House Democrats have today released a selection of photographs from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, some of which show President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew



SOURCE PAGE

Athletics Integrity Unit Chair David Howman delivered the warning about the system’s inability to outsmart cheats.

Published On 12 Dec 202512 Dec 2025

Click here to share on social media

share2

Share

The global fight against doping has “stalled”, with athletes evading detection systems that are failing to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated cheats, a leading anti-doping official has warned.

Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Chair David Howman had already delivered a stark assessment at last week’s World Conference on Doping in Sport, declaring that despite his organisation’s proven track record of identifying rule-breakers, they are “not catching enough of them”.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

The number of international disciplinary cases brought by the AIU has increased from 62 in 2021 to 100 in 2024, according to the body’s annual reports, while national cases went up from 185 to 305.

“Let’s be honest and pragmatic … intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection. We are not effective enough nowadays in catching cheats,” said Howman, who previously spent 13 years as director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Among the elite athletes banned or suspended this year was women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was banned for three years, but her record will remain on the books as it was set before her positive test.

Others include the United States’s Olympic 100 metres silver and bronze medallist Fred Kerley, who was provisionally suspended in August for whereabouts failures, and world 100 metres silver medallist Marvin Bracy, who accepted a 45-month sanction for anti-doping rule violations last month.

Howman’s blunt admission highlighted a troubling reality for clean sport advocates. While education programmes help deter some potential cheats, he said they are powerless against the most determined rule-breakers at sport’s highest levels.

“We have great education programmes which help, but they don’t impact the intentional rule-breakers in elite sport,” Howman acknowledged.

The AIU chief warned that the system’s inability to outsmart the cheats is undermining public confidence in anti-doping efforts.

“Our ineffectiveness in dealing with those who are beating the rules is hurting the anti-doping movement’s credibility, with the resulting risk that our clean-sport message falls on deaf ears,” he said.

Howman also called for a fundamental shift from mere box-ticking compliance to supporting “ambitious anti-doping efforts” that could actually catch clever cheats.

“A renewed focus on scientific research with closer alignment between WADA and cutting-edge ADOs [anti-doping organisations] on research priorities and opportunities would be beneficial,” he added.

“The International Standards [of WADA] might be better scrutinised regularly to ensure they fully support investigative efforts to uncover doping.”

SOURCE PAGE

AFP via Getty Images

Iranian security forces have “violently arrested” Nobel Peace Prize winner and women’s rights activist Narges Mohammadi, her foundation has said.

The Narges Foundation said Ms Mohammadi, 53, was detained in the eastern city of Mashhad, along with other activists.

The Nobel Committee said it was “deeply concerned by today’s brutal arrest of Narges Mohammadi” and called on the authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions”. Iran does not appear to have commented.

Ms Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against female oppression in Iran and promoting human rights.

In December 2024, she was given a temporary release from jail for three weeks on medical grounds, after being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since 2021.

She was expected to return to prison soon after, where she was serving multiple sentences.

Her latest arrest reportedly came as she attended a memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer found dead in his office last week.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights had called for an independent inquiry to establish how he died, saying the circumstances around his death were “suspicious”.

Several other activists were detained at the ceremony, where it’s reported they shouted slogans, including “death to the dictator” and “long live Iran”.

Taghi Rahmani, Ms Mohammadi’s husband, told BBC Persian: “They arrested Narges violently. The brother of the lawyer witnessed her arrest at the memorial.

“This act is against human rights laws, and amounts to some kind of revenge.

“This happened in Mashhad today and is concerning because the establishment’s crackdown has intensified recently.”

Ms Mohammadi had recently accused the Iranian authorities of intensifying repression since the June ceasefire with Israel.

Last week she wrote an article for Time magazine about the Iranian state controlling all aspects of personal or public life.

“Their peace is disrupted by surveillance, censorship, arbitrary arrest, torture, and the constant threat of violence,” she said.

She had also told the Nobel Committee she had received warnings from “agents of the regime” through indirect channels and her lawyers.

“The threats conveyed to Ms Mohammadi make it clear that her security is at stake, unless she commits to end all public engagement within Iran, as well as any international advocacy or media appearances in support of democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression,” the Nobel committee’s statement added.

Over the past year, she has continued to remain defiant, refusing to wear the mandatory headscarf and meeting fellow activists across the country.

Across her lifetime, Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times and been sentenced to more 36 years imprisonment and 154 lashes, according to her foundation.

SOURCE PAGE

Skip next section EU takes next step to use Russian assets to fund defense of Ukraine

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

EU takes next step to use Russian assets to fund defense of Ukraine

A majority of European Union national government agreed to freeze indefinitely Russian assets held in Europe on Friday at a meeting in Brussels.

The agreement brings the 27-member bloc a step closer to using the Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy and Malta said in a joint statement on Friday that they had voted in favor of the European Union’s plans to indefinitely freeze Russian central bank assets held in Europe.

“In a spirit of co-operation, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy and Malta are voting ‘YES’ in the current written procedure but specify that this vote does not pre-empt in any circumstances the decision on the possible use of Russian immobilised assets that needs to be taken at Leaders’ level,” the countries said in the statement.

https://p.dw.com/p/55GnU

Skip next section Zelenskyy to visit Berlin as Merz calls talks intense

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Zelenskyy to visit Berlin as Merz calls talks intense

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz still sees many unresolved issues in Ukraine talksImage: Christian Marquardt/NurPhoto/picture alliance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Berlin on Monday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and “many” other NATO and European allies, a German government spokesperson said Friday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are also reportedly expected at the meeting to discuss the latest developments in a US-led plan to end the war in Ukraine.

On Friday, Merz said there is still a major need to resolve questions in international efforts to end the war and provide security guarantees for Ukraine.

“The discussions are being conducted very intensively these days,” Merz said. “We are trying to involve the US government in the talks we are having among ourselves, as well as with the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian president.”

