South Koreas spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the countrys future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.

The assessment by the National Intelligence Service comes as North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip.

In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are closely monitoring whether Kims daughter believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.

First appearing in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022, Kim Ju Ae has since accompanied her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings. She traveled with him to Beijing last September for Kim's first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in six years on the sidelines of a World War II event.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | President Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on trade, North Korea

Speculation about her political future intensified last month when she joined her parents on a New Years Day visit to Pyongyangs Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a sacred family mausoleum displaying the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather, the countrys first- and second-generation leaders. Some experts saw the visit as the clearest sign yet that shes positioned to be the heir to her 42-year-old father.

South Korean officials initially expressed doubt that she could be chosen as a North Korean leader, citing the countrys deeply conservative culture and tradition of male-dominated leadership. But her increasingly prominent appearances in state media have prompted a reassessment.

In its previous assessment of Kim Ju Aes status in September, the NIS told lawmakers that Kim Jong Uns decision to bring her along on his trip to China was likely part of an effort to build a narrative possibly paving the way for her succession.

In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of successor training. What was notable today is that they used the term successor-designate stage, a shift that's quite significant, Lee said.

According to Lee, the agency cited her growing presence at high-profile military events, her inclusion in the family visit to Kumsusan, and signs that Kim Jong Un was beginning to seek her input on certain policy matters.

Not much is known about Kims daughter

Despite her increased visibility in propaganda, North Korean state media have never published the name of Kim Jong Uns daughter, only referring to her as his respected or most beloved child.

The belief that she is named Kim Ju Ae is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, in which he recalled holding Kim Jong Uns baby daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013. South Korean intelligence officials believe she was born sometime that year.

In 2023, South Koreas spy agency told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife also likely have an older son and a younger third child whose gender is unknown.

Since its foundation in 1948, North Korea has been ruled by male members of the Kim family, beginning with the countrys founder Kim Il Sung and followed by his son, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un was just 26 when he was officially named heir during a 2010 party conference, two years after Kim Jong Il suffered a debilitating stroke. Following his fathers death in December 2011, he was abruptly thrust into the throne with relatively little preparation.

Some analysts suggest that Kim Jong Uns decision to debut his daughter early possibly reflects his own experience of being rushed into power.

Party congress may offer hints toward succession plans

Kim Ju Aes first known visit to Kumsusan last month was also her fathers first visit to the site in three years. Given the palaces status as a key symbol of the Kim family rule, the trip should be seen as a symbolic gesture by Kim Jong Un to present his daughter as his heir before his grandfather and father as he prepares for the major ruling party congress, said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior analyst at South Koreas Sejong Institute.

The Workers Party congress in late February, last held in 2016 and 2021, could provide a stage for Kim Jong Un to formalize his succession plans, possibly by giving his daughter the partys first secretary post, its No. 2 job, although such a decision might not be immediately disclosed to the outside world, Cheong said.

Other analysts question whether she would receive such a high-profile post or any formal party role, given that party rules require members to be at least 18.

If Kim Jong Un does use the party congress to cement his daughter as successor, the signs would be more subtle, said Koh Yu-hwan, former president of South Koreas Institute of National Unification.

For example, the party may issue self-praise about how North Korea has survived longer than most other Communist states and credit that to how the country established a "successful inheritance of the revolution, he said.

If you see comments like that, it would be reasonable to think that Ju Ae has been cemented, as heir, Koh said.

Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at storied investment bank Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, announced her resignation Thursday, after emails between her and Jeffrey Epstein showed a close relationship where she described him as an older brother and downplayed his sex crimes.

Ruemmler said in a statement that she would "step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026.

Up until her resignation, Ruemmler repeatedly tried to distance herself from the emails and other correspondence and had been defiant that she would not resign from Goldmans top legal post, which she had held since 2020.

RELATED STORY | Key Democrat accuses the Justice Department of 'spying' on lawmakers reviewing Epstein files

While Ruemmler has called Epstein a monster in recent statements, she had a much different relationship with Epstein before he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail. Ruemmler called Epstein Uncle Jeffrey in emails and said she adored him.

In a statement before her resignation, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said Ruemmler regrets ever knowing him.

In her statement Thursday, Ruemmler said: Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firms legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do. My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs interests first."

Goldman CEO David Solomonsaid in a separate statement: "As one of the most accomplished professionals in her field, Kathy has also been a mentor and friend to many of our people, and she will be missed. I accepted her resignation, and I respect her decision.

RELATED STORY | Pam Bondi deflects from Epstein files as Democratic lawmakers press her for answers

During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender.

So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!! Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018.

Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the companys code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.

As late as December, Goldman CEO David Solomon described Ruemmler as an excellent lawyer and said she had his full faith and backing.

The United States will send the world's largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump's efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

The USS Gerald R. Ford's planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn't materialize as one of Tehran's top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the U.S. intermediaries.

RELATED STORY | Trump warns of 'very traumatic' outcome for Iran if no nuclear deal is reached

Already, Gulf Arab nations have warned any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Mideast still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iranians are beginning to hold 40-day mourning ceremonies for the thousands killed in Tehran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, adding to the internal pressure faced by the sanctions-battered Islamic Republic.

The Ford's deployment, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. Already, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers are in the Arabian Sea.

The person who spoke to The Associated Press on the deployment did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

Ford had been part of Venezuela strike force

It marks a quick turnaround for the Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration build up a huge military presence in the lead-up to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro.

It also appears to be at odds with Trumps national security strategy, which put an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world.

Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be very traumatic. Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.

I guess over the next month, something like that, Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.

RELATED STORY | Trump presses Iran on nuclear negotiations after White House meeting with Netanyahu

Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel's leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.

The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an usually long deployment.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ford's deployment comes as Iran mourns

Iran at home faces still-simmering anger over its wide-ranging suppression of all dissent in the Islamic Republic. That rage may intensify in the coming days as families of the dead begin marking the traditional 40-day mourning for the loved ones. Already, online videos have shown mourners gathering in different parts of the country, holding portraits of their dead.

One video purported to show mourners at a graveyard in Iran's Razavi Khorasan province, home to Mashhad, on Thursday. There, with a large portable speaker, people sang the patriotic song Ey Iran, which dates to 1940s Iran under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. While initially banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran's theocratic government has played it to drum up support.

