The administration of President Donald Trump has announced it will halt the visa lottery programme that allowed the suspect in the Brown University shooting to enter the United States.

The lottery awards approximately 50,000 immigrant visas each year, according to the US government.

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But Trump has long opposed the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, sometimes known as the DV Programme. On Friday, his secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, revealed that he had directed her to end the lottery immediately.

She also identified the suspect as Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who received his green card, a certificate for permanent residency, through the lottery in 2017.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem wrote in her social media statement.

“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS [US Citizenship and Immigration Services] to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”

Campaign to end visa lottery

Friday’s announcement is not the first time Trump has sought to wind down the diversity visa lottery.

Trump has long sought to narrow the country’s pathways to legal immigration, and he has used crime as a pretext for doing so.

Noem herself pointed out that, in 2017, Trump “fought” to shut down the diversity visa lottery in the wake of an attack in New York City in which a truck rammed into a crowd of people, killing eight.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for the FBI in December 2017, Trump, then in his first term as president, called on Congress to “end the visa lottery system”.

“They have a lottery. You pick people. Do you think the country is giving us their best people? No,” Trump said.

“What kind of a system is that? They come in by lottery. They give us their worst people.”

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme was established in 1990 to ensure applicants from underrepresented countries had access to the US immigration system.

Immigration rights advocates have long argued that pathways to permanent residency are narrow for those who do not already have a spouse, relative or some other kind of sponsor in the country.

The visa lottery helps to answer that need by creating an alternative route to residency.

The lottery system selects visa recipients randomly, but critics argue it remains a long-shot avenue to gain US residency, and even successful applicants must still pass a rigorous screening process after the lottery.

While the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme used to accept 55,000 applicants each year, in 2000, that number was lowered to its current level, according to the American Immigration Council.

Surveillance images released by police show Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University [Providence Police Dept via AP Photo]

Suspect identified

Friday’s decision to immediately suspend the lottery comes as new details emerge about Neves Valente, a physics scholar found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire after a nationwide manhunt.

The search began on December 13, when gunfire erupted on the campus of Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island.

The school’s fall semester was at its conclusion, and the exam period had begun. Students in the Barus and Holley physics laboratory were taking their end-of-course exams when a suspect, clad in black, entered the building and opened fire, killing two students and injuring nine others.

The physics lab was close to the edge of campus, and the suspect was able to escape on foot undetected.

The manhunt included several false starts, as authorities said they quickly detained a person of interest, only to release the individual without charges.

Then, on November 15, law enforcement officials announced that a plasma physics scholar named Nuno Loureiro had been found dead at his home after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Loureiro was also a Portuguese immigrant, and he had served as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a highly regarded science institution.

It was not immediately clear that the two shooting incidents were related, and authorities faced pressure to bring the Brown University shooter to justice as the manhunt dragged on.

But on Thursday night, officials announced they had discovered Neves Valente dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and that they believed him to be responsible for both attacks.

Neves Valente had previously studied in a PhD programme at Brown, though he did not complete his degree, and he had been Loureiro’s classmate in Portugal.

Visa revocations

The Trump administration has a track record of revoking visas and terminating immigration programmes after high-profile attacks.

On November 26, for example, two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot while on patrol in Washington, DC, as part of Trump’s crime crackdown in the capital.

The suspect in that case was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who had previously worked with allied forces during the US-led war in Afghanistan.

One of the National Guard soldiers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, ultimately died from her wounds.

Trump responded to the incident by announcing that he was halting all visa applications and asylum requests from Afghan nationals, despite outcry from human rights and veterans groups.

The Republican leader also said he would pursue a “permanent pause” on entry for immigrants from “all third-world countries”.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump’s White House tightened entry for 19 countries it had identified in June as “high risk” and expanded the list of restrictions to include 20 more countries.

Trump has also taken targeted actions to strip individuals of their immigration status following shootings.

After the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September, the Trump administration announced it was yanking visas from six foreign nationals who posted disrespectful comments or memes online about the attack. They hailed from countries ranging from Argentina to Brazil, and Germany to Paraguay.

Free-speech advocates said the decision was a clear violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects the freedom of expression.

But the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to boot foreign nationals whose views do not align with its policy priorities.

“Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed,” the US State Department wrote in response.

The suspect in the Kirk shooting is a 22-year-old US citizen named Tyler James Robinson from Utah.

