Inside in mind of Trump: Veteran journalist MARK HALPERIN reveals his private talks with the president... and the very unusual ways Donald makes decisions
Not always right. Not always tactful. Not always early. But always decisive — on his own terms.
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Sky News
14 minutes ago
- Sky News
Trump claims Epstein 'stole' Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort
Donald Trump has claimed billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein "stole" prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre and other young women from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Ms Giuffre became a household name after she sued Prince Andrew for sexual abuse in August 2021 - saying he had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend Epstein. Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre but has repeatedly denied the claims and has not been charged with any criminal offences. Mr Trump made his remarks about Ms Giuffre as his administration has faced growing pressure in recent weeks, including from within his "MAGA" base, to release files related to Epstein after he promised to do so during his 2024 presidential campaign. The US president was speaking to reporters on Tuesday when he was asked about comments he made over the weekend about a falling-out with Epstein over employees taken from his business. "He took people that worked for me. And I told him, 'Don't do it anymore.' And he did it," Mr Trump told reporters while on board Air Force One as he returned to the US from Scotland. "I said, 'Stay the hell out of here'," the US president added. Pressed about whether any of the employees he referred to were young women, Mr Trump said many of them worked in the spa at Mar-a-Lago. "The answer is yes, they were in the spa," he said. "I told him, I said, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa.' ... And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again." Asked if Ms Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, the US president replied: "I think she worked at the spa... I think so. I think that was one of the people. He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever." 1:09 The White House said in a statement last week that Mr Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a "creep". Epstein took his own life in a Manhattan prison cell in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. On Tuesday, lawyer's for his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for recruiting young girls for the financier, said that they are open to her answering more questions from US Congress if she is granted immunity from future prosecution. However a spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, which requested the interview with Maxwell, said the panel would not consider granting the immunity she requested. The former British socialite was interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week. Officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Mr Blanche had earlier said that Maxwell would be interviewed because of Mr Trump's directive to gather and release any credible evidence about others who may have committed crimes in relation to the Epstein case. Separately, Maxwell's lawyers have urged the Supreme Court to review her conviction, saying she did not receive a fair trial. They also say that one way she would testify "openly and honestly, in public", is in the event of a pardon by Mr Trump, who has told reporters that such a move is within his rights but that he has not been not asked to make it. What had Ms Giuffre said about Mar-a-Lago? Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April, claimed Maxwell spotted her while she was working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was a teenager in 2000. She added that Maxwell hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Why is the Epstein case such a problem for Trump? Rumours have circulated since Epstein's death about who he may have supplied underage girls to and who visited his private island. Some of those rumours quickly spiralled into conspiracy theories, which Mr Trump fanned the flames of during his campaign for a second term. Mr Trump promised to release more Epstein files to the public if he was elected president for a second time - but is now facing a backlash from his voter base after carrying out a complete U-turn on the move.