Merz said talks about security guarantees mainly focus on strengthening the Ukrainian military in the long run and ensuring the country can protect itself on its own.

“We are ready to make our own contributions to this. Contributions from the US side will also be needed,” Merz said, adding that the question of how and in what details this will be integrated into an overall concept remains open.

https://p.dw.com/p/55Fjq

Skip next section Erdogan proposes limited Ukraine-Russia ceasefire in talks with Putin

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Erdogan proposes limited Ukraine-Russia ceasefire in talks with Putin

Turkey, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the warImage: Kristina Kormilitsyna/TASS/IMAGO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan, proposing a limited ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war. 

The plan focuses on protecting energy facilities and ports.

Erdogan’s office said the two leaders also discussed broader peace efforts and the EU’s freezing of Russian assets.

Ankara recently condemned drone attacks on tankers in the Black Sea, calling them a dangerous escalation.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Turkey is working on a ceasefire plan tied to energy infrastructure and shipping. He said Kyiv supports the idea and is ready for talks.

https://p.dw.com/p/55GUh

Skip next section WATCH: Munich Security chief says Ukraine peace is only first step for Europe12/12/2025December 12, 2025

WATCH: Munich Security chief says Ukraine peace is only first step for Europe

Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, has warned that the end of the war in Ukraine would only be the start of European efforts to secure peace in Europe.
 

End of Ukraine war won’t secure peace in Europe: Ischinger

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

https://p.dw.com/p/55Fcf

Skip next section Kremlin says ceasefire only possible if Kyiv withdraws from Donbas

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Kremlin says ceasefire only possible if Kyiv withdraws from Donbas

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said a ceasefire in Ukraine would only be possible if Kyiv’s forces fully withdraw from the Donbas region.

“A ceasefire can only happen after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops,” the Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted him as saying.

“If not by negotiation, then by military means, this territory will come under the full control of the Russian Federation. Everything else will depend entirely on that,” Ushakov added.

Russia currently controls all of Luhansk and large parts of Donetsk, which together make up the Donbas. Ukraine, however, continues to hold several large and heavily fortified cities, including Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has always insisted that it would be politically, morally and constitutionally impossible for him to simply cede Ukrainian territory, said Thursday that the US had proposed some sort of demilitarized “free economic zone.”

In addition to repeating that a referendum or election would be required to allow such a move, Zelenskyy questioned who would police such a zone and called for concrete security guarantees

https://p.dw.com/p/55F1k

Skip next section Zelenskyy says he visited troops in embattled Kupiansk

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Zelenskyy says he visited troops in embattled Kupiansk

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he visited the frontline town of Kupiansk, where Ukrainian forces said they have been retaking territory.

In a video posted on his Telegram account on Friday, Zelenskyy appeared wearing a bulletproof vest at the city’s entrance sign.

“Today, it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said.

Kyiv has repeatedly dismissed Russian claims of sweeping advances, saying Moscow is trying to push a narrative of Ukraine’s imminent collapse to influence peace negotiations.

Reports suggest the United States is pushing Kyiv to make major territorial concessions as part of its plan to end the nearly four-year war.

https://p.dw.com/p/55Evt

Skip next section Ukraine says it retook several villages near Kupiansk

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Ukraine says it retook several villages near Kupiansk

Ukraine says its forces have taken back parts of Kupiansk in the northern Kharkiv region and several nearby villages in a move that surrounded Russian troops.

“Kindrashivka, Radkivka, and their outskirts have been liberated, as well as a number of neighborhoods in northern Kupiansk,” the Khartiia army corps said on social media.

Kupiansk is a key railway hub that Russia last month claimed to control, a claim Ukraine denied. Russian forces had first seized the city in 2022, but Ukrainian troops retook the city in the fall of that year.

“Today, we can say that the Russians in the city are completely cut off. For a long time, they couldn’t understand what was happening. But now they know they are surrounded,” Ihor Obolienskyi, commander of the Khartiia Corps of the National Guard, was quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet.

Russia did not immediately comment on Kyiv’s statement.

https://p.dw.com/p/55Enj

Skip next section Russia sues Euroclear over frozen assets

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Russia sues Euroclear over frozen assets

Russia’s central bank is suing Belgium-based financial firm Euroclear over frozen state assets in Europe. 

The case, filed in a Moscow arbitration court, accuses Euroclear of unlawful actions that caused losses to the Bank of Russia.

Euroclear manages about €185 billion of the €210 billion ($247 billion) in Russian assets frozen under EU sanctions since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Anatoly Aksakov, the head of the Russian parliament’s finance committee, said the central bank will likely win the case. Recovering the money will prove more difficult.

The lawsuit comes as EU member states move to permanently block those funds and use them to support Ukraine. Currently, the freeze is renewed every six months.

https://p.dw.com/p/55Eik

Skip next section US plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine: Where it stands now12/12/2025December 12, 2025

US plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine: Where it stands now

There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity between Washington, Kyiv, Moscow and European capitals to discuss a plan to end the war. But US President Donald Trump says he’s tired of talking — he wants action.

Read more on where the protracted peace talks stand and what the various stakeholders want from the negotiations.

https://p.dw.com/p/55ECG

Skip next section Kremlin says it ‘may not like’ revised US proposal

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Kremlin says it ‘may not like’ revised US proposal

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia had not yet seen the revisions the US made to a proposed deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Washington’s amendments followed talks with Ukraine and included some sort of a  demilitarized “free economic zone,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv was “fully aligned with the American side.” But Moscow is unlikely to be on that same side, Ushakov suggested.

“We haven’t seen the revised versions of the American drafts. When we see them, we may not like a lot of things, that’s how I sense it,” he told reporters on Friday.

Ushakov also said Moscow needed to see what the outcome of the “active brainstorming session” between European and Ukrainian officials over the weekend.

