With Valentines Day this weekend, some people are preparing for romance but others may be feeling heartbreak or noticing a missing spark. That can be especially true for those dating after a traumatic breakup or life event.
Dr. Shahrzad Jalali, a licensed clinical psychologist, trauma expert and author of "The Fire That Makes Us: Unveiling the Transformative Power of Trauma," told Scripps News that people dont have to be fully healed to form a new, healthy relationship. She said awareness, self-trust and emotional safety can be built while healing in real time.
The book serves as a guide to help people heal through this trauma and learn to take back ownership of their lives, Jalali said.
Jalali said people often see pain as something to eliminate, but she encourages a different viewpoint: reframing emotional pain as fuel rather than something to avoid.
If we could get rid of pain, I would be the first one to make it happen, she said. Unfortunately, life doesnt operate that way. When we go through something it changes us, it becomes part of us, it takes away a lot of our power, but at the same time gives us power in a different way.
In order to move forward, we have to learn to embrace this, how to negotiate with it, how to sew it into the dynamic that is our life, she added. And the only way to do that is to build awareness around it, understand it, and then to look at it from a different perspective.
Watch Scripps News' full interview with Dr. Shahrzad Jalali in the video player above.
Discord users will soon see a major change aimed at protecting younger users.
The messaging platform is moving to a teen-by-default setting for all accounts. Under the change, which begins in March, users who want to access certain content will be required to verify their age.
"We design our products with teen safety principles at the core and will continue working with safety experts, policymakers, and Discord users to support meaningful, long term wellbeing for teens on the platform, said Savannah Badalich, the head of Product Policy at Discord.
Discord said users will be able to verify their age either through facial recognition or by submitting identification. The company said video selfies used for age verification do not leave a users device, and that identity documents are deleted shortly after age verification is completed.
Users can also appeal their assigned age group or retry the process from the My Account settings if they believe its incorrect.
Discord has grown into one of the worlds most popular communication platforms, with a reported more than 200 million users. The app allows users to interact in online communities known as servers, which are organized around shared interests.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
President Donald Trump's tariff policies cost each American household an average of $1,000 last year, and are set to cost those households an average of $1,300 through 2026, according to new analysis.
A new review of the president's tariff policies by the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, shows that tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico and the EU "amount to an average tax increase per U.S. household of $1,000 in 2025."
If the tariffs stay in place, their costs could be equivalent to an average tax per household of $1,300 in 2026.
Because most costs are passed on to consumers, experts say the majority of tariff costs are paid by those consumers not by foreign countries, manufacturers, importers, or other intermediaries in the supply chain.
A study last year by The Kiel Institute found similar results: Americans are paying 96% of the cost of the tariffs, while foreign exporters are absorbing about 4%. The Kiel Institute said it analyzed over 25 million shipment records from over $4 trillion in U.S. imports.
President Donald Trump issued a stark warning in January of this year, saying the U.S. would be screwed if the Supreme Court overturns his authority to impose tariffs.
The Trump administration has relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, as the legal basis for imposing the tariffs. During November's oral arguments, however, several justices appeared skeptical over whether the law can be used for that purpose.
The court has not yet ruled on the legality of IEEPA tariffs.
Four people in California have now died after eating toxic wild mushrooms, state health monitors say.
Between November 18 of 2025 and February 7 of 2026, there have been 40 hospitalizations and four deaths linked to consumption of dangerous mushrooms, according to California's Department of Public Health.
Two of the most dangerous varieties of mushroom are the Death Cap and Western Destroying Angel mushrooms, which grow more commonly following wet weather.
Such mushrooms may appear and even taste similar to store-bought mushrooms that are safe to eat, the health agency says. But they can cause nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea, and in serious cases can cause liver and kidney damage, seizures and death.
Officials recommend avoiding eating wild-picked mushrooms, keeping children and pets away from growing mushrooms and buying mushrooms only from trusted grocers.
The toxic mushrooms cannot be made safe by cooking.
