Trump blasts MAGA focus on Jeffrey Epstein after memo causes uproar

After the release of a law enforcement memo about the case, which incensed sections of his MAGA base, Donald Trump has rebuffed lingering questions about Jeffrey Epstein, the president’s MAGA base.

Following a joint investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI, Trump’s furious dismissal of the case’s ongoing interest on Tuesday led to the conclusion that Epstein committed suicide without having a “client list.”

Do you still have discussions with Jeffrey Epstein? In response to a reporter’s question about US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump said, “This guy has been talked about for years.”

“This creep, this guy, are they still in the news?” Before asking Bondi if she wanted to “waste the time” by answering the question, Trump continued, “That is unbelievable.”

With the events that occurred in Texas, Trump said, “I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, when we’re experiencing some of the greatest success and also tragedy.”

It just seems like a desecration, they say.

Members of the administration were accused of participating in a cover-up about the truth about Epstein’s death and his connections to political and financial elites when prominent figures in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” coalition expressed disbelief and outrage.

The memo was described as “over the top sickening” by Alex Jones, the founder of the conspiracy website InfoWars, and suggested that the DOJ might subsequently make up its own claim that Epstein had never existed.

A far-right activist and influencer called on Bondi to step down after suggesting in a radio interview that she appeared more interested in being “another Fox News Barbie” than serving as attorney general.

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, claimed Bondi was “covering very serious crimes” in an episode of his podcast.

Since Epstein’s death in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, conspiracy theories have been widely circulated, especially in right-wing circles, suggesting that he was murdered and, possibly, had sexually compromising material on powerful people.

Senior Trump administration figures, including FBI director Kash Patel and Bondi, were among the most well-known before the release of the memo, giving credence to the existence of a list of Epstein’s clients.

When Bondi was asked if her department planned to release “the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients” in a February interview with Fox News, she responded, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.”

Bondi said on Tuesday that those comments were merely a list of documents related to the Epstein case, not just those that were.

Bondi added that she was unaware of whether Epstein had connections to US or international intelligence agencies and that thousands of videos that had been looked into by the case had been released because they contained information about child sex exploitation.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,231

On Wednesday, July 9, 2018, this is how things are going.

Fighting

  • According to acting regional governor Alexander Khinshtein, three people were killed and seven were hurt in a Ukrainian attack on a beach in Kursk, including a 5-year-old boy. A Rosgvardia (Russian National Guard) officer was among the dead, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
  • Two people were hurt when a Ukrainian drone attacked Rylsk, which is also in the Kursk region, hitting the Central District Hospital, an ambulance building, and an administrative building, according to TASS.
  • Sergey Kotlyarov, the acting mayor of Kursk, claimed that several homes in the Zheleznodorozhny district were harmed by debris from a downed Ukrainian drone.
  • Vadym Filashkin, the governor of Donetsk, Ukraine, claimed that 10 more people were hurt and killed by Russia’s attacks in the area.
  • According to the regional administration, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy region resulted in four fatalities and four injuries.
  • According to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, one person was killed and four others were hurt in the Kherson region of Ukraine.
  • According to the Zaporizhia region governor of Ukraine, at least 64 homes were harmed by Russian attrition, injuring 20 people and causing at least 64 property damage.
  • After Ukraine’s Air Force issued a missile alert for the entire nation, explosions were reportedly audible in Kyiv on Wednesday around midnight.
  • Overnight, Russia reported that the Ukrainian Air Force had launched 54 drones and four guided missiles. 34 of the drones were shot down by Ukraine, and five more were hit by other countries.

Regional security

  • In an attack on a warehouse in east London where equipment was being stored for the Ukraine, a British jury found three men guilty of arson. According to the prosecution, Wagner mercenary group agents from Russia’s military intelligence organized the attack.
  • According to TASS, Russia detained media activist Pavel Andreev, who was allegedly in contact with Russian agents and organizations that the FSB security service uses to cover up their intelligence and subversive activities in Russia.
  • Following a report from Dutch and German intelligence agencies, Ukraine requested that the organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague investigate Russian forces’ alleged use of banned toxic munitions.

diplomacy and politics

  • Donald Trump, the president of the US, expressed his frustration with Vladimir Putin’s meaningless “b*******” during negotiations.
  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated that the talks with the US on air defense will “intensify.”
  • In a speech to the UK parliament, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Europe would never leave Ukraine, noting that “we will fight until the very last minute to achieve the ceasefire… because this is our security and our principles that are in conflict with each other in Ukraine.”