Oh Iran, a land of full of jewels, your soil is full of art, they sang. May evil wishes be far from you. May you live eternal. Oh enemy, if you are a piece of granite, I am iron.

A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation.

Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they've seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana but this year it's only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

"I have not seen a winter like this before," said center director Mark Serreze, who has been in Colorado almost 40 years. "This pattern that we're in is so darned persistent."

The snowpack measured by how much water is trapped inside in Oregon is not only record low, but 30% lower than the previous record, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Much of the U.S. east of the Rockies is snowbound and enduring more than two weeks of bone-chilling abnormal cold, but in West Jordan, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Trevor Stephens went to the store last week in gym shorts and a T-shirt.

"Right now there's no snow on the ground," he said in a video interview, looking out his window and lamenting the lack of snowboarding opportunities. "I'd definitely rather have icy roads and snow than whatever is going on out here right now."

Concerns over water supply and wildfires

Ski resorts had already been struggling through a difficult season, but the lack of snow has been persistent enough that concerns are growing about wider effects.

Oregon, Colorado and Utah have reported their lowest statewide snowpack since the early 1980s, as far back as records go.

A dry January has meant most states have received half their average precipitation or even less. Along with sunny days and higher-than-average temperatures, that's meant little snow buildup in a month that historically gets a lot of snow accumulation across much of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies. Because of heavy rains in December, California is in better shape than the other states, scientists said.

As of Monday, it had been 327 days since Salt Lake City International Airport got 1 inch of snow, making it the longest stretch since 1890-91, according to the National Weather Service.

The meager snow in Colorado and Utah has put the Upper Colorado River Basin at the heart of the snow drought, said Gerlich.

A robust mountain snowpack that slowly melts as winter warms to spring provides a steady flow of water into creeks and rivers. That helps ensure there's enough water later in the year for agriculture, cities, hydropower electric systems and more.

But lack of snow or a too-fast melt means less water will replenish rivers like the Colorado later in the season.

"This is a pretty big problem for the Colorado basin," said Daniel Swain of the University of California's Water Resources Institute.

Experts said the snow drought could also kick-start an early wildfire season. Snow disappearing earlier than average leaves the ground exposed to warmer weather in the spring and summer that dries soils and vegetation quicker, said Daniel McEvoy, researcher with the Western Regional Climate Center.

RELATED STORY | Cold winter, natural gas prices, data centers blamed for rising carbon pollution

Too warm to snow

While it's been dry, the record-low snowpack is mostly due to how warm the West has been, which is connected to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, several scientists said. Since Dec. 1, there have been more than 8,500 daily high temperature records broken or tied in the West, according to NOAA data.

Much of the precipitation that would normally fall as snow and stay in the mountains for months is instead falling as rain, which runs off quicker, Swain and other scientists said. It's a problem scientists have warned about with climate change.

Going snowless happens from time to time, but it's the warmth that has been so extreme, which is easier to tie to climate change, said Russ Schumacher, professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University and Colorado State Climatologist.

"It was so warm, especially in December, that the snow was only falling at the highest parts of the mountains," McEvoy said. "And then we moved into January and it got really dry almost everywhere for the last three to four weeks and stayed warm."

Wetter, cooler weather is coming

Meteorologists expect wetter, cooler weather across the West this week with some snow so this may be the peak of the snow drought. But it'll still be warmer than usual in many areas, and scientists aren't optimistic the snow will be enough.

"I don't think there's any way we're going to go back up to, you know, average or anywhere close to that," said Schumacher. "But at least we can chip away at those deficits a little bit if it does get more active."

ICYMI | Heavy snow, bitter cold expected as storm targets Southeast, East Coast

Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will be allowed to wear a black armband in competition at the Milan Cortina Games, the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday, but not the helmet he wants to wear that is painted to commemorate the lives of athletes from his country who were killed in the war with Russia.

The IOC called the move a compromise.

I think what weve tried to do is to address his desires with compassion and understanding, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Tuesday. He has expressed himself on social media and in the training and, as you know, we will not stop him expressing himself in press conferences, as he leaves competition in the mixed zone and elsewhere. We feel that this is a good compromise in the situation.

Not long afterward, Heraskevych wore the tribute helmet for his first of two training runs on Tuesday, which suggests that Ukraine has filed an appeal. He did not appear to be wearing a black armband.

In a letter to the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, the IOC said Heraskevych would not be able to compete in the personalized helmet. What is permitted for training runs was not specified.

RELATED STORY | US sets June deadline for Ukraine-Russia peace deal, Zelenskyy says

Heraskevych said the IOC told him Monday night that he could not wear the helmet that shows the faces of several Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since 2022 because Olympic officials decided it broke the rule banning political statements.

Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter in part states that no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.

Heraskevych who was fourth at last year's world championships and is generally considered a medal hopeful at these Games has more training runs scheduled for Wednesday, and he is expected to compete in the Olympic men's skeleton race Thursday.

The IOC noted that it has banned armbands in the past, but is willing to make an exception in Heraskevych's case. The move by the IOC doesn't mean all athletes can wear armbands, and if Heraskevych chooses to do so, it cannot include any text, Adams said.

We dont want everyone wearing a black armband for every competition," Adams said. "But where theres a good reasoning, it will be considered properly.

RELATED STORY | SpaceX puts new limits on Starlink internet to keep Russia from using it to target drone strikes

Heraskevych said he is still pushing for a fair outcome, adding that he has seen Russian flags which were supposed to be banned at these games in the stands at some events, and wonders why they are allowed by the IOC.

We didnt violate any rules, and it should be allowed for me to compete with this helmet, Heraskevych told The Associated Press on Monday, before Ukrainian sliding officials met with a representative from the IOC and learned the helmet would not be allowed. I cannot understand how this helmet hurt anyone. Its to pay tribute to athletes and some of them were medalists in the Youth Olympic Games. That means theyre Olympic family. They were part of this Olympic family, so I cannot understand they would find a reason why not.

Figure skater Dmytro Sharpar, a onetime Youth Olympic Games teammate of Heraskevych, is on the helmet, as are boxer Pavlo Ishchenko, hockey player Oleksiy Loginov and others. Some, Heraskevych said, were killed on the front lines; at least one died while trying to distribute aid to fellow Ukrainians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in on Heraskevychs quest, with a post on his Instagram page saying that he wanted to thank the slider for reminding the world the price of our struggle.