Asked about how Russia viewed Zelenskyy’s suggestion that a referendum be held on any territorial concessions, Ushakov insisted that the entire Donbas region belongs to Russia.

https://p.dw.com/p/55Dy0

Skip next section Hungary protests EU plan to freeze Russian assets

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Hungary protests EU plan to freeze Russian assets

Hungary has protested what it calls an unlawful EU plan to freeze Russian assets indefinitely using a qualified majority vote.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook post on Friday warned the move would damage the EU.

“Brussels will step over the Rubicon today, with a written voting starting which will cause irreparable damage to the Union,” Orban said. “Hungary protests the decision and will do its best to restore a lawful situation.”

Hungary has been one of the only EU members to maintain ties with Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

https://p.dw.com/p/55CVc

Skip next section Russia central bank warns EU over use of its assets

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Russia central bank warns EU over use of its assets

Russia’s central bank has said EU proposals to use its assets are illegal and has warned it reserves the right to use all available mechanisms to protect its interests.

In a statement on Friday, the Bank of Russia said any use of Russian assets without authorization would violate international law.

“Mechanisms of direct or indirect use of the assets of the Bank of Russia, as well as any other forms of unauthorized use of the assets of the Bank of Russia, are illegal and contrary to international law, including violating the principles of sovereign immunity of assets,” the central bank said.

The EU has moved to create a legal basis to use Russian state assets for Ukraine by majority vote, aiming to block the funds from ever being returned to Moscow.

The Danish EU presidency said the change would prevent Moscow-friendly countries such as Hungary from vetoing future decisions extending the freeze on Russian assets.

The Belgian government has so far blocked the plan, citing legal and financial risks and warning Russia could retaliate against European individuals and companies, including through expropriations in Russia.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is hosting Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in London, was expected to discuss the issue with him on Friday.

NATO, EU reaffirm Ukraine support, eye frozen Russian assets

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

https://p.dw.com/p/55CUx

Skip next section Putin claims capture of Siversk in eastern Ukraine

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Putin claims capture of Siversk in eastern Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russian forces have captured the eastern Ukrainian town of Siversk.

Speaking on state television on Thursday alongside Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin said the seizure cleared the way for further advances in the Donbas region.

He said successful attacks were now possible in other directions and added that the strategic initiative was fully in Russian hands. Putin also said operations to take the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions were progressing.

Putin praised what he called the “dynamism” on the front line.

Ukraine has not issued an immediate official comment on Russia’s claims.

The Russian military has said its next objective is the town of Sloviansk, which had a pre-war population of more than 100,000 before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russia claims to have gained ground in several towns on the front in eastern Ukraine in recent weeksImage: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP Photo/picture alliance

https://p.dw.com/p/55CR0

Skip next section Ukraine peace plan: what are the key issues?12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Ukraine peace plan: what are the key issues?

The US has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to its peace proposal, but despite intensified diplomacy in recent weeks, there has been no significant breakthrough yet. These are some of the main sticking points for any ceasefire in Ukraine:

• Russia’s demands for a Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region, including from areas not under Russian occupation
• US proposals for a demilitarized “free economic zone” as a buffer area
• Ukraine’s insistance on firm security guarantees against any future Russian aggression

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has always insisted that it would be politically, morally and constitutionally impossible for him to simply cede Ukrainian territory, said the US had proposed some sort of demilitarized “free economic zone.” 

In addition to repeating that a referendum or election would be required to allow such a move, Zelenskyy questioned who would police such a zone and called for concrete security guarantees.

“If one side’s troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops?” he asked, referring to the Russians. “What will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. If you are talking about a compromise then it has to be a fair compromise.”

https://p.dw.com/p/55CIx

Skip next section Will the US provide security guarantees for Ukraine?

12/12/2025December 12, 2025

Will the US provide security guarantees for Ukraine?

Ukraine is particularly unwilling to give up its remaining territory in Donetsk since it contains a key belt of heavily defended “fortress cities” such as Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and the besieged town of Pokrovsk. 

“If Ukraine gives up the fortress cities in the Donbas, the only security they can have is by being heavily armed and being backed by their allies in some way,” said Sky News UK’s military analyst Michael Clarke.

“The only thing that would stop Russia is deterrence: the knowledge that either European forces were sitting in Ukraine ready to fight for them, which is hard to imagine at the moment, and that they are backed up by American forces, which is even harder to imagine,” he said.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that “security guarantees are among the most important elements for all subsequent steps,” and his US counterpart Donald Trump  suggested that Washington would be prepared to help in some form.

“We would help with security because, in my opinion, it’s a necessary factor,” he said, without giving further details.

https://p.dw.com/p/55CIz

SOURCE PAGE

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Sherrone Moore, the former head football coach at the University of Michigan, has been charged with three crimes, which include home invasion and stalking, the Associated Press reports.

Moore, the 39-year-old ex-coach for the Michigan Wolverines, was arraigned Friday after he was detained and fired from his role at the school earlier this week. Records indicated he was in custody at the Washtenaw County Jail, but few other details were initially released about his arrest.

When asked about Moore’s arrest, officials in Pittsfield Township, Michigan, released a statement indicating an individual was taken into custody in an “assault investigation” on Wednesday, NBC News reports. However, the statement did not name Moore.

Moore is now accused of “unlawfully entering the dwelling of a victim with whom Mr. Moore had a dating relationship,” the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office said Friday, according to the AP.

Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was arraigned on Friday afternoon (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

News of his arrest emerged at the same time as the revelation that he had been fired by the Wolverines for what was described as “an inappropriate relationship” with a member of staff.

University of Michigan President Domenico Grasso announced Moore’s firing in a statement on Thursday.

“Earlier this week, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics dismissed head football coach Sherrone Moore with cause for violating University policy by engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” Grasso said.