Studies have repeatedly shown that US-born citizens are more likely to commit violent crimes than immigrants.

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The US says its military has carried out a “massive strike” against the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria, in response to a deadly attack on American forces in the country.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery “struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria”. Aircraft from Jordan were also involved.

It said the operation “employed more than 100 precision munitions” targeting known IS infrastructure and weapons sites.

President Donald Trump said “we are striking very strongly” against IS strongholds, following the 13 December IS ambush in the city of Palmyra in which two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter were killed.

In a statement on X, Centcom, which directs American military operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, said Operation Hawkeye Strike was launched at 16:00 Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday.

Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that the US “will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation “is not the beginning of a war – it is a declaration of vengeance.

“If you target Americans – anywhere in the world – you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.

“Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,” the US defence secretary added.

Posting on Truth Social, President Trump said the US “is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible”.

He said the Syrian government was “fully in support”.

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OBHR) said IS positions near the cities of Raqqa and Deir ez Zor were targeted.

It said that a prominent IS leader and a number of fighters were killed.

IS has not publicly commented. The BBC was unable to verify the targets immediately.

Centcom earlier said that the deadly attack in Palmyra was carried out by an IS gunman, who was “engaged and killed”.

Another three US soldiers were injured in the ambush, with a Pentagon official saying that it happened “in an area where the Syrian president does not have control.”

At the same time, the SOHR said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.

In 2019, a US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters announced IS had lost the last pocket of territory in Syria it controlled, but since then the jihadist group has carried out some attacks.

The United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

US troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to help train other forces as part of a campaign against IS.

Syria has recently joined an international coalition to combat IS and has pledged to co-operate with the US.

In November, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader whose coalition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024 – met Trump at the White House, describing his visit as part of a “new era” for the two countries.

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The United States on Friday launched airstrikes against more than 70 Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack that killed two US soldiers and an interpreter in Palmyra last week.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East, said on social media that US forces “have commenced a large-scale strike against ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites in Syria.”

Syrian state television reported that strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces as well as in the Jabal al-Amour area near Palmyra.

It said they targeted “weapons storage sites and headquarters used by IS as launching points for its operations in the region.”

A Pentagon official told the Associated Press that the attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters.

“Earlier today, US forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on US forces that occurred on December 13 in Palmyra, Syria,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post.

“This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” he continued. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.”

Recap: Two US soldiers killed in Syria 

Two Iowa National Guard members and a civilian interpreter were killed on December 13 in an attack in the Syrian desert that the Trump administration has blamed on the Islamic State group.

The US Army named the soldiers as Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. The interpreter was Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Macomb, Michigan.

Soon after the attack, which occurred when a Syrian security guard burst into a meeting of US and Syrian security officials and opened fire, US President Donald Trump promised “very serious retaliation.”

He insisted the target of the response would be IS, not Syria, stressing that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”

On Friday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement reading: “Syria reiterates its commitment to combat Islamic State and intensify military operations against the group after the US strikes.” It said there could be “no safe havens on Syrian territory” for the terrorist group.

Trump said on Friday that the US was “striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated.”

Earlier this week, Trump met privately with the families of the dead Americans at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Syria still scarred after 14-year civil war

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Is the Islamic State still present in Syria?

After taking control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, the so-called Islamic State is considered militarily defeated, but its fighters remain active in both countries and continue to carry out attacks.

Since sweeping to power and deposing former President Bashar al-Assad a year ago, the new Syrian regime under al-Sharaa and his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group has attempted to restore relations with the international community and insisted that it is opposed to terrorism and  Islamist extremism.

Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Islamic State, reaching an agreement last month when al-Sharaa met Trump at the White House.

Approximately 1,000 US troops remain stationed in Syria.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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Putin begins annual televised news conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual news conference on Friday, which featured questions from journalists and members of the public across the country. (Credit: Reuters)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow would refrain from launching new attacks on other nations provided that his country is treated “with respect.”

The Kremlin made the remarks during his annual televised press conference in Moscow, as concerns persist among European nations that Russia poses a security threat, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

“Will there be new special military operations? There will be no operations if you treat us with respect, if you observe our interests, just as we have constantly tried to observe yours,” Putin said.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Putin uses the phrase “special military operation” to describe Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, according to AFP.

