5 Big News Stories Overnight - Friday, May 22, 2026

"Epstein’s longtime assistant accused three previously unknown abusers connected to him"

CNN reports:
Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant gave the House Oversight Committee three new names of alleged abusers in the convicted sex offender’s network — a revelation that committee chairman James Comer described as a promising lead in his panel’s investigation into Epstein’s misdeeds.

The assistant, Sarah Kellen, provided the names in a closed-door interview on Thursday, Comer said. He declined to name the individuals, but said they were not previously known and promised to release a transcript of Kellen’s interview as soon as possible.

“The new names, that’s what we’ve been waiting for,” Comer said, adding, “I’m more optimistic today than I have been a long time.”

Kellen is a polarizing figure in Epstein’s orbit whose work with the disgraced late financier gave her access to significant information on his activities. In 2007, she was labeled by law enforcement as one of Epstein’s potential co-conspirators, and many believe she helped him recruit and abuse girls. But she has described herself as a victim of Epstein’s abuse, and some observers acknowledge her experience is complicated, even if law enforcement did investigate her for possibly aiding Epstein.

Trump to deploy 5,000 US troops to Poland after earlier plan was canceled

France 24 reports:

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he was sending 5,000 troops to Poland, after Washington said an earlier planned deployment had been called off amid pressure on Europe to fend for itself.

Trump said the move was based on his relationship with Poland's president Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist ally whom he said he was "proud to endorse" in elections that Nawrocki won last year.

"I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Trump did not give further details, but his comments appeared to refer to a deployment of several thousand US troops to Poland whose fate has been unclear for several days.

Andrzej Duda President of the Republic of Poland. Photo: Jakub Szymczuk 4.0

California: Newsom Issues EO on AI's Impact on Workers

Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued an executive order directing California to prepare workers, small businesses, and communities for the economic disruption that artificial intelligence will bring to the workforce. The order mobilizes state agencies, labor experts, economists, universities, and industry leaders to develop new policies, gather data, and identify early warning signs of workforce disruption — while ensuring workers share in the gains created by AI-driven productivity.

The order directs the state to explore policies including severance standards, employment insurance and transition support for displaced workers, worker ownership models, universal basic capital concepts, expanded workforce training, and stronger tracking of hiring and payroll trends to help California respond faster to potential layoffs and economic disruption. Read the executive order here.

“California has never sat back and watched as the future happened to us – and we won’t start now. We have taken the lead on advancing innovation, safety, and transparency. But we must think bigger. This moment demands that we reimagine the entire system — how we work, how we govern, how we prepare people for the future — and that work is starting right here in the Golden State.

Today is just the first step as we rewrite policy and direction, creating a future of work that works for all.” Governor Gavin Newsom. SOURCE: Press Release

Washington: GOP Senators Bulks at Trumps Criminal Defense Fund

Wall Street Journal reports: 

Senate Republicans broke with President Trump over his administration’s plan to create a $1.8 billion settlement fund to pay people who claim political persecution, with widespread opposition forcing party leaders Thursday to abandon votes on immigration-enforcement funding and send lawmakers home early for their Memorial Day break.

The “anti-weaponization” fund is a Trump priority, after he alleged for years that his supporters, including those prosecuted over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, had been targeted unfairly by the Biden administration. But its creation has run into blowback in the Senate, and the immigration-enforcement bill gave senators leverage to dig in their heels.

“I don’t like the fund at all,” said Sen. John Curtis (R., Utah), who added he didn’t think any guardrails could fix it. Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), a frequent target of Trump criticism who is retiring, called it a “payout pot for punks.”

With no resolution in sight, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) sent senators home for their weeklong Memorial Day recess, putting the Republican-led Congress on course to miss Trump’s deadline to have the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol measure on his desk by June 1.

DNC Report on Harris' Loss

Al Jazeera reports:

It was also light on policy recommendations and missing some sections.

For months, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had been facing growing calls from activists to release the report.

DNC Chair Ken Martin acknowledged the report’s shortcomings on Thursday, but he said continuing to withhold it would have been a bigger distraction than releasing it in its current state.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards. I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it,”  Martin said in a statement.

“But transparency is paramount. So, today I am releasing the report as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified.”

Al Jazeera looks at the key takeaways from the report.

Zero mentions of Gaza

Leading up to the 2024 vote, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza was one of the most contentious and divisive issues for the Democrats and Harris.

Then-President Joe Biden had handed Israel nearly $18bn to fund its brutal assault that turned the Palestinian territory into rubble, killed tens of thousands of people and sparked famine in the enclave. READ MORE: