INTERNACIONAL
As Trump’s bawdy birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein appears, he still insists he never sent it
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It really shouldn’t be that big a deal.
Donald Trump was one of many friends solicited to send messages to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. There’s a far more cautious one from Bill Clinton, too.
If the president had merely said «yeah, I sent it, we were joking back and forth, nothing to see here» – this was in 2003, before the child predator was charged with sexual abuse – nobody would have blinked. The birthday book was assembled by his then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
INSIDE EPSTEIN’S INFAMOUS ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’: CLINTON’S NOTE, POOLSIDE CANDIDS AND BIZARRE ANIMAL PICS
Instead, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal for supposedly publishing inaccuracies in its report on the Trump birthday message.
The Journal has now been vindicated.
Trump flatly denied having sent a birthday message at all. He can’t draw, he would never do such a thing, it was inconceivable.
Now it looks a lot more conceivable.
As the Journal was the first to report, there is a friendly back-and-forth against the backdrop of a sketch of a naked woman’s silhouette. Trump’s signature is in the pubic area, and the paper says it matches other acknowledged «Donald» signatures – along with his use of such phrases as «a wonderful thing.»
After President Trump’s repeated denial of its existence, the infamous «birthday letter» he reportedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein has seen the light of day. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
There is this exchange:
Donald: We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Jeffrey: Yes we do, come to think of it.
Donald: Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?
Jeffrey: As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you.
Donald: A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.
That’s it, given more punch by Trump’s denial that he never sent such a thing.
BILL CLINTON LETTER IN EPSTEIN ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK’ AMONG NEW FILES RELEASED BY HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
In fact, after the publication of the texts and the naked silhouette – which I’m sure you’ve seen as it’s been all over television – Trump continues to deny that the letter and sketch are his.
They’re sure doing a good job of moving on from the Epstein mess, huh?
Reached on his cell yesterday by NBC reporter Garrett Haake, Trump said: «I don’t comment on something that’s a dead issue. I gave all comments to the staff. It’s a dead issue.»
That sounds like wishful thinking. The only «dead» part is Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was quick to defend her boss on the Epstein matter. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt backed up the boss in a posting:
«The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal PROVES this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false. As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it. President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.
«Furthermore, the ‘reporter’ @joe_palazzolo who wrote this hatchet job reached out for comment at the EXACT same minute he published his story giving us no time to respond. This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!» But it’s hardly a hoax to Epstein’s victims, who spoke out the other day – one voted for Trump – about how being lured into having sex while young as 14 ruined their lives.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS
The New York Times has a sobering report on other birthday messages to Epstein.
Venture capitalist William Elkus recalled Epstein conjuring a beautiful woman out of thin air during a visit to a farm town in Iowa, where it was hard to «tell the difference between the girls and the hogs.» Elkus marveled at Epstein’s being able to find a «spectacular tall blonde» whom he later invited back with him to New York, concluding he had relied on «some long distance escort service.»
Elkus told the Times that it was a joke and that he was referring to Epstein’s «charisma, which was palpable.»
A person named Leslie wrote, «I wanted to get you what you want,» so «here it is» – a drawing of breasts. Another writer sent photos of zebras, and lions, getting it on.
A person named Nick described a night in London that left Epstein «howling with laughter.» Nick said an «old man smiling sweetly» pulled down a woman’s panties and put his hand on her privates, only to find another man’s hand already there.
Some women, including assistants and girlfriends – the names are redacted – may have been Epstein’s victims.
One woman wrote: «With you, dear Jeffrey, I laugh like a little girl and feel like a woman.» There’s a hand-drawn heart, a brief message and a photo of a woman’s butt in a thong bikini.
EPSTEIN ESTATE HANDS OVER ‘BIRTHDAY BOOK,’ CONTACT LIST TO HOUSE INVESTIGATORS
There’s a cartoon of Epstein in a beach chair getting «what appears to be a nude massage from four topless women.» Appears? That’s exactly what it is.
There were messages from Nathan Myhrvold, former chief technology officer for Microsoft; retail billionaire Leslie Wexner; billionaire investor Leon Black; Epstein’s onetime attorney Alan Dershowitz; and Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout who died in 2022 by suicide in a French jail cell after being charged with raping teenage girls.
