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Trump urges House Republicans to approve release of Epstein files
ReutersUS President Donald Trump has urged lawmakers in his own party to vote to release files relating to the late convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump wrote on Sunday night that Republicans in the House of Representatives should do so “because we have nothing to hide”.
The reversal of his recent position follows a slow drip feed of documents concerning the disgraced financier by House Democrats, some of which reference Trump, who has always denied any link to Epstein’s sex abuse and trafficking.
But details of his and other prominent figures’ past relationship with Epstein have fuelled speculation and led to a public spat with one of Trump’s staunchest supporters.
Potentially dozens of Republicans have now signalled they are willing to break ranks and vote in favour of a bill that would compel the US government to publish all the documents on Epstein and the criminal investigations into him that it holds.
Supporters of the bill appear to have enough votes for it to pass the House this week, though it is unclear whether it would pass in the Senate, the other chamber of the US Congress.
Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019, in what a coroner later ruled a suicide. He was being held on charges of sex trafficking, having previously been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
Trump repeated White House dismissals of the attention over the Epstein files as a Democrat-led “hoax” to “deflect” attention away from his party’s work.
“The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on ‘Epstein,’ are looking at various Democrat operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationship to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!,” he wrote on his Truth social platform.
He added that he wanted Republicans to “get BACK ON POINT”.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson made a similar point on Sunday, saying calls to release the files were the “entire game plan” for opposition Democrats.
“Trump has clean hands,” Johnson told Fox News. “He’s not worried about it. I talk to him all the time. He has nothing to do with this. He’s frustrated that they’re turning it into a political issue.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has dismissed the need to release more documents, despite this being a key demand of many of his supporters and some of his key allies.
Trump was historically photographed at social gatherings with Epstein, but has repeatedly said he severed contact with the financier years before Epstein’s 2008 conviction, and was unaware of his criminal activity.
The US president’s change of position on the matter comes after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee published three email exchanges, including correspondence between Epstein and his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.
Some of those exchanges make references to Trump. In one email, sent in 2011, Epstein writes to Maxwell: “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump.. [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him.”
The White House said on Wednesday that the victim referenced in the email was prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.
There is no implication of any wrongdoing by Trump in the emails.
Hours after the release, House Republicans published a far larger tranche of 20,000 files to counter what they said was a Democratic effort to “cherry-pick” documents in an attempt to “create a fake narrative to slander” Trump.
Both Democrats and some Republicans have been backing legislation to release all the documents. Republican Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that as many as 100 Republicans could vote in favour.
Known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the bill aims to force the Justice Department to release all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials linked to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump would also have to sign off on the release of the documents if it passes both legislative chambers.
In a letter addressed to Congress, Epstein survivors and Giuffre’s family called for US lawmakers to vote in favour of releasing the files.
“Remember that your primary duty is to your constituents. Look into the eyes of your children, your sisters, your mothers, and your aunts,” the letter reads.
“Imagine if they had been preyed upon. Imagine if you yourself were a survivor. What would you want for them? What would you want for yourself? When you vote, we will remember your decision at the ballot box.”
Trump’s handling of the issue has led in recent days to a public feud with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, traditionally one of his fiercest proponents.
The US president attacked her on Friday, calling her “wacky” and a “traitor”, and suggesting that she should be unseated in next year’s elections.
Greene in turn questioned whether Trump was still putting “America First” and said he was “making an example” of her to scare other Republicans away from voting in favour of the bill.
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department has confirmed it will investigate Epstein’s alleged links to major banks and several prominent Democrats, including former US President Clinton. He has strongly denied he had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
The names of Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a prominent Democratic donor, and Summers, Clinton’s treasury secretary, both appeared in the most recent release.
Summers has previously expressed regret over being in contact with Epstein following his conviction, while Hoffman has said the extent of his involvement with the broker was to fundraise for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Follow the twists and turns of Trump’s second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher’s weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
Chris Eubank Jr. Unveils the Precise Moment He Realized He Would Be Defeated by Conor Benn
The inquest into what went wrong for Chris Eubank Jr during his defeat to Conor Benn continues, but the fighter himself offered a few thoughts in the aftermath.
Despite concerns that Eubank–Benn II came too soon — just seven months after their first meeting — and that Eubank was facing a second straight contractual 10lb rehydration clause, many still believed he would prove too much for the younger, less experienced Benn.
Their first fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lived up to the hype and honoured the decades-long rivalry between both families. Eubank edged it on points, though there was at least an argument that Benn deserved the nod.
Last night, second time around, there was no doubt. When MC Michael Buffer read out the three scorecards, it was clear who had earned the right to have his hand raised.
