
Why is Trump's MAGA base in revolt over Epstein?
Donald Trump's MAGA base appears to be in revolt over his administration's Epstein findings. During the election, Trump promised to release the Epstein files but now says they don't exist. Soraya Lennie explains the fallout.
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US lawmakers criticise possible AI use in personalised flight ticket prices
United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says there are concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to set personalised airline prices, echoing red flags brought up by three Democratic senators. Duffy on Tuesday promised to investigate any airline that uses the technology to set prices. 'To try to individualise pricing on seats based on how much you make or don't make or who you are, I can guarantee you that we will investigate if anyone does that,' Duffy said. 'We would engage very strongly if any company tries to use AI to individually price their seating.' Duffy noted Delta clarified that it would not use AI for pricing individual tickets, 'and I'll take them at face value.' Last week, Delta Air Lines told lawmakers it will not and has not used AI to set prices for individual consumers. Late last month, Democratic Senators Ruben Gallego, Mark Warner and Richard Blumenthal said they believed the Atlanta-based airline would use AI to set individual prices, which would 'likely mean fare price increases up to each individual consumer's personal 'pain point''. Delta previously said it plans to deploy AI-based revenue management technology across 20 percent of its domestic network by the end of 2025 in partnership with Fetcherr, an AI pricing company. Fetcherr on its website said its technology is 'trusted by the world's leading airlines' and lists Delta, WestJet, Virgin Atlantic, Viva and Azul. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said last month that using AI to set ticket prices could hurt consumer trust. Democratic lawmakers Greg Casar and Rashida Tlaib have introduced legislation to bar companies from using AI to set prices or wages based on Americans' personal data and would specifically ban airlines from raising individual prices after seeing a search for a family obituary. Delta said airlines have used dynamic pricing for more than three decades, in which pricing fluctuates based on a variety of factors like overall customer demand, fuel prices and competition, but not a specific consumer's personal information.


Al Jazeera
an hour ago
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Rwanda agrees to accept ‘third-country' deportations from the US
Rwanda has confirmed it will accept deported migrants from the United States, as President Donald Trump continues to push for mass deportation from the North American country. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo, acknowledged that the African country had agreed to receive up to 250 deported individuals. Rwanda is now the third African country, after South Sudan and Eswatini, to strike a deal with the US to accept non-citizen deportees. 'Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation,' Makolo said in a statement obtained by the Reuters news agency. But the Trump administration's efforts to rapidly deport migrants from the US have raised myriad human rights concerns, not least for sending people to 'third-party countries' they have no personal connections to. Some of those countries, including Rwanda, have faced criticisms for their human rights records, leading advocates to fear for the safety of deported migrants. Other critics, meanwhile, have blasted Trump for using African countries as a 'dumping ground' for migrants with criminal records. In this week's statement, Makolo appeared to anticipate some of those criticisms, underscoring that Rwanda would have the final say over who could arrive in the country. 'Under the agreement, Rwanda has the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement,' she said. 'Those approved will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade.' Trump's mass deportation campaign In 2024, Trump successfully campaigned for re-election in the US on the premise that he would expel the country's population of undocumented immigrants, a group estimated to number around 11 million. But many of those people have been longtime members of their communities, and critics quickly pointed out that Trump lacked the infrastructure needed for such a large-scale deportation effort. In response, the Trump administration has surged money to immigration-related projects. For example, his 'One Big Beautiful Bill', which was signed into law in July, earmarked $45bn for immigration detention centres, many of which will be run by private contractors. An additional $4.1bn in the law is devoted to hiring and training more officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with another $2.1bn set aside for bonuses. But the Trump administration has made expelling migrants from the country a top priority, prompting legal challenges and backlash to the rapid pace of such deportations. Critics say deported migrants have been denied their right to due process, with little to no time allotted to challenge their removals. Then, there are the cases where undocumented migrants have been deported to 'third-party countries' where they may not even speak the language. Within weeks of taking office in January, Trump began deporting citizens of countries like India, China, Iran and Afghanistan to places like Panama, where migrants were imprisoned in a hotel and later a detention camp. Trump also accused more than 200 men, many of them Venezuelan, of being gang members in order to authorise their expedited removal to El Salvador in March. Lawyers have since cast doubt on Trump's allegations, arguing that many of their clients were deemed to be gang members based on little more than their tattoos and fashion choices. El Salvador reportedly received $6m as part of a deal to hold the men in a maximum security prison, the Terrorism Confinement Centre or CECOT, where human rights abuses have been documented. The men were ultimately released last month as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, but a federal court in the US continues to weigh whether the Trump administration violated a judge's order by allowing the deportation flights to leave in the first place. Deportations to Africa In May, the Trump administration unveiled efforts to start 'third-party' deportations to countries in Africa as well, sparking further concerns about human rights. Initially, Libya was floated as a destination, and migrants were reportedly loaded onto a flight that was prepared to take off when a judge blocked its departure on due process grounds. The Libyan government later denied reports that it was willing to accept deported, non-citizen migrants from the US. But the Trump administration proceeded later that month to send eight migrants on a flight to South Sudan, a country the US State Department deems too dangerous for Americans to travel to. That flight was ultimately diverted to Djibouti, after a judge in Massachusetts ruled that the eight men on board were not given an adequate opportunity to challenge their removals. Seven of them hailed from Laos, Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico and Myanmar. Only one was reportedly from South Sudan. The Trump administration said all eight had criminal records, calling them 'sickos' and 'barbaric'. A spokesperson pledged to have them in South Sudan by the US Independence Day holiday on July 4. The US Supreme Court paved the way for that to happen in late June, when it issued a brief, unsigned order allowing the deportation to South Sudan to proceed. The six conservative members of the bench sided with the Trump administration, while the three left-leaning justices issued a vehement dissent. They argued that there was no evidence that the Trump administration had ascertained the eight men would not be tortured while in South Sudan's custody. They also described the deportations as too hasty, depriving the men of their chance to appeal. 