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The White House continued to deny on Tuesday that President Donald Trump had authored a lewd birthday letter to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, after the alleged note was published a day earlier.The Wall Street Journal reported in July on the existence of the alleged 2003 letter, prompting a $10 billion defamation suit from the president against the newspaper and its owners.The letter, a type-written message inserted into the sketched outline of a nude woman — with Trump’s alleged signature in the place of her pubic hair — was one of many notes sent by Epstein’s friends that his associate Ghislaine Maxwell had compiled into a book for his 50th birthday.On Monday, the House Oversight Committee published a copy of the book and other personal files subpoenaed from Epstein’s estate.”The president did not write that letter. He did not sign those documents. He maintains that position, and that position will be argued in court by his lawyers,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.Leavitt and other Trump allies contend that the signature on the 2003 letter is not authentic, pointing to differences with documents he has signed since he first became president in 2017.However, The New York Times on Monday published several letters signed by Trump from the late 1990s and early 2000s, in which his signature bears a striking resemblance to the 2003 letter.Asked if the White House would approve of a professional handwriting expert reviewing the documents, Leavitt said Tuesday: “Sure we would support that.”Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-level connections around the world, was convicted of sex offenses and found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.Trump has been dogged for months by controversy surrounding the late sex offender, after his administration confirmed his death was a suicide and deemed the release of more case files unnecessary — despite having previously fanned long-running conspiracies of covered-up wrongdoing.Trump’s prior relationship with Epstein has also proved to be potent fodder for his political opponents, with the president and his allies seeking to downplay the whole saga as a Democratic “hoax.”After the publication of the letter on Monday, Leavitt posted on social media that “it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.””This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!” she said.Asked on Tuesday to clarify which aspect was a hoax — given the documents were provided by the Epstein estate — Leavitt said: “I did not say the documents are a hoax.”I said the entire narrative surrounding Jeffrey Epstein right now that is absorbing many of the liberal cable channels on television is a hoax that is being perpetuated by opportunistic Democrats… who are trying to push this hoax against the president of the United States.”

A festering corpse has been found in the trunk of an impounded Tesla registered to rising US rap star D4vd, police and media reported Tuesday.Neighbors of a tow yard called police about a foul smell coming from the site in Hollywood on Monday.When officers arrived, they said they found a rotting body wrapped in a plastic sheet in the luggage compartment, which is found at the front in this kind of electric vehicle.”We were notified this morning, and the car’s been here for a couple of days,” Robert Peters of the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters.The vehicle is registered in Texas, to David Anthony Burke, whose stage name is D4vd, ABC7 news channel reported.D4vd was Tuesday scheduled to play in Minneapolis, the latest stop in a world tour for the 20-year-old.The young star shot to internet fame in 2022 when his “Romantic Homicide” became a breakout hit on TikTok.D4vd has continued to post on social media in the last few days, promoting his new album, but has made no reference to the grisly find. The tow yard where the gruesome discovery was made sits just a stone’s throw from Elon Musk’s new Tesla Diner, which opened to great fanfare in Hollywood in July.