So, what went wrong for Eubank? The 36-year-old had no intention of making the evening about himself during a brief post-fight press conference, but he did offer this reflection:
“I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I’ve been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win. From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken. Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight. He had a great performance. He did everything that was asked of him, and I congratulate him for his performance.”
Before the seven-minute presser ended Eubank’s promoter Ben Shalom praised the British star for taking on the rematch.
What Chris went through in camp, he won’t want to talk about it – but the things I saw he did incredibly well to get in the ring tonight.”
Asia-Pacific president Stephen Karpin states that Visa is embracing AI-enabled payments and stablecoins to maintain a competitive edge
Societies are shifting away from cash, and embracing new ways to make payments and transfer money. In Asia, many have turned to e-wallets, QR codes, and super apps—skipping physical credit cards entirely.
Traditional card companies are reinventing themselves to stay ahead of the game. “These days, when people talk about ‘cards’, it’s not just a piece of plastic. It’s a digital network proposition where you can pay or be paid,” Stephen Karpin, Visa’s Asia-Pacific president, told Fortune on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the Singapore FinTech Festival, Visa revealed two new features for its regional clientele: AI-enabled payments and stablecoin settlements.
The first marks the company’s expansion into agentic commerce, where consumers across Asia can tap on AI-powered agents to shop and pay on their behalf.
OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT catalyzed a fundamental shift in commerce, Karpin said. “The breadth with which it’s transforming how one understands and finds things in the world is quite profound. Yet one of the things missing from the current state of a LLM-powered chatbot is the ability to make payment via an agent,” he said.
This means that online shoppers can use AI chatbots to discover, browse and select items—but can’t yet use them to complete payments.
Customers can load their Visa cards on an agent system—just as they might with Apple or Google Pay. They are then given the option to opt in for ‘personalization’, to receive recommendations of “intelligent shopping decisions” based on their past preferences.
Users are then prompted to make payment within the AI platform—securely, with tokenization and authentication—completing an end-to-end online shopping process.
Stablecoins
The second initiative is Visa’s stable settlement pilot, which enables select partners to pay using stablecoins across supported blockchains. Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to have a stable value, by pegging them to less volatile assets such as fiat currencies, most commonly the U.S. dollar).
Karpin said that Visa had recognized the value of blockchain technology for payments since the time first emerged a decade ago. Today, more cross-border transactions than ever are taking place via stablecoins.
“We want to make [stablecoins] one of the options to make and receive payments all around the world, when the regulatory environment is ready,” Karpin added. “We’ve got some assets in the form of technology and capability, and want to help businesses large and small start conducting commerce in Web3.”
Asia’s shifting payments space
Karpin has worked at Visa for over a decade, cutting his teeth in the South Pacific, Southeast Asian, and Japanese markets—before becoming the firm’s Asia-Pacific president in 2023.
Things are shifting in Asia’s payments space, he said, noting that more change has happened in the last five years as compared to the previous fifty.
Super apps—single apps consolidating multiple services like ride-hailing, food delivery and digital payments—is one such disruptor, he said.
They first took off in mainland China, with the founding of Alipay in 2004 and WeChat Pay in 2013. Southeast Asian tech giant Grab followed suit, launching GrabPay in 2016.
But instead of regarding super apps and e-wallets as competition, Visa is looking for ways to work with them.
“You can live your life on a super app now, so we’re partnering with them to digitalize the Visa credential,” Karpin said.
He cited Visa’s partnership with Taiwan’s Line Pay as an example, which allows Taiwanese users to travel abroad and pay by scanning any QR codes connected to the Visa network.
Visa is also widely accepted in global destinations beyond Asia, making it easier for long-distance travelers to make seamless payments overseas.
“[When traveling further abroad], you can’t use a super app with a QR. We’re partnering with e-wallets so you can use your phone to tap to get onto the New York subway, or buy lunch in London,” Karpin said.
Visa is the world’s second-largest card payment organization based on the annual value of card payments transacted and the number of issued cards, after being surpassed by China’s UnionPay in 2015. Yet Visa, No. 127 on the Fortune 500, leads in global transaction volume.
Benefits of Brain Exercise May Come from Blood Transfer
One of the brain’s biggest benefits from exercise – the birth of new neurons – may not even require any movement. Instead, the beneficial “packages” circulating in the blood after working out can be successfully transferred to others.
When we exercise, thousands of molecules are released into the bloodstream – including extracellular vesicles (EVs), microscopic packages filled with proteins, RNA, fats and other signaling molecules. These are also small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier to trigger neurogenesis – the growth of neurons – in the hippocampus. But a key question remained: would these exercise-stimulated vesicles still work if you delivered them to someone who hadn’t exercised at all?
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have now answered that, demonstrating that these extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be taken from one body to another without losing their power.