The Washington Post has more, saying «attention to Trump’s relationship with Epstein is not going away anytime soon, and the political headaches for the president are likely to linger.»
In one partially redacted photo, Epstein is seen holding an oversized check with DJTRUMP on the signature line. (Getty Images)
In a partially redacted photo, Epstein is holding an oversized check made out to him for $22,500 with DJTRUMP on the signature line. The handwritten caption: «Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [redacted] to Donald Trump for $22,500.»
Trump allies have decided to make their stand on the signature question, adding to the murkiness.
«Is this really the best they could do?» wrote MAGA influencer Benny Johnson. «Trump has the most famous signature in the world. Time to sue them into the oblivion.»
SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES
In a drawing, labeled «1983,» a male figure is pictured handing balloons to young girls in pigtails. That was next to «2003,» where he’s drawn getting massages from topless blonde women with the caption «what a great country!»
Look, there’s no other way to say it: This has the whiff of a cover-up.
I mean, are people buying the president’s insistence that he never sent the birthday message that they’ve seen with their own eyes?
Trump boxed himself by insisting, even now, that he’d never sent such a message. That’s the heart of the political problem.
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The president may pronounce the story dead, but for the rest of the world – including MAGA supporters who have been obsessed with this case – it’s very much alive.
media buzz,donald trump,jeffrey epstein,white house
INTERNACIONAL
Appeals court hears Medicaid fraud case that could cost Planned Parenthood $1.8 billion
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An appellate court is poised to decide a case that supporters and opponents of abortion access are closely watching because the decision could put Planned Parenthood, a prolific abortion vendor, on the hook for up to $1.8 billion.
A full panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit heard oral arguments Thursday in the years-long case, which centers on Planned Parenthood’s use of Medicaid funds in Texas and Louisiana.
Jennie Bradley Lichter, president of March for Life, told Fox News Digital the «stakes couldn’t be higher» and that the lawsuit could bankrupt Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit with hundreds of clinics across the country.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM DEFUNDING SOME PLANNED PARENTHOOD FACILITIES
Activists opposing funding for Planned Parenthood demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2, 2025. ((Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, via Getty))
«Planned Parenthood is facing a repayment obligation of close to $2 billion because it continued to fill its coffers with taxpayers’ money even after two states had already disqualified it,» Lichter said. «If that obligation stands, it will strike a serious — even existential — blow to Planned Parenthood’s national operations and potentially change the abortion landscape in this country forever.»
The case comes after Texas and Louisiana stripped Planned Parenthood affiliates of their Medicaid qualifications in response to activist David Daleiden releasing video footage showing Planned Parenthood staff discussing selling aborted fetal tissue.
Daleiden faced a lawsuit and prosecution for illegally recording the staff, but his footage set off a firestorm in the pro-life movement and caused it to ramp up its efforts to weaken the nonprofit.
Planned Parenthood, however, sued Texas and Louisiana and initially won an injunction that allowed it to keep receiving the Medicaid reimbursements. But the decision was reversed on appeal years later.
SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN MEDICAID FUNDING DISPUTE
David Daleiden, founder of The Center for Medical Progress, at the Value Voters Summit on Sept. 25, 2015, in Washington, D.C. ( Charles Ommanney/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
An anonymous litigant then brought a new lawsuit on behalf of the two states seeking to claw back the millions of dollars Planned Parenthood had collected while the injunction had been in place.
Court papers indicate that the potential money Planned Parenthood could now owe — reimbursement of the Medicaid dollars it collected plus various multipliers — could add up to $1.8 billion. The exact dollar amount would be determined by a jury in the lower court.
But Planned Parenthood and the anonymous litigant, named in court papers as «Alex Doe,» are now waiting to see where the conservative 5th Circuit will land.
The issue before the 5th Circuit’s en banc panel is about whether Planned Parenthood had immunity when it collected the four years’ worth of Medicaid dollars. Planned Parenthood has argued it has immunity because its counsel advised it to collect the payments during the injunction period.
