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Only 10 years ago, Bad Bunny worked bagging groceries — a shocking contrast with the cosmic fame the artist now commands.But his bestselling albums, last year’s monumental concert residency in Puerto Rico and an endless string of smashed records are somehow just the beginning.On Sunday, the artist born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio could make Grammys history. Then a week later, he will take the world’s most visible stage as the Super Bowl’s halftime performer.Bad Bunny is in the running for six prizes at the Grammy Awards, including the night’s most prestigious Album of the Year gramophone.His acclaimed “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos” is just the second Spanish-language record ever nominated for the most coveted Grammy — the first was also his, when “Un Verano Sin Ti” was tipped in 2022.A win would be historic. But the nominations — it’s the first time work in Spanish has been simultaneously recognized for best album, best record and best song — are meaningful all the same, said Petra Rivera-Rideau, an American studies professor at Wellesley College whose research focuses on Latin music and racial politics.Bad Bunny’s success is particularly poignant as President Donald Trump’s administration carries out a hardline immigration crackdown that in part targets Latinos.”We have ICE raids, we’re watching videos every day of people being profiled for speaking Spanish, whether or not they’re US citizens,” Rivera-Rideau, co-author of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance,” told AFP.”The current political moment just kind of ups the ante of what is already a profoundly significant thing.”- Inherently political -Bad Bunny, 31, grew up near Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan, honing his vocal skills in a church children’s choir before developing into a pre-teen who loved creating beats on his computer.He went viral on the DIY platform SoundCloud — and thus began his rapid ascent to the top of global music.But even as his star rose, Bad Bunny remained firmly rooted in his heritage.Both at the Grammys and the Super Bowl, his mere presence is “deeply political,” said Jorell Melendez-Badillo, a University of Wisconsin-Madison historian who collaborated with Bad Bunny on visual elements of the latest album.The artist is a US citizen: Puerto Rico is a Caribbean territory under US control since 1898.But, Melendez-Badillo says, he’s also a colonial subject — a reality explored on “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” which features an ingenious melange of traditional sounds including salsa, bomba and plena, with infusions of reggaeton.Bad Bunny’s commitment to singing in Spanish in a music industry that has historically marginalized Latino voices makes his mammoth success even more emblematic.For Melendez-Badillo, language has become “coded for the broader sort of racialized understandings of immigrants and immigration… this sort of nationalist idea of who gets to belong in the United States.”- Multi-generational appeal -Since 2000, the Latin Recording Academy has celebrated Spanish- and Portuguese-language music at the Latin Grammys.The Grammys also honor Latin music in specific categories.Both are important for ensuring representation, but they have also enabled Recording Academy voters to ignore Latin music’s mainstream popularity.This year, Latin Recording Academy voters are eligible to vote for the main Grammy winners as well, a bid to create a more globally representative pool.That could make a significant difference for the likes of Bad Bunny — but even then, Rivera-Rideau said, it’s complicated. Much like Grammy voters long overlooked hip-hop, Latin Grammy voters have long sidelined the influence of reggaeton and Latin trap — hugely popular genres Bad Bunny came up in.But his latest album has found multi-generational appeal, and that could improve its chance, as it is “more digestible” to Grammy voters, Rivera-Rideau said.- Super Bowl-bound -One week after the Grammys, Bad Bunny will reach yet another milestone as the headliner of the National Football League’s Super Bowl halftime show — a booking that prompted hand-wringing especially from conservatives over the “woke” choice.But the Super Bowl is among the world’s top broadcasts and its halftime presentation is for massive stars.Clearly, Bad Bunny fits that bill.”The NFL wants to go global,” Melendez-Badillo said, citing games held in Europe and Brazil. “Benito sells tickets. Benito draws crowds.”And of course, Bad Bunny is hugely popular across the United States, which has among the largest Spanish-speaking populations globally — so why wouldn’t he take part in one of the country’s cultural touchstones?”In that context, it’s just incredibly meaningful,” Rivera-Rideau said.

