Factbox-Jeffrey Epstein's ties to politicians, business titans and other figures

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has revealed the late financier and sex offender's ties to many prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business - both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl. Evidence in multiple legal and criminal cases has also shed light on these connections.

Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. ​His 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell was ruled a suicide.

The Justice Department has warned that the material could include faked images or untrue allegations, as well as pornographic material. On Monday, the Department said it had removed several thousand documents ‌that inadvertently identified some of Epstein's victims.

The Justice Department's No. 2 official, Todd Blanche, has said the material did not amount to evidence of criminal sexual activity by those named in the files.

Here are some of the prominent people whose ties to Epstein are revealed in the material released by the Justice Department.

DONALD TRUMP

Trump socialized extensively with Epstein in ‌the 1990s and 2000s, and is quoted in a magazine profile during that period as saying that Epstein likes women "on the younger side." Documents released by the Justice Department include photos of Trump with several women whose faces are redacted and a suggestive note to Epstein, framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to bear Trump's signature. Evidence and testimony submitted in the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell indicate Trump traveled on Epstein's plane multiple times. Epstein wrote in one email that Trump "knew about the girls," though it is not clear what he meant.

Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and says he broke off ties in the early 2000s, before Epstein's plea deal. He denies ever flying on Epstein's plane and says the suggestive note was faked.

BILL CLINTON

The former U.S. president socialized with Epstein and flew on his plane several times in the early 2000s, after Clinton ⁠left office. Photos released by the Justice Department show him swimming and posing with women whose faces ‌are redacted. Clinton has denied wrongdoing and says he regrets his past association with Epstein.

ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR

The former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, maintained a social relationship with Epstein and has been stripped of his royal title due to the association. The Justice Department sought his cooperation in multiple criminal investigations but was rebuffed. He also settled a lawsuit brought by one of Epstein's victims in 2022, making an undisclosed payment without admitting wrongdoing. The ‍Justice Department files include several photos of him with women, including one where he is kneeling over a woman and another showing him lying across the laps of several women.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has expressed regret for his friendship with Epstein. He has said he never saw any sex crimes.

HOWARD LUTNICK

Trump's Commerce Secretary apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch in 2012 and invited him to a fundraiser in 2015 for Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic rival in the 2016 presidential election, emails show. That would contradict Lutnick's claim that he vowed never to "be in a room" with Epstein following a 2005 incident in which the financier ​showed Lutnick a massage table at his townhouse and made a sexually suggestive comment. The former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO lived next door to Epstein in New York at the time. A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick had limited interactions with Epstein and has never been ‌accused of wrongdoing.

The billionaireTeslaCEO asked Epstein if he had any parties planned on his island in 2012 but apparently decided not to visit. Epstein responded that "the ratio on my island" might make Musk's female companion uncomfortable, without elaborating further. Musk invited Epstein to visit him for drinks on another island a few days later, but it is unclear whether they met up. Musk said on Saturday he had few interactions with Epstein and turned down repeated invitations to visit the island or fly on Epstein's plane.

LARRY SUMMERS

The former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president flew on Epstein's jet several times as far back as 1998 and met with him to discuss economic and business matters while he served as president of Harvard. The two maintained a relationship as late as 2019, when email communications show Summers soliciting advice about a romantic interest. No evidence of wrongdoing has surfaced, but Summers stepped down from positions at Harvard,OpenAIand other prominent institutions in November following the release of those documents.

Summers said in November he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions and said he would step back from public commitments to "repair relationships with the ⁠people closest to me."

KEVIN WARSH

Trump's nominee to head the Federal Reserve appeared in an email from a publicist to Epstein listing 43 people, including celebrities such ​as Martha Stewart, headed to a Christmas gathering in 2010. It was not clear whether Warsh knew Epstein or why Epstein was sent the note, and Warsh has not ​yet responded to a request for comment.

MELANIA TRUMP

The files include a 2002 email from Trump's wife, Melania Trump, to Maxwell about a magazine piece on Epstein. "You look great," the email says.

The documents indicate Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding theMicrosoftfounder's philanthropic efforts. They also include pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted. Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and ‍has said it was a mistake to meet with him.

