INTERNACIONAL
Pro-life center fights New Jersey attorney general’s ‘fishing expedition’ in Supreme Court battle
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NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday in a case involving New Jersey pregnancy resource centers challenging actions by the state’s Democratic leadership that they say violate their constitutional rights.
First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a nonprofit comprising five facilities across north and central New Jersey, has been wrapped up since 2023 in the dispute over an investigative subpoena issued by Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who alleges the nonprofit could be defrauding its donors. First Choice counters that the inquiry is baseless and a First Amendment threat because it has rattled donors, who have kept the centers afloat for four decades.
During a tour of the New Brunswick center, First Choice Executive Director Aimee Huber told Fox News Digital that Platkin’s subpoena — seeking donor names, contact information and employment records — is unjustified.
«I think it’s important to realize that there have been no complaints that have been cited by the attorney general against First Choice, not one,» Huber said. «So, when we received the subpoena, it was clearly a fishing expedition. There were no complaints by donors or clients.»
First Choice Pregnancy Resource Centers, New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 2025. (Fox News Digital)
The Supreme Court is weighing a technicality over whether the subpoena fight should play out in state or federal court. In state court, the New Jersey attorney general could have the upper hand.
Dalton Nichols, a lawyer on the case who works for the conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom, told Fox News Digital Platkin’s demand was «egregious» and that it was crucial that First Choice have its day in federal court to make its First Amendment claim.
Nichols said: «this is bigger than just a state court versus federal court issue.»
«This could have implications that impact other claims [over] any invasive requests for donor names like that, so a loss for First Choice in this case could be a bit more far-reaching than just state court versus federal court,» Nichols said.
«It’s getting at whether or not you even have a claim at all, and if First Choice has a First Amendment claim, then First Choice should be able to press that in federal court.»
Platkin, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, began scrutinizing pregnancy counseling centers in July 2022 by launching a «strike force» to promote abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision. Platkin said such facilities presented consumer fraud concerns because they misled donors and clients about the services they offered.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, File)
«If you’re seeking reproductive care, beware of Crisis Pregnancy Centers!» Platkin wrote on X in December 2022. His subpoena to First Choice came less than one year later.
«Attorneys General are the chief law enforcement officers of their States and have broad authority to investigate potential violations of state laws,» state lawyers wrote to the Supreme Court in defense of Platkin’s probe.
The state lawyers also argued that First Choice was overstating the threat that the subpoena presented because the scope of donor information it sought could become narrower if hashed out in state court.
Huber said First Choice is forthright about its mission to promote alternatives to abortion.
«We’re always very careful to share that we do not perform or refer for abortions, so [the client] knows ahead of time before she comes in what services we can provide her and what services we don’t provide,» Huber said.
The New Brunswick center, which takes appointments, has an ultrasound room where a woman faces a wall of images of babies growing in the womb as a sonographer or nurse performs an ultrasound on her to confirm the pregnancy. A small separate room is used for consulting clients, the majority of whom are Hispanic, Huber said. Yet another room appears as a large closet lined with baby clothing — a «baby boutique.» Huber said economic and family pressures are frequent obstacles for women.
A wall of a room where women can receive an ultrasound as a means to confirm they are pregnant at First Choice Women’s Resource Centers in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Fox News Digital)
«Women who are scared and vulnerable and think that abortion is their only option come to us, and they receive professional services and compassionate care, all free of charge,» Huber said, adding that First Choice has served more than 36,000 women.
Lawyers on behalf of New Jersey said the subpoena was intended to investigate whether donors were being solicited on certain websites under the false pretense that First Choice offered abortions and whether the nonprofit was making unsubstantiated medical claims about the abortion pill.
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First Choice lawyers wrote in court papers that the nonprofit provides «medically accurate» information, showcasing a divide over dissemination of information about the pill, which has become a top pain point in the aftermath of the Supreme Court flipping abortion policy to the states.