He added that there would be no further Russian invasions “if you don’t cheat us like you cheated us with NATO’s eastward expansion,” according to the BBC.

The Russian leader also claimed he was “ready and willing” to end the war in Ukraine “peacefully,” though he offered few details suggesting a willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.

PUTIN CLAIMS ‘TROOPS ARE ADVANCING,’ WILL ACHIEVE GOALS AS EU APPROVES MASSIVE UKRAINE LOAN

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a journalist’s question during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.  (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The yearly press conference, which typically runs at least four hours, features questions from journalists and members of the public across Russia. 

More than 2.5 million questions were submitted to this year’s event, which focused heavily on the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Putin also noted during the event that the nation’s “troops are advancing” and expressed confidence that Russia will accomplish its objectives through military means if Ukraine does not assent to Russia’s terms during peace talks, according to The Associated Press.

PUTIN DOUBLES DOWN ON BACKING MADURO AMID MOUNTING US PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, thanks a group of volunteers who worked preparing his call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,” Putin declared.

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As the war drags on, the European Union has just agreed to provide Ukraine with a more than $105 billion loan.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead at their home on Dec. 14; their son Nick has been charged with murder
• Albert Brooks, a longtime friend of Rob, appears in the upcoming special “CBS News: Rob Reiner — Scenes from a Life”
• “I’m still in that not believing it stage,” said Brooks of losing Rob, whom he first befriended in high school

Albert Brooks is processing the loss of his longtime friend Rob Reiner.

“Rob was my oldest friend. It’s that simple,” said Brooks, 78, in the upcoming “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life.” The one-hour special, airing on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, follows the tragic loss of Rob and his wife, Michele Reiner, who were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, Dec. 14.

“He’s the person that I’ve known the longest. I met him when I was 14 years old,” continued Brooks, who attended Beverly Hills High School with Rob. Of his loss, the actor-filmmaker added, “I’m still in that not believing it stage.” 

Per CBS News, the special will also include “new, emotional interviews” featuring Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O’Connell and Mandy Patinkin about the This Is Spinal Tap director-star’s “extraordinary career and legacy.”

Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner in 2003.

L. Cohen/WireImage

Rob, the son of Carl Reiner and Estelle Lebost, directed some of Hollywood’s most beloved films, from his 1984 directorial debut This Is Spinal Tap, to Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Misery (1990) and A Few Good Men (1992).

Rob, 78, and Michele, 70, shared sons Jake and Nick and daughter Romy. Nick, 32, was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths. He appeared in court on Wednesday, Dec. 17; his lawyer, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea for his client. His arraignment will take place on Jan. 7.

Brooks reported in his CBS News interview that there are moments he’s forgotten Rob has died. “I know it happened, but, you know, I’m driving around and all of a sudden — I actually two days ago, I called his number,” he recalled. 

The pals had sung each other’s praises in interviews throughout their decades-long friendship. “I’ve always looked up to you because in my mind nobody could do what you do,” Rob told Brooks on CBS Mornings in 2023. Of directing a documentary on his friend that year, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, Rob told the outlet, “I knew all the things that Albert had done, I knew how brilliant he was. I wanted them to know.”

Rob Reiner, Michele Singer, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan and Jake Reiner at “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” Premiere on September 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, spoke out about the “horrific and devastating loss” of their parents, Rob and Michele, in a statement shared on Wednesday. “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day.” 

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has featured in a number of pictures that were among thousands of documents relating to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein

23:37, 19 Dec 2025Updated 23:47, 19 Dec 2025

Sarah Ferguson has featured in the Epstein files photos

Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, has featured in photographs released in the Epstein files.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife featured in a number of pictures that were among thousands of documents relating to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein that were published on the U.S Department of Justice’s website on Friday evening.

The disgraced former duchess is seen posing for a photograph with someone on the street and talking to a woman while sat on a sofa. In both images Fergie is seen wearing a long purple coat and a black dress. Although she is wearing the same outfit it is unclear if the photographs were taken on the same day.

Sarah Ferguson appeared to be wearing the same outfit in both images

The photographs Fergie features in do not show any wrongdoing and simply being pictured or named in these files is not proof of any wrongdoing. The images and documents have been shared without context and it isn’t clear when the images were taken.

Last month, King Charles officially stripped Andrew of his HRH style and his prince title, and removed his dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage over Andrew’s “serious lapses” of judgment.

