WASHINGTON (BN24)— President Donald Trump said he intends to move forward with a lawsuit seeking between $1 billion and $5 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of misleading viewers by editing a clip of his remarks in a Panorama documentary.
The dispute stems from a segment that Trump said falsely portrayed him as encouraging violence leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump demanded a full retraction, an immediate apology, and compensation from the BBC, giving the broadcaster until Friday to respond to a $1 billion legal threat over the edit.
The BBC issued an apology on Friday, calling the edit an “error of judgment” and announcing that the programme would not be aired again “in this form on any BBC platforms.” However, the broadcaster maintained that Trump’s claims of defamation lacked merit. “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the statement said.
After the BBC declined to meet his full demands, Trump escalated his rhetoric in an interview with GB News. He said he felt an “obligation” to take legal action and argued that pursuing the case was necessary to prevent similar incidents. “I’m not looking to get into lawsuits, but I think I have an obligation to do it. This was so egregious,” Trump said. “If you don’t do it, you don’t stop it from happening again with other people.”
Speaking later to reporters outside the White House, Trump reiterated that he intended to formally seek damages. “We’ll sue them from anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week,” he said, adding, “I think I have to do it.”
The BBC has not indicated whether it will issue any further response beyond its initial apology and statement disputing the basis for Trump’s threatened defamation case.
South African authorities are investigating how a chartered plane arrived in Johannesburg carrying more than 150 Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza without proper travel documents, forcing passengers to remain onboard for nearly 12 hours as officials tried to verify their identities and status. President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the probe Friday, describing the circumstances behind the flight as highly unusual and deeply concerning.
The plane landed Thursday morning at O.R. Tambo International Airport, but immigration officials blocked the passengers from disembarking after interviews revealed they could not say where they were staying in South Africa or for how long. Authorities also noted the absence of Israeli-issued exit stamps or slips that would typically accompany anyone leaving Gaza. The delay prompted fierce criticism from nongovernmental organizations, who described dire conditions onboard and said the 153 passengers — among them families, children and a woman nine months pregnant — were left in extreme heat without food or water.
Ramaphosa said South Africa’s intelligence services were examining how the Palestinians traveled from Gaza to Johannesburg via a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya. “These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” he said.
The Palestinian Embassy in South Africa said in a statement that the passengers were exploited by “an unregistered and misleading organization” that took advantage of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis by collecting money and arranging travel “in an irregular and irresponsible manner.” The group denied responsibility once complications emerged, the embassy said. An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously, said an organization called Al-Majd coordinated the departure of roughly 150 Palestinians, transporting them from a meeting point in Gaza to the Kerem Shalom crossing and onward to Ramon Airport in Israel before the group was flown out.
South African officials said 23 passengers continued to other countries while 130 were eventually allowed entry after intervention by the Ministry of Home Affairs and an offer of support from the humanitarian group Gift of the Givers. Ramaphosa said that despite the lack of official documents, the government would respond with compassion. “These are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn country, and out of empathy, we must receive them,” he said.
Rights groups and some South African activists raised alarm over the shadowy operation, alleging it could represent an effort to push Palestinians out of Gaza. Israel’s foreign ministry referred questions to COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing civilian policy in the Palestinian territories. COGAT said the passengers left Gaza after Israel received approval from a third country willing to take them under a longstanding policy allowing Gaza residents to depart. It did not identify the country involved. Around 40,000 people have left Gaza since the start of the war under that program.
South Africa has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and has accused Israel of genocide in a case before the United Nations’ top court. Israel denies the allegations and has condemned South Africa as acting on behalf of Hamas. Ramaphosa said it appeared Palestinians arriving in Johannesburg were being “flushed out” of Gaza, echoing concerns raised by two NGO leaders who linked the operation to Israeli-aligned groups. They provided no evidence for the claim, and COGAT did not respond to requests for comment.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the Palestinians on the latest flight were not told their destination and had received no food during the two-day journey. He also said this was the second unexplained arrival in recent weeks, following another plane carrying more than 170 Palestinians on Oct. 28 that authorities did not publicly announce.