Several patients, including children, have suffered severe liver damage in the latest outbreak of poisonings, and at least one person may require a liver transplant.
Officials urged the public to avoid foraging entirely during what it called a high-risk season for toxic mushrooms.
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.
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.
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 Trump administration has launched a new online tool it says will significantly lower prescription drug costs for some Americans.
The website, called TrumpRX, went live on Thursday and allows patients to search for prescription medications and view the lowest available cash prices.
This launch represents the largest reduction in prescription drug prices in history, President Trump said.
According to the administration, patients can either use coupons at local pharmacies or, in some cases, purchase medications directly from pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Darren Covington, the executive vice president of the Indiana Pharmacy Association, said the tool does not appear to have income restrictions and could be especially helpful for people without insurance or those whose medications are not covered by their plans.
Experts pointed to fertility medications and some GLP-1 drugs as examples.
So a lot of the GLP -1s are covered for diabetes, but it may be obesity, but generally for if you're taking it for weight loss, is the primary indication, because they are so expensive, you aren't necessarily seeing insurance companies cover them, Covington said.
One of the most notable discounts listed is for the weight loss drug Wegovy, which is priced around $150 per month on the site, down from a retail price of more than $1,300.
However, some patients were already paying about $199 per month last year.
You hear the criticism, well, in Europe or Canada, they pay so much less for the same drug. So this is an effort to get those,to get manufacturers to offer those same kind of prices in the United States, Covington said.
The discounts are available to cash-paying customers and options may be cheaper through insurance.
Covington said patients with insurance should check with their providers first as it might not count toward insurance deductibles or annual out-of-pocket maximums.
This means users with high-deductible plans might spend more over the year by not applying their medication costs toward their deductible.
Covington added the early reaction to the tool has been mixed, but believes it could help improve access to medications in Indiana.
I talked to individuals, you know, some are very excited about it and some are skeptical of it, Covington said. We know that when patients are able to afford and access their medications,that leads to healthier outcomes. So, we're hopeful, yes.
Currently, 43 drugs are available on the website, with more expected to be added.
Two of the medications listed are Indianapolis-based Eli Lillys Zepbound and lispro insulin.
The Scripps News Group reached out to Eli Lilly to ask how Trump RX could impact consumers. A spokesperson said:
We are committed to expanding access and affordability for our medicines and continue to support efforts to increase price transparency. Making self-pay pricing information for select medicines available on TrumpRX is another step in that effort to help patients access authentic Lilly medicines.This story was originally published by Naja Woods with the
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.
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.
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.
Authorities in Arizona were seen Saturday night leaving the home of Today show co-host Savannah Guthries sister as the search for their missing 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues.
According to KGUN, the Scripps News Group station in Tucson, authorities spent several hours inside Annie Guthries home before leaving with what appeared to be a brown paper sack and another larger item. However, the Pima County Sheriffs Department (PCSD) did not say why they were at the home.
At least 3 Pima County Sheriff's Deputies were captured leaving Annie Guthrie's house around 10:30 pm on Saturday, spending several hours inside the house before leaving. PCSD has not said why they were at the house as of tonight.Find out more on KGUN 9. pic.twitter.com/S1YDxTPidt KGUN 9 (@kgun9) February 8, 2026
Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for more than a week, and authorities believe she was taken from her home against her will. The Pima County Sheriffs Office has said they still do not have a suspect.
"The Nancy Guthrie investigation is ongoing. Follow-up continues at multiple locations," the PCSD said Sunday. "No suspects, persons of interest, or vehicles have been identified. No scheduled press briefings. If any significant developments occur in the case, a press conference will be called."
Savannah Guthrie released a video message on Saturday, addressing the apparent kidnappers of her mother and offering to pay them.
We received your message, and we understand, Guthrie said in a video posted on social media. We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.
Savannahs brother and sister also appear in the video but do not speak. The post was captioned with the words, Bring her home.
This comes after media outlets, including KGUN, previously received a ransom note demanding $6 million in Bitcoin for Guthries release. The note set a payment deadline of 5 p.m. on Monday.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Savannah Guthrie, co-host of the "Today" show, released a video message on Saturday, telling the apparent kidnappers of her mother, Nancy, that she has received their message.