“When the findings of a University investigation into Coach Moore’s behavior were presented on Wednesday, we immediately terminated his employment. There is absolutely no tolerance for this conduct at the University of Michigan. None,” he added.

Moore was initially set to wrap his second season leading the Wolverines. He took over the job the year after the previous coach, Jim Harbaugh, led the team to a National Title.

He served as offensive coordinator under Harbaugh and interim head coach during Harbaugh’s suspension. Moore was the University of Michigan’s first Black coach. He is also a father to three daughters and has been married to his wife since 2015.

The Independent has contacted Moore’s attorney for comment. His attorney declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.

SOURCE PAGE

NEED TO KNOW

• Taylor Swift made a Dec. 10 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss her new Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era
• During the show, she explained how she likes to keep her home “cozy” by ensuring certain items stay out of the space 
• “I don’t want any paraphernalia,” she told Colbert

Taylor Swift is offering some rare insight into her home life — and it may come as a surprise to some of her fans!

During a Dec. 10 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss her new Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era, the “Elizabeth Taylor” singer, 35, chatted with host Stephen Colbert about how she likes to keep her home “cozy” by refusing to have certain items in her space.

The conversation begins with Colbert asking the grammy-winning musician: “Biggest difference between Taylor Swift just walking around and Taylor Swift who appears on stage?”

After a brief pause, Swift clarifies, “Just shuffling around the house?” To which Colbert responds, “Yeah, you’ve got your athleisure on.”

Swift first jokes she would most likely have an “old Victorian nightgown on,” instead. “I prefer to look… if you were to see me in a window I would like for someone to think they saw a ghost at home.” 

Taylor Swift and Stephen Colbert.

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

She then walks through how she’s able to make her house feel like home by ensuring there’s no “evidence” of a “music person” owning the place. 

“I think at home, I don’t want any paraphernalia. I don’t want any plaques, I don’t want a studio,” she explains. “I don’t want there to be any evidence that a music person lives here, except for a piano and a guitar, but the guitar’s not hung in a prominent place.”

Taylor Swift playing her guitar during the Eras Tour.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

The “Fate of Ophelia” singer continues, “I like it to feel very cozy at home. If I’m going to go to the studio, I go to the studio. And it’s like, special day today, I get to go to the studio.”

In addition to creating a sense of work-life balance in her house, the singer-songwriter says she also feels comfortable having conversations with loved ones about her life without fear it’s going to be leaked to the public. 

“My close friends and the people in my life, my family, are all just so locked down in terms of like, I can tell them anything and it never ends up in the press. It never does, and it’s really nice,” she says.

Taylor Swift poses in a music studio.

Taylor Swift/Instagram

While it’s rare for Swift to make comments about her home, she previously teased her home dynamic with fiance Travis Kelce during an Aug. 13 appearance on his and brother Jason Kelce’s podcast New Heights.

During the episode, which dropped before the couple announced their engagement on Aug. 26, Jason asked Swift what her favorite segment on the show was, which prompted her to reveal she often hears her boyfriend recording the podcast from the other side of “the house.” 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on ‘New Heights’ in August 2025.

New Heights/YouTube

“I like ‘New News’ just because of the screaming,” she told Jason. Referring to Travis, she continued, “I hear him screaming ‘New News!’ from across the house constantly. It’s like my favorite part.”

Swift added of her now-fiance, “He’ll be like, ‘New News! New News!’ And I’m in the kitchen like, ‘New News!’ So I love that just because of the bellowing of it.”

Later in the episode, while discussing some of Swift’s “homey” hobbies, Travis made another subtle comment about their living situation: “It’s been so fun to see what Taylor actually gets into around the house,” he said. 

SOURCE PAGE

An hour with Stanley Baxter was like a night at a party with a crowd of the most celebrated actors and aristocrats of the telly age.

As he reeled off streams of outrageous, delicious anecdotes, he didn’t simply imitate people – he embodied them. The Queen, or Kenneth Williams, would simply materialise in front of your eyes as you wiped away tears of laughter. It was almost literally magical.

But in one instant, like a change in the wind, he could become broken down with sadness. Melancholy swept over him. Once, in the middle of a story while I was interviewing him, he stopped and said in the gentlest voice: ‘I’m just grateful my wife and I couldn’t have children. Her schizophrenia and my nerves – what an awful combination.’

Stanley Baxter, who has died aged 99, was once the most admired comedian on television. His annual variety shows, in which he played dozens of characters, were the small screen’s most expensive extravaganzas.

But he spent the past 25 years as a virtual recluse in his first floor apartment in a Highgate Village art deco mansion. He dreaded going out – believing himself to be decrepit, he feared being recognised and, worse, pitied.

Stanley Baxter as the late Queen Elizabeth II. He was born in Glasgow in May 1926, the son of a timid insurance clerk called Fred and his wife Bessie – a blacksmith’s daughter with dreams of stardom for their only son from the time he could walk

Even the telephone filled him with horror. One afternoon, I saw him flinch when it rang. ‘What fresh hell is this?’ he muttered.

His greatest terror was that the public would discover what everyone already knew, the biggest open secret in showbusiness – that Stanley Baxter was gay.

The first time we met, he opened the door to me and, retreating three steps up the stairs to gain the advantage of height, roared: ‘Let me tell you this, you are not going to write about my f*****g sex life!’

What’s so heartbreaking is that he hid his sexuality all his life, preferring to turn his back on fame rather than risk humiliation. The brutal truth is that, when he did come out as gay in a biography in 2020, the only people shocked were the ones who assumed he had been dead for years.

‘There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,’ he said. ‘I’m not. I never wanted to be gay. I still don’t. Anyone would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. The truth is, I don’t really want to be me.’

It was an unworthy fate for a man who should have been revered as the greatest jewel in Britain’s comedy crown. His breadth of talent was unmatched – satirist, stand-up comedian, singer, dancer, impressionist, wit, poet, panto dame, dramatic actor, writer and choreographer.

