Ex-McKinsey partner jailed for destroying documents
The partner, Martin Elling, had pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice as part of a federal case against the firm and its efforts to 'turbocharge' sales of OxyContin during an overdose epidemic that had already killed hundreds of thousands of people.
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7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and there's no ‘client list,' US Justice Department says
After months of touting the impending release of new, blockbuster information on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Justice Department announced in a memo on Monday that there is no evidence he kept a 'client list' or was murdered. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also does not plan to release any new documents in the matter, it said on Monday (Tuesday AEST). The admission reneges on promises from US President Donald Trump, who previously spoke about releasing more governmental files on the disgraced financier, as well as go against years of conspiracy theories pushed by the right wing. 'This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'' the unsigned memo states. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. 'We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Axios was first to report details of the justice department and FBI's decision. The department has also released 10 hours of jailhouse security footage that shows no one entered Epstein's jail cell on the day he died by suicide. Right-wing media figures have, for years, suggested that the government is hiding secrets relating to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Some of those individuals breathlessly pushed the theory that Epstein kept a 'client list' as blackmail against powerful figures who he helped commit similar crimes. After being confirmed as attorney general earlier this year, Pam Bondi quickly embraced those theories, saying in a February interview on Fox News that a client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review'. She continued, 'that's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that.' Soon after, in conjunction with the White House, the Justice Department released a series of documents related to the Epstein investigation – almost all of which were already available in the public domain. The administration even invited influencers to get a 'scoop' on the documents at the White House, and photos from the day show those influencers walking out of the White House with white binders labelled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1'. Bondi promised more information would be coming, and FBI agents – many of whom were assigned to work on national security matters – were ordered to work around the clock in a frantic effort to review documents and other evidence for public release. But soon the department stopped mentioning the release, much to the chagrin of supporters who inundated the DOJ and FBI's social media with demands for new information. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, both of whom publicly questioned the investigation before being tapped for their roles, even started mentioning in interviews that there was no evidence Epstein was murdered. Bongino in May said the jailhouse video, now posted online, is 'clear as day'. 'Consistent with prior disclosures, this review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims,' Monday's memo states. 'Each suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials. 'This includes specific details such as victim names and likenesses, physical descriptions, places of birth, associates, and employment history.' '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 adds. 'To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.' Musk reacts Reports of the announcement were immediately met with outrage online, most notably from Trump's erstwhile ally Elon Musk, who posted an image of a zeroed-out scoreboard with the title The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter. 'What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again,' Musk wrote in the post on X. Six weeks ago, Musk claimed on X that '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,' later posting a video of Trump at a party with Epstein with a raised eyebrow emoji. The since-deleted posts were a part of one of Trump and Musk's feuds regarding Trump's recent tax and domestic policy bill. Other right-wing figures blasted the announcement too. One such activist, Jack Posobiec, wrote on X, referring to Epstein's associate convicted of charges related to Epstein's sex-trafficking, 'If there were no clients, why is Ghislaine Maxwell still in jail?' Another, Robby Starbuck, said of Bondi's previous comments on a client list: 'Was she lying then or is she lying now? We deserve answers.' White House stands by investigation White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday stood by the Justice Department's 'exhaustive investigation' of 'all the files related to Epstein's crimes and death'. Pressed on the client list referred to in February's Fox News interview, Leavitt said during a White House press briefing that Bondi was referring to the 'entirety of all of the paperwork' related to Epstein. 'All of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein crimes. That's what the attorney general was referring to,' Leavitt said. 'And I'll let her speak for that. But again, when it comes to the FBI and the Department of Justice, they are more than committed to ensuring that bad people are put behind bars.' DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin also told CNN on Monday that in the Fox News interview, Bondi was referring to all of the paperwork related to the Epstein investigation, such as flight logs, and not to a specific client list. Leavitt said some material was not released because it was 'incredibly graphic and it contained child pornography.' 'This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable … and the Trump administration is committed to truth and to transparency,' Leavitt said. 'They committed to an exhaustive investigation,' Leavitt continued, referring to the Justice Department. 'That's what they did, and they provided the results of that. That's transparency.' Stream free on
