Good morning. I’m Corinne Straight, and this is AlterNet America.
The son of Norwegian diplomats under investigation for their ties to Jeffrey Epstein has died by suicide at 25. A Republican congressman from North Carolina is under House Ethics investigation for sexual harassment, the fourth in roughly a month. The DOJ has released a 197-page report declaring that anti-discrimination protections are anti-Christian. And DHS put footage of an ICE agent stealing a rose from a murdered woman’s memorial into a propaganda video called “ICE is NICE.”
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Now, let’s get into it.
Diplomat’s Son, 25, Dead by Suicide After Being Left $5 Million in Epstein’s Will
Edward Juul Rod-Larsen, 25, was found dead in Oslo on Wednesday.
The news came shortly after Norwegian and French authorities launched a joint investigation into his parents — diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen and former ambassador Mona Juul — over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The family’s lawyers confirmed the death was a suicide.
Edward and his twin sister were never suspected of any crime. Epstein’s will included a bequest of $10 million to the two siblings ($5 million each) though the family says the money was never paid out.
Released DOJ files show Epstein took a detailed interest in Edward as a teenager. In 2018, Edward emailed Epstein to thank him for arranging a work placement at Christie’s auction house in London. Other exchanges discussed employment and college applications, including editing suggestions on his NYU admissions essays.
The family’s lawyers warned that months of public attention had shifted from critical scrutiny to suspicion and speculation. They cautioned that “speculating on connections is both irresponsible and undignified, because suicide is always complex and never has one explanation, one cause, or one blame.”
The investigation into the parents continues. No criminal charges have been brought against the children. The central suspicions concern the parents’ contacts with Epstein and the benefits he allegedly provided them.
If you are struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
Another Republican Congressman Is Under Investigation for Sexual Harassment
Another day, another Republican congressman under an Ethics investigation for sexual harassment.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating allegations of sexual harassment against Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, sources familiar with the matter say. The committee was recently contacted by a witness who described having witnessed improper behavior.
Edwards is 65, a Henderson County native, the owner of a McDonald’s franchise with locations across three counties. He is a recipient of a personal endorsement from Donald Trump, who called him a “MAGA Warrior,” and currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee.
He was first elected in 2022 after defeating then-Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the Republican primary, which at the time seemed like the responsible choice.
Asked to respond, Edwards said in a statement: “Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”
The Ethics Committee has been busy. Current and former members under Ethics scrutiny this Congress include Eric Swalwell, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Cory Mills, and Nancy Mace. One begins to wonder if the problem is the political environment, or just everyone in it.
DOJ Report Calls Anti-Discrimination Protections ‘Anti-Christian Persecution’
Christians are the most persecuted group in America, according to the DOJ. That is, if you don’t count any of the groups that are actually being persecuted.
The Department of Justice’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias released a 197-page report this week concluding that pro-LGBTQ policies pursued by Joe Biden constitute anti-Christian discrimination. Longer than the entire book of Genesis, for the record.
Biden is Roman Catholic. Numerous Christian groups support LGBTQ-inclusive policies. The report does not appear to have grappled with this, because grappling with it would have made the report shorter and less useful as a political instrument.
Among its findings, the report targets a 2024 rule which required foster care providers who wanted to receive a special designation for caring for LGBTQ children to receive training on the needs of LGBTQ youth. The administration did not require all foster carers to follow this rule.
The report describes this as a war on Christianity.
The report was chaired by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who spent the previous two years defending Trump in criminal court. Biden, who the report accuses of devastating the lives of Christian Americans, attends Mass every Sunday.
DHS Uses Clip From Renee Good’s Memorial in Twisted PR Video
The Department of Homeland Security would like you to know that ICE is nice. They made a video about it, which would have been more convincing if they hadn’t put a dead woman’s memorial in it.
The Department of Homeland Security this week released a propaganda video called “ICE is NICE.” It contained a saccharine montage of agents helping members of the public, designed to rebrand a federal law enforcement agency that has been shooting unarmed citizens.
Tucked inside the feel-good footage, eagle-eyed viewers spotted something that did not fit the vibe: an ICE agent stealing a rose from the makeshift memorial of Renee Good. The poet and U.S. citizen was shot three times as she tried to drive away from an ICE operation on a residential street in Minneapolis. She had a 6-year-old son.
The original moment was documented by a documentary filmmaker who drove to the scene after watching it happen on a livestream, and who described arriving in tears. In response to a request for comment, a DHS spokesperson sent a link to the “ICE is NICE” video.
American Immigration Council fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote that “the choice to include that shot in this video was deliberate trolling by our government.” This is what the world’s largest military budget buys you.
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We don’t have that problem because we don’t have that person. Our subscribers are the whole business. That means our only obligation is to the people reading, so we can cover a congressman under investigation for how he treats his staff, a Justice Department that spent 197 pages looking for bias and found it in gay people, and the rose stolen from a dead woman’s memorial.
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Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you tonight.
POSITIVE STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:
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U.S. Senators Banned From Prediction Markets Trading. It took a soldier getting arrested for using classified information about the Maduro raid to bet on Polymarket, but Congress finally acted. The Senate passed a resolution unanimously to ban members and staffers from trading on prediction markets, effective immediately. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “no-brainer.” The House has not yet followed suit, which is its own kind of answer.
Dems say AZ is ‘primed’ to flip blue. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee says the political environment is “primed for Democrats to flip the legislature blue and deliver a potential trifecta for the first time in 60 years” in Arizona. Republicans currently hold a 17-13 majority in the State Senate and a 33-27 majority in the State House. Democrats have tried and failed before. But the environment, the money, and the enthusiasm are all pointing in the same direction.
Virginia Governor signs “momnibus” bills to improve maternal health care coverage. Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a package of “momnibus” legislation this week to expand care for high-risk mothers, increase access to maternal mental health screenings, and improve tracking of life-threatening pregnancy complications. Every bill in the package passed with bipartisan support. In 2026, keeping mothers alive is a political act.