Heraskevych, a flag bearer for Ukraine at last weeks opening ceremony, displayed a sign after his fourth and final run of the 2022 Beijing Olympics saying No War in Ukraine. Days after those Games ended, Russia invaded his country and the war has continued since.

The heads of the agencies carrying out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda will testify in Congress Tuesday and face questions over how they are prosecuting immigration enforcement inside American cities.

Trump's immigration campaign has been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks, after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two protesters at the hands of Homeland Security officers. The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that critics say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement actions.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Rodney Scott, who heads U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Joseph Edlow, who is the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will speak in front of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

RELATED STORY | Immigrant claims violent ICE arrest; judge rules detention unlawful

The officials will speak at a time of falling public support for how their agencies are carrying out Trump's immigration vision but as they are flush with cash from a spending bill passed last year that has helped broaden immigration enforcement activities across the country.

The administration says that activists and protesters opposed to its operations are the ones ratcheting up attacks on their officers, not the other way around, and that their immigration enforcement operations are making the country safer by finding and removing people who've committed crimes or pose a threat to the country.

Under Lyons' leadership, ICE has undergone a massive hiring boom funded by Congress last summer and immigration officers have deployed in beefed-up enforcement operations in cities across the country designed to increase arrests and deportations. The appearance in Congress comes as lawmakers are locked in a battle over whether DHS should be funded without restraints placed over its officers' conduct.

Lyons is likely to face questioning over a memo he signed last year telling ICE officers that they didn't need a judge's warrant to forcibly enter a house to arrest a deportee, a memo that went against years of ICE practice and Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches.

During Scott's tenure, his agency has taken on a significant role in arresting and removing illegal immigrants from inside the country. That increased activity has become a flashpoint for controversy and marks a break from the agency's traditional job of protecting borders and controlling who and what enters the country.

Under the leadership of commander Gregory Bovino, a group of Border Patrol agents hopscotched around the country to operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans where they were often accused of indiscriminately questioning and arresting people they suspected were in the country illegally. Bovino says his targets are legitimate and identified through intelligence and says that if his officers use force to make an arrest, it's because it's warranted.

RELATED STORY | Mask ban for ICE agents emerges as flashpoint in DHS funding negotiation

A Border Patrol agent and Customs and Border Protection officer both opened fire during the shooting death of Alex Pretti, one of two protesters killed in Minneapolis in January. The other protester, Renee Good, was shot and killed by an ICE officer.

After the Pretti shooting, Bovino was reassigned and Trump sent his border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to assume control.

USCIS has also faced criticism for steps it has taken including subjecting refugees already admitted to the U.S. to another round of vetting and pausing decisions on all asylum cases.

King Charles III is ready to support UK police examining claims that the former Prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.

The statement came after Thames Valley Police said Monday that they were assessing reports that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The department, which serves an area west of London that includes Mountbatten-Windsors former home, previously said it was evaluating allegations that Epstein flew a young woman to Britain to have sex with Andrew, also in 2010.

The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsors conduct, the palace said in a statement. While the specific claims in question are for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.

The statement is just the latest effort by the palace to distance the royal family from Mountbatten-Windsor as the U.S. Justice Departments release of more than 3 million pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein reveal more embarrassing details about the relationship between the two men. Earlier in the day, Prince William and Princess Catherine released their own statement saying they have been deeply concerned by recent revelations.

RELATED STORY | UK PM urges former Prince Andrew to testify amid fresh Epstein evidence

The palace also reiterated Charles and Queen Camillas concern for the victims of Epsteins abuse.

As was previously stated, Their Majesties thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse, the palace said.

The jeopardy faced by the royal family could be seen Monday when Charles visited Lancashire, in northwest England. While most of the crowd clapped, cheered and waved flags, one person shouted, How long have you known about Andrew?

Concerns about Mountbatten-Windsors links to Epstein have dogged the royal family for more than a decade.

The late Queen Elizabeth II forced her second son to give up royal duties and end his charitable work in 2019 after he tried to explain away his friendship with Epstein during a catastrophic interview with the BBC. After more details about the relationship emerged in a book published last year, Charles stripped him of the right to be called a prince and ordered him to move out of a royal residence close to Windsor Castle.

But the Justice Department documents have brought new attention to Mountbatten-Windsor as reporters home in on dozens of email exchanges between Epstein and the former prince, many of which took place after the financier was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.

Correspondence unearthed in recent days appear to show that Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein copies of his reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which he undertook as Britains envoy for international trade. An earlier email appears to show Andrew sharing his itinerary for the two-week trip to Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with Epstein.

RELATED STORY | From Elon Musk to the former Prince Andrew, a whos who of powerful men are named in Epstein files

We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures, Thames Valley police said in a statement released on Monday.

Adding to the storm, a U.S.-based attorney said on Feb. 1 that he represented a woman who alleges Epstein flew her to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor. The encounter took place at Royal Lodge, the former princes longtime home in Windsor, the attorney said in an interview with the BBC.

Police previously said they were assessing this report.

The king last week forced Mountbatten-Windsor to move out of Royal Lodge months ahead of schedule. Anger over Mountbatten-Windsors living arrangements had grown amid concern that he was still reaping rewards from his status as a royal even though he is no longer a working member of the royal family.

Mountbatten-Windsor is now living on the kings Sandringham estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs. Unlike Royal Lodge, which is owned by the crown and managed for the benefit of taxpayers, Sandringham is owned privately by the king.

Thames Valley Police began its latest inquiry after Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected abuse of public office and violations of Britains Official Secrets Act.

Smith, whose group seeks to replace the king with an elected head of state, compared Mountbatten-Windsors correspondence with Epstein to earlier revelations about Peter Mandelson, Britains former ambassador to the U.S., who is already the subject of a police investigation into whether he shared sensitive information with Epstein. Those communications were also revealed in the Justice Department documents.

I cannot see any significant difference between these allegations and those against Peter Mandelson, Smith said on social media.

The FBI pored over Jeffrey Epsteins bank records and emails. It searched his homes. It spent years interviewing his victims and examining his connections to some of the worlds most influential people.

But while investigators collected ample proof that Epstein sexually abused underage girls, they found scant evidence the well-connected financier led a sex trafficking ring serving powerful men, an Associated Press review of internal Justice Department records shows.

