Trump says he has spoken to Putin over Ukraine attacks
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RNZ News
26 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Wall Street Journal reports Trump is in Epstein files, White House calls story 'fake'
By Andrew Goudsward and Joseph Ax Composite image of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / NEW YORK STATE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY/HANDOUT US Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in Justice Department files related to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in prison, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the Journal's report, which the White House characterized as "fake news." The newspaper's report threatened to expand what has become a major political crisis for Trump, whose past friendship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise. The Justice Department released a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, triggering a backlash among Trump's political base who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein . Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein was first prosecuted. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty and the case was dismissed after his death. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts from the case. A federal judge denied that request earlier on Wednesday. While the White House immediately dismissed the report as fictitious, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement that did not directly address the newspaper's reporting. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts," the officials said. "As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." The Journal reported that Bondi and her deputy told Trump at a White House meeting that his name, as well as those of "many other high-profile figures," appeared in the files. US Attorney General Pam Bondi Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP Last week, the newspaper reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret." Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the alleged letter. Trump has sued the Journal and its owners , including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Since the Justice Department's memo, Trump has faced growing frustration among his base of supporters, after far-right figures spent years promoting conspiracy theories - at times echoed by Trump - about Epstein and alleged ties to prominent Democratic politicians. Epstein hung himself in prison in 2019, according to the New York City chief medical examiner. But his connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation that his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedeviled Trump and his fellow Republicans, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. His decision temporarily stymied a push by Democrats and some Republicans for a vote on a bipartisan resolution that would require the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related documents. More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Trump administration is hiding information about Epstein's clients, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week. Wednesday's court motion stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents. US District Judge Robin Rosenberg found that the Justice Department's request in Florida did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. The Justice Department also has pending requests to unseal transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. - Reuters
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
International Seabed Authority launches inquiry into deep sea mining firm The Metals Company
The Metals Company Photo: Facebook / The Metals Company The International Seabed Authority (ISA) Council has launched an inquiry into "non-compliance" by deep sea mining front-runner The Metals Company (TMC). The company had previously indicated that it would apply to mine in June through the ISA, despite mining rules not yet being in place. It would do so after triggering a clause known as the "two-year rule". However, TMC is now planning to apply to mine exclusively through United States regulations, circumventing the ISA process. It was made possible by an executive order two months ago issued by President Donald Trump. Duncan Currie, an international environmental lawyer with Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, said the decision for an inquiry, made on Monday, is to find out "the facts and the law in what is a very complex situation". The ISA Council, composed of 36 elected member states, will meet in March 2025 to decide what to do about the findings. Currie said the ISA could suspend or terminate the exploration contracts that TMC has through its subsidiaries if the ISA find noncompliance. Despite applying only through the US, TMC plans on keeping its exploration licenses with the ISA. RNZ Pacific arranged an interview with TMC's chief executive Gerard Barron, who cancelled at the last minute. The ISA Council, composed of 36 elected member states, will meet in March 2025 to decide what to do about the findings. Photo: flickr / ISBA HQ Instead, a TMC spokesperson said its subsidiaries, Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML), are in full compliance with their ISA contracts. "All TMC subsidiaries operate legally under international law and under national laws of their respective jurisdictions," they said. The spokesperson said NORI had conducted more offshore research than any other contractor. Currie said he believed it would be very difficult for The Metals Company to mine even if it got a permit under the US regulations. "The first thing is that there's highly likely to be lawsuits in Hawaii, which is the closest jurisdiction [in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone] I think a lot of groups will be challenging the regulations purporting to allow The Metals Company to mine the seabed area." Currie said TMC also relies on Swiss and Dutch company Allseas for mining technology, and Switzerland is "highly unlikely" to allow the company to move against the ISA. He said processing for cobalt and nickel is carried out in China, and if TMC were to proceed through US regulations, a processing facility would need to be developed in the States. "Basically, the world is a complex, interdependent place, and I think that the metals company is not going to find it as easy as they think to just go there, mine the metals and bring them up." The ISA Council finished on Monday and the assembly meeting has since started.
NZ Herald
3 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Trump administration targets Harvard's foreign student programme in latest investigation
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Trump launched an investigation into Harvard's visa sponsorship programme. Photo / Getty Images US President Donald Trump's administration has launched an investigation into Harvard University's ability to sponsor visiting students and academics, part of a continuing crackdown on the elite institution. Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused Harvard and other top US universities of having a 'liberal' bias, accusing some of 'antisemitism' to cut federal funding and demand greater oversight. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the latest investigation would examine whether the university was complying with regulations in the Exchange Visitor Programme. That included probing whether the university was 'conducting their programmes in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States'. 'The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students,' he said in a statement.