Adult male mice were given constant access to running wheels for four weeks, while another group was kept sedentary with their wheels locked in place. At the end of the four weeks, the team collected blood from both groups and isolated EVs, which were separated into two samples, exercise-derived EVs (ExerVs) and sedentary-derived EVs (SedVs).
Another set of sedentary mice were then randomly assigned to receive either the ExerV or SedV preparation or a placebo injection (phosphate-buffered saline). The scientists found that sedentary mice that had received the ExerVs transfusion showed a significant increase in the density of new cells – and 89.4%of these new cells had differentiated into neurons (NeuN).
The researchers then assessed how many cells in the dentate gyrus, a region of the hippocampus known to generate neurons throughout life, via bromodeoxyuridine or BrdU labeling – a sort of molecular timestamp on newly formed cells. The ExerVs group had around 50% more BrdU-positive neurons than either control group. In fact, the SedV-treated mice were all but identical to the placebo group, indicating that the brain boost was specific to the exercise-induced EVs.
A second set of mice independently replicated these results, confirming that it was the EVs, not genetics, driving the generation of new neurons.
“Our findings demonstrate that systemically administered ExerVs robustly enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis by approximately 50% in sedentary mice,” the team noted. “This effect was reproduced across two independent cohorts, underscoring the reliability and rigor of the observation.”
And, importantly, even though more new neurons were being made from ExerV transfusion, there weren’t any significant changes in overall hippocampal structure. This supports previous research that found that exercise-induced neuron growth was balanced by natural processes like pruning – where the brain gets rid of underperforming neurons and synapses.
So, what does this mean for us? The normal limitations of an animal study apply, and the researchers did not test whether the increase in neurons benefited cognitive functioning in the mice. However, it’s a promising outcome for EV-based therapies that, if replicated in humans, could give people with limited physical activity due to injury, neurological disease or frailty the chance to benefit from these EVs like healthy adults.
The researchers say the next steps will be to determine whether these EVs improve learning, memory or stress processing, and whether they can shield the brain from the neuron deterioration in the hippocampus seen in conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Alzheimer’s disease.
“These findings demonstrate that systemically delivered ExerVs are sufficient to enhance hippocampal neurogenesis but not vascular coverage,” the researchers noted. “ExerVs may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for conditions marked by hippocampal atrophy, given their ability to enhance adult neurogenesis. Future studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking peripheral ExerV administration to increased neurogenesis, and to determine whether this enhancement can restore cognitive function under conditions of hippocampal damage.”
The research was published in the journal Brain Research.
Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign via MedicalXpress
Russian assault claims lives of 3 in Kharkiv; President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to hold talks with President Macron | Latest Updates on Emmanuel Macron
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Russian attacks killed three people in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region as President Zelenskyy visits Paris to meet President Macron.
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Communist and far-right candidates advance to Chilean presidential run-off
Chile’s presidential election will go to a run-off vote in December between a Communist Party and a far-right candidate, after the first round on Sunday produced no outright winner.
The election campaign was dominated by crime and immigration, as migration to the country has grown in recent years and candidates pledged to fight foreign gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
The Communist Party’s Jeannette Jara, from the governing coalition, narrowly won the first round followed closely by far-right candidate José Antonio Kast.
The result is expected to give a boost to Kast, as Jara was the only left-wing candidate running against several right-wing candidates, which split the right-wing vote.
In the 14 December run-off, voters will have to coalesce around one of these two candidates.
Kast is expected to pick up votes from other candidates who did not make the final two, including the centre-right senator Evelyn Matthei and the radical libertarian congressman Johannes Kaiser.
If this happens, it would make Chile the latest country in Latin America to shift to the right.
Kast is a conservative lawyer and former congressman who lost the 2021 election’s run-off to President Gabriel Boric. This is his third time running for president.
The father of nine has promoted a tough crackdown on immigration including a Trump-style “border wall”, opposes abortion even in cases of rape, has criticised environmental and indigenous activism, and wants to shrink the state.
His brother was a minister during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship and his father was a member of the Nazi party.
Speaking on election night, he said Chile needed to avoid “continuity of a very bad government. Perhaps the worst government in the democratic history of Chile.”
Jara is a member of the Communist Party but many see her as centre-left in practice. She was a minister in President Boric’s government and her platform has included pledging to increase lithium production, raising the minimum wage, building new prisons and deploying the army to protect Chile’s borders.
As results were coming through, she said: “Democracy in our country must be taken care of and valued. And it costs us a lot to recover it, today it is at risk.”
Both candidates talked up their pledges to tackle crime and immigration, as organised crime and kidnappings having risen in the country.
Chile’s foreign population has grown since 2017. The National Migration Service said in December 2023 it reached more than 1.9 million people. Official estimates suggest at least 330,000 are undocumented migrants living illegally in the country, many from Venezuela.