A lewd birthday letter that Donald Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 — which the US president claimed did not exist — was published Monday by a congressional panel investigating the late financier’s sex crimes case.The letter, a type-written message inserted into the sketched outline of a nude woman, was one of many notes sent by Epstein’s friends that his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, now imprisoned, had compiled into a book for his 50th birthday.The Wall Street Journal had reported on the existence of the book and letter in July, prompting a $10 billion defamation suit from Trump, 79.The US House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the book along with other documents from Epstein’s estate, including bank records, as part of its probe launched this summer into the handling of the late sex offender’s case.Trump’s alleged note consists of a short dialogue between “Donald” and “Jeffrey.””We have certain things in common,” says Donald, to which Jeffrey responds: “Yes, we do, come to think of it.””Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?” asks Donald.”As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you,” says Jeffrey.”A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the note ends, followed by Trump’s signature, which takes the place of pubic hair on the nude outline.Another letter in the book also mentions Trump, with a photo of Epstein holding an oversized $22,500 check. The signature on the check says “DJ Trump” but is very different from Trump’s normal writing.”Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted name] to Donald Trump,” reads the note.The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the letter from businessman Joel Pashcow referenced a woman who was courted by both Trump and Epstein in the 1990s.Democrats on the panel published the copy of the Trump letter before the entire book was released, prompting accusations from Republican chairman James Comer of “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information.”The White House reiterated its denial of the authenticity of the letter, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying “it’s very clear President Donald Trump did not draw this picture and he did not sign it.””President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,” she added.Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-level connections around the world, was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.Trump’s supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and held as an article of faith that “deep state” elites were protecting a sex ring of Epstein associates, particularly in the Democratic Party and Hollywood.- Committee investigation -Trump took office in January promising to quickly get to the bottom of the Epstein conspiracies.But many of his supporters have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said in July that Epstein had committed suicide, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a “client list.”Trump himself has repeatedly attempted to bury the controversy — dubbing it the “Democrat Epstein hoax” — as attention intensifies on his own long-term friendship with the financier.Democrats and a handful of Republicans risking Trump’s ire have doubled down, demanding that all legal files related to Epstein be released.The Republican-controlled Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Justice Department documents as well as testimony from many high-ranking officials, including former president Bill Clinton, whose own letter allegedly written to Epstein appears in the birthday book praising his “childlike curiosity” and “desire to make a difference.”Peter Mandelson, Britain’s ambassador to the United States since 2024, also allegedly left a message in the book, calling Epstein his “best pal” and an “intelligent, sharp-witted man” who would come and go as he pleased, “leaving you with some ‘interesting’ friends to entertain instead.”As part of its response to the controversy, Trump’s Justice Department interviewed Epstein associate Maxwell, who is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for the financier.She was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer.The Justice Department later released a transcript and audio recording of the interview, in which Maxwell says Trump was friendly with Epstein but was “never inappropriate with anybody.”The 63-year-old Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, was moved from a prison in Florida to a minimum security facility in Texas following the interview with Blanche.

Best-selling American author Dan Brown, creator of the publishing phenomenon “The Da Vinci Code”, released his latest thriller Tuesday in 16 languages simultaneously.”The Secret of Secrets”, which runs to nearly 700 pages in English, marks Brown’s return eight years after his last novel, “Origin”.Brown called it “by far the most intricately plotted and ambitious novel I’ve written to date.””The hallmarks of Dan’s books — codes, art, history, religion, and cutting-edge science –- are on full display alongside a propulsive plot,” the CEO of publisher Penguin Random House Global, Nihar Malaviya, said in a statement. Publishers, printers and translators worked in secrecy and with strict confidentiality clauses to prevent leaks in the run up to the release.Brown, 61, is set to begin a month-long promotional tour on Tuesday in New York that will take him to 12 countries. The New York Times was broadly positive in a review published Tuesday, while noting that its “hyperactive plotting runs on hyperventilating prose”. Britain’s The Guardian newspaper called it “weapons-grade nonsense from beginning to end”.After two little-noticed early books, the discreet American high school teacher became one of the world’s best-selling authors in 2003 with “The Da Vinci Code”.With a complex plot revolving around the supposed descendants of Jesus, the Mona Lisa and freemasonry, the novel won him millions of fans but also criticism from scholars who said his works were riddled with errors and nonsense.US publisher Penguin Random House says Brown has sold more than 250 million copies in 56 languages.

Locked up for more than four years and ailing, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai would only become a greater symbol if he died in prison, his son said.On a visit to Washington, Sebastien Lai was meeting US officials and lawmakers as he appealed for greater international pressure on China and Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing authorities to free his father.”It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” Lai told AFP in an interview Monday.He said that freeing his father would be in Beijing’s own interest.”As you’ve seen with a lot of dissidents, once they’re released, they lose a lot of that, quote-unquote, power,” he said.”He’s already been there for five years. He’s served whatever sham sentence you brought against him.”Lai, 77, founded the Apple Daily, a popular pro-democracy tabloid that was shuttered as China clamped down on the metropolis, despite promises of a separate system when Britain handed it over in 1997.A successful businessman and outspoken opponent of Beijing, Lai was arrested in late 2020 and has been behind bars since, with a judge last month saying only that his verdict would come “in good time.”The charges against him could carry between 15 years and life in prison. His health has significantly worsened as he is diabetic, receives limited medical care and has been kept in solitary confinement without air-conditioning in the sweltering Hong Kong heat, his son said.The younger Lai said the last he heard about his father was that he experienced heart palpitations, an episode earlier described by his defense lawyers.- ‘Very real consequences’ -China imposed a draconian security law in Hong Kong in 2020 after massive and at times destructive protests against Beijing swept the global financial hub.Sebastien Lai said that other countries should persuade China that if they “go through with this and kill him, essentially, there will be very real consequences” for Hong Kong.”Hong Kong is based on a strong, rigid legal system. That’s why it’s a financial center. Without the strong, rigid legal system, it’s nothing,” he said.Jimmy Lai visited Washington in 2019 to discuss pro-democracy protests with leaders including then-vice president Mike Pence.Prosecutors later pointed to his meetings, calling them a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.Trump, in an interview while on the campaign trail last year, said of Lai, “100 percent, I’ll get him out.”Since returning to the White House, Trump has said he will at least try to free Lai. But Trump, long a harsh critic of China, has recently also spoken fondly of his relationship with President Xi Jinping.The younger Lai voiced appreciation for Trump’s efforts but voiced hope for a more outspoken stance by other Western countries, naming France.He praised the stances of Germany as well as Britain, where Jimmy Lai holds nationality and where the younger Lai lives.Sebastien Lai said Britain understood the importance of defending a person who sacrificed himself for democracy.”It doesn’t really get much better than that if you’re going to give someone citizenship.”

