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A federal judge has accused the Trump administration of terrorizing immigrants and recklessly violating the law in its efforts to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.

Federal Enforcement Tear Gas Housing

Citing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, the judge said that the White House had also "extended its violence on its own citizens."

"The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation," U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California said in her scathing decision issued late Wednesday.

Sykes ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide detained immigrants around the country with notice of her earlier decisions that they may be eligible to seek release on bond.

Under past administrations, people with no criminal record could generally request a bond hearing before an immigration judge while their cases wound through immigration court unless they were stopped at the border. PresidentDonald Trump's White House reversed that policy in favor ofmandatory detention.

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Sykes, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat,ruled in Novemberand again in December that the change violated the law and extended her decision to immigrants nationwide. The Republican administration, however, has continued denying bond hearings. That has prompted thousands of immigrantsto file separate petitions in federal courtseeking their release. More than 20,000 habeas corpus cases have been filed since Trump's inauguration, according to federal court records analyzed by the AP.

An email Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.

Sykes said Wednesday by violating her decision, the administration had "wasted valuable time and resources" and deprived immigrants of their "liberty, economic stability, and fundamental dignity."

She also slammed the claim that the immigration crackdown was removing the worst criminals, saying most of the people arrested did not fit that description.

"Americans have expressed deep concerns over unlawful, wanton acts by the executive branch," she wrote. "Beyond its terror against noncitizens, the executive branch has extended its violence on its own citizens, killing two American citizens— Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota."

After tragedy struck in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range earlier this week whenat least eight skiers were killed in an avalanche and one remains missing, search teams are facing brutal winter conditions and the threat of more avalanches as they work to recover the bodies of the victims.

The skiers were part of a group of 15 guides and clients of a mountain guide company in the Lake Tahoe area. They were backcountry skiing from remote huts in an avalanche-prone area on Feb. 17 when the incident happened. Six people survived and were rescued hours later, and eight people have been located deceased. One was still missing but is presumed dead as of the latest update from authorities on Feb. 18.

It is thedeadliest avalanche in the United Statesin almost 45 years, according to theColorado Avalanche Information Center.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said on Feb. 18 that none of the eight bodies were removed from the mountain because it has been too difficult for crews to access them. That struggle could extend on Feb. 19, with forecasters warning ofanother winter stormto bring heavy snow and a heightened avalanche risk.

"Due to the ongoing challenges of the weather, the avalanche conditions, the effort remains ongoing, as well as our search for the remaining skier," Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

Visual story:See how six skiers survived the deadly Tahoe avalanche

The region is under a winter storm advisory and an avalanche warning. Another over a foot of snow could fall on Feb. 19, after2 to 4 feet have already fallenin the Lake Tahoe area, according to the National Weather Service office in nearby Reno, Nevada.

"The longer that we continue to have people out there and exposed, the higher chance we put our rescuers in danger," Capt. Rusty Greene of the Nevada County Sheriff's Department said.

Inside the search for missing skiers after California avalanche

Avalanche was the deadliest in decades

The group of 15 skiers included four guides from the Blackbird Mountain Guides company and 11 clients, officials said. They were at the end of a three-day trip to the remote Frog Lake huts, which require miles of skiing, snowboarding or snow shoeing to access. The company said the group was returning to the trailhead at the end of the trip.

The avalanche happened in the Castle Peak area northwest of Lake Tahoe at about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 17. Six people who survived had to shelter for hours until search and rescue crews could reach them. Two had injuries that weren't life threatening and were taken to hospitals later that evening.

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The surviving group located three of the missing people deceased, and rescuers found another five people deceased. One was still missing, officials said Feb. 18.

It was thedeadliest avalanche since 11 people were killed in 1981while attempting to climb Mount Rainier in Washington state.

Harsh conditions, threat of avalanches as recovery continues

The Feb. 17 avalanche came amid the strongest winter storm in the region of the year, reported the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Officials said the weather conditions, which included heavy snow and gusty winds creating whiteout conditions, made it extremely difficult to reach the survivors and find the victims.