The incident highlights the desperation of Palestinians after a two-year war that Gaza’s Health Ministry says has killed more than 69,000 people and ravaged nearly every corner of the territory. The toll does not distinguish between militants and civilians, though the ministry says women and children make up more than half of those killed. A fragile ceasefire is currently in place.
Al-Majd Europe, an organization previously linked to facilitating travel for Palestinians, describes itself as a humanitarian group founded in Germany and based in Jerusalem. Its website lists no phone numbers or address, and its registration details are unclear. A message posted Friday warned that impersonators were soliciting money and cryptocurrency “under the pretext of facilitating travel or humanitarian aid.” The group did not respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump scrapped U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a wide range of other imported commodities on Friday, a dramatic reversal that comes as his administration confronts intensifying pressure to ease stubbornly high grocery prices.
The decision marks a significant retreat from the cornerstone of Trump’s second-term economic agenda, which has relied heavily on steep levies on global imports to boost domestic production and strengthen the U.S. economy. But Trump’s rollback arrives just weeks after voters in off-year elections pointed to economic frustrations as their leading concern, contributing to major Democratic gains in Virginia, New Jersey and other states.
Speaking aboard Air Force One as he departed for Florida, Trump described the tariff rollback as modest but necessary. “We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods like coffee,” he told reporters. When pressed on whether his tariffs had contributed to rising consumer prices, Trump acknowledged that in some cases they “may” have played a role, though he insisted much of the cost had been absorbed by other countries.
Inflation remains elevated nationwide despite Trump’s repeated claims that price pressures have subsided since he took office in January, adding to the urgency for the White House to show progress as households continue to face high grocery bills. The administration has argued for months that tariffs were not a major driver of food costs, saying they helped bolster federal revenue instead. But Democrats quickly seized on Trump’s reversal as evidence that his policies had weighed on consumers.
“President Trump is finally admitting what we always knew: his tariffs are raising prices for the American people,” Virginia Rep. Don Beyer said, calling the rollback a response to voter anger over inflation and broken promises to reduce costs.
Record-high beef prices have been especially troubling for consumers, a trend Trump had previously pledged to address. His earlier tariff on Brazilian beef, a major global export, was among the factors influencing U.S. market prices. Friday’s executive order also eliminates tariffs on tea, fruit juice, cocoa, spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes and several fertilizers. Many of those goods are not produced in the United States, meaning earlier tariffs designed to spur domestic output had limited effect but still added costs for American buyers.
The Food Industry Association, which represents major producers and retailers, praised the decision as “swift tariff relief” that would help sustain adequate supply and lower prices in a market strained by supply chain pressures.
The White House said some of the tariffs Trump celebrated imposing months earlier had become unnecessary as the administration forged new trade agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina. Those agreements are intended to expand U.S. access to agricultural and industrial markets abroad while potentially easing tariff burdens on their products entering the United States.
Trump hinted earlier in the week that he was preparing to cut some food-related tariffs, telling Fox News host Laura Ingraham that “Coffee — we’re going to lower some tariffs.”
Despite Friday’s wide-ranging tariff retreat, Trump reiterated that federal revenue from import levies would still form the basis for his proposal to issue $2,000 checks to many Americans. He suggested payments could begin in 2026 but gave no specifics beyond saying they would arrive “sometime during the year.” He also said tariff revenue might be used to reduce the national debt, raising questions about how both goals could be achieved simultaneously.
Trump dismissed concerns that such payments could worsen inflation, even as he argued that previous stimulus checks from other administrations had contributed to higher prices during the pandemic. The difference this time, he said, is that the money would come from tariffs, not government borrowing. “This is money earned as opposed to money that was made up,” Trump said. “Everybody but the rich will get this. That’s not made up. That’s real money. That comes from other countries.”
