Good morning.
The Senate moved swiftly yesterday to approve legislation that would force the release of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, hours after a near-unanimous vote in the House, almost wrapping up a bipartisan effort Donald Trump had fought for months.
The Senate unanimously agreed to pass the measure as soon as it arrived in the chamber from the House, which had overwhelmingly approved the bill earlier on Tuesday in a 427-1 tally. Once the legislation is forwarded to the Senate, it will be automatically approved for Trump’s signature.
How did we get here? The Epstein case returned dramatically to the public eye in July, when the justice department and FBI released a memo saying they had nothing further to disclose about the investigation. That contradicted statements that the administration would release more information about Epstein in office.
Why has Trump been unable to escape this case? The Epstein scandal is a core issue for a swathe of Trump’s rightwing base, some of whom believe in conspiracy theories that surround Epstein and his coterie of powerful friends. Unlike many other issues, the Epstein files have prompted rebellions from Trump’s supporters.
Trump shrugs off Khashoggi murder during Saudi prince’s visit
Donald Trump has shrugged off the Saudi regime’s 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, dismissing the killing by observing “things happen”.
The president welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House yesterday for the first time since Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment by Saudi state operatives. US intelligence later assessed that the prince had ordered the killing, but Trump insisted “he knew nothing about it”.
Trump attacked the ABC News journalist who asked a question about the murder, suggesting that ABC should lose its broadcasting licence.
What do we know about Saudi Arabia’s investment intentions? The meeting led to claims that Saudi investment in the US economy could ultimately reach $1tn.
What might Saudi Arabia get in return? Trump confirmed that he intended to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh, over the objections of Israel and the concerns of US intelligence.
What did we learn diplomatically? The two men confirmed they were discussing a deal by which Saudi Arabia would normalise relations with Israel in return for a commitment to a two-state solution, implying the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Who attended the black-tie dinner? Tech titans (Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang), soccer royalty (Cristiano Ronaldo, Fifa’s Gianni Infantino), business moguls (Paramount’s David Ellison, Citi bank’s Jane Fraser, Chevron’s Mike Wirth) and Trump’s family and associates.
Ultra-processed food linked to harm in every big human organ, study finds
Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every big organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health, according to the world’s largest review published in the Lancet.
UPF is also rapidly displacing fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent, and is associated with an increased risk of a dozen health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression.
What’s pushing the sharp rise of UPF? Profit-driven corporations using a range of aggressive tactics to drive consumption, skewer scientific debate and prevent regulation, the review of evidence suggests.
In other news …
The rightwing politician Nigel Farage is facing claims of racism and antisemitism at school, with the Guardian interviewing more than a dozen contemporaries of the Reform UK leader.
Polish authorities identified two Ukrainian men as the key suspects in two cases of rail sabotage, accusing them of working for Russian intelligence services.
A woman was hospitalised after being set on fire on the Chicago train system, as police said a man poured a liquid on her and ignited it.
Stat of the day: Gustav Klimt portrait sells for $236.4m, second-most expensive artwork sold at auction
Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer has sold for $236.4m with fees, making it the second-most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. Painted between 1914 and 1916, it was looted by the Nazis, but in 1948 was returned to Lederer’s brother. Since its sale in 1985, it had been part of a private collection.
Don’t miss this: Did Spain’s ‘pact of forgetting’ after Franco leave new generation open to far right?
Thursday marks 50 years since the death of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. For a man who staged a military coup against the Republican government and ushered in a four-decade authoritarian dictatorship, his legacy continues to haunt, divide and confuse Spain. “Generations and generations of Spaniards grow up without knowing what happened,” one historian tells Sam Jones.
Climate check: More than 80 countries at Cop30 join call for roadmap to phase out fossil fuels
More than 80 countries at the UN Cop30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, have joined a call for a roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels. Countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific joined with EU member states and the UK to make an impassioned plea for the “transition away from fossil fuels” to be a central outcome of the talks, despite stiff opposition from petrostates and some other major economies.
Last Thing: Neanderthals and early humans ‘likely to have kissed’, say scientists
Scientists suggest in a journal article that Neanderthals kissed one another – and probably humans, too. Previous studies have identified how Neanderthals and humans shared the same mouth microbe for hundreds of thousands of years, suggesting saliva swapping. “Probably they were kissing,” said the study’s first author. “It certainly puts a more romantic spin on human-Neanderthal relations.”
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