The former ⁠JPMorgan and Barclays executive is listed as a participant in Epstein-hosted gatherings. He exchanged around 1,200 emails with Epstein between 2008 and 2012, some of which contained discussions about Disney characters and photographs of young women, according to court documents. Staley has denied knowing about Epstein's criminal activities. He was banned from the UK financial industry and has been sued by JPMorgan, which claims he concealed information about Epstein's misconduct.

PETER MANDELSON

UK police said Monday they are reviewing reports of alleged misconduct involving the veteran British politician, whose name ⁠surfaced more than 5,000 times in the Justice Department files. He was fired as ambassador to the U.S. last year after emails came to light that showed him calling Epstein "my best pal" and advising him on seeking early jail release. Mandelson has apologized to Epstein's victims. He has denied wrongdoing.

PETER ATTIA

The wellness influencer's name appears more than ‌1,700 times in the latest trove of documents released by the Justice Department. He said on social media he met with Epstein seven or eight times at his New York City home between 2014 and 2019, but never witnessed illegal ‌activity or saw Epstein accompanied by anyone who appeared to be underage.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Craig Timberg and Matthew Lewis)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

Factbox-Jeffrey Epstein's ties to politicians, business titans and other figures

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein ...

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Where is Evo Morales? Bolivia's ex-leader vanishes from public view for nearly a month

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The almost monthlong disappearance from public view of Bolivia's towering socialist icon, ex-leaderEvo Morales, shortly afterthe Jan. 3 U.S. seizureof his close ally former Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro, is alarming his supporters, roiling his enemies and galvanizing the internet.

On Monday, he missed a ceremony that he typically attends welcoming students back from summer break. On Sunday, Morales was a no-show for the fourth straight weekly broadcast of his political radio show, which he has hosted without interruption for years.

Since early January, he has skipped scheduled meetings with members of his coca-leaf growing union inBolivia's remote Chapare regionand his daily stream of social media content has all but dried up.

Although Morales has spent the past yearevading an arrest warranton charges of human trafficking, his fugitive status hasn't stopped the firebrand union leader from speaking at rallies, receiving supporters,giving interviews, posting on X — or even running anunconventional presidential campaignlast year — all from his political stronghold in the Chapare.

Morales rejects the statutory rape allegations as politically motivated.

The question of Morales' whereabouts has set off furious speculation as the Trump administration imposes its political will in South America throughsanctions, punitivetariffs, electoralendorsements, financialbailoutsandmilitary action.

Explanations range from dengue to exile

Morales' close associates have privately declined to provide an explanation for his absences while publicly telling supporters that the former president has been recovering fromdengue fever,a mosquito-borne viral illness with symptoms that typically last no longer than a week.

"We have asked our brother Evo Morales to rest completely," said Dieter Mendoza, vice president of a body of farmers known as the Six Federations that runs the coca-leaf trade in the tropics, declining to elaborate.

For Morales' rivals, the mystery has stirred resentful memories of 2019, when he resigned under pressure from the military after his disputed bid for an unconstitutional third term provokedmass protests. Moralesfled to Mexicothen tookrefuge in Argentina, only to return home whenLuis Arce, his former finance minister, took the presidency in 2020.

"Evo Morales is in Mexico," declared right-wing lawmaker Edgar Zegarra, offering no evidence but demanding that the government prove otherwise. "He has not appeared, not even at political events, and they don't know how to justify it."

Security officials within Bolivia'sfirst conservative governmentfollowing almost 20 years of dominance by Morales' Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, have been cryptic.

"The former president has not left Bolivia," said Police Commander Gen. General Mirko Sokol, "at least not through any official channels."

WhatsApp messages and calls to Morales went unanswered Monday.

Morales withdraws as Bolivia veers to the right

Bolivia's election of centristPresident Rodrigo Pazlast October came as part of awider ideological swing across Latin America, where U.S. President Donald Trump has becomeincreasingly entangledin regional politics.

In the last two years, right-wing would-be saviors have come to power in countries wracked byeconomic crisislike Argentina and consumed by fears ofviolent crimelike Chile.Costa Rica'selection of a right-wing populist Monday reinforced the trend.

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Like Maduro and his mentor and predecessor, the lateHugo Chávez, Morales was openlyhostile to the United Statesand cozied up to its political foes during his 14 years as Bolivia's first Indigenous president from 2006 to 2019.