Videos and photos seized from Epsteins homes in New York, Florida and the Virgin Islands didnt depict victims being abused or implicate anyone else in his crimes, a prosecutor wrote in one 2025 memo.

RELATED STORY | Powerful men, including 'Melania' director, dispute Epstein connection after appearing in more files

An examination of Epsteins financial records, including payments he made to entities linked to influential figures in academia, finance and global diplomacy, found no connection to criminal activity, said another internal memo in 2019.

While one Epstein victim made highly public claims that he lent her to his rich friends, agents couldnt confirm that and found no other victims telling a similar story, the records said.

Summarizing the investigation in an email last July, agents said four or five Epstein accusers claimed other men or women had sexually abused them. But, the agents said, there was not enough evidence to federally charge these individuals, so the cases were referred to local law enforcement.

The AP and other media organizations are still reviewing millions of pages of documents, many of them previously confidential, that the Justice Department released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and it is possible those records contain evidence overlooked by investigators.

But the documents, which include police reports, FBI interview notes and prosecutor emails, provide the clearest picture to date of the investigation and why U.S. authorities ultimately decided to close it without additional charges.

Dozens of victims come forward

The Epstein investigation began in 2005, when the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported she had been molested at the millionaires home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Police would identify at least 35 girls with similar stories: Epstein was paying high school age students $200 or $300 to give him sexualized massages.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | DOJ to let lawmakers review unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files

After the FBI joined the probe, federal prosecutors drafted indictments to charge Epstein and some personal assistants who had arranged the girls visits and payments. But instead, then-Miami U.S. attorney Alexander Acosta struck a deal letting Epstein plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Sentenced to 18 months in jail, Epstein was free by mid-2009.

In 2018, a series of Miami Herald stories about the plea deal prompted New York federal prosecutors to take a fresh look at the accusations.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019. One month later, he killed himself in his jail cell.

A year later, prosecutors charged Epsteins longtime confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell, saying shed recruited several of his victims and sometimes joined the sexual abuse. Convicted in 2021, Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term.

Prosecutors fail to find evidence backing most sensational claims

Prosecution memos, case summaries and other documents made public in the departments latest release of Epstein-related records show that FBI agents and federal prosecutors diligently pursued potential coconspirators. Even seemingly outlandish and incomprehensible claims, called in to tip lines, were examined.

Some allegations couldnt be verified, investigators wrote.

In 2011 and again in 2019, investigators interviewed Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who in lawsuits and news interviews had accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with numerous men, including Britains former Prince Andrew.

Investigators said they confirmed that Giuffre had been sexually abused by Epstein. But other parts of her story were problematic.

Two other Epstein victims who Giuffre had claimed were also lent out to powerful men told investigators they had no such experience, prosecutors wrote in a 2019 internal memo.

No other victim has described being expressly directed by either Maxwell or Epstein to engage in sexual activity with other men, the memo said.

Giuffre acknowledged writing a partly fictionalized memoir of her time with Epstein containing descriptions of things that didn't take place. She had also offered shifting accounts in interviews with investigators, they wrote, and had "engaged in a continuous stream of public interviews about her allegations, many of which have included sensationalized if not demonstrably inaccurate characterizations of her experiences." Those inaccuracies included false accounts of her interactions with the FBI, they said.

Still, U.S. prosecutors attempted to arrange an interview with Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He refused to make himself available. Giuffre settled a lawsuit with Mountbatten-Windsor in which she had accused him of sexual misconduct.

In a memoir published after she killed herself last year, Giuffre wrote that prosecutors told her they didn't include her in the case against Maxwell because they didn't want her allegations to distract the jury. She insisted her accounts of being trafficked to elite men were true.

Prosecutors say photos and videos don't implicate others

Investigators seized a multitude of videos and photos from Epsteins electronic devices and homes in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They found CDs, hard copy photographs and at least one videotape containing nude images of females, some of whom seemed as if they might be minors. One device contained 15 to 20 images depicting commercial child sex abuse material pictures investigators said Epstein obtained on the internet.

No videos or photos showed Epstein victims being sexually abused, none showed any males with any of the nude females, and none contained evidence implicating anyone other than Epstein and Maxwell, then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey wrote in an email for FBI officials last year.

Had they existed, the government would have pursued any leads they generated, Comey wrote. We did not, however, locate any such videos.

Investigators who scoured Epsteins bank records found payments to more than 25 women who appeared to be models but no evidence that he was engaged in prostituting women to other men, prosecutors wrote.

Epstein's close associates go uncharged

In 2019, prosecutors weighed the possibility of charging one of Epsteins longtime assistants but decided against it.

Prosecutors concluded that while the assistant was involved in helping Epstein pay girls for sex and may have been aware that some were underage, she herself was a victim of his sexual abuse and manipulation.

Investigators examined Epstein's relationship with the French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who once was involved in an agency with Epstein in the U.S., and who was accused in a separate case of sexually assaulting women in Europe. Brunel killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on a rape charge in France.

Prosecutors also weighed whether to charge one of Epstein's girlfriends who had participated in sexual acts with some of his victims. Investigators interviewed the girlfriend, who was 18 to 20 years old at the time, but it was determined there was not enough evidence, according to a summary given to FBI Director Kash Patel last July.

Days before Epsteins July 2019 arrest, the FBI strategized about sending agents to serve grand jury subpoenas on people close to Epstein, including his pilots and longtime business client, retail mogul Les Wexner.

Wexners lawyers told investigators that neither he nor his wife had knowledge of Epsteins sexual misconduct. Epstein had managed Wexner's finances, but the couple's lawyers said they cut him off in 2007 after learning he'd stolen from them.

There is limited evidence regarding his involvement, an FBI agent wrote of Wexner in an Aug. 16, 2019, email.

In a statement to the AP, a legal representative for Wexner said prosecutors had informed him that he was neither a coconspirator nor target in any respect," and that Wexner had cooperated with investigators.

Prosecutors also examined accounts from women who said they'd given massages at Epstein's home to guests who'd tried to make the encounters sexual. One woman accused private equity investor Leon Black of initiating sexual contact during a massage in 2011 or 2012, causing her to flee the room.

The Manhattan district attorneys office subsequently investigated, but no charges were filed.

