuffre. "He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever."

Giuffre had long insisted that Maxwell − Epstein's longtime associate and former girlfriend – was the one who met her at the club and recruited her to serve as a masseuse for Epstein. That arrangement ultimately led to Epstein sexually abusing her and Maxwell trafficking Giuffre to have sex with other men, she said.

In their lengthy statement, the Giuffre family rejected Trump's characterization, saying she was "stolen" by Maxwell, not Epstein.

"We would like to clarify that it was convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago, where she was working in 2000, several years before Epstein and President Trump had their falling out," the family said.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the White House said no leniency is being given or discussed, and Trump himself has said he's not thinking about clemency for Maxwell at this time.

FPC Bryan is described as a "minimum security federal prison camp" in South Central Texas on its Bureau of Prisons website. It says it houses a total of 635 "female offenders." Maxwell had been incarcerated in recent years at FCI Tallahassee, which is described as a low security federal correctional institution housing a total of 1,191 male and female inmates.

Maxwell's new prison 'camp' appears to offer better living conditions

The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on May 30, 2023.

Maxwell's new prison "camp" appears to offer better conditions for inmates, according to Bureau of Prisons descriptions. Such minimum-security camps often lack perimeter fencing, have dormitory-style housing with bunk beds and communal areas and a lower staff-to-inmate ratio. Inmates are typically non-violent offenders who are allowed to participate in work assignments, recreational activities and vocational training.

All told, that environment would give Maxwell more freedom of movement within the facility during designated times, according to the BOP descriptions. In contrast, BOP documents show, low-security prisons like FCI Tallahassee generally have fences, more regimented movement policies and more structured environments.

(This story has been with more information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Fla. prison

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Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison

Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved out of Florida federal prison Josh Meyer, USA TODAY August 1, 2025 ...

 

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