Grammys night is sure to deliver top-notch performances, in-your-face fashion, a few poignant moments — and maybe even some music history.Here are five things to watch out for on Sunday in Los Angeles:- New Album of the Year winner? -Perhaps the most coveted Grammy is the Album of the Year, and this year’s winner could make history in several ways.None of the eight nominees — Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, R&B singer Leon Thomas, Tyler the Creator, hip-hop duo Clipse (Pusha T and Malice) and pop superstar Justin Bieber — has ever won in the category before. If Lamar’s “GNX” takes the title, he will be the first male solo rapper to triumph in the category. Only rappers Lauryn Hill and duo OutKast have come before him.If Bad Bunny takes the prize for “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” it will be the first time a Spanish-language album receives the top honor.- Song of the Year: multilingual battle -Three of the eight nominees for Song of the Year, another main award, are not entirely in English — a major shift.”Golden,” the wildly popular hit song from Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” and “APT” from Blackpink singer Rose and Bruno Mars, have taken the music world by storm with their lyrics in English and Korean.A Grammy for either one would mark the first bilingual song to take the award for songwriting.If Bad Bunny wins for his Caribbean-infused “DTMF,” it would be a first for a Spanish-language song.- For host Noah, sixth time is a charm -South African comedian Trevor Noah will be back to host the Grammys for a sixth time — and organizers say it will be his last.The 41-year-old Noah made his hosting debut on music’s biggest night in 2021, at a scaled-down gala in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.The biracial funnyman has offered a mix of political satire and light-hearted showbiz banter, and has generally earned decent reviews for his efforts.”His impact on the show has been truly spectacular, and we can’t wait to do it together one last time,” the show’s executive producer Ben Winston told The Hollywood Reporter.- Bieber takes the stage -Among the stars already confirmed to perform at Crypto.com Arena is Justin Bieber, who is up for four awards including Album of the Year for “Swag,” his first studio album in four years, which he dropped in a surprise move last July.The 31-year-old pop superstar has been battling Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare neurological condition that partially paralyzed his face, which forced him to cancel the final leg of a world tour last year.Bieber — who first shot to stardom as a teenager in 2009 — is scheduled to headline this year’s Coachella festival in the California desert in April.Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Clipse are also scheduled to perform, organizers say.- New categories -The Recording Academy awards dozens of prizes each year. This year, they have added two more — and subtracted one — for a whopping total of 95.A new award for best traditional country album has been added, after some in Nashville felt that the more modern pop-country sound was drowning out artists with a more pure country sound.The former best country album is now called best contemporary country album.The other new category is best album cover. “These additions further the Recording Academy’s commitment to recognizing a broader spectrum of artistic craft and honoring the evolving ways music is created and experienced,” the academy says.Two existing categories — best recording package and best boxed or special limited edition package – have been consolidated into one category, best recording package.

Venezuela’s acting president announced on Friday a push for mass amnesty in the country, in her latest major reform since the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro just weeks ago.Delcy Rodriguez, in a speech at the Venezuelan Supreme Court attended by top government officials, said she will propose a “general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present.”Leftist revolutionary Hugo Chavez assumed the presidency in 1999, and was succeeded upon his death in 2013 by Maduro.”This law will serve to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, fueled by violence and extremism. It will allow us to put justice back on track in our country,” Rodriguez said, also announcing a “major national consultation for a new judicial system.”She also announced plans to close the notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where rights groups say political prisoners were tortured by Maduro’s intelligence services.The massive facility, originally built as a shopping mall, will be turned into a “sports, cultural and commercial center for police families and neighboring communities,” Rodriguez said.Formerly Maduro’s vice president, Rodriguez, 56, has quickly moved in less than four weeks in power to overhaul Venezuelan society in ways sought by the United States, earning high praise from US President Donald Trump.Along with her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, she has passed a new law opening up the country’s critical oil sector to private investments — a key demand of Trump.The move on Thursday was almost immediately followed by a rollback on US sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil industry.The government also agreed on January 8, five days after Maduro was seized in a deadly US military operation, to free inmates considered political prisoners by rights groups.While the government claims more than 800 people have been freed since last year, NGOs have counted less than 400 since December — and under 300 in total since the January 8 announcement, according to the Foro Penal rights group.Opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado said Friday that Rodriguez’s amnesty proposal came only after she was pushed by Washington.”This is not a voluntary gesture by the regime, but a response to pressure from the United States government. And I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to be with their families,” she posted on social media.