Black's lawyer, Susan Estrich, said he had paid Epstein for estate planning and tax advice. She said in a statement that Black didn't engage in misconduct and had no awareness of Epstein's criminal activities. Lawsuits by two women who accused Black of sexual misconduct were dismissed or withdrawn. One is pending.

No client list

Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News in February 2025 that Epsteins never-before-seen client list was sitting on my desk right now. A few months later, she claimed the FBI was reviewing tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn.

But FBI agents wrote superiors saying the client list didn't exist.

On Dec. 30, 2024, about three weeks before President Joe Biden left office, then-FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate reached out through subordinates to ask "whether our investigation to date indicates the client list, often referred to in the media, does or does not exist, according to an email summarizing his query.

A day later, an FBI official replied that the case agent had confirmed no client list existed.

On Feb. 19, 2025, two days before Bondis Fox News appearance, an FBI supervisory special agent wrote: While media coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein case references a client list,' investigators did not locate such a list during the course of the investigation.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmers chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furor surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the U.K. ambassador to the U.S. despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain's most important diplomatic post in 2024.

The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself, McSweeney said in a statement. When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice."

RELATED STORY | UK police open criminal investigation into politician Peter Mandelson over alleged leaks to Epstein

Starmer is facing a political storm and questions about his judgement after newly published documents, part of a huge trove of Epstein files made public in the United States, suggested that Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to the convicted sex offender when he was the U.K. governments business secretary during the 2008 financial crisis.

Starmers government has promised to release its own emails and other documentation related to Mandelsons appointment, which it says will show that Mandelson misled officials.

Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, has not been arrested or charged.

RELATED STORY | Powerful men, including 'Melania' director, dispute Epstein connection after appearing in more files

Metropolitan Police officers searched Mandelsons London home and another property linked to him on Friday. Police said the investigation is complex and will require a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis.

Starmer had fired Mandelson in September from his ambassadorial job over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties. But critics say the emails recently published by the U.S. Justice Department have brought serious concerns about Starmers judgment to the fore. They argue that he should have known better than to appoint Mandelson in the first place.

Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill on Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow for long, anguished minutes.

Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier's storied career. Her condition was not immediately known, with the U.S. Ski Team saying simply she would be evaluated.

RELATED STORY | Milan-Cortina Olympics opens with record-breaking, multi-city celebration

Breezy Johnson, Vonn's teammate, won gold and became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill after Vonn did it 16 years ago. The 30-year-old Johnson held off Emma Aicher of Germany and Italys Sofia Goggia on a bittersweet day for Team USA.

Vonn had family in the stands, including her father, Alan Kildow, who stared down at the ground while his daughter was being treated after just 13 seconds on the course. Others in the crowd, including rapper Snoop Dogg, watched quietly as the star skier was finally taken off the course she knows so well and holds a record 12 World Cup wins.

Vonns crash was tragic, but its ski racing," said Johan Eliasch, president of the Internationl Ski and Snowboard Federation.

I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport, he said, because this race has been the talk of the games and its put our sport in the best possible light.

All eyes had been on Vonn, the feel-good story heading into the Olympics. She had returned to elite ski racing last season after nearly six years, a remarkable decision given her age but she also had a partial titanium knee replacement in her right knee, too. Many wondered how she would fare as she sought a gold medal to join the one she won in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Vance says Olympics unite the entire country as he meets US athletes in Milan

The four-time overall World Cup champion stunned everyone by being a contender almost immediately. She came to the Olympics as the leader in the World Cup downhill standings and was a gold-medal favorite before her crash in Switzerland nine days ago, when she suffered her latest knee injury. In addition to a ruptured ACL, she also had a bone bruise and meniscus damage.

Still, no one counted her out even then. In truth, she has skied through injuries for three decades at the top of the sport. In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital. She competed less than 48 hours later, racing in all four events shed planned, with a top result of seventh in the super-G.

Its definitely weird, she said then, going from the hospital bed to the start gate.

Cortina has always had many treasured memories for Vonn beyond the record wins. She is called the queen of Cortina, and the Olympia delle Tofana is a course that had always suited Vonn. She tested out the knee twice in downill training runs over the past three days before the awful crash on Sunday in clear, sunny conditions.

This would be the best comeback Ive done so far, Vonn said before the race. Definitely the most dramatic.

After the crash, the celebration for the medalists was held and fellow skiers thought about Vonn's legacy.

She has been my idol since I started watching ski racing, said Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway. We still have a World Cup to do after Olympics ... I wouldnt be surprised if she suddenly shows up on the start gate, but the crash didnt look good.

The U.S. has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a deal to end the nearly fouryear war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters, as Russian strikes on energy infrastructure forced nuclear power plants to cut output on Saturday.

If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it, he added.

The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule, Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters on Friday. Zelenskyys comments were embargoed until Saturday morning.

RELATED STORY | Zelenskyy heads to Florida for high-stakes meeting with Trump amid war stalemate

And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events, he said.

He said the U.S. proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks next week in their country for the first time, likely in Miami, Zelenskyy said. We confirmed our participation, he added.

Zelenskyy said Russia presented the U.S. with a $12 trillion economic proposal which he dubbed the Dmitriev package after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral economic deals with the U.S. form part of the broader negotiating process.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued with over 400 drones and about 40 missiles launched overnight Saturday, Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Targets included the energy grid, generation facilities and distribution networks.

Ukrenergo, the state energy transmission operator, said the attack was the second mass strike on energy infrastructure since the start of the year, forcing nuclear power plants to reduce output. Eight facilities in eight regions came under attack, it said in a statement.

As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in the territories under control were forced to reduce their load, the statement said.

It said the power deficit in the country has increased significantly as a result of the attacks forcing an extension of hourly power outages in all regions of Ukraine.

The latest deadline follows U.S.-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no breakthrough as the warring parties cling to mutually exclusive demands. Russia is pressing Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, where fighting remains intense a condition Kyiv says it will never accept.

RELATED STORY | Trump says he wont meet Zelenskyy or Putin until peace deal is nearly done

Difficult issues remained difficult. Ukraine once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. We stand where we stand is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion, Zelenskyy said. He reiterated that the most challenging topics would be reserved for a trilateral meeting between leaders.

Zelenskyy said no common ground was reached on managing the Russianheld Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and expressed skepticism about a U.S. proposal to turn the Donbas region, coveted by Russia, into a free economic zone as a compromise.

I do not know whether this can be implemented, because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it, he said.