More than 100 South Korean women forced to work as prostitutes for US soldiers stationed in the country have filed a landmark lawsuit accusing Washington of abuse, their lawyers said Tuesday.Historians and activists say tens of thousands of South Korean women worked for state-sanctioned brothels from the 1950s to 1980s, serving US troops stationed in country to protect the South from North Korea.In 2022, South Korea’s top court ruled that the government had illegally “established, managed and operated” such brothels for the US military, ordering it to pay around 120 plaintiffs compensation.Last week, 117 victims filed a fresh lawsuit, this time officially accusing — and seeking an apology from — the US military, for the first time.The lawsuit seeks 10 million won ($7,200) in compensation per victim.Unlike the better-known “comfort women” used by Japanese soldiers until the end of World War II, those who worked for the US troops have received relatively limited attention, largely due to Washington being Seoul’s key and longtime security ally.The economy surrounding military brothels in US base towns, including restaurants, barbershops and bars catering to American GIs, made up about 25 percent of South Korea’s GDP during the 1960s and 70s, according to historians.”I still cannot forget being beaten by US soldiers — slapped for lowering my head while pouring drinks, for not smiling, or for no reason at all,” one of the plaintiffs, in her 60s and who did not wish to give her name, said in a statement sent to AFP.She said she was only 17 when she was tricked into the job — she thought she was going to be a bartender, but was forced into sex work and told she could not leave due to her “debt”.’I couldn’t walk'”Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused. Every week we were forced to undergo venereal disease tests. If there was the slightest abnormality, we were locked in a small room and injected with a thick needle of strong penicillin,” she said.”The shots were so harsh that my legs gave out and I couldn’t even walk.”In a joint statement, women’s rights activists supporting the victims said the US military “ignored the South Korean Constitution” and stripped the women of their personal freedom and “destroyed their lives”.The suit names the South Korean government as the defendant, since under existing laws Seoul must compensate victims of illegal acts committed by US soldiers on duty and later seek reimbursement from Washington, lawyers said.”This lawsuit seeks to hold both the South Korean government and the US military authorities jointly liable for the unlawful acts,” lawyer Ha Ju-hee told AFP.The US still stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea to help protect it against nuclear-armed North Korea.The United States Forces Korea (USFK) told AFP it was “aware of the reports regarding the issue”, adding “we will not comment while legal proceedings are ongoing”.”We affirm that we do not condone any behavior that violates Republic of Korea laws, rules, or directives, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of good order and discipline.” the USFK said.

Apple is set to unveil its iPhone 17 lineup on Tuesday, with enhanced artificial intelligence features expected to take center stage.The Silicon Valley powerhouse has remained tight-lipped about what is in store at an event dubbed “Awe Dropping” in invitations, but it comes at the time of year Apple typically introduces a new generation of iPhones that drive its revenue.Despite iPhones maintaining their premium market position, Apple faces mounting pressure to prove it is keeping pace in the generative AI race.”Apple’s perception as being ‘late to the AI party’ presents a significant challenge,” market tracker Canalys said in an analyst note.While iPhone challengers powered by Google-backed Android have “aggressively advanced AI integration, Apple’s slower rollout of first-party AI features has created adoption gaps,” with people delaying new iPhone purchases, Canalys added.Apple introduced its “Apple Intelligence” AI features late last year, but the features underwhelmed users — particularly the long-awaited improvements to its Siri voice assistant, which remained disappointingly basic.Looking ahead, Apple reportedly plans to integrate AI into online search next year alongside a Siri overhaul, though the company has not confirmed these reports. Apple is also reported to be partnering with Google to leverage its search and AI expertise.”I will be surprised if there is a major announcement regarding Apple’s AI strategy,” Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said in a note.”I am afraid that Apple’s incremental innovation approach with the iPhone 17 will start reaching its limits – especially for those who are hungry for more innovation,” he added.Tuesday’s main attraction should be the new iPhone models, headlined by an ultra-thin “Air” variant.Most analysts view this as a strategic pivot — Apple is positioning thinness, rather than screen size, as the new premium differentiator.A super-thin iPhone could also lay the foundation for a foldable version of the smartphone, expected in the coming years.But the engineering demands of thin phones can make them more costly to produce and shrink battery space.Prices of the new iPhones in the United States are expected to climb as President Donald Trump’s tariffs add to Apple’s production costs. Since China remains Apple’s primary production hub, these trade policies directly impact costs.”Apple is navigating a delicate balance between its two largest markets – the US and China – amid rising trade tensions,” Canalys said.”A weaker US dollar now allows Apple to increase prices in the US while maintaining competitive pricing abroad.”The financial impact is already substantial: CEO Tim Cook disclosed that Trump’s tariffs cost Apple $800 million last quarter, with an estimated $1.1 billion hit expected in the current quarter.

