New Mexico Sues to Crack Open the Epstein Cover-Up

Rep. Chuck Edwards quit at 3:32 a.m. over his conduct toward young female staffers, ICE is detaining military families, and Wisconsin cops used Flock cameras to track a man across state lines for weed

Good afternoon. I’m Ryan Rose, and this is AlterNet America.

New Mexico is suing the Department of Justice for stonewalling its investigation into late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards quit his re-election bid at 3:32 a.m. after the House Ethics Committee recommended censuring him over his conduct toward two young female staffers. Trump’s immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 spouses and parents of active-duty troops. And Wisconsin police used a Flock camera network to track a man across state lines and search his car for weed.

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New Mexico Sues the DOJ for Blocking Epstein Probe

At this point, the Epstein files have better security than Epstein did.

The state of New Mexico has sued the Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying the federal government blocked the state’s criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s ranch. State Attorney General Raúl Torrez says his office made 10 separate requests for key information, and that every one was ignored or denied.

“Todd Blanche today with a stroke of a pen could grant us the access that he claimed,” Torrez said. “Instead they have decided to stonewall, to obstruct and to frankly conceal for whatever reason.”

The DOJ says it’s protecting victim privacy under court orders. New Mexico points out that it’s one of the few jurisdictions that might still hold Epstein’s associates accountable, as witnesses at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial alleged abuse happened at that very ranch.

The property has since been sold and renamed San Rafael Ranch, after a saint associated with healing. The new owners plan to run a Christian retreat there, because if there’s one institution America trusts with unsupervised access to children, it’s the church.

Chuck Edwards Dropped Out at 3:32 in the Morning

There’s no good hour to announce you’re quitting Congress, but 3:32 a.m. is a strong signal that you’d rather no one was watching.

Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican from North Carolina, posted overnight Wednesday that he is withdrawing from his re-election campaign. “After much prayer and reflection,” he wrote, adding that he would finish out his current term.

The prayer and reflection followed a House Ethics Committee recommendation that he be censured for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”

The report says Edwards made “comments” about the women’s “appearance and dress,” gave them “lavish and recurrent gifts,” invited them to “intimate dinners and vacations,” and sent notes about his “effusive affection.” Both women were “made uncomfortable with his behavior.”

Democrats have nominated Jamie Ager, a fourth-generation farmer whose grandfather once represented the region in Congress. They were confident well before Edwards quit, even in a district that backed Trump by 10 points in 2024.

It’s not yet clear who Republicans will put on the ballot in his place. Whoever it is will presumably announce it during business hours.

Trump Is Detaining and Deporting the Families of Active-Duty Troops

Military service no longer protects your family from immigration law, which is a hell of a thing to find out after you’ve already agreed to get shot at.

Trump’s administration has detained more than 50 spouses and parents of active-duty service members since he took office. At least six have been deported, one self-deported, and at least eight remain in federal custody.

Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez was stationed at Fort Bliss when his wife was detained outside a Walmart in front of their 6-year-old daughter. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Wendy Gbeve watched her father get arrested at a routine USCIS interview, then refreshed a government webpage for two weeks until she learned he’d been deported to Mexico.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo is on administrative leave caring for his 5-year-old stepson after his wife was detained at an appointment in Alabama. One active-duty soldier had to halt an imminent deployment when her husband was taken, leaving no one to watch their child.

The new policy, implemented in April 2025, states that “military service alone does not exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.” Experts warn it undermines readiness as the U.S. is at war in Iran.

Even Republicans who cheer the crackdown have asked for releases. Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar advocated for the wife of a retired staff sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The crackdown is great until it’s someone you’ve met.

Cops Used Flock Cameras to Track a Man’s Weed Habit Across State Lines

Driving to Michigan is now probable cause in Wisconsin, which is going to be a problem for everyone with a lake house.

Police in Wisconsin used Flock’s automated license plate reader network to track Edward Abrams-Phillips driving to Michigan — where marijuana is legal — and back, then used that cross-state trip as part of the probable cause to search his car for weed.

The complaint calls Michigan a “known source State for Marijuana as it is legal there.” It notes his vehicle hit Flock cameras “on several occasions” and that “based on prior flock hits, the vehicle travels to Michigan frequently.”

Deputies made “a coordinated effort to intercept the vehicle” and pulled him over around 3:56 p.m. in April 2025. He was found guilty of marijuana possession.

Flock is a private surveillance company that sells automated license plate readers to police departments across the country. The cameras photograph every car that passes them, log the plate, and feed it into a searchable database. Police can set alerts for specific vehicles and track movement patterns across jurisdictions without a warrant.

Flock has over 4,000 law enforcement customers. If you’re keeping score, it is now legal to track someone’s car without a warrant but illegal to have the thing they bought at a store.

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