Moon described the weather conditions as "horrific." At times, it was "impossible" to see in the conditions, Moon said on Feb. 18. The eight bodies that were located were not yet removed from the mountain because of the conditions and the risks to the search crews, authorities said. Search teams used a snowcat vehicle but had to ski the remaining 2 miles to reach the people stranded to avoid triggering another avalanche, she said.

On Feb. 19, forecasters said another 12 to 18 inches of snow could fall at elevations over 7,000 feet and 6 to 12 inches in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Ridge-top wind gusts will reach 45 mph, the weather service said.

There is also a high risk for large avalanches in backcountry areas of the Tahoe region, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center. Greene said on Feb. 18 that there was a concern that additional avalanches could rebury the victims' bodies, but officials also have to weigh the safety of the search team, which consists of volunteers.

"We've done everything we can to make it so that given the opportunity, we can get in and do a fast recovery if the weather gives us that chance," Greene said.

The searchers placed avalanche poles, probes that can help them later find the bodies' exact locations, but recovery will depend on how the weather acts over the next few days, he said.

"We want to really make sure that our first responders are safe and have all of the confidence that they can get there," Moon said.

Contributing: The Reno Gazette Journal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Latest on missing skier after avalanche at California's Lake Tahoe

The Taliban has passed a law that allows men to beat their wives as long as it does not cause "broken bones or open wounds".

The Telegraph obtained the 60-page penal code – signed by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban supreme leader, and distributed to courts across Afghanistan – which classifies spousal beatings as "ta'zir" – discretionary punishment – rather than a criminal act.

A husband may strike his wife and children freely, provided the violence does not leave visible bone fractures or open wounds.

Even where serious injury can be proven, the maximum sentence is 15 days in prison.

The law is written to ensure that the bar is almost never met.

To pursue a complaint, a woman must present her wounds in person to a male judge while remaining fully veiled and accompanied by a male guardian.

In the majority of domestic violence cases, that guardian is the husband who committed the beating.

There is no provision in the code prohibiting physical, psychological or sexual violenceagainst women.

For those who do attempt to flee, thelaw offers another trap.

Article 34 says that a woman who goes to her parents' home without her husband's permission – even to escape violence – faces up to three months in prison. Family members who shelter her face the same sentence.

The code dismantles the legal framework established under Afghanistan's previous government, including a 2009 law that criminalised forced marriage, rape and gender-based violence and imposed sentences of between three months and one year for domestic abuse.

Working-class Afghans at the bottom of the hierarchy face imprisonment and corporal punishment.

The code explicitly distinguishes between"free" citizensand "slaves."

The requirement to bring a male chaperone to court – where that chaperone is, in most cases, the abuser – makes justice structurally impossible.

The criminalisation of fleeing to a parent's home makes escape structurally impossible.

The Taliban has since ruled that discussing the penal code is itself a criminal offence.

Narges, a former university student in western Herat, told The Telegraph: "The world has always shown its unjust side to us. I do not feel like I am living, and this feeling is shared by everyone I know."

She added: "Our life is more like a constant resistance against everything out there. No one sees us.No one cares about us.

"This new law is not just a law – it is making our bodies their field of control.No one would see our painunless our bones are broken. They are legalising fear. We are living in fear and silence."

Article 59 criminalises dancing – performing it and watching it – without providing any legal definition of what dancing constitutes.

"Dance for boys and girls, and those who play music for them, or the people who watch (attend) the show, are all criminals. The judge shall sentence each one of them to two months' imprisonment."

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The new law also criminalises thought. Criticising any action banned by the Taliban leadership is itself a criminal offence, including criticism of the ban on girls' education, which Taliban courts now classify as a lawful restriction.

Under Article 23, insulting Taliban leaders carries 20 lashes and six months in prison.

Any Afghan who witnesses opposition activity and fails to report it to Taliban authorities faces two years in prison.

There is no right to a lawyer anywhere in the legal document.

The entire edifice of fair trial has been stripped out and replaced with the discretion of Taliban judges, operating without oversight, without appeal, and now with the force of signed, distributed, enacted law.

Religious minorities face their own specific jeopardy.