Andrew has also been forced to give up his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, and will move to a house on the King’s private Sandringham estate next year.

Photos of Sarah Ferguson appear in Epstein files after former duchess was exiled over links to paedophile financier

Fergie lost her Duchess title after the pair came under intense scrutiny over their friendship with Epstein. She has since been dropped from numerous charities as an ambassador and was even forced to withdraw the sale of her upcoming children’s book.

The former Prince Andrew is seen in one photograph released tonight smiling and lying down on a bench as jailed socialite Ghislaine Maxwell looks on.

The US Department of Justice are legally obligated to make all files related to the investigation public by midnight tonight after the Epstein Files Transparency Act was passed.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates by clicking here.

This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.

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The Delaware Supreme Court rules in favour of Musk and his $56bn compensation package.

Published On 19 Dec 202519 Dec 2025

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Elon Musk’s 2018 pay package from Tesla, once worth $56bn, has been restored by the Delaware Supreme Court, in the United States, two years after a lower court struck down the compensation deal as “unfathomable”.

Friday’s ruling overturns a decision that had prompted a furious backlash from Musk and damaged Delaware’s business-friendly reputation.

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The pay package was by far the largest ever, until Tesla shareholders approved a new, even larger pay plan of nearly $1 trillion in November.

The ruling means that Musk can finally get paid for his work since 2018, when he transformed Tesla from a struggling startup to one of the world’s most valuable companies.

The 2018 pay deal provided Musk options to acquire about 304 million Tesla shares at a deeply discounted price if the company hit various milestones, which it did.

Tesla estimated in 2018 that the plan was potentially worth $56bn, although given the rise in the stock price, the value ballooned to about $120bn by early November. The options represent approximately 9 percent of Tesla’s outstanding stock.

Musk never collected his stock options because, soon after shareholders approved the 2018 compensation, the board was sued by Richard Tornetta, an investor with just nine Tesla shares.

In 2024, after a five-day trial, Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick concluded that Tesla’s directors were conflicted and key facts were hidden from shareholders when they voted to approve the plan. She ordered that the 2018 plan be rescinded.

Musk accused Delaware judges of being activists, hostile to tech founders, and he urged businesses to follow Tesla and reincorporate elsewhere.

Dropbox, Roblox, The Trade Desk and Coinbase were among the handful of large companies that moved their legal homes to Nevada or Texas. However, Delaware remains by far the most popular legal home for US public companies.

Tesla’s board has warned that Musk, the world’s richest person who also leads the SpaceX rocket venture and the artificial intelligence startup xAI, could leave the electric car company if he does not get the pay he wants and an increase in his voting power.

In November, shareholders approved a new pay package that could be worth $878bn if Tesla meets targets for self-driving vehicles, a robotaxi network and sales of humanoid robots.

Tesla has taken steps to reduce the risk that a shareholder could tie up the 2025 package in the courts.

The Austin-based company is now incorporated in Texas, which allows Tesla to require that any investor or group of investors must own 3 percent of the company stock before suing for an alleged corporate law violation. A stake of that size would be worth about $30bn, and Musk is the only individual with that much stock.

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Trump administration begins releasing long-awaited Epstein files

The US justice department has begun releasing the long-awaited “Epstein files”, after months of political wrangling, a popular furor and repeated attempts to deflect scrutiny over Donald Trump’s links to the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The release comes after deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said that the justice department would release “several hundred thousand documents” from the Epstein files on Friday but hinted that some may be held back – at least temporarily – citing the need to protect victims.

“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks,” he added.

House Democrats, led by Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, condemned the Trump administration’s delay to release all of the Epstein files as a violation of federal law and vowed to pursue legal options.

The scandal has dominated Washington for months, dogging the US president since his return to the White House for a second term, splintering his conservative base and spurring accusations of an attempted “cover-up” from across the political spectrum.

Some of the most sought-after material will pertain to the president’s relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019. Trump and Epstein were close friends for years before falling out.

Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing. But concerns have been raised about how, why and when his relationship with Epstein broke down, and how much Trump knew about Epstein’s conduct. Trump and his allies have denied that he knew about Epstein’s conduct, and no evidence has suggested that he took part in Epstein’s trafficking operation.

A projection on to a building near the White House demanding that Trump release the Epstein files. Photograph: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/ShutterstockShare

Updated at 22.09 CET

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor pictured in new files

Another photo shows Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, lying across five people whose faces are redacted. The only other identifiable person is Ghislaine Maxwell, who is standing behind them.