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia news LIVE: Unannounced spot checks in childcare centres to be fast-tracked; Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' clears US Congress
Latest posts Latest posts 11.31am Discussions to make CCTV in childcare centres mandatory: Clare By Cindy Yin Education ministers will discuss whether CCTV cameras should be made mandatory in childcare centres after a childcare worker in Melbourne was charged with more than 70 alleged child sex abuse offences Asked on Sky News whether it would be made mandatory, Education Minister Jason Clare said it was one of the issues education ministers will discuss at their meeting next month. 'One of the things that having a CCTV camera in a childcare centre can do is if there's somebody who is potentially up to no good, they know the camera's there, it means it's less likely they're going to act,' he said. 'It was a recommendation out of an independent review that NSW did, and it was released last week. 'They have to be in the right places – if deterrence is going to work, how you set them up is just as critical as whether you've got them there at all,' Clare said. 10.52am Unannounced spot checks in childcare centres to be fast-tracked By Cindy Yin Education Minister Jason Clare has said unannounced spot checks will soon be able to take place in childcare centres following a childcare worker in Melbourne being charged with more than 70 alleged child sex abuse offences. Clare said the government would fast-track legislation when parliament returns on July 22 to give approximately 150 people in his department the power to perform unannounced spot checks at childcare centres. '[It] gives the sort of people who work in my department who investigate fraud in childcare centres the ability to do spot checks, unannounced visits,' Clare told Sky News. 'They won't need a warrant, they won't need the police to come with them when they're investigating fraud in childcare centres'. Another aspect of the legislation gives the government the ability to cut off funding to childcare centres persistently not meeting child safety standards. 10.23am Nvidia briefly on track to become world's most valuable company ever Chipmaker Nvidia hit a market value of $US3.92 trillion ($5.96 trillion) on Thursday (Friday AEST), briefly putting it on track to become the most valuable company in history as Wall Street doubled down on optimism about AI. Shares of the leading designer of high-end AI chips rose as much as 2.4 per cent in early trading, giving the company a higher market capitalisation than Apple's, with a record closing value of $US3.915 trillion in December 2024. The company is close to overtaking Apple's all-time record and becoming the world's most valuable company in history. Wall Street lifted following the report from the US government, which said employers added 147,000 more jobs to their payrolls last month than they cut. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs, notching a third week of gains. The Dow closed up 0.77 per cent, only 0.41 per cent away from its own record. The unexpected acceleration in hiring signals the US job market is holding up despite worries about how president Donald Trump's tariffs may hurt the economy and inflation. 9.53am Saudi defence minister met with Trump to discuss Iran de-escalation, Fox News reports Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with US President Donald Trump and other officials at the White House on Thursday (Friday AEST) to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran, Fox News reported. Talks included discussions about getting to the negotiating table with Iran and de-escalating the conflict, according to Fox News sources. Discussions also reportedly included ending the war in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages. Sources also told Fox News, 'there was progress and optimism on all fronts.' Khalid is the younger brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump says US has given Ukraine too many weapons US President Donald Trump complained that the United States provided too many weapons to Ukraine under the previous administration, his first public comments on the pause in some shipments as Russia escalates its latest offensive. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Friday AEST) before boarding Air Force One for a flight to Iowa, Trump said former President Joe Biden 'emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.' Air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons are among those being withheld from Ukraine. Loading Trump, who also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (Friday AEST), suggested he wasn't completely cutting off US assistance to Ukraine. 'We've given so many weapons,' he said, adding that 'we are working with them and trying to help them.' Trump said he had a 'pretty long call' with Putin that 'didn't make any progress' in resolving the war, which the Republican president had promised to swiftly bring to a conclusion. 'I'm not happy about that,' he said. The Kremlin described the conversation as 'frank and constructive' — the sixth publicly disclosed chat between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House. While discussing the situation around Iran and in the broader Middle East, Putin emphasised the need to resolve all differences 'exclusively by political and diplomatic means,' said Yuri Ushakov, his foreign affairs adviser. The leaders agreed that Russian and U.S. officials will maintain contact on the issue, he added. 