Julian McMahon’s family break silence with heartbreaking words following his death

Following a private battle with cancer, Julian McMahon, who was in Charmed and Nip/Tuck, passed away last week at the age of 56. His family has now posted information online about him.

Julian McMahon, pictured last year, was a talented actor with a Golden Globe nomination(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)

Julian McMahon’s family have this morning thanked those who have shown their love and support following the star’s death.

The actor, who was in Home and Away, Charmed and Nip/Tuck, died last week following a private battle with cancer. The 56-year-old star leaves behind wife Kelly Paniagua and daughter Madison McMahon, who he shares with ex-partner Brooke Burns, as well as his siblings, Melinda and Debbie.

And today a post has been shared on Julian’s Instagram page, thanking the actor’s fans for their love in the past few days. The caption read: “Julian loved @vanmorrisonofficial… For all of those who loved Julian, thank you.”

A black and white photo of the actor posing for the camera was included in the poignant post, which was liked by more than 35, 000 people.

READ MORE: Julian McMahon remembered as ‘magic’ by Charmed star Alyssa Milano in heartbreaking tribute

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Speaking on Friday, Julian’s widow Kelly told how he had been fighting cancer. His last public appearance was back in March when he and Nicolas Cage promoted their new psychological thriller The Surfer. It was Julian’s final film role filmed and released before the father of one’s death.

In her statement on Julian’s death, his widow Kelly, whom he married in 2014, wrote: “With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

“Julian loved life.” He cherished his family. He cherished his pals. He adored both his fans and his work. His top priority was to make as many lives as possible.

We ask for assistance as our family grieves in private at this time. And we wish that Julian’s joy continues to be felt in all of those who receive it. We appreciate the memories, Kelly continued in a statement obtained by Deadline.

Continue reading the article.

Julian died in Clearwater, Florida, and, having lived in the US since the 1990s, had become a citizen of the country. However, he said his soul was always in Australia – where he was born in 1968 – and expressed his joy for “Australianisms”.

The former Nip/Tuck actor said in an interview in 2021, “I feel like I’m Australian on the inside and American on the outside, or something.” I’d never want to forget about it either. I adore Australians and Australianism, and I adore my own Australian identity. I adore where and how I grew up, and I adore how they grew up, knowing that I wouldn’t change it.

Trump, Netanyahu meet for second time to discuss ceasefire in Gaza

United States President Donald Trump has met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for a second time in 24 hours to discuss a possible ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The unscheduled talks on Tuesday evening lasted just over an hour, with no media access.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he would be speaking with Netanyahu “almost exclusively” about Gaza.

“We gotta get that solved. Gaza is… it’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” he said.

The two men had also met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during Netanyahu’s third visit to the US since the president began his second term on January 20.

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the latest meeting was “tightly sealed with very little information coming out”.

“The fact that it was so hermetically sealed, the fact that there has been no clear readout of exactly what was discussed, the fact that the meeting lasted just over an hour before the prime minister returned to his residence – all of it may indicate that there’s some kind of stumbling block, something that is clouding the optimistic position that the two leaders have adopted over the past 24 hours,” Hanna said.

Shortly before the unscheduled meeting, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped to one from four, and he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week.

“We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we’ll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released,” Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump’s Cabinet.

But Netanyahu, meeting with the speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said Israel’s campaign in the Palestinian enclave was not done and that negotiators are “certainly working” on a ceasefire.

“We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas’s military and government capabilities,” the Israeli leader said.

Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Jordan, said Israeli media are reporting that Netanyahu is facing “extreme pressure” to reach a deal on Gaza.

“But still, there’s been no breakthrough,” she said from the Jordanian capital, Amman.

“Israeli media is also talking about a delay in the travel plans of Witkoff to Doha, although earlier in the night, he had sounded very optimistic about possibly reaching a deal. Because according to him, only one issue remained problematic – which is, ‘Where will the Israeli army redeploy to?’” Odeh said.

“Now, this is important, because Israel wants to maintain control over the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. According to the Israeli minister of defence, Israel plans to build a tent city in Rafah, where it will concentrate the population, control who enters, not allow anyone to leave, and then push the population out of Gaza to implement, according to the Israelis, the Trump plan of depopulating Gaza and taking over the enclave,” she added.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 57,575 Palestinians and wounded 136,879 others. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.

Some 50 captives remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Trump has strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticising prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges, which Netanyahu denies.