Andrew has been under scrutiny for many years over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. He has denied all accusations against him. In a statement from October after he was stripped of his royal titles, Andrew said he stood by his decision to step back from public life as the “accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family”. “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.”

Ghislaine Maxwell and former Prince Andrew in a partially redacted photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

What had already emerged about Trump’s links to Epstein?

Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were friends for 15 years, with Epstein at one point believing himself to be Trump’s “closest friend”.

“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

The relationship eventually broke down, with the men falling out over a bidding war on a property in Florida. After Epstein was convicted of child sex offences in Florida in 2008, Trump distanced himself from the financier, claiming he was “not a fan”.

The most recent explanation of the relationship breakdown from Trump is that the friendship ended because Epstein repeatedly “stole” employees from the spa at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, which Trump deemed an “inappropriate” tactic. He has suggested one of the employees was Epstein’s most high-profile accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April.

Virginia Giuffre, who died earlier this year. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

Other reports suggest that Trump barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after Epstein behaved inappropriately toward a club member’s teenage daughter, according to journalists from the Miami Herald and Wall Street Journal.

After the president spent the summer batting away questions over his relationship with Epstein, on 8 September a 238-page scrapbook given to Epstein for his 50th birthday was made public by House Democrats.

Featuring letters suggesting the sex offender’s lecherous exploits were an open secret, the book included a message bearing Donald Trump’s signature.

Inside a sketch of a woman’s torso, the message depicts an imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein, concluding:

Happy birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.

Trump’s name and distinctive signature appear below.

The White House claimed the signature was not Trump’s, despite it appearing identical to numerous public examples. Trump dismissed the letter as “FAKE”.

(Here is our explainer of who is in the “birthday book” and what they said.)

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 1997. Photograph: Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images

Then in November, Democrats released three of Epstein’s email exchanges that suggest Trump knew about the disgraced financier’s conduct.

In a message sent to Ghislaine Maxwell on 2 April 2011, Epstein described Trump as “that dog that hasn’t barked”. Epstein wrote that Trump “spent hours at my house” with one of his sex-trafficked victims, and noted that Trump had “never once been mentioned” in connection with his crimes. Maxwell replied: “I have been thinking about that … ”

In a separate message, sent to the journalist Michael Wolff in January 2019, Epstein wrote: “of course [Trump] knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.”

The third released email exchange, from December 2015, shows Wolff advising Epstein that if Trump claimed to have not visited Epstein’s house or flown on his plane, “then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency”.

Maxwell, the daughter of the media tycoon Robert Maxwell, was Epstein’s one time girlfriend and was convicted of sex trafficking crimes as his accomplice.

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Updated at 23.58 CET

Group photos including Trump seen in latest Epstein file release

We’re very much still combing through all the files, but one image so far has featured Donald Trump. On a desk with many photographs of Epstein and various people including Bill Clinton and Mohammed bin Salman, is a photo in which Trump stands with several women and another that has been previously released with Melania Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein.

A photograph released as part of the Epstein files. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

A quick recap: how did we get here?

Trump and his allies long stoked conspiracy theories around Epstein and he and vice-president JD Vance promised the release of the files on the campaign trail. Pam Bondi also told Fox News in February that a list of Epstein’s clients was “sitting on my desk ready to review”.

The Department of Justice gave a group of conservative commentators binders labeled “The Epstein files: phase one” later in February. But the files contained little new information, leaving conspiracy theorists disappointed, prompting Bondi to describe the documents as the “first phase of files”. In a statement, the DoJ said it “remains committed to transparency and intends to release the remaining documents upon review and redaction to protect the identities of Epstein’s victims”.

But in an abrupt U-turn in July, the DoJ walked that back, announcing there was no client list and that it would not be making public any more files related to the sex-trafficking investigation.

The fallout was significant, with the saga dramatically plunging Trump’s Maga base into turmoil and igniting an intense backlash amid accusations of a “cover-up”.

Trump and Epstein depicted in a work of protest art by free speech advocates on the National Mall. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

Republican lawmakers moved to block a Democratic effort to force the release of the Epstein files on 14 July. But the next day, House speaker Mike Johnson, a fierce Trump ally, called for the Epstein documents to be released.

