https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/26/musk-bannon-thiel-epstein-documents-00582627?nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000

New files turned over to congressional investigators from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein suggest the convicted sex offender, in the last years of his life, had ties with President Donald Trump’s former adviser Elon Musk.

The documents, which were delivered to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and published Friday by the panel’s Democrats, come in response to the committee probe into the Epstein case. In what appears to be a copy of Epstein’s itinerary, Musk had a tentative trip to Epstein’s island on Dec. 6, 2014. A note appended to that plan reads, “is this still happening?” At the time, Epstein owned a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Another schedule notes a planned lunch with tech billionaire Peter Thiel on Nov. 27, 2017, and a breakfast with conservative political strategist Steve Bannon on Feb. 16, 2019 — just months before Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors. Bannon was Trump’s chief strategist, and Thiel is a prominent Republican megadonor.

These new files are notable in that they suggest all three powerful men had a relationship with Epstein after his controversial plea deal that forced him to register as a sex offender. Many people have argued that the non-prosecution agreement, which was signed in 2007, allowed Epstein to continue to prey on young women and girls for years before his subsequent 2019 arrest.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-digital-id-brit-card-uk-labour-illegal-migrants-b2834065.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-treasury-chief-us-ready-support-argentina-leaders-meet-tuesday-2025-09-22/
WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday said that "all options" were on the table for stabilizing Argentina, including swap lines and direct currency purchases, while underscoring President Donald Trump's confidence in Argentine President Javier Milei and his economic team.

Bessent told reporters any U.S. action would be "large and forceful," but said no steps would be taken until after he and Trump meet with Milei in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Asked if Washington could act immediately afterwards, Bessent said: "We'll see where the markets are and what the level of outflows are - or maybe the outflows turn into inflows - but no one should doubt the resolve of this administration, or my resolve."

Bessent refused to be drawn on what specific steps the U.S. might take, but said, "I can tell you that it will be large and forceful."

Argentine financial assets rallied on Monday on the news, with U.S.-traded stocks up over 10% and the peso strengthening, after sharp drops in recent weeks that included international bonds declining more than 20% for the year through Friday.

Markets have been roiled by corruption allegations inside Milei's circle and a larger-than-expected loss in a local election in Buenos Aires, reflecting growing frustration with austerity measures and triggering investor concern over Milei's ability to continue to reshape the economy, with October midterm elections on the horizon.

Bessent, a former hedge fund executive, said he did not see a risk of financial contagion from the fallout and underlined Washington's confidence in Argentina's implementation of economic reforms. Since taking power in late 2023, Milei has had some success in taming high inflation and achieving a budget surplus.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/26/jimmy-kimmel-sinclair-blackout-00582739

Sinclair Broadcasting Group will resume airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Friday, it announced in a statement, returning the late-night show to its local ABC affiliates after the broadcaster preempted the program after it returned for much of the rest of the country.

Kimmel’s show was yanked off the air by ABC last week after the comedian faced criticism for his comments about Charlie Kirk’s killings, including pressure from FCC Chair Brendan Carr. He returned to air earlier this week, but Sinclair and another affiliate owner, Nexstar, continued to preempt his program.

In the statement, Sinclair said its decision to preempt Kimmel’s show was “independent of any government interaction or influence.”

“Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations,” the company wrote. “While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”

Sinclair’s decision last week effectively pulled Kimmel’s show from its nearly 40 ABC affiliates, including one that serves Washington. Nexstar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday on if it too will restore Kimmel’s programming.

“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” the statement continues. “We have also witnessed troubling acts of violence, including the despicable incident of a shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento. These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important.”

https://apnews.com/article/comey-indicted-trump-justice-department-0765600411c46882dccde70c3354e382

President Donald Trump appears to be prodding his administration to seek criminal charges against more targets after a grand jury returned an indictment against foe and former FBI Director James Comey.

“It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be others,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he departed the White House.

He added: “It’s about justice. It’s not revenge.”

Comey is accused of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding back in 2020. He declared his innocence Thursday and said, “Let’s have a trial.”

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,” Comey said in a video posted to Substack.

Comey, who was FBI director from 2013 to 2017, was fired by Trump during the Republican president’s first term amid the government’s probe into allegations of ties between Russian officials and Trump’s 2016 campaign.

John Bolton, who was national security adviser during Trump’s first term before being fired in 2019, is being investigated for his handling of certain documents after leaving government. His lawyer has denied wrongdoing. Like Comey, Bolton wrote a book that portrayed Trump in very unflattering ways.

Multiple fatalities in apparent sniper attack at Dallas ICE facility, acting ICE director says

https://abcnews.go.com/US/multiple-people-shot-dallas-ice-field-office-source/story?id=125887376

Multiple fatalities were reported in a shooting at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told ABC News.

The shooter -- who appeared "to be a sniper from an elevated position," firing into the facility's sally port area from "a couple hundred yards" away -- died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lyons said. Dallas police said it appears the shooter fired from an adjacent building.

The police department said one person was killed and two were hurt.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-trump-rejects-west-bank-annexation-right-wing-mks-urge-pm-to-do-it-anyway/

Right-wing figures in Israel rejected US President Donald Trump’s declaration Thursday that Israeli annexation of the West Bank is “not going to happen,” and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the step anyway.

The premier’s allies, many of whom have long supported annexing the West Bank, have pushed him in recent weeks to declare Israeli sovereignty over parts of the territory as a response to the wave of Western nations announcing their recognition of a Palestinian state.

“The Jewish people’s sovereignty over the Jewish homeland does not depend on any external source. Even one as loving and friendly as can be,” MK Zvi Sukkot, of the far-right Religious Zionism party, wrote on X, without mentioning Trump by name.

“Faced with European countries’ insane recognition of a Palestinian terror state, we must apply sovereignty [over the West Bank] already during this term,” he added.

Likud MK Dan Ilouz said the matter “is solely the decision of the Jewish people.”

https://apnews.com/article/tylenol-cause-autism-trump-kennedy-0847ee76eedecbd5e9baa6888b567d66

President Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism as his administration announced a wide-ranging effort to study the causes of the complex brain disorder.

“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen. He also fueled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together could contribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing any medical evidence.

The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than significant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement has been pushing for answers on the causes of autism. The diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread debunked claims that immunizations are responsible.

The announcement also sheds light on Trump’s own long-held fascination with autism and his trepidation about the childhood vaccine schedule, even as the president has taken pride in his work to disseminate COVID-19 vaccines during his first term.

Medical experts said Trump’s remarks were irresponsible. New York University bioethicist Art Caplan said it was “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority.”

Trump announced during the event that the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, but did not immediately provide justification for the new recommendation.