Harrowing details around Michael Madsen’s official cause of death emerge after tragedy

Michael Madsen, who was in several Quentin Tarantino films such as Reservoir Dogs, died aged 67 after he was found unresponsive at his home in Malibu, California

Michael Madsen has died aged 67(Image: Getty Images)

Heart disease and alcoholism are understood to have played a factor in Hollywood actor Michael Madsen’s death, it is reported.

The Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs actor, aged 67, was found unresponsive at home last week, which his manager has since stated was as a result of a cardiac arrest. The star’s cardiologist has now revealed his official cause of death to be heart failure and said contributing factors to this include heart disease and alcoholism.

Madsen’s lawyer said the actor – known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill – was battling an alcohol addiction before he died. No autopsy will be conducted because the cardiologist who was treating Madsen signed the death certificate, it is understood.

The doctor, who has not been named, told NBC Los Angeles the new developments today. The publication also details poignant tributes for the star, who was in multiple Quentin Tarantino films during his 40-year career.

READ MORE: Michael Madsen’s sister Virginia pays emotional tribute after actor’s death

ilustrious
Pictured in Kill Bill: Volume 2, Madsen enjoyed an illustrious career in Hollywood(Image: Miramax)

Madsen’s sister Virginia had said last week: “My brother Michael has left the stage. He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother – etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.

” We’re not mourning a public figure. We’re not mourning a myth – but flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoes – gruff, brilliant, unrepeatable – half legend, half lullaby. “

According to those who knew Madsen, the actor was working on a book as well as his acting work. In response to the tragedy, his representatives stated in a statement that they were looking forward to the release of Michael Madsen’s next film, including the upcoming works Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives.

Continue reading the article.

Additionally, Madsen was working on a new book, Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, called Tears For My Father. One of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, Michael Madsen will be greatly missed.

The actor started out in the early 1980s with minor roles in films like WarGames and Racing With the Moon, and his directing career spanned decades. His biggest early success was in 1992 when he played a significant role in Reservoir Dogs at the age of 35. It established a close relationship with its director, Tarantino, through which they collaborated on Kill Bill: Volume 2, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Harrowing details around Michael Madsen’s official cause of death emerge after tragedy

Michael Madsen, who appeared in several Quentin Tarantino movies, including Reservoir Dogs, passed away at the age of 67 after being discovered unconscious at his Malibu, California, home.

Michael Madsen has died aged 67(Image: Getty Images)

Heart disease and alcoholism are understood to have played a factor in Hollywood actor Michael Madsen’s death, it is reported.

The Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs actor, aged 67, was found unresponsive at home last week, which his manager has since stated was as a result of a cardiac arrest. The star’s cardiologist has now revealed his official cause of death to be heart failure and said contributing factors to this include heart disease and alcoholism.

Madsen’s lawyer said the actor – known for his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill – was battling an alcohol addiction before he died. No autopsy will be conducted because the cardiologist who was treating Madsen signed the death certificate, it is understood.

The doctor, who has not been named, told NBC Los Angeles the new developments today. The publication also details poignant tributes for the star, who was in multiple Quentin Tarantino films during his 40-year career.

READ MORE: Michael Madsen’s sister Virginia pays emotional tribute after actor’s death

ilustrious
Pictured in Kill Bill: Volume 2, Madsen enjoyed an illustrious career in Hollywood(Image: Miramax)

Madsen’s sister Virginia had said last week: “My brother Michael has left the stage. He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. A father, a son, a brother – etched in contradiction, tempered by love that left its mark.

We’re not mourning a famous person, they say. We are grieving with ferocious hearts and flesh, not a myth. who roared through life in a roaring, brilliant, and ignoble fire. Who gives us echoes of gruff, brilliant, and unrepeatable, half legend, half lullaby?

According to those who knew Madsen, the actor was working on a book as well as his acting work. In response to the tragedy, his representatives stated in a statement that they were looking forward to the release of Michael Madsen’s next film, including the upcoming works Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives.

Continue reading the article.

Additionally, Madsen was working on a new book, Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, called Tears For My Father. One of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, Michael Madsen will be greatly missed.

The actor started out in the early 1980s with minor roles in films like WarGames and Racing With the Moon, and his directing career spanned decades. His biggest early success was in 1992 when he played a significant role in Reservoir Dogs at the age of 35. It established a close relationship with its director, Tarantino, through which they collaborated on Kill Bill: Volume 2, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.