“It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it,” Johnson told a rightwing podcaster, joining a small but growing number of Republicans demanding the documents be made public. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman, Republican members of the House, demanded more information be released.

Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the uproar and went on the attack, calling the issue a “hoax” and railing against those who wanted to make the documents public. The Epstein files, he said, were “boring” and anyone who cared about them – though many of them are his own supporters – were “bad people”.

As the issue refused to go away, four dissident Republicans in the House, and all Democrats, banded together to force a vote on a bill to release the files, over Johnson’s objections.

The House overwhelmingly approved the bill on 19 November in a 427-1 tally. The Senate agreed to pass the bill, and it was sent to Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

The law required the justice department to release the files within 30 days, though it is permitted to hold back records that identify victims, including images of child sexual abuse, or documents that have been deemed classified.

It also has discretion to withhold records that could prejudice a federal investigation. Trump last month ordered a criminal investigation into Epstein’s links with prominent Democrats, including former president Bill Clinton.

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Ex-Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson seen in photos released by DoJ

Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, can also be seen sitting on a sofa next to a person whose identity has been shielded, and standing next to a woman in another photo whose face is also redacted.

There is no context provided and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing.

Sarah Ferguson in a partially redacted photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeSarah Ferguson in a partially redacted photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

Updated at 23.34 CET

Mick Jagger and Bill Clinton appear in photos released by DoJ

Another photo shows Ghislaine Maxwell, Mick Jagger, Bill Clinton and others around a table. There is no context given and appearing in these photos is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger and Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

Updated at 23.34 CET

Schumer decries ‘heavily redacted’ files as ‘just a fraction of the whole body of evidence’

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has condemned the justice department for “releasing just a fraction of the whole body of evidence” on Epstein.

“Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” he said in a statement.

The law Congress passed calls for the complete release of the Epstein files so that there can be full transparency. This set of heavily redacted documents released by the Department of Justice today is just a fraction of the whole body of evidence.

Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law. For example, all 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out. We need answers as to why.

Senate Democrats are working to assess the documents that have been released to determine what actions must be taken to hold the Trump administration accountable. We will pursue every option to make sure the truth comes out.

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Updated at 00.15 CET

Here Jeffrey Epstein is pictured with Peter Mandelson. Again, there is no context and no suggestion of wrongdoing.

Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

Updated at 23.17 CET

More files to be released on rolling basis, deputy attorney general says

Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche has said more files will be released by the justice department on a rolling basis.

He said in a post on X that “additional responsive materials will be produced as our review continues, consistent with the law and with protections for victims”.

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Updated at 23.33 CET

Photos: files release includes celebrities pictured in with Epstein

Here are some images from the newly released files that feature Michael Jackson, Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, Diana Ross, Chris Tucker and other people whose identities have been shielded.

These images have been released as part of this trove of files without context, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes.

Jeffrey Epstein and Michael Jackson. Photograph: Department of JusticeRichard Branson and Jeffrey Epstein in a partially redacted photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeBill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein. Photograph: Department of JusticeBill Clinton in a partially redacted photo released by the Department of Justice. Photograph: Department of JusticeChris Tucker and Bill Clinton in a partially redacted photo. Photograph: Department of JusticeBill Clinton with a woman whose face is redacted. Photograph: Department of JusticeMichael Jackson, Bill Clinton and Diana Ross, along with a fourth person whose face is redacted. Photograph: Department of JusticeBill Clinton pictured with a woman whose face is redacted. Photograph: Department of JusticeShare

Updated at 23.08 CET

More than 1,200 victims and their relatives identified, says Blanche

Deputy attorney general Todd Blanche has said that more than 1,200 victims and their families were found during the review of the documents, according to a letter to Congress obtained by Fox News, and that the justice department had redacted or withheld any materials that could reveal their identities.

In the letter, Blanche said:

This process resulted in over 1,200 names being identified as victims or their relatives. We have redacted reference to such names. In addition to redacting the names of these victims, we have also redacted and are not producing any materials that could result in their identification.

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Updated at 23.06 CET

On initial review, there are a striking number of photos featuring former president Bill Clinton.

The former US president can be seen in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell in one photo, and in a hot tub with a person whose face is redacted in another.

A reminder that there is no suggestion of wrongdoing and Clinton has previously condemned Epstein and denied knowing anything of his conduct.

