3 d. ago Trump’s America still needs its allies to manage China competition

“Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have,” US President Donald Trump declared while hosting New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the Oval Office. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” he added, marking a dramatic turnabout after months of attacking Mamdani as a “communist lunatic” endangering Trump’s beloved city. In another reversal, Trump also cleared the release of the Epstein files after months of stiff resistance in the face of growing...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘America first’ can’t mean America alone if West hopes to counter China

“Some of his ideas really are the same ideas that I have,” US President Donald Trump declared while hosting New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the Oval Office. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job,” he added, marking a dramatic turnabout after months of attacking Mamdani as a “communist lunatic” endangering Trump’s beloved city. In another reversal, Trump also cleared the release of the Epstein files after months of stiff resistance in the face of growing...

Politics

1 week ago AI fake audio clip of Trump ‘not releasing’ Epstein files goes viral

Left-leaning social media users have amplified an AI-generated audio clip purporting to show US President Donald Trump screaming at US officials to block the release of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, researchers said on Friday. In recent weeks, renewed public furore over the so-called Epstein files has consumed US politics, spurring a showdown between lawmakers and Trump, a former friend of the late convicted sex offender. “Not releasing the Epstein files,” a...

Politics

2 w. ago White House defends Trump calling a female reporter ‘piggy’ after Epstein question

The White House on Thursday defended US President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter “piggy” as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president’s remarks reflected his frankness and transparency. In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned towards the reporter, pointed his finger and said “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier...

Politics

2 w. ago Bondi says she’ll ‘follow the law’ on Epstein files, as bill heads to Trump

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department “will follow the law” after the passage of legislation forcing the government to release files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi, speaking to reporters Wednesday after the Senate sent the bill to US President Donald Trump for his signature, said the law will be followed “while providing maximum transparency and protecting victims”. The attorney general, who, like Trump, has faced criticism for previously declining to release the...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump signs bill approving Epstein files release after fighting it for months

US President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump said in a social media post...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump signs bill for Epstein files release after fighting it for months

US President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump said in a social media...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump attacks female reporters, who he called ‘piggy’ and ‘terrible’

Donald Trump ripped into a reporter from the US network ABC News on Tuesday, just days after calling another woman journalist “piggy” after she asked a question related to the convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump threatened ABC’s broadcast license after reporter Mary Bruce posed questions during a White House visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The earlier incident involving Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey happened a few days ago on Air Force One, but only...

Events

2 w. ago In blow to Trump, US court tosses redrawn Texas election map

A US district court, in a setback for President Donald Trump, struck down a congressional map on Tuesday redrawn by Republicans in Texas that was intended to give the party five more likely seats in the House of Representatives. The court ruled that the new map, which weakened five Democratic districts, could not be used in the 2026 midterm elections, where Republicans are seeking to safeguard their slim majority in the House. Democrats are eyeing a big win that would allow them to challenge the...

Politics

2 w. ago US Congress approves release of Epstein files, sending bill to Trump

The Republican-controlled US Congress voted almost unanimously on Tuesday to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an outcome President Donald Trump had fought for months before ending his opposition. Two days after Trump’s abrupt about-face, the House of Representatives passed the measure with a vote of 427-1, sending a resolution requiring the release of all unclassified records on Epstein to the Republican-majority Senate, which...

Politics

2 w. ago US House to push forward on Epstein vote after Trump reversal

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday to force the release of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with passage seen as all but guaranteed after US President Donald Trump dropped his long-standing opposition. Trump’s reversal late on Sunday came days after a House petition gathered enough support to force a vote, a rare instance of House Republicans defying the president’s wishes. Until the weekend, Trump and...

Politics

2 w. ago US House pushes forward on Epstein files vote after Trump reversal

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on forcing the release of investigative files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with passage seen as all but guaranteed after President Donald Trump dropped his long-standing opposition. Trump’s reversal late on Sunday came days after a House petition gathered enough support to force a vote, a rare instance of House Republicans defying the president’s wishes. Until the weekend, Trump and his staff had lobbied hard...

Politics

2 w. ago In reversal, Trump says he supports a House vote to release the Epstein files

US President Donald Trump said House Republicans should vote to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case, a startling reversal after previously fighting the proposal as a growing number of those in his own party supported it. “We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on social media late Sunday after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a...

Politics

2 w. ago In reversal, Trump says House should vote to release the Epstein files

US President Donald Trump said House Republicans should vote to release the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case, a startling reversal after previously fighting the proposal as a growing number of those in his own party supported it. “We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on social media late Sunday after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump thought Epstein’s ghost was gone, it could haunt him in midterm election

President Donald Trump was eager to claim victory this week after the record-long US government shutdown ended on his terms. But almost immediately, the White House was forced to battle a familiar bogeyman: Jeffrey Epstein. A trove of emails released by Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday reignited questions about Trump’s relationship with the disgraced financier and how much the president knew about Epstein’s alleged abuse of girls. While the White House swiftly dismissed...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump demands probe of Epstein ties to Bill Clinton, amid scrutiny of own role

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was asking the Department of Justice to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged ties with JPMorgan and several prominent Democratic figures, including former US president Bill Clinton. The request comes after a congressional committee released thousands of documents that raised new questions about Trump’s relationship with the convicted sex offender. Along with Clinton, who socialised with the late financier in the early 2000s, Trump said he had asked...

Politics

3 w. ago Epstein alleged in private emails Trump ‘knew about the girls’: Democrats

Democrats released emails on Wednesday in which Jeffrey Epstein suggested that Donald Trump was aware of the financier’s sexual abuse and definitely “knew about the girls”. Trump has denied any involvement in or knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend, who died by suicide in federal prison in 2019, as he was awaiting trial. But Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the emails “raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific...

Politics

3 w. ago Epstein alleged Trump ‘knew about the girls’ in emails released by Democrats

Democrats released emails on Wednesday in which Jeffrey Epstein suggested Donald Trump was aware of the disgraced financier’s sexual abuse and had “spent hours” with one of his victims at his house. Trump has denied any knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend, who died by suicide in 2019 as he was in prison awaiting trial, and the White House accused Democrats of pushing a “fake narrative” by sharing the mails. But Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the...

Politics