Article 2 designates followers of non-Hanafi Islamic schools – including Shia Muslims, Ismailis, Salafis and Ahl-e-Hadith, roughly 15 per cent of the population – as "innovators" or apostates.

Teachers are permitted to beat children in their care, with only the most extreme injuries – broken bones, torn skin, heavy bruising – defined as excess.

Other physical violence, all psychological violence, all sexual violence against children are not prohibited.

Article 48 explicitly permits fathers to physically punish sons from the age of 10. The code frames this as acting in the child's interest.

Article 9 divides Afghan society into four formal tiers: religious scholars, elites, middle class, lower class.

The same crime committed by a scholar earns advice. Committed by an elite, it earns a court summons. If committed by a middle-class Afghan, the punishment is prison. And if committed by a working-class Afghan, the result is prison and corporal punishment.

Article 17 criminalises "mockery" of Islamic rulings with two years in prison, with no definition of what mockery means, leaving judges to decide arbitrarily.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has systematically curbed women's rights in Afghanistan.

The restrictionsaffect their daily lives, ranging from preventing them from showing their faces in public or driving a car, to forbidding conversations with men and restricting how they dress.

Women have already been ordered to cover their faces "to avoid temptation and tempting others" and refrain from speaking in the presence of unfamiliar men who are not husbands or close relatives.

Afghan women have also been ordered not to speak loudly inside their homes, to prevent their voices from being heard outside.

Women who defy the new rules will be arrested and sent to prison, the Taliban said.

In July 2024, a United Nations report said the ministry for promoting virtue and preventing vice was contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through its edicts and the methods used to enforce them.

However, in recent months, there have been increasing signs of discord from within the ranks of the Taliban as it tries to transform itself from a guerrilla force to a functioning government.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.

Federal and local authorities will use genetic genealogy to analyze DNA found at Nancy Guthrie's home as the ongoing investigation into her possible abduction stretches into its third week.

The 84-year-old mother of "TODAY" co-host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing around noon on Feb. 1 after she did not show up to a friend's house to watch virtual church services. Guthrie was last seen the previous night at around 9:45, after dinner at her daughter Annie's house.

Authorities believe that Guthrie was possibly taken from her home. They have not publicly identified a suspect or person of interest. All members of the Guthrie family have been cleared as potential suspects in the case, which involves local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

In an update this week, authorities said DNA recovered from a glove found about 2 miles from Guthrie's home did not match any samples in the FBI's DNA database, called CODIS, nor did it match DNA found at Guthrie's property, authorities said Tuesday. The Combined DNA Index System has 19 million offender DNA profiles and more than 1 million forensic profiles,according to the FBI. But a match would not necessarily break the case.

The glove appeared to match the gloves worn by a person seen in security video from outside Guthrie's home, authorities have said.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos on Tuesday told NBC News that investigators are analyzing some partial DNA that was found at Guthrie's home. Investigators are also exploring "investigative genetic genealogy options" to identify possible DNA matches, the department said.

"We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won't know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genetic genealogy," Nanos said.

Investigators are now turning to genetic genealogy, which has previously successfully identified other high-profile criminals like the Golden State Killer and University of Idaho murderer Brian Kohberger.

"If I was the kidnapper, I would be extremely concerned right now, because using investigative genetic genealogy, he will be identified," DNA expert CeCe Moore told "TODAY" Thursday.

Authorities, however, are not allowed to use well-known genealogy sites such as Ancestry.com or 23andMe, and will have to rely on publicly available DNA databases to test the DNA. Moore noted that the process may take awhile.

"If they have deep roots in the United States, it could be minutes, it could be a few hours," Moore said. "But if it's somebody who doesn't have connections to the U.S. in their tree in more recent generations, then it could take much longer."

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Last week, the FBI released security camera images and videos of an armed and masked man outside Guthrie's home on the morning of her disappearance. The FBI has since described that suspect as a 5'9" to 5'10" male carrying a unique gun holster and an Ozark Trail backpack from Walmart. He also may have been wearing a ring.

Nanos noted that identifying the suspect's backpack could be a critical clue in the investigation.