Bill Clinton swims in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell. Photograph: US Justice Department/ReutersShare

Updated at 22.57 CET

White House says release demonstrates Trump administration’s transparency

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson has this statement on the release, calling the Trump administration “the most transparent in history”.

The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have. And while President Trump is delivering on his promises, Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett have yet to explain why they were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein after he was a convicted sex offender. The American people deserve answers.

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Updated at 22.37 CET

There are a vast number of photos of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and others on trips in locations including Bali, Indonesia; Morocco and St Tropez, France.

As our reporters and editors comb through the files, many of the images are heavily redacted, in line with a requirement under the the Epstein Files Transparency Act to redact information that identified potential victims of Epstein or contained child sexual-abuse material. Under the law the justice department was also permitted to withhold material involved in active investigations.

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Updated at 22.27 CET

The material is sorted into four categories: court records, disclosures the justice department said it made under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and material released in response to freedom of information requests; and the records it released in September to the House oversight committee.

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Updated at 22.19 CET

DOJ says reasonable efforts taken to protect victims

The justice department has included this privacy notice on the website housing the documents, which it calls the “full Epstein library”:

In view of the Congressional deadline, all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information pertaining to victims, other private individuals, and protect sensitive materials from disclosure. That said, because of the volume of information involved, this website may nevertheless contain information that inadvertently includes non-public personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, to include matters of a sexual nature.

It also carries this warning:

Some of the library’s contents include descriptions of sexual assault. As such, please be advised that certain portions of this library may not be appropriate for all readers.

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Updated at 22.34 CET

The release of the files is broken up into four data sets, which we are now reviewing. You can find them here, here, here and here.

There are almost 4,000 files, totaling 3GB of photos and documents.

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Updated at 23.39 CET

Trump administration begins releasing long-awaited Epstein files

The US justice department has begun releasing the long-awaited “Epstein files”, after months of political wrangling, a popular furor and repeated attempts to deflect scrutiny over Donald Trump’s links to the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The release comes after deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said that the justice department would release “several hundred thousand documents” from the Epstein files on Friday but hinted that some may be held back – at least temporarily – citing the need to protect victims.

“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks,” he added.

House Democrats, led by Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, condemned the Trump administration’s delay to release all of the Epstein files as a violation of federal law and vowed to pursue legal options.

The scandal has dominated Washington for months, dogging the US president since his return to the White House for a second term, splintering his conservative base and spurring accusations of an attempted “cover-up” from across the political spectrum.

Some of the most sought-after material will pertain to the president’s relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019. Trump and Epstein were close friends for years before falling out.

Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing. But concerns have been raised about how, why and when his relationship with Epstein broke down, and how much Trump knew about Epstein’s conduct. Trump and his allies have denied that he knew about Epstein’s conduct, and no evidence has suggested that he took part in Epstein’s trafficking operation.

A projection on to a building near the White House demanding that Trump release the Epstein files. Photograph: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/ShutterstockShare

Updated at 22.09 CET

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A photo released by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement showing Kemal Mrndzic (right) on 2 November 1992

The US justice department has launched a civil legal case against a man accused of being a Bosnian war criminal to revoke his citizenship.

Kemal Mrndzic did not disclose during his US immigration process that he served as a guard at Bosnia’s notorious Celebici prison camp, where atrocities were committed, the department said.

A UN war crimes tribunal found that people held in the camp during the Bosnian war were killed, tortured, sexually assaulted, beaten and subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment.

US President Donald Trump’s administration would not allow people who “persecute others” to “reap the benefits of refuge in the US”, justice department official Brett Shumate said.

The assistant attorney general added that the legal case showed the value that the US government placed on “the integrity of its naturalisation process”.

Mrndzic was found guilty by a jury in October 2024 on several counts of criminal fraud and misrepresentation in relation to his successful application for a US passport and naturalisation certificate.

He failed to disclose to immigration authorities the nature and timing of his military service, or that “he persecuted Bosnian-Serb inmates as a prison guard”, the justice department said.

Mrndzic was sentenced in January 2025 to more than five years in prison.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A set of photos that appear to show Kemal Mrndzic through the years, from 1992 to 2019, released by US officials

The Bosnian war followed the break-up of Soviet Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and led to the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995.

Srebrenica, recognised by the UN as a genocide, became known as Europe’s worst mass atrocity since World War Two, after Bosnian-Serb forces systematically murdered more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys.