Rupert Murdoch’s children have reached a settlement in their long-running legal dispute over control of the right-wing mogul’s media empire, his companies announced Monday, cementing eldest son Lachlan’s leadership.The agreement resolves litigation after several siblings contested the elder Murdoch’s effort to install as successor his son Lachlan, who shares his father’s political orientation. A Nevada court had previously blocked the 94-year-old’s effort.The new deal establishes a trust to replace the Murdoch Family Trust that had included Lachlan plus three other Murdoch siblings.Under the agreement, Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch will receive cash based on equity sales and cease to have holdings in either media company.US media reported the value of the settlement would be $3.3 billion, to be split evenly among the three siblings.The eldest daughter, Prudence, has had little involvement in the family business, but James and Elisabeth are known as more politically centrist.”New trusts will be established for the benefit of Lachlan Murdoch, Grace Murdoch and Chloe Murdoch,” said a press release from Fox and News Corp.Meanwhile “the departing beneficiaries” will “cease to be beneficiaries in any trust holding shares in News Corp or Fox Corporation.”- Media transformation -Friction over the future of the holdings — a stable that includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and a host of British and Australian media — had been the inspiration for the hit TV series “Succession.”The complicated structure of the trust reflects the colorful familial relationships that shaped Rupert Murdoch’s life as he built the multibillion-dollar empire.The original trust was reported to have been the result of a deal with his second wife — mother of Lachlan, Elisabeth and James — who wanted to ensure her offspring would not be disenfranchised by children Murdoch had with his third wife, Wendi Deng.Murdoch’s daughters with Deng — Grace and Chloe — will be beneficiaries of the new trusts, along with Lachlan.The agreement establishes LGC Holdco, which will own all shares of News Corp and Fox Corp previously held by the original family trust. Voting control for these shares “will rest solely with Lachlan Murdoch through his appointed managing director,” said the press release.The Murdoch empire has transformed tabloid newspapers, cable TV and satellite broadcasting over the last few decades while facing accusations of stoking populism across the English-speaking world.Brexit in Britain and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States are credited at least partly to Murdoch and his outlets.

Locked up for more than four years and ailing, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai would only become a greater symbol if he died in prison, his son said.On a visit to Washington, Sebastien Lai was meeting US officials and lawmakers as he appealed for greater international pressure on China and Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing authorities to free his father.”It’s horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, he’s actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs,” Lai told AFP in an interview Monday.He said that freeing his father would be in Beijing’s own interest.”As you’ve seen with a lot of dissidents, once they’re released, they lose a lot of that, quote-unquote, power,” he said.”He’s already been there for five years. He’s served whatever sham sentence you brought against him.”Lai, 77, founded the Apple Daily, a popular pro-democracy tabloid that was shuttered as China clamped down on the metropolis, despite promises of a separate system when Britain handed it over in 1997.A successful businessman and outspoken opponent of Beijing, Lai was arrested in late 2020 and has been behind bars since, with a judge last month saying only that his verdict would come “in good time.”The charges against him could carry between 15 years and life in prison. His health has significantly worsened as he is diabetic, receives limited medical care and has been kept in solitary confinement without air-conditioning in the sweltering Hong Kong heat, his son said.The younger Lai said the last he heard about his father was that he experienced heart palpitations, an episode earlier described by his defense lawyers.- ‘Very real consequences’ -China imposed a draconian security law in Hong Kong in 2020 after massive and at times destructive protests against Beijing swept the global financial hub.Sebastien Lai said that other countries should persuade China that if “go through with this and kill him, essentially, there will be very real consequences” for Hong Kong.”Hong Kong is based on a strong, rigid legal system. That’s why it’s a financial center. Without the strong, rigid legal system, it’s nothing,” he said.Jimmy Lai visited Washington in 2019 to discuss pro-democracy protests with leaders including then-vice president Mike Pence.Prosecutors later pointed to his meetings, calling them a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong.Trump, in an interview while on the campaign trail last year, said of Lai, “100 percent, I’ll get him out.”Since returning to the White House, Trump has said he will at least try to free Lai. But Trump, long a harsh critic of China, has recently also spoken fondly of his relationship with President Xi Jinping.The younger Lai voiced appreciation for Trump’s efforts but voiced hope for a more outspoken stance by other Western countries, naming France.He praised the stances of Germany as well as Britain, where Jimmy Lai holds nationality and where the younger Lai lives.Sebastien Lai said Britain understood the importance of defending a person who sacrificed himself for democracy.”It doesn’t really get much better than that if you’re going to give someone citizenship.”