Steaks are pictured at a grocery store in Northfield, Ohio, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Brazilian coffee, beef and tropical fruit bound for the United States will continue to face 40% tariffs, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Saturday, underscoring that President Donald Trump’s latest rollback of import taxes does not extend to some of Brazil’s most important exports.
Steaks are pictured at a grocery store in Northfield, Ohio, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Speaking in Brasília, Alckmin said Trump’s decision Friday to eliminate certain levies announced in April did not remove the heavier 40% tariff imposed in July on Brazilian goods such as coffee, beef and tropical fruits, including mangos and pineapples. Those items were initially hit with a 10% tariff on what Trump labeled “Liberation Day,” a move he said would boost domestic production and stimulate the U.S. economy. The second, much steeper tariff was added after Brazil’s trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally whom Trump has repeatedly defended and described as a victim of a “witch hunt.” Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup.
Alckmin noted that some products, including orange juice, will now be exempt from tariffs because they were not included in the July escalation. But he emphasized that the remaining 40% duty on major agricultural exports continues to distort trade. He called Trump’s rollback “positive” but stressed that Brazil’s situation remained “very high” compared to other countries. “Everyone got 10% less, but in Brazil’s case, which had 50%, we ended up with 40%,” Alckmin said.
According to Alckmin, the policy change means 26% of Brazilian goods are now entering the U.S. without additional tariffs, a modest rise from 23%. Trump’s July tariff hike had plunged U.S.-Brazil relations to their lowest point in history, but both nations have since moved to repair ties. In October, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with President Donald Trump in Malaysia, a discussion Alckmin described as important for rebuilding dialogue and negotiating future trade arrangements. Lula later said he believed a bilateral trade deal could be reached soon.
Diplomatic efforts have continued, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira holding a 50-minute meeting this week to advance talks.
The Trump administration has defended its tariff policies as revenue-positive and downplayed their role in rising grocery costs. But Democrats have argued that Trump’s sudden reversal on some levies amounts to a tacit admission that his tariffs have contributed to higher consumer prices, particularly in the beef market. Brazil, one of the world’s largest beef exporters, plays a significant role in global supply, and Trump previously said reducing prices was a priority.
In Brazil, the country’s coffee industry is closely monitoring the situation. Pavel Cardoso, president of the Brazilian Association of the Coffee Industry, said the sector would continue pressing for stability, competitiveness and predictability as tariff discussions evolve.
Suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters ambushed a Nigerian Army convoy late Friday in Borno State, killing multiple soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in a coordinated nighttime assault that has intensified fears over escalating extremist violence in the region.
The attackers, described as heavily armed and highly organized, struck the convoy in what security officials say appears to be a meticulously planned operation. In a development considered unprecedented in Nigeria’s long fight against insurgency, the militants reportedly abducted a serving Brigade Commander along with several other military personnel. If confirmed, it would mark the first time an extremist faction has successfully captured a serving General directly from the frontline in Nigeria’s northeast.
HumAngle reported that ISWAP fighters “ambushed a Nigerian military convoy, killing several soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). In an unprecedented escalation, the insurgents abducted a Brigade Commander alongside other troops.” The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official statement on the ambush or confirmed the status of the abducted officer.
The attack comes amid renewed concerns about deteriorating security conditions across Borno State. SaharaReporters earlier noted that Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South under the All Progressives Congress, condemned the surge in extremist attacks across his constituency, calling the situation “deeply worrisome” and unacceptable.
Ndume said four farmers were killed by Boko Haram insurgents while harvesting crops in Kwam village near the Dille community in Askira-Uba Local Government Area. He described the killings as part of a pattern of escalating violence in rural communities that remain vulnerable despite years of military operations.
