Latest news with #fakeNews
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Posts about PNG sending troops to Israel misuse old footage
Papua New Guinea's defence minister has refuted baseless rumours swirling online that the Pacific island nation is deploying troops to Israel following the war with Iran. The false posts have misrepresented old footage of a military exercise in Australia. "PNG is in the 7 allied force joining the Israelites," reads a caption of a video shared June 29, 2025 by a Facebook user in Papua New Guinea. It includes a video of soldiers emblazoned with the logo of news organisation "7News" at the bottom right corner. The post, which includes the hashtags "#iranisraelconflict" and "#warzone", has been viewed over 130,000 times and shared more than 500 times. It also circulated on TikTok. Israel launched an unprecedented surprise bombing campaign against Iran on June 13, prompting Tehran to respond with drone and missile attacks. A ceasefire between the long-time foes has been in effect since June 24 (archived link). While some Facebook users expressed scepticism over the video, a few appeared to believe the false claim. One user criticised the supposed move as "inviting disaster to a country with no superpower at all". Another said they could "smell WW3... just around the corner". Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape has said his country "continues to stand with Israel" when asked about the conflict with Iran in late June (archived link). But posts about troop deployment to the Middle East are false, according to Defence Minister Billy Joseph (archived link). "It's fake news," Joseph told AFP in a text message sent on July 23. He added that the military exercise shown in the circulating video was "not done in preparation for deployment to any conflict region like in the Middle East, Europe or elsewhere". A keyword search found the original 7News report published May 19, 2025, four weeks before the Iran-Israel war erupted (archived link). The report was about a month-long military exercise called the North Queensland Warfighter (archived link). The war games -- which included troops from Papua New Guinea, Japan, Malaysia and the United States -- were also featured on the Australian Army's official YouTube page (archived link). The Israeli army did not take part in the exercises, Australia's Department of Defence told AFP. The Australian Associated Press has earlier debunked similar posts (archived link). AFP has fact-checked other false claims related to the Iran-Israel war here.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tapper dismissed the president's latest attack on the credibility of the Jeffrey Epstein files 'madness.'
CNN's Jake Tapper has flatly debunked President Donald Trump's claim that his enemies may have planted damaging material about him in the the Jeffrey Epstein files, calling it 'one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories I've ever heard.' As part of his ongoing effort to sow doubt about the Epstein files, Trump on Monday dismissed them as 'fake' to reporters in Scotland and said they were 'run by the worst scum on Earth.' Naming former President Joe Biden, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Trump argued, 'They can easily put something in the files that's a phony.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House says claims Trump in Epstein files 'fake news' - as judge blocks bid to unseal court documents
The White House has dismissed claims that Donald Trump is among hundreds of names mentioned in justice department documents related to late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as 'fake news'.The Wall Street Journal reported the US president was informed of the fact in May by Attorney General Pam Bondi during a routine briefing, noting that his name appearing in the documents did not indicate any wrongdoing. One official told the news outlet that hundreds of names are in the documents.
News24
7 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Trump's name appears in Jeffrey Epstein files - but it's ‘fake news' says White House
Donald Trump's name appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The White House released an initial statement characterising it as 'fake news'. Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane. US Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The disclosure about Trump's appearance in the Justice Department's case records threatened to deepen a political crisis that has engulfed his administration for weeks. Some Trump supporters for years have fanned conspiracy theories about Epstein's clients and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The White House sent mixed signals following the story. It released an initial statement characterising it as 'fake news', but a White House official later told Reuters the administration was not denying that Trump's name appears in some files, noting that Trump was already included in a tranche of materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. During her trial, Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the Journal's report. Trump has faced intense backlash from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the files, reversing a campaign promise. The Justice Department said in a memo earlier this month that there was no basis to continue probing the Epstein case, sparking anger among some prominent Trump supporters 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's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement that did not directly address the Journal's report. '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 newspaper 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. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. On Wednesday, US District Judge Robin Rosenberg denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. That motion stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents; the department has also requested the unsealing of transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to later indictments brought against Epstein and Maxwell. Handout/US District Court for the Southern District of New York/AFP Last week, the Journal 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. Trump and his advisers have long engaged in conspiracy theories, including about Epstein, that have resonated with Trump's political base. The Make American Great Again movement's broad refusal to accept his administration's argument that those theories are now unfounded is unusual for a politician who is accustomed to enjoying relatively unchallenged loyalty from his supporters. Epstein hanged himself in prison, 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 bedevilled Trump and divided 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. But a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday approved a subpoena seeking all Justice Department files on Epstein. Three Republicans joined five Democrats to back the effort, in a sign that Trump's party was not ready to move on from the issue. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as 'ridiculous'. 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.
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
White House says reports Donald Trump was told his name is in the Epstein files is 'fake news'
Donald Trump was allegedly told his name was in the Epstein files multiple times, according to senior administration officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. In response to the report, the White House said this was a continuation of "fake news stories" against the US president and rejected the claim he had been told he was in the report. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media," White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in an emailed statement. US Attorney-General Pam Bondi and her deputy told the president during a meeting in May that his name was in the files, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Justice Department concluded in early July that there was not a basis to continue the Epstein probe, triggering a backlash among Trump's political base, who demanded more information about wealthy and powerful people who had interacted with Epstein. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts," Ms Bondi and Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche said in a statement on Wednesday, local time. "As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." Mr Trump is not facing any allegations of wrongdoing related to Epstein. The newspaper noted that Mr Trump was also told that many other high-profile figures were named, and that the department did not plan to release any more documents related to the investigation. Reportedly, Mr Trump said at the meeting in May that he would defer to the Justice Department's decision to not release any further files, according to the Wall Street Journal. A US judge has denied a Trump administration bid to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in South Florida — the first ruling in a series of attempts to reveal more information about the case. The request stemmed from federal investigations into Epstein in 2005 and 2007, according to court documents. The Justice Department has pending requests to unseal transcripts in Manhattan federal court related to a later indictment brought against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, 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 grand jury transcripts in Florida related to the first federal sex trafficking probe of Epstein, which was run by the US attorney's office in Miami. In 2008, Epstein cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. The wealthy financier was later arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell was later convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer on Wednesday issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on August 11. "The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr Epstein's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny," Mr Comer wrote in a statement on Wednesday. Elsewhere, House Democrats launched a bid on Wednesday, local time, to subpoena the Justice Department for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein. Democrats on a subcommittee of the powerful House Committee on Oversight made a motion for the subpoena just hours before the House was scheduled to end its July work session and depart Washington for a month-long break. The subcommittee's Republican chair, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, postponed a vote on the matter until the end of the meeting. During a brief break in the meeting, Mr Higgins told reporters he expected the motion for the subpoena to pass with some changes. "If the Republican Party, if our colleagues on this committee don't join us in this vote, then what they're essentially doing is joining President Donald Trump in complicity," Summer Lee, the Pennsylvania Democrat who made the motion for the subpoena, said. Democratic leaders are hoping to make the issue about much more than just Epstein. "Why haven't Republicans released the Epstein files to the American people?" asked House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "It's reasonable to conclude that Republicans are continuing to protect the lifestyles of the rich and the shameless, even if that includes paedophiles." Reuters/AP