A documentary about an Israeli ex-soldier set to premiere at the Toronto film festival — after initially being cut from the schedule — has become the latest flashpoint in Hollywood’s internal split over the Gaza conflict.”The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” which charts how retired Israeli general Noam Tibon saved his family and others during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, is due to screen at North America’s biggest movie festival Wednesday.The Canadian-produced film makes use of actual Hamas bodycam footage of the attacks that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.A lack of “legal clearance” for this footage was the reason given by organizers for withdrawing the film from the festival’s lineup last month — before it was restored amid outrage over alleged censorship.More than 1,000 entertainment industry figures including Amy Schumer and Debra Messing had signed a petition accusing the festival of silencing Jewish voices.Director Barry Avrich this weekend in Toronto expressed skepticism about the official reason his film had been withdrawn.”To the best of my knowledge, I’ve not known Hamas to have a licensing division,” he told a panel.In a statement, festival organizers said they had found “a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal, and programming concerns,” apologizing for “pain and frustration” caused by its initial response.”I was so proud of the film community in Hollywood that started to really react to this,” Avrich told Deadline.- ‘Deep and angry’ -Yet Hollywood is far from unified.In a New York Times op-ed Monday, veteran entertainment reporter Sharon Waxman wrote that the Gaza conflict “has pitted Hollywood against itself.”For a politically liberal industry which contains a powerful pro-Israel lobby, the issue “remains a third rail, with convictions running deep and angry across the board,” she wrote.Also Monday, over 1,500 actors and film industry workers including Olivia Colman and Mark Ruffalo vowed not to work with Israeli cinema bodies they said were “implicated in genocide” in Gaza, in an open letter.Israeli’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 64,522 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run goverment’s health ministry considered reliable by the United Nations.Elsewhere, the recent Venice film festival began with protests and calls to boycott Israeli actors, and ended Saturday with a gut-wrenching new Gaza film taking second prize.”The Voice of Hind Rajab” recounts the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces in Gaza last year.Blending real audio and video of the Red Crescent’s attempted rescue with dramatic reenactments, it drew backing from Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix.It also prompted “thousands and thousands” of intimidating messages to the filmmakers and producers, director Kaouther Ben Hania told AFP. The movie screened at Toronto Sunday, where Ban Hania said “we need the voice of Hind Rajab to echo across borders” and called for anyone in the audience who can help to evacuate the dead girl’s remaining family from Gaza.- ‘A family, not a country’ -Ahead of Wednesday’s premiere of “The Road Between Us” and possible protests, director Avrich told Deadline he planned to bring his own security team to supplement the festival’s.Toronto police told AFP they had a “strong presence across (the festival)” but declined to detail specific security plans for Wednesday’s premiere. The film itself is described as a documentary in the style of an “action thriller.”It recounts how Tibon “journeyed from Tel Aviv to the Nahal Oz kibbutz seeking to rescue his son,” who is a prominent journalist, and other family members.It uses a combination of new interviews and footage from kibbutz security cameras, as well as multiple Hamas bodycams.Avrich has described Tibon as a real-life hero in the style of Liam Neeson’s “Taken” action films.”He is seen as a man that finally, on that day, showed leadership,” said Avrich.But, he told the Hollywood Reporter, “it’s not really a political film. It’s wrapped in the flag of a family, not a country.”Whether Hollywood views it that way, remains to be seen.