Bax couldn’t just do it all: he did all of it better than anyone else.

His starriest turn was as the Duchess of Brendah, in tiara and silk gloves up to his armpits… so much like the Queen that he could have taken her place for Trooping the Colour.

As Stanley Baxter reeled off streams of outrageous, delicious anecdotes, he didn’t simply imitate people – he embodied them. Here he plays the pantomime dame in Jack and the Beanstalk at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow in 1977

He was the first comedian to impersonate Her Majesty on TV. To add to the insolence of it, one Christmas show included a mock message from Buckingham Palace in which he described the Queen Mum as a ‘priceless antique’.

In lavishly produced sketch shows throughout the 1970s, Baxter sent up everyone from Hollywood superstars to pompous BBC pundits. He staged magnificent song-and-dance numbers that took months to film as he played every part – spoofing movie musicals, Oscar-winning blockbusters and TV rivals.

Donning outrageous drag costumes, Baxter announced himself as Joan Crawford, Bette Davis or Mae West. Often he gave their names mischievous twists – becoming Glandy (Glenda) Jackson, John Bitumen (Betjeman), Malcolm Gibberidge (Muggeridge) or Alan Wicked (Whicker).

But the splendour of the shows made them impossible to sustain. Baxter switched from the BBC to ITV and back again, eventually concentrating on just one mega-show a year, until even that became so costly it was impractical.

His epics became a byword for TV that was too ambitious for the confines of the small screen.  

Baxter was appalled by the open homosexuality in CSE – ‘all chiffon hankies and make-up and flouncing about,’ he said. ‘I thought, I really hate this. I don’t want to be involved in this kind of world’. Here he is with mother Bessie, left, and sister Alice, right, ast a Glasgow premiere in 1961

At the same time, his private life was so tortuous and painful that his nerves unravelled. Returning to the stage, he was tormented by a morbid fantasy of suffering a heart attack in his dressing room before the curtain went up and being discovered on the floor by a stage hand: ‘You’re awful cold, Mr Baxter…’

Miserable and afraid, he decided to retire – and for his last 30 years cut himself off from the one thing that had sustained him throughout his life, the adulation of audiences.

Stanley Baxter was born in Glasgow in May 1926, the son of a timid insurance clerk called Fred and his wife Bessie – a blacksmith’s daughter with dreams of stardom for their only son from the time he could walk.

Bessie and her sisters loved amateur dramatics. They staged their own vaudeville shows, performing hits of the day such as Baby Face and Bye Bye Blackbird, and smoking Russian cigarettes to cultivate an image as artsy Bohemians.

By the time he was four, Stanley was a regular with his mother at the music halls, and at six he was starring on the city’s talent circuit. Dressed in a sailor suit with his hair tonged into waves, he sang saucy music hall numbers… such as I’m One Of The Lads Of Valencia: ‘You can’t beat a Spaniard for kissing, Oh ladies, just think what you’re missing!’

His mother called him Sonny Boy and dinned a fear of failure into his head: ‘She probably felt if she praised me I’d try less hard. I began to be scared someone else would do better than me on stage, and my mother would clatter me.’

Baxter was the first comedian to impersonate Her Majesty on TV. To add to the insolence of it, one Christmas show included a mock message from Buckingham Palace in which he described the Queen Mum as a ‘priceless antique’

In lavishly produced sketch shows throughout the 1970s, Baxter sent up everyone from Hollywood superstars to pompous BBC pundits 

Fiercely jealous, Bessie refused to allow her son to have female friends. She needn’t have worried – from the first time he saw a half-naked Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan at a Saturday cinema matinee, Stanley knew he was attracted to men.

Aged 18 in 1944, he received his call-up papers, but was deemed too short-sighted for active Army service. After months working in the coal pits as a Bevin Boy, he was grateful in June 1945 to be assigned to the Seaforth Highlanders and sent to India and then, as the war with Japan ended, to Burma.

A notice caught his eye, appealing for performers to join the Combined Service Entertainment [CSE] unit. A seaplane took him to his audition in Singapore, where he was sent to the stage door of the Victoria Theatre.

A crowd of CSE artistes was just leaving. Baxter asked if he could cadge a lift and was told there was no room in the truck, because some of the men had invited local women back with them.

Baxter with wife Moira. He once said: ‘I’m just grateful my wife and I couldn’t have children. Her schizophrenia and my nerves – what an awful combination’

A nasal voice cut through the throng: ‘Of course we can take him! Yesss! There’s room! We don’t want all you and your f*****g girlfriends!’

That was Baxter’s first meeting with Kenneth Williams. The pair formed a lifelong friendship, sharing a dormitory and a love of poetry, and spending their wages every Saturday night on fine dining and gin-and-tonics.

Soon they were topping the bill in a show called At Your Service, dancing onstage in yellow and blue uniforms, one hand on the hip and the other pointing to the lairy squaddies in the front row, defying a barrage of catcalls.

Yet Baxter was appalled by the open homosexuality in CSE – ‘all chiffon hankies and make-up and flouncing about,’ he said. ‘I thought, I really hate this. I don’t want to be involved in this kind of world.’

When he returned to Glasgow two years later, he joined the idealistic Citizen’s Theatre Company, performing Ibsen and Shaw to working class audiences in the Gorbals district.

Stanley Baxter’s life imploded when he was arrested in a public toilet in Holloway in 1962 and charged with soliciting for sex. Here he is in panto again, opposite Molly Urquhart

Determined to be heterosexual, he started courting an actress named Moira Robertson. She was 22 and highly strung, and he was taken aback by how heavily she fell for him.

When he warned her that all of his previous sexual experiences had been with men, she climbed out of their second storey window and stood on the ledge, threatening to jump. ‘If I can’t have you,’ she yelled, ‘I won’t settle for anyone else.’