«Every once in a while, we hear someone who doesn’t agree with what we do, and so that happens, but our clients are so appreciative and grateful, and our staff and our donors, so I’ve learned to focus on the positive and not the negative,» Huber said. «Of course, when we received the subpoena from the New Jersey attorney general two years ago now, everything changed in terms of our legal battle and what we were called to do during this moment.»
supreme court,abortion,new jersey,judiciary
INTERNACIONAL
El régimen iraní identificó a casi 3.000 muertos por la represión mientras la ONU estima que la cifra llegaría a cerca de 20.000
El régimen iraní publicó este domingo una lista con los nombres de 2.986 personas fallecidas durante la represión de las protestas que comenzaron en diciembre, un balance que Teherán cifra en 3.117 muertos totales. Sin embargo, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas y organizaciones de derechos humanos advierten que la magnitud real de la masacre perpetrada por la República Islámica podría ser entre seis y diez veces superior, con estimaciones que alcanzan las 20.000 víctimas mortales.
“Me gustaría informar con tristeza a la noble nación de Irán que el número total de víctimas de los recientes acontecimientos es de 3.117”, afirmó el presidente Masud Pezeshkian en un comunicado oficial. El mandatario iraní explicó que la diferencia de 131 personas entre el total declarado y la lista publicada “se debe a la identidad desconocida de varias personas y a las discrepancias en el registro del documento nacional de identidad”, que serán incluidas en una lista complementaria una vez corregidas.
Pezeshkian anunció además que en las próximas 48 horas se habilitará un sistema para que “cualquier nueva información y reclamación pueda ser examinada y verificada sin complicaciones administrativas”.
El comunicado presidencial mantiene la línea argumental del régimen, que atribuye el elevado número de víctimas a “terroristas” respaldados por Estados Unidos e Israel. “Los enemigos históricos y los detractores comercian con las vidas de las personas como si fueran un número”, afirmó Pezeshkian, sin hacer referencias específicas.
Las cifras oficiales, sin embargo, contrastan drásticamente con los datos recabados por organismos internacionales. La relatora especial de la ONU para Irán, Mai Sato, declaró a medios estadounidenses que informes de médicos dentro del país indican que las víctimas mortales podrían alcanzar las 20.000 personas.
“La magnitud de los fallecidos y heridos por la represión de las protestas a lo largo de este mes ha sido enorme, de miles de personas”, confirmó Ravina Shamdasani, portavoz de la Oficina de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, aunque reconoció que es “difícil verificar las informaciones que llegan desde el país dadas las restricciones continuas sobre el terreno”.
Amnistía Internacional y Human Rights Watch han documentado el uso de fuerza letal indiscriminada, con fuerzas de seguridad disparando rifles y escopetas cargadas con perdigones metálicos contra manifestantes desarmados. Las morgues desbordadas, el uso de contenedores refrigerados para almacenar cadáveres y los entierros apresurados sin identificación previa apuntan, según estas organizaciones, a un intento deliberado de ocultar la verdadera escala de la masacre.
El apagón casi total de internet impuesto por el régimen desde el 8 de enero ha sido clave para dificultar la verificación independiente. NetBlocks, organización de monitoreo de ciberseguridad, confirmó que se trata del bloqueo digital más prolongado en la historia de Irán, con el objetivo explícito de impedir que los ciudadanos difundan imágenes de la represión y de aislar al país del escrutinio internacional. Esta desconexión ha permitido que las fuerzas de seguridad actúen con mayor impunidad, según denunciaron organizaciones de derechos humanos.
Las protestas estallaron el 28 de diciembre de 2025 en el Gran Bazar de Teherán, inicialmente motivadas por el colapso económico que atraviesa Irán. La tasa de inflación alcanzó el 42,2% en diciembre, con un aumento del 72% en el precio de los alimentos. El rial iraní se depreció drásticamente, con el dólar estadounidense alcanzando los 145.000 tomanes.
Lo que comenzó como huelgas de comerciantes se transformó rápidamente en manifestaciones masivas en las 31 provincias del país, con cánticos contra el líder supremo Ali Khamenei y exigencias de cambio del sistema político. Se trata de las protestas más grandes desde los disturbios de 2022 tras la muerte de Mahsa Amini bajo custodia policial.
La represión alcanzó su punto más crítico los días 8 y 9 de enero, cuando el líder supremo Khamenei ordenó al Consejo Supremo de Seguridad Nacional reprimir las protestas “por cualquier medio necesario”, según informaron funcionarios iraníes a medios internacionales.
Las fuerzas de seguridad recibieron la orden de disparar para matar sin mostrar piedad. The New York Times verificó videos que muestran a agentes abriendo fuego contra manifestantes en al menos 19 ciudades y seis barrios de Teherán. En la ciudad de Fardis, testigos alegan que más de 50 manifestantes fueron abatidos tras el despliegue de una ametralladora montada en un vehículo.