9.06am Qantas says frequent flyer information secure after hack By Chris Zappone Qantas expects to be able next week to share the details of individual customer data that was affected by the hack of a call centre platform, based on the pace of an ongoing forensic investigation, the airline has said in an update. The breaching of up to 6 million customers' data, first revealed on Wednesday, prompted a reassurance that frequent flyer accounts were secure, even as the airline reminded customers they could update passwords and PINs at any time. To date, Qantas has not been contacted by anyone claiming to have the data since the incident, which was suspected to be the work of the Scattered Spider criminal cyber group. Qantas is continuing to work with government authorities to investigate the event. Loading 'Our investigation is progressing well, with our cybersecurity teams working alongside leading external specialists to determine what information has been accessed,' Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said. 'We're finalising a process that will enable us to provide affected customers with more information about their personal information that was potentially compromised.' Next week, Qantas 'will be in a position' to tell affected customers which types of their personal data were contained in the third-party system that was accessed. 'This will confirm specific data fields for each individual, which will vary from customer to customer,' Qantas said in a statement. Qantas became the latest major airline to be hit by a cyber breach, revealing on Wednesday that hackers had accessed customers' personal information from one of its call centres. In the Friday morning update, Qantas reiterated that frequent flyer passwords, PIN numbers and log in details were not accessed or compromised, 'but customers can update these details at any time'. 8.53am Sporting stars, UK leaders pay tribute to Liverpool FC's Diogo Jota after car crash death By David Crowe Football champions and political leaders have led the stunned reaction to the sudden death of Liverpool FC star Diogo Jota in a fiery car crash in northern Spain less than two weeks after he married his long-term partner. The Portuguese champion was driving with his brother, Andre Silva, when a tyre blew out on their Lamborghini, forcing it off the road. The vehicle became engulfed in flames and the two men died at the scene. Photographs and footage published in Spanish media showed a burnt and destroyed Lamborghini by the side of the highway. The London Telegraph reported that Jota had been told to drive 10 hours to a Spanish ferry rather than fly to Britain. It said Jota had been given medical advice to avoid taking a plane back for training, but that it was unclear where he was given that advice. Thousands of fans gathered at the Liverpool club's home ground, Anfield Stadium, as champions expressed their shock at the news. Jota, 28, began playing for his country as a teenager and represented Portugal at the 2022 World Cup. He signed with Liverpool for a reported £41 million ($85 million) in 2020 and was a star forward in the club's victory in the Premier League this year. 8.34am New interstellar comet will keep a safe distance from Earth, NASA says NASA astronomers spotted an interstellar comet in Chile earlier this week and have confirmed it poses no threat to Earth. Officially, it's the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. 'These things take millions of years to go from one stellar neighbourhood to another, so this thing has likely been travelling through space for hundreds of millions of years, even billions of years,' said Paul Chodas, director of NASA's centre for near Earth object studies. 'We don't know, and so we can't predict which star it came from.' Loading The comet is 670 million kilometres from the sun, out near Jupiter, and heading in the direction of Earth at 59 kilometres per second. NASA said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth — but closer to the red planet than us, at a safe distance of 240 million kilometres. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the icy snowball, which has officially been designated as 3I/Atlas to determine its size and shape. Chodas said there have been more than 100 observations since its discovery on July 1, with preliminary reports of a tail and a cloud of gas and dust around the comet's nucleus. The comet should be visible by telescope until September, before it gets too close to the sun, and reappear in December on the other side of the sun. 8.15am 'We will back you the whole way': Nationals back PM's small business plan By Cindy Yin Coalition frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has welcomed the PM's push for businesses to drive growth in the economy instead of the government, but has criticised the move by saying it came too late. Speaking on Sky News today, the Nationals senator welcomed the shift in Labor's outlook, saying the government had 'finally woken up'. 'The government has finally woken up and realised, after spending the first three years smashing small business and our industrial base through a raft of industrial relations policies, energy policies and new regulation … They've suddenly realised that government jobs don't grow the economy.' She also said the Nationals would throw their support behind any business-first policies Labor puts forward in its second term. 'Please, prime minister and treasurer, use the huge mandate the Australian people have given you to set our country up for the future, and we will back you the whole way. We want our country to be stronger, more prosperous and more secure,' McKenzie said. 