"We received your message, and we understand," Guthrie says in a video posted on social media. "We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way that we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."
Savannah's brother and sister also appear in the video, but do not speak. The post was captioned with the words, "Bring her home."
It's unclear whether the message Savannah Guthrie is referring to is a new message or older messages that have been sent to news organizations, including KGUN, the Scripps station in Tucson.
Nancy Guthrie has now been missing for a week. Authorities believe she was taken from her home against her will. The Pima County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday that they still have no suspects in the case
Just hours earlier, however, President Donald Trump, who has ordered federal resources to assist in the case, said he believes a "solution" could be possible soon.
"I think we're doing very well on that regard. You're probably surprised to hear that. I think we're doing very well, very well, meaning we have some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon," Trump said.
While there have been no leads on a suspect, the Pima County Sheriff's Office was seen towing a car from Nancy Guthrie's residence Friday night.
Authorities would not say why the vehicle was closed nearly a week after Nancy Guthrie was first reported missing.
"This remains an active and ongoing investigation, which includes the review of multiple pieces of evidence," the Pima County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Saturday. "At this time, we will not confirm or release additional details regarding what is being analyzed."
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.
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.
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.
Bad Bunny, the six-time Grammy Award winner and upcoming Super Bowl 60 halftime performer, has become the subject of an academic course at San Diego State University that examines his cultural influence on a global scale.
The Puerto Rican artist recently won the 2026 Album of the Year Grammy for "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" (translated as "I Should Have Taken More Pictures"). During his acceptance speech, Bad Bunny dedicated the award to people who left their homeland to follow their dreams.
"He's everywhere and I think he just keeps growing bigger and bigger and he is in every single aspect of media whether it's the music he does, the halftime show, he does WWE, movies, commercials," San Diego State Professor Nathian Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is teaching "Bad Bunny: Perreo, Performance and Pop Culture Politics" at SDSU as a case study on the artist. Perreo is a popular dance style originating from Puerto Rico that's connected to reggaeton music.
The class aims to give students a global perspective on Bad Bunny's impact across different spheres of influence.
"When students leave the class, I think they're gonna have one, a newfound appreciation for the culture and the music but also a lot better understanding of themselves and how music and videos and all pop culture really relates to them and how they relate to it," Rodriguez said.
The course will focus on topics including the global flow of music from South America to North America, social justice and politics.
Looking ahead to Sunday's Super Bowl 60 halftime show, Rodriguez anticipates a memorable performance from the cultural icon.
"It's gonna be dance, it's gonna be culture, it's gonna be Spanish, it's gonna be this sort of diversity of all these artists that he's worked with in the past and I think it's just gonna be a super performance that's what he's good at," Rodriguez said.
The class is being offered this spring as both an undergraduate and graduate course but has reached capacity. It will also be offered this summer.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
President Donald Trump claims he's heard encouraging news in the search for Nancy Guthrie.
Talking to reporters on Air Force One Friday, Trump said he believes a "solution" could be possible soon.
"I think we're doing very well on that regard. You're probably surprised to hear that. I think we're doing very well, very well, meaning we have some clues, I think that are very strong, and I think we could have some answers coming up fairly soon," Trump said.
The statement came as authorities ended day six of the search for the mother of TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
While there have been no leads on a suspect, the Pima County Sheriff's Office was seen towing a car from Nancy Guthrie's residence Friday night.
The Pima County Sheriffs Office said Friday it is investigating the legitimacy of a new message related to the disappearance of Guthrie.
Authorities did not disclose the contents of the latest message. Media outlets, including KGUN, previously received a ransom note demanding several million dollars in Bitcoin. The note set a payment deadline of Thursday, followed by a second deadline of Monday, and threatened to kill Nancy Guthrie if the money was not received.
The FBI is offering a $50,000 dollar reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction.
This article was written by JJ McKinney for the Scripps News Group in Tucson.
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