
-
Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard
-
Argentina and Exeter lock Molina joins Western Force
-
Macron says France will recognise State of Palestine, angering Israel
-
US regulators let Skydance acquire Paramount Global
-
US chip maker Intel says revenue rose as it cut ranks
-
Macron says France will recognise State of Palestine
-
Mexico star Hernandez sorry for sexist comments
-
Top Justice Dept official grills Epstein accomplice Maxwell
-
Global stocks mostly rise on trade deal hopes while Tesla plummets
-
White House lashes out at 'South Park' Trump parody
-
Taiwan's opposition protests ahead of recall vote
-
England's Crawley 'owes' himself more good performances
-
Trump, Fed chief Powell bicker during tense central bank visit
-
France will recognise State of Palestine: Macron
-
Trump tours Fed, ramping up war on central bank
-
Top Justice Dept official meeting Epstein accomplice Maxwell
-
Why are Gazans not getting sorely needed aid?
-
Trump to tour Fed, ramping up war on central bank
-
Crawley and Duckett run riot before India hit back in fourth Test
-
O'Connor climbs to 'brutal' Alpine stage win as Pogacar tightens grip on Tour
-
French anger over toxic chemical piles pressure on Macron
-
Cardoso hoping to make history as first US player at Atletico
-
First half net profit plunges 22% at French luxury group LVMH
-
Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dead at 71
-
O'Connor climbs to 'brutal' Alpine stage win as Pogacar extends Tour lead
-
Arsenal sign Valencia defender Mosquera
-
Hamilton takes matters into his own hands to 'gee up' Ferrari
-
Mirza, Farhan star in Pakistan win but Bangladesh take T20 series
-
French drug baron transferred to new supermax prison
-
Major economies welcome 'milestone' ICJ climate ruling
-
O'Connor climbs to Alpine stage 18 as Pogacar extends Tour lead
-
EU-US trade deals buoy stocks while Tesla plummets
-
Verstappen and Wolff laugh off Sardinia holiday stories
-
Barca's Ter Stegen faces three months out after back surgery
-
American Airlines shares fall on weak forecast
-
Acts of kindness help Athenians cope with heatwave
-
Hungary bans Kneecap performance over 'antisemitic hate speech'
-
Justice Dept to meet Epstein accomplice Maxwell on Thursday
-
Prosecution did not prove case in Canada hockey sex assault trial: judge
-
Horner's exit has no impact on my future plans, Verstappen says
-
England make quick start after dismissing India in fourth Test
-
'Human shield': Niger's ousted president held by junta
-
Notre-Dame gets back St Thomas statue adorning spire base
-
Notorious French singer faces new probe over ex-wife's death
-
India's Pant hits battling fifty as England captain Stokes strikes
-
Trump to tour Fed as war on central bank chief ramps up
-
Farhan's 50 lifts Pakistan to 178-7 in third Bangladesh T20I
-
ICC convicts pair over Central Africa war crimes
-
EU-US trade deal hopes buoy stocks
-
EU turns up pressure with Trump trade deal 'in reach'
SCU | 0% | 12.72 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.18% | 22.85 | $ | |
NGG | -0.58% | 72.23 | $ | |
RBGPF | 9.33% | 75 | $ | |
CMSC | 0% | 22.43 | $ | |
AZN | 0.92% | 73.68 | $ | |
RIO | -1.24% | 63.83 | $ | |
GSK | 0.52% | 38.23 | $ | |
SCS | -1.62% | 10.51 | $ | |
BCC | -2.22% | 86.43 | $ | |
RELX | 1.15% | 53.71 | $ | |
BTI | 0.48% | 52.62 | $ | |
JRI | -0.46% | 13.15 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.48% | 13.5 | $ | |
BP | -1.81% | 32.13 | $ | |
BCE | -0.7% | 24.43 | $ | |
VOD | 1.91% | 11.52 | $ |

White House pushes Obama 'coup' story to distract from Epstein
The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair.
Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told a White House press briefing there had been a "years-long coup" by Obama.
The extraordinary narrative essentially rehashed Trump's longstanding argument that investigations into Russia's multi-layered attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, where he beat Hillary Clinton, were a "hoax" against him.
Gabbard touted newly declassified intelligence that she said provided "irrefutable evidence" that Obama had ordered intelligence assessments to be manipulated to accuse Russia of election interference to help Trump.
The Justice Department announced the formation of a "Strike Force" to examine the allegations with "utmost seriousness."
But Gabbard's findings run up against four separate criminal, counterintelligence and watchdog probes between 2019 and 2023 -- each of them concluding that Russia did interfere and did, in various ways, help Trump.
As a way to distract from the intensifying speculation over Trump's handling of the case against the late sex offender and reputed pedophile pimp to the powerful Epstein, the Obama accusations had some effect.
White House journalists at the briefing barely asked about Epstein, focusing instead on Gabbard's claims, and Fox News heavily promoted the Obama story to its right-wing audience.
However, the Epstein scandal quickly roared back, showing just how hard it is for 79-year-old Trump to maintain his usual mastery of driving news agendas -- even within his fervently loyal "MAGA" base.
- Trump's name in files -
Epstein was a financier and friend to numerous high-profile people -- for years, including Trump -- who was convicted of sex crimes and then imprisoned pending trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls.
His 2019 prison cell death -- ruled a suicide -- supercharged a conspiracy theory long promoted by many of Trump's supporters that Epstein had run an international pedophile ring and that elites wanted to make sure he never revealed their secrets.
After Trump came to power for a second term this January, his administration promised to release Epstein case files.
But when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on July 7 that she had nothing to release, Republicans were furious -- and Trump has been attempting to control the scandal ever since.
Things got even more complicated for him after The Wall Street Journal last week reported that Trump had written a lewd birthday letter to Epstein in 2003. Trump denies this and has sued the Journal.
On Wednesday, the Journal dropped a new story, saying Bondi had informed Trump in May that his name appeared several times in the Epstein files, even if there was no indication of wrongdoing.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called this "fake news" and said Trump had long ago broken with Epstein and "kicked him out of his club for being a creep."
However, the drip-drip of reminders of Trump's close former relationship with Epstein is proving hard to stop.
Several of Trump's most effective promoters over the years -- including new FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino -- made careers of fanning the concerns about Epstein, including the rumor that his death was actually a murder.
Democrats are piling on the pressure. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break Wednesday to avoid being forced by Democrats into holding politically awkward votes on the affair.
But some lawmakers on the "MAGA" right have indicated they are in no mood to let Epstein drop. Several bids for transparency are in the works, including efforts to circumvent Republican leadership and force a vote on releasing files after they return from recess.
In another bid to satisfy his base, Trump had told Bondi to release "credible" Epstein information and to seek release of grand jury transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 investigations of Epstein.
But on Wednesday a judge rejected this, citing legal secrecy protocols.
P.Costa--AMWN