Guilt-stricken and confused, Baxter relented. They were married in 1952. On their wedding night, he sat on the bed and sobbed.

The couple moved to London, and by the end of the decade he was starring in a BBC sketch show called On The Bright Side, with Ronnie Barker and Una Stubbs. Dashing and square-jawed, he was the leading man in light film comedies too, such as The Fast Lady.

But his life imploded when he was arrested in a public toilet in Holloway in 1962 and charged with soliciting for sex. At this time, sex between consenting adult males was still illegal. ‘I was going to top myself,’ he said. ‘I thought, my career will never survive this – and if I don’t have a career, what do I have?’

He was saved by the celebrity barrister David Jacobs, who argued in court that Baxter could not have been ‘soliciting’ – because, when he was arrested, there was no one in the gents’ apart from two policemen.

Psychiatric therapy for his sexual desires failed to help. The doctor, realising he was married, simply told him to return to his wife.

Baxter with wife Moira. In lavishly produced sketch shows throughout the 1970s, Baxter sent up everyone from Hollywood superstars to pompous BBC pundits

Stanley Baxter, who has died aged 99, was once the most admired comedians on television 

Instead, unable to cope with Moira’s pleas for a baby, he left her. They met for lunch every day in the 1970s, and she talked frequently of killing herself – but he was unprepared when a friend called at their old home to find the front door wide open and Moira in the bath, the water dark with blood.

She lived, but her mental health was tragically fragile for the rest of her life. ‘She told me she was hearing voices,’ Baxter said in despair. ‘She thought the television was talking to her.’

Though they never lived together again, he did his best to support her, emotionally as well as financially – wracked with guilt that he could not be the husband she needed.

In 1997, when he told her he was going on holiday for a few weeks, a row erupted. ‘She punched me,’ he said. ‘My glasses flew off. It was the one and only time she had ever reacted this way.’

On his return to Britain, he called her from the airport. She didn’t answer. He went straight to the house. When he discovered the door was unlocked again, he knew what he would find. Moira was in the bedroom, dead from an overdose. She was 69.

Baxter never recovered fully from the shock. He talked about her often, always with a note of self-loathing, and rejected all reassurance that it was not his fault.

Baxter with his wife Moira and solicitor David Jacobs at Clerkenwell Court.  Mr Jacobs successfully argued in court that the star could not have been ‘soliciting’ – because, when he was arrested, there was no one in the gents’ apart from two policemen

Though he made a few tentative trial comebacks over the next 20 years – a radio show here, a TV interview there – he lacked the confidence to revive his career, or even to accept the homage of generations of comedians who regarded him as a master.

His loneliness was made worse by his dread of the phone and a tendency to suspend friendships on the slightest pretext.

‘It’s purdah for him,’ he’d say. ‘The cold shoulder.’ He ceased speaking to Kenneth Williams on several occasions, though that always thawed.

Others were banished permanently and I was one of them. For years he’d leave me phone messages, and I’d send him a bottle of gin and a packet of Bensons on his birthday – two cigarettes a night were his last vice.

One year, the booze and the cigs were returned. I’d offended him, perhaps by a comment in my TV column about some actor he knew. He wouldn’t say why.

That was Stanley Baxter. The world offered him open arms, and he gave it the cold shoulder.

SOURCE PAGE

The UK is facing the “greatest military threat in a generation,” experts have urged, with the NATO Chief warning that within the next five years, Russia could attack a member state

Putin has warned Europe they are ‘ready to fight’(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Fighting for your country in the event of WW3 remains hypothetical, but could become an unpleasant reality sooner than Brits might hope. NATO Chief Mark Rutte has issued a warning that member states must “prepare for war”.

“We are Russia’s next target,” Rutte said, “And we are already in harm’s way. Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured.” He urged member states to ensure that Ukraine does not end up “under the boot of Russian occupation,” which would leave Putin’s “forces pressing against a longer border with NATO, and the significantly increased risk of an armed attack against us.”

Putin and his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, have said they have no desire to go to war with Europe, but that if two major “red lines” were crossed, they would not hesitate to attack – which includes the UK sending boots on the ground in Ukraine. After reports emerged that a 28-year-old British paratrooper, George Hooley, died in Ukraine during a defensive test away from the front line, a Kremlin mouthpiece called a nuclear strike against the UK “inevitable” on Russian state TV.

READ MORE: Chilling first signs of war with Russia – loss of phone signal and card failureREAD MORE: Safest areas in UK if WW3 broke out as Putin mouthpiece warns ‘nuke strike is inevitable’

The idea of nuclear powers going to war is a chilling one. Posturing by Russian state media is nothing new, but international relations experts have warned that Russia poses a “grave threat” to the UK and its European allies.

A major part of the scale of that threat lies with US President Donald Trump, who recently dubbed Europe a “decaying” and “weak” continent in an interview. His National Security Strategy indicates the US is looking to take a hands-off approach to its traditional Western allies, and the peace framework recently proposed by Washington to end the Russia-Ukraine war would see huge parts of Ukraine ceded to Putin, and limits put on the size of Kyiv’s military. If you can’t see the poll below, click here.

Germany and France have both moved to introduce voluntary military training for 18-year-olds, with the German government hoping to keep this as volunteers only as long as possible, but from mid-2027, all men turning 18 will have to take a medical exam to see if they are fit for service.

The UK government have announced this year a significant increase in defence spending, with it making up 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027. This year, the government spent £62.2 billion on defence, including £15bn of investment into upgrading the country’s nuclear capabilities.

Russia is a “grave threat” to the UK warns expert(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

However, some experts are worried that it could be too little too late, and that a failure to act quickly to the threat posed by Russia to the UK would be potentially fatal. Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kormek, explains, “The UK MOD is saying all the right things about its defensive strategy, as outlined earlier this year in the Strategic Defence Review, but the gears of government and the bureaucracy grind so slowly, that it’s difficult to see much real progress as CEO of a British company.