"We're working with our Walmart managers all across the state to try to find out how many sales there were of that backpack in the last 20, 30 days, the last 60 days," Nanos said. "And can we do something with that? Can we break it — maybe we'll find a credit card or a bank card? Maybe we'll find a video of the guy walking in."

The FBI currently has a $100,000 reward for information leading to the location of Guthrie or an arrest for anyone involved in her disappearance. As of Thursday morning, theFBI said it has receivedmore than 19,000 tips related to the case since Feb. 1.

An additional $102,500 reward is being offered through Tucson Crime Stoppers, known locally as 88-CRIME.

There's no evidence that Guthrie was taken over the U.S.-Mexico border, two officials briefed on the case said.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department and, later, the FBI have been in touch with officials on both sides of the border to share information in the case, officials said, noting that such outreach is standard in missing-person cases like this one.

The Sonora State Attorney General's Office said Thursday that it has not received a "formal request for collaboration, assistance, or information exchange from U.S. authorities or Mexican federal agencies in connection with this case." The statement added that should "an official request be received through the appropriate institutional channels, it will be addressed with full cooperation and within the scope of its legal authority and existing cooperation mechanisms."

A Tucson attorneyconfirmed to NBC affiliate News12that his client, 37-year-old Luke Daley, was briefly detained on Friday night during a search of his home but was not arrested. "Both Mr. Daley and his mother are hopeful that Nancy will be returned to her family unharmed," attorney Chris Scileppi said.

Scileppi did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.

As authorities continue to comb through thousands of tips and leads, Nanos stressed that the case is far from cold.

"As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it's not cold," Nanos said. "We're not going to give up. We're going to find Nancy, and we're going to find out who did this."

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NEED TO KNOW

• The Blind Side star Quinton Aaron is now awake following his recent spinal stroke

• The actor exclusively tells PEOPLE that he's now "focusing" on his recovery

• He's been able to speak and text with his relatives and close friends, his family tells PEOPLE
  

The Blind SidestarQuinton Aaronremains hospitalized, but is now awake.

In January, the 41-year-old actor suffered aspinal stroke. In the weeks following, he remained in the hospital "in very serious condition," a source close to the Aaron family exclusively told PEOPLE.

Quinton issued an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, saying, "I went through a lot, but I'm focusing on God, my recovery, my family and close friends as well as my career."

His family tells PEOPLE that he's currently "feeling strong and empowered."

The actor is able to speak with his relatives and FaceTime and text regularly now with his closest inner circle of friends. "He's excited about the future opportunities life will present to him," the family says.

His family also shared a photo of him and his brother, Jarred. The family says the two brothers have grown even closer following Quinton's stroke.

The Aaron family also said in a statement that Quinton is "awake, fully alert, interacting with his family and approved visitors."

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The actor has "feeling in his legs," his family adds. With his recovery underway, he is "focused on his recovery and successfully doing things like practicing writing, doing puzzles."

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The recent updates come after a source told PEOPLE that doctors were "conducting tests to keep him stable."

Spinal strokes occur when something, such as blood clots or hemorrhages, stops blood flow in a person's spinal cord, according to theCleveland Clinic. The condition is very rare, comprising less than 1% of all strokes, and "can still be fatal or cause permanent disabilities."

The recent hospitalization comes nearly a year after he was hospitalized for coughing up blood and coming down with a fever in February 2025,TMZpreviously reported.

Aaron said at the time that medics believed he was dealing with Type A flu, as well as pneumonia. He also suffered a severe upper respiratory infection back in 2019, according to the outlet.

Read the original article onPeople

Denise Truscello/Caesar's

Former teen idolDonny Osmondis known for breaking hearts, not heads. But one recent concertgoer has filed a lawsuit, claiming she was injured at one of his Las Vegas shows.

Joanne Julkowski is suing the "Puppy Love" singer after attending his Feb. 15, 2024, concert at Harrah's Las Vegas, where she alleges she was "suddenly and forcefully struck in the back of the head by one of the lighted balls that had been thrown or propelled into the crowd."