“These attacks led to the killing of four farmers while harvesting their crops in Kwam village, near Dille community of Askira-Uba local government area,” Ndume said, adding that the latest killings are not isolated incidents. He noted that insurgents also set ablaze a church and other buildings in Pemi last week, while reports on Wednesday indicated another Boko Haram incursion in Shikarkir in Chibok Local Government Area.
The lawmaker criticized the security architecture in remote settlements, saying the lack of a sustained military presence has emboldened insurgents to strike repeatedly without resistance.
As the military works to verify the ambush and the reported abduction of the Brigade Commander, residents and officials across Borno continue to call for urgent reinforcement and a more consistent security response to protect vulnerable communities.
PARIS, (BN24) – French police shot and wounded a man armed with a knife at Montparnasse train station in Paris on Friday, authorities said, triggering a panic among commuters and a temporary evacuation of the station.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said an officer fired at the man, who then inflicted knife wounds on himself. The individual had reportedly threatened his wife and children earlier in the day at a Paris suburb before boarding a train bound for Montparnasse, according to a police source.
“When officers confronted the man, he threatened to kill himself,” the source said. “Police shot him in the legs to neutralize the threat.” The prosecutor’s office confirmed that at least one gunshot was fired, although several witnesses heard multiple shots.
A Reuters photographer present at the scene described the moment as chaotic, with a surge of commuters rushing through the concourse. The station, a major hub serving suburban commuter routes as well as high-speed trains heading to western and southwestern France, was evacuated shortly after the incident.
One witness, speaking to BFM TV, recalled hearing a loud bang that triggered panic. “It took me two or three seconds to realize what was happening. People started saying, ‘We have to get out of here, we have to leave quickly,’ so that got my heart racing and I got up and ran,” the witness said.
Authorities have not provided further details on the man’s condition or whether he will face charges. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges at major transit hubs in Paris, where police must balance rapid response with the safety of large crowds.
The Montparnasse station serves thousands of passengers daily, connecting central Paris with regional destinations. Following the incident, French law enforcement conducted a safety sweep and reassured the public that there was no ongoing threat.
The Paris prosecutor’s office and local police continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the man’s actions, including his threats toward family members earlier in the day.
A nursery worker has been detained for 10 years for rape and sexual abuse against boys as young as three.
Thomas Waller, 18, took advantage of his position to gain the trust of two boys in his care before exploiting them, Guildford Crown Court heard.
The teenager from Farnham, Surrey, was working at a nursery and his responsibilities included taking children to the toilet and helping them get changed.
Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Claire Harden-Frost said it was “heartbreaking” to see the victims’ parents feeling responsible for what had happened.
Waller was found guilty of rape, two counts of causing or inciting sexual activity and taking indecent photos after a trial at Staines Youth Court earlier this year.
He was sentenced to 15 years at a young offender institution, of which he must serve 10 in detention and five on licence.
In a victim impact statement, one parent said: “This was not an accident. It was not a poor decision on the spur of the moment, it was premeditated and calculated.”
“This man continually gave no comment. This man chose to deny everything. He has had every opportunity to plead guilty and express remorse, and he has chosen not to. He has demonstrated no accountability for his actions,” the parent continued.
Another father of a victim said his son had “gathered a collection of memories that I would never wish on a human being.”
He described Waller as “cold, sinister and calculated.” He added, “Tom cannot be allowed to do this again.”
Meanwhile, another mother told the court in a statement that Waller had used his “skills” to “build trust with my son and then exploit him.”
She added that her “beautiful, brave, clever son” questioned his own guilt as a result of giving evidence at court.
Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Kate Hyde said a “dangerous man” had been put behind bars.
“This deeply distressing case is every parent’s worst nightmare, and I would like to pay tribute to the victims and their families for their resilience throughout this whole process,” Hyde said.
“Their support and strength enabled us to secure convictions and put a dangerous man behind bars.”
“I hope the fact he has been brought to justice for the crimes he has committed helps the families affected by his crimes to start to move forward with their lives,” she added.