'They've got a huge mandate – it's a great opportunity to do the type of deep reform that our economy needs, and our country needs, to set us up for the next century.' 7.49am 'Government doing less': PM to deliver vision for Australia's economy By Cindy Yin Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will outline the government's immediate and long-term economic vision for Australia in a speech he will deliver at a News Corp event in Sydney later today. Albanese will say Labor, now in their second term of government, must establish an economic plan which will make it 'easier for business to create jobs, start and finish projects, invest in new technology and build new facilities'. 'Some of this involves government doing less: clearing away unnecessary or outdated regulation. Eliminating frustrating overlap between local, state and federal laws,' the prime minister will say. 'Yet value also lies in areas where government can do better. Better aligning our investments in TAFE and vocational education, to deliver the skilled workforce employers need. And making sure those vital skills can cross state borders in real time. Working to our ambitious goals in housing and renewables, by getting projects approved and built faster, while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and safety.' He will also discuss major economic and political issues affecting Australian businesses and households, with speeches from a slew of business heavyweights. 'This is not a task government can, or should, tackle alone,' Albanese will say. 'In a strong, dynamic and productive economy, government should be a driver of growth – but not the driver of growth. Facilitating private sector investment and job creation, not seeking to replace it. 'From big employers to the millions of small businesses right around Australia, our government wants you to be able to resume your rightful place as the primary source of growth in our economy.'
SBS Australia
02-07-2025
- SBS Australia
Jury in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial reaches partial verdict but are deadlocked on final charge
This article contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault. The jury at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial has reached a verdict on four of the five counts the music mogul faces, the judge overseeing the case said, without revealing the outcome. After two days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict on four charges: two counts of sex trafficking and two of transportation to engage in prostitution, United States district judge Arun Subramanian announced. But the judge said the jury had not been able to reach a verdict on a fifth charge, racketeering conspiracy, because jurors had "unpersuadable opinions on both sides". He instructed the jury to continue deliberating on the racketeering conspiracy count. The jury will resume deliberations at 11pm AEST on Wednesday. Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts . If convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering, the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture could face life in prison. Before the judge read the jury's note, Combs rubbed his eyes and rested his face against his palm while seated at the defence table with his lawyers huddled around him. One defence lawyer, Brian Steel, rubbed Combs' shoulder. Two of Combs' other defence lawyers put their arms around each other. The partial verdict comes after a seven-week trial in which two of the music mogul's former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Sean 'Diddy' Combs second from left, watches from the defence table as the judge speaks to the jury in Manhattan federal court. Source: AP / Elizabeth Williams Prosecutors say Combs was charged with racketeering because for two decades he used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "freak offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. His lawyers acknowledged the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships . But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. Jury asks to review Cassie's testimony Earlier on Tuesday, the jury asked to review portions of the testimony of the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who testified that Combs forced her to take part in "freak offs" throughout their decade-long relationship. The 12-member jury asked to review Ventura's testimony regarding a 2016 incident at an InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, when a surveillance camera captured footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hallway. Jurors saw the security camera footage several times throughout the trial. Prosecutors say that at the time of the incident, Ventura was attempting to leave a "freak off". Prosecutors say that conduct amounted to sex trafficking because Combs used force and threats to cut off financial support or release sex tapes of Ventura to coerce her to take part in the performances, and because the escorts were paid. Combs' defence pointed to tender and sexually explicit text messages that Ventura sent Combs throughout their relationship to bolster their argument that she took part in the "freak offs" because she loved Combs and wanted to make him happy. They say the violent 2016 altercation stemmed from a dispute about Combs' relationship with another woman. Prosecutors charged Combs with racketeering conspiracy because they say his employees facilitated his abuse by setting up hotel rooms for "freak offs" and procuring illegal drugs for the sex parties. The defence argued Combs kept his personal and professional lives separate and that the drugs were for his personal use. If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
