标签： North America

In a significant diplomatic development, the United States has formally declared its opposition to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank while simultaneously refraining from direct criticism of recent Israeli actions to strengthen its control over the occupied Palestinian territory. A Trump administration official stated late Monday that President Donald Trump “does not support Israel annexing the West Bank,” emphasizing that regional stability aligns with Washington’s peace objectives.

The statement came hours after Israel’s security cabinet approved measures facilitating Jewish Israeli land purchases in the West Bank and expanding Israeli administrative control over areas currently governed by the Palestinian Authority. These controversial decisions preceded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with President Trump, where discussions were expected to focus on increasing pressure against Iran.

International reaction has been swift and condemnatory. Foreign ministers from eight Muslim-majority nations—Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey—collectively denounced Israel’s moves as “illegal” in the strongest terms. The European Union characterized the decision as “another step in the wrong direction,” while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern regarding the potential implications for regional stability and peace prospects.

The nuanced American position highlights the complex diplomatic balancing act undertaken by Washington, which maintains its status as Israel’s primary international ally while attempting to navigate increasingly contentious territorial disputes in the region.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faced intense congressional scrutiny Tuesday as he vehemently denied maintaining any substantive relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite newly revealed evidence suggesting otherwise. The controversy emerged following January’s Justice Department release of millions of Epstein-related documents, including emails indicating Lutnick visited Epstein’s private island for lunch years after allegedly severing connections.

During a tense Senate committee hearing, Lutnick acknowledged only minimal contact with Epstein—approximately ten emails and three meetings over fourteen years. He characterized the island lunch as an incidental occurrence during a boating excursion with his family, insisting he merely ‘happened to be in the vicinity.’

‘I did not have any relationship with him. I barely had anything to do with that person,’ Lutnick asserted under questioning from Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.

The secretary now faces bipartisan calls for resignation amid apparent contradictions between the documented evidence and his previous statements. Lutnick had previously claimed he vowed never to ‘be in a room’ with Epstein following a 2005 incident where Epstein showed him a massage table and made sexually suggestive comments. However, the released emails reveal not only the 2012 island lunch but also a 2015 invitation from Lutnick to an Epstein associate for a Hillary Clinton fundraiser.

Lutnick becomes the latest high-profile figure embroiled in the expanding Epstein scandal, reflecting the financier’s penetration into elite political, business, and entertainment circles. The hearing occurred shortly after Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions during a deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, drawing criticism from both Republican and Democratic members.

Top U.S. immigration officials appeared before Congress on Tuesday amid escalating tensions over enforcement tactics that have sparked nationwide debates. The congressional hearing followed two fatal shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis that intensified criticism of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

In a notable shift, Trump conceded that immigration enforcement might require ‘a softer touch’ following the Minneapolis incidents. The administration subsequently announced tactical concessions, including the withdrawal of hundreds of federal officers from the Midwestern city where recent operations had triggered widespread protests.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons defended the administration’s approach in prepared testimony, stating: ‘The president tasked us with mass deportations, and we are fulfilling that mandate. Thanks to the resources provided by Congress, we are ramping up detention capacity and removal flights daily. In the last year alone, we conducted over 475,000 removals.’

Lyons testified alongside Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott and Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow during the Department of Homeland Security oversight hearing. Scott highlighted border security achievements, claiming CBP had ‘spent the last year rebuilding a devastated border’ and ‘fundamentally reversed years of open-border policies, achieving record-low illegal entries.’

However, the officials faced rigorous questioning from Democratic lawmakers regarding the scale and methods of immigration operations in multiple U.S. cities. The Minneapolis operations, described by administration officials as targeted actions against criminals, have resulted in detentions across broad immigrant categories and occasionally affected U.S. citizens.

The fatalities of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens shot by federal officers within a three-week period last month, generated substantial public outrage and intensified calls for operational reforms. Democratic legislators are demanding structural changes to ICE protocols, including terminating mobile patrols, prohibiting facial concealment by agents, and requiring judicial warrants for operations.

Congressional Democratic leaders simultaneously threatened to block the 2026 DHS funding bill unless significant reforms are implemented. While the White House has expressed willingness to negotiate, opposition leaders characterized initial Republican proposals as ‘incomplete and insufficient.’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer jointly criticized the administration’s response as inadequate in addressing ‘concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.’

The standoff creates potential funding complications for DHS, which could face financial shortfalls starting Saturday if negotiations fail. While CBP and ICE operations could continue using previous congressional allocations, other critical agencies including FEMA might experience operational impacts.

Newly released FBI documents contain explosive allegations about Donald Trump’s early knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities. According to a 2019 FBI interview summary, the former Palm Beach police chief—identified as Michael Reiter—claimed Trump personally called him in July 2006 to commend the department’s investigation into the financier.

The document reveals Trump allegedly told Reiter: “Thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.” The then-businessman reportedly claimed he had already expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club, describing him as “disgusting” and noting that “people in New York” were aware of his behavior.

Trump specifically identified Ghislaine Maxwell as Epstein’s “operative,” labeling her “evil” and urging investigators to focus on her. The FBI summary further alleges Trump told Reiter he had witnessed Epstein with teenagers and consequently “got the hell out of there.”

These revelations contradict Trump’s public statements. In 2019, when asked by reporters if he had suspicions about Epstein, Trump responded: “No, I had no idea. I hadn’t spoken to him in many, many years.” The White House has maintained that Trump severed ties with Epstein around 2004 after learning he attempted to “steal” Mar-a-Lago employees.

The Justice Department has stated it is “not aware of any corroborating evidence” regarding the alleged call. White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a tempered response, noting the call “may or may not have happened” but asserting that if it did, it would corroborate Trump’s longstanding claim that he expelled Epstein from his property.

The document release coincides with Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent virtual testimony before the US House Oversight Committee, where she repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment. Her lawyer suggested she would “speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump,” though Trump has stated he hasn’t considered pardoning her.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has publicly acknowledged visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2012, directly contradicting his previous congressional testimony that he had severed ties with the convicted sex offender years earlier. During Tuesday’s Capitol Hill hearing, Lutnick confirmed under oath that he, along with his wife, four children, and nannies, spent approximately one hour having lunch on Epstein’s island during a family vacation.

The revelation emerged from recently unsealed Department of Justice documents containing correspondence about the December 23, 2012 visit—four years after Epstein’s conviction for child prostitution solicitation. This marked Lutnick’s first public admission of the encounter, though he maintained, ‘I don’t recall why we did it, but we did it.’

Lawmakers from both parties have intensified calls for Lutnick’s resignation following the disclosure. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen challenged the secretary about the discrepancies in his accounts, stating, ‘The issue is not that you engaged in any wrongdoing… but that you totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him to the Congress, to the American people, and to the survivors.’

Despite the controversy, the White House reiterated President Trump’s full support for Lutnick. The commerce secretary defended his limited association with Epstein, noting that among millions of released documents, only approximately ten emails connect him to the financier. He described their relationship as minimal, claiming only two additional meetings over a 14-year period following their alleged 2005 separation.

Meanwhile, Epstein abuse survivors gathered separately on Capitol Hill to advocate for Virginia’s Law, legislation seeking to eliminate statutes of limitations for sexual abuse civil claims. The bill honors Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein survivor who died by suicide in 2025, with her family emphasizing that ‘time cannot erase harm.’

The justice department’s document release, mandated by legislation co-sponsored by Representatives Ro Khanna (D) and Thomas Massie (R), continues to reveal new information. Both congressmen have identified additional improperly redacted names within the files, suggesting further disclosures may emerge.