Rashmika Mandanna Celebrates 6 Years Of ‘Dear Comrade' With Vijay Deverakonda
Renowned Miami defense attorney Roy Black passed away at 80 in Coral Gables, Florida, after battling an undisclosed illness. Widely regarded as a legal titan, Black remained active at his law firm until his final days. Following news of his death, conspiracy theories exploded online, with many linking it to his past ties with Jeffrey Epstein. Viral posts claim it's 'no coincidence,' calling it another piece removed from the board. His wife, Lea Black, confirmed the passing and promised a public tribute soon. Black gained national fame after defending William Kennedy Smith in a historic televised rape trial and later represented high-profile names like Justin Bieber, Rush Limbaugh, Helio Castroneves, and Epstein. He is survived by his wife and two children, RJ and Nora, marking the end of an era in American legal circles.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
How the Epstein Scandal Fractured Trump's Relationship With MAGA
Joe Rogan, one of President Trump's most influential supporters, drew a 'line in the sand' last week over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president, Rogan said on his podcast that reaches millions, was mishandling the case—a topic that for weeks has consumed Trump's most ardent backers. The break exemplifies the latest in a swirling controversy among conservative voices over the government's alleged delays in releasing more records related to the disgraced financier, who died nearly six years ago. And the MAGA movement, which propelled Trump to his second term, is splintering over it. Epstein has been discussed by prominent right-wing podcasters in more than 3,000 episodes across nearly 125 podcasts this year, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. Those conversations grew more than eightfold in the last three weeks despite Trump's admonishment that MAGA drop the issue. During the 2024 presidential election, then-candidate Trump indicated he would release more of the files if elected. Allegations that Epstein had been sexually abusing girls became public in 2006 and he was arrested that year. (Epstein died in 2019 in jail after he was arrested a second time and charged with sex trafficking conspiracy.) Since Trump took office again, he began to walk back his promise and dismissed calls by supporters to release the files. On Monday, Trump called the Epstein furor a 'hoax' and suggested that his political enemies might have planted his name in files held by the Justice Department while Democrats controlled the government. The Journal previously reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files. Being mentioned in the records isn't a sign of wrongdoing. However, his supporters on popular podcasts continue to discuss Epstein. Nearly 85% of podcasts in the Journal's review mentioned Epstein in at least one episode, with more than half demanding the release of more information. Here's how Epstein shook up the Trump-MAGA romance. February Broken promises In February, Bondi announced on Fox News that Epstein's client list was 'sitting on my desk.' Soon after, she told Jesse Watters that Epstein files were coming 'hopefully tomorrow' and contained 'a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information. […] it's pretty sick what that man did.' The next day, the White House released a first batch of Epstein documents to a group of conservative influencers. But they contained few new revelations, drawing pushback from right-wing commentators. Matt Walsh, a popular podcaster who's been amplified by people like Elon Musk, groused on his show the next day that the material was missing key information: But Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas), a major Trump ally in Congress, seemed to shift the blame from administration officials to an FBI field office: March-June Demanding more Some conservative figures began to turn on Bondi and push for more. Conservative commentator and former college president Dinesh D'Souza said on his podcast that the controversy was largely of the attorney general's own making, echoing other influencers who criticized the handling of the file release. During a public feud with the president in early June, Musk posted on X that Trump's name was in the Epstein files. What the public didn't know at the time was that Trump had already been told by Bondi that his name was in the files, as previously reported by the Journal, along with other high-profile figures. In an appearance on Rogan's podcast after Musk's post, FBI Director Kash Patel restated the Trump administration's commitment to releasing the Epstein documents. Early July MAGA revolt On July 7, the Justice Department said in an unsigned memo that a thorough review had turned up no Epstein client list nor any additional documents that warrant public disclosure. Chatter about Epstein surged on right-wing podcasts. Within a day of the memo's release, mentions of Epstein came up in 127 episodes across 36 shows, the Journal's review found. The administration tried to shut the conversation down—'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years,' Trump scolded a reporter a day after the memo's release. Claims of a coverup spread across conservative