He said in the last round of talks the negotiators discussed how a ceasefire would be technically monitored. He added that the U.S. has reaffirmed it would play a role in that process.

Repeated Russian aerial assaults have in recent months focused on Ukraines power grid, causing blackouts and disrupting the heating and water supply for families during a bitterly cold winter, putting more pressure on Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said the U.S. again proposed a ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to observe such a pause if Russia commits; but he added that when Moscow previously agreed to a one-week pause suggested by the U.S., it was violated after just four days.

The Department of Justice will allow members of Congress to review unredacted files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein starting on Monday, according to a letter that was sent to lawmakers.

The letter obtained by The Associated Press says that lawmakers will be able to review unredacted versions of the more than 3 million files that the Justice Department has released to comply with a law passed by Congress last year.

To access the files, lawmakers will need to give the Justice Department 24 hours notice. They will be able to review the files on computers at the Department of Justice. Only lawmakers, not their staff, will have access to the files, and they will be permitted to take notes, but not make electronic copies.

RELATED STORY | Rep. Khanna calls for those who emailed Epstein to testify before House panel

The arrangement, first reported by NBC News, showed the continued demand for information on Epstein and his crimes by lawmakers, even after the Justice Department devoted large numbers of its staff to comply with the law passed by Congress last year. The Justice Department has come under criticism for delays in the release of information, failing to redact the personal information and photos of victims and not releasing the entire 6 million documents collected in relation to Epstein.

Still, lawmakers central to the push for transparency, described the concession by the Justice Department as a victory.

When Congress pushes back, Congress can prevail, Rep. Ro Khanna, who sponsored what's known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, posted on social media.

Khanna has pointed to several emails between Epstein and individuals whose information was redacted that appeared to refer to the sexual abuse of underage girls. The release of the case files has prompted inquiries around the world about men who cavorted with the well-connected financier. Still, lawmakers are pressing for a further reckoning over anyone who may have had knowledge of Epstein's abuse or could have helped facilitate it.

RELATED STORY | Judge will hear from Epstein survivors after released documents published their names

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while he faced charges that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of underage girls. The case was brought more than a decade after he secretly cut a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of nearly identical allegations. Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars in cash for massages and then molesting them.

lberto Castaeda Mondragn's memory was jumbled after he says he was badly beaten last month while being taken into custody by immigration officers. He did not remember much of his past, but the violence of the Jan. 8 arrest in Minnesota was seared into his battered brain.

The Mexican immigrant told The Associated Press this week that he remembers Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulling him from a friends car outside a St. Paul shopping center and throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, and then punching him and striking his head with a steel baton.

He remembers being taken to a detention facility, where he said he was beaten again. Then came the emergency room and the intense pain from eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages.

Castaeda Mondragn, 31, is one of an unknown number of immigration detainees who, despite avoiding deportation, have been left with lasting injuries following violent encounters with ICE. While the Trump administration insists ICE limits its enforcement operations to immigrants with violent rap sheets, he has no criminal record.

RELATED STORY | 'No way' he ran into a wall: Nurses say ICE story on injuries doesnt add up

Heres what to know about the case, one of the excessive-force claims the federal government has thus far declined to investigate.

Immigrant says attack was unprovoked

ICE officers who arrested Castaeda Mondragn on Jan. 8 told nurses the man purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall, an account Hennepin County Medical Center staff immediately doubted. A CT scan showed fractures to the front, back and both sides of his skull injuries a doctor told AP were inconsistent with a fall.

ICE's account evolved as Castaeda Mondragn lay stricken in the hospital. At least one officer told staff the man "got his (expletive) rocked, according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release and nurses who treated him.

There was never a wall, Castaeda Mondragn told AP, recalling ICE officers striking him with the same metal rod used to break the windows of the vehicle he was in. He later identified it as a telescoping baton routinely carried by law enforcement.

Training materials and police use-of-force policies across the U.S. say such a baton can be used to hit the arms, legs and body. But striking the head, neck or spine is considered potentially deadly force.

RELATED STORY | Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia

Once he was taken to an ICE holding facility in suburban Minneapolis, Castaeda Mondragn said, officers resumed beating him. He said he pleaded with them to get a doctor, but they just laughed at me and hit me again."

DHS will not discuss the case

The Trump administration this week announced a broad rollout of body cameras for immigration officers in Minneapolis even as the government draws down ICEs presence there. But it's not clear whether Castaeda Mondragn's arrest was captured on body-camera footage or if there might be additional recordings from security cameras at the detention center.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the case.

The government's only acknowledgment of the injuries came in a Jan. 20 court filing that said it was learned during his arrest that had a head injury that required emergency medical treatment."

The same filing said Castaeda Mondragn entered the U.S. legally in March 2022 and that the agency determined only after his arrest that he had overstayed his visa. A federal judge ruled his arrest had been unlawful and ordered him released from ICE custody.

Elected officials call for accountability

The case has drawn the attention of several officeholders in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz, who this week posted an AP story about the case on X. But it's not clear whether any state authorities are investigating how Castaeda Mondragn was injured.

The Ramsey County Attorneys Office, which oversees St. Paul, urged Castaeda Mondragn to file a police report to prompt an investigation. He said he plans to file a complaint. A St. Paul police spokesperson said the department would investigate all alleged crimes that are reported to us.

We are seeing a repeated pattern of Trump Administration officials attempting to lie and gaslight the American people when it comes to the cruelty of this ICE operation in Minnesota, Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said in a statement.

Rep. Kelly Morrison, another Democrat and a doctor, recently toured the Whipple Building, the ICE facility at Ft. Snelling. She said she saw severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and an almost complete lack of medical care. She and other Minnesota Democrats say injuries that occur in ICE custody should be investigated.

If any one of our police officers did this, you know what just happened in Minnesota with George Floyd, we hold them accountable, said Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, whose district includes St. Paul. Theres no reason why federal agents should not be held to the same high standard.

The U.S. stock market roared back, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now.

The S&P 500 jumped 2% Friday for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared roughly 1,200 points and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.2%.

Chip companies helped drive the gains on hopes for more big spending by customers diving into AI technology. Stocks also got a boost from a better reading on sentiment among U.S. consumers. Bitcoin rose back above $70,000.