El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU aprobó la semana pasada, en una sesión de emergencia, una resolución con 25 votos a favor que denuncia que la represión violenta “ha resultado en la muerte de miles de personas, incluyendo niños, y un gran número de heridos”.
El texto, respaldado por Francia, Italia, España y Reino Unido, instó a las autoridades iraníes a poner fin a las ejecuciones extrajudiciales, las desapariciones forzadas, la tortura y otros abusos contra manifestantes pacíficos. La resolución prorrogó dos años más el mandato de la Misión Internacional Independiente de Investigación sobre Irán y por un año el de la relatora especial.
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A photo showing Zohran Mamdani at a high-profile luncheon tied to longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate Peggy Siegal has emerged following the release of newly unsealed Justice Department records that also reference his mother, Mira Nair.
The photo, taken Nov. 15, 2017, shows the now-New York City mayor smiling at the Universal Pictures «Get Out» Peggy Siegal luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante in Manhattan.
The event was hosted by Siegal, a once-powerful Hollywood publicist who later faced industry backlash over her deep social ties to Epstein.
Siegal was never charged with a crime.
EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE FEATURES PHOTOS OF MICK JAGGER, MICHAEL JACKSON, DIANA ROSS AND MORE STARS
(L-R) Zohran Mamdani, Daniel Kaluuya, Mira Nair and Shimit Amin attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
The image surfaced days after filmmaker Nair was named in a newly released tranche of documents connected to Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The records, made public Jan. 30, 2026, are part of a broader release of millions of pages detailing Epstein’s social and professional network. The documents do not allege criminal wrongdoing by those mentioned.
In a 2009 email included in the release, Siegal wrote to Epstein about an after-party for the film Amelia, which Nair had directed.
The message states the gathering took place at Maxwell’s Manhattan townhouse and lists attendees including former President Bill Clinton, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nair.
The correspondence documents attendance only and does not allege misconduct by those named.
NEW EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS INCLUDE PHOTOS OF BILL CLINTON TOPLESS IN HOT TUB, SOCIALIZING WITH MICHAEL JACKSON
(L-R) Jason Blum, Allison Williams, Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, Sean McKittrick and Peggy Siegal attend Universal Pictures’ «Get Out» Peggy Siegal Luncheon at Lincoln Ristorante on November 15, 2017, in New York City. (Owen Hoffmann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
In the 2017 luncheon photo, Mamdani appears alongside actor Daniel Kaluuya, filmmaker Shimit Amin and Nair as they celebrated Jordan Peele’s movie, «Get Out,» which won the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
A second image from the same event shows Peele, producer Jason Blum, Allison Williams and Siegal, highlighting the luncheon’s prominence during Hollywood’s awards season.
Another photo from December 2016 also shows Nair attending a private-residence film event with Siegal for «Queen of Katwe.»
CLINTON TEAM DEMANDS TRUMP DOJ RELEASE ‘ANY REMAINING’ DOCS RELATED TO FORMER PRESIDENT, EPSTEIN
(L-R) Peggy Siegal, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair, David Oyelowo and Zoe Oyelowo attend Barbara Broccoli and Walt Disney Studios Host a Screening and Reception for «Queen of Katwe» with Mira Nair and David Oyelowo at Private Residence on December 5, 2016, in New York City. (Aurora Rose/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
At the time, Siegal was a dominant figure in entertainment publicity, known for her access to major studios, A-list talent and industry power brokers.
In 2019, following reporting that detailed her association with Epstein, multiple Hollywood studios, including Netflix, FX and Annapurna Pictures, cut ties with her, according to Variety.
Epstein was first arrested in Florida in 2006 on charges of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH RESPONDS AFTER EMAILS BETWEEN HIM AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN INCLUDED IN LATEST DOJ DROP
The Department of Justice has released millions of Epstein documents after President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
He later pleaded guilty, served 13 months in jail with work release and registered as a sex offender.
He died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following her conviction for sex trafficking.
Nair, an internationally respected director known for films including Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Queen of Katwe, has long been a fixture in elite film circles, especially in Manhattan.
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She is married to academic Mahmood Mamdani.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s office and Peggy Siegal for comment.
jeffrey epstein,zohran mamdani,ghislaine maxwell,movies,new york city
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