- All US prisoners released -Families of dozens of detainees have anxiously waited for three weeks outside prisons for their release. US authorities on Friday announced that all Americans known to be held prisoner in Venezuela had been released. “We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known US citizens held in Venezuela,” the embassy in Caracas posted on social media. The announcement came hours after the release of Peruvian-American political prisoner Arturo Gallino Rullier. “He is already on his way to the USA,” Gonzalo Himiob of the Foro Penal NGO posted on X. Gallino was arrested last November on unspecified charges.For years, Venezuela has routinely arrested foreigners and domestic opposition actors on a range of charges from spying to plotting attacks. Foreign governments have long alleged the charges were trumped up and the arrests amounted to little more than hostage-taking.In a sign of Trump’s satisfaction with the new Venezuelan authorities, his administration lifted a ban on US flights to the South American country.And after years of the US embassy being shuttered, Washington is also preparing to re-establish its diplomatic presence in Caracas.Seasoned diplomat Laura Dogu was recently named US charge d’affaires for Venezuela — the highest level representative below an ambassador.Dogu is expected to arrive in Caracas on Saturday, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Marchers braving arctic cold to join thousands of others appalled by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis lauded how peaceful the protests have remained despite fury over masked federal agents’ arrests and killings.”We learned so much from the Floyd protests. We had a bunch of cops that were rogues — white supremacists. They had warrior training. Now we have a wonderful police department and now I think people… know to speak up and to act peacefully,” said protester Mary, 67.The Midwest’s largest city, Minneapolis saw prolonged unrest after the 2020 murder by police of George Floyd, a Black man whose killing sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.At the protest Friday, police were barely visible as tens of thousands of people turned out under the banner of “National Shutdown,” with Minneapolis police telling AFP there were no arrests, and no reports of injuries or property damage.Ahead of the protest, President Donald Trump accused Alex Pretti, shot dead by federal officers in Minneapolis while helping women who had been pepper sprayed, of “abuse and anger” after video emerged of him in a heated exchange with agents.Mary, who declined to give a last name, said she was horrified by how federal officers including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have executed their push to round up undocumented migrants across Minnesota, a deployment that has seen officers shoot dead two US civilians.”They’re scooping up anybody. You know, there’s innocent people getting scooped up right and left, and it’s far more terrifying than when George Floyd was here. I think it’s important for our voices to be heard,” said Mary.There have been daily noisy protests at the Whipple federal building where ICE agents stage ahead of raids. On Friday morning, sheriffs deputies ran into a hostile crowd of activists and dragged away one of the demonstrators, AFP saw.- ‘Proud to be a Minnesotan’ -One gloved protester held up a widely shared image of a federal officer deployed to the city skidding on ice, captioned “baby’s first winter,” while another clutched a sign reading “gnomes in, Noem out” — a reference to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — at Friday’s protest.Sporting a giant papier mache head modeled on Noem, protester Connie described the official and Trump as “the criminals at large that are really causing so much trouble.”She said the peaceful demonstrations since the start of the sprawling immigration raids were a strength of the movement galvanizing against the raids.”We’re just trying to get them out of here. That’s all we want…They say, ‘Oh, you want all these criminals?’ Yeah, we’ll take them. You just get out of here. You’re the criminal. “We have 2,000, 3,000 ICE here — they’re the criminals.”She added that she was “100 percent” sure federal officers were seeking to provoke local people.”(ICE) are extremely aggressive, very intimidating. They’re out to cause trouble,” she said.Native Minnesotan protester Paul Chouinard said he thought Trump would “probably love for it to turn into something more so he could make an example — but that’s not what Minnesotans want.””You don’t fight force and guns with violence, you know? We’re gonna use our voices in the right way and make our opinions known to hopefully change this.”Nearby a child screamed “ICE out of Minnesota” into a bullhorn to huge cheers from the crowd, many of whom wore ski gear to brave the temperatures that hovered around 1F (-17C). There were protest actions and marches in cities across the United States including New York, Boston and Los Angeles.Protester Shushta Santhana, 24, whose parents emigrated to the United States 30 year ago, said “it’s really cool to see the community come together.”She pointed to “grassroots organizations pulling together to get groceries to people and protect (migrant) people when they’re leaving work and leaving the courts and all sorts of things.””We’ve done a good job here. I’m very proud to be a Minnesotan right now.”Retiree Lisa Schmid told AFP that Minneapolis would become known as “the city that stood up for freedom.”