The case highlights vulnerabilities in childcare settings where staff members have unsupervised access to young children during routine care activities. Waller’s position required him to assist children with toileting and changing, providing opportunities for abuse that he systematically exploited.
The judge’s observation about parents feeling responsible underscores the emotional toll such cases take on families who entrusted their children’s care to professionals. The guilt expressed by parents reflects the difficulty of reconciling their decision to place children in care with the abuse that occurred in that setting.
Waller’s refusal to plead guilty or express remorse, as noted in the victim impact statements, meant the case proceeded to trial at Staines Youth Court. His repeated “no comment” responses during interviews and denial of all charges forced the young victims to provide testimony about their abuse.
The mother’s comment about her son questioning his own guilt after giving evidence illustrates the secondary trauma that court proceedings can inflict on child victims. Despite being described as “beautiful, brave, clever,” the child internalized feelings of responsibility for the abuse and its aftermath.
The convictions on multiple charges, including rape, causing or inciting sexual activity and taking indecent photographs, demonstrate the range of offenses Waller committed against the children in his care. The photography charge indicates he created images documenting his abuse.
The sentence structure, with 10 years to be served in detention at a young offender institution followed by five years on licence, reflects Waller’s age at the time of sentencing. Young offender institutions house those aged 18 to 21 who receive custodial sentences.
The father’s characterization of Waller as “cold, sinister and calculated” and his plea that “Tom cannot be allowed to do this again” express concern about future risk to children. The licence period following detention provides a mechanism for monitoring and restrictions on Waller’s activities after release.
Detective Superintendent Hyde’s description of the case as “every parent’s worst nightmare” acknowledges the fundamental breach of trust when someone employed to protect children instead harms them. Her tribute to the victims and families recognizes the difficulty of reporting abuse and participating in prosecution.
The trial at Staines Youth Court, which handles cases involving young defendants, resulted in guilty verdicts on all charges. The subsequent sentencing at Guildford Crown Court, which handles more serious criminal cases, allowed for the substantial custodial sentence appropriate to the gravity of the offenses.
The mother’s reference to Waller using his “skills” to build trust before exploitation suggests he employed deliberate grooming techniques. His position as a nursery worker provided both access to vulnerable children and a professional relationship that parents trusted.
The impact statements from multiple parents indicate at least two families were affected by Waller’s crimes, consistent with the court hearing that he abused two boys. The ages of victims, as young as three, emphasize their extreme vulnerability and Waller’s exploitation of children too young to understand or report what was happening to them.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding measures in childcare settings and the need for vigilant oversight of staff who work with young children in positions requiring intimate care responsibilities.
A double-decker bus plowed into a bus stop in Stockholm on Friday afternoon, killing three people and injuring three others in one of the capital’s deadliest recent transport accidents, according to police.
Authorities said they received reports of the crash at 3:23 p.m. The bus, which was not in service and carrying no passengers, drove into a bus shelter along Valhallavägen in the Östermalm district, a busy corridor in the city’s northern sector near the Royal Institute of Technology. Photos from the scene showed the front of the vehicle heavily damaged after striking the structure.
Police opened an investigation on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, though the cause of the crash remains unclear. Swedish news agency TT reported that the driver was detained and would be questioned as part of the inquiry. Emergency officials confirmed that only the driver was aboard at the time.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X that he had “received the tragic news that several people have been killed and injured at a bus stop … people who were perhaps on their way home to family, friends, or a quiet evening at home.” He added that while the cause is still unknown, his thoughts were with the victims and their families.
WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Trump on Friday asked the Justice Department and FBI to investigate convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, and major financial institutions.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrats of focusing on what he calls the “Epstein hoax” to deflect blame for the government shutdown, which ended Wednesday and was the longest in U.S. history.
“I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,” the president wrote. “This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats. Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his ‘Island.’ Stay tuned!!!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi soon said she had asked Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead the investigation. Clayton’s office covers matters from Manhattan and the Bronx, as well as the counties north of New York City.