'The affected class members lacked any opportunity to research South Sudan, to determine whether they would face risks of torture or death there, or to speak to anyone about their concerns,' the justices wrote, calling the government's actions 'flagrantly unlawful'. In mid-July, the Trump administration also began deportations to Eswatini, a tiny, landlocked country ruled by an absolute monarchy. It identified the five deported individuals as hailing from Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba and Yemen. 'This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,' administration spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wrote on social media. Lawyers for the five men have since reported they were denied access to their clients, who are being held in a maximum-security prison. Cosying up to Trump? Little is known so far about the newly announced deportations to Rwanda. It is not yet clear when deportation flights to Rwanda will begin, nor who will be included on the flights. Reuters, however, reported that Rwanda will be paid for accepting the deportations in the form of a grant. The amount is not yet known. Rwanda also has set parameters for whom it may accept. No child sex offenders will be allowed among the deportation flights, and the country will only accept deported individuals with no criminal background or whose prison terms are complete. But the deportation announcement continues a trend of Rwandan authorities seeking closer relations with the Trump administration. In June, President Trump claimed credit for bringing peace between Rwanda and its neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He invited leaders from both countries to attend a ceremony at the White House and sign a peace deal. Critics, however, noted that the deal was vague and did not mention Rwanda's support for the M23 paramilitary group, which has carried out deadly attacks in the DRC. The deal also appeared to pave the way for Trump to pursue another one of his priorities: gaining access to valuable minerals in the region, like copper and lithium, that are key to technology development. In an interview with The Associated Press news agency, Rwandan political analyst Gonzaga Muganwa said that his government's recent manoeuvres seem to reflect the mantra that 'appeasing President Trump pays'. Muganwa explained that Tuesday's agreement to accept migrants from the US will strengthen the two countries' shared bond. 'This agreement enhances Rwanda's strategic interest of having good relationships with the Trump administration,' he said. Rwanda previously struck a deal in 2022 with the United Kingdom to accept asylum seekers from that country. But the British Supreme Court nixed the agreement in 2023, ruling that Rwanda was not a safe third country to send asylum seekers to.


Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US House panel subpoenas Epstein files from Trump administration
Washington, DC – The Republican-led oversight committee in the United States House of Representatives has issued a subpoena to obtain records related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, amid ongoing scrutiny about his case. Also on Tuesday, the panel's Republican chair James Comer issued deposition subpoenas for top officials from both major parties, including ex-President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Attorney General Bill Barr. Former FBI Director James Comey, a bitter rival of President Donald Trump, has also been called to testify. The Justice Department subpoena, addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi, requests the release of 'all documents and communications relating or referring to' Epstein and his ex-girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. Congress has the authority to issue subpoenas, which are legally binding requests for documents and appearances for questioning. Tuesday's subpoenas followed bipartisan subcommittee motions directing Comer to issue the requests. Since his death in federal custody in 2019, Epstein, a wealthy financier, has been the subject of interest and conspiracy theories. Some have speculated that his death was not a suicide, as was the medical examiner's official ruling. Conspiracy theorists have long argued that Epstein socialised with the rich and powerful — including royalty, top academics and government officials — who might want their association with him covered up. The case is proving to be a headache for Trump, who has been facing calls, including from prominent conservatives within his base, to release all Epstein-related documents. Trump had a personal relationship with Epstein and took several photos with him over the years. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Trump sent Epstein a letter containing sexual references on the financier's 50th birthday in 2003. The US president has denied the letter and sued the newspaper over the allegation. But that has not snuffed out the push to make everything the government knows about Epstein public. The Trump administration's refusal to release the records has fuelled unproven allegations that Epstein had a 'client list' of powerful people who abused girls and young women on his property. One of the most prominent conspiracy theories posits that Epstein may have used the list to blackmail his associates for personal gain or on behalf of a domestic or foreign intelligence service. Right-wing commentators, who align with Trump ideologically, have long championed that theory, in part due to Epstein's ties to the Clintons, who are Democrats. Last month, the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a memo denying the existence of an incriminating client list or any evidence of blackmail. Instead, they said the files include tens of thousands of videos and images of sexual abuse of young girls and women, evidence that is sealed by the courts and would not be released to protect the privacy of the victims. 'Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,' the memo read. 'One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends,' it added. The memo also asserted that Epstein died by suicide, dismissing conspiracy theories challenging the official version of the events. Epstein's crimes came to the authorities' attention long before his death in 2019. In 2008, Epstein faced accusations of sexually abusing teenage girls. But the Justice Department offered him a plea deal that saw him serve 13 months in a work-release jail programme, instead of a possible life sentence if the case had gone to trial. Epstein was re-arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking and died in his prison cell weeks later at the age of 66. One of Epstein's associates, Maxwell, remains in prison after a conviction on charges of child sex trafficking and abusing teenage girls. The Justice Department, under Trump, has sent representatives to interview Maxwell in prison amid the recent scrutiny, and last week, she was moved to a minimum-security facility to serve the remainder of her 20-year sentence. In a court filing on Tuesday, Maxwell indicated she opposed the government's efforts to release grand jury transcripts related to her case.