In a lawsuit filed in Nevada's Clark County, that was obtained byEntertainment Weekly, Julkowski said that she "sustained serious injuries, including a traumatic retinal eye injury to her right eye with retinal detachment requiring surgical intervention and resulting visual impairment, as well as associated head and neck injuries," which "required [her] to obtain extensive medical care."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

The lawsuit said that Julkowski's experience had caused her to struggle emotionally, too.

She "has suffered severe emotional distress, including psychological trauma, fear, anxiety, PTSD, and loss of joy in life," as well as "physical pain, discomfort, disability, and limitations in her daily activities." The court documents also describe a loss of wages and "a loss of earning capacity."

Osmond is one of several defendants, including the venue and its parent company and Donny Osmond Concerts, Inc., named in the legal action.

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Julkowski accused the singer andseason 9Dancing With the Starswinnerof having put her in danger.

"The oversized lighted balls used during the concert were designed and intended to be thrown or propelled through the audience while illuminated, and when so used, were capable of causing injury to concertgoers upon forceful impact," the document read.

She alleged that the venue was dim, "therefore reducing visibility for patrons and limiting their ability to perceive, track, and avoid the oversized, lighted balls moving through the crowd; and there were no adequate warnings, instructions, or safety measures communicated to patrons regarding the presence, use, or hazards of the balls."

Julkowski is seeking $15,000 in past and future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, attorney's fees, and punitive damages.

Her attorneys, Christian Morris Trial Attorneys, said in a statement toEntertainment Weekly: "The choice of this performer and this venue to intentionally launch large objects into a crowd shows a mentality that they prioritize entertainment value over the safety of their guests. The decision unnecessarily endangers people of all ages and can cause a multitude of injuries. This lawsuit brings these actions to light and seeks answers to those choices and asks for retribution for the injuries they caused to Joanne."

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to an attorney for Osmond and to Harrah's.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

When she reached out to Jeffrey Epstein in 2013, Ditè Anata knew the Manhattan wealth manager could easily help a Juilliard student cover her housing costs. Anata, an international model with a top agency, also apparently knew Epstein well enough to implore him to avoid any less-than-professional dealings.

More:Epstein pulled strings, paid tuition across world for kids of powerful

She told Epstein she'd mentioned to the student's "mum" how generous Epstein was with artists and how he played the piano.

"I skipped all my experiences that shocked me so please," she wrote on Aug. 20, 2013, "be nice and behave your best :) If you feel like you can't be official I would rather you not help her."

Anata did not know the student at the prestigious performing arts college in New York City, but she told USA TODAY she knew Epstein was a philanthropist who supported "talented individuals and artists."

She also knew Epstein had spent roughly two years in custody after pleading guilty to solicitation of prostitution and hiring minors to engage in prostitution. But Anata explained to USA TODAY that Epstein told her that those charges were "politically motivated and set up by his adversaries."

That same day, a person whose name is redacted wrote to Epstein that a family friend had come through with New York accommodations and she would not need to contact "Juilliard's Residence Hall." The email does not explicitly link the housing solution to the Juilliard student, but it references a conversation with someone named Ditè.

"It is wonderful to know, that there are still such kind and generous people in the world like you, who value and support Arts and Science" the Aug. 20, 2013, email read. "I was delighted to hear from Dite, that you yourself love playing the piano!"

More:Who is in the Epstein files? A look at the latest names

Epstein kept the correspondence going,inviting his correspondent to dinner with a famous movie director and a prominent composer. The email correspondent replied that it would be a "great honor for me to participate."

USA TODAY reached out to the former student discussed in Anata and Epstein's email exchange, whose name surfaced in the final batch of court documents released by the Justice Department last month.

The former student's attorney, Brittany Henderson, declined to answer questions about the housing situation, but said her client "endured substantial abuse at the hands of Epstein." Henderson requested anonymity for the former student, which USA TODAY granted, as it does not identify people who report sexual abuse.

More:Six years after Jeffrey Epstein's death, hundreds of women push for justice

Anata told USA TODAY she did not have any information about what transpired after she'd asked Epstein for help. Juilliard said it did not receive payment from Epstein, and the student never lived in campus housing.