“As with all matters, the Department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people,” she wrote on social media.
Trump’s announcement comes as the House is expected to vote next week on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release files from its investigation into Epstein. The president opposes the release of that material and has accused Republicans who backed the effort to force a vote on the proposal of being “soft and foolish.” GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told “CBS Mornings” on Friday that she believes the president’s stance on the Epstein files is a “huge miscalculation.”
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is conducting its own investigation into the federal government’s handling of its probe into Epstein, released earlier this week more than 20,000 pages of material it obtained from Epstein’s estate.
Among the records are emails and messages exchanged with Epstein that mention Trump. In one email from Epstein to author Michael Wolff in January 2019, Epstein wrote, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop,” referencing Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein’s. It is unclear what Epstein was referring to.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse underage girls.
In another email from Epstein to Maxwell in April 2011, he wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump.. virginia spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.”
The president has not been accused of wrongdoing. While he and Epstein ran in the same social circles in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, from the late 1980s to early 2000s, Trump has said the two had a falling out around 2004 and had not spoken in the years leading up to Epstein’s 2019 death.
He died by suicide at a Manhattan correctional facility after he was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The latest release from the Oversight Committee also shows that Epstein corresponded regularly with Summers, who was treasury secretary during Clinton’s presidency and led the National Economic Council under former President Barack Obama.
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 on Epstein’s contacts with Summers. A spokesperson for Summers said at the time that he “deeply regrets being in contact with Epstein after his conviction.” Epstein was investigated by federal and state officials between 2005 and 2006. Under a deal reached with federal prosecutors in 2007, Epstein agreed to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges and serve an 18-month sentence to avoid federal charges. He served less than 13 months and was released in 2009.
As part of its review, the House Oversight panel issued a subpoena to Clinton in August for testimony because of his past ties to Epstein and Maxwell in the early 2000s.
A spokesperson for Clinton said in 2019 after Epstein was indicted that the former president took four trips on Epstein’s plane in 2002 and 2003, traveling to Europe, Asia and Africa. Angel Ureña, the spokesperson, said the trips included stops in connection with the Clinton Foundation, and staff, foundation supporters and Clinton’s Secret Service detail were on every leg of every trip. Clinton also had a meeting with Epstein in 2002 and made “one brief visit” to Epstein’s apartment with a staff member and his security detail, Ureña said.
Trish Wexler, a spokesperson for JPMorganChase, said Friday that the federal government “had damaging information” about Epstein’s crimes and failed to share it with JPMorganChase or other financial institutions.
“We regret any association we had with the man, but did not help him commit his heinous acts,” she said. “We ended our relationship with him years before his arrest on sex trafficking charges.”
In 2023, JPMorgan agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by an unnamed victim of Epstein’s on behalf of herself and others that alleged the bank overlooked his sex trafficking and abuse in order to profit from its financial relationship with him. JPMorgan agreed to pay $290 million to the victims as part of the settlement.
Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and a major Democratic donor, said in 2019 after Epstein’s arrest that he had some interactions with Epstein and regretted participating in fundraising activity with him, according to Axios. Hoffman said in an email to the news outlet that his last interaction with Epstein had been in 2015.
Still, during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in October, Bondi attacked Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, for accepting political contributions from Hoffman, who she claimed was “one of Epstein’s closest confidants.”
The Justice Department and FBI said in a July memo that they had conducted an “exhaustive review” of material related to Epstein and “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” They also wrote there was no “client list” or “credible evidence” that Epstein blackmailed prominent figures.
The Justice Department and FBI said that while they worked to provide the public with “maximum information” about Epstein, they determined “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”
The conclusions from the Trump administration sparked immense backlash against Trump and Bondi from some of the president’s supporters, many of whom were skeptical of the Justice Department’s claim that there was nothing further to be released.