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Three soldiers killed in Russian attack on training camp, Trump gives Moscow ceasefire deadline
At least three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 18 wounded in a Russian strike on a military training camp, the Ukrainian army announced early on Wednesday. 'The enemy launched a missile strike on the territory of one of the training units of the ground forces' on Tuesday, the army said on Facebook. At least 'three servicemen are dead and 18 wounded,' it added, without specifying where the attack took place. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian attack on a prison on Tuesday in which 16 people were killed and dozens injured, was deliberate. 'The Russians knew it was a civilian facility. They could not have been unaware,' Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. 'Each such Russian strike, each instance of Russian arrogance in response to global calls to end the war, all this only confirms that pressure is necessary.' Hours after Tuesday's attacks US President Donald Trump shortened his deadline for Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine or face new sanctions to 10 days. Trump told reporters flying with him back from a visit to Scotland that he had not heard from Putin, adding 'It's a shame.' The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it had 'taken note' of Trump's earlier statement. 'The special military operation continues,' said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, employing the term that Moscow uses for its war effort in Ukraine. However former president Dmitry Medvedev, who is deputy head of the country's Security Council, warned Trump against threatening Russia. 'Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,' Medvedev wrote on social platform X. A Russian court jailed a journalist and former volunteer for Alexei Navalny for 12 years on Tuesday under laws that ban cooperation with the opposition activist's organisations – even if it happened in the past. Olga Komleva, 46, volunteered for the party run by Navalny – who died last year – before it was banned as 'extremist' in 2021, according to independent media outlet Mediazona. She was also found guilty of criticising the Russian army as she covered Russia's offensive in Ukraine and anti-government protests for independent outlet RusNews. The journalist did not admit guilt on either charge. Zelenskyy on Tuesday signed a law allowing Ukrainian people over 60 to join the armed forces, which are struggling to find recruits. The law will allow them to sign a one-year contract for non-combat roles if they pass medical tests, according to an explanatory note on the parliament's website. The EU is set to make a reduced aid payment to Ukraine from its wartime fund for the first time, after Kyiv failed to fulfil all required reforms, Brussels said Tuesday. The European Commission has proposed paying Kyiv just over 3bn euros ($3.5bn) instead of 4.5 bn euros originally foreseen in a latest instalment of aid, spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said. That comes after Ukraine admitted in June that it had missed three of 16 reform benchmarks, including concerning the appointment of judges to an anti-graft court. Russian airline Aeroflot cancelled dozens more flights on Tuesday but said it had now stabilised its schedule after a major cyber-attack a day earlier, and the transport ministry said the issue had been resolved. Two pro-Ukraine hacking groups claimed on Monday to have carried out a year-long operation to penetrate Aeroflot's network. They said they had crippled 7,000 servers, extracted data on passengers and employees and gained control over the personal computers of staff, including senior managers.
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Taiwan president scraps Latin America trip amid reports the US opposed stopover in New York
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te will delay an expected trip to his country's remaining allies in Latin America, amid conflicting accounts of the reason for the postponement. Lai was expected to travel to the Americas next month, as his government seeks to shore up support in a region where many countries have cut diplomatic ties in favour of relations with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory. Amid reports that the Trump administration had opposed a proposed stopover by the president in New York, his government said Lai had no overseas travel plans due to domestic issues, including natural disasters and tariff negotiations with the United States. However, one person with knowledge of the discussions told the Associated Press that the US 'had asked Taipei to rearrange the transit – not go through New York.' The Financial Times reported the US denied permission for Lai to stop in New York after China raised objections with Washington about the visit. The United States has traditionally facilitated transits by Taiwanese leaders, but Lai's trip was bound to infuriate Beijing at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a deal on trade with China. Beijing regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington. The cancellation has drawn concerns from experts that the White House is setting a bad precedent for US-China relations. However, embassy officials in Guatemala insisted the visit had been postponed because of the 'typhoon that caused many natural disasters' in Taiwan. A source speaking to Reuters said Lai needed to organise his government's response to extreme weather at home. Taiwan is still recovering from Typhoon Danas, which struck its densely populated west coast this month with record winds and brought widespread damage to its electricity grid and some houses. Asked about a delay, US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular news briefing no travel plans had been announced so the issue was 'hypothetical.' 'At this point, there have been no … travel plans for the president. There has been, as a result, nothing cancelled,' she said, while reiterating that US transits by high-level Taiwanese officials 'were fully consistent with our longstanding policy and practice.' Jason Hsu, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former legislator in Taiwan, said Taipei always consults with the United States on transit and called it 'abnormal' for Washington not to agree when such stopovers are permitted under the Taiwan Relations Act. He added that if the US had prevented Lai's stopover, the Trump administration would appear 'to be accommodating China's red lines.' Democrats on the house foreign affairs committee accused Trump of folding to Beijing. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is the top Democrat on the house's China committee, called it 'another example of the Trump administration caving to China in hopes of reaching a trade deal.' 'Presidents of both parties have allowed Taiwan officials to transit through the US in the past, and now should be no different,' he said in a statement. With Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