podcasts. Alex Jones, the far-right provocateur and conspiracy theorist, brought up Epstein at least once a week every week this year. He was more direct with his criticism: Mid-late July Fault lines Since mid-July, the MAGA world has split on the Epstein narrative. Some conservative commentators who had been frequent defenders of the president have pushed back against Trump's repeated admonishments to drop Epstein, including Glenn Beck: But after the Journal published an article about a letter bearing Trump's name that was included in a 2003 birthday album for Epstein, some in the MAGA universe began rallying around the president. Trump has denied writing the letter and filed a lawsuit against the publisher of the Journal, alleging the newspaper defamed him in the article. A Dow Jones spokeswoman said, 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.' The letter described by the Journal was included in a 2003 birthday album for Epstein. Pages from the leather-bound album are among the documents examined by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell years ago, according to people who have reviewed the pages. It is unclear if any of the pages are part of the Trump administration's recent review of Epstein materials. Podcast co-host and conservative figure Catturd, who has nearly four million followers on X, started attacking the Democratic Party, accusing them of destroying files when Trump wasn't in office. Not everyone rushed to Trump's defense. Rogan continued to criticize the Trump's administration's handling of the controversy that helped get them elected. It isn't clear how permanent the MAGA rupture will be, and Trump has a long history of weathering political storms. But MAGA's frustration over Epstein is simmering in Washington too. About a dozen Republican lawmakers say they will join with Democrats to pass legislation forcing the administration to release the Epstein files when Congress returns in September. Methodology To track the evolving conversation about Jeffrey Epstein within the MAGA media landscape, the Journal analyzed more than 22,100 podcast episodes from 148 conservative and far-right shows. A combination of keyword-searching, classification by large-language models and a manual review by reporters narrowed the field to 3,123 relevant episodes across 124 shows. This final collection formed the basis for the Journal's analysis of the Epstein narrative and its shifts. Photo sources: AP (Cruz, D'Souza, Jones, Patel, Rogan); Bloomberg News (Beck); Catturd (cat); Newsmax (Carson); Zuma Press (Walsh)
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'I don't know what...': Donald Trump reacts to Russia probe files discovered in FBI office; ducks reporter questions
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ducked reporter questions when asked about reports that FBI Director Kash Patel had uncovered a secret room at the FBI headquarters containing 'burn bags' filled with documents related to the 2016 Trump–Russia investigation. During a press interaction, a reporter questioned Trump about Patel's discovery: 'Kash Patel reportedly found burn bags of Russiagate materials,' the reporter said. Trump responded, puzzled: 'What?' When the reporter repeated, 'Burn bags,' Trump replied, 'I don't know what you mean.' As the journalist tried to clarify, saying, 'Bags full of ...' Trump cut in with a quip: 'Oh, I thought you said appointed a man named Burn Bag,' showing he may have misunderstood the question and thought 'burn bags' was someone's name. The 'burn bags' system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. According to the New York Post, the secretive room at the FBI's Washington, DC headquarters contained thousands of pages of classified or sensitive records, including a classified annex to the 2023 report by former special counsel John Durham, who investigated the original Trump-Russia probe, known as 'Crossfire Hurricane.' The 29-page appendix, never made public before, contains key intelligence Durham reviewed, according to Fox News Digital, which first reported the discovery. However, it remains unclear whether the contents found had reached their destruction deadline or if they were preserved intentionally or due to oversight. According to Fox News Digital, the annex contains intelligence indicating that foreign sources warned US officials, before July 2016, that the FBI might be working to spread a false narrative that Trump's campaign was colluding with Russia. These warnings reportedly came before the bureau launched the "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation. The annex, now undergoing declassification, will reportedly be turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), with plans for eventual public release. Patel, who was appointed FBI director by Trump during his second term, discovered the secret Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) soon after taking over the bureau. In a conversation with podcast host Joe Rogan, Patel claimed, "When I first got to the bureau, I found a room that [former FBI Director James] Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives no one had ever seen or heard of." Patel has since turned the recovered materials over to Senator Grassley, who is reviewing