“They have promised more defence spending but we are yet to see the benefits. The reality is that the UK, and by extension, the world, faces its greatest military threat of a generation. Failure to take definitive action to prepare for a worst-case scenario could be our greatest mistake.”

Another expert, Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham, said that the “days are over, full stop” when the UK can rely upon the US to stand with them, and that the “weak” state of the military leaves a lot to be desired.

“We are too weak right now, with more parking enforcement officers than troops in the UK,” he said, adding, “We in Europe know that this is our gravest hour since the 1930s.”

What do you think? Would you fight to defend the UK? Take our poll and have your say in the comments.

SOURCE PAGE

Who: Liverpool vs Brighton
What: English Premier League
Where: Anfield in Liverpool, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, December 9, at 3pm (15:00)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 12:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

All eyes will be on the Liverpool team sheet when it is released at roughly the same time the bus carrying the squad will arrive at Anfield for the Brighton match on Saturday.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

Speculation is rife that the Premier League match could be Mohamed Salah’s last for the defending champions, following the public fallout with the club.

The Reds, and their beleaguered manager Arne Slot, will hope the focus is very much on the football and turning around a form book that has seen the Merseyside club fall to 10th in the table.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at a game that will be the focus of the Saturday agenda in the English top flight, and beyond.

What is the latest on Salah’s future at Liverpool?

Salah has not started a game for Liverpool since the 4-1 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League on November 26.

The Egyptian forward was benched for the following three Premier League games and, following fierce criticism of the club’s treatment of him, was then dropped from the squad that travelled to Italy to face Inter Milan on Tuesday – a game the Reds won 1-0.

Speculation has mounted surrounding a move to the Saudi Pro League since Salah’s outburst following last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United, when the 33-year-old claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” for their recent woes on the field.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Friday morning that he would speak with Salah to decide whether the forward would return to the match-day squad for the Brighton game.

The eyes and ears of the world, and in particular in Saudi Arabia, will be on the Anfield club for news of the team and the squad before kickoff against Brighton on Saturday.

What has Liverpool’s form been in the Premier League this season?

The Reds have lost six of their games in the Premier League this season – part of a run that saw them lose nine of 12 games in all competitions.

The struggling title holders have taken five points from their last three league games, however, starting with a 2-0 win at West Ham – the first game of Salah’s exile from the starting lineup.

The last two matches, though, have seen the Reds held to a 1-1 home draw by newly promoted Sunderland, before the draw at Leeds that led to Salah’s outburst.

What has Brighton’s form been in the Premier League this season?

Brighton’s solid season sees them sit two places above Liverpool on goal difference.

A win for either side could result in them climbing as high as fourth.

One league win in five to begin the season left the Seagulls sitting slightly perilously, but a run of only two defeats in 11 in the English top flight followed, with six wins in that time.

That form had expectations flying high on the south coast before two home games, but a 4-3 defeat by Aston Villa was followed by a 1-1 draw with West Ham in their last match.

We go again. pic.twitter.com/2tFFXx1Bh9

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 12, 2025

What happened the last time Liverpool played Brighton?

Brighton were 3-2 winners in a Premier League fixture on May 19, in the last encounter between the sides.

Liverpool twice took the lead in the first half of the game at Amex Stadium through Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Yasin Ayari’s 31st-minute goal kept the Seagulls in the game at the break before Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood, who netted five minutes from time, turned the game around in the second period.

What happened in the corresponding fixture between Liverpool and Brighton last season?

Liverpool were 2-1 winners in the preceding match at Anfield last season, but were forced to come from behind after Ferdi Kadioglu gave the away team the lead in the 14th minute.

The Seagulls held the lead until the 70th minute, when Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah scored twice in three minutes to set up the win.

Head-to-head

This is the 44th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 23 of those encounters and Brighton emerging victorious on 8 occasions.

The fixture dates back to 1907 and an FA Cup tie at Anfield, where Brighton secured a 1-1 draw. Liverpool made no mistake in the reply, however, winning 3-0 on the south coast.

Brighton would have to wait a further six games for their first win against Liverpool, a 3-1 victory in the old second division of English football (now known as the Championship).

Liverpool team news

There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday, with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.

Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.

“The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”

Slot will have Federico Chiesa available on Saturday after he recovered from illness, while Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are expected to be out for a “few weeks”.

Brighton team news

Stefanos Tzimas, Solly March, Adam Webster are all absent with knee injuries, while James Milner is also out for several months with a muscle problem.

Kaoru Mitoma will have a fitness test as he attempts a comeback from an ankle problem which has kept him out since September.

Yasin Ayari and Tom Watson could both return from knocks, but both are still being monitored at this stage.

Predicted Liverpool starting lineup:

Alisson; Gomez, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Isak, Wirtz

Predicted Brighton starting lineup:

Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck

SOURCE PAGE

Top Democrat says latest photos ‘raise even more questions’ about Epstein’s relationship with high profile figures

Upon releasing the most recent trove of photos from the Epstein estate, the oversight committee’s top Democrat – Robert Garcia – said “it is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends”.

The California congressman added that the 19 photos published today “raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”

Share

Updated at 17.41 CET

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Bannon appears frequently throughout latest Epstein picture drop

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon appears in several of the pictures released by House Democrats on the oversight committee.

As I reported earlier, in one of the photos Bannon is seen having a conversation while sitting across a desk from Epstein.

In another, Epstein is taking a selfie of the pair in front of a full-length mirror. Bannon, who was Donald Trump’s top White House strategist until he was fired less than a year into the president’s first term in office, is also pictured speaking with film director Woody Allen in one photograph.

