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Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
FBI chief 'shocked to core' amid Epstein files scandal
By Embattled FBI deputy director Dan Bongino revealed he has discovered matters that have 'shocked me down to my core' during his time in office. Bongino shared a cryptic message to his social media in which he vowed to uncover 'the truth' amid mounting criticism of his handling of the Epstein files. He added: 'We cannot run a Republic like this. I'll never be the same after learning what I've learned. 'We are going to conduct these righteous and proper investigations by the book and in accordance with the law. We are going to get the answers WE ALL DESERVE. 'As with any investigation, I cannot predict where it will land, but I can promise you an honest and dignified effort at truth. Not 'my truth,' or 'your truth,' but THE TRUTH.' Bongino alluded in his statement to recent discoveries surrounding government corruption and weaponization. He did not provide a timeline for when the general public might learn about what he is talking about, adding that 'things are happening'. He failed to show up on one Friday after a DOJ memo was released that said Epstein had died by suicide and that no other people named in the files would be charged. It also said there was no 'Epstein client list'. The following Monday, officials were starting to squirm and feared that Bongino would be a no-show yet again, but he arrived in the office a few hours later than expected. It was reported at the time that Trump was furious that one of his hand-picked appointees would be so publicly against him. A source inside the DOJ told Daily Mail that Bongino was ready to stand down if Attorney General Pam Bondi didn't. The fallout of that memo continues, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in the Epstein files. Bondi also allegedly acknowledged that the administration should withhold the files due to them containing images of child sexual abuse. The president associated with Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1980s and 1990s. Maxwell was questioned this week by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. She is serving 20 years behind bars for his involvement in Epstein's crimes. The 63-year-old made it clear earlier this month that she was willing to speak in front of Congress about the case. Trump has not been implicated in any crimes and just because a name appears in the files does not mean imply they were involved in Epstein's child sex trafficking. Many believe Maxwell appears to be angling for a pardon from President Donald Trump after she 'didn't hold back' during questioning. Trump refused to rule out invoking his presidential pardon powers for Maxwell saying: 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I haven't thought about.'
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Beware the blizzard of lies: US advice on how to handle Farage's Trump tactics
Truth, the progressive California politician Hiram Johnson once said, is the first casualty of war. His oft-cited remark was supposedly made in 1918 in reference to the first world war, which had by then caused millions of human casualties. More than a century later, truth is again caught in the crossfire, this time as a casualty of 21st-century culture wars. If Donald Trump is the high priest of disinformation, then Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, is showing signs of being a willing disciple, if his behaviour in the UK this week is anything to go by. Farage has proposed sending prisoners abroad – including to El Salvador, where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of deportees and suggested sending US citizens. He also suggested an extensive police recruitment drive and prison-building programme all while cutting health and education spending. The parroting of Trump's policies by a UK populist has not gone unnoticed in the US. And for those who have studied the president's modus operandi, there is one particular tactic the British public should be braced for: the blizzard of lies and false statements that frequently overwhelms his opponents. The Trump experience, they say, contains sobering lessons for Farage's critics. US pro-democracy campaigners says Trump has become even harder to factcheck since his first term, thanks to a combination of factors including looser social media content moderation and a reluctance among some media owners to stand up to his intimidation. The Washington Post, which tracked more than 30,000 lies or misleading statements from Trump during his presidency, lost subscribers and public trust after its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, reportedly vetoed an editorial endorsing the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for president. 'It's become more difficult because there's less commitment from those who are in the best position to do the factchecking,' said Omar Noureldin, a senior vice-president for Common Cause, a non-partisan group. 'Seeking the truth here comes with costs and risks.' Complicating matters is the loss of trust in institutions, with many consumers relying on social media platforms for news. 'Even the best factchecking can be unpersuasive, because we're not just facing an information crisis here, but also a trust crisis in the American information ecosystem,' Noureldin said. Media watchers say the political environment has become so deeply polarised that factchecking can even have the counter-productive effect of further entrenching misplaced beliefs. 'From a lot of research, we're reaching the conclusion that factchecking hasn't been as effective as one would want,' said Julie Millican, the vice-president of Media Matters for America, a media watchdog. 'One reason is that information and disinformation spreads faster than you can check it. It takes a lot longer to factcheck something than it does for it go viral. 'But the other thing is factchecking can backfire. People so distrust institutions that factchecking can validate the misinformation in their minds and make them more inclined to believe the lie they believed in the first place.' A 2022 report from Protect Democracy suggests this is the result of a deliberate strategy of authoritarian regimes. 'Disinformation is spread through coordinated networks, channels and ecosystems, including politically aligned or state-owned media,' the report said. 