Democrats in Congress release alleged Trump birthday note to Epstein

Published

1 week ago

September 8, 2025

Democrats in Congress have released a note allegedly signed by US President Donald Trump and sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein’s estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted a copy of the alleged letter on X on Monday.

The White House said the signature on the letter was not Trump’s. After the Wall Street Journal published details of the alleged note in July, Trump said it was “a fake thing” and denied writing it.

“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” he said at the time.

“President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. “President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation.”

The signed note says: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein’s estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp’s owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper’s publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had “full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting”.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump’s signature on Monday.

“Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it’s not his signature. DEFAMATION!” Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution. He died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial.

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Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy out with ankle injury

Published

1 hour ago

September 15, 2025

Ben Goessling

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy sustained an ankle injury in Sunday’s 22-6 loss to the Falcons and is expected to miss next week’s game against the Bengals, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Monday.

Carson Wentz, signed as the backup on Aug. 24, would start at quarterback instead. Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow will miss the game and is expected to be out for weeks with a toe injury.

O’Connell said McCarthy’s injury happened on a second-and-20 scramble in the third quarter, when he was taken down as he went out of bounds near the Vikings sideline.

“He just kind of got rolled up on,” O’Connell said. “In the moment, we didn’t necessarily think it was that significant when we came off after that series. There was somebody in the blue [medical] tent, so he got it evaluated right there, got it tape up and went back in the game. Hearing from our medical staff, it’s one of those things that tends to be much worse today than it probably was in the moment, with adrenaline and everything.“

O’Connell said he didn’t think the injury was severe enough for McCarthy to land on injured reserve, which would keep him out for a minimum of four weeks, but he didn’t have a concrete timetable for when the quarterback would return.

O’Connell added that he wanted to see how the injury responds to treatment through the week.

“Tough news there,” he said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

With McCarthy out, the Vikings will turn to Wentz, who started one game each of the past two years for the Rams and Chiefs. He was the runner-up in the NFL MVP voting in 2017, when he led an Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium after Wentz tore his ACL. He was out of Philadelphia after the 2020 season, and his last year as a full-time starter was in 2021 for the Colts, when he threw 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

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Drone neutralised flying over government buildings in Warsaw, PM Donald Tusk says

Published

1 hour ago

September 15, 2025

Gavin Blackburn

Published on
15/09/2025 – 21:10 GMT+2

Poland’s State Protection Service (SOP) has neutralised a drone flying that was flying over sensitive government locations in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X.

Two Belarusian citizens were detained in connection with the incident and police have launched an investigation into the incident, Tusk said.

The incident comes at a time of heightened regional tensions following a string of airspace violations.

Poland says its airspace was violated in the early hours of Wednesday by a record 19 drones, believed to be from Russia.

In response, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said it would send a team to Poland to provide anti-drone training.

The Polish government has traditionally been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war effort.

Total support to Ukraine from Warsaw totals approximately €3.3 billion, in both military and humanitarian assistance.

Poland has also been one of the most welcoming countries in Europe for refugees from Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The country currently hosts the most Ukrainian refugees of any country in Europe, believed to be somewhere in the region of 1 to 1.6 million, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Faltering support

But as Moscow’s war grinds on, anti-Ukrainian sentiment has been increasing, despite data showing that the influx of Ukrainians has brought benefits to Poland’s economy.

A study by Poland’s National Development Bank earlier this year showed Ukrainian refugees had paid more in taxes than they had received in benefits.

But a Flash Eurobarometer survey conducted last year found that support for people fleeing the war in Ukraine had a noticeably lower level of support in Poland, with around 60% of respondents favouring state support.

Meanwhile on Monday, Romania condemned what it called Moscow’s “irresponsible actions” after a Russian drone allegedly entered Romanian airspace during an aerial attack on Ukraine.

That incident, on Saturday evening, prompted Bucharest to scramble fighter jets, the defence ministry said.

On Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced an “Eastern Sentry” programme which aims to deter further Russian incursions and show solidarity with Poland.

“We see drones violating our airspace. Whether it was intentional or not, it is unacceptable. The allies have expressed full solidarity with Poland. It is crucial to counter aggression and defend every member of the Alliance,” Rutte said.

“The defence of the eastern flank is our key task. That is why we are launching the Eastern Sentry initiative to further strengthen our eastern flank.”

Additional sources • AP

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J.J. McCarthy Not Expected to Play vs. Bengals; Vikings to Prep Carson Wentz

Published

2 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Craig Peters

EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell on Monday announced J.J. McCarthy suffered an ankle sprain against the Falcons in Week 2 and is not expected to be available for Minnesota’s Week 3 game vs. Bengals.

O’Connell said the Vikings anticipate Carson Wentz starting and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will back up Wentz.

O’Connell said McCarthy suffered the ankle sprain during a scramble on a second-and-20 play.

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