Colombia abruptly agreed to accept US deportation flights on Friday, an olive branch days before the countries’ dueling presidents meet face-to-face for the first time, at the White House.One is an alleged “racist” and “authoritarian,” the other a “low rated” “drug leader” who should “watch his ass.” After months of trading insults from their very active social media accounts, presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro will hold an unlikely summit in Washington on Tuesday. Trump and Petro come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, and have sparred over everything from Israeli operations in Gaza to jailed migrants to Venezuela. Petro will have a US visa ban suspended for the visit — which comes after months of US sanctions, funding cuts and threats to bomb targets in Colombia. That the meeting is happening is a sign of improved relations, but in Bogota there is deep nervousness about what might happen. The Colombian leader is an ardent leftist, an ex-guerrilla and prone to long monologues laden with references to history and mythology. Trump rarely likes to share the spotlight and has admitted to having a short attention span. Diplomats joke darkly about Petro being “Zelenskyed” — receiving an Oval Office dressing down like the Ukrainian president. “Both Trump and Petro are volatile,” said Felipe Botero, a political expert at the University of the Andes. “The meeting could easily go off the rails.” – ‘It will work out’ – The meeting is likely to focus on drugs: Colombia is the world’s biggest producer of cocaine, and the United States by far its largest consumer. For decades, Colombia has been Washington’s closest partner in Latin America, with billions of dollars flowing to Bogota to boost the country’s military and intelligence services in the drug fight. But under Petro, coca production and cocaine exports have surged. Critics blame the end of eradication programs and his policy of negotiating with an alphabet soup of drug-running guerrillas, cartels and paramilitaries who still control swaths of the country. A January 7 phone call appears to have been a turning point between the two leaders. “I appreciated his call and tone,” Trump said after the call. “I am sure it will work out very well for Colombia and the USA.” Petro leaves office later this year, but for Colombia, the stakes are huge: hundreds of millions of dollars a year in military and other aid and the country’s most important trading relationship. Ahead of the meeting, Petro took steps to please Washington, announcing the resumption of migrant deportation flights to Colombia, the original trigger of the Petro–Trump conflict.There will be 20 flights, averaging “one a week,” according to Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio.Colombia will also restart glyphosate fumigation to destroy coca crops, a practice halted since 2015 and strongly opposed by Petro as a senator. The government says Petro also agreed with Trump to act jointly against the ELN — Colombia’s largest guerrilla group — near the Venezuela border, after failed peace talks. The visit comes before Colombia’s May elections, where left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda leads polls to succeed Petro. Cepeda recently accused the United States of trying to “influence” the election. 