A protest sign outside the Supreme Court during the 52nd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2025. (BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Thursday’s oral arguments came after a three-judge panel for the 5th Circuit comprising two Republican-appointed judges and one Democrat-appointed judge sided with Planned Parenthood.
Susan Manning, general counsel for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, blasted the Texas and Louisiana lawsuit as a «politically-motivated» attempt to put the nonprofit out of business.
«This baseless case has only one goal: to shut down Planned Parenthood and deny patients access to sexual and reproductive health care,» Manning said in a statement this year. «Planned Parenthood health centers are nonprofits that provide essential, high-quality health care to more than 2 million people nationwide every year.»
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Separately, pro-life activists made progress in their mission to defund Planned Parenthood this year when Congress voted to strip the nonprofit of Medicaid funding at the federal level for a one-year period.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit sided against Planned Parenthood in a lawsuit over the measure.
abortion,judiciary,federal courts,law,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Guerra Santa: Rusia reclutó a sacerdotes ortodoxos para influir en los votantes de Moldavia
Autoridades de Rusia habrían desplegado una estrategia sistemática para influir en los resultados de las elecciones en Moldavia utilizando la Iglesia Ortodoxa como canal principal de intervención. Una investigación de Reuters expone que funcionarios estatales rusos diseñaron un plan en el que sacerdotes ortodoxos moldavos fueron reclutados deliberadamente para diseminar mensajes prorrusos entre los feligreses. Estos sacerdotes recibieron directrices sobre cómo orientar sus homilías y actividades pastorales hacia la promoción de ideas afines a los intereses de Moscú, como el rechazo a la integración europea y la crítica abierta a candidatos considerados poco favorables para Rusia.
De acuerdo con las revelaciones de Reuters, este proceso de reclutamiento y coordinación se realizó a través de canales confidenciales, donde integrantes de los servicios de inteligencia y de la diplomacia rusa instruyeron a los líderes religiosos sobre el tipo de mensajes a difundir y les facilitaron materiales y recursos logísticos para expandir la campaña. Entre los métodos utilizados por los operadores rusos figuraba el contacto directo con los sacerdotes, el ofrecimiento de incentivos y la creación de redes que permitieran difundir eficazmente el discurso pro-Moscú por diferentes regiones de Moldavia.
La participación de funcionarios de alto nivel en este operativo revela un enfoque organizado con implicancias estatales, conforme detalla el reportaje de Reuters. Las actividades incluyeron la planificación de encuentros entre diplomáticos y clérigos, así como mecanismos para asegurar que los mensajes fueran consistentes y alcanzaran tanto a zonas urbanas como rurales. De este modo, la estrategia rusa apuntó a incidir de manera directa en la percepción de los votantes a través de la autoridad moral y el alcance social con que cuenta la Iglesia Ortodoxa en la sociedad moldava.
La intervención a través de la Iglesia Ortodoxa tuvo un impacto amplio dentro de Moldavia, según los resultados recogidos por Reuters. Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y analistas políticos detectaron un aumento en la retórica prorrusa dentro de templos y espacios comunitarios, lo que generó preocupación sobre el potencial de estos mensajes para modificar la visión de los ciudadanos respecto a la futura orientación geopolítica del país. La capacidad de la Iglesia para llegar a amplios sectores de la población, incluyendo comunidades rurales y segmentos tradicionalmente menos expuestos a los debates políticos, amplificó la difusión de la campaña.
Representantes de autoridades electorales moldavas expresaron a Reuters inquietud por la influencia que estas prácticas podrían tener en la equidad del proceso electoral, dado que muchos votantes confían en la orientación moral y social de los religiosos locales. Señalaron que abordar la interferencia es especialmente delicado en un contexto donde la sociedad permanece polarizada respecto al acercamiento con la Unión Europea frente a la continuidad de lazos estrechos con Rusia.