They were among the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500, and they benefited from hopes for continued spending by customers diving into artificial-intelligence technology. Amazon, for example, said late Thursday it expects to spend about $200 billion on investments this year to take advantage of seminal opportunities like AI, chips, robotics, and low earth orbit satellites.

Such heavy spending, similar to what Alphabet announced a day earlier, is creating concerns of its own, though. The question is whether all those dollars will prove to be worth it and create much bigger profits in the future. With doubt remaining about that, Amazons stock dropped 7%.

Even with Fridays rebound, the S&P 500 is still potentially heading toward its third losing week in the last four. Besides worries about big AI spending by Big Tech companies, whose stocks are the most influential on Wall Street, concerns about AI potentially stealing customers away from software companies also hurt the market through the week. The hits for software stocks accelerated after AI firm Anthropic released free tools to automate things like legal services.

Bitcoin, meanwhile, steadied following a weekslong plunge that had sent it more than halfway below its record price set in October. It climbed back above $70,000 after briefly dropping close to $60,000 late Thursday.

Prices in the metals market also calmed a bit following their own wild swings. Gold rose 1.8% to settle at $4,979.80 per ounce, while silver added 0.2%.

Their prices suddenly ran out of momentum last week following jaw-dropping rallies, which were driven by investors clamoring for something safe to own amid worries about political turmoil, a U.S. stock market that critics called expensive and huge debt loads for governments worldwide. By January, prices for gold and silver were surging so quickly that critics called it unsustainable.

RELATED STORY | US applications for jobless benefits jump by 22,000 to 231,000 last week, the most in 2 months

On Wall Street, the recovery for bitcoin helped stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto economy. Robinhood Markets jumped 13.6% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500. Crypto trading platform Coinbase Global rose 11.4%. Strategy, the company thats made a business of buying and holding bitcoin, soared 24.5%.

Stocks of smaller U.S. companies also helped lead the market, along with companies whose profits depend on U.S. households spending more money. They benefited from potentially encouraging data on how U.S. consumers are feeling.

A preliminary report from the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers is improving slightly, when economists were expecting to see a drop. The improvement was strongest among households who own stocks, which are benefiting from the S&P 500 setting a record late last month.

To be sure, sentiment remained at dismal levels for consumers without stock holdings, according to Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu.

Airline stocks were strong with hopes that more confidence among U.S. households will translate into more spending on trips. That included gains of 9.2% for United Airlines, 7.6% for Delta Air Lines and 7.5% for American Airlines.

The smaller stocks in the Russell 2000 index jumped 3.4%, roughly double the gain of the S&P 500. Smaller companies profits can be more dependent on the strength of the U.S. economy than those for big, multinational rivals.

MORE ECONOMIC NEWS | Economists warn Trump's $200B mortgage move could backfire, lifting home prices

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe.

That was even though Stellantis, the auto giant whose stock trades in Italy, lost 25.2% after saying it would take a charge of 22 billion euros, or $26 billion, as it dials back its electric vehicle production. The automaker acknowledged over-estimating the pace of the energy transition and said it was resetting its business to align the company with the real-world preferences of its customers.

Stocks fell across much of Asia, but Japans Nikkei 225 rose 0.8%. It benefited from a 2% climb for Toyota Motor, which said CEO Koji Sato will step down in April and will be replaced by the companys chief financial officer, Kenta Kon.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury erased an earlier modest loss and held at 4.21%, where it was late Thursday.

Luigi Mangione spoke out in court Friday against the prospect of back-to-back trials over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, telling a judge: Its the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.

Mangione, 27, made the remarks as court officers escorted him out of the courtroom after a judge scheduled his state murder trial to begin June 8, three months before jury selection in his federal case.

Judge Gregory Carro, matter-of-fact in his decision after a lengthy discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers at the bench, said the state trial could be delayed until Sept 8 if an appeal delays the federal trial.

Mangiones lawyers objected to the June trial date, telling Carro that at that time, they'll be consumed with preparing for the federal trial, which involves allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson before killing him.

Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation," defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. "This is a tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.

The defense will not be ready on June 8," she added.

Be ready, Carro replied.

RELATED STORY | Judge dismisses federal murder charge, death penalty off table for Mangione

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, both of which carry the possibility of life in prison. Last week, the judge in the federal case ruled that prosecutors cant seek the death penalty.

Jury selection in the federal case is set for Sept. 8, followed by opening statements and testimony on Oct. 13.

Wearing a tan jail suit, Mangione sat quietly at the defense table until his outburst at the end of the hearing.

As the trial calendar began to take shape, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann sent a letter to Carro asking him to begin the New York trial on July 1.

The prosecutor argued that the states interests would be unfairly prejudiced by an unnecessary delay until after the federal trial. Under the law, he said, the state has priority of jurisdiction for purposes of trial, sentencing and incarceration" because Mangione was arrested by New York City police, not federal authorities.

When Mangione was arrested, federal prosecutors said anticipated that the state trial would go first. Seidemann told Carro on Friday that Thompsons family has also expressed a desire to see the state trial happen first.

It appears the federal government has reneged on its agreement to let the state, which has done most of the work in this case, go first, Carro said Friday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | A man impersonating an FBI agent tried to get Luigi Mangione out of jail, authorities say

Scheduling the state trial first could help Manhattan prosecutors avoid double jeopardy issues. Under New York law, the district attorneys office could be barred from trying Mangione if his federal trial happens first.

The states double jeopardy protections kick in if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution, such as a federal case, or if that prosecution ends in a guilty plea. The cases involve different charges but the same alleged course of conduct.

Mangione isnt due in court again in the state case until May, when Carro is expected to rule on a defense request to exclude certain evidence that prosecutors say connects Mangione to the killing.

Those items include a 9 mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which they say he described his intent to wack a health insurance executive.

Last week, Garnett ruled that prosecutors can use those items at that trial.

In September, Carro threw out state terrorism charges but kept the rest of the case, including an intentional murder charge.

Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Groups annual investor conference.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say delay, deny and depose were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.

Matthew Stafford walked away with the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award and a declaration that he's returning to the Los Angeles Rams for another season.

Stafford edged Drake Maye for the MVP award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.

Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23. But Maye has a chance to go home this week with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He leads the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, wants another opportunity to try to win his second Super Bowl ring with the Rams.

