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    Epstein files: why is Trump defending the Clintons? – podcast

    After months of negotiations, threats and refusals, Bill and Hillary Clinton have finally agreed to testify in front of Congress as part of a Republican-led investigation into the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Politico Magazine columnist and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori about why Donald Trump thinks it is a ‘shame’ the Clintons have been forced to testifyArchive: Today, BBC, 13WHAM ABC News Continue reading… More

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    White House doubles down on Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at FBI raid of election center – as it happened

    This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: ICE chartered Palestinian deportation flights on Trump family friend’s jetAmid the various winding comments throughout Trump’s speech today, he said that the Department of Education will officially issue its new guidance to protect the right to prayer in public schools today.“Now the Democrats will sue us, but we’ll win it,” Trump said, eliciting some laughs from the audience at the National Prayer Breakfast. “They’ll sue us. They sue us for everything. I’m the most sued human being in history.” Continue reading… More

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    Thursday briefing: W​ill the Epstein ​files ​threaten ​Peter Mandelson’s ​legacy​?

    In today’s newsletter: A police investigation, newly released documents and long‑standing questions about​ accountability have converged to place one of Labour’s most enduring figures under unprecedented scrutinyGood morning. Older readers may remember Peter Mandelson as a man in a sharp suit drifting through New Labour’s 1990s heyday like a Bond villain with a Filofax. An architect of Labour’s modernisation and a lightning rod for right-wing press ire, he has been in the orbit of power for more than three decades.That run has now come to a shuddering halt after the release of the so-called Epstein files by the US Department of Justice, which detail the extent of Mandelson’s contact with the late billionaire financier and convicted child sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. While the Met police investigate Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the disclosures from the files have also raised urgent questions about judgment, access and accountability at the highest levels of public life.UK politics | Labour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.Gaza | Israeli forces have bulldozed part of a Gaza cemetery containing the war graves of dozens of British, Australian and other allied soldiers killed in the first and second world wars.Crime | An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a student in his 20s was stabbed in Leicester city centre and later died in hospital, Leicestershire police have said.Media | Washington Post editor in chief Matt Murray on Wednesday morning announced internally a “broad strategic reset” that will result in “significant” layoffs across the company.Immigration | Donald Trump’s border tsar said about 700 federal agents would leave Minnesota, a large drop in agents on the ground but still leaving about 2,000 agents there, far above typical levels for the state. Continue reading… More

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    Tulsi Gabbard reportedly oversaw probe of Puerto Rico voting machines last year – as it happened

    This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: president hints at ‘softer touch’ on immigration as federal drawdown planned in MinnesotaTom Homan, the president’s so-called “border czar” is set to speak to reporters in Minneapolis shortly.A reminder that Homan took over the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota from senior border official Gregory Bovino, just days after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and the mounting backlash in the Twin Cities. Continue reading… More

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    The Guardian view on Epstein, power and accountability: full transparency is the least survivors deserve | Editorial

    As the wheels of justice begin to turn in Britain, a spotlight should also shine on the financier’s wealthy enablers in the US“The more Epstein documents get released, the more we see how he had so many powerful friends, and that’s ultimately what helped him,” commented the US lawyer Lisa Bloom in an interview with the Guardian this week. As Ms Bloom, who represents 11 of Jeffrey Epstein’s dogged and brave victims, drily notes: “That’s not the way the justice system is supposed to work.”From the outset, the Epstein affair has offered a textbook example of the ability of the influential and well-connected to avoid scrutiny and intimidate those who would exert it. A ruthless pursuit of transparency, both institutional and personal, is the only way to combat such tactics and hold power to account. In the extraordinary days following the release of further Epstein files last week, the wheels of justice in Britain are belatedly beginning to turn on that basis.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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    Trump scolds CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for not smiling as she asks about Epstein abuse survivors – as it happened

    This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: Democrats sound alarm after president mulls election takeoverTulsi Gabbard running solo 2020 election inquiryTrump suggests Republicans should ‘take over’ electionsDonald Trump has continued to sow doubt in the election system. While appearing on former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino’s podcast on Monday, the president called on Republicans to “nationalize the voting,” in at least “15 places”, although he did not clarify which ones.“The Republicans should say, ‘we want to take over’,” Trump said in the interview. Continue reading… More