'The goal is not always to sell a lie, but instead to undermine the notion that anything in particular is true.' Further complicating the problem in the US has been Trump's appointment of allies to key government agencies that have traditionally served as sources of accurate and reliable data for factcheckers. A case in point is Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has engaged in anti-vaccine theories. As Trump's pick for health and human services secretary, he is in charge of the country's vast health bureaucracy. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Factchecking wasn't working very well in the first place, but now you can't even get access to the facts that you need be able to factcheck as well as you used to,' said Millican. The outlook seems bleak, but campaigners say that does not make the problems insurmountable. One answer is to invest in independent, non-partisan research. A prime purpose would be to increase media literacy among young people, who primarily get news from platforms such as TikTok which can be subject to disinformation tools such as AI-manipulated videos. The aim is to teach consumers how to spot doctored footage. 'Media literacy is extremely important and something that should be invested in and taught at a young age,' said Millican. Another solution is the development of 'pre-buttal' strategies to inoculate the public against disinformation, in effect getting the truth out first. Media Matters for America and Common Cause used this approach during last year's presidential election, partly by producing videos designed to counter anticipated false narratives surrounding voting procedures in certain areas. Also important, said Shalini Agarwal, special counsel at Protect Democracy, is calling out the demonisation of vulnerable groups, such as immigrants, as soon as it happens. A crucial role is played by media, even as Trump intensifies his assault on journalists as 'fake news' and tries to exclude certain established outlets from press briefings. 'It's really important when there are opportunities for one-on-one briefings and there are multiple reporters,' Agarwal said. 'Part of it is a sense of collective action. Often, whoever is speaking at the podium won't give a straightforward answer or gives a false answer and then tries to move on – it's incumbent when that happens for other reporters to jump in and say: 'Wait. What about what the other reporter asked?'' Millican has two pieces of advice for Britain and other European countries hoping to arm themselves against any coming authoritarian onslaught: fortify the media and preserve legislation designed to combat disinformation and illegal content online – represented by the online safety act in Britain and the digital safety act in the EU. 'The first thing that's going to happen in these authoritarian takeovers is they're going to try to silence and take over the media and information landscape,' she said. 'Any efforts to rein in hate speech or misinformation on platforms will be seen as tantamount to suppression of conservative thought or free speech. 'I can't stress enough trying to buffer the pollution of your information ecosystem as much as possible. One of the first things that they're going to do is just take down any barriers they can.'
Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer risks clash with Trump on Gaza
Sir Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on whether more can be done to end the war in Gaza at a meeting in Scotland on Monday. The Prime Minister's urging for securing a ceasefire raises the risk of a clash with the US president, who has said that Hamas does not want peace. It comes as Mr Trump continues his short visit to Scotland, during which he was expected to visit both of his golf courses. He will also meet Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, to discuss trade ties between the US and the European Union. The Telegraph understands Sir Keir and Mr Trump's one-on-one talks will focus on how Britons and Americans can benefit from the UK-US trade deal struck in May. He is also expected to discuss further support for Ukraine. But the Prime Minister is expected to enter more contentious territory as he seeks to explore further steps that could be taken to secure an 'urgent' ceasefire in Gaza. He will go on to affirm his support for the return of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. On Saturday, the Prime Minister confirmed Britain would evacuate critically ill children from the Gaza Strip and said he was working with Jordan on a plan to drop aid into the territory by air. He said: 'Israel must allow aid in over land to end the starvation unfolding in Gaza. The situation is desperate. 'We are urgently accelerating efforts to evacuate children who need critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment.' At the talks in Scotland, Sir Keir will also discuss how to end the Russia-Ukraine war after Mr Trump turned on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in recent weeks. Mr Trump told Britain to 'get its act together' on illegal migration as he landed in Scotland on Friday, claiming that a 'horrible invasion' was taking place. Last week, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, condemned Emmanuel Macron's 'reckless' announcement that France will recognise Palestine as a state in September. Sir Keir promised to formally recognise Palestine in Labour's general election manifesto last year but has insisted on the need to do so at the right time. Writing for The Telegraph, Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK, said recognition would amount to 'nothing less than a reward for terrorism'. Ms Hotovely said the decision would merely 'reward' the Oct 7 terrorists who killed about 1,200 Israelis and began the current cycle of violence in the Middle East. Sir Keir's reluctance to immediately recognise Palestine comes despite Cabinet colleagues, including Angela Rayner, his deputy, urging him to do so. Despite their political differences, Sir Keir and Mr Trump have forged a surprisingly warm personal relationship. The US president once again lavished the Prime Minister with praise after Air Force One touched down in Glasgow Prestwick on Friday. 'I like your Prime Minister – slightly more liberal than I am, as you probably heard, but he's a good man,' Mr Trump said. 'He got a trade deal done, and you know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the UK.' Mr Trump insisted there would not be a renegotiation next week but promised a 'celebration' of the trade deal.