Oh yeah, I'll be back. It was such an amazing season and I play with such a great group of guys and great group of coaches that I was lucky enough to finish this season healthy, and I wanna make sure that I go out there and see what happens next year," Stafford told the AP.

Stafford brought his four daughters all dressed in identical black-and-white dresses to the stage to accept the award.

He thanked his team and saved his wife and daughters for last: Youre unbelievable cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it. I am so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me, and I cant wait for you to cheer me on next year when were out there kicking (butt).

It was Staffords way of announcing he will be back next season after contemplating retirement.

Myles Garrett was a unanimous choice for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a season record for sacks with 23.

RELATED STORY | NFL says it will look into Giants co-owner's association with Jeffrey Epstein

All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat out Christian McCaffrey for the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

New Englands Mike Vrabel beat out Jacksonvilles Liam Coen for the AP NFL Coach of the Year award, becoming the seventh coach to win it with two different teams.

McCaffrey became the first running back to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 24 years.

Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was a runaway winner for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in the first season of his third stint with the team.

A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm Lutz and Carr.

RELATED STORY | From the field to advocacy: NFL, NWSL stars join campaign pushing others to make CPR their 'superpower'

Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, received two first-place MVP votes, and Justin Herbert got the other one.

Stafford, who earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career, finished with 366 points to Mayes 361. Allen placed third with 91 points, Christian McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Trevor Lawrence (49) came in fifth.

Its McCaffreys second top-five finish in three years, more than any other non-quarterback since the weighted point system was implemented in 2022.

Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams lost to Seattle in the NFC championship game.

Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks. The second-year pro led the league in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).

A New Mexico grand jury has indicted actor Timothy Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment Friday in a social media post.

Authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Busfield over allegations of misconduct from when he was working as a director on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady.

RELATED STORY | Actor Timothy Busfield granted release in New Mexico child sex abuse case

Busfield has denied the allegations. He turned himself in to authorities and later was released from jail.

Busfield is best known for appearances in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.

Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors.

RELATED STORY | Director Timothy Busfield turns himself in to face child sex abuse charges in New Mexico

He said in a statement that a detention hearing already exposed fatal weaknesses in the states evidence gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.

It just wouldn't feel like the Super Bowl for them if they weren't all there. And this might be the last time they all do it.

That's what three old friends were coming to grips with just before this year's Super Bowl. The trio of octogenarians are the only fans left in the exclusive "never missed a Super Bowl" club.

Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel of Florida were back for another big game this year. But two of them are grappling with the fact that advancing years and decreasing mobility mean this is probably the last time.

This year's game pits the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday. Crisman, a Patriots fan since the franchise started, was excited to see his team in the game for a record-setting 12th time.

"This will definitely be the final one," said Crisman, who made the trip with his daughter, Susan Metevier. "We made it to 60."

Getting older, scaling back

Crisman, who first met Henschel at the 1983 Super Bowl, turns 90 this year. Meanwhile, Henschel, 84, has been slowed by a stroke. Both said this is the last time they'll make the increasingly expensive trip to the game, although members of the group have said that before. For his part, Eaton, 86, plans to keep going as long as he's still physically able.

Eaton, who runs a ground transportation company in Detroit, is the only member of the group not retired. And he'd still like to finally see his beloved Detroit Lions make it to a Super Bowl.

Even so, all three said they've scaled back the time they dedicate each year to the trip. Crisman used to spend a week in the host city, soaking in the pomp and pageantry. These days, it's just about the game, not the hype.

"We don't go for a week anymore, we go for three or four days," Crisman said.

Eaton, too, admits the price and hype of the big game have gotten to be a lot.

"I think all of them are big, they're all fun. It's just gotten so commercial. It's a $10,000 trip now," he said.

Friendly rivalries over the years

Henschel said this year's Super Bowl would be the most challenging for him because of his stroke, but he was excited to see Eaton and Crisman one more time.

Eaton met Crisman and Henschel in the mid-2010s after years of attending the Super Bowl separately. And Henschel and Crisman have a long-running rivalry: Their respective favorite teams the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are AFC rivals.

The fans have attended every game since the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, as the first two Super Bowls were known at the time, in 1967. They have sometimes sat together in the past, but logistics make it impossible some years.

But this year it was just about being able to go to the game at all, Henschel said.

"I don't talk or walk good," he said.

An ever-shrinking club

The club of people who have never missed a Super Bowl once included other fans, executives, media members and even groundskeepers, but as time has passed, the group has shrunk. Photographer John Biever, who has shot every Super Bowl, also plans to let his streak end at 60.

The three fans spin tales of past games that often focus less on the action on the field than on the different world where old Super Bowls took place. Henschel scored a $12 ticket for the 1969 Super Bowl the day of the game. Crisman endured a 24-hour train ride to Miami for the 1968 Super Bowl. Eaton, who is Black, remembers the many years before Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988.

Metevier, Crisman's daughter, was born the year of the first Super Bowl and grew up with her dad's streak as a fixture in her life. She's looking forward to going to one last game with him.

"It's kind of bittersweet. It's about the memories," Metevier said. "It's not just about the football, it's something more."

Crisman's son, Don Crisman Jr., said he's on board with his dad making the trip for as long as he's still able, too.

"You know, he's a little long in the tooth, but the way I put it, if it was me and I was mobile and I could go, I would damn sure go," he said.

A key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday

Bondi said in a news conference that Zubayr Al-Bakoush had landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Friday.

We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation, Bondi said.

RELATED STORY | President Trump announces new travel restrictions on 19 countries

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes including the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. It was unclear if Al-Bakoush had an attorney representing him.

The 2012 attack on the U.S. compound immediately emerged as a divisive political issue as Republicans challenged President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on security at the facility, the military response to the violence and the administrations changing narrative about who was responsible and why.

A final report by a Republican-led congressional panel faulted the Obama administration for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacks. The report, however, found no wrongdoing by Clinton.

Clinton dismissed the report as an echo of previous probes with no new discoveries, saying it was time to move on. Other Democrats denounced the Republicans report as a conspiracy theory on steroids."

On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. officials have said, at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.

RELATED STORY | Congressmen behind Epstein files law draft articles of impeachment for AG Bondi

The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby U.S. facility known as the annex.

A large group assembled for an attack on the annex. That attack, including a precision mortar barrage, resulted in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. His attorneys argued that the evidence was inconclusive and that he was singled out because of his ultra-conservative Muslim beliefs.