Kast has blamed rising crime on immigration, although several studies suggest that those born abroad commit fewer crimes on average than Chileans.
Chile, perceived as more prosperous and safe compared to some other Latin American nations, is a desirable destination for migrants in the region, and for those returning from the US after President Trump’s migration crackdown.
Kast has pledged to build ditches along Chile’s northern border with Peru and Bolivia, as well as mass deportations of undocumented migrants and people who entered the country illegally.
He has also promised new maximum-security prisons, like those that have been built in El Salvador.
Jara has promised to build new prisons and expel foreigners convicted of drug trafficking.
This election was the first time that all eligible voters were automatically registered to vote, and voting was compulsory in Chile.
Trump now supports releasing Epstein files, encourages Republicans to vote in favor
Trump reverses stance on Epstein files, urges Republicans to vote for releasing them
Portugal and Norway secure qualification for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Portugal recovered from a shock loss to Ireland on Thursday to qualify, while Norway is through for the first time since 1998.
Portugal booked their ticket to the 2026 World Cup with a 9-1 victory over Armenia on Sunday, while an Erling Haaland brace rubber-stamped Norway’s place in the global showpiece as they romped to a 4-1 win in Italy.
After being held by Hungary and then stunned by the Republic of Ireland last time out, Portugal sealed top spot in Group F at the third time of asking with a resounding win over bottom-side Armenia.
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In the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, star midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks as the Portuguese ran riot in Porto.
Renato Veiga, Goncalo Ramos and Francisco Conceicao were also on the scoresheet.
“The most important thing was qualifying for the World Cup,” Paris Saint-Germain linchpin Neves told RTP.
“For me, as I always say, the team always comes before the individual. I’m very happy to have scored my first goal for the national team, and my second and third as well.”
Portugal will compete in a seventh consecutive edition of the World Cup, a tournament which the Euro 2016 champions have yet to win.
“We’re at the World Cup! Let’s go, Portugal!” Ronaldo posted on social media.
The striker could miss the start of the tournament depending on whether FIFA extend his suspension beyond the mandatory one-match ban he served against Armenia.
Ireland sewed up the playoff place in the group thanks to Troy Parrott’s 96th-minute hat-trick goal, handing them a 3-2 win over third-placed Hungary.
Daniel Lukacs gave the hosts the lead in Hungary after four minutes, before Parrott levelled from 12 yards shortly afterwards.
Barnabas Varga’s 37th-minute goal looked to have been enough for Hungary to seal second spot until 23-year-old Parrott notched his fourth and fifth international goals this week.
Parrott was the hero with his brace in Thursday’s 2-0 defeat of Portugal, and he struck to equalise again for Ireland with 10 minutes remaining in the Hungarian capital.
The AZ Alkmaar forward then sparked wild Irish celebrations as he prodded home Liam Scales’s knockdown deep into injury time to send Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side into March’s playoffs.
‘Absolutely insane’
Italy needed a miracle in Milan to pip Norway to first place in Group I due to the visitors’ gargantuan goal difference advantage.
Pio Esposito scored early at the San Siro to give the home side the faintest of hopes, but they were unable to again break down stubborn Norwegian defending as Stale Solbakken’s side held firm.
Antonio Nusa levelled just after the hour before Haaland, inevitably, netted twice in 60 seconds to turn the tie on its head. Jorgen Strand Larsen then put gloss on the result in injury time as Norway romped to an eighth win from eight outings.
It will be Norway’s first appearance at the World Cup in 28 years.
“I’m happy, but more relieved. There’s a lot of pressure and stuff, and I feel it. But it’s fun,” Haaland, who netted 16 goals across the campaign, told TV 2.
“It’s indescribable. Absolutely insane. The way we did it is absolutely incredible. It’s huge,” Martin Odegaard said.
Israel beat Moldova 4-1 but finished six points adrift of second-placed Italy, who go into the playoffs.
France booked their place in next year’s tournament in North America with a win over Ukraine earlier in the week, and a much-changed side concluded their campaign with a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan.
Ukraine saw off Iceland 2-0 thanks to two strikes inside the final 10 minutes from Oleksandr Zubkov and Oleksii Hutsuliak to claim second place in Group D.
Thomas Tuchel’s England completed a perfect group-stage performance as they won 2-0 against Albania to finish their campaign with a 100 percent record, featuring 22 goals scored and zero conceded – a European record for a team playing at least six qualifying matches.
“I think it’s as good [a squad] as we’ve ever had,” Harry Kane, who scored both England goals, told ITV.
“I think when you look at the starting 11, you look at the players coming off the bench, we’re going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites.”
With Albania already assured of second place, Serbia beat Latvia 2-1 in a dead-rubber in Group K’s other match.