US senators on Friday approved a last-minute deal backed by President Donald Trump to avert the worst impacts of an imminent government shutdown, after Democratic anger over the killing of two protesters by immigration agents derailed funding talks.A shutdown is still set to begin Saturday because the House of Representatives is out of session until Monday, meaning it cannot ratify the upper chamber’s agreement before the midnight deadline — making a weekend funding lapse unavoidable.Senate leaders say the legislation will nonetheless greatly increase the chances that the shutdown ends quickly, potentially within days.The funding impasse has been driven by Democratic anger over aggressive immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of protesters Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both 37, by federal agents in separate incidents this month in the northern city of Minneapolis.The deaths have become a flashpoint that has hardened opposition to approving new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without changes to how immigration agencies operate.Under the deal negotiated between the White House and Senate Democratic leaders, lawmakers approved five outstanding funding bills to finance most of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year in September.Funding for DHS, which oversees immigration enforcement, was split off and extended for just two weeks under a stopgap measure intended to give lawmakers time to negotiate changes to the department’s operations.Trump publicly endorsed the deal and urged both parties to support it, signaling his desire to avoid a second shutdown of his second term, following a record 43-day stoppage last summer.Much of the US media interpreted the White House’s flexibility as a recognition that it needed to moderate its deportation approach following the Minneapolis killings.Shutdowns temporarily freeze funding for non-essential federal operations, forcing agencies to halt services, place workers on unpaid leave or require them to work without pay. Departments ranging from defense, education and transportation to housing and financial regulation would be affected in a prolonged shutdown, while pressure would mount quickly to resolve disruptions rippling through the economy.- ‘Sanctuary cities’ -Ironically, Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the agency at the center of the immigration crackdown controversy — would be largely unaffected, since it was allocated some $75 billion over four years in Trump’s 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.And a weekend-long stoppage, with a quick resolution in the House on Monday, would have a negligible impact on federal operations.South Carolina’s Senator Lindsey Graham had blocked the package Thursday night by withholding the unanimous consent required to fast-track the vote.He cited objections to the DHS stopgap and to House-passed language barring senators from suing the Justice Department if their phone records were seized during past investigations.On Friday morning, however, Graham announced he would allow the funding bill to advance if Senate leaders agreed to hold votes on legislation he is sponsoring to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.”The American people overwhelmingly support ending sanctuary city policies. In my view, sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the problems we face,” he said in a statement.The broader funding fight has left both parties bracing for at least a brief shutdown. Congress has already passed six of the 12 annual budget bills, but those measures cover only a minority of discretionary spending.The remaining bills fund large swaths of the government, meaning funding for roughly 78 percent of federal operations is set to lapse.Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House intends to act quickly when it returns on Monday, although divisions among Republicans could complicate the process.If enacted, lawmakers would then have just two weeks to negotiate a full-year DHS funding bill — talks that both parties acknowledge will be politically fraught, with Democrats demanding new guardrails on immigration enforcement and conservatives pushing their own policy priorities.

An AI-enhanced image depicting the moments before immigration agents shot an American nurse ricocheted across the internet — and also made its way onto the hallowed floor of the US Senate.Social media platforms are awash with graphic footage from the moment US agents shot and killed 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide outrage.One frame from the grainy footage was digitally altered using artificial intelligence, AI experts told AFP.The manipulated image, which purports to show Pretti surrounded by officers as one points a gun at his head, spread rapidly across Instagram, Facebook, X, and Threads. It contained several digital distortions, including a headless agent.”I am on the Senate floor to condemn the killing of US citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers,” Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, wrote on X Thursday, sharing a video of his speech in which he displayed the AI-enhanced image.”And to demand the Trump Administration take accountability for its actions.”In comments beneath his post, several X users demanded an apology from the senator for promoting the manipulated image. On Friday, Durbin’s office acknowledged the mistake.”Our office used a photo on the Senate floor that had been widely circulated online. Staff didn’t realize until after the fact that the image had been slightly edited and regret that this mistake occurred,” the senator’s spokesperson told AFP.- ‘Advancing an agenda’ -The gaffe underscores how lifelike AI visuals — even those containing glaring errors — are seeping into everyday discourse, sowing confusion during breaking news events and influencing political debate at the highest levels.The AI-enhanced image also led some social media users to falsely claim the object in Pretti’s right hand was a weapon, but analysis of the verified footage showed he was holding a phone.That analysis contradicted claims by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration that Pretti posed a threat to officers. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said the use of AI tools to enhance details of witness footage can lead to fabrications that “misrepresent reality, in service to advancing an agenda.””AI tools are increasingly being used on social media to ‘enhance’ unclear images during breaking news events,” NewsGuard said in a report.”AI ‘enhancements’ can invent faces, weapons, and other critical details that were never visible in original footage — or in real life.”The trend underscores a new digital reality in which fake images — created or distorted using artificial intelligence tools — often go viral on social media in the immediate aftermath of major news events such as shootings.”Even subtle changes to the appearance of a person can alter the reception of an image to be more or less favorable,” Walter Scheirer, from the University of Notre Dame, told AFP, referring to the distorted image presented at the US Senate.”In the recent past, creating lifelike visuals took some effort. However now, with AI, this can be done instantly, making such content available to politicians on command.”On Friday, the Trump administration charged a prominent journalist Don Lemon and others with civil rights crimes over coverage of immigration protests in Minneapolis, as the president branded Pretti an “agitator.”Pretti’s killing marked the second fatal shooting of a Minneapolis protester this month by federal agents.Earlier this month, AI deepfakes flooded online platforms following the killing of another protester — 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.AFP found dozens of posts across social media, in which users shared AI-generated images purporting to “unmask” the agent who shot her. Some X users used AI chatbot Grok to digitally undress an old photo of Good.