In 2008, Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador and counternarcotics officials for allegedly conspiring against his government. Russia poured money into Bolivia's energy and lithium mining sectors. Chinese companies won contracts to build highways and dams. Iran offered the country itsdrone technology.

Now Paz is trying to reverse the political direction. His government has scrappedvisa requirementsfor American tourists, held talks with U.S. officials on securing loans to rescue Bolivia's economy and paved the way for the return of the Drug Enforcement Agency to Bolivia, a regional cocaine-trafficking hub.

The prospect of the DEA's reappearance has rattled the Bolivian tropics still scarred from an aggressive U.S.-backed war on drugs in the late 1990s that forced coca farmers to eradicate their crops. The plant is the raw material of cocaine but it also holdsdeep culturaland spiritual significance in the country.

Coca farmers in the Chapare say they haven't seen Morales since Jan. 8, as panic about a rare overflight by a Super Puma helicopter gripped the jungle region. Deputy Social Defense Minister, Ernesto Justiniano, later explained it was a data collection mission in coordination with foreign agencies, including the DEA, but had nothing to do with Morales.

"State surveillance should not be a threat to anyone," he said.

Government critics join the frenzy

Right-wing contenders in last year's presidential election campaign — including ex-PresidentJorge Quiroga, who ultimately lost therunoffto the moremoderate Paz—vowed that if elected, they'd yank Morales from his hideout in the Chapare and lock him up.

Now, they're seizing on unverified rumors of Morales' escape to ratchet up the pressure on Paz.

"He's playing hide-and-seek, he's making a mockery of the state," Quiroga said of Morales. "The country cannot speak of legal security when an arrest warrant is not executed."

Bolivia's judiciary, with its history of tacking where political winds blow, has alreadyfreed right-wing opposition figuresand pursued cases against former officials,detaining former President Arcejust weeks after Paz's inauguration.

But unlikeArce, Morales retains a strong, albeit small, base of support. Loyalists protecting him from arrest have vowed to resist with guerrilla tactics if security forces invade the Chapare.

Morales could appear at any time and quash the speculation about his status.

But for now his inner circle appears content to leave things a mystery.

"Our brother president is doing very well," said Leonardo Loza, a former senator and close friend of Morales. "He is in a corner of our greater homeland."

DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

Where is Evo Morales? Bolivia's ex-leader vanishes from public view for nearly a month

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The almost monthlong disappearance from public view of Bolivia's towering socialist icon, ex-l...

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In the Ukrainian capital, a mother struggles to keep her children warm and fed amid power outages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On the edge of the Ukrainian capital,Kyiv, volunteers ladle hot soup into plastic containers as residents wrapped in heavy coats queue for a meal they cannot cook at home. Yuliia Dolotova, a mother of two, is among them, waiting with her 18-month-old son, Bohdanchyk, bundled in layers against the biting cold.

Life, she says, has been reduced to the most basic essentials: warmth, light and food.

"All day long, there's no electricity, no way to cook food for the kids. Pretty much everyone is in this situation," Dolotova, 37, said.

She lives in Troieshchyna, one of Kyiv's hardest-hit districts, battered byrepeated Russian attackssince the full-scale Russian invasion four years ago. Russian strikes using drones and missiles have left hundreds of thousands of people without heat or electricity as temperatures plunge as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit). Theharsh winteris expected to continue in the coming weeks.

Without heat, water pipes in the district have also frozen and burst, adding to the strain on daily life.

Damage to the grid and power stations is at its worst since the war began. As soon as utility and energy crews restore heating to some buildings and power engineers finally manage to set outage schedules so people know when electricity will be cut,Russia launches another strike— and the same work has to be done all over again.

The hardship is compounded by the long absence of Dolotova's husband, who is fighting in the east and has seen his youngest son only twice since birth. She looks after her two sons — Bohdanchyk and 11-year-old Daniil — and the family dog, who rarely gets out for a walk.

At night her building, a Soviet-era tower block, goes completely dark. Her infant son has learned to grip her cellphone, flashlight on, as she manhandles his stroller up six flights of stairs to their apartment. The stairs have already broken two strollers.

Inside, she flicks on battery-powered lamps one by one. Before bedtime, the two brothers huddle together for warmth, playing in silence near the frost-lined windows by flashlight. At bedtime, Dolotova insulates the bed with foam rubber to try to keep them warm.