The Celebici prison camp was operated by Bosniak and Bosnian-Croat forces, who were also responsible for widespread killings in areas they controlled.

Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was tried for war crimes and genocide, and the massacre led to the US-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement on 14 December 1995.

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Skip next section Schumer: ‘Mountain of blacked out pages violates spirit of transparency’

12/20/2025December 20, 2025

Schumer: ‘Mountain of blacked out pages violates spirit of transparency’

Senate minority leader Chuck criticized the Justice Department for failing to release all the material in the Epstein files. 

“Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law,” he said in a statement. “For example, all 119 pages of one document were completely blacked out. We need answers as to why.”

The law passed by a large majority of Congress and signed by President Trump calls for the complete release of the Epstein files in a searchable format.

“Senate Democrats are working to assess the documents that have been released to determine what actions must be taken to hold the Trump administration accountable. We will pursue every option to make sure the truth comes out,” Schumer’s statement added.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k82

Skip next section White House hails release of Epstein files, takes aim at Democrats

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

White House hails release of Epstein files, takes aim at Democrats

The White House said the release of the Epstein files showed that President Donald Trump’s administration was the “most transparent in history,” while criticizing Democrats for ties to the late financier.

“By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday, multiple Democratic Party lawmakers denounced the partial release of the files, accusing the Department of Justice of breaking the law by not releasing all documents.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k7G

Skip next section Justice Department discovered 1,200 victims in review — Blanche

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

Justice Department discovered 1,200 victims in review — Blanche

The Department of Justice had discovered over 1,200 victims and their families during an exhaustive review, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a letter to Congress published by the Fox broadcaster.

According to the letter, the department redacted the names of the victims, as well as information that could lead to their identification.

Prosecutors are able to withhold information related to active investigations.

In a privacy notice accompanying released files, the Department of Justice called for members of the public to notify authorities if they identify any information that should not have been posted.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k6i

Skip next section Four data sets released in Epstein files

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

Four data sets released in Epstein files

Some users faced a wait to access the Department of Justice websiteImage: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

The Department of Justice has released four data sets containing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

You can view the files here, here, here and here on the Department of Justice’s  website for what it calls the “Epstein Library.”

https://p.dw.com/p/55k6H

Skip next section Justice Department begins releasing Epstein files

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

Justice Department begins releasing Epstein files

The US Justice Department has begun releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The documents are expected to reveal further details on Epstein’s connections to powerful people, including politicians and business figures.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier in the day that several hundred thousand documents would be released on Friday.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k3S

Skip next section What is the deadline for the Epstein files’ release?

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

What is the deadline for the Epstein files’ release?

Documents related to Jeffrey Epstein are to be released by the Justice Department by midnight local time (0500 UTC).

The deadline is stipulated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on November 19 after a near-unanimous vote in Congress.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k1h

Skip next section Blanche says not all Epstein files to be released on Friday

12/19/2025December 19, 2025

Blanche says not all Epstein files to be released on Friday

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that not all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein will be released on Friday despite a legal deadline calling for just that.

Blanche told the conservative Fox News broadcaster that several hundred thousand documents would be released on Friday.

“Over the next couple of weeks … I expect several hundred thousand more” will be released, Blanche said.

Blanche’s comments were met with fierce criticism by multiple lawmakers.

“The Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law,” the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement.

Democratic lawmakers Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia released a joint statement accusing Trump and the Department of Justice of “violating federal law,” adding that they were “examining all legal options” to deal with the alleged violation.

Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, who announced late last month she would resign in January over disagreements with the Trump administration, also urged the release of all of the files.

“My goodness, what is in the Epstein files? Release all the files. It’s literally the law,” she said in a post on X.

Delays in Epstein file release weigh on MAGA movement

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https://p.dw.com/p/55k1e

Skip next section Welcome to our coverage12/19/2025December 19, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

A deadline is approaching for the US Justice Department to release documents related to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The deadline was established by The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump in late November after the bill passed Congress in a near-unanimous vote.

Democratic lawmakers published 68 images from the Epstein estate ahead of the deadline.

Releasing documents related to Epstein was one of Trump’s campaign promises during the November 2024 election, which he later attempted to downplay early in his term, a move that sparked an outcry from his own base.

Stay with us for DW’s coverage of the Epstein-related documents and their release.

https://p.dw.com/p/55k1M

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