Among themillions of pages from the Epstein files the DOJ released following a mandate from Congress, the email exchange between Anata, Epstein and the Juilliard student illustrates how the now-globally notorious sex offender served as an opportunity broker for powerful people. Emails show he arranged to help the relatives of celebrities like Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, or politicians like Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States. They also came from lower-profile people hoping to change their circumstances.

In exchange, the people asking favors told Epstein they felt they owed him and promised to reward him in various ways for his largesse.In the messages reviewed by USA TODAY, none of the people who appear to be currying favor with Epstein are connected to allegations of Epstein's illegal acts, including sexual misconduct, and they have not been accused of any wrongdoing.

A USA TODAY review of hundreds of files shows Epstein or entities tied to him paid at least $840,000 to cover students' costs at 28 different schools.

Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law scholar and Democratic Maryland congressman, has been pushing the feds for more transparency about Epstein's ties to America's elite universities. In January, he requested documents be released showing how Epstein and potential co-conspirators arranged for women to attend Columbia and New York University and paid their tuition after they were accepted.

"By doing so, Mr. Epstein not only lured young women who he and his co-conspirators would come to sexually abuse and rape, he also ensured his victims were indebted to him and less likely to come forward to report crimes to law enforcement," Raskinwrote in a letterto NYU President Linda G. Mills.

The trove of documents released last month revealed Epstein's largesse extended beyond these New York colleges. A USA TODAY review of hundreds of files shows Epstein or entities tied to him paid at least $840,000 to cover students' costs at 28 different schools, according to a Deutsche Bank document in the Justice Department files. In addition,USA TODAY found Epstein arranged for tuition payments for dozens of people at other schools across the country, including large public universities, for-profit art colleges and elite private universities.

Marquee celebs, prominent academics sought with school costs

Sometimes Epstein covered school costs for his staffers or the children of his friends. In other cases, the Deutsche Bank report described the recipients as "Russian" or "Swedish" models. Their names were redacted. The newly released files also show that additional payments, beyond those shared by Deutsche Bank in September 2019, were made a few months after Epsteindied in federal custody.

Epstein, for example, arranged to pay 10,000 pounds for Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the husband of British politician Peter Mandelson, to attend an osteopathic program.

"It feels so right to be doing this," da Silva wrote Epstein after he'd begun his studies, in an email message on Sept. 28, 2009. "It has increased my understanding of the body in every aspect already."

The Health Sciences University, which houses the Uco School of Osteopathy, the former British School of Osteopathy, told USA TODAY that the institution did not receive money directly, "from Epstein, his businesses, or any of his known business associates."

The General Osteopathic Council, a regulatory body in Britain,issued a news release Feb. 2saying it was "aware of media reports that the husband of Peter Mandelson, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, was in receipt of funds from Jeffrey Epstein to fund an osteopathy course in the UK in 2009."

The organization went on to say that da Silva did not graduate and was ineligible to practice osteopathy in the UK. Mandelson was fired from his role as the British ambassador to the United States in 2025 after his ties to Epstein became apparent.

Mandelson's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Epstein made similar overtures to Hollywood titans.

In 2018, he wowed Caroline Lang, then a Warner Bros. executive based in France, when he appeared to promise he would cover tuition for a person with the same name as her daughter.

Epstein writes: "to confirm her tuition is my treat."

"Waouh!!! I am spoiled!!!!! Great!!!!" Lang wrote back.

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It's unclear based on the emails whether Epstein paid the tuition. USA TODAY attempted to contact Lang but did not receive a response.

Epstein wielded not only his checkbook in service of his charges, but also his Rolodex.

In 2016, Epstein personally appealed to the president of Bard College, Leon Botstein, to help secure admission for Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn's daughter.

David Wade, a spokesperson for Botstein, provided a statement, saying, "Jeffrey Epstein was a serial liar who apparently took credit for the sun rising each day."

The statement went on to say Allen and Previn's daughter was "accepted on the merits of her own qualifications for admission."

As for the university president's connection to Epstein, Wade said that Botstein "regrets enormously pursuing this fundraising connection," but "seeking more philanthropy was the only reason that their paths crossed."