Dolotova's husband is serving in the Zaporizhzhia area — one of the war's most volatile sectors.

"He should be coming soon. I live from leave to leave," Dolotova said. "I wait for him — that's what keeps me going. You tell yourself, just a little longer, and he'll come. You count the days."

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

In the Ukrainian capital, a mother struggles to keep her children warm and fed amid power outages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On the edge of the Ukrainian capital,Kyiv, volunteers ladle hot soup into plastic containers as resi...

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Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned

By Inti Landauro and Sudip Kar-Gupta

Illustration shows 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and X logo

PARIS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - French police raided the offices of Elon Musk's social media network X and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face ​questions in April related to a widening investigation into the platform, the Paris prosecutor's office ‌said on Tuesday.

The raid and the summoning of Musk - which could further increase tensions between Europe and the U.S. over ‌big tech and free speech - are linked to a year-long investigation into suspected abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives.

In a statement the Paris prosecutor's office said it was widening that investigation following complaints over the functioning of X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok.

INVESTIGATION INCLUDES SEXUALLY EXPLICIT DEEPFAKES

The probe will ⁠now also investigate alleged complicity in ‌the "detention and diffusion" of images of a child‑pornographic nature and the violation of a person's image rights with sexually explicit deepfakes, among other potential crimes.

Musk and ‍former CEO Linda Yaccarino were summoned to a hearing on April 20. Other X staff were also summoned as witnesses.

There was no immediate comment from X. In July, Musk denied the initial accusations and said French prosecutors were ​launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation".

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"At this stage, the conduct of this investigation is part of a constructive ‌approach, with the aim of ultimately ensuring that the X platform complies with French laws, insofar as it operates on national territory," the prosecutor's office said.

Such summons are mandatory, though they are harder to enforce on people who do not live in France.

After such a hearing, authorities can decide to either shelve or continue the probe, and potentially put suspects in custody.

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE QUITTING X

The prosecutor's cybercrime unit is ⁠conducting the investigation together with the French police's own ​cybercrime unit and Europol.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it launched ​the investigation after being contacted by a lawmaker alleging that biased algorithms in X were likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system.

"Glad to ‍see that my complaint from ⁠January 2025 is yielding results!" that lawmaker, Eric Bothorel, said on X. "In Europe, and particularly in France, the Rule of Law means that no one is above the law."

The prosecutor's office ⁠also said it was leaving the X social media platform and would communicate on LinkedIn and Instagram from now on. ‌LinkedIn belongs to Microsoft and Instagram to Meta.

(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Writing by ‌Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alex Richardson and Richard Lough)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned

By Inti Landauro and Sudip Kar-Gupta Illustration shows 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and X logo P...

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Judge in Charlie Kirk case to consider bid to disqualify prosecutors

By Andrew Hay

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Lawyers for the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk will urge a judge on Tuesday to dismiss the ​prosecution team due to alleged conflict of interest because the lead prosecutor's daughter ‌witnessed the killing.

Attorneys for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who is charged with seven criminal counts in the shooting death ‌of Kirk at a Utah college campus last year, will appear before District Court Judge Tony Graf in Provo, Utah.

Defense attorneys have said in court filings that the Utah County Attorney's decision to seek the death penalty for Robinson less than a week after Kirk's ⁠death on September 10 showed ‌a "strong emotional reaction" by the prosecutor.

The prosecution denies bias. The lead prosecutor has not been named to protect the privacy of the 18-year-old ‍daughter, who was in the crowd when Kirk was killed.

Robinson, charged with aggravated murder, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, will not enter a plea until after a preliminary hearing, tentatively scheduled for ​mid-May.

The accused, who was studying to be an electrician, is alleged to have fired ‌a single round from a rooftop that hit Kirk as he debated students at Utah Valley University in Orem during a tour of U.S. colleges.

In court documents, the prosecutor's office said the decision to seek the death penalty was motivated by the nature of the murder, which put other people's lives in danger.

Prosecutors have asked to show a video ⁠of Kirk's killing during Tuesday's hearing to demonstrate that ​the young woman was just one of thousands ​of witnesses. The Utah County Attorney said prosecutors do not need or plan to have her testify.