Meanwhile, the Oversight Committee has continued to release records as part of its investigation, including court filings, flight records, videos and messages. In September, the panel made public pages from a book compiled by Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, which includes a letter allegedly signed by Trump and a drawing that appears to be the outline of a woman’s body. The president has denied penning the message.
Documents released by the committee show Trump and Clinton’s names are listed under the “friends” subheading in the book’s table of contents. Clinton appears to have written a handwritten note that reads, in part, “It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing … and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends.”
Trump’s directive to investigate Epstein’s Democratic connections comes amid a complex political landscape where both the president and Clinton appear in Epstein’s communications and records. The timing, following the end of the government shutdown, aligns with Trump’s characterization of scrutiny into his Epstein ties as a political distraction.
The appointment of Clayton to lead the investigation places responsibility with a U.S. attorney whose office has jurisdiction over Manhattan, where much of Epstein’s financial activity was centered. The Southern District of New York previously prosecuted Epstein on federal sex-trafficking charges before his death.
The tension between Trump’s call for investigation into Democrats’ Epstein ties and his opposition to releasing Justice Department files on Epstein creates a seemingly contradictory position. While demanding transparency regarding others’ connections to Epstein, the president has characterized efforts to release federal investigation materials as problematic.
Greene’s characterization of Trump’s opposition to file release as a “huge miscalculation” reflects division within the Republican Party on handling Epstein-related matters. Her comments suggest some GOP lawmakers believe transparency on all Epstein connections, regardless of political affiliation, would be politically advantageous.
The House Oversight Committee’s release of more than 20,000 pages of materials obtained from Epstein’s estate provides the documentary basis for much of the current controversy. The emails mentioning Trump, including Epstein’s references to the president knowing “about the girls” and Virginia Giuffre spending “hours” at Epstein’s house with Trump, have fueled questions about the extent of Trump’s awareness of Epstein’s activities.
The July Justice Department and FBI memo concluding there was no basis for investigating uncharged third parties or evidence of blackmail represented the administration’s initial position that further Epstein-related disclosures were unwarranted. The subsequent political backlash from Trump supporters and continued document releases by Congress have kept the issue prominent.
JPMorgan’s $290 million settlement with Epstein victims in 2023 acknowledged the bank’s financial relationship with the sex offender while the bank maintained it did not knowingly facilitate his crimes. The spokesperson’s statement that federal authorities failed to share information about Epstein’s activities with financial institutions attempts to deflect responsibility for the continued business relationship.
The various figures named by Trump in his call for investigation represent a mix of political and financial connections to Epstein spanning multiple Democratic administrations and major financial institutions. Summers’ role in both Clinton and Obama administrations, Hoffman’s status as a major Democratic donor, and the involvement of major banks like JPMorgan Chase encompass both political and financial dimensions of Epstein’s network.
Clinton’s documented interactions with Epstein, including multiple flights on his private plane and visits to his properties, make him a central figure in questions about prominent individuals’ relationships with the convicted sex offender. The Clinton spokesperson’s detailed accounting of these interactions in 2019 provided context but has not ended scrutiny of the former president’s connection to Epstein.
A minibus carrying Chinese tourists lost control on a steep, winding road in Bali on Friday morning, veering off the asphalt and crashing into a garden, killing five passengers and injuring eight others, according to police in the Buleleng regency.
Authorities said the vehicle was traveling from southern Bali toward the island’s northern region when the driver failed to safely navigate a downhill turn. The minibus then careened off the roadway and struck a tree inside a community garden. Buleleng police chief Ida Bagus Widwan Sutadi said the crash stemmed from the driver’s “lack of caution when turning and descending,” adding that road conditions were dry at the time.
The eight surviving passengers were taken to two nearby hospitals for treatment, while the Indonesian driver — who was not injured — was arrested following the incident. Road accidents remain common across Indonesia, where safety standards and infrastructure often fall short of international norms.