Botsteinhas since faced calls to resign, according to Mid Hudson News.

Allen's manager did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Epstein was also known to broker openings for academics and their children. For example, Joscha Bach, a former MIT professor who now works as an AI researcher, asked Epstein repeatedly to fund his children's private education at schools including Alef-Bet Child Care Inc., a "play-based day care" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the German International School Boston, "a bilingual independent school serving students from preschool – grade 12." The newly released emails show that Bach received at least $48,000 to cover education expenses.

Bach told USA TODAY scientists he knew had introduced him to Epstein. He said that he was aware of Epstein's past convictions, but fellow academics told him that the financier had changed.

When he accepted Epstein's help, Bach was studying artificial generative intelligence, a topic for which he told USA TODAY he struggled to find research funding. He was "confronted with the choice of accepting Epstein's offer to fund the stay of me and my family in the U.S., or to leave academic research behind."

"I decided to take his offer; I would not have been able to support the move, cost of living, day care or cost of the German school from my postdoctoral salary," Bach told USA TODAY.

He added that Epstein "never expected anything in return" other than access to the "minds of individuals he found interesting." He said he'd never observed Epstein commit illegal activity or sexual crimes. Bach said that Epstein's second arrest "came as a shock."

Had he been aware of that activity, Bach said, "I would have ceased all interactions."

Where else did Epstein cover tuition?

The Deutsche Bank document in the Epstein files provides a concise accounting of the range of schools at which Epstein covered tuition.

They include many payments for Epstein's staff members' relatives: roughly $19,900 for one employee's relative to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University, a private college in New Jersey; and $10,000 for another person's relative to attend Mississippi College, a private Christian institution in a suburb of Jackson.

Dina Schipper, a spokesperson for Fairleigh Dickinson, said the university was aware these expenses were reflected in the files and that it had records of three tuition payments from a Jeffrey Epstein account in 2015. She said the university had no records or knowledge of any connection to Epstein in any other capacity.

Beyond the Deutsche Bank report, USA TODAY's review uncovered documents showing Epstein paid tuition at primary schools, private universities, for-profit colleges and a coding boot camp.

A correspondent whose name was redacted by the DOJ sought help in covering the tuition for massage school. The student had nowhere else to turn, the message said.

"I am of course more than happy to do anything for you in return. miss you a lot. Xo," the aspiring student wrote in a 2009 message, written a year after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution and hiring a minor to engage in sex.

Another correspondent, whose name was also redacted by the feds, sought Epstein's help paying for an education at Sotheby's Institute of Art New York, a for-profit college, in 2019. In an email, Lesley Groff, identified as Epstein's assistant, communicated with Sotheby's about the student's tuition payment.

Amanda M.F. Bakale, general counsel of Edconic, said the company that runs the institute was not previously aware Epstein had sent the payment, but she subsequently confirmed its veracity.

"It is not uncommon for individuals other than the student to complete the payment form (employers, parents, etc.)," Bakale wrote.

The attorney said that the school hadn't received any inquiries from law enforcement tied to the payment.

Sometimes, Epstein's quid pro quo was explicit

In dozens of exchanges where power brokering like this played out, Epstein's motivations occasionally showed through. In some cases, he laid out explicit conditions for what he wanted in exchange for fronting tuition money. In April 2017, he wrote in an email to a person whose name was redacted that he would provide $30,000 for tuition, but it came with a caveat.

"You will need to provide three assistants. 10k per. If you don't you will have to repay," he wrote.

Even with this explicit condition, the person asking the favor seemed eager to push forward with the deal. The email correspondent said he or she was "crossing my fingers for" the student whose name was redacted. Separately, the correspondent noted that he or she was planning an ad campaign and would be hiring "females under 24 based in NY/Paris."

It's unclear if the campaign ever ran.

Chris Quintana is an investigative reporter at USA TODAY. He can be reached at cquintana@usatoday.com or via Signal at 202-308-9021. He is on X at @CQuintanaDC.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Epstein files reveal how he cultivated power figures to his benefit