Robinson's team has contended that showing the video, ‍taken a few feet ⁠from Kirk, will violate the defendant's right to a fair trial. The hearing will be televised, and the defense has argued the video would taint potential jurors ⁠because it is too graphic.

Kirk is credited with mobilizing young voters who helped President Donald Trump win the ‌2024 election and his death underscored rising political violence in the United States.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay ‌in New Mexico; editing by Donna Bryson)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

Judge in Charlie Kirk case to consider bid to disqualify prosecutors

By Andrew Hay Feb 3 (Reuters) - Lawyers for the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk ...

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China to ban 'hidden' car door handles to address safety fears

BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - China will ban 'hidden' car door handles from 2027, becoming the first country to phase out a design ​pioneered by Tesla and adopted by Chinese competitors including Xiaomi.

The door handle on a 2018 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle is shown in Cardiff, California

The ‌hidden handle design, which functions through a key fob or mobile phone or by ‌manually pressing it, has drawn scrutiny in both the United States and China over potential safety risks.

Last year, the U.S. auto safety agency opened a defect probe into Tesla Model 3 sedan's emergency door release controls. Tesla, ⁠which did not comment ‌on the investigation at the time, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

China's industry ministry ‍said on Monday that under its new safety technical requirements, every car door should be equipped with both exterior and interior handles.

Mechanical release designs will be mandatory, ​with innovations such as electrical handles optional.

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China's new policy sets out ‌rules for where handles must be located on the outside of a car and how they should function to ensure that they can be opened in the event of an accident. It also requires interior handles to be clearly visible.

New vehicle models must align their door handle ⁠design with the new regulation from January ​1, 2027 while approved models will come ​under the rules by January 1, 2029, the ministry said.

Chinese state media reported in October that the driver of a ‍Xiaomi SU7 Ultra ⁠sedan died in an accident after passers-by were unable to open the door to pull him out of the burning vehicle.

Xiaomi, which ⁠has not commented publicly on the incident, did not immediately respond to a request ‌for comment on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and ‌Brenda Goh; Editing by Alexander Smith)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

China to ban 'hidden' car door handles to address safety fears

BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - China will ban 'hidden' car door handles from 2027, becoming the first country to phas...

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Norway parliament supports monarchy despite scandals

OSLO, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining the country's monarchy, rejecting a proposed change to a republic, despite recent turmoil in ​the king's family and an opinion poll showing a dip in popular support for ‌the royals.

In the long-planned vote, 141 of parliament's 169 members supported the continuation of the monarchy, while 26 members cast ‌ballots in favour of ending the reign of King Harald and his descendants, according to the official tally.

Supporters of the monarchy say the institution brings stability by being above partisan politics and that it has served Norway well since independence from Sweden in 1905.

Republican proponents argue that political power already rests with ⁠Norway's elected parliament and the ‌government, adding that the inherited privilege of the royals does not belong in a democratic society.

"The sponsors seek to amend the constitution so that Norway's head ‍of state is elected by the people, that is, a president," read the now-failed proposal from a group of seven members of parliament representing parties from across the political spectrum.

EPSTEIN APOLOGY

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Still, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was criticised by ​the prime minister on Monday who said she had displayed poor judgement in having contacts ‌with Jeffrey Epstein, following fresh reports of her ties with the late U.S. sex offender.

On Saturday, Mette-Marit, the spouse of the heir to the throne, Haakon, apologised for the contact, which occurred in the years after Epstein was found guilty of child sex crimes in 2008.

An opinion poll conducted on Monday for Norwegian daily Verdens Gang found that 61% of Norwegians favour keeping their royals in ⁠place, down from 72% last year, while support for ​a republic rose 10 percentage points to 27%, the survey ​released on Tuesday showed.

Asked whether Mette-Marit should become Norway's next queen, 44% said no while only 33% said yes, while the rest did not express an opinion, ‍the survey of 1,014 ⁠respondents by polling institute InFact showed.

Separately on Tuesday, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, Marius Hoiby, 29, went on trial. He has been accused of rape, domestic violence, assault and ⁠drug possession. He was arrested again at the weekend on suspicion of further crimes.

Hoiby has denied the most serious accusations ‌against him, including those of rape and domestic violence, while admitting to some lesser ‌charges.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 03, 2026

Norway parliament supports monarchy despite scandals

OSLO, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining the country'...

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