Epstein Documents: Settlement After Harm to Victims
We also immediately anonymized the affected data. At first, we were literally left speechless when we came across unredacted names and images. Out of respect for those affected and out of journalistic responsibility, we acted immediately and removed all identifying information.
After the chaotic release of thousands of Epstein documents, a planned judicial hearing was canceled at short notice. The reason is a settlement between victims’ attorneys and the Department of Justice intended to protect the identities of those affected. The agreement followed massive redaction failures that publicly exposed sensitive information relating to nearly one hundred victims. Lawyers spoke of real harm, renewed public exposure, and fear. After the negotiations, the responsible federal judge saw no further need for a public hearing. The talks were described as constructive. In the future, names and identifying details are to be consistently protected. The incident shows how little care was applied in the release process and how quickly victims once again become those who suffer from state negligence. The files remain relevant, but the price of their publication must not once again be paid by those who were already abused.
Murder in Delaware – Charges Against Jill Biden’s First Husband
In Delaware, William Stevenson, the first husband of Jill Biden, has been charged with the murder of his wife. The 77-year-old is accused of killing his wife Linda in late December in their shared home in Wilmington. Police were alerted shortly before midnight due to an escalating argument and found the 64-year-old lifeless in the living room. Rescue efforts were unsuccessful. Stevenson was arrested and has since been held in pretrial detention. Bail was set at 500,000 dollars, which he was unable to post.
Prosecutors are charging him with first-degree murder. The indictment followed a weeks-long investigation by Delaware state investigators, culminating in a grand jury decision. Linda Stevenson ran her own bookkeeping business and is described in obituaries as a family-oriented mother and grandmother. Her husband is not mentioned there. It remains unclear how or whether Stevenson will defend himself. In Delaware, he is also known as a co-founder of a well-known music club from the 1970s. He was married to Jill Biden from 1970 to 1975. No statement from her has been issued. The case links a serious violent crime with a politically known name, without losing sight of what matters most: a woman is dead, a man is facing murder charges, and it must now be clarified what actually happened that night.
Spain Draws the Line – Social Networks Only From Age 16
Spain wants to ban children and adolescents under 16 from accessing social networks. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the move as part of a comprehensive package aimed at restoring state control over digital platforms. He spoke of a digital Wild West in which laws are ignored and crimes tolerated. In the future, not only age limits are to apply, but also clear liability. Platform managers are to be held personally responsible if illegal or hateful content is not removed. Targeted manipulation of algorithms and the amplification of prohibited content are also to become punishable offenses. The draft law is expected to be introduced in parliament in the coming days. Politically, the plan is not without risk, as the government lacks its own majority. The conservative opposition has signaled support, while the far-right Vox party sharply rejects the proposal and accuses the government of wanting to suppress criticism. At the same time, Sánchez points to figures that explain the pressure to act.
Almost all adolescents in Spain use social networks, and many experience bullying, pressure, or targeted attacks. Age verification is to become mandatory, though how exactly this will be implemented remains unclear. Australia has already taken this path and has suspended millions of underage accounts. In Europe, the willingness to regulate platforms more strictly is growing, including across borders. Spain is participating in a new alliance for tougher enforcement. This course sharpens the contrast with the United States, where social networks continue to operate largely unregulated. Trump-aligned voices speak of censorship, platform operators of overreaction. In Europe, by contrast, the view is gaining ground that protecting children takes priority. Whether the ban will work or create new workarounds remains open. What is clear is that patience with the platforms has run out.
Budget Signed, Shutdown Ended – ICE Dispute Deferred
Trump has signed the budget bill, ending the partial government shutdown. The package totals around 1.2 trillion dollars and secures funding for most federal agencies through September 30. For the Department of Homeland Security, however, only a two-week stopgap applies. That is where the unresolved conflict lies. Democrats are pushing for stricter rules for ICE, while Republicans have so far blocked them. Congress is now returning to the negotiating table. Previously, the Speaker of the House had secured the necessary approval within his own caucus, despite attempts by individual lawmakers to insert their own additional demands into the bill. The vote was bipartisan. The shutdown is over, the core issue remains. Funding continues, the political confrontation does not.
Petro Demands Disclosure and Questions Drug Data
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has formally asked Trump to release classified US documents. The request concerns two violent events that continue to shape the country: the assassination of politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948 and the storming of the Palace of Justice in 1985. Petro is demanding full transparency on both cases, including the role of state institutions. At the same time, he sharply criticized the UN drug monitoring agency. He described its figures on coca production as poor and unreliable, without providing evidence. At his meeting with Trump, he said he tried to convey a different view of the fight against drug trafficking. He also spoke about an independent, scientific method for measuring cocaine production. After returning home, Petro announced a program intended to free farmers from dependence on cartels and armed groups.
Question About Epstein, Answer as an Attack
At a press encounter, Trump was asked about names that appear in the Epstein files. Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, both with documented contacts with Epstein. The question was clear, the answer evasive. Trump said he had many things to do and did not know exactly, the named individuals were surely fine. When asked for a message to Epstein’s survivors, he again dodged the question. Instead, he directly attacked the reporter. He called her bad, the worst reporter, said he was not surprised her network had no ratings. He commented on her age, her appearance, said he had never seen her smile. The question of responsibility went unanswered. Those affected were not mentioned. What remained was a president responding to a substantive question with personal humiliation. Not for the first time. But rarely so openly. And Trump did not spare himself praise when it came to the Melania film either.
Trump commented on the film about Melania with self-promotion. He called the production the most successful documentary in nineteen years and simply asserted this claim. Then comes the sentence that explains everything. He says he used to have a top model, now he has a movie star. Melania does not appear as an independent person, but as part of his record of success. The film becomes evidence, not content, while the theaters remain empty.
Trump, Greenland, and Danish Mockery
In Denmark, Trump’s claim to Greenland is met not with enthusiasm, but with mockery, anger, and growing distance. While the government says no diplomatically, many citizens make clear what they think of the idea that a US president could dispose of foreign territory. In Copenhagen, hats reading “Enough now, Nuuk” circulate, with the clear message that America should go away. Bakeries sell orange-colored cakes whose names ridicule Trump. It is humor, but not harmless. It serves to endure anger and fear. Apps for boycotting American products shoot to the top of download lists. Scanning reveals a red cross and an alternative from one’s own country.
Many openly say they want to turn away from the United States. Veterans march through the capital, public broadcasters explain how to disengage from American technology. Experts say Danish humor is self-ironic, but precisely for that reason a sharp tool against a president who relies on arrogance. Trump is not taken seriously, but diminished. At the same time, concern about consequences grows. Even small businesses fear problems entering the United States if they take a public stance. Behind the jokes, therefore, there is no lighthearted laughter, but an attempt to regain control. Mockery does not replace politics here. It is a sign of how deeply Trump’s threats have seeped into the everyday life of a country that suddenly has to assert itself against a powerful ally.
Trump’s Calendar and the Night of the Missiles
A simple question leads to a remarkable shift. A journalist reminded Trump that he had announced a halt to Russian attacks during the cold spell. That same night, Ukrainian cities were once again massively attacked. Trump’s answer: it had been from Sunday to Sunday. Russia had struck hard during the night but kept its word. In this way, an attack becomes not a breach, but a matter of interpretation. The shelling disappears behind a timeline that only makes sense in retrospect. Deaths, power outages, destroyed infrastructure play no role. What matters is the frame Trump sets. A promise is not measured by what happened, but by how it is explained. Reality is baked until it fits. What remains is a president who does not deny violence, but reinterprets it. And a war that continues while calendars are debated. What times these are.