El alcance creciente de los mensajes fue interpretado por algunos sectores como un riesgo para la estabilidad regional, especialmente en un momento marcado por situaciones de inestabilidad en países vecinos y tensiones geopolíticas en el este de Europa. Expertos consultados por Reuters advirtieron que la persistencia de estos métodos de injerencia puede desembocar en episodios de tensión social y socavar la confianza en las instituciones democráticas moldavas. La sensibilidad del tema y la complejidad de la coyuntura llevaron a un llamado de vigilancia activa por parte de organizaciones internacionales, preocupadas por la incidencia de actores externos en los procesos internos del país.
Tras la divulgación de la investigación de Reuters, portavoces de la Iglesia Ortodoxa en Moldavia afirmaron públicamente que no existe ninguna directriz oficial que promueva mensajes políticos en el seno de la institución y rechazaron las acusaciones de coordinación con agentes extranjeros. Autoridades eclesiásticas argumentaron que su papel se limita a la guía espiritual de la comunidad, defendiendo la independencia de la Iglesia frente a influencias externas y reafirmaron su compromiso con la neutralidad política.
Funcionarios del gobierno ruso, consultados por Reuters, negaron cualquier implicación en campañas de manipulación electoral en Moldavia. Afirmaron que dichas acusaciones carecen de fundamento y las atribuyeron a intereses de sectores que buscan desacreditar al Kremlin y tensar las relaciones bilaterales.
Por su parte, el gobierno moldavo manifestó su inquietud ante los indicios de injerencia extranjera y expresó, a través de comunicados oficiales citados por Reuters, la necesidad de fortalecer los mecanismos de protección del proceso democrático. Las autoridades requirieron el apoyo de organismos internacionales para monitorear las próximas elecciones y prevenir la utilización de estructuras religiosas como herramienta de influencia política.
Entidades de la Unión Europea y organismos multilaterales reaccionaron a la investigación mostrando disposición para colaborar en el esclarecimiento de los hechos, con el propósito de garantizar la integridad electoral moldava. Adicionalmente, portavoces comunitarios declararon que, de confirmarse la existencia de interferencia y manipulación por parte de actores externos, se analizarán posibles sanciones diplomáticas y la intensificación del acompañamiento institucional a Moldavia en futuros procesos electorales.
Europe,MOSCOW REGION
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Only «friends and weapons,» not international laws, can protect against war and authoritarian ambitions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Wednesday during an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Ukrainian leader, who has been pleading with the international community to do more to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his more than three-and-a-half-year-long war, once again cautioned that Ukraine may have been the first European nation to bear Moscow’s affront to international order, but it will not be the last.
«Putin will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper. And we told you before, Ukraine is only the first. And now Russian drones are already flying across Europe,» Zelenskyy said. «Russian operations are already spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it.
TRUMP ‘DRAMATICALLY’ CHANGES TUNE ON UKRAINE BUT EXPERTS CAUTION PUTIN IS STILL WAITING FOR ACTION
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 24, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
«No one can feel safe right now,» he added.
A general tone of dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the rules-based system has repeatedly rung out during the UNGA as world leaders condemned a growing disregard of international law and human rights amid rising security threats and geopolitical conflicts.
Zelenskyy again argued it is cheaper to stop Putin now than attempt to catch up in an arms race, build underground bunkers across cities and under kindergartens, and to try and «protect every port and every ship from terrorists with sea drones.»
«Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead,» he said.
TRUMP MOCKS NATO ALLIES FOR ‘FUNDING THE WAR AGAINST THEMSELVES’ WITH RUSSIAN ENERGY PURCHASES
Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
But it wasn’t only the international community’s failure to stop Putin that Zelenskyy addressed.
He pointed to the Israeli hostages who are still held in Gaza and the horrific conditions Palestinians live in.
«There is simply no other way left [that] nations can speak about the pain from stages like this,» Zelenskyy said. «But even during bloodshed, there isn’t a single international institution that can truly stop it. That’s how weak these institutions have become.
«What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the UN or the global system? Just statements,» he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 24, 2025, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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«In the end, peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations,» Zelenskyy said. «So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on. Please speak out and condemn it.
«Please join us in defending life and international law and order,» he added. «People are waiting for action.»
volodymyr zelenskyy,ukraine,vladimir putin,united nations,russia,israel,wars
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