them. Among the key players overseeing the declassification are CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and acting NSA Director William Hartman. Once the documents are cleared, Grassley plans to make them public. The Crossfire Hurricane probe originally began in July 2016 as the FBI investigated alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. That investigation led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose 2019 report concluded that while there were 'links' between the Trump team and Russian individuals, there was no proof of conspiracy. However, later scrutiny revealed irregularities in the FBI's conduct, especially the misuse of FISA warrants against Trump adviser Carter Page. In October 2020, then-Attorney General Bill Barr appointed John Durham as special counsel to investigate the origins of the probe. The newly discovered annex reportedly contains intelligence that 'predicted the FBI's actions with alarming specificity,' further fueling Republican claims that the bureau may have sought to interfere in the 2016 election to favour Hillary Clinton.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump sparks concerns after repeatedly failing to understand reporter's question, ‘He barely knows where he's at…'
President Donald Trump sparked concerns about his alleged cognitive decline after he appeared to struggle to hear a reporter at a White House event Wednesday, July 30. The incident took place while Trump was speaking to members of the press in the Roosevelt Room, answering questions after signing a veterans' affairs bill that would improve conditions for those who served in the army after they leave the service. Trump sparks concerns after repeatedly failing to understand reporter's question (AP Photo/John McDonnell)(AP) Trump was asked a question about Russiagate, which has seen renewed interest after Tulsi Gabbard accused Barack Obama of being involved in the conspiracy. Donald Trump appears to get confused A reporter asked Trump, "Kash Patel reportedly found burn bags of Russiagate material, and I would love to hear your thoughts on that.' Trump appeared confused by the question, and went on to ask, "He said what?" "Burn bags of Russiagate materials," the reporter repeated, before the president said, 'I don't know what you mean by that statement." Read More | Trump says DOJ should make Barack Obama top target over 2016 Russia investigation, 'This was treason' "Bags of Russiagate materials," the reporter said again, after which Trump finally understood. "Oh, I thought you said he appointed a man called Burn Bag, go ahead,' the president said. When the reporter started the question again, Trump told her she needed to "speak up,' and the reporter did so. "Thousands of documents in these bags, supposedly burn bags, have been found at the FBI in a secret room," she said. "Well, I want everything to be shown," the president replied. "As long as it's fair and reasonable, it will be shown and should be shown. And I think he feels that way and I think Pam feels that way." "But it's gotta be stuff that really doesn't hurt people unfairly because you've got a lot of people involved and if they can do that in a fair way, then I think that's great," Trump added. "I think it's great. The whole thing is a scam. It's a scam set up by the Democrats and they love talking about it. I would like to see people exposed that might be bad and we will see how that all works out." Trump added the entire thing was tarting to become "old news" and that if the Democrats had anything, "they would have done it the week before the election because they were losing by a lot." "If they had anything, they would have done it," he stated. " They control the file. The Democrats, Comey, all those sleaze bags, every one of them that you read about all the time." "And I guess they've got some problems now, " Trump added. "Having to do with a different scandal, a very big one. But they control that file and I would think if they would have had something in the file, they would have released it about a week before the election, maybe two weeks." The video of Trump's conversation with the reporter has surfaced on social media. Take a look: 'He barely knows where he's at right now' Netizens discussed Trump's reaction in the comment section of the above video, with one user saying, 'The man once tried to buy Greenland—of course he thought Burn Bag was a person.' 'He barely knows where he's at right now,' one user wrote, while another said, 'These are the clips you show when they accuse Biden of trump is years younger.......' 'US is embarrassing itself everyday with a President like him,' one user wrote, while another said, 'We're living through a time with the dumbest president in the history of the United States. Just think about that.' One user wrote, 'Trump's getting so deaf, dumb, blind, and senile it's painful to watch. He can't even pretend to understand 'burn bags' anymore. Stop bulls******* destroying evidence isn't confusion, it's criminal. Own your mess or get buried by it. The truth's coming, and there's no hiding this time. Enough lies. Time to face reality.' 'I've noticed he's been having a hard time hearing more & more. Always asking what after asked a question,' said another.
