US AND CANADA

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Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Alberta Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux has crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party, marking the third Conservative defection in recent months and moving the Liberals closer to a majority in the House of Commons.

In a post on X, Carney confirmed that Jeneroux, who represents Edmonton Riverbend, is now part of the Liberal caucus. With his addition, the Liberals hold 169 seats in Parliament, just three short of the 172 required to form a majority government. The shift significantly strengthens Carney’s position as he navigates a closely divided chamber.

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in the Hungarian capital on Monday for meetings with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government during which they plan to sign a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement heralded by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has been outspoken in his support for the nationalist Orbán in the Hungarian leader’s bid for reelection in two months. Orbán and his Fidesz party are facing their most serious challenge in the April 12 vote since he retook power in 2010.

The stop in Hungary’s capital follows Rubio’s visit to Slovakia on Sunday, after he previously attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

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Hours after Reverend Jesse Jackson’s death, President Donald Trump posted a tribute that quickly turned into commentary about his role in the civil rights leader’s life, along with criticism of former President Barack Obama.

In a message shared on Truth Social, Trump outlined ways he said he had supported Jackson over the years. He wrote that he provided office space to the late minister in one of his buildings, responded to his requests regarding criminal justice reform, and

secured long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities, adding this was done “despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist.”

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A top European Union official on Sunday rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused President Donald Trump of overseeing what she described as a “cover-up” involving documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to an interview published by BBC.

Speaking in Berlin ahead of her scheduled congressional testimony, Clinton called for the full release of the remaining records. “Release the files. They are slow-walking it,” she said.

Last month, the United States Department of Justice published more than three million documents, images and videos linked to its investigation into Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 in what authorities ruled a suicide.

Although former President Bill Clinton is mentioned multiple times in the files, no evidence has emerged implicating either of the Clintons in criminal conduct.

Both Hillary and Bill Clinton have been directed to give closed-door depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is examining Epstein’s relationships with influential figures and how information about his crimes was managed. Hillary Clinton said she would prefer the testimony to be held publicly.

“We will appear, but we believe it should be done in public,” she said. “I want it to be fair. I want everyone treated equally.”

Clinton insisted that she and her husband “have nothing to hide” and have repeatedly supported the full disclosure of the documents.

While the Justice Department maintains that no additional files remain for release, some lawmakers argue that internal communications including memos and emails have not been made public.

Clinton alleged that Republicans are attempting to divert attention from Trump, whose name also appears numerous times in the documents. “They’re pointing to a shiny object — dragging in the Clintons, even me, despite the fact that I never met him,” she said.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, emphasizing that being mentioned in the files does not equate to criminal guilt.

Bill Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s private plane in the early 2000s for humanitarian trips connected to the Clinton Foundation but has said he never visited Epstein’s private island. Hillary Clinton has maintained that she had no meaningful contact with Epstein, never traveled on his aircraft and never visited his island.

In the BBC interview, she also confirmed meeting Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors, on a few occasions.

Responding to Clinton’s claim that the testimony is politically motivated, Trump told reporters he had been “totally exonerated.”

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify on February 26, while Bill Clinton is expected to appear the following day.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, to redeploy from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East to bolster pressure on Iran amid ongoing nuclear negotiations and regional tensions. 

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Israeli producer Dana Eden, best known for co-creating the Emmy-winning drama “Tehran,” has died suddenly in Greece, Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Monday.

Eden, 52, was found dead in a hotel in the Greek capital, Athens, a Greek police official said, adding that initial indications suggested she had taken her own life and there was no suspicion of foul play. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as Greek police do not comment publicly in such cases.

KAN said Eden was in Greece for the filming of the hit series’ fourth season.

“Dana was among the leading figures in Israel’s television industry and played a central role in the creation and leadership of some of the most prominent and influential productions within the corporation,” KAN said in a statement. It did not give a cause of death.

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The former White House counsel under President Barack Obama has resigned from Goldman Sachs over her ties to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Kathryn Ruemmler, who works as general counsel at Goldman, will resign this summer after emails released by the Justice Department revealed her conversations with Epstein, according to The Financial Times.

'I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defense attorney, was becoming a distraction,' Ruemmler told the publication.

She will exit the firm on June 30.

Ruemmler rose to the top ranks at Wall Street and became a key adviser to Solomon following a storied legal career, which included serving as White House counsel to former President Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Executives at the firm had previously claimed that Ruemmler had a strictly professional relationship with the financier, as she argued she never represented Epstein or advocated for him though he would occasionally ask for her advice.

She has said she regretted ever knowing Epstein and had no knowledge of any new or ongoing illegal activity.

'I made decisions based on the information that was available to me,' she told the Financial Times. 'I have an enormous amount of sympathy and heartache for anyone he hurt.'

But the latest release of Epstein files shows Ruemmler hailing 'wonderful Jeffrey' in emails dated December 25 and 26, 2015, six years after he served 13 months in prison for prostituting an underage girl. 

She was even in the courtroom when Epstein was arraigned on sex trafficking charges in 2019, and he once even listed her as a backup executor of his will.

Their relationship apparently began around the time Ruemmler left the Obama administration in 2014.

In one correspondence dated September 19, 2014, Epstein told her, 'You need to talk to boss.' 

Ruemmler, who had left the Obama White House about three months earlier, according to her LinkedIn page, replied: 'Agreed, but I need to be prepared to say yes before I talk to him.' 

'Understood,' Epstein said. 'It comes down to high risk / reward / low risk / reward. professional, emotional. and fiinancial [sic].' 

She responded that 'most girls do not have to worry about this crap.' 

Epstein shot back: 'Girls? Careful i will renew an old habit.'

He then listed a group of people he was apparently set to meet with 'this week,' including Peter Thiel, Larry Summers, Bill Burns, former British prime minister Gordon Brown, Leon Black and 'Woody.'

'Also if you think there are interesting people in town, everyone here for climate summit, clinton ,security council,' Epstein added.

Messages from February 2017 also showed Ruemmler disparaging President Donald Trump, calling him 'so gross.'

'Worse in real life and upclose,' he said.

In other correspondence, Ruemmler referenced Epstein's 'Russians' in an email about a potential job offer before she joined Goldman, and in a separate exchange, Ruemmler forwarded the financier's emails about an affair she had with one of his close associates.

Meanwhile, Epstein showered her with gifts, including a Hermes bag, Apple products, spa appointments, haircuts, and plane tickets.

'Am totally tricked out by Uncle Jeffrey today!' she wrote in one email in January 2019. 'Jeffrey boots, handbag, and watch. 

In total, Ruemmler's name is featured hundreds of times in a log of emails between Epstein and his lawyers, which runs to more than 500 pages.