Share

Several explicit pictures as part of new tranche of photos from Epstein estate

Included in this latest batch of pictures from the Epstein estate are explicit photos of sex toys. One appears to show a black latex glove with ridges on the fingers, and another features ropes, restraints and a book on “shibari” – a type of Japanese bondage.

Another picture features a bowl of “Trump condoms” selling for $4.50. On the parody packaging it makes fun of the president’s style of speech, reading: “I’m HUUUUGE!”

A photograph of Trump-themed condoms was among the Jeffrey Epstein images released by Democrats on Friday. Photograph: House Oversight DemocratsShare

Updated at 17.21 CET

Included in the latest batch of photos from House oversight Democrats today, are several pictures of high profile individuals at public events.

The picture of former prince Andrew and Microsoft founder Bill Gates appears to be from at a summit in London, where the former’s brother – King Charles III – was in attendance. The image in the House oversight batch appears to be a cropped version of a picture available on the photo agency Getty.

Here’s the image from the news wires:

Bill Gates, then prince Andrew and his brother Charles in 2018 at a malaria summit in London. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images

Similarly, a picture of Epstein and his former lawyer Alan Dershowitz is included in the drop of photos, but appears to be an older photo of the pair back in 2004 that was already published.

Here is the news wire image:

Jeffrey Epstein with Alan Dershowitz in a photo taken in 2004. Photograph: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty ImagesShare

Updated at 17.06 CET

In the new batch of photos released by House oversight Democrats, there is also a picture of Donald Trump surrounded by women, some of whom are wearing leis around their necks. All of their faces have been obscured, but the president appears in the middle holding the waists of two of the women.

Donald Trump in a partially-redacted photo released by House Oversight Democrats. Photograph: House Oversight DemocratsShare

Updated at 16.51 CET

Oversight Democrats publish new tranche of Epstein estate photos featuring Trump, Clinton and former prince Andrew

Democrats on the House oversight committee have published 19 new photos from the 95,000 they have received from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate today. In the latest drop, there are pictures of Bill Clinton alongside the late sex-offender and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. There are also pictures of Donald Trump and Epstein at social events, and even a picture of the president on board a plane, sitting beside a woman whose face has been redacted.

Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein in a photo released by House Oversight Democrats. Photograph: House Oversight Democrats

There are several pictures in the drop which include billionaire Bill Gates.

Another notable face is former Trump adviser and noted ally, Steve Bannon, who appears in one picture sitting across a desk, engaged in conversation with Epstein.

It’s worth noting that appearing in pictures from the estate doesn’t imply any wrongdoing.

Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein in a photo released by House Oversight Democrats. Photograph: House Oversight DemocratsShare

Updated at 17.25 CET

Navy sends report to Pentagon about senator Kelly’s participation in video to troops – reports

According to multiple outlets, the navy has sent a report to the Pentagon about senator Mark Kelly’s role in a video published to social media last month, where six Democratic members of Congress urged active service members to “refuse illegal orders”.

The video sparked fury from the president, who said the lawmakers were guilty of “seditious behavior” that was “punishable by death”. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said he would launch an investigation into Kelly – a decorated former navy captain – for possible breaches of military law. This included a memorandum to John Phelan asking the navy secretary to review Kelly and a group of fellow Democrats’ comments in the video.

According to the New York Times, the Pentagon’s office of general xounsel is “providing a legal review and input” of the navy’s report, per a Department of Defense official, who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

In response, a spokesperson for senator Kelly told the Hill that “it defies belief that with all of the threats facing our country, Pete Hegseth initiated this ridiculous process to try to intimidate senator Kelly for saying something Pete Hegseth himself has said repeatedly.”

A reminder that footage from 2016, of the defense secretary repeatedly saying that service members should refuse “unlawful” orders from a potential president Trump on Fox News, was unearthed by CNN earlier this month.

Share

Judge issues temporary order to block officials from detaining Kilmar Ábrego García

Per our earlier post, a federal judge on Friday morning issued a temporary restraining order to prohibit immigration officials from detaining Kilmar Ábrego García just hours before he was scheduled to appear at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore.

Kilmar Ábrego García leaves a check-in at an ICE field office in Baltimore, the day after a federal judge ordered his release from a detention center in Pennsylvania, 2 December 2025. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. The judge says officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order.

Ábrego had been freed from an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania early on Thursday evening not long after a federal judge in Maryland ordered his release.

On Friday morning, Paula Xinis, a US district judge in Maryland, said that Ábrego cannot be re-detained and in her ruling she wrote that he was likely to succeed in further requests of “relief” from ICE detention, citing the merits of his case.

Share

Trump announces pardon for jailed election clerk, despite convictions on state charges

Donald Trump announced he would pardon former Colorado election clerk Tina Peters. In a post on Truth Social the president wrote that Peters – who is currently serving a nine year state sentence for her attempts to overturn the 2020 election results – is a “Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest”.

Trump added that “Democrats have been relentless in their targeting” of Peters, who served as the clerk for Mesa County. She was found guilty on state charges of election interference, including four felony counts.

In response to Trump’s announcement, several Democratic officials decried his efforts to overturn a state conviction. A reminder that the constitution grants the president pardon power for federal crimes.

“Tina Peters is rightfully in Colorado state prison,” said senator Michael Bennet. “Trump’s corrupt and political attempts at a pardon won’t work here. Once again, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”

Tina Peters speaks during a debate for the state leadership position Saturday in Hudson, Colorado, 25 February 2023. Photograph: David Zalubowski/APShare

Donald Trump is in Washington today. We’ll see him at 3pm ET for a bill signing in the Oval Office. We’ll make sure to bring you the latest lines.

Earlier, he’ll take part in a swearing-in ceremony for Ben Black, the CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, and John Jovanovic, who serves as the chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM).

A reminder that Jovanovic is married to the daughter of Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz.

That ceremony is currently closed to the press, but we’ll let you know if that changes.

Share



SOURCE PAGE