The US Justice Department began releasing millions of new pages on Friday from the Jeffrey Epstein files along with photos and videos, adding fuel to the politically explosive case that has dogged President Donald Trump.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the White House played no role in the review of the extensive files related to the convicted sex offender, a once close friend of Trump.”They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact,” Blanche said at a press conference.The Justice Department said some of the documents being released contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about the 79-year-old Trump submitted to the FBI before the 2020 presidential election.But Blanche — who previously served at Trump’s personal lawyer — dismissed suggestions that embarrassing material about the president had been redacted from the more than three million documents, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos being released on Friday.”We did not protect President Trump,” he said. “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody.”Blanche said all images of girls and women were being redacted aside from those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking underage girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.”We did not redact images of any men unless it was impossible to redact the woman without also redacting the man,” the deputy attorney general said.A wealthy US financier, Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls. His death was ruled a suicide.Previous Justice Department releases have shed light on Epstein’s ties to top business executives such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates, celebrities such as filmmaker Woody Allen, academics and politicians, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton.In a draft email among the documents published on Friday, Epstein said Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs, a claim the Gates Foundation denied in a statement to The New York Times.”These claims — from a proven, disgruntled liar — are absolutely absurd and completely false,” it said.In other emails, Epstein connected Steve Tisch, 76, producer of the movies “Forrest Gump” and “Risky Business” and the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, with multiple women.In one exchange with Tisch, Epstein describes a woman as “russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun.”- Conspiracy theories -Trump’s right-wing base has long been obsessed by the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories that the financier oversaw a sex trafficking ring for the world’s elite.Only one person — Epstein’s former girlfriend Maxwell — has ever been charged in connection with his crimes and Blanche appeared to play down expectations that the latest files would lead to further prosecutions.Trump and Clinton both figure prominently in the records published so far but neither has been accused of wrongdoing.A Republican-led House panel voted recently to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its probe into Epstein.Trump, who used to move in the same social circles as Epstein in Florida and New York, fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about the disgraced financier.But a rebellion inside his Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the documents.Trump has given varying accounts of why he eventually fell out with Epstein. He has criticized the file dumps, expressing concern that people who “innocently met” Epstein over the years risked having their reputations smeared.The Epstein Files Transparency Act called for all of the documents held by the Justice Department to be published by December 19.Blanche said Friday’s release “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people.”He blamed the delay on the need to painstakingly carry out redactions that protected the identities of Epstein’s more than 1,000 alleged victims.Blanche said he did not expect the release of the latest documents would quell public curiosity and conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein.”There’s a hunger or a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents and there’s nothing I can do about that,” he said.

A federal judge on Friday blocked prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in New York in December 2024.The judge dismissed two federal charges against Mangione that could carry the death penalty: murder and using a gun with a silencer.The 27-year-old suspect is still charged with two counts of stalking in his federal case, and separately faces state-level murder charges.Friday’s decision “is solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury,” Judge Margaret Garnett wrote in her opinion.Mangione could be sentenced to life in prison without parole if convicted of the stalking charges. The federal trial is to begin with jury selection on September 8.Prosecutors declined to comment on the decision when contacted by AFP. Garnett has given the prosecution until February 27 to file an appeal.Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilotold a press briefing outside the courthouse Friday that the defense team was “very relieved,” hailing an “incredible decision.”The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, captured on surveillance video, quickly captured national attention while exposing public anger with the profit-driven US healthcare system.Mangione was arrested five days after the killing at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, some 230 miles (370 kilometers) from the crime scene, following a tip from a staff member.Friday’s decision comes after Mangione’s legal team already succeeded in having state-level terrorism charges dropped.However, Garnett also dealt the defense a significant blow on Friday — rejecting their efforts to block the use of evidence found during Mangione’s arrest.Officers who arrived at the McDonald’s searched Mangione’s backpack, finding inside a handgun, a silencer, a magazine with bullets wrapped in underwear and a red notebook described as a “manifesto.”The defense had argued that proper protocol had not been followed during the search.Friday’s decision also marks a blow for President Donald Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, who has relaunched efforts to impose the death penalty at the federal level, reversing a moratorium during the administration of Joe Biden.A date for the state trial has not been set.Mangione — who has an avid fan base of mostly women that often attend his hearings — has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

President Donald Trump said Friday he would nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next US central bank chief, a move that has sparked cautious optimism among observers.The decision caps a highly publicized search for a successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom the president has repeatedly lambasted for not cutting interest rates more swiftly.Trump told reporters Friday that Warsh “certainly wants to cut rates,” but added that he did not wish to question Warsh on commitments to do so.”I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, announcing his choice.”On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down,” Trump added.Warsh, 55, was the youngest person to serve as a Fed governor, a role he held from 2006 to 2011.Trump considered Warsh for the top Fed job too during his first presidency, but eventually chose Powell — a decision he quickly soured on.Prices of precious metals — seen as safe haven investments — sank Friday in a sign that investors were reassured by Trump’s choice. The dollar pushed higher.”I think markets are broadly happy at the moment,” Atlantic Council international economics chair Josh Lipsky told AFP.”It is a pick that another Republican president may have made,” Lipsky said. “He cares about the history of the Fed, the process of the Fed, central bank independence, he’s talked about this before.”Powell’s chairmanship ends in May, and it remains unclear if he will also step down from the Fed’s board of governors, which would free up another vacancy Trump could fill.- Senate hurdle -Warsh will need to be confirmed by the US Senate, where he will face tough questions from lawmakers amid growing concerns about threats to Fed independence.Trump’s attempt to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook, and his administration’s investigation into Powell over renovation costs at the bank, have sparked worries about the institution’s insulation from politics.An erosion of Fed independence could have negative ramifications for the economy, experts warn.Warsh must now get through a Senate Banking Committee hearing while “maintaining the confidence of both markets and the president,” said economist Samuel Tombs of Pantheon Macroeconomics.After that, he must pass a confirmation vote in the Senate with a simple majority.But Republican Thom Tillis of the banking committee reiterated Friday his plan to oppose the confirmation of Fed nominees — including the next chairman — until the probe against Powell is resolved.The panel’s top Democrat, Senator Elizabeth Warren, warned that Warsh’s nomination “is the latest step in Trump’s attempt to seize control of the Fed.”With 13 Republicans and 11 Democrats on the committee, a single Republican’s opposition could trigger an impasse.- Economic challenges -Warsh was once seen as an inflation “hawk” favoring higher interest rates to curb price hikes.But he has stepped up criticism of the Fed recently, endorsing policy positions of the Trump administration.As Trump continues to call for lower rates, analysts are monitoring if Warsh defends the bank’s independence.He will need to convince markets and policymakers that he is upholding the Fed’s dual mandate of stable prices and low unemployment — despite political pressure.Already, the Fed’s job has become increasingly challenging as US tariffs fuel worries of stubborn inflation, while the employment market cools.Policymakers walk a tightrope in deciding if they should keep rates higher to curb inflation or lower them to support the economy.With the labor market likely deteriorating further and inflation expected to ease, the next Fed chief could uncontroversially reduce rates, Tombs said.But it remains to be seen if he will still push for cuts if inflation proves sticky in months ahead.Trump’s selection ends a race that narrowed to four contenders — Warsh; Fed governor Christopher